Interventions in Literacy and Numeracy (InLaN)
The purpose of the InLaN research project is to identify interventions in literacy and numeracy in Years 2 to 7 in all Queensland schools. Data include information on student achievements in the Year 2 Net, Reading Recovery, and the Years 3, 5, and 7 Literacy and Numeracy Tests, as well as information about relevant learning contexts and student achievements in learning.
The project will encompass broad information about all students, detailed information about samples of students, and the complex inter-relationships among students, interventions and learning contexts, and student achievements in case study schools. Relevant stakeholders such as specialist support teachers and community organisations will be invited to participate.
It is anticipated that project findings will map intervention practices and outcomes in Queensland schools, and offer insights into the kinds of interventions that are effective for particular groups of students in particular contexts. The findings will therefore provide a useful basis for the development of informed sector policies and provisions in intervention practices in literacy and numeracy in the early and middle phases of learning, and for the development and implementation of professional development policies for teachers and support personnel.
The research has been sub-contracted to the Centre for Applied Language, Literacy and Communications Studies, Griffith University by Education Queensland and the Catholic and Independent education sectors. The Australian Government is funding the research under the States Grants (Primary and Secondary Education Assistance) Act 2000.
It is a policy objective of the Australian Government to support improved education outcomes for young people who are educationally disadvantaged such as school students who experience difficulties with learning, including those with disabilities. The Australian Government announced funding of $4.5 million for the Effective Teaching and Learning Practices for Students with Learning Difficulties Initiative to further this objective. This initiative is part of the Australian Government 's National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies and Projects Programme.
Research Update
InLaN Project - Update
The progress of the research can be mapped along the four lines of Inquiry that aim to answer the central Project issues:
- What interventions are currently in use?
- What indications are there about their effectiveness in terms of added value and cost-effectiveness?
Inquiry 1 examines relevant international and Australian literature that presents research theories and findings that inform the key questions of the Project. The review will be presented in four main sections: Setting the Scene; Background and Theoretical Perspectives on Support Provision for Students with Learning Difficulties; Effective Provision for Students with Learning Difficulties: What the Major Studies Tell Us, and Findings - Effective Features of Support.
Inquiry 2 is a mapping of support provision at the school level. The data were obtained through surveys sent to Principals and Learning Support Teachers across all primary education sectors in Queensland. Data collection was finalised in 2005, with special thanks to the 159 Principals and 120 Learning Support Teachers who provided their time and expertise to this Project Inquiry. Analyses of the responses have been completed for both groups.
Inquiry 3 focuses on the analysis of the systems and sector data for the Year 2 Diagnostic Net, Reading Recovery, and the Years 3, 5 and 7 Aspects of Literacy and Numeracy Tests. This analysis longitudinally maps the student cohort 2000-2005 growth profiles across Years 2 to 7 for the state.
Inquiry 4 details effective practices in support provision in schools through case study reports. Fourteen schools were visited by the Project's researchers in 2005/2006 with data including observational and interview data, and classroom artifacts. The data were used to document school and classroom support practices using a four-part structure developed by the research team. Each case study included in the final report of the project is presented using this structure. The case studies are rich examples of effective practice in providing support to students with learning difficulties.
The Project is in its final stages. Following endorsement by the Advisory Committee and official sign off by Education Queensland, Queensland Catholic Education Commission, and Independent Schools Queensland the four volume report of the Project will be submitted to the Australian Government Education Minister early 2007.
Research Team and Contacts
Dissemination of Findings
The final report of the InLaN research project was approved by the Minister for Education, Science and Training for endorsement in August 2007.
The report is available on the website of the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations 
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