Examining Approaches to the Kindergarten Literacy Block

Abstract

Designing and executing inclusive literacy practice that is grounded in both the principles of inclusion and the evidence-base related to the teaching of literacy is a fundamental but challenging endeavour for teachers. Discourse regarding literacy practice in the political and research domains, in Australia and internationally, has commonly emphasised school- and system-wide issues that are far removed from classroom teachers’ control. These issues include: problems of resourcing; administrative concerns; amendments to initial teacher education; changes at a government level; and isolated research debates concerning the merits of specific pedagogical components and approaches. Such discourse represents a distraction from the construction of inclusive, integrated classroom literacy practice that is effective for all students as teachers’ primary concern. Given recent changes to syllabus requirements which are state-specific, and the significance of the first year of formal schooling, kindergarten classrooms in New South Wales (NSW) represent an important context in which to examine inclusive literacy practice. Accordingly, this thesis explores the conceptualisation, examination and interpretation of a framework for inclusive literacy education which uses the Inclusive Pedagogical Approach (Florian & Spratt, 2013) as a lens through which to consider classroom literacy practice. This exploration moves beyond the theoretical and methodological constraints of previous studies in both fields. The study employs mixed methods and uses both qualitative and quantitative data gathered from a survey of 266 kindergarten teachers in Sydney, NSW, alongside three case study observations and interviews with teachers from the survey sample. The triangulation of the data allows for a detailed exploration of classroom practice and the professional judgements that underpin inclusive literacy education. The framework for inclusive literacy education has broad implications for: addressing the need for improvements in student literacy achievement (United Nations, 2015); enabling the pursuit of improvements in classroom teachers’ practice; and illuminating potential areas of focus for professional learning within education sectors and initial teacher education. It also lays the foundation for further exploratory research in this domain (Swedberg, 2020).