JCPSLP Vol 19 No 1 March 2017

Communication and connection: Valuing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives

Educators’ and carers’ perceptions of Aboriginal children’s communication and emergent literacy development Gwendalyn Webb and Cori Williams

This paper presents the results of qualitative research into the perceptions of educators and parents/carers about Aboriginal children’s communication and emergent literacy. Interviews with educators and parents/carers revealed three core themes: knowing the child and family; systemic factors; and individual factors affecting Aboriginal children’s communication and development. Each core theme included sub-themes which are discussed in this paper. The findings of this research provide insights for speech-language pathologists working with Aboriginal people. T he links that exist between language development and literacy have been well documented. In the early childhood years, children’s communication development is considered a precursor to their literacy skills and ongoing academic progress (ACECQA, 2009; Dickinson & Tabors, 2001; Zimmerman et al., 2009). Recent government policies and projects have been put in place to focus on enhancing early child development such as the National Quality Framework for early learning contexts (ACEQUA 2015). However, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children’s literacy and academic skills in general are lower than those of the non-Indigenous population (ACARA, 2015). This statistic comprises part of the “the gap” in equality which needs addressing in regards to health, education and socioeconomic outcomes for Indigenous Australians (Commonwealth of Australia, 2015). Despite recent government policies and projects to address the issue, it continues to be an area requiring attention. The gap is more pronounced in rural and remote areas, though it is still significant in urban regions of Australia. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children are less likely to attend early childhood education and care (ECEC) services, and if they do they are frequently in the minority context, where mainstream (non-Indigenous) culture and communication are dominant (Mason White, 2012). In many places in Australia, Aboriginal children may be exposed to one or more Indigenous languages as their home language. In some areas a dialect of English, Aboriginal English (AE), may have been the main form of communication that the child has been exposed to prior to commencing formal schooling (Simpson & Wigglesworth,

2008). Communicating using AE in the local Aboriginal community is one way of maintaining cultural vitality, and is therefore important to Aboriginal people (Eckermann et al., 2010). Aboriginal English embodies cultural connection and identity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (Harrison, 2004). Few studies have considered communication and interaction in early childhood for this population (Ellis, Brooks, & Edwards, 2010; McLeod, Verdon, & Bennetts Kneebone, 2014). Culturally different ways of communicating need to be valued and considered for the impact they may have on children’s progression into formal education. This paper describes the perspectives of Early Childhood Educators (ECEs), teachers and carers about issues relating to early childhood education, language and literacy development for Aboriginal children. Method A qualitative research design was adopted to address the research question for this current study, which forms part of a larger PhD study. Ethical approval was granted from a number of relevant organisations. These included the Curtin University Human Research Ethics Committee (Approval number: HR100/2012), the New South Wales Department of Education (SERAP number: 2014140), Kindergarten Union and the Regional Aboriginal Education Consultancy Group. The principles of conduct for ethical research with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities were adhered to (NHMRC, 2015). The research project was initiated by questions from members of the local Aboriginal community. The researcher, who is non-Aboriginal, then worked very closely with an advisory panel of experienced early childhood education and health professionals who work with the local Aboriginal community. This panel of experts provided guidance, support, and feedback about the research process and helped to ensure that respect and cultural integrity was considered throughout the process. Participants Participants recruited for this study included early childhood educators (ECEs), parents/carers of Aboriginal children, and both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal adults working in the education system with children in their first year of formal schooling. The participants were recruited from the greater Newcastle area of NSW and were purposefully selected for their experience in working with individual Aboriginal children. Table 1 shows the numbers of participants and

KEYWORDS ABORIGINAL COMMUNI­ CATION EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION EMERGENT LITERACY LANGUAGE

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN PEER- REVIEWED

Gwendalyn Webb (top) and Cori Williams

their roles. The inclusion of three separate sets of participants allowed for triangulation of the data.

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JCPSLP Volume 19, Number 1 2017

www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au