Do secondary English teachers have adequate time and resourcing to meet the needs of struggling literacy learners?. (2nd October 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Merga, Margaret K.; Mat Roni, Saiyidi; Malpique, Anabela
• Is Part Of: English in education. Volume 55:Number 4(2021)
• Page Start: 351
• Page End: 367
• Publication Date: 2021-10-02
• Subjects: English teacher -- struggling literacy learner -- classroom resourcing -- struggling reader -- struggling writer; English language -- Study and teaching -- Periodicals; 420.71
• DOI: 10.1080/04250494.2020.1838897
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0425-0494

Abstract

ABSTRACT: As struggling Australian students may not typically receive additional support beyond the mainstream English classroom, more needs to be understood about the staffing and resourcing challenges that may impede secondary English teachers seeking to support these students. Data from the 2019 Supporting Struggling Secondary Literacy Learners project are explored, presenting views from N = 315 Australian secondary English teachers. Respondents disagreed that they have adequate time and resourcing to meet the needs of these students; public schools were perceived to be particularly poorly resourced. Our analysis found perceived deficiency to be compounded; those with insufficient support staff also appeared to have insufficient resources. While efforts to improve students' literacy skills often target teacher education, it may be unrealistic to expect improvement in the performance of Australia's struggling literacy learners without greatly increasing provision of support staff and material resourcing.