Bilingual literacy in Australia

Mercurio, A., Scarino, A. (2005). Heritage languages at upper secondary level in South Australia: A struggle for legitimacy. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 8(2,3), 145-159. doi: 10.1080/13670050508668603

“Languages policy and its implementation in education is inherently a political act and involves a struggle for the legitimacy of particular languages.” (p. 145)

“Of the 270 or so Australian languages that were spoken before colonisation in 1788, only 20 are considered to be in a relatively healthy state today” (p. 152)

This is an interesting paper, however it does not discuss effects on bilingual students. Instead it discusses the progress of language education subjects in senior secondary school in South Australia and the approaches that must be observed for languages to become part of the curriculum. It is the curricular details that really make this paper shine. Mentioned are attaching languages to administrative structures, curriculum structures and community structures, and the roles that each of these structures play in language education and maintenance. 

Davis, Z. (2009). First language (Dinka) literacy as a foundation for English language, literacy and numeracy. Canberra, Australia:Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. Retrieved from http://www.deewr.gov.au/Skills/Programs/LitandNum/LiteracyNet/Documents/FirstLanguageDinkaLiteracy.pdf

Refugees from Southern Sudan have limited access to a range of services, employment and education due to their limited literacy in English or their first language Dinka. This is a report on a project aimed at improving Dinka and English literacy in a group of adult learners. Without first language literacy, the language is only used in spoken activities and becomes context rich. Second language literacy and learning is often context light, which increases the difficulty in learning the language and its' literacy.

The study taught Dinka literacy for 8 weeks, followed by English literacy for 11 weeks with Dinka literacy lessons continuing for one day each week during the English period. Literacy in both languages improved, as did the confidence of learning the languages. The author states that they were unable to ascertain if first language literacy improves second language literacy acquisition and believes that the improvement observed was due to the environment of care and respect created by the teacher, the relevance of literacy materials to the students and the presence of bilingual teaching staff. These ideas formed the basis for the reports recommendations. Also commented on is the ongoing mental health of refugees, as many in this study commented on short or restless sleep several years after arriving in Australia.

The appendix to the report contains a lengthy section of the teaching materials used and explanations of the strategies that were successful and modifications made to those that were initially unsuccessful. Childcare was an issue raised for further adult education programs. The care of children was identified by the Dinka language staff as a barrier for the parents to work and education.