Empowering Indigenous Learners: A Cultural Capital Journey Into Reading Achievement in Australia

• In Event: Friday Roundtable Session 11:25 am
  In Roundtable Session: Research on Indigenous Issues in Education: Students With Exceptionalities; Cultural Practices and Language Production; Health Education; Reading Achievement; and Teachers’ Beliefs About Indigenous Children (Table 7)

Abstract

This study delves into the persistent discrepancy in literacy achievement between Indigenous students and the Australian standard despite substantial government investments. The research examines the educational system's failure to support Indigenous students' learning and the scarcity of classroom-based studies on cultural capital's impact on Indigenous children's English reading. Underpinned by Bourdieu’s (Bourdieu, 1977, 1986) concept of Cultural Capital and Yosso’s (2005) Community Wealth Capital, a six-month case study at an Australian regional school, the study highlights unique challenges faced by Indigenous students in reading and how their experience shapes their unique reading skills. The research aims to enhance public understanding of Indigenous culture's significance and promote its positive impact on literacy education, fostering culturally responsive learning approaches for all students.

Author

• Gui Ying Annie Yang-Heim, Illinois State University