Challenges of Conducting Systematic Research in Australia's Northern Territory
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2014
Keywords
early childhood literacy, Indigenous research, Northern Australia
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.1080/02188791.2013.809692
Abstract
This paper explores the challenges of conducting systematic research, using our experiences of conducting a study to evaluate the effectiveness of ABRACADABRA, an online tool for early childhood literacy instruction as the contextual framework. By discussing how the research team resolved such perennial issues as high teacher turnover, low or erratic Indigenous student attendance, difficulties with collecting reliable data on student outcomes, and the time and funding required to travel long distances, we show how rigorous research might still be conducted, to counter the usual proffering of such challenges as reasons why experimental research should not be attempted. Without minimizing the dimension of the logistical and funding challenges facing the conducting of experimental research in regional and remote settings, we end with an appeal that such work be prioritized, lest already disadvantaged education settings suffer further neglect in terms of national research priorities.
Was this content written or created while at USF?
Yes
Citation / Publisher Attribution
Asia Pacific Journal of Education, v. 34, issue 1, p. 36-48
Scholar Commons Citation
Helmer, Janet; Harper, Helen; Lea, Tess; Wolgemuth, Jennifer R.; and Chalkiti, Kalotina, "Challenges of Conducting Systematic Research in Australia's Northern Territory" (2014). Educational and Psychological Studies Faculty Publications. 178.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/esf_facpub/178
