2022 Laureate Profile: Professor Anne Castles

Professor Anne Castles

Administering Organisation: Macquarie University

Fellowship Project Summary

FL220100061 – Literacy in adolescence: The next major challenge in the science of reading

Becoming proficient in reading and writing transforms children's lives. It opens vast new opportunities for them to acquire knowledge and communicate and maximises their potential to become productive members of society. For this reason, it is of major national concern that Australian literacy rates have been steadily falling over the past two decades, with as many as 40% of 15-year-olds failing to meet international minimum standards (PISA, 2018). Professor Castles seeks to identify ways to improve literacy outcomes in Australian secondary school students by conducting a comprehensive, theoretically-informed investigation of literacy in this cohort – focussing particularly on disadvantaged and non-English speaking students - and situating the research within the broader socio-emotional context of adolescence. Project outcomes will inform state and national policy in secondary school teaching, and guide practice and intervention. In doing so, the project will contribute to the national effort to reduce the social and economic cost of low literacy, with the ultimate beneficiaries being Australia's children.

Australian Research Council funding: $3,147,256

Find out more information about Professor Anne Castles and their research areas of interest to date by visiting their profile page here: Anne Castles — Macquarie University (mq.edu.au)

For further information about this funding scheme, please visit the Australian Laureate Fellowships page. 

Image credit: Macquarie University