Farewell Professor Linda Harrison

Professor Linda Harrison has worked at Charles Sturt University for 25 years in the field of early childhood education. She developed the Early Years Learning Framework for Australia (EYLF) with Prof Jennifer Sumsion and was on the advisory group for the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC). She has has a strong influence on researchers and research at CSU, including in her role as the inaugural Associate Dean Research for the Faculty of Arts and Education. We have worked together for 14 years (see here). She is moving to Macquarie University and tonight was her farewell party. It was a wonderful time of celebration. We will miss her greatly.

Some of the people celebrating Linda's contribution to CSU

Carol Burgess (Head, School of Teacher Education), Dr Peter Wilson, Prof Linda Harrison, Prof Sharynne McLeod

Prof Linda Harrison, Emeritus Prof Bob Meyenn (previous Dean of Education), Prof Sharynne McLeod

Dr Shuka Sikder, Dr Audrey Wang, Prof Linda Harrison, Mark Situ

Multilingualism and speech-language competence in early childhood: Impact on academic and social-emotional outcomes at school

The following paper has been accepted today. This is my 100th journal article to be accepted for publication, so is an important milestone for me. Even more important is the content of the paper. 

McLeod, S., Harrison, L. J., Whiteford, C., & Walker, S. (2015, in press). Multilingualism and speech-language competence in early childhood: Impact on academic and social-emotional outcomes at school. Early Childhood Research Quarterly. 
Here is the link to the article.
Here are the highlights

• Academic and social-emotional outcomes were examined for a population sample of 4,983 children followed from 4-5 years to 8-9 years.
• Multilingualism was not found to contribute to poorer educational and social-emotional outcomes at school.
• The main predictor of academic difficulties at school was concern about 4- to 5-year-old children’s speech and language (regardless of whether they spoke English-only or were multilingual).

Here is the abstract

This large-scale longitudinal population study provided a rare opportunity to consider the interface between multilingualism and speech-language competence on children’s academic and social-emotional outcomes and to determine whether differences between groups at 4 to 5 years persist, deepen, or disappear with time and schooling. Four distinct groups were identified from the Kindergarten cohort of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC) (1) English-only + typical speech and language (n = 2,012); (2) multilingual + typical speech and language (n = 476); (3) English-only + speech and language concern (n = 643); and (4) multilingual + speech and language concern (n = 109). Two analytic approaches were used to compare these groups. First, a matched case-control design was used to randomly match multilingual children with speech and language concern (group 4, n = 109) to children in groups 1, 2, and 3 on gender, age, and family socio-economic position in a cross-sectional comparison of vocabulary, school readiness, and behavioral adjustment. Next, analyses were applied to the whole sample to determine longitudinal effects of group membership on teachers’ ratings of literacy, numeracy, and behavioral adjustment at ages 6 to 7 and 8 to 9 years. At 4 to 5 years, multilingual children with speech and language concern did equally well or better than English-only children (with or without speech and language concern) on school readiness tests but performed more poorly on measures of English vocabulary and behavior. At ages 6 to 7 and 8 to 9, the early gap between English-only and multilingual children had closed. Multilingualism was not found to contribute to differences in literacy and numeracy outcomes at school; instead, outcomes were more related to concerns about children’s speech and language in early childhood. There were no group differences for socio-emotional outcomes. Early evidence for the combined risks of multilingualism plus speech and language concern was not upheld into the school years.

Collaborative Research Network focus on Indigenous children

Over the past three days members of the Early Years Education Collaborative Research Network came from Brisbane, Melbourne, and Dubbo to meet in Bathurst. Guest presenters were Dr Jean Phillips (QUT), Professor Jeannie Herbert (CSU), Fiona Skelton and Deborah Kikkawa from the Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children, Department of Social Services in Canberra. We learned a lot from these presenters and planned future research projects and grant applications.

L-R: Sue Grieshaber, Linda Harrison, Felicity McArdle, Sarah Verdon,
Kate Williams, Deborah Kikkawa, Fiona Skelton, Sharynne McLeod

Undertaking and writing research that is important, targeted, and the best you can do

Three recent events over the past week that made me reflect on writing and undertaking research. 

1. I have written my final editorial as editor of the International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology (IJSLP),
2. I was invited to open the School of Teacher Education Research Writing Retreat with "inspirational words"
3. I was invited to speak at the Early Years Education Collaborative Research Network meeting in Melbourne on the topic of "Improving your academic writing - both journal article and thesis writing"

The convergence of these three events inspired me to talk and write about "Undertaking and writing research that is important, targeted, and the best you can do"

McLeod, S. (2014). Editorial: Undertaking and writing research that is important, targeted and the best you can do. International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 16(2), 95-97. 

 Here is the beginning of the editorial:

Conducting and writing research is a privilege. It is a privilege because researchers can change lives through their findings and can influence public knowledge and debate. It is also a privilege because researchers are reliant on the time and goodwill of participants (and colleagues), and research is often underpinned by funding raised by the public, either through taxes or philanthropic donations. This privilege comes with responsibility. Researchers have a responsibility to undertake research that is important, targeted, and of high quality. This editorial aims to inspire, challenge, and bolster the research efforts of individuals and teams.

Early Years Education Collaborative Research Network Whole of Network Meeting

This week I have travelled to Melbourne to meet with colleagues from Charles Sturt University, Queensland University of Technology, and Monash University. There are around 70 attendees at our final Early Years Education Collaborative Research Network (CRN) Whole of Network Meeting. The CRN has been going for 3 years as a result of Australian government funding of $5.3 million to build capacity within early years research across the three universities. It has been such a productive three years of collaboration amongst PhD students, senior, mid and early career researchers.

This week some of the guest speakers have included:

• Assistant Minister for Education, The Hon Sussan Ley, MP
• Professor Andrew Vann, Vice Chancellor of CSU
• Professor Marian Simms, Executive Director of Social, Behavioural and Economic Sciences, Australian Research Council
• Karen Weston, Assistant General Manager, Quality Improvement Branch, Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Victoria
• Professor Anne Graham, Ethics in Research Involving Children, Southern Cross University
• Professor Maggie Walter, Member of the steering committee of the Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children, University of Tasmania
• Deborah Kikkawa and Fiona Skelton, Department of Social Services, Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children team

Research involving the Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children (LSIC) was a focus during the meeting and our recent publication using the LSIC data was highlighted in the poster displays. I was invited to provide a workshop titled "Improving your academic writing - both journal article and thesis writing".

Sarah Verdon, Deborah Kikkawa, Sharynne McLeod, Fiona Skelton

Prof Susan Danby (QUT - Future Fellow), Prof Marian Simms (ARC), Prof Sharynne McLeod (CSU - Future Fellow)

Celebrating Indigenous Australian children’s speech and language competence

The following manuscript has been accepted for publication:

McLeod, S., Verdon, S., & Bennetts Kneebone, L. (2013, in press November). Celebrating Indigenous Australian children’s speech and language competence. Early Childhood Research Quarterly. 
Here is the abstract

There is limited information world-wide about Indigenous children’s speech and language competence and their language learning environments. Indigenous Australian children participated in the child cohort of Footprints in Time: Longitudinal Study of Indigenous Children, a national study supported by Indigenous Australians and the Australian Government collected annually (in waves). There were 692 3- to 5-year-old children in wave 1, and two years later, 570 5- to 7-year-old children were in wave 3 (77.0% of children in wave 1 were also in wave 3). Data were obtained via parent interviews and direct assessment. The children spoke between one and eight languages including: English (wave 1: 91.2%, wave 3: 99.6%), Indigenous languages (wave 1: 24.4%, wave 3: 26.8%), creoles (wave 1: 11.5%, wave 3: 13.7%), foreign languages (non-Indigenous languages other than English) (wave 1: 2.0%, wave 3: 5.1%), and sign languages (wave 1: 0.6%, wave 3: 0.4%). Children who spoke an Indigenous language were more likely to live in moderate to extreme isolation than their English-speaking counterparts. Parental concern about speech and language skills was similar to data for non-Indigenous children with approximately one quarter of parents expressing concern (wave 1: yes=13.9%, a little=10.4%). Children’s language environments were rich, with many family members and friends telling oral stories, reading books, and listening to the children read. Almost a third of families wanted to pass on their cultural language, and many indicated that they would like their child to learn an Indigenous language at school. Overall, Indigenous Australian children have rich cultural and linguistic traditions and their speech and language competence is promoted through family, community, and educational experiences.

Australian Early Development Index workshop

Today Associate Professor Sharon Goldfeld visited Charles Sturt University in Bathurst as a guest of the Collaborative Research Network. Sharon is a paediatrician and public health physician at The Royal Children’s Hospital Centre for Community Child Health (CCCH) and a Research Fellow at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute. Sharon has established a child health equity and policy research group including the Australian Early Development Index Research Program at CCCH with a focus on children with additional health and developmental needs, mental health and children with diverse language backgrounds.

Associate Professor Sharon Goldfeld (left centre) with members of the CRN

The AEDI is a community-based population measure of young children's development in their first year of school, based on questionnaires completed by kindergarten/prep teachers for each child in their class. Five key areas of early childhood development are assessed:

• physical health and wellbeing
• social competence
• emotional maturity
• language and cognitive skills (school-based)
• communication skills and general knowledge 

The AEDI website provides reports and community profiles for these five areas, based on data collected in 2009. Data from the 2012 collection will be made available in 2013. The AEDI information can be found here

(This blog was based on published information about the workshop)

Collaborations between Future Fellows

Professor Susan Danby from Queensland University of Technology is also an Australian Research Council Future Fellow. Her project is titled "Young children's use of smart technologies in early childhood" and she started in December 2012. It has been wonderful to share experiences with her and to learn from one another about our projects that are centered around young children. We are both in the Early Years Education Collaborative Research Network, so we have many opportunities to share ideas.

Early Years Education Collaborative Research Network meeting in Sydney

Over the past 2 days researchers from Charles Sturt University, Queensland University of Technology, and Monash University met in Sydney to develop proposals for continuing transformational research in early years education. Prof. Adam Winsler, the CRN international visiting scholar, contributed to the discussions and provided information about the Miami School Readiness Project, a longitudinal study of 58,341 children.

Prof. Adam Winsler with members of the Early Years Education
Collaborative Research Network