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Article In: Australian Review of Applied Linguistics: Online-First Articles

The role of localised culturally responsive practices in enhancing aboriginal language revitalisation and education

ORCiD logo with link | The University of Queensland
 | Central Queensland University
 | Queensland University of Technology
 | The University of Queensland
 | University of Southern Queensland
This content is being prepared for publication; it may be subject to changes.
Abstract
The revitalisation of Aboriginal languages in Australia is gaining momentum, particularly as more schools take up the call to promote Indigenous language education. Schools require collaborative, reciprocal relationships to develop Indigenous language curricula and resources. This paper shares key findings from a co-designed study with Wakka Wakka Elders and Historical Elders from the communities of Cherbourg and Murgon in Queensland, which focused on the co-design process to support Aboriginal language revitalisation in their local schools and communities. The paper reports on research exploring culturally responsive ways of recording and reporting Indigenous views, particularly the language and cultural features the community considered vital to Wakka Wakka language revitalisation. The findings are highly contextualised to Cherbourg and Murgon but have implications for other schools and communities embarking on Indigenous language revitalisation through education.
Article outline
  • Introduction
  • Our positionality — the research team
  • Culturally responsive approaches and Indigenous language revitalisation
  • Education and Indigenous language revitalisation
  • Co-design methods as cultural responsiveness
  • Our study
    • Overview
  • Research process
  • Research design
  • Findings
    • RQ1 Theme 1: Framed by culture
    • RQ1 Theme 2: Visual presence and everyday use
  • RQ2: Theme 1: Institutional considerations about culture
  • RQ2: Theme 2: Understandings of cultural responsiveness as a design principle
  • Key lessons
    • Indigenous voices, Indigenous data, and Indigenous evidence are vital
    • Culturally responsive co-design
  • Conclusion
  • Author queries
  • References
References (40)
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