Jo Fletcher

This investigation attempts to identify what literacy practices are perceived as contributing to success by Year 6–8 Pasifika students who are achieving at their age levels or above in reading and writing in English. It explores the Pasifika community's perceptions of the relationship between home–school partnerships and success as a literacy learner.

Given that children's achievement appears to be enhanced in schools (particularly low-decile schools) with ICT-rich environments, research into what might help staff at a low-decile school integrate ICT into their school curriculum is timely. The authors also looked for ways teacher education providers might encourage the effective integration of ICT in pedagogical practices.

A case study in a high-decile school reveals a visionary principal and dedicated ICT lead teachers as key factors in ensuring effective integration of ICT into the curriculum—aligning with the authors' previous research in a low-decile school.

How do students from minority groups develop effective literacy skills? The perceptions of two groups of Pasifika students—one achieving and one underachieving in literacy learning—are compared. They identify pedagogical practices and family or community factors as influential on their literacy learning.

Years 7–8 Asian students identified preferred follow-up activities to guided reading and a preference for reading fiction. Barriers to their engagement and achievement included compulsory reading aloud, inappropriate choices for reading aloud, read-aloud techniques, worksheets, and buddy reading with younger students.