The impact of early numeracy engagement on four-year-old Indigenous students

THIS PAPER REPORTS ON a component of a research project, Young Australian Indigenous students Literacy and Numeracy (YAILN), a longitudinal study investigating learning and teaching activities that support young Indigenous Australian students as they enter formal schooling. In Queensland, students are allowed to attend a non-compulsory year of schooling, Preparatory (Prep), if they reach the age of five years by the end of June in the year they enrol. In YAILN, one of the participating schools' preparatory intake included Indigenous students who had not reached the required age for Prep. Numeracy understandings for two of these students were tracked during their pre-prep year. The pre- and post-test numeracy results and the interview conducted at the beginning of their ‘official’ preparatory year suggest that this extra year of schooling enhanced their knowledge of mathematics and has (a) put them on an even footing with students from more advantaged backgrounds as they enter Prep, and (b) given them a distinctive advantage over other Indigenous students who have not had equivalent experiences.