The benefits of a literacy and numeracy service-learning program for pre-service teachers: A partnership approach

Julie Boston and Nicola F. Johnson
Edith Cowan University, Australia

The Partners in Literacy and Numeracy Western Australia (PLaN WA) program was implemented within a School of Education to complement initial teacher education offerings. In forming a mutually beneficial service-learning program, schools received support from pre-service teachers to assist both primary and secondary students with their literacy and or numeracy. This paper presents findings from two focus group interviews and pre- (n = 130) and post-surveys (n =54) continuously since the program's instigation in 2019. The pre-service teachers benefited from the low stakes, voluntary, non-assessed experiences. They claimed they moved towards being more confident in achieving the graduate career stage of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. While we anticipated pre-service teachers would gain more confidence in their own literacy and/or numeracy and in teaching aspects of these, instead, pre-service teachers gained overall confidence to teach from program participation.
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Authors: Dr Julie Boston is a senior lecturer in secondary science and Director of Partnerships and Engagement in the School of Education at Edith Cowan University, Perth, Western Australia. She is responsible for identifying, establishing and managing education partnerships and enterprise-related programs that drive the School of Education's strategic priorities and relevant university performance targets. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3892-6031 Email: julie.boston@ecu.edu.au Dr Nicola F. Johnson (corresponding author) is an associate professor of digital technologies in education in the School of Education at Edith Cowan University. She researches the intersections between technology and education within society. Twitter (X): @nfjnic ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7875-3027 Email: nf.johnson@ecu.edu.au Please cite as: Boston, J. & Johnson, N. F. (2024). The benefits of a literacy and numeracy service-learning program for pre-service teachers: A partnership approach. Issues in Educational Research, 34(2), 419-435. http://www.iier.org.au/iier34/boston.pdf