Master's Thesis

The Australian Aboriginal Flag
designed by Harold Thomas, 1971

This thesis investigates how past, present and future historical initiatives have dealt with the issue of poor literacy outcomes for Indigenous Australian Primary students.  I am interested in the holistic role Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) can play in bringing culture, history and language together to address basic literacy outcomes both inside and outside of the classroom. This study illustrates the importance of sustainable teaching and learning ICT e-learning initiatives that involve strong community participation from all key players in education: students, teachers, administrators, government and family members.

This research also addresses the crucial role government and school policies have played and will need to play in the analysis, design, development, implementation and execution of successful appropriate learning strategies.

This case study explores the current e-learning ICT trends urbanized Indigenous Australian learners are experiencing in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. It also looks at the importance of motivational theory in supplying Indigenous Australian primary students with the necessary learning tools to increase basic literacy outcomes.

In the end, I propose some suggestions for future studies as well as recommendations for practice and research that address the importance of language e-learning implementation in successful literacy outcomes for urbanized Aborigine children.

Keywords: Indigenous Australians, Aboriginals, Aborigines, Aboriginal Studies, basic literacy outcomes, Information Communication Technologies (ICTs,) Information Communication Technologies for Education (ICTEs), educational technologies, e-learning, sustainability, participatory learning, motivational theory, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth