An analysis of fifth grade reading literacy achievement at the student level in South Australian government schools

Australia, as a developed country, and in particular the State of South Australia, has placed great emphasis on the importance of literacy in the primary school level by establishing various educational policies and undertaking various programs both for teachers and students to improve the teaching of reading (literacy) in schools. Particularly for students who live in rural areas and students who are identified as Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander (ATSI), several efforts such as increasing resources, funding and strategic collaboration between educational providers and support sectors has been undertaken in order for such students gain the same access to education as their urban counterparts. In spite of all the efforts that have been carried out, several research studies and reports indicate that the achievement of primary school students who live in rural areas and who are identified as ATSI students is still less than completely satisfactory. The purpose of this study is to investigate factors influencing student achievement in reading at Grade 5 at the student level, and to derive a theoretical framework of student learning with respect to reading literacy in South Australian rural schools. The data is analyzed using Partial Least Square Path (PLSPATH). The major results of the study revealed that students from the urban areas achieve at a higher level in reading than students from rural areas, Non-Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander (NON-ATSI) students perform higher in reading than ATSI students, students without disability outperformed students with disability in reading, and Female students do better in reading than male students.