The ‘how long’ question: Language learning trajectories of EAL learners in NSW schools

Nearly one quarter of students in Australian schools are learning English as an additional language (EAL). However, despite international research, and one Australian study, there is limited direct evidence of the length of time required for EAL students in Australia to develop the English necessary to access the curriculum in the same ways as their non-EAL peers. This article reports on outcomes from a large-scale project that investigated this issue. The project involved analysis of EAL students’ NAPLAN results in Reading and Writing from 2014 to 2022, and teachers’ judgements of their EAL students’ progression over the same period. This article focusses on the results from the NAPLAN analysis. Another article will address outcomes from analysis of teachers’ judgements.The article outlines the challenges involved in undertaking research of this scale, and the use of propensity score matching to control for the possibility of confounding factors. Results from the research confirm the overall length of time required for EAL students to develop high levels of academic English; they provide evidence of students’ progress in academic writing in comparison to reading; and they show the impact of students’ different starting levels on their overall progression in academic English.The results are significant and enable conclusions to be drawn regarding the length and continuity of language and literacy support needed by EAL students; allocation of resources across schools in response to students’ needs; and the professional support needed by teachers who are working with EAL students in their mainstream classes.