Anne Castles, Distinguished Professor of Cognitive Science and Scientific Director of the Macquarie University Centre for Reading, has been awarded a prestigious Australian Research Council (ARC) Laureate Fellowship to address declining literacy rates among Australian secondary school students.

Professor Castles received $3,147,256 to conduct the first comprehensive report into secondary school reading acquisition. She will investigate the cognitive processes in adolescent reading, as well as identifying interactions between reading progress and socio-emotional functioning and motivation, with the aim of finding new ways to improve secondary school teaching methods and interventions for students struggling with literacy.

Professor Castles says with as many as 40 per cent of 15-year-olds failing to meet international minimum literacy standards, research is urgently needed.

“Reading and writing skills are critical in adolescence for learning and preparation for adult life, and it is of major national concern that Australian literacy rates have been steadily falling over the past two decades,” says Professor Castles.

“I am thrilled to have been awarded an ARC Laureate Fellowship to look at ways to begin addressing the urgent issue of literacy among secondary school students, especially disadvantaged students and those from non-English speaking backgrounds, ultimately helping them meet their potential.”

Macquarie University Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Sakkie Pretorius congratulated Professor Castles on securing the Fellowship.

“A Laureate Fellowship is the ARC’s highest accolade and an outstanding achievement, which is reflective of Professor Castles’ leadership in the field of reading research,” says Professor Pretorius.

“Declining literacy rates among our young people is a national challenge that needs to be addressed, and this work promises to offer new solutions based on pioneering and rigorous research. Macquarie University has a large concentration of cutting-edge reading researchers and is uniquely positioned to support this work.”