Language Culture and Curriculum
Editor and Book Reviews Editor: Eoghan Mac Aogain (St Patrick's College)
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Volume: 17 Number: 3 Page: 203–228
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'But it was all a Bit Confusing …': Comprehending Aboriginal English Texts
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Farzad Sharifian, Judith Rochecouste and Ian G. Malcolm
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The study reported in this paper explored the schemas that Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal educators bring to the task of comprehending oral narratives produced by Aboriginal children. During each data collection session, a participant listened to a series of eight passages and tried
to recall each passage immediately after listening. The participants had a chance to listen to each narrative twice and produce two recalls of each passage. The participants were also given a chance to read a transcript of each passage and to make comments on their experience after the recall
process. The data were then analysed in three stages. The first stage involved the analysis of recall protocols for the idea units out of which they were composed. This was carried out to explore the content schemas that were employed by the participants in comprehending the original narratives.
The second stage was a comparison of formal schemas that appeared to inform the original narratives and the recall protocols. Finally, the recalls by Aboriginal participants were examined for any general patterns or strategies recruited during the recall. The results overall showed a continuum
of familiarity on the part of participants with the schemas that appeared to underlie the narratives.
Keywords: CULTURAL SCHEMA, ABORIGINAL ENGLISH, FORMAL SCHEMA, ABORIGINAL EDUCATION, INDIGENOUS EDUCATION
© 2004 Multilingual Matters
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