Noella’s research focuses on literacy teaching and learning and in particular writing acquisition. Previous projects at the master and doctoral levels examined issues relating to teacher professional learning, teacher morale, the status of the teaching profession and the impact of extrinsic teaching awards on recipients and their non-recipient colleagues. Current research projects are focused on writing acquisition and the relationship between success with early writing and ongoing literacy development with a particular focus on the relationship between talking, drawing and writing.
Current and Recently Completed Projects
Memory Performance after Writing: A comparison between taking notes by handwriting and typing on a laptop or tablet (2019)
The Project:
Richard Tindle: Faculty of Business, Justice and Behavioural Sciences, School of Psychology, CSU
Noella Mackenzie: Faculty of Arts and Education, School of Education, CSU
Mitchell Longstaff: School of Health and Human Sciences, Southern Cross University.
The research will:
- Replicate the Mangen, Anda, Oxborough, & Brønnick 2015 study with an extended sample and build on these earlier findings by using a more stringent method and generalisable sample.
- Compare students’ (aged 15+) memory, and comprehension of lecture content after taking notes by handwriting, typing (laptop and tablet), or not take any notes – just listening. This will identify what mode of note-taking is best for students to retain information.
- Examine the quality of note-taking and the fluency of handwriting and typing (e.g., speed). We will identify if students’ learning ability will benefit from improving their handwriting and typing skills within the classroom
Building adaptive expertise in the teaching of writing through deepening pedagogy, identifying teachable moments and evaluating impact (2019)
Project commissioned and funded by NSW Department of Education (DoE)
Best Advice: Leading learning improvement handwriting and keyboarding (2018)
Project commissioned by Department for Education and Child Development, S.A.
Working Above Standard Project (WASP): A St Mary’s School, Myrtleford and CSU Research Collaboration (2017)
Project commissioned by St Mary’s School, Vic.
Assessing Children as Effective Communicators in Childhood Education and Care: Literature Review (2017)
Project commissioned by the VCAA
Handwriting and Keyboarding in Year 7: Talking to Students and Teachers (2017)
A CSU and Trinity Anglican College (Albury) Research Collaboration
weWrite: writing in early primary education [weWrite: Kirjoittaminen ja näppäintaito alkuopetuksessa] – 2016 in Finland
Supported by Charles Sturt University
Understanding and supporting young writers (2015)
*Report, video for Early Childhood Professionals and Parents, and brochure for parents
Exploring writing in year 1 (2013 – 2018)
Exploring writing in year 1 was launched with two separate but connected projects in 2010. The first project involved an exploration of writing in year 1 in Victoria and NSW. Samples of writing from 1700 year 1 children were gathered and analysed using an analysis tool developed for this purpose.
Investigators: Dr Noella Mackenzie (CSU), Ass Prof Janet Scull (Monash University), Dr Terry Bowles (University of Melbourne) and Ms Lynne Munsie (NSW DEC)
In 2013 1000 samples were analysed to form base data for a number of publications. Quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection and analysis are applied to the studies outlined above.
Writing analysis tool: The analysis tool used in the study and has proven useful to teachers in classrooms is available here.
0-3 Literacy Project (2015/2016)
Supported financially By Charles Sturt University
Becoming a writer (2007- 2011)
Becoming a writer (in the first year of formal schooling) began in 2007 and had a particular focus on the relationship between talking, drawing and early writing. An exciting professional outcome of the Becoming a Writer Research has been the development of resources to be used by schools with parents of children starting school.
Noella Mackenzie 