Improving children's language, literacy and mental health: Evaluating the impact of the Classroom Promotion of Oral Language (CPOL) approach

Project Details

This project is led by the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute in collaboration with the University of Melbourne, La Trobe University, Deakin University and partnering with Catholic Education Melbourne and the Victorian Department of Education. Children’s ability to communicate and use language impacts access and participation in education as it affects their capacity to learn, mental health, behaviour and life opportunities. Language competence, including spoken communication and literacy, is a major influence on children’s developmental pathways and life success.  Few studies have explored the types of professional learning programs that build teacher capacity and can improve oral language for children when implemented at scale. The Classroom Promotion of Oral Language (CPOL) trial built on the Oral Language Supporting Early Literacy (OLSEL) Pilot and was developed to investigate the impact of teacher-led oral language promotion on child language, literacy, and mental health outcomes in grade 3. The CPOL trial was conducted within Victorian Department of Education and Training and Catholic Education Commission of Victoria schools across Victoria, Australia.