BSocSc(Psych), PG Dip Psychology, PC-RESMET(SE)

Lisa Limbrick is undertaking a PhD in the area of gender and reading. Her research will investigate varying methods of identifying and measuring poor reading, particularly for boys; rates of reading progress; whether there are specific skills boys struggle with most (for example, vocabulary, phonological decoding, sight words/memory); and whether gender ratios of reading disability vary with age. Lisa is supervised by Dr Alison Madelaine and Professor Kevin Wheldall.

MA (Spec Ed), BA, PGCertResMeth(Spec.Ed.)

After many years as a teacher, consultant and administrator in education, Meree has returned to study in an area that she is passionate about. Her PhD topic is Effective Literacy Intervention for Young Struggling Readers and she is seeking evidence about cost effective ways to get all students off to a good start in reading. Aspects of her research include investigating the effectiveness of MINILIT and establishing benchmarks of progress for students in years one and two in NSW schools. Meree has a MA in Special Education and a BA, majoring in education and history, both from Macquarie University. She also has a Teachers Certificate from Wagga Wagga Teachers' College.

Jennifer Buckingham is undertaking a PhD research project on literacy and social disadvantage. She will be testing the new small group MINILIT and MULTILIT programs with low progress readers in the primary school setting. For the last decade, Jennifer has been working as a policy researcher at the Centre for Independent Studies specialising in school education, and also spent a year as the schools editor at The Australian newspaper. Her supervisors are Professor Kevin Wheldall and Dr Robyn Beaman.

Vicki Biddle is undertaking a PhD research project on literacy and severely socially disadvantaged adolescents. She will be testing the standard MULTILIT program with low progress adolescent readers in an Out of Home Care setting.

Vicki is an Educational Psychologist who has been working in Australia with young people in Out of Home Care for the past 6 years. She completed her postgraduate Diploma in Educational Psychology in New Zealand, where she worked with children and their families in the Specialist Education Service, on the Behaviour Team, the Disability Team and the Early Intervention Team.