Australian Journal of Teacher Education - Volume 46 - Issue 9 - Article 1 - How Constructivist Theories of Development can be used to Re-conceptualise NAPLAN as an Opportunity to Develop Student Resilience

Oct 15, 2026

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Teachers face intensified pressure in Australia to improve educational outcomes through increased funding, a national curriculum, and accountability assessments. This scrutiny has narrowed pedagogical choices, reinforcing traditional instruction and away from effective constructivist learning approaches. The article argues for reinterpreting constructivist theories of development so accountability measures like NAPLAN can be framed as constructivist opportunities to build core subject knowledge and 21st-century skills, especially student resilience.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages22

Reading Time55 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Accountability pressures in Australian education

NAPLAN and literacy/numeracy testing

Critiques of traditional instruction

Resilience and constructivist opportunities

Australian Journal of Teacher Education | Volume 46 Issue 9 | Article 1 | | --- | --- | | 2021
How Constructivist Theories of Development can be used to Re-conceptualise NAPLAN as an Opportunity to Develop Student Resilience
Robert M. Vanderburg
Central Queensland University
Paul Trotter
Central Queensland University
Follow this and additional works at: [https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte](https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte)
Part of the Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons, Educational Psychology Commons, and the Educational Technology Commons | | Recommended Citation Vanderburg, R. M., & Trotter, P. (2021) . How Constructivist Theories of Development can be used to Reconceptualise NAPLAN as an Opportunity to Develop Student Resilience. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 46(9) . [http://dx.doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2021v46n9.1](http://dx.doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2021v46n9.1) [This Journal Article is posted at Research Online.](This Journal Article is posted at Research Online.)[ ](This Journal Article is posted at Research Online.)[https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/vol46/iss9/1](https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/vol46/iss9/1) How Constructivist Theories of Development Can be Used to Re-Conceptualise NAPLAN as an Opportunity to Develop Student Resilience Robert Vanderburg Paul Trotter Central Queensland University Abstract: Teachers have come under increased pressure to improve educational outcomes as Australia has sought to meet the challenges of competing on an international level. This intensified pressure has been accompanied by improved levels offunding, a National Curriculum for all Australian states, and territories, along with assessments to measure these key outcomes. However, this increased level of scrutiny has affected the pedagogical choices of teachers. Traditional modes of instruction have been reinforced, with teachers moving away from effective constructivist approaches to learning. This article will propose that a reinterpretation of constructivist theories of development is needed to arrest this decline, so that increased accountability measures, like NAPLAN, can be perceived as constructivist opportunities to build both core subject knowledge and broader 21st Century skills, such as resilience. Introduction Fundamental economic transformations emerged in the early 1990s causing governments around the world to place increased value on education. The world underwent a profound paradigm shift. As Trilling and Fadel detail, the 1990s saw countries around the globe spend more on technology than on industrial era goods; the reality emerged whereby“manipulating, managing, and moving bits and bytes of information’ became more important than ‘handling the material world’s atoms and molecules”(Trilling & Fadel, 2009, p. 3) . Governments across the globe have recognised the critical role education must play within a digitised, globalised economy whose reliance on raw materials and mass-production lessens by the day. In Australia, this imperative became clear with the establishment of the National Curriculum (National Curriculum Board, 2008) . Higher levels of accountability were also implemented across the Australian states through introducing the National Assessment Program of Literacy and Numeracy, commonly known as NAPLAN tests (see Thompson, 2013) . Then in 2015, the significance of education to the future prosperity of the nation was further underlined with all education ministers agreeing that from 1 July 2016 the Australian Government would initiate the Literacy and Numeracy Test for Teacher Education (LANTITE) (Australian Government, 2017) . The LANTITE was designed to verify that all prospective teachers could demonstrate the required level of literacy and numeracy skills. Over this same period, educational outcomes have not eased the growing pressure on the Australian education system. Despite record numbers of students gradu

FAQs

What problem does the article identify in current teaching practices?

It argues that increased scrutiny and accountability have pushed teachers toward traditional instruction, moving them away from effective constructivist learning approaches.

How does the article propose to reinterpret NAPLAN?

It proposes re-conceptualising NAPLAN as a constructivist opportunity that supports both core subject knowledge and broader 21st-century skills.

Why is student resilience central to the article’s argument?

Resilience is described as a necessary capability for students to cope with stressful situations, and it should be nurtured within schooling, particularly in a digital economy context.

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by Franzy