The Academic Development Study of Australian Twins (ADSAT)
This project is the first longitudinal study of the genetic and environmental influences on variability in the National Assessment Program: Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN), assessed at years 3, 5, 7 and 9. NAPLAN tests are designed by educational authorities, are objective, and have been administered Australia-wide since 2008. Our ongoing twin analyses of these data are providing a more solid base for debates on educational policy and practice.
For an overview of the project, please see:
Larsen, S. A., Little, C. W., Grasby, K., Byrne, B., Olson, R. K., Coventry, W. L., (2020) The Academic Development Study of Australian Twins (ADSAT): Research Aims and Design. Cambridge University Press. Twin Research and Human Genetics (2020), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1017/thg.2020.49
Hear more about twin research and the ADSAT project on Radio National’s The Science Show podcast:
Read more about the findings of the study here:
Funding
Since the project commenced in 2012, it has been funded by two Discovery grants from the Australian Research Council (ARC), and a postdoctoral fellowship from the University of New England (UNE).
Investigators
| Dr William Coventry | School of Psychology, University of New England |
| Emeritus Professor Brian Byrne | School of Psychology, University of New England |
| Emeritis Professor Richard Olson | Psychology, University of Colorado |
| Dr Katrina Grasby | Queensland Institute for Medical Research |
| Dr Sally Larsen | School of Education, University of New England |
Contact
Are you interested in PhD research on the project?
We welcome students who might interested in pursuing a PhD on these data to contact Chief Investigator Dr William Coventry.
| Dr William Coventry | Phone: +61 2 6773 2846 |
