Education Commons^™

Learning And Fearing Mathematics, Sarah Buckley, Kate Reid

Dr Sarah Buckley

Findings from psychology and neuroscience can help educators to better understand the processes underlying children’s learning of, and feelings towards, mathematics. Sarah Buckley and Kate Reid explain.

Food, Fibre And The Future : Report On Surveys Of Students’ And Teachers’ Knowledge And Understanding Of Primary Industries, Kylie Hillman, Sarah Buckley

Dr Sarah Buckley

Primary Industry plays a vital role in Australian’s economy and society, but the gap between rural and urban communities is growing, contributing to a lack of understanding of where food and other basic necessities of life come from. The goal of the Primary Industries Education Foundation (PIEF) is to provide a source of information on primary industries for educators, to better equip students with not only knowledge about what goes into their food and fibres but also what career opportunities exist in primary industries. In 2010, PIEF contracted the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) to design and conduct a …

School Attendance And Retention Of Indigenous Australian Students, Nola Purdie, Sarah Buckley

Dr Sarah Buckley

Engagement or participation in education is a key factor affecting the life chances of all Australians, and it is particularly important for Indigenous Australians who have an overall lower level of participation in education than non-Indigenous Australians. Higher levels of educational attainment improve employment opportunities, are associated with higher income and promote participation in all societal activities. Education includes preschool education, primary and high school education, tertiary education and vocational training, as well as education and training outside a formal institutional framework. This issues paper deals with school attendance and retention. This paper draws upon key national and international literature …

The Digest Edition 2010/1 : Successful Professional Learning, Marion Meiers, Sarah Buckley

Dr Sarah Buckley

This edition of The Digest is focused on research into teacher learning and professional development. Teacher learning includes not only activities such as conferences and workshops, but also includes participation in many formal and informal learning activities. Recent research has focussed, amongst other things, on characteristics of successful professional learning, and on the connections between teachers’ professional learning and improvements in student learning. This research has the potential to assist teachers and schools in selecting and planning for professional learning, so that it will maximise the benefits for participants. The first section of this digest presents some research findings on …

Enhancing Education, Sheldon Rothman, Sarah Buckley, David Slattery, John Ainley

Dr Sarah Buckley

The Northern Territory Emergency Response (NTER) was announced on 21 July 2007 and has been implemented over the last four years. This federal government initiative aims to protect children, to make communities safe and to build a better future for people living in Indigenous communities and town camps in the Northern Territory. The strategies have changed since its initial implementation but its focus and many of the key themes and measures remain the same. This evaluation examines the NTER from a whole-of-government perspective, reviewing the impact on community safety, wellbeing and service provision; service coordination and engagement; promoting law and …

Successful Professional Learning, Marion Meiers, Sarah Buckley

Dr Sarah Buckley

This edition is focused on research into teacher learning and professional development. Teacher learning includes not only activities such as conferences and workshops, but also includes participation in many formal and informal learning activities. Recent research has focused, amongst other things, on characteristics of successful professional learning, and on the connections between teachers' professional learning and improvements in student learning. This research has the potential to assist teachers and schools in selecting and planning for professional learning, so that it will maximise the benefits for participants. The first section of this digest presents some research findings on effective professional learning. …

Peer Relationships In The Mathematics Classroom : A Social Network Approach To Understanding Anxiety And Motivation, Sarah Buckley

Dr Sarah Buckley

The influence of the social context on learning and the motivation to learn are neglected areas of educational research. Peer relationships, particularly in early adolescence, are an important part of this social context and shape school development. In the present project, a social network approach was adopted to explore peer influences on adolescent students' motivation and anxiety in mathematics. Two types of relationships were investigated – time spent between peers in class and specific help-seeking interactions. Two hundred and twenty-three Year 8 students from two schools completed measures of mathematics anxiety and motivation, and a social network questionnaire. Social Influence …

Affective Engagement : A Person-Centred Approach To Understanding The Structure Of Subjective Learning Experiences, Sarah Buckley, Galit Hasen, Mary Ainley

Dr Sarah Buckley

Accounts of students' learning have increasingly emphasised the role of affective engagement in achievement settings. Although most studies have focused on negative emotional experiences such as anxiety, more recent studies have investigated the role of positive emotions. This study examines the structure of students' subjective learning experiences in relation to individual interest profiles. It measured two components of affect: activation as positive arousal that indicates engagement, and valence as an evaluative quality of the students' experience. Senior secondary students (females, N=162) completed measures of individual interests, curiosity and prior knowledge, read three social issues texts and then answered some questions …