Education Commons^™

Examining The Evidence: Science Achievement In Australian Schools In Timss 2002, Sue Thomson, Nicole Fleming

Dr Sue Thomson

In Australia, 10030 students in 414 schools participated in the main sample of TIMSS 2002/03. Results are reported as average scores with the standard error, as distributions of scores, and as percentages of students who attain the international benchmarks, for countries and specific groups of students within Australia.

Science Achievement In Australia : Evidence From National And International Surveys., Sue Thomson

Dr Sue Thomson

What can be said about science achievement in Australian schools? Does it really need a boost? Is science education in Australia engaging and motivating, or is the curriculum irrelevant and students disinterested? Are there particular issues for Indigenous students? Within the National Testing Program, Australia participates in two major international studies with a partial focus on science: the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), conducted with Year 4 and Year 8 students conducted with 15-year-old students. In addition, the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) program provides evidence about the outcomes of education, and the TIMSS Science Video …

History Of Communication And Its Application In Multicultaral,Multilingual Social System In India Across Ages, Ratnesh Dwivedi Mr

Ratnesh Dwivedi

The history of communication dates back to the earliest signs of cavemen.Communication can range from very subtle processes of exchange, to full conversations and mass communication. Human communication was revolutionized with speech perhaps 200,000 years ago, Symbols were developed about 30,000 years ago and writing about 7,000. On a much shorter scale, there have been major developments in the field of telecommunication in the past few centuries.

Using Children's Literature To Assess Reading Comprehension In The Early Years Of School, Marion Meiers

Marion Meiers (1941-2018)

This paper reports some findings from the first three years of a longitudinal study designed to follow students' growth in literacy from the earliest years at school. A feature of the study was the use of quality children's literature, in the form of picture story books. These texts were the basis of instruments designed to investigate students' developing comprehension, their understanding and knowledge of narrative texts, and their skills in recognising, explaining and making connections with the themes and ideas in the texts. The selection of texts appropriate for these purposes has raised many points of interest, such as the …

Effects Of School-Wide Positive Behavior Support Programs On Teacher Morale, William A. Royal, Samuel J. Smith

Samuel James Smith

An Analysis Of Student Self-Assessment Of Online, Blended, And Face-To-Face Learning Environments: Implications For Sustainable Education Delivery, Chad J. Mcguire, Sidney R. Castle

Chad J McGuire

Now, He's Not Alive, Eric D. Teman Ph.D.

Eric D Teman, J.D., Ph.D.

On Track : School Completers Who Defer Tertiary Studies, Sheldon Rothman

Dr Sheldon Rothman

A recent survey of Victoria’s school leavers has revealed a third of those living in regional areas put off university study and enter the workforce to qualify for Youth Allowance.

What Can Australian Students Do With Computers?, John Ainley

Dr John Ainley

This article describes the latest findings of the National Assessment Program- ICT Literacy, conducted by ACER for the Australian government, which show some mixed results in Australian students’ proficiency with computers.

Contextual Factors That Influence The Achievement Of Australia’S Indigenous Students: Results From Pisa 2000–2006, Lisa De Bortoli, Sue Thomson

Dr Sue Thomson

Results from international programs that assess the skills and knowledge of young people have indicated that Australia’s Indigenous students perform at a significantly lower level than non- Indigenous students. An in-depth comparison of Indigenous and non-Indigenous students’ performance on the Programme of International Student Assessment (PISA) across three cycles is provided in an accompanying volume to this report, while the current report provides an understanding of how various aspects of students’ background and psychological constructs relate to each other and to student performance. Chapters 2 through 5 each focus on a different group of potential influences on the performance of …

Pathways From School To Further Education Or Work : Examining The Consequences Of Year 12 Course Choices, Sue Thomson

Dr Sue Thomson

Particular subjects or subject combinations are traditionally more likely to act as gateways to higher education or to vocational education and training, while other combinations are more likely to lead to the workforce or perhaps to unemployment. In general, tertiary or vocational qualifications facilitate the transition to work, and graduates earn significantly more than those who enter the workforce directly from school. However, some groups of students are less likely to participate in further education and training, including low achievers and those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. The literature has pointed to differences in curriculum participation according to background variables such …

Pisa 2003 Australia : Ict Use And Familiarity At School And Home, Sue Thomson, Lisa De Bortoli

Dr Sue Thomson

No abstract provided.

Highlights From Timss From Australia's Perspective: Highlights From The Full Australian Reports From The Trends In International Mathematics And Science Study 2002/03, Sue Thomson, Nicole Fleming

Dr Sue Thomson

No abstract provided.

Exploring Scientific Literacy, Sue Thomson

Dr Sue Thomson

Australia has a world-class education system, according to the latest results from the Programme for International Student Assessment, as Sue Thomson explains. In 2006, more than 14 000 15-yearold students from 356 schools across Australia took part in the third cycle of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). Schools were randomly selected from all schools in Australia and about 50 students were randomly selected for participation in each school. These students represented Australia in what has become known as the world’s biggest assessment, with a total of 400 000 students in 57 countries participating in PISA 2006, including all …

Informing Science Pedagogy: Timss 2007 Australia And The World, Sue Thomson, Sarah Buckley

Dr Sue Thomson

The main goal of TIMSS is to assist countries to monitor and evaluate their mathematics and science teaching across time and across year levels. TIMSS has a curriculum focus.

This report aims to provide teachers with more detailed information on Australian students’ capabilities in science in terms of the TIMSS assessment. A detailed assessment of Australian students’ performance can be found in the full report that was written to inform the educational community about Australian students’ performance on national and international scales.

Timss 2007: Taking A Closer Look At Mathematics And Science In Australia, Sue Thomson, Nicole Wernert, Catherine Underwood, Marina Nicholas

Dr Sue Thomson

The Trends in Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS 2007) is the latest in a series of international studies of mathematics and science, conducted under the aegis of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA). The goal of TIMSS is to provide comparative information about educational achievement across countries to improve teaching and learning in mathematics and science. TIMSS measures trends in mathematics and science achievement at Year 4 and Year 8, as well as monitoring curricular implementation. Conducted on a regular four-year cycle, TIMSS has assessed mathematics and science in 1995, 1999, 2003, and 2007. In addition …

Summing It Up : Mathematics Achievement In Australian Schools In Timss 2002, Sue Thomson, Nicole Fleming

Dr Sue Thomson

This document analyses and interprets the Australian data collected as part of the TIMSS study for Year 4 and Year 8 students.

Acer-Led Delegation Investigates Us Teacher Quality Practices, Elizabeth Kleinhenz

Dr Elizabeth Kleinhenz (retired)

ACER recently led a delegation of representatives from Australian education systems and organisations on a study tour to Washington DC to observe the work of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS).The aim of the visit was to find and share answers to questions on teacher quality in Australia such as:What do we mean when we talk about teacher quality? and how do we know it when we see it? Dr Elizabeth Kleinhenz, reports on the observations made during the visit.

Evaluation Of The Standards And Professional Learning Project 2003, Elizabeth Kleinhenz, Lawrence Ingvarson, Charlotte Danielson

Dr Elizabeth Kleinhenz (retired)

In February 2003, the Victorian State Minister for Education and Training launched the ‘Standards and Professional Learning Project’ as the first major policy initiative of the new Institute. The brief of the project was: to develop professional teaching standards for full registration, and to support new teachers (who were mostly newly graduated teachers from tertiary teacher education programs) to move from provisional to full registration at the end of their first year of teaching. This involved designing and implementing evidence based assessment processes to show that the standards had been met. These assessments would provide guarantees of teacher quality to …

A Review Of Standards Of Practice For Beginning Teaching, Lawrence Ingvarson, Elizabeth Kleinhenz

Dr Elizabeth Kleinhenz (retired)

This paper aims to provide a critical review and comparison of the following sets of standards of practice for teachers: The Victorian Interim Teacher Class Standards (ITCS), especially Interim Teacher Class Standards for Beginning Teachers; Professional Standards for Teachers (developed by the Queensland Education Department for use in state schools); The National Competencies for Beginning Teaching; The Ontario College of Teachers Standards of Practice for the Teaching Profession; The Teacher Training Agency in England (TTA) standards for 'Quality Teacher Status and Induction;' The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards; The Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC); Praxis III/Pathwise. …

Primary Teacher Work Study Report, Jenny Wilkinson, Lawrence Ingvarson, Elizabeth Kleinhenz, Adrian Beavis

Dr Elizabeth Kleinhenz (retired)

This research was conducted by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) in 2005. The study was a result of the New Zealand Primary Teachers Collective Agreement 2004-2007 which specified that a workload study be complete to consider how the work of a teacher could be better structured, resourced and organised to support more effective classroom teaching. The purpose of the study was to gain an understanding of the nature and patterns of primary teachers' work. The research was commissioned by the New Zealand Ministry of Education.

Evaluation Of The Middle Years Reform Program, Gerald Elsworth, Elizabeth Kleinhenz, Adrian Beavis

Dr Elizabeth Kleinhenz (retired)

The Middle Years Reform Program (MYRP) was conducted in all Victorian government secondary and P-12 schools over the period 2001-2003. The program was designed to provide these schools with financial support to employ additional classroom teaching capacity to develop and implement initiatives in the areas of literacy, attendance and the ‘thinking curriculum’ in Years 7-9. Data for the evaluation were taken from: a. Literature and document review; b. Three preliminary consultations with representative groups of regional office personnel, school principals, middle years co-ordinators and other teachers familiar with middle years issues; c. A questionnaire that was distributed by e-mail to …

The Victorian Institute Of Teaching : Standards And Professional Learning, Jenny Wilkinson, Adrian Beavis, Lawrence Ingvarson, Elizabeth Kleinhenz

Dr Elizabeth Kleinhenz (retired)

The Victorian Institute of Teaching implemented its new registration procedures for Provisionally Registered Teachers (PRTs) in 2004. A pilot version of these procedures was trialled in 2003, and evaluated by ACER (Kleinhenz and Ingvarson 2004). Background information about the development of the Standards and Professional Learning Project can be found in this report. As part of the process for full registration, PRTs were required to prepare a portfolio with three components: an analysis of teaching and learning, collegiate classroom activities and a list of and commentary on professional activities undertaken. In 2004 the new requirements for PRTs were extended to …

Teaching Talent : The Best Teachers For Australia's Classrooms, Stephen Dinham, Lawrence C. Ingvarson, Elizabeth Kleinhenz

Dr Elizabeth Kleinhenz (retired)

Australian business leaders want to see reforms to school education that improve learning outcomes and opportunities for all students. If we are to continue to compete effectively in the global market, the quality of our education system needs be among the best in the world. Research has shown that improving the quality of teaching is the most effective way to achieve better educational outcomes for individual students. Excellent teaching is the key to increased student engagement and higher levels of achievement, regardless of student background.

Evaluation Of The Getting It Right Literacy And Numeracy Strategy In Western Australian Schools, Marion Meiers

Marion Meiers (1941-2018)

This paper and the paper by Dr. Lawrence Ingvarson are companion pieces to Rosemary Cahill’s account of the intentions of the Getting it Right Literacy and Numeracy Strategy, and the model of professional development on which the strategy is based. In these papers, we present some findings from the ACER evaluation of Getting it Right. We provide detailed results from the surveys of principals undertaken in 2003 and 2004, including findings of the use of data to improve planning.These results provide evidence of the impact of the initiative, and evidence of an increase of the impact of the strategy over …

The Individual And Shared Meanings Students Make Of Their Diverse Interactions With African American Faculty, Kathleen Neville

Kathleen Neville

Customer Satisfaction With College Choice: Something To Scream About When Addressing Cognitive Dissonance, Buyer's Remorse, And The Experience Of Regret, Oscar T. Mcknight, Ronald Paugh, Aaron Mcknight, Heidi Parker

Oscar T McKnight Ph.D.

A modified Thematic Apperception Test [TAT] was administered to undergraduate students to assess dissonance, remorse and regret with their college choice. Results indicate a “roller coaster” affect associated with overall customer satisfaction. The SCREAM model is provided to assist marketing and enrollment managers in their retention efforts.

Marketing To Entrepreneurs, Site Selectors And Relocation Professionals: An Action Plan For Community Economic Development, Oscar T. Mcknight, Ronald Paugh, Aaron Mcknight, Megan Polak

Oscar T McKnight Ph.D.

Community officials offer an array of incentives to stimulate local business growth, unaware of the salient criteria that determine location decisions. An analysis of proprietary research reports and site selector feasibility studies indicates specific criteria that are universally evaluated, nine of which undermine economic development initiatives. An ‘ACTION’ plan is provided to assist city planners’ efforts in appealing to site selection professionals.

Evaluating The Quality And Impact Of Professional Development Programs, Lawrence Ingvarson, Marion Meiers, Adrian Beavis

Marion Meiers (1941-2018)

The purpose of this paper is to review recent work that ACER has been doing to improve the usefulness of evaluations of professional development programs. This work includes the development of research-based instruments to measure: the nature and quality of the processes used to promote teacher learning; the impact of programs on teacher knowledge, practice and student outcomes; the relationships between these process and impact measures. The paper is based on approaches developed as part of four recent evaluations of professional development programs. These include: three evaluations of the Commonwealth Government’s Quality Teacher Program, as implemented in three separate states: …

A Longitudinal Study Of Growth In Literacy And Numeracy In The Primary School Years, Marion Meiers

Marion Meiers (1941-2018)

This paper reports on a seven-year longitudinal study. In 1998 an extensive investigation of the nature of growth in literacy and numeracy across the years of primary school was established at ACER as a national longitudinal study. It was intended that scales of developing literacy and numeracy achievement would be developed within this study, making it possible to show growth from the first year at school until the end of primary school.