Education Commons^™

Development Of A Teaching Performance Assessment In Australia: What Did We Learn?, Rebecca Spooner-Lane, Tania Broadley, Elizabeth Curtis, Peter Grainger

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Following increasing criticism of the variability in graduate teachers’ readiness to enter the profession, the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) introduced a program accreditation requirement that all initial teacher education (ITE) providers must implement a Teaching Performance Assessment (TPA) in the final year of their teacher education programs. AITSL were not prescriptive in how ITE providers must meet the program standard which has resulted in 12 TPAs being implemented across 42 ITE providers. This paper outlines the development and implementation of one endorsed TPA designed to measure the readiness of graduating teachers, whilst taking into consideration the …

Experiential Learning Projects As Assessment In Initial Teacher Education, Renee Crawford, Louise E. Jenkins, Lydia Wan

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

In a rapidly changing global environment, Initial Teacher Educators (ITE) have a responsibility to role-model contemporary teaching approaches, which develop graduates who think creatively and flexibly in educational workplaces. An important aspect of this work is supporting pre-service teachers (PSTs) to understand how to design assessments which facilitate a deep understanding of student learning. This learning can be achieved through the implementation of assessments which model contemporary practices and enrich student learning in ITE courses. This paper discusses new ways to consider the purpose of assessment by focusing on Experiential Learning (EL) as a form of assessment in ITE. This …

Exploring Creative Pedagogical Practices In Secondary Visual Arts Programmes In Ghana, Enock Swanzy-Impraim, Julia E. Morris, Geoffrey W. Lummis, Andrew Jones

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Secondary visual arts education provides learners with opportunities to develop critical thinking, and their creative potential, as part of their personal growth. This development happens when visual arts teachers actively integrate creative pedagogies to target creative thinking in learners. Ghana's 2019 National Pre-tertiary Curriculum Framework has added creativity as one goal for all learners. This research study explores teachers' perceptions and use of creative pedagogies as part of implementing this creativity into their teaching. A multi-site qualitative case study was conducted in government secondary schools within Sekondi-Takoradi, Ghana, and data were gathered from interviews and participant observations. The 16 cases …

Incorporation Of Community Resources In Teaching Social Studies In Junior High Schools: A Case In The Adentan District Of The Greater Accra Region Of Ghana, Ronald Osei Mensah, Enock Swanzy-Impraim, Da-Costa Marfo, Pearl Adiza Babah

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Social studies education constitutes a diverse aspect of the human ecosystem that needs external resources to enable effective tuition and learning in the classroom. Using external resources has been a significant challenge for Ghana’s junior high school teachers. Given this, the study explored the integration of community resources in teaching social studies in a selected junior high school in the Adentan District in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. It investigated the factors that militate against using community resources and assessed how these problems could be resolved. The study made use of the random sampling technique, with a sample size …

Explicit Instruction: Evaluating The Fidelity Of A Teacher's Practice Supported By Professional Development And Directive Coaching - A Case Study, Christophe Baco, Marie Bocquillon, Laëtitia Delbart, Antoine Derobertmasure

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Training teachers in evidence-based practice is a societal challenge. We conducted practical action research to investigate the impact of a professional development programme (the aim of which is to train teachers in explicit instruction) established according to the principles of effective professional development on one teacher's practices. A holistic case study was conducted with one teacher randomly selected among a group of volunteers. An original methodology was developed to measure the fidelity of the teacher’s practices to the different teaching practices and stages of explicit instruction. The teacher's practices were filmed on four occasions and analysed using an observation grid …

With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility: Common Errors In Meta-Analyses And Meta-Regressions In Strength & Conditioning Research, Daniel Kadlec, Kristin L. Sainani, Sophia Nimphius

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background and Objective:

Meta-analysis and meta-regression are often highly cited and may influence practice. Unfortunately, statistical errors in meta-analyses are widespread and can lead to flawed conclusions. The purpose of this article was to review common statistical errors in meta-analyses and to document their frequency in highly cited meta-analyses from strength and conditioning research.

Methods:

We identified five errors in one highly cited meta-regression from strength and conditioning research: implausible outliers; overestimated effect sizes that arise from confusing standard deviation with standard error; failure to account for correlated observations; failure to account for within-study variance; and a focus on within-group …

Evaluation Of An Educational Program For People With Dementia And Their Caregivers, Beverly O'Connell, Manonita Ghosh, Melissa Dunham, Aisling Smyth

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Objectives: This study evaluated the impact of a 5-week educational and supportive program for people newly diagnosed with dementia and their caregivers. Methods: The study involved a pretest–posttest survey followed by interviews. Wilcoxon signed-rank test was conducted to determine postprogram changes. Kruskal–Wallis tests measured variation in responses between the people with dementia and their caregivers. Interviews were analysed using the NVivo software identifying themes against the program objectives of improving knowledge on dementia, coping strategies, communication and support services for people with dementia and their caregivers. Results: Fifty-three dyads (n = 106) completed the survey. There were significant improvements in …

Educational Leaders’ Perceptions Of Stem Education Revealed By Their Drawings And Texts, Vesife Hatisaru, Garry Falloon, Andrew Seen, Sharon Fraser, Markus Powling, Kim Beswick

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This study explored school principals' and teacher educators' perceptions of STEM education based on how they described STEM as a discipline, their understanding of the nature of teaching and learning of STEM, and the capabilities of a STEM-educated person. Data were generated through the Draw a STEM Learning Environment (D-STEM) instrument comprising drawn and written descriptions where participants drew a picture of a STEM learning environment and completed five prompt statements about what STEM is and how an individual develops personal STEM capability. The Legitimation Code Theory (LCT) specialization codes were used for data analysis (198 individual response items in …

A Grounded Theory About How Teachers Communicated High Expectations To Their Secondary School Students, Olivia Johnston, Helen Wildy, Jennifer Shand

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

High teachers’ expectations are associated with improved student academic achievement. However, no research explains how students experience their teachers’ expectations, from their points of view. A new theory was developed to achieve the study’s aim of accounting for how high expectations were experienced by 25 students in Western Australia. The findings offer educators student-focused perspectives of how to convey high teacher expectations that lead to improved student academic outcomes. Straussian grounded theory (Strauss, 1990) methods were used to generate substantive theory together with the Year 10 students in three Western Australian public schools, through data including more than 100 classroom …

‘Teachers Are The Guinea Pigs’: Teacher Perspectives On A Sudden Reopening Of Schools During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Jillian Ryan, Nicole Koehler, Travis Cruickshank, Shane L. Rogers, Mandy Stanley

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Primary and secondary education systems experienced substantial disruption during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, little is known about how public health policy has affected Australian teachers during the pandemic. This study examines teacher perspectives on a sudden change of policy, whereby schools were abruptly opened to students at the beginning of the pandemic. At the same time, strict social distancing rules applied to the remainder of the population. Qualitative data from 372 Western Australian schoolteachers were analysed using thematic analysis. Results highlight substantial impacts on teachers’ workloads and adverse effects on wellbeing. Perceptions that they were acting as guinea pigs and …

Equity And Inclusion In Work-Integrated Learning: Participation And Outcomes For Diverse Student Groups, Denise Jackson, Bonnie Amelia Dean, Michelle Eady

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Universities support students in their transition to work and future career through programmes such as work-integrated learning (WIL). WIL engages students in authentic industry-based experiences and is considered valuable for preparedness for work, including professional socialisation and developing skills prioritised by graduate employers. Research shows, however, that access and participation in WIL is not equal among all student groups. This paper reports on the responses of over 151,000 recent graduates in an Australian-wide survey. It investigates participation in different types of WIL and its influence on self-perceptions of employability and the employment outcomes of graduates from different backgrounds. Findings show …

Raising Primary School Boys' And Girls' Awareness And Interest In Stem-Related Activities, Subjects, And Careers: An Exploratory Case Study, Natalie Mcmaster, Michael David Carey, David Allen Martin, Janet Martin

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Internationally, there is an under-supply of intellectual capital to provide for STEM-related employment. One contributing factor is the low number of female students selecting STEM school subjects and careers. Despite the literature recommending students engage in STEM activities earlier, many initiatives are not implemented until high school. This paper reports on an Australian project named MindSET-do which provided students with early positive STEM experiences prior to high school to raise awareness of, interest in, and aspirations for STEM-related subjects and careers. The case study surveyed n = 107 Year 6 boys’ and girls’ interests, ability beliefs and expectations in STEM …

Social Studies And History Curriculum Assessment In Colleges Of Education In Ghana: Reflective Practices Of Teacher Educators, Bernice Oteng, Ronald Osei Mensah, Pearl Adiza Babah, Enock Swanzy-Impraim

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Assessment is a crucial and essential component of successful instruction and learning. As a result, teachers must examine their actions in the classroom through a process of reflective practices (self-observation and self-evaluation) and think about why they do it and if it works. This essay examines the reflective practices of Ghanaian teacher educators regarding the evaluation of social studies and history curricula. It made use of the sequential explanatory mixed method as a methodology drawn from questionnaires, interviews and document reviews. The findings disclosed that teacher educators in Ghana’s colleges of education have low efficacy and poor reflective practices when …

A Systematic Literature Review Of Between-Class Ability Grouping In Australia: Enduring Tensions, New Directions, Olivia Johnston, Becky Taylor

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Ability grouping of students into separate classes within a school can be called ‘between-class ability grouping’. This practice has persisted in Australia despite evidence that it is socially inequitable and does not improve academic outcomes. A systematic review of peer-reviewed literature about between-class ability grouping in Australia from 2012-2022 reveals only N=28 papers that meet the inclusion criteria. These papers are critiqued and synthesised into four main findings that characterise Australian research about between-class ability grouping from 2012-2022. The findings reveal a lack of substantive inquiry with most studies having limited scope and drawing on outdated or overly generalised data. …

Social Media And English Language Writing Performances Of A Ghanaian Esl Class: The Nexus, Ramos Asafo-Adjei, Ronald Osei Mensah, Ernest Kwesi Klu, Enock Swanzy-Impraim

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The nexus among social media usage and the English language writing performances of a Ghanaian English as Second Language (ESL) class was investigated in this enquiry. The simple qualitative case study design was used, and the data was collected from a co-educational government secondary school Form 2 General Arts One class in Ghana. A focus group discussion (FGD) guide was employed to elicit the data, and the data were synthesised and analysed using the Data Analysis Spiral. It was evidenced that social media has adversely impacted the students’ English Language learning, as oblivious and non-standard contents have been smuggled into …

Student Evaluation Of Teaching: Reactions Of Australian Academics To Anonymous Non-Constructive Student Commentary, Marie Hutchinson, Rosanne Coutts, Debbie Massey, Dima Nasrawi, Jann Fielden, Megan Lee, Richard Lakeman

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Within Australian higher education, student evaluation of teaching (SET) is regularly conducted and data are utilised for quality control and staff appraisal. Within current methodologies, students can anonymously provide further feedback as written commentary. There is now growing evidence that, once this narrative becomes derogatory or abusive, it may have the potential to create harm. To investigate staff reactions to receiving anonymous non-constructive commentary, a one group point in time design was constructed, and a survey conducted. Participants (N = 741) from a broad cross-section of Australian universities responded to Likert questions asking about their reactions. A significant impact was …

Student Motivations, Perceptions And Opinions Of Participating In Student Evaluation Of Teaching Surveys: A Scoping Review, Daniel Sullivan, Richard Lakeman, Debbie Massey, Dima Nasrawi, Marion Tower, Megan Lee

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Several times each year the teaching performance of academics at higher education institutions are evaluated through anonymous, online student evaluation of teaching (SET) surveys. Universities use SETs to inform decisions about staff promotion and tenure, but low student participation levels make the surveys impractical for this use. This scoping review aims to explore student motivations, perceptions and opinions of SET survey completion. Five EBSCO® databases were searched using key words. Thematic analysis of a meta-synthesis of qualitative findings derived from 21 papers identified five themes: (i) the value students’ place on SET, (ii) the knowledge that SET responses are acted …

An Investigation Into The Role Of Innovative Learning Environments In Fostering Creativity In Secondary Visual Arts Programmes In Ghana, Enock Swanzy-Impraim, Julia E. Morris, Geoffrey W. Lummis, Andrew Jones

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Innovative learning environments (ILEs) have been regarded as one of the contributing factors that facilitate creativity in learners. At the pre-tertiary level of education, Ghana has recently undergone educational reform that sees creativity being added as a key goal for education, but it is unknown if teachers' practices within current educational facilities can support the enactment of this goal. The multi-site qualitative case study explores the secondary visual arts learning environments within the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis in Ghana. Interviews and observations were used as instruments for data collection with 16 visual arts teachers. This study confirmed two categories of environments that …

Mapping The Leap: Differences In Quality Improvement In Relation To Assessment Rating Outcomes, Belinda Davis, Rosemary Dunn, Linda J. Harrison, Manjula Waniganayake, Fay Hadley, Rebecca Andrews, Hui Li, Susan Irvine, Lennie Barblett, Maria Hatzigianni

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Introduction: Australia’s National Quality Standard (NQS) outlines the criteria to assess the quality of early childhood services. A four-point rating scale: (i) Exceeding NQS; (ii) Meeting NQS; (iii) Working Toward NQS; and (iv) Significant Improvement Required is applied to services following a regular assessment and rating process. Settings rated as Working Toward are reassessed within 12 months. Most settings achieved a one-step improvement in this Time 2 reassessment, moving to a Meeting rating but some settings made a two-step improvement, moving to an Exceeding rating. The QIP is a key document used by authorities to assess the quality of a …

Industrial Attachment And Human Capital Of Higher Education Students: Constraints Of Ghanaian Technical Universities, Victor Fannam Nunfam, Norbert Adja Kwabena Adjei, Hafiz Adam, John Frank Eshun

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Purpose: The paucity of empirical evidence on the limitations of the industrial attachment programme of technical universities for enhancing students' human capital in Africa tends to thwart concrete policy options. Design/methodology/approach: The study used the convergent mixed methods including 594 surveys, two focus groups and in-depth interviews to assess and accentuate the research gap in this study. Findings: Evidence of constraints linked to the industrial attachment programme for developing students' human capital needs include limited funding, logistics and incentive for supervision, incompatible placement and exploitation and sexual harassment of students. Insufficient duration and intrusion of the industrial attachment programme due …

Children’S Identity Work In Daily Singing-Based Music Classes: A Case Study Of An Australian Boys’ School, Jason Goopy

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Music can be a powerful activity and resource in a child’s ongoing identity construction. Rather than something that people have, musical identities are understood to be something people enact and continually work on. The correlation between musical identities and developing music skills raises serious questions regarding the possibilities and responsibilities for school music education and music teachers to positively contribute to children’s emerging identities. This study investigates how daily singing-based music classes at an Australian boys’ school shape and support children’s identity work. Research was conducted using one-on-one semistructured interviews incorporating a “draw and tell” artifact elicitation technique with seven …

Supporting And Managing Efl Students' Online Learning In Vietnamese Blended Learning Environments, Thi Nguyet Le, Nicola F. Johnson

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

It is well-known that blended learning (BL) makes use of the advantages of both face-to-face learning and online learning and can take many different forms. However, for English as a foreign language (EFL) lecturers in Vietnamese universities, BL is still in its early stages of implementation on which this article is focused. This study examined Vietnamese university lecturers’ perspectives of supporting and managing EFL students’ online learning in BL environments, using semi-structured interviews with 20 EFL lecturers from 10 different Vietnamese universities. The results reveal EFL lecturers implemented five combinations of online and face-to-face learning, of which two were widely …

Pre-Service Teachers’ Perceptions Of Problem-Based Learning For Developing Their Mathematics Teaching Pedagogy, David A. Martin, Romina Jamieson-Proctor

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The study reported in this paper was part of a larger study that explored pre-service teachers’ perceptions of the effectiveness of a problem-based learning (PBL) teaching approach for developing their mathematics pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and their ability to enact their PCK in a tertiary mathematics education subject. This paper reports the qualitative semi-structured interviews used to capture the student voice with respect to the impact of the PBL approach used on the development of their mathematics PCK in comparison to their previous experiences with teacher-directed instruction. Overall, responses from the interviews revealed the pre-service teachers considered the PBL method …

Multi-Tiered Culturally Responsive Behavior Support: A Qualitative Study Of Trauma-Informed Education In An Australian Primary School, Dayna Schimke, Govind Krishnamoorthy, Kay Ayre, Emily Berger, Bronwyn Rees

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

There is growing awareness of the impact of intergenerational trauma and community disadvantage on the educational achievement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (First Nations) children in Australia. Scholars have identified the need for culturally responsive and trauma-informed approaches to complement existing disciplinary and behavior support practices utilized in schools. This pilot research project explored the experiences of primary school teachers who were supported to implement trauma-informed practices in a regional primary school with a large number of First Nations students. Qualitative interviews with eight teachers were conducted after a 3-year (2017–2020) implementation of the Trauma-Informed Behavior Support (TIBS) program. …

The Current State Of Subjective Training Load Monitoring: Follow-Up And Future Directions, Joseph O. C. Coyne, Aaron J. Coutts, Robert U. Newton, Gregory G. Haff

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This article addresses several key issues that have been raised related to subjective training load (TL) monitoring. These key issues include how TL is calculated if subjective TL can be used to model sports performance and where subjective TL monitoring fits into an overall decision-making framework for practitioners. Regarding how TL is calculated, there is conjecture over the most appropriate (1) acute and chronic period lengths, (2) smoothing methods for TL data and (3) change in TL measures (e.g., training stress balance (TSB), differential load, acute-to-chronic workload ratio). Variable selection procedures with measures of model-fit, like the Akaike Information Criterion, …

Teachers’ Perceptions And Experiences During An Annual Performance And Development Cycle, Kerry Elliott, John Hattie, Lorraine Graham

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

In this study, the perceptions and experiences of eighteen teachers across three primary schools in Victoria, Australia, were examined as they participated in an annual performance and development cycle, guided by the Australian Teacher Performance and Development Framework. The study sought to investigate teachers’ experiences and perceptions of the cycle to understand the aspects perceived as valuable to these teachers. Semi-structured interviews and focus groups were held with teachers at the beginning and end of each school’s annual performance and development cycle, and responses were thematically analysed. Findings suggest that school leaders perform a critical role in the …

Teacher Educators’ Perceptions Of Schoolteacher Feedback Literacy: Implications For Feedback Training In Teacher Education Programmes, Ying Zhan

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Few studies have empirically explored the specific elements of schoolteachers’ feedback literacy in spite of its crucial role in supporting student learning in classrooms. To address this research gap, individual interviews were conducted with 20 teacher educators in Hong Kong. The interviewees were asked to explicate the mind maps of schoolteacher feedback literacy that they had previously drawn. Data analysis revealed that the participants perceived schoolteacher feedback literacy as a three-dimensional concept, comprising knowledge, competence and disposition with specifications. In addition, the participants believed that schoolteacher feedback literacy was gradually evolving from a qualified level to a fully professional level …

Addressing The Social Loafing Problem In Assessment Practices From The Perspectives Of Tanzania’S Pre-Service Teachers, Joseph Reginard Milinga, Ezelina Angetile Kibonde, Venance Paul Mallya, Monica Asagwile Mwakifuna

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Recent developments of higher teacher education in Tanzania have witnessed high student enrolments necessitating change of an emphasis from individual assessment to group-based assessment practices. In this context, informed by the constructivist philosophical perspective, this article reports on the pre-service teachers’ voices regarding the prevalence, impacts and counteractive strategies of social loafing. The pre-service teachers are drawn from one higher education institution in Tanzania that serves as a case study. It draws on qualitative data collected from a sample of purposively selected undergraduate pre-service teachers. The study found social loafing tendencies to be commonplace and with far-reaching consequences amongst students …

Changes In Students’ Perceptions Of Self-Assessment In Courses With Different Approaches To Assessment, Ester Aflalo

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The importance of student self-assessment and its contribution to learning in teacher education is well documented in the research literature. However, we still need to better understand when and why self-assessment actually works. This study examines preservice teachers’ perception of self-assessment prior to and following experiencing self-assessment. The study included 135 students studying at two education colleges in Israel. The students attended courses with differing evaluation approaches. The findings show that the experience with self-assessment in the courses with formative evaluation or integrative evaluation encourages the students’ positive perception of self-assessment, in contrast to summative evaluation courses. The study expands …

International Professional Skills: Interdisciplinary Project Work, Thomas Mejtoft, Helen Cripps, Christopher Blöcker

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Higher education should provide learning situations that prepare students for a future profession and make them world-ready. This paper reports insights from an international interdisciplinary collaborative project aiming to create learning experiences that are close to a professional situation. The collaboration setup simulates a setting of a digital agency with a development team in Sweden and a marketing team in Australia working together to solve a task. The collaborative project has been active since 2017, completing its fifth iteration in 2021. Postcourse survey results show that the students felt that a real situation was created with a high level of …