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Full-Text Articles in Education

“I Want To Be More Perfect Than Others”: A Case Of Esl Motivation., Olivia Beath Nov 2010

“I Want To Be More Perfect Than Others”: A Case Of Esl Motivation., Olivia Beath

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

Language learning motivation is an important concept in Second Language Acquisition (SLA) research as it has been significantly linked to achievement. Theoretically, the concept of motivation has moved from being viewed as a static learner trait to a complex, dynamic factor that changes over time. This paper reports on a single case study of a female Indonesian language learner; specifically the change in her language learning behaviours and motivation over the course of learning English from adolescence to adulthood and international postgraduate study. This paper will draw on Ryan and Deci‟s (2000) self-determination framework to describe changes in the learner‟s …


Interactive Whiteboards: Interactivity, Activity And Literacy Teaching, Lisa K. Kervin, Irina Verenikina, Kris Wrona, Pauline T. Jones Jan 2010

Interactive Whiteboards: Interactivity, Activity And Literacy Teaching, Lisa K. Kervin, Irina Verenikina, Kris Wrona, Pauline T. Jones

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

This paper explores the implementation and the use of the Interactive Whiteboard (IWB) in literacy teaching in an Australian primary school. A socio-cultural approach (Vygotsky, 1978) and Activity Theory (Engestrom, 2001) are used to explore the integration of the IWB in the literacy classroom environment where the individual, classroom and the whole school contexts are considered. A socio- cultural conceptualisation of technology allows us to view the IWB as a tool that can be used to enhance teachers’ pedagogical practices. The paper is based on a case study in an independent primary school located in a South - Western suburb …


Anxieties And Aspirations: The Making Of Active, Informed Citizens, Doune Macdonald, Jan Wright, R. Abbott Jan 2010

Anxieties And Aspirations: The Making Of Active, Informed Citizens, Doune Macdonald, Jan Wright, R. Abbott

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

In writing The Code of Health and Longevity in 1818, Sir John Sinclair hoped that with the provision: of the facts and observations, which are most essential for the preservation of health, .... that it will now be in the power of every considerable person, to ascertain what rules are suited to his particular situation, and to adopt those which are likely to be most efficacious. (Sinclair 1818: 13) Motivating Sir John’s tome nearly two hundred years ago was his concern that ‘people seldom attend to their health till it be too late’ (p.12) and that ‘the attainment of longevity, …


Young People, Physical Activity And Transitions, Jan Wright, Judith Laverty Jan 2010

Young People, Physical Activity And Transitions, Jan Wright, Judith Laverty

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

In the literature on young people’s health and its relation to participation in physical activity, there are recurring narratives that lament the decline in participation during the senior years of schooling and beyond (e.g. Sallis, Prochaska and Taylor 2000). This apparent decline has been interpreted as a significant problem and one that must be addressed by strategies to engage young people in more physical activity; most of which target young people with a view to changing their attitudes and behaviours (Gyurcsik, Bray and Brittain 2004; Leslie, Fotheringham, Owen and Bauman 2001). This concern about young people’s participation in physical activity …


The 5 Rs: A New Teaching Approach To Encourage Slowmations (Studentgenerated Animations) Of Science Concepts, Garry Hoban, Wendy Nielsen Jan 2010

The 5 Rs: A New Teaching Approach To Encourage Slowmations (Studentgenerated Animations) Of Science Concepts, Garry Hoban, Wendy Nielsen

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

“Slowmation” (abbreviated from “Slow Animation”) is a simplified way of making an animation so that students can create one as a new way of learning about a science concept. The teaching approach guiding slowmation encourages students to create a sequence of five multimodal representations (the 5 Rs) by making: (i) written notes being background knowledge from researching a topic or from direct instruction; (ii) a storyboard to design the animation; (iii) 2D or 3D models; (iv) images from digital still photographs of the models; and (vi) the final animation. The 5 Rs helps students to develop understanding of a science …


Correlates Of Sedentary Behaviours In Preschool Children: A Review, Trina Hinkley, Jo Salmon, Anthony D. Okely, Stewart G. Trost Jan 2010

Correlates Of Sedentary Behaviours In Preschool Children: A Review, Trina Hinkley, Jo Salmon, Anthony D. Okely, Stewart G. Trost

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

Background: Sedentary behaviour has been linked with a number of health outcomes. Preschool-aged children spend significant proportions of their day engaged in sedentary behaviours. Research into the correlates of sedentary behaviours in the preschool population is an emerging field, with most research being published since 2002. Reviews on correlates of sedentary behaviours which include preschool children have previously been published; however, none have reported results specific to the preschool population. This paper reviews articles reporting on correlates of sedentary behaviour in preschool children published between 1993 and 2009. Methods: A literature search was undertaken to identify articles which examined correlates …


Are We Doing Enough? Assessing The Needs Of Teachers In Isolated Schools With Students With Oppositional Defiant Disorder In Mainstream Classes, Fiona Mclean, Roselyn Dixon Jan 2010

Are We Doing Enough? Assessing The Needs Of Teachers In Isolated Schools With Students With Oppositional Defiant Disorder In Mainstream Classes, Fiona Mclean, Roselyn Dixon

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

The Vinson report (2001) into public education highlighted the growing incidence of behavioural problems within the NSW public school system.


Teachers' Perceptions Of The Effects Of Single-Sex And Coeducational Classroom Settings On The Participation And Performance Of Students In Practical Physical Education, Scott Best, Philip J. Pearson, Paul I. Webb Jan 2010

Teachers' Perceptions Of The Effects Of Single-Sex And Coeducational Classroom Settings On The Participation And Performance Of Students In Practical Physical Education, Scott Best, Philip J. Pearson, Paul I. Webb

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

Within Australian secondary schools, debate often associates the utilisation of either single-sex or coeducational classroom settings for Physical Education (PE), as the learning experienced by students in PE can differ greatly between the two settings. Thirty-nine PDHPE teachers were selected as participants, and data was gathered through questionnaire and focus group interview processes, to enable participants to convey their views regarding how students’ participation and performance in practical PE may be influenced by single-sex and coeducational classroom settings. The majority of participants believed that single-sex PE classroom settings allowed students to achieve higher levels of both participation and performance. Factors …


Framing The Mother:Childhood Obesity, Maternal Responsibility And Care, Jan Wright, Suzanne M. Fraser, Janemaree Maher Jan 2010

Framing The Mother:Childhood Obesity, Maternal Responsibility And Care, Jan Wright, Suzanne M. Fraser, Janemaree Maher

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

Currently in developed nations, childhood obesity is generating widespread concern and prompting social and institutional responses. Obesity is constructed as a broad public health crisis, but individuals are constructed as responsible for their own bodies and body sizes within this crisis. We are particularly interested in two aspects that focus on women as central to this phenomenon; the first is the imputation of maternal responsibility for the weight of children and the second is the role that specific fears about flesh and women’s bodies play in how childhood obesity is represented. We analyse media representations of childhood obesity in Australia …


Literacy Practitioners' Perspectives On Adult Learning Needs And Technology Approaches In Indigenous Communities, Michelle J. Eady, Anthony Herrington, Caroline Jones Jan 2010

Literacy Practitioners' Perspectives On Adult Learning Needs And Technology Approaches In Indigenous Communities, Michelle J. Eady, Anthony Herrington, Caroline Jones

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

Current reports of literacy rates in Australia indicate an ongoing gap in literacy skills between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australian adults, at a time when the literacy demands of work and life are increasing. There are many perspectives on what are the literacy needs of Indigenous adults,from the perspectives of community members themselves to the relatively under-researched perspective of literacy practitioners. This paper provides the insights, experiences and recommendations from adult literacy practitioners who work with adult Indigenous learners in communities across Australia. Focus group interviews, using an online synchronous platform, were used to elicit views about the literacy needs of …


Effective Literacy Pedagogy: Amplified By Technology?, Lisa K. Kervin, Pauline T. Jones, Irina M. Verenikina Jan 2010

Effective Literacy Pedagogy: Amplified By Technology?, Lisa K. Kervin, Pauline T. Jones, Irina M. Verenikina

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

For some time teachers have been identified and even vilified as impediments to technology uptake in classrooms. It has been demonstrated that the purchase and installation of modern (and often costly) technology is no guarantee that teachers will use it to facilitate and improve learning. We argue that it is no longer appropriate to blame teachers for their slow uptake of technology. Instead it is important that we investigate and understand the ways that technology innovations fit (or mismatch!) with the culture of schooling and established pedagogical practices of teachers. ICTs have made their way into classroom literacy sessions with …


Collaborative Learning In An Online Course: A Comparison Of Communication Patterns In Small And Whole Group Activities, Wendy Nielsen, Eric Kh Chan, Namsook Jahng Jan 2010

Collaborative Learning In An Online Course: A Comparison Of Communication Patterns In Small And Whole Group Activities, Wendy Nielsen, Eric Kh Chan, Namsook Jahng

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

This article reports on the investigation of collaborative learning processes in an online course that examined students' communication during whole-group discussions and small-group activities. Content analysis and social network analysis methods were employed to code and categorize text messages to uncover students' communication behaviour. The results show that individuals' participation patterns were similar during the two different settings, but some inactive students during whole-group discussions were more active in small-groups. The social-out (sent-out messages) during whole-group discussions was a significant variable associated with cognitive contributions in whole-group as well as social and managerial contributions in small-group activities. It also identified …


Beyond The 'Digital Natives' Debate: Towards A More Nuanced Understanding Of Students' Technology Experiences, Susan J. Bennett, Karl A. Maton Jan 2010

Beyond The 'Digital Natives' Debate: Towards A More Nuanced Understanding Of Students' Technology Experiences, Susan J. Bennett, Karl A. Maton

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

The idea of the ‘digital natives’, a generation of tech-savvy young people immersed in digital technologies for which current education systems cannot cater, has gained widespread popularity on the basis of claims rather than evidence. Recent research has shown flaws in the argument that there is an identifiable generation or even a single type of highly adept technology user. For educators, the diversity revealed by these studies provides valuable insights into students’ experiences of technology inside and outside formal education. While this body of work provides a preliminary understanding, it also highlights subtleties and complexities that require further investigation. It …


Learning With The Arts: What Opportunities Are There For Work Related Adult Learning?, Claire Manning, Irina M. Verenikina, Ian M. Brown Jan 2010

Learning With The Arts: What Opportunities Are There For Work Related Adult Learning?, Claire Manning, Irina M. Verenikina, Ian M. Brown

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

What can arts‐based learning offer to adult, work‐related education? A study was undertaken that explored the benefits of learning with the arts for professional development of an adult learner in Australia. The individual experiences of nine adults who participated in arts‐based workshops to build work‐related skills were examined using the contextual model of learning where the personal, socio‐cultural and physical contexts were considered. To determine the potential for professional development, the participants' perceived learning outcomes were examined against the list of the skills valued in the modern workplace. The adult learners who participated in this research found learning with the …


Animated Storytelling About "My Special Place" To Represent Non-Aboriginal Preservice Teachers' Awareness Of "Relatedness To Country", Anthony D. Mcknight, Garry Hoban, Wendy Nielsen Jan 2010

Animated Storytelling About "My Special Place" To Represent Non-Aboriginal Preservice Teachers' Awareness Of "Relatedness To Country", Anthony D. Mcknight, Garry Hoban, Wendy Nielsen

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

In this study, a group (N=15) of final year non-Aboriginal preservice teachers participated in an elective subject that aimed to raise their awareness about Aboriginal ways of knowing. A vital aspect of the course was developing the preservice teachers‘ awareness of "relatedness to country" which is a key belief for Aboriginal people. The non-Aboriginal preservice teachers selected their own special place and then experienced Aboriginal ways of knowing throughout the course and visited local Aboriginal sites to hear and listen to stories shared by an Aboriginal Elder. At the end of the subject, the preservice teachers created their own animated …


Crocodiles And Polar Bears: A Cross Cultural Comparison Of Adult Learning In Remote Indigenous Communities, Michelle J. Eady, Alison Reedy Jan 2010

Crocodiles And Polar Bears: A Cross Cultural Comparison Of Adult Learning In Remote Indigenous Communities, Michelle J. Eady, Alison Reedy

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

This presentation compares and contrasts the context of adult learning for two groups of adult Indigenous students, one from the northern Australian tropics and one from far Northwestern Ontario. It also examines the ways that technology is used to try and bridge the distance between Indigenous adult learners' goals and educational opportunities. From this comparison we conclude that the educational gap between Indigenous and non Indigenous learners in Canada is closing, while the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians is widening. We reflect on the reasons why Indigenous adult learners in Northwestern Ontario are being better served in comparison to …


Understanding The Need For Induction Programmes For Beginning Teachers In Independent Catholic Secondary Schools In New South Wales, Sean Kearney Jan 2010

Understanding The Need For Induction Programmes For Beginning Teachers In Independent Catholic Secondary Schools In New South Wales, Sean Kearney

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

This article reports on the initial findings and justification for research undertaken in a Doctor of Education course at the University of Wollongong regarding induction programmes for beginning teachers in New South Wales independent Catholic high schools in the Sydney region. A review of relevant literature has identified seven elements of effective induction that have been utilised to select six Catholic independent high schools in Sydney to participate in a collective case study, which seeks to ascertain the nature of effective induction in these schools. The purpose of the case studies is to better understand the successes and limitations of …


The Potential To Learn: Pre-Service Teachers' Proposed Use Of Instructional Strategies For Students With A Learning Disability, Stuart Woodcock, Wilma Vialle Jan 2010

The Potential To Learn: Pre-Service Teachers' Proposed Use Of Instructional Strategies For Students With A Learning Disability, Stuart Woodcock, Wilma Vialle

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

Over recent years, moves toward the inclusion of students with special needs in mainstream classrooms has brought about increasing attention to the way general education teachers perceive these students. Commensurate with this has been a growing interest in what may constitute educational success for children with special needs in mainstream classrooms, plus the ability of general education teachers to provide effective and appropriate instruction for them. It is known that teachers form beliefs about the process of teaching during their pre-service training and also that once a belief has been held for a long time, it becomes extremely difficult to …


The Predominance Of Procedural Knowledge In Fractions, Patricia A. Forrester, Mohan Chinnappan Jan 2010

The Predominance Of Procedural Knowledge In Fractions, Patricia A. Forrester, Mohan Chinnappan

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

Teachers play a crucial role in the mathematical learning outcomes of their students. The quality of teachers’ mathematical knowledge has been of interest to key stakeholders and several lines of inquiry have been running in an effort to better understand the kinds of knowledge that mathematics teachers need to acquire and use to drive their lessons. Despite a decade of research in this area, the interconnections amongst the various strands of knowledge required by mathematics teachers is still unclear. In this report we attempt to investigate this issue by focusing on procedural and conceptual knowledge utilised in the assessment responses …


Indigenous Sharing, Collaboration And Synchronous Learning, Michelle J. Eady, Irina Verenikina, Sarah Jones Jan 2010

Indigenous Sharing, Collaboration And Synchronous Learning, Michelle J. Eady, Irina Verenikina, Sarah Jones

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

Online learning is progressively accepted in Indigenous communities with the realized potential for sharing, collaboration and learning for adults living in remote and isolated communities. This study used a design-based research approach that provided opportunity to integrate the current literature, literacy practitioners' views and community members' self identified literacy needs to generate ten draft guiding principles which guided this study. A collaborative community engagement project was created by the community members in consideration of these principles and presented in three iterations in a synchronous environment which will lead to design-based principles for working with technology and Indigenous communities. This paper …


Reframing Dyslexia As A Result Of Customised Educational Provision In An Adult Learning Environment, Kathleen Tanner Jan 2010

Reframing Dyslexia As A Result Of Customised Educational Provision In An Adult Learning Environment, Kathleen Tanner

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

Reframing has been identified as a process used by people with learning disabilities to change their beliefs and understanding about themselves and their learning disabilities (Gerber, Reiff and Ginsberg, 1996). This paper will discuss the influence of a specially designed course for people with dyslexia conducted through the tertiary TAFE (Technical and Further Education) system in Western Australia and how it provided the catalyst for participants to reframe their perceptions of their dyslexia through empowering them with knowledge and understanding of dyslexia alongside current societal perceptions toward people with literacy difficulties. Findings revealed that all 10 participants reframed their perceptions …


Technological Diversity: An Investigation Of Students' Technology Use In Everyday Life And Academic Study, Linda Corrin, Lori Lockyer, Sue Bennett Jan 2010

Technological Diversity: An Investigation Of Students' Technology Use In Everyday Life And Academic Study, Linda Corrin, Lori Lockyer, Sue Bennett

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

Generational generalisations regarding how students interact with technology have been used in recent times to prompt calls for radical changes to the delivery of teaching in higher education. This article reports on a study aimed to investigate first-year students’ technology access and usage in two contexts of use: everyday life and academic study. A survey was delivered to first-year students across seven faculties of an Australian university during the second semester of the 2008 academic year. A total of 470 respondents met the criteria for this study. The findings suggest a wide diversity of usage of technologies with the usage …


Young People, Physical Activity And The Everyday: The Life Activity Project, Jan Wright, Doune Macdonald Jan 2010

Young People, Physical Activity And The Everyday: The Life Activity Project, Jan Wright, Doune Macdonald

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

I want to achieve a lot with my career and work wise so I know I have to put in the hours but then I feel like I’m missing out on the rest; like the social life, you know, just going for a bike ride, taking the kayak out, motorbike. And when you do think, alright, I’ve got the time to do it you are just so worn out that you just don’t want to do it. It’s too much effort. So you just feel tired all the time.


Web 2.0 In Higher Education: Blurring Social Networks And Learning Networks, Lori Lockyer, Shane P. Dawson, Elizabeth Heathcote Jan 2010

Web 2.0 In Higher Education: Blurring Social Networks And Learning Networks, Lori Lockyer, Shane P. Dawson, Elizabeth Heathcote

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

This paper reports on a study that investigated how two cohorts of students (in medicine and education) adopted a social networking platform to assist their university studies. The study examines the sites of dissonance between predicted and actual usage of the tool. Although the integration of social technologies into higher education is not new, there is mounting imperatives for developing creative, flexible, technologically literate graduates. Yet, to date, limited research has focused on how contemporary learners expect to and in actual fact, utilise these tools to support their study. This study observed that students’ perceptions of how technologies should support …


Reflections On Methodological Issues: Lessons Learned From The Life Activity Projects, Jan Wright, Judith Laverty, Matthew Atencio, A. Nelson, Lisette Burrows, Doune Macdonald, Jessica Lee, Gabrielle H. O'Flynn, Kelly Knez, Bonnie Pang Jan 2010

Reflections On Methodological Issues: Lessons Learned From The Life Activity Projects, Jan Wright, Judith Laverty, Matthew Atencio, A. Nelson, Lisette Burrows, Doune Macdonald, Jessica Lee, Gabrielle H. O'Flynn, Kelly Knez, Bonnie Pang

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

In this concluding chapter we offer some reflections on the conduct of our research that we believe have relevance across most qualitative studies that involve young people, particularly young people from diverse social and cultural groups. In the case of the Life Activity Project and related studies, we also needed to attend to the added sensitivity associated with researching young people’s meanings of health and, inevitably, their feelings and thoughts about their bodies and body weight. What follows are some stories, dilemmas and reflections ‘from the field’. The contributors to the book share issues around: recruiting participants to the research …


Data Dumping, After The Test You Forget It All: Seeking Deep Approaches To Science Learning With Slowmation (Student-Generated Animations), Garry Hoban Jan 2010

Data Dumping, After The Test You Forget It All: Seeking Deep Approaches To Science Learning With Slowmation (Student-Generated Animations), Garry Hoban

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

It Is not uncommon for university students to role learn facts and formulae to memorise information for a test. Unfortunately, these surface approaches to learning are encouraged by the complex teaching and learning system embedded in the context of university courses. Where possible, academics should encourage students to develop a deep approach to learning in their subJects. ' Slowmation" (abbreviated from Slow Animation) is an innovative teaching strategy that encourages students to design and make their own narrated digital animation that is played slowly at 2 frames/second to explain a concept. It is a simplified way of making animations that …


The Teacher Education Conversation: A Network Of Cooperating Teachers, Wendy Nielsen, Anthony Clarke, Valerie Triggs, John Collins Jan 2010

The Teacher Education Conversation: A Network Of Cooperating Teachers, Wendy Nielsen, Anthony Clarke, Valerie Triggs, John Collins

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

This study investigated a professional learning community of cooperating teachers and university‐based teacher educators. To examine our roles and perspectives as colleagues in teacher education, we drew on frameworks in teacher learning and complexity science. Monthly group meetings of this inquiry community were held over two school years in a suburban school district in British Columbia. Participants’ current and prior experiences in the role of cooperating teacher provided rich topics for conversation. Our analysis illustrates how aspects of complexity thinking both enable and promote teacher learning, in this instance, the professional development of cooperating teachers. The study highlights (a) key …


Attributional Beliefs Of Students With Learning Disabilities, Stuart Woodcock, Wilma Vialle Jan 2010

Attributional Beliefs Of Students With Learning Disabilities, Stuart Woodcock, Wilma Vialle

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

While claims of the importance of attribution theory and teachers’ expectations of students in regards to performance are repeatedly made, there is little comprehensive research identifying the perceptions preservice teachers have of students with learning disabilities (LD). Accordingly, this study examined 154 Australian preservice secondary school teachers to ascertain their responses to students with and without LD. It was found that preservice secondary school teachers held a negative attribution style towards students with LD. Preservice secondary teachers perceived students with LD as lacking ability in comparison to others in the class. Recommendations for research and training programs conclude the paper.


Understanding The Need: Using Collaboratively Created Draft Guiding Principles To Direct Online Synchronous Learning In Indigenous Communities, Michelle J. Eady, Stuart Woodcock Jan 2010

Understanding The Need: Using Collaboratively Created Draft Guiding Principles To Direct Online Synchronous Learning In Indigenous Communities, Michelle J. Eady, Stuart Woodcock

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

This article reports on the experience of members of an Australian Aboriginal community as they used synchronous computer technologies to enhance their literacy learning. The aspiration to learn meaningful and relevant literacy and computer skills was discussed in focus groups, as well as the need to articulate the group’s position within the wider community, the value of the wisdom of the Elders, and the importance of the dissemination of traditional language and Aboriginal knowledge. Educational integrity was deeply embedded in the project’s approach to the Aboriginal learning experience, and included ensuring respect for cultural needs and traditions, as well as …


The Digital Technology In The Learning Of Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders (Asd) In Applied Classroom Settings, Kathleen Tanner, Roselyn M. Dixon, Irina Verenikina Jan 2010

The Digital Technology In The Learning Of Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders (Asd) In Applied Classroom Settings, Kathleen Tanner, Roselyn M. Dixon, Irina Verenikina

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

This paper describes a research study that is a stepping stone to further research on the affordances of digital technologies in the learning of students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). The study is framed around the modern understanding of technologies as cognitive tools for learning based on the theory of social and cultural mediation of children’s development and learning (Vygotsky, 1978), together with Activity Theory (Engestrom, 2001). The study focuses on the day-to-day reality of the use of computer and other digital technologies to assist the classroom learning of children with ASD. A series of observations, semi-structured interviews with teachers …