Education Commons^™

Teachers As Embedded Practitioner-Researchers In Innovative Learning Environments, Joanne Blannin, Marian Mahat, Benjamin Cleveland, Julia E. Morris, Wesley Imms

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

© 2020, University of Ljubljana. All rights reserved. The paper introduces and explores the Plans to Pedagogy research pro-gramme, a three-year project focused on teacher capacity-building within schools. Plans to Pedagogy engages practitioner-researchers in the development of their and their colleagues’ spatial learning skills as they move into and attempt to take advantage of innovative learning environments. The programme involves teachers from eight schools across Australia and New Zealand. Still in progress, each three-year project addresses the indi-vidual school’s needs, while being supported by a more extensive universi-ty-situated “umbrella” research programme. This paper presents emerging findings from Plans to Pedagogy …

A Continuum Of University Student Volunteer Programme Models, Kirsten Holmes, Megan Paull, Debbie Haski-Leventhal, Judith Maccallum, Maryam Omari, Gabrielle Walker, Rowena Scott, Susan Young, Annette Maher

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

© 2020 Association for Tertiary Education Management and the LH Martin Institute for Tertiary Education Leadership and Management. University student volunteering is prevalent in Western countries, but has rarely been critically evaluated by researchers. Little is known about the different ways in which student volunteer programmes are organised. Using a matrix constructed from the publicly available websites of all Australian universities, and 60 interviews with key stakeholders at six universities, this paper identifies nine different models of student volunteer programmes. The models show the different ways in which universities, faculty and students are involved in organising student volunteer programmes. These …

Exploring Chinese Efl Teachers' Knowledge And Beliefs Relating To The Teaching Of English Reading In Public Primary Schools In China, Meina Luo, Susan Main, Graeme Lock, R. Malatesha Joshi, Chenyin Zhong

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

© 2019 The Authors. Dyslexia published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd The present study explored knowledge and beliefs about reading instruction of Chinese teachers teaching English as a foreign language (EFL). Theoretical Orientation to Reading Profile and the Survey of Basic Language Constructs Related to Literacy Acquisition were administered to 262 EFL teachers in the south-eastern part of China. Additionally, three teachers were interviewed, and their instructional practices were observed. The results showed that there was no correlation between teachers' self-efficacy beliefs and the performance on the knowledge of basic language construct survey. However, it was found that teachers' …

Embedding Work-Integrated Learning Into Accounting Education: The State Of Play And Pathways To Future Implementation, Denise Jackson, Stephanie Meek

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

© 2020, © 2020 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. There is increasing pressure on higher education institutions to better prepare students for future work, augmented by widespread measurement of their performance using graduate employment metrics. Accounting is no exception with growing attention on whether, and in what ways, accounting curricula is aligning to labor market demands. This paper considers the importance of career preparedness among accounting students and higher education institutions’ effectiveness in achieving graduate outcomes that meet the needs of the profession. It contemplates the challenges in preparing accounting students for contemporary work and explores …

Teachers’ Perceptions Of Their Preparedness For Supporting Struggling Literacy Learners In Secondary English Classrooms, Margaret K. Merga, Sayidi Mat Roni, Shannon Mason

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

© 2020 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. The initial and ongoing professional education of teachers to prepare them to support students’ literacy development warrants research attention. The importance of meeting the needs of struggling literacy learners in secondary school does not diminish as students move through the years of schooling. This paper reports on data from the 2019 Supporting Struggling Secondary Literacy Learners mixed-methods project, which sought to explore the challenges of meeting the needs of struggling literacy learners in Australian secondary schooling, from the perspectives of teachers of mainstream English classrooms. …

Does Mathematics Training Lead To Better Logical Thinking And Reasoning? A Cross-Sectional Assessment From Students To Professors, Clio Cresswell, Craig P. Speelman

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

© 2020 Cresswell, Speelman. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Mathematics is often promoted as endowing those who study it with transferable skills such as an ability to think logically and critically or to have improved investigative skills, resourcefulness and creativity in problem solving. However, there is scant evidence to back up such claims. This project tested participants with increasing levels of mathematics training on 11 well-studied rational and logical reasoning tasks …

The Changing Nature Of Graduate Roles And The Value Of The Degree, Denise Jackson

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

© 2020, © 2020 Association for Tertiary Education Management and the LH Martin Institute for Tertiary Education Leadership and Management. This study explores industry perspectives on the changing nature of graduate roles and the importance of the undergraduate degree, and any impact these have on traditional non-graduate roles in different sectors and industries. Amid declining labour markets, it is critical to consider graduate pathways to employment and the implications of increasing numbers entering non-graduate roles on expectations and turnover. Ongoing disequilibrium in many areas of the graduate labour market points to developing our understanding of alternative pathways into professional roles …

Gauging The Development Of Innovative Capabilities In Accounting And Finance Students: Can They Drive The National Innovation Agenda?, Denise Jackson

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

As automation catalyses the shift from number-crunching to more complex roles spanning risk management and strategic decision-making, it is important that higher education is developing the capabilities for Accounting and Finance graduates to successfully contribute to innovation. The study gauges the development of innovative capabilities among students and new graduates using national data from 2012 to 2015. It identifies gaps in the development of certain capabilities, discusses the implications of these and presents strategies for improvement. Findings will inform stakeholders how to better prepare these graduates to contribute to innovation and, ultimately, improve economic growth and global competitiveness in Australia.

Using Sentence Dictation To Practise And Assess Taught Spelling And Punctuation Skills: A Year 2 Explicit Instruction Intervention, Sally Robinson-Kooi, Lorraine S. Hammond

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Daily contextualised sentence dictation was used for Year 2 students to practise, and the teacher to assess, taught spelling concepts, capital letters and full stop usage in an Explicit Instruction (EI) intervention. Conducted in a mainstream setting, it supported all students learning to spell, including those with a learning difficulty (LD) and an English Learner (LL). Results showed that students who received EI in spelling and punctuation constructs followed by sentence dictation did significantly better than comparison students who continued with their usual spelling programme. Randomly selected intervention students deemed below average (BA), average (A), and above average (AA) spellers …

A Comparison Between The Conceptions Of Research Of Candidates Enrolled For Standard Phd And Integrated Phd Programmes, Hairong Shan, Natasha Ayers, Margaret Kiley

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Conceptions of research, which lead to approaches to research, provide useful insights into how candidates think about research. In terms of doctoral candidate development, understanding and appreciating these various conceptions can assist in supporting candidate learning. This study evaluated differences in conceptions of research between PhD candidates commencing at an Australian university in the standard PhD programme, and those in a new structured programme termed the Integrated PhD. An online survey was distributed to both cohorts and as the findings showed, respondents’ conceptions of research were not significantly different for most categories, except Research as testing by data/experiment. Other key …

Setting Policy And Student Agency In Physical Education: Students As Policy Actors, Shaun D. Wilkinson, Dawn Penney

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

© 2020, © 2020 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. In turning a spotlight on students in physical education, this paper seeks to extend applications of policy enactment theory, and particularly, the policy actor framework. Following the lead of Stephen Ball and colleagues, the research that this paper draws on examined the various dimensions of context shaping policy enactment in different schools. The focus of the research was policy associated with ability grouping, and setting particularly, in physical education. The research involved case study work in three mixed-gender secondary schools in England, with 15 physical education teachers …

Applying Academic Selection Criterion To Work-Integrated Learning Programmes: Risk Management Or Perpetuating Inequality?, Denise Jackson

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This study explores whether academic selection criterion should be imposed on students wishing to participate in work-integrated learning (WIL) during their degree studies. Its conceptual framework addresses the limitations of human capital theory and draws on theories about social and cultural capital to understand the role of WIL in developing individual employability. It explores whether WIL should be open to all students, particularly given those who perform less well academically may be of lower socio-economic status with fewer networks and less developed cultural capital. The relationship between academic course average and workplace performance during WIL was examined, rated by 2012 …

Investigating The Relationship Between Career Planning, Proactivity And Employability Perceptions Among Higher Education Students In Uncertain Labour Market Conditions, Denise Jackson, Michael Tomlinson

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This paper addresses the limited empirical analysis of higher education students’ perceptions of contemporary labour market demands. It explores their perspectives on the health of the graduate labour market, what factors determine these and how their perceptions relate to self-perceived employability, career proactivity, career control and efforts to develop positional advantage. Further, the study examines determinants of students’ career planning, all in the context of a challenging graduate labour market and higher education systems that have become more market-driven. The paper draws on evidence from a survey among Australian and UK students (N = 433), from two institutions and across …

Plans To Pedagogy Activity Report 2019: What Impact Does ‘Innovative’ Furniture Have On Student Engagement And Teacher Practices?, Julia Morris, Wesley Imms

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Phase One of this project, conducted during the 2019 academic year, used an A-B-A withdrawal design to rotate (terms 2, 3 and 4) the furniture in five primary school classrooms1 from ‘innovative’ to ‘traditional’ furniture arrangements2. Three-weekly repeated measures were taken across the year of (1) student perceptions of their cognitive and behavioural engagement, (2) teacher actions in these classrooms, and (3) photographs by students of their preferred furniture, with annotations explaining this preference. Once-a-term measures included (4) teachers completing a Teacher Mind Frames survey, and (5) teachers participating in a structured interview with the researchers...

Creating Books In Communities: A Book Making Program With Families In A Remote Community In Western Australia, Caroline Barratt-Pugh, Yvonne Haig

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This article describes the needs analysis, implementation and outcomes of a pilot program aimed at creating books with families in ways that represent their language and culture. Creating Books in Communities is part of Better Beginnings, a state-wide program, developed by the State Library of Western Australia, for children and their families, that aims to develop literacy skills through fostering a love of books and language. Literature about the importance of recognising and valuing home languages and culture in supporting early literacy learning and the impact of family literacy programs is explored to provide a background to the program. The …

Correction To: The Challenge Of Monoculturalism: What Books Are Educators Sharing With Children And What Messages Do They Send?, Helen Adam, Caroline Barratt-Pugh

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

No abstract provided.

Informal Sport And Curriculum Futures: An Investigation Of The Knowledge, Skills And Understandings For Participation And The Possibilities For Physical Education, Justen O’Connor, Dawn Penney

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

© The Author(s) 2020. Internationally, patterns of participation in sport are changing, with so-called ‘informal’ participation displacing club-based and other formally structured involvement in sport. This paper reports research that is investigating changing forms of participation from an educational perspective. It directs attention to what physical education can learn from informal sport and how physical education can align pedagogically with contemporary participation trends, to help grow and sustain young people’s engagement in sport beyond schools. The paper presents findings from two sequential elements of an ongoing research project. The first is a systematic review of literature pertaining to informal participation …

The Enactment Of Setting Policy In Secondary School Physical Education, Shaun D. Wilkinson, Dawn Penney, Linda Allin, Paul Potrac

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

© 2020, © 2020 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. The micro-level enactment of educational policy has received little attention in the physical education [PE] literature, particularly as it relates to setting policy. This study employs enactment theory to provide original insights into the ways in which setting policy was enacted by PE teachers in three mixed-gender secondary schools in England. The work of Stephen Ball and colleagues is used to examine the distinct and combined influence of the situated, material, professional and external dimensions of context on setting policy and practices in PE in these three …

Should Google Scholar Be Used For Benchmarking Against The Professoriate In Education?, Margaret K. Merga, Sayidi Mat Roni, Shannon Mason

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

In the neoliberal environment of contemporary academia, an individual’s research rankings and outputs can shape their career security and progression. When applying for ongoing employment and promotional opportunities, academics may benchmark their performance against that of superior colleagues to demonstrate their performance in relation to their discipline. The H-index and citation rates are commonly used to quantify the value of an academic’s work, and they can be used comparatively for benchmarking purposes. The focus of this paper is to critically consider if Google Scholar be used for benchmarking against the professoriate in education, by weighting up issues of data reliability …

“Fallen Through The Cracks”: Teachers’ Perceptions Of Barriers Faced By Struggling Literacy Learners In Secondary School, Margaret K. Merga

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

© 2019 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. Struggling literacy learners are typically low achievers with poor engagement in literacy learning, and the gap between struggling and capable students widens as children move through the years of schooling. Literacy research and interventions for struggling literacy learners typically focus on the primary school years. The 2019 Supporting Struggling Secondary Literacy Learners mixed-methods project collected qualitative data on teacher perceptions of the barriers experienced by their struggling literacy learners in Australian mainstream secondary English classrooms. Recurring barriers included literacy skill gaps and English as an …

Do Schools And Alcohol Mix? Australian Parents' Perspectives, Conor Gilligan, Therese Shaw, Shelley Beatty, Laura Thomas, Karen Louise Lombardi, Robyn Susanne Johnston

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

© 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited. Purpose: Alcohol use by adults at school events and alcohol promotion through school fundraising activities is common, but little is known about secondary school parents' attitudes towards these practices. Parental attitudes may influence principals' decision-making on this topic, particularly in jurisdictions where education department guidance is limited. This study explored parents' attitudes towards the consumption or promotion of alcohol in schools or at school events. Design/methodology/approach: Parents (n = 298) from five non-government secondary schools in Western Australia completed an online survey and provided responses relating to the promotion and availability of alcohol through their …

Enabling The Development Of Enterprise Capabilities Among Higher Education Students Through Work-Integrated Learning In Coworking Spaces, Denise Jackson, Hairong Shan, Susan Meek

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This project trialled an innovative, scalable model of work-integrated learning (WIL) in micro-businesses in a coworking space. WIL embeds industry and/or community engagement into the curriculum through authentic learning and assessment activities. This project focused on workplace-based WIL, specifically, business students undertaking internships in a cluster of coworking spaces—under the umbrella of ‘Spacecubed’—in Perth CBD, Australia.

The project aims were broadly 1) to trial and evaluate ways to enhance enterprise capabilities among business students through WIL and 2) to introduce a model of WIL that overcomes some of the barriers that have previously prevented smaller organisations from participating in WIL. …

School Librarians As Literacy Educators Within A Complex Role, Margaret K. Merga

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Librarians in schools are expected to play an important role as literacy educators, and have a positive impact on young people’s literacy learning. However in the context of their diverse workload, relatively little is known about how this aspect of their role sits within its competing demands, and the exact scope of the literacy educator requirements. Using a hybrid approach to content analysis, this article analyses 40 recent job description documents to identify the nature and prevalence of different aspects of the role, and to explore the literacy educator aspect of this profession. Findings suggest that while the literacy educator …

“The Pay Is Not Worth It But It Is Excellent Pd”: Australian Teachers’ Perspectives On Doing Large-Scale Marking, Nathanael Reinertsen

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Anecdotally, teachers take up opportunities to mark large-scale assessments because they are told by colleagues that it is 'good PD'. Assertions about the value of marking are passed along with little question. However, research into the benefits of participating as a marker in large-scale marking has not been conducted in the Australian context. This paper reports the results of an online survey of Australian teachers (N=43) about their participation in large-scale marking in order to examine whether the research that has been conducted internationally is likely to be generalisable to Australia. The responses to the survey are described and then …

How Can School Libraries Support Student Wellbeing? Evidence And Implications For Further Research, Margaret Merga

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Concern about student wellbeing and related mental health is a global issue, and schools are increasingly expected to support student wellbeing. While the focus on libraries and wellbeing in research is more commonly on public libraries, school libraries can also play an important supportive role in this regard. Robust research evidence is needed from school library contexts to support targeted advocacy in order to enhance student wellbeing. This paper explores how school libraries may support student wellbeing by operating as safe spaces for young people, promoting and resourcing mental health and wellbeing initiatives, and supporting and promoting bibliotherapeutic practices and …

The Implications Of The Non-Linguistic Modes Of Meaning For Language Learners In Science: A Review, Melanie Williams

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

In response to the globally escalating number of language learners tasked with learning science through a foreign language, this review seeks to bring new perspectives by reframing research findings, still dominated by historical language assumptions, through a contemporary language lens. We aim to unearth, amalgamate and expose the potentials of non-linguistic modes described by the theory of multiliteracies that appear sporadic and fragmentary within studies due to their linguistic focus, as we surmise they offer language learners alternative avenues for meaning-making. 40 peer-reviewed empirical studies published between 1995 and 2019 were systematically found and examined using theoretical thematic analysis to …

Staff Accessibility And Online Engagement With First-Year Students: An Autoethnographic Reflection, Andrew Kelly

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Studying online is becoming an increasingly attractive option to prospective students worldwide, yet external completion rates tend to be considerably lower than those enrolled on campus. Through an autoethnographic critical reflection process of teaching 27 first-year online students at a regional Australian university, this article considers methods for increasing accessibility and student engagement as well as managing personal challenges supporting online students from non-traditional backgrounds. Among seven key implications for practice, this article argues the need for genuine and open-ended interaction with online students at the early stages of a semester. It also recommends that teaching staff consciously recognize the …

The Challenge Of Monoculturalism: What Books Are Educators Sharing With Children And What Messages Do They Send?, Helen Adam, Caroline Barratt-Pugh

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The importance of recognising, valuing and respecting a child’s family, culture, language and values is increasingly articulated in educational policy. Diversity and inclusion are central themes of the guiding principles of early childhood education and care in Australia. Children’s literature can be a powerful tool for extending children’s knowledge and understandings of themselves and others who may be different culturally, socially or historically. However, evidence suggests many settings provide monocultural book collections which are counterproductive to principles of diversity. This paper reports on a larger study investigating factors and relationships influencing the use of children’s literature to support principles of …

Examined Lives: The Transformative Power Of Active Interviewing In Narrative Approach, Peter F. Prout, Geoffrey M. Lowe, Christina C. Gray, Sarah Jefferson

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

An unexamined life is not worth living Socrates (470-399 BC) In this article I reveal transformative experiences stemming from non-verbal communication in the context of active interviewing in narrative research. Drawing upon my recent experience interviewing positive veteran teachers about the relationships they believe vital in maintaining their passion and enthusiasm for teaching, I explore the unique nature of narrative research in fostering intra-personal transformation. The goal of the article is to highlight transformation as an outcome in narrative research, with particular focus upon non-verbal communication in active interviewing. The article is constructed to examine transformation in thinking and understanding …

Correction To: “Portray Cultures Other Than Ours”: How Children’S Literature Is Being Used To Support The Diversity Goals Of The Australian Early Years Learning Framework, Helen Adam, Caroline Barratt-Pugh, Yvonne Haig

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The article “Portray cultures other than ours”: How children’s literature is being used to support the diversity goals of the Australian Early Years Learning Framework, written by Helen Adam, Caroline Barratt-Pugh and Yvonne Haig, was originally published electronically on the publisher’s internet portal (currently Springer- Link) on 20 January 2019 without open access. With the author(s)’ decision to opt for Open Choice the copyright of the article changed on 30 August 2019 to © The Author(s) 2019 and the article is forthwith distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creat iveco mmons .org/licen ses/by/4.0/), which …