Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Education Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Series

Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research

Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER)

Keyword
Publication Year
Publication
File Type

Articles 61 - 90 of 1192

Full-Text Articles in Education

Readiness, Response, And Recovery: The Impacts Of Covid-19 On Education Systems In Asia, Anna Dabrowski, Yung Nietschke, Syeda Kashfee Ahmed, Amy Berry, Maya Conway Sep 2022

Readiness, Response, And Recovery: The Impacts Of Covid-19 On Education Systems In Asia, Anna Dabrowski, Yung Nietschke, Syeda Kashfee Ahmed, Amy Berry, Maya Conway

Monitoring Learning

This review provides insights into COVID-19 responses in educational systems in Asia, and to understand which policies and practices were already in place to contribute to system readiness and resilience. Although the evidence base remains scarce, reflecting on the different system and school-level responses in Asia provides opportunity to identify gaps in current policies and research, and consider new ways in which countries in Asia can strengthen their educational systems into the future. It considers what makes an education system resilient, and the importance of school level practices. It uses an analytical framework to review readiness, response and recovery, and …


Fitting The Aqf For The Future: Revising The Aqf Architecture And Taxonomy, Anita Roberts, Louise Wignall, Daniel Edwards Jul 2022

Fitting The Aqf For The Future: Revising The Aqf Architecture And Taxonomy, Anita Roberts, Louise Wignall, Daniel Edwards

Transition and Post-School Education and Training

ACER has been contracted by the Australian Government Department of Education to explore potential revisions to the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) based on recommendations of the AQF Review, which was conducted in 2019. During a range of consultations for the project, the team have presented some options for the architecture and taxonomy of the AQF that would introduce changes suggested by the Review. The slides attached here form the ‘consultation pack’ that have guided the discussions in relation to this project.


Building A World-Class Learning System, Geoff N. Masters Jun 2022

Building A World-Class Learning System, Geoff N. Masters

School and system improvement

This study sought to understand how five jurisdictions – British Columbia, Estonia, Finland, Hong Kong and South Korea, which have all performed unusually well in international achievement surveys over the past two decades – are approaching school education and its transformation. Geoff Masters describes key aspects of the learning systems these jurisdictions have established, comments on how they are now redesigning their learning systems for the future, and discusses insights into what may be required for any jurisdiction to perform well on measures of the kind currently used in international surveys.


Development Of A Transcript To Record Learner Creativity And Curiosity, Prue Anderson, Toby Carslake, Anit Cherian, Bethany Davies, Laura Good, Jonathan Heard, Sladana Krstic, Brendan Mcginley, Dara Ramalingam, Sarah Richardson, Claire Scoular, Shani Sniedze, Jennifer Star Feb 2022

Development Of A Transcript To Record Learner Creativity And Curiosity, Prue Anderson, Toby Carslake, Anit Cherian, Bethany Davies, Laura Good, Jonathan Heard, Sladana Krstic, Brendan Mcginley, Dara Ramalingam, Sarah Richardson, Claire Scoular, Shani Sniedze, Jennifer Star

Assessment and Reporting

Funded with generous support by the Jacobs Foundation, the ultimate goal of this project was to develop transcripts to track learner progress in the domains of creativity and curiosity. To support this overarching goal, the research team sought to define creativity and curiosity in language that would resonate with learners and teachers and that would be appropriate across numerous cultural settings. The result of the project is a series of prototype materials and resources, specifically: literature reviews, frameworks, enabling environment summaries, reflective quizzes and transcripts. Based on insights from the literature reviews, the researchers developed frameworks to define the constructs …


Learning Through Play At School: A Framework For Policy And Practice, Rachel Parker, Bo Stjerne Thomsen, Amy Berry Feb 2022

Learning Through Play At School: A Framework For Policy And Practice, Rachel Parker, Bo Stjerne Thomsen, Amy Berry

Student learning processes

Learning through play has emerged as an important strategy to promote student engagement, inclusion, and holistic skills development beyond the preschool years. Policy makers, researchers and educators have promoted the notion that learning though play is developmentally appropriate - as it leverages school-age children’s innate curiosity while easing the often difficult transition from preschool to school. However, there is a dearth of evidence and practical guidance on how learning through play can be employed effectively in the formal school context, and the conditions that support success. This paper addresses the disconnect between policy, research and practice by presenting a range …


Within And Between School Variation In Achievement On The Programme For International Student Assessment (Pisa) In Australia: Pisa Australia Technical Paper, John Ainley, Greg Macaskill, Sue Thomson Jan 2022

Within And Between School Variation In Achievement On The Programme For International Student Assessment (Pisa) In Australia: Pisa Australia Technical Paper, John Ainley, Greg Macaskill, Sue Thomson

OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) Australia

Australian secondary school students vary widely in their academic achievement. Using the scores from the Programme for International Student Achievement (PISA) in 2018, for example, the range from the 5th to the 95th percentile of student reading scores in Australia was 359 points compared to the OECD average of 327 points (OECD, 2019a; Thomson et al., 2019). This considerable range in achievement scores has been described as reflecting a long tail in the distribution of achievement. In this paper, attention is focused on the variation in the achievement scores of 15-year-old students in Australia based on data from PISA 2018. …


Teacher Development Multi-Year Study Series. Report Highlights. Vanuatu: Interim Report 2, Elizabeth Cassity, Jennie Chainey, Jacqueline Cheng, Debbie Wong Jan 2022

Teacher Development Multi-Year Study Series. Report Highlights. Vanuatu: Interim Report 2, Elizabeth Cassity, Jennie Chainey, Jacqueline Cheng, Debbie Wong

Education Analytics Service

The Teacher Development Multi-Year Study for Vanuatu seeks to answer the question: To what extent does Australia’s aid investment produce improved teaching quality and improved student learning? The 3 specific questions are: 1. To what extent has the investment improved teaching quality in Vanuatu? 2. To what extent has the investment in teacher training and mentoring supported effective implementation of Vanuatu’s new curriculum? 3. To what extent have teacher training and support activities led to improved learning outcomes? The study adopts a mixed methods approach using qualitative case study data and quantitative student assessment data from the Vanuatu Standardised Test …


Teacher Development Multi-Year Studies. Insights On The Challenges Of Data Availability For Measuring And Reporting On Student Learning Outcomes, Elizabeth Cassity, Debbie Wong Jan 2022

Teacher Development Multi-Year Studies. Insights On The Challenges Of Data Availability For Measuring And Reporting On Student Learning Outcomes, Elizabeth Cassity, Debbie Wong

Education Analytics Service

Student learning outcomes are an important source of evidence regarding improved teaching quality. A multi-year teacher development study series was commissioned by the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) to investigate teacher development initiatives in Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Laos), Timor-Leste and Vanuatu. The overall aim of the study series is to understand the extent to which the Australian investment has improved teaching quality and student learning. This paper outlines the different approaches to sourcing and using data in each country context, and then presents initial insights about the challenges associated with the limited availability of data …


Teacher Development Multi-Year Studies. Using Case Studies To Investigate And Understand Teaching Quality And Student Learning: Initial Lessons Learned, Jennie Chainey, Debbie Wong, Elizabeth Cassity, Hilary Hollingsworth Jan 2022

Teacher Development Multi-Year Studies. Using Case Studies To Investigate And Understand Teaching Quality And Student Learning: Initial Lessons Learned, Jennie Chainey, Debbie Wong, Elizabeth Cassity, Hilary Hollingsworth

Education Analytics Service

This paper presents some initial lessons learned about the use of case studies as a key form of evidence regarding teaching quality and student learning in a multi-year teacher development study series. This study series, commissioned by the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), involves the investigation of teacher development initiatives in Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Laos), Timor-Leste and Vanuatu. The overall aim of the study series is to understand the extent to which the Australian investment has improved teaching quality and student learning. This paper discusses the processes used to design, implement, analyse and report case …


Acer 2019-2020 Annual Report, Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer) Jan 2022

Acer 2019-2020 Annual Report, Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer)

ACER Annual Reports

No abstract provided.


The Overcoming Disadvantage In Early Childhood Study: Evaluation Of The Australian Literacy And Numeracy Foundation’S Early Language And Literacy Program. Final Report, Dan Cloney, Kellie Picker, David Jeffries, Prue Anderson Jan 2022

The Overcoming Disadvantage In Early Childhood Study: Evaluation Of The Australian Literacy And Numeracy Foundation’S Early Language And Literacy Program. Final Report, Dan Cloney, Kellie Picker, David Jeffries, Prue Anderson

Early Childhood Education

The Overcoming Disadvantage in Early Childhood (ODEC) study is a longitudinal evaluation of the Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation’s (ALNF) Early Language and Literacy (EL&L) program. The study was designed to answer the research question: What is the effect of the EL&L program on the development of language and literacy skills in preschool aged children? An integral component of this study was to develop a new measure of oral language and literacy - the Early Language and Literacy Developmental Index (ELLDI). The ELLDI was developed in recognition of the need for a best practice measure of oral language and literacy …


Iea International Civic And Citizenship Education Study 2022: Assessment Framework [Early Online Version], Wolfram Schulz, Julian Fraillon, John Ainley, Bruno Losito, Valeria Damiani, Tim Friedman Jan 2022

Iea International Civic And Citizenship Education Study 2022: Assessment Framework [Early Online Version], Wolfram Schulz, Julian Fraillon, John Ainley, Bruno Losito, Valeria Damiani, Tim Friedman

Civics and Citizenship Assessment

The International Civic and Citizenship Study (ICCS) 2022 continues IEA’s investigation into the ways in which young people understand and are prepared to be citizens in a world where contexts of democracy and civic participation continue to change. This assessment framework provides insight into the study’s conceptual background, cognitive, affective-behavioral and contextual content, and assessment design. It also describes content relevant for the measurement of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that is related to Global Citizenship Education (GCED) and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). Countries that participated in ICCS 2009, ICCS 2016, and ICCS 2022 will be able …


What Australian Students Say About Transition To Secondary School. Final Report, Shani Sniedze, Rachel Felgate, Elizabeth O'Grady, Sarah Buckley, Petra Lietz Nov 2021

What Australian Students Say About Transition To Secondary School. Final Report, Shani Sniedze, Rachel Felgate, Elizabeth O'Grady, Sarah Buckley, Petra Lietz

Wellbeing

Life Education Australia's Being Healthy Being Active project involved the collection of student voice related to the concept of school transition and the move from primary to secondary school. Students from around Australia participated in 82 focus groups, or student forums, to discuss their own positive experiences, as well as perceived needs and challenges related to their move to secondary school. Section One of this report is a literature review and environmental scan on student transition from primary to secondary school. Section Two describes the methods used to design and administer the Student Forums. This includes a description of the …


Australian General Practice Training Program: National Report On The 2021 National Registrar Survey, Rebecca Taylor, Leyna Clarke, Ali Radloff Nov 2021

Australian General Practice Training Program: National Report On The 2021 National Registrar Survey, Rebecca Taylor, Leyna Clarke, Ali Radloff

Higher education research

The Australian General Practice Training National Registrar Survey (AGPT NRS) is an annual, national survey of GP registrars currently training in the AGPT program. It collects information via an online questionnaire about registrar satisfaction, experience and future career plans. It also collects information about registrars’ demographics and training contexts and other aspects of their training experience. This survey is part of the Department of Health’s (the Department) monitoring and quality improvement activities. The information collected in the AGPT NRS can be used to assure the quality of training provision in the program, enables continuous improvement and allows responses to be …


Online Training On Formative Assessment For Early Language, Literacy, And Numeracy (Elln) In The Philippines: Final Report, Rti International Nov 2021

Online Training On Formative Assessment For Early Language, Literacy, And Numeracy (Elln) In The Philippines: Final Report, Rti International

Teacher education

This report describes findings and lessons learned from an online teacher training course in the Philippines. "Becoming a Learning Detective" is a 5-day online course that focuses on the design and use of formative assessment to improve literacy and numeracy outcomes in Kindergarten to Grade 3 (K–3) classrooms. The emphasis is on classroom-based assessment strategies that are embedded within daily teaching and learning experiences, involving an active partnership between teacher and students. The course brings together asynchronous and synchronous elements, as well as whole group, small group, and individual learning experiences. The course was implemented for the first time among …


Teachers Report Card 2021: Teachers’ Perceptions Of Education And Their Profession, Australian College Of Educators Oct 2021

Teachers Report Card 2021: Teachers’ Perceptions Of Education And Their Profession, Australian College Of Educators

Australian College of Educators - National

Teachers play a central role in the development of Australia’s young people. It is essential that their voices are heard by those who make and decide policy, and by others who influence their learning and development. The NEiTA-ACE Teachers Report Card 2021is based on a survey of amplifying the voices of teachers on the state of education and on their profession.


Australian 15-Year-Old Students Living In An Integrated World, Lisa De Bortoli, Catherine Underwood, Sarah Richardson Sep 2021

Australian 15-Year-Old Students Living In An Integrated World, Lisa De Bortoli, Catherine Underwood, Sarah Richardson

OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) Australia

Global competence is defined in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) as a multidimensional capacity that encompasses the ability to examine issues of local, global and cultural significance; understand and appreciate the perspectives and worldviews of others; engage in open, appropriate and effective interactions across cultures; and take action for collective well-being and sustainable development (OECD, 2020). This report focuses on aspects of the global competence module in the PISA 2018 Student Questionnaire and the School Questionnaire. It examines aspects of data collected from student and principal self-reports from the Australian perspective. This report focuses on the similarities between …


Evidence Of Impact Underpinning Life Education Programs, Katherine Dix, Syeda Kashfee Ahmed, Toby Carslake, Shani Sniedze Sep 2021

Evidence Of Impact Underpinning Life Education Programs, Katherine Dix, Syeda Kashfee Ahmed, Toby Carslake, Shani Sniedze

Wellbeing

This rapid evaluation of core Life Education programs conducted by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) in June 2021 is an independent investigation that demonstrates the evidence base underpinning Life Education programs in primary schools Australia-wide. It presents a national snapshot by drawing upon existing Life Education-specific evaluation data, existing ACER student wellbeing data, and accepted best practice in the field of student health and wellbeing education. The project addressed the key evaluation questions: How are core Life Education programs underpinned by evidence-based best practice, and how are core Life Education programs impacting primary-aged student wellbeing outcomes that align …


2018 Australian Talis-Pisa Link Report, Kylie Hillman, Sue Thomson Sep 2021

2018 Australian Talis-Pisa Link Report, Kylie Hillman, Sue Thomson

OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS)

Australia was one of nine countries and economies to participate in the 2018 TALIS-PISA link study, together with Cuidad Autónoma de Buenos Aires (Argentina), Colombia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Georgia, Malta, Turkey and Viet Nam. This study involved coordinating the samples of schools that participated in the Program of International Student Assessment (PISA, a study of the performance of 15-year-old students) and the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS, a study that surveys teachers and principals in lower secondary schools) in 2018. A sample of teachers from schools that were selected to participate in PISA were invited to respond to …


Gem Centre: Completion Report For Phase 2 Funding, 2017–2020, Australian Council For Educational Research Sep 2021

Gem Centre: Completion Report For Phase 2 Funding, 2017–2020, Australian Council For Educational Research

Monitoring Learning

In 2014, the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) and the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) established a partnership under the Global Education Monitoring Centre. Since then, there have been two funding periods: Phase 1 from 2014–2017 and Phase 2 from 2017–2020. Phase 3 will cover 2020–2023. This report documents the completion of Phase 2 funding and describes the shared priorities of DFAT and ACER through the GEM Centre, followed by the objectives and key outcomes of the work program during this period. The outcomes and lessons learned, together with findings from the GEM Centre mid-term …


Research Snapshot: Unicef Philippines Early Childhood Education Kindergarten To Grade 4 Longitudinal Study, Rachel Parker, Jacqueline H. S. Cheng, Prue Anderson, Dan Cloney, Adeola Monty Sep 2021

Research Snapshot: Unicef Philippines Early Childhood Education Kindergarten To Grade 4 Longitudinal Study, Rachel Parker, Jacqueline H. S. Cheng, Prue Anderson, Dan Cloney, Adeola Monty

Early Childhood Education

The Philippines Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) Longitudinal Study was a major research investment by UNICEF, the Philippines Department of Education, and the Australian Government. It was designed to investigate the impact of one of the most significant education reforms in Philippines history: the introduction of the Kindergarten year as part of the K-12 Basic Education System. It offers useful insights into the impact of Philippines Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) and key language transition points for students from Kindergarten to Grade 4. This longitudinal study measured not only the impact of Kindergarten, but also the contribution that preschool …


What Sources Of Data Did Teachers Use To Inform Remote Teaching Under Covid-19?, Anne-Marie Chase, Kathryn Richardson, Nathanael Reinertsen Aug 2021

What Sources Of Data Did Teachers Use To Inform Remote Teaching Under Covid-19?, Anne-Marie Chase, Kathryn Richardson, Nathanael Reinertsen

Digital learning research

The Covid-19 pandemic disrupted education systems worldwide, forcing teachers to find new ways to teach students when physical attendance at school was not possible. Our study investigated how teachers gathered and used data to understand and cater for the diverse educational needs of students in remote learning. We surveyed teachers to understand the challenges faced by emergency remote teaching (ERT) and how they gathered and used existing data to meet their students’ needs. While some teachers had experienced online learning as students, few had taught remotely or online. This meant that teachers had limited experience on which to draw when …


Menzies School Leadership Incubator: Insights, Adrian Field Jul 2021

Menzies School Leadership Incubator: Insights, Adrian Field

Educational leadership

The Menzies School Leadership Incubator (the Incubator) is a national trans-disciplinary initiative to design, test and learn about transformative innovations that will support lasting systems change in Australian schools’ leadership. This review explores the successes, challenges and learning from work in the Incubator to date, from the perspective of a collaborative seeking longstanding systems change. The design of the review is informed by thinking in the innovation literature, principally communities of practice and socio-technical systems theory. This review was undertaken as a rapid exploration of experiences and learning, drawing on interviews with eight individuals from within the Incubator (six interviews) …


Teacher Development Multi-Year Study Series: Evaluation Of Australia’S Investment In Teacher Development In Lao Pdr: Baseline Report, Debbie Wong, Hilary Hollingsworth, Prue Anderson, Paul R. Weldon, Louise Ockwell, Renee Kwong, Clare Ozolins Jul 2021

Teacher Development Multi-Year Study Series: Evaluation Of Australia’S Investment In Teacher Development In Lao Pdr: Baseline Report, Debbie Wong, Hilary Hollingsworth, Prue Anderson, Paul R. Weldon, Louise Ockwell, Renee Kwong, Clare Ozolins

Teacher education

This report constitutes the Baseline Report of the multi-year study of the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s (DFAT) investment in teacher development in Lao PDR through the Basic Education Quality and Access in Laos program (BEQUAL). This Lao PDR study is part of a three-country multi-year study series on teacher development, in response to DFAT’s Office of Development Effectiveness’ 2015 Investing in Teachers report. This study is framed within the context of Lao PDR’s staged introduction of a new primary education curriculum, and accompanying in-service teacher professional development support. The overall aim of this study is to …


Remote Education Responses To Covid-19 In The Indo-Pacific Region. Document Review, Anna Dabrowski, Yung Nietschke Jun 2021

Remote Education Responses To Covid-19 In The Indo-Pacific Region. Document Review, Anna Dabrowski, Yung Nietschke

International Education Research

Many countries have shifted to remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, much of the existing research focuses on fully online learning in high income contexts, with very few studies considering the mechanisms that support remote learning in low- and middle-income countries. A document review of the grey literature provides some insights into the ways that countries outside the OECD are ensuring continuity in the supply of education services. Online education, International education, Teaching effectiveness, Organisational effectivenessThe review reveals a diversity of mechanisms have been used to provide educational access. In some contexts, existing online content has been provided free, …


Professional Learning Modes. Literature Review, Anna Dabrowski, Pru Mitchell Jun 2021

Professional Learning Modes. Literature Review, Anna Dabrowski, Pru Mitchell

Professional learning for teachers and school leaders

This literature review summarises evidence from education research to describe and compare different modes of professional learning. It applies the findings to the question: ‘what works best, and for whom’ in terms of modes of professional learning for Australian teachers, with particular focus on early childhood teachers, casual relief teachers and teachers in rural and remote teaching contexts. A key professional learning challenge common to these teachers is isolation – which can be physical, pedagogical, technological and/or social isolation. The review sought to identify research on modes of professional learning and in particular any studies that compared different modes of …


Teaching And Learning International Survey, Australian Council For Educational Research Jun 2021

Teaching And Learning International Survey, Australian Council For Educational Research

Assessment GEMS

The Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) gathers data about school teaching environments from teachers and school leaders, in close to 50 countries in its most recent cycle. TALIS is a tool to assist educational reformers to improve the quality of teaching. TALIS data is based on the opinions, perceptions, beliefs and accounts of teachers and school leaders, as reported by them in a self-completion questionnaire. This publication, presents an overview of TALIS and covers its origins and context, purpose, measurement objectives, background information collection, target population and sampling methodology, assessment administration, reporting and dissemination and influence.


The Southeast Asia Primary Learning Metrics Program, Australian Council For Educational Research Jun 2021

The Southeast Asia Primary Learning Metrics Program, Australian Council For Educational Research

Assessment GEMS

The Southeast Asia Primary Learning Metrics Program (SEA-PLM) is a regional assessment of Grade 5 students in six Southeast Asian countries. SEA-PLM was initiated in 2012 by the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Association (SEAMEO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). The first main cycle of SEA-PLM was implemented in 2019, with future cycles intended. All member countries of SEAMEO can choose to participate in SEA-PLM. The first six participating countries were: Cambodia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines and Viet Nam. SEA-PLM measures curricula and cross-curricula knowledge, skills and understanding in the domains of mathematics, reading, writing and global …


Citizen-Led Assessments: A Model For Evidence-Based Advocacy And Action To Improve Learning, Suman Bhattacharjea, Sehar Saeed, Rajib Timalsina, Syeed Ahamed Jun 2021

Citizen-Led Assessments: A Model For Evidence-Based Advocacy And Action To Improve Learning, Suman Bhattacharjea, Sehar Saeed, Rajib Timalsina, Syeed Ahamed

Assessment and Reporting

Designed as household-based assessments, citizen-led assessments (CLAs) are implemented by local organizations who assess children in their homes, thus reaching the most marginalized children, families, and communities, often in remote areas. CLAs add an essential piece of information for truly monitoring progress and help realistically represent the learning levels of all children – at national, regional, and global levels. By using simple tools and easy-to-understand reports, CLAs engage parents and community members in discussions about learning and help foster understanding of the importance of ensuring quality education through civil action. In this publication, members from organizations conducting CLAs in India, …


Timss 2019 Australia. Volume Ii: School And Classroom Contexts For Learning, Sue Thomson, Nicole Wernert, Sarah Buckley, Sima Rodrigues, Elizabeth O'Grady, Marina Schmid May 2021

Timss 2019 Australia. Volume Ii: School And Classroom Contexts For Learning, Sue Thomson, Nicole Wernert, Sarah Buckley, Sima Rodrigues, Elizabeth O'Grady, Marina Schmid

TIMSS 2019

This is the second of two reports that look at the results of TIMSS 2019 and Australia’s performance. Volume I focuses specifically on the achievement results, detailing Australia’s results within the international context, and presents results for the Australian jurisdictions, and for the different demographic groups within Australia, including male and female students. This report, Volume II, presents the results from the contextual questionnaires, and examines the contexts in which learning and achievement occur, including home, school, and classroom contexts, as well as student attitudes. Each chapter focuses on different indicators that cover the school community, the school learning environment, …