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Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER)

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Full-Text Articles in Education

The Scottish Government International Development Fund: Designing A New International Development Inclusive Education Programme, Alexander Towne, Desmond Bermingham Jan 2024

The Scottish Government International Development Fund: Designing A New International Development Inclusive Education Programme, Alexander Towne, Desmond Bermingham

International Education Research

This document was commissioned by the Scottish Government following a review of Scotland’s approach to international development in the wake of Covid-19, and incorporates a needs analysis and evidence, review, a detailed description of the global and national policy contexts relevant to partner country education systems and inputs from partner country governments, civil society and development partners on their priorities for investment in Inclusive Education. Drawing on these inputs, the report proposes a focus for the Scottish Government’s inclusive education programme on learners with disabilities and girls and young women, which is due to begin implementation in 2024. It also …


Education Out Loud Case Study: The Gear Alliance, Alexander Towne, Sladana Krstic, Sam Boering Jan 2024

Education Out Loud Case Study: The Gear Alliance, Alexander Towne, Sladana Krstic, Sam Boering

International Education Research

This case study is part of a larger body of work funded by the Global Partnership for Education’s (GPE) Education Out Loud (EOL) programme. It explores the advocacy and policy influencing (API) activities of the GEAR Alliance, a transnational alliance of four East African civil society organisations (CSO) receiving funding from EOL, and the process, results and impact of action research project they conducted in partnership with MDF/ Australian Council for Education Research (ACER), an EOL ‘Global Learning Partner’ (GLP). EOL is the GPEs fund for advocacy and social accountability. The fund aims to support CSOs to be active and …


Collective Efficacy Tracking Tool. Development Framework 2023, Kerry Elliott, Hilary Hollingsworth Dec 2023

Collective Efficacy Tracking Tool. Development Framework 2023, Kerry Elliott, Hilary Hollingsworth

Educational leadership

Collective efficacy has become a prominent feature in educational policy and practice with growing evidence that a strong sense of collective efficacy amongst educators leads to better outcomes for students. With growing interest in the importance of collective efficacy and how to cultivate it, the Collective Efficacy Tracking Tool was created to address challenges associated with understanding, diagnosing, and developing collective efficacy. This Framework describes the development of the Collective Efficacy Tracking Tool, defining collective efficacy in a way that it can be operationalised to leverage improvement efforts. The Framework and accompanying Collective Efficacy Tracking Tool provide a practical resource …


Supporting Schools’ And Teachers’ Use Of Assessment To Inform Learning Of All Students, Ursula Schwantner, Soumaya Maghnouj Dec 2023

Supporting Schools’ And Teachers’ Use Of Assessment To Inform Learning Of All Students, Ursula Schwantner, Soumaya Maghnouj

Global education monitoring

Issue 5 of the series Using assessment data in education policy and practice: Examples from the Asia-Pacific documents 4 case studies of promising and effective policies or practices on how education systems can better support teachers and schools in effectively integrating assessment practices in the teaching and learning process, to identify and meaningfully address every learner’s needs. In particular, the case studies show how different tools, approaches and policies help promote and reinforce the use of assessment to support more learner-centred and differentiated approaches to teaching and learning. 1. Using the Progressive Achievement approach to develop data-informed schools by Marc …


Reform Challenges In School Education, Geoff N. Masters Jan 2023

Reform Challenges In School Education, Geoff N. Masters

School and system improvement

The central thesis of this paper has been that the challenges now confronting schools globally will require fundamental reforms of the external frameworks within which schools work. Today’s challenges to better prepare young people for the future and to ensure that every student learns successfully will not be met by simply expecting teachers to change what they do or by making minor adjustments to current curricula, assessment, examination, reporting and credentialling arrangements. Today’s challenges require deep reforms and a willingness to reimagine—in other words, to ‘transform’ existing learning systems. This is essential because the external frameworks within which teachers and …


Equity And Equality In Learning In Asia-Pacific: What Do Results From Large-Scale Assessments Tell Us? Gender In Focus Policy Brief, Syeda Kashfee Ahmed, Anna Dabrowski, Jacqueline Cheng, Victoria Klimova, Isabella Mccallum Jan 2023

Equity And Equality In Learning In Asia-Pacific: What Do Results From Large-Scale Assessments Tell Us? Gender In Focus Policy Brief, Syeda Kashfee Ahmed, Anna Dabrowski, Jacqueline Cheng, Victoria Klimova, Isabella Mccallum

Global education monitoring

This policy brief investigates gender disparities in learning outcomes and the factors contributing to these disparities as identified in large-scale assessment data in Southeast Asia. It additionally provides a set of recommendations aimed at enhancing equitable student learning outcomes while advocating for comprehensive support of gender-based interventions within educational quality initiatives, spanning both systemic and school-level support. The findings presented in this brief are drawn from large-scale assessment (LSA) datasets and secondary analysis of these sources. For more detailed information regarding the large-scale assessments in Southeast Asia, please refer to the appendix section.


Teacher Professional Development For Disability Inclusion In Low- And Middle-Income Asia-Pacific Countries: An Evidence And Gap Map, Syeda Kashfee Ahmed, David Jeffries, Anannya Chakraborty, Toby Carslake, Petra Lietz, Budiarti Rahayu, David Armstrong, Amit Kaushik, Kris Sundarsagar Nov 2022

Teacher Professional Development For Disability Inclusion In Low- And Middle-Income Asia-Pacific Countries: An Evidence And Gap Map, Syeda Kashfee Ahmed, David Jeffries, Anannya Chakraborty, Toby Carslake, Petra Lietz, Budiarti Rahayu, David Armstrong, Amit Kaushik, Kris Sundarsagar

Assessment and Reporting

In the Asia‐Pacific region, around one‐third of the children who are out‐of‐school have a disability and given that teacher readiness and capability are key contributors for inclusive education, it is high time for a mapping of disability inclusive teacher professional development (TPD) interventions in this region. The key objective of this evidence and gap map (EGM) is to locate evidence on interventions for in‐service TPD focussing on education for the inclusion of students with a disability in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMICs) in the Asia‐Pacific region. A broad range of bibliographic databases and repositories were searched electronically to identify the …


Teacher Development Multi-Year Studies: Impact Of Covid-19 On Teaching Practices In Lao Pdr, Timor-Leste And Vanuatu: A Discussion Paper For Practitioners And Policymakers, Aris Huang, Debbie Wong, Elizabeth Cassity, Jennie Chainey Jun 2022

Teacher Development Multi-Year Studies: Impact Of Covid-19 On Teaching Practices In Lao Pdr, Timor-Leste And Vanuatu: A Discussion Paper For Practitioners And Policymakers, Aris Huang, Debbie Wong, Elizabeth Cassity, Jennie Chainey

Education Analytics Service

The COVID-19 pandemic caused significant disruptions to education systems around the world. Many governments responded abruptly, quickly closing schools and transitioning to home learning. This paper explores the impact of extended school closures due to COVID-19 on teaching and student learning in three countries – Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Laos), Timor-Leste and Vanuatu. This research extends the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT)’s multi-year Teacher Development Studies, which are commissioned under the Evaluation Analytics Service (EAS). This study series involves the investigation of DFAT-funded teacher development initiatives in Laos, Timor-Leste and Vanuatu to understand the extent to …


Beyond Letters And Numbers: The Covid-19 Pandemic And Foundational Literacy And Numeracy In Indonesia, Jeaniene Spink, Dan Cloney, Amy Berry Jan 2022

Beyond Letters And Numbers: The Covid-19 Pandemic And Foundational Literacy And Numeracy In Indonesia, Jeaniene Spink, Dan Cloney, Amy Berry

International Education Research

In 2020, with the COVID-19 pandemic spreading across Indonesia and around the world, INOVASI (the Innovation for Indonesia’s School Children) and the Indonesian Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology (MoECRT) initiated a study of foundational literacy and numeracy learning by Indonesian students and the impact of the pandemic on this learning. The Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) provided technical support. The study developed descriptions of literacy and numeracy achievement levels, referencing both global proficiency frameworks and Indonesia’s curriculum and assessment standards. Student results were benchmarked against descriptors of skills for the Global Proficiency Framework (GPF) Minimum Proficiency Levels …


Protocol: Teacher Professional Development For Disability Inclusion In Low- And Middle-Income Asia-Pacific Countries: An Evidence And Gap Map, Syeda Kashfee Ahmed, David Jeffries, Anannya Chakraborty, Petra Lietz, Amit Kaushik, Budiarti Rahayu, David Armstrong, Kris Sundarsagar Dec 2021

Protocol: Teacher Professional Development For Disability Inclusion In Low- And Middle-Income Asia-Pacific Countries: An Evidence And Gap Map, Syeda Kashfee Ahmed, David Jeffries, Anannya Chakraborty, Petra Lietz, Amit Kaushik, Budiarti Rahayu, David Armstrong, Kris Sundarsagar

Assessment and Reporting

According to prior research, teacher readiness and capability are key contributors for successful transition towards disability inclusive education, yet in-service teacher professional development for disability inclusion remains an under-researched area. The key objective of this evidence and gap map (EGM) is to locate evidence on interventions for disability inclusion focused teacher professional development (TPD) in low-to-middle-income-countries (LMICs) in the Asia-Pacific region. As such, it will illustrate different levels of evidence for TPD interventions as well as where there is no evidence (i.e., gaps). In other words, the EGM can make agencies aware where they might be operating in an area …


Building Resilient Education Systems: A Rapid Review Of The Education In Emergencies Literature, Pina Tarricone, Kemran Mestan, Ian Teo Aug 2021

Building Resilient Education Systems: A Rapid Review Of The Education In Emergencies Literature, Pina Tarricone, Kemran Mestan, Ian Teo

International Education Research

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the vulnerabilities and inequalities of national education systems and hindered the education of millions of children globally. In response, the Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Centre, which is a long-term, strategic partnership between the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) and the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), undertook a rapid review of literature to support policymakers. The research has six evidence-based outcomes that can help policymakers to build resilient education systems and thereby enhance education quality and equity during emergencies. The COVID-19 emergency provided the impetus for this research, with much of …


Peer Observation: A Collaborative And Mutually Rewarding Activity, Deepali Dharmaraj Jan 2021

Peer Observation: A Collaborative And Mutually Rewarding Activity, Deepali Dharmaraj

Teacher India

Peer observation is an effective tool for improving teaching instructions and career development, says Deepali Dharmaraj.


Competency-Based Learning, Mee Young Han Jan 2021

Competency-Based Learning, Mee Young Han

Teacher India

Mee Young Han suggests that an effort to define educational competencies is required in India at each level, and reaching a consensus about these definitions is an important task for the education community in the country.


Teacher Leadership During Covid-19, Ashok Kumar Pandey Jan 2021

Teacher Leadership During Covid-19, Ashok Kumar Pandey

Teacher India

Teachers have led from the front to help students cope with the pandemic. Ashok Pandey discusses the findings from a recent study undertaken with support from his school.


Promoting Thinking Routines In Indian Classrooms, Divya Kapoor Jan 2021

Promoting Thinking Routines In Indian Classrooms, Divya Kapoor

Teacher India

In this article, Divya Kapoor shares some examples of thinking routines that practitioners can introduce in their own classrooms.


Teacher Resources On Higher Order Thinking Skills, Anannya Chakraborty Jan 2021

Teacher Resources On Higher Order Thinking Skills, Anannya Chakraborty

Teacher India

Teaching higher-order thinking skills right from school can bridge the education and employment skills gap. Our ACER experts share a list of free teaching resources on higher order thinking skills.


Inquiry-Based Science Education In India: Prospects And Challenges, Garima Bansal Jan 2021

Inquiry-Based Science Education In India: Prospects And Challenges, Garima Bansal

Teacher India

Dr Garima Bansal discusses the historical development of science education in India, the emergence of inquiry-based education, the current state of science education at the school level, and the role of school leaders in making inquiry-based learning a reality.


Enhancing The National Assessment System To Improve Learning Outcomes In Bhutan: Case Study 2020-2021, Anu Radha Sharma, Anannya Chakraborty, Arjun Kumar Gurung Jan 2021

Enhancing The National Assessment System To Improve Learning Outcomes In Bhutan: Case Study 2020-2021, Anu Radha Sharma, Anannya Chakraborty, Arjun Kumar Gurung

Assessment and Reporting

To measure the efficacy of school sector interventions, Bhutan Council for School Examinations and Assessment (BCSEA) partnered with Australian Council for Educational Research (India) to strengthen its National Education Assessment (NEA) for obtaining evidence on learning, monitoring the progress of learning outcomes, understanding associations between context and achievement, and differences in achievement between groups. Eventually, the assessment reform will support measuring learning at the key stages of grades 3, 6, and 9. This case study report presents an overview of this project.


Nurturing Wonder And Igniting Passion. Designs For A New School Curriculum: Nsw Curriculum Review, Geoff N. Masters Jun 2020

Nurturing Wonder And Igniting Passion. Designs For A New School Curriculum: Nsw Curriculum Review, Geoff N. Masters

NSW Curriculum Review

This Review of the New South Wales school curriculum has concluded that change is required. The changes recommended by the Review are far-reaching and amount to the introduction of a new curriculum for NSW schools, from Kindergarten to Year 12. The syllabuses of this new curriculum are designed to ensure every student learns with understanding, builds skills in applying knowledge, and makes excellent ongoing progress in their learning. The goal is to provide every student, in each phase of their learning, with strong foundations for what comes next. Detailed planning, piloting and implementation of the new curriculum will be required …


Creative Thinking: Skill Development Framework, Dara Ramalingam, Prue Anderson, Daniel Duckworth, Claire Scoular, Jonathan Heard Jun 2020

Creative Thinking: Skill Development Framework, Dara Ramalingam, Prue Anderson, Daniel Duckworth, Claire Scoular, Jonathan Heard

Assessment and Reporting

The Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) has reviewed the extensive literature on creative thinking and developed both a definition and a framework that synthesise and harmonise existing theory and research on creative thinking. This framework has been developed to address the challenges associated with teaching and assessing creative thinking. It outlines creative thinking processes along prescribed strands and aspects informed by a sound evidentiary basis. The aspects contained within the framework are designed to provide foci for teaching and the basis of assessment. ACER’s creative thinking framework identifies key factors that underpin the development of creative thinking with a …


Critical Thinking: Skill Development Framework, Jonathan Heard, Claire Scoular, Daniel Duckworth, Dara Ramalingam, Ian Teo Jun 2020

Critical Thinking: Skill Development Framework, Jonathan Heard, Claire Scoular, Daniel Duckworth, Dara Ramalingam, Ian Teo

Assessment and Reporting

The ACER critical thinking framework has been developed to address the challenges associated with teaching and assessing critical thinking. While there are many definitions of the skill, which are outlined in the first part of this document, few provide a means to operationalise critical thinking in the classroom. This framework outlines critical thinking processes along prescribed strands and aspects informed by a sound evidentiary basis. The aspects contained within the framework are designed to provide foci for teaching and the basis of assessment. This paper is divided into three parts. Part 1 explores the development of critical thinking as an …


Collaboration: Skill Development Framework, Claire Scoular, Daniel Duckworth, Jonathan Heard, Dara Ramalingam Jun 2020

Collaboration: Skill Development Framework, Claire Scoular, Daniel Duckworth, Jonathan Heard, Dara Ramalingam

Assessment and Reporting

This skill development framework has been developed to address the challenges associated with teaching and assessing collaboration. While there are many definitions of the skill, few provide a means to operationalise collaboration in the classroom. This framework is designed to synthesise and harmonise existing theory and research on collaboration to provide a holistic perspective. It outlines collaboration processes along prescribed strands and aspects that are informed by a sound evidentiary basis. The aspects contained within the framework are designed to provide foci for teaching and the basis of assessment.


Analysis Of 21st Century Skills Integration As Applied In The Philippines K To 12 Program. Final Report, Claire Scoular Mar 2020

Analysis Of 21st Century Skills Integration As Applied In The Philippines K To 12 Program. Final Report, Claire Scoular

Curriculum development and review

An analysis of 21st Century Skills integration in the Philippines was designed to support the Philippines identify a strategy for assessment, teaching, and learning of 21st century skills (21CS). This project identified and built on a number of recent studies and country initiatives that have highlighted the need for different approaches to the integration of 21CS. This project had three overarching aims: 1. To identify best practices on the use of classroom-level teaching strategies of 21CS to support learning 2. To build in-country capacity to understand, identify, and observe the skills at classroom level 3. To develop a Strategic Road …


Critical Thinking: Definition And Structure, Jonathan Heard, Claire Scoular, Daniel Duckworth, Dara Ramalingam, Ian Teo Feb 2020

Critical Thinking: Definition And Structure, Jonathan Heard, Claire Scoular, Daniel Duckworth, Dara Ramalingam, Ian Teo

Assessment and Reporting

The development of critical thinking as an essential skill in 21st century learning is uncontested within educational and professional settings. The degree to which it is operationally defined, taught and assessed, however, remain at large. This incongruence complicates efforts to develop critical thinking in students, as well as devise intervention techniques and assessment tools. This framework has been developed to address the challenges associated with teaching and assessing critical thinking. While there are many definitions of the skill, as outlined in the first part of this document, few definitions provide a means to operationalise critical thinking in the classroom. …


Collaboration: Definition And Structure, Claire Scoular, Daniel Duckworth, Jonathan Heard, Dara Ramalingam Feb 2020

Collaboration: Definition And Structure, Claire Scoular, Daniel Duckworth, Jonathan Heard, Dara Ramalingam

Assessment and Reporting

The definition of any skill or construct is essential prior to the assessment, teaching, or development of pedagogical resources in relation to the skill. The ACER collaboration framework is designed to support researchers and educators with a clear definitional model from which to base their understanding and development of the skill. This collaboration framework has been developed to address the challenges associated with teaching and assessing collaboration. While there are many definitions of the skill, which are outlined in the first part of this document, few provide a means to operationalise collaboration in the classroom. This framework is designed to …


Creative Thinking: Definition And Structure, Dara Ramalingam, Prue Anderson, Daniel Duckworth, Claire Scoular, Jonathan Heard Feb 2020

Creative Thinking: Definition And Structure, Dara Ramalingam, Prue Anderson, Daniel Duckworth, Claire Scoular, Jonathan Heard

Assessment and Reporting

In recent years there has been an increasing recognition that creativity and creative thinking should be fostered as valued outcomes of schooling, either in their own right, or as part of a set of so-called ‘21st-century skills’. While the importance of creative thinking is now widely accepted, it remains the case that there is a lack of agreement regarding a definition of creative thinking, nor is there a universally adopted framework to guide its teaching and assessment. It is in this context that the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) has reviewed the extensive literature on creative thinking and developed …


Using Project Work To Enhance Learning, Divya Kapoor Jan 2020

Using Project Work To Enhance Learning, Divya Kapoor

Teacher India

The old school model of passively learning facts and rote memorisation is no longer sufficient for preparing students to survive in today’s world. Project-based learning can help foster 21st century skills, says Divya Kapoor.


Fostering Educational Inclusion: Reality Far Removed From Policy, Ashu Kapur Jan 2020

Fostering Educational Inclusion: Reality Far Removed From Policy, Ashu Kapur

Teacher India

The ground realities of inclusive education narrate a sad story of discrimination. Ashu Kapur shares the findings of her recent study.


Reporting Student Learning, Hilary Hollingsworth, Jonathan Heard Dec 2019

Reporting Student Learning, Hilary Hollingsworth, Jonathan Heard

NSW Curriculum Review

This paper is one of six research ‘backgrounders’ to support the 2018–20 review of the New South Wales (NSW) curriculum. It focuses on reporting student learning, which has been identified as an area of interest in the review. This paper seeks to present an evidence base, based on a rapid review of relevant research literature, to inform considerations related to student reporting practice reform.


Communicating Student Learning Progress: A Review Of Student Reporting In Australia, Hilary Hollingsworth, Jonathan Heard, Paul R. Weldon Nov 2019

Communicating Student Learning Progress: A Review Of Student Reporting In Australia, Hilary Hollingsworth, Jonathan Heard, Paul R. Weldon

Assessment and Reporting

The Communicating Student Learning Progress project was initiated to investigate questions relating to the effectiveness of current methods of communicating student progress, the extent to which they are valued by stakeholders, whether they are considered to provide quality information about student learning, and whether there are alternative designs for these activities that might be more effective. The project took place over a three-year period from July 2016 to June 2019.