Education Commons^™

Evaluating The Work Of Teachers In Australian Schools : Vision And Reality, Elizabeth Kleinhenz, Lawrence Ingvarson, Rod Chadbourne

Dr Elizabeth Kleinhenz

Given the importance of effective teacher evaluation to successful teaching and learning, it is surprising that many of the research findings in this area are being ignored. Discredited procedures continue to survive and are even born again within reinvented systems of bureaucratic and managerial control This paper argues for an approach to teacher evaluation that reflects the findings of contemporary research. It falls into three parts. The first part reviews the relevant literature and distills some features and principles that underpin successful policy and practice. The second part describes a case study that was part of a research project, begun …

Association Between Intended And Attained Algebra Curriculum In Timss 1998/1999 For Ten Countries, Alla Routitsky, Susan Zammit

Dr Alla Routitsky

The Third International Mathematics and Science Study- Repeat 1998/1999 (TIMSS) assessed the mathematics and science achievement of students in their second year of high school. In addition to achievement tests, extensive information was collected from students and teachers. Of the 38 countries that took part, the overall results in mathematics of eleven countries, including Australia were not statistically different. Following the TIMSS research model, this article examines the association between three levels of curriculum, the intended curriculum, the implemented and the attained curriculum. In particular, this paper compares the achievement in four algebra topics for those students whose teachers reported …

The Influence Of It : Perspectives From Five Australian Schools, John Ainley, D Banks, M Fleming

Dr John Ainley

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are now widespread in Australian schools but with variation in how, where, when and how much they are used. Computers may be located in a computer laboratory, distributed throughout the school, or students may use their own laptop computers. IT may be a subject in its own right or ICT may be used across all areas of the curriculum. It is how ICT is used in the school setting that is important in providing students with the skills to be participate in a 'knowledge society'. This paper examines the ways in which information and communication …

Faculty Diversity, Kyle Scafide, Barbara Johnson

Kyle Scafide

This article presents a broad view of issues related to faculty diversity. Headings include Demographics, The Growth of Faculty Diversity as an Ideal, and Barriers in the Academic Workplace. Race, ethnicity, and gender are the most common characteristics that institutions observe in order to measure faculty diversity. An even broader approach to faculty diversity involves age, socioeconomic background, national origin, sexual orientation, and diverse learning styles and opinions. Until the latter part of the twentieth century, the professoriate in the western world was composed almost exclusively of privileged, heterosexual males of Caucasian descent. Higher education institutions are generally concerned with …

On Decreasing Gender Differences And Attitudinal Changes: Factors Influencing Australian And English Pupils' Choice Of A Career In Science, Linda Miller, Petra Lietz, Dieter Kotte

Dr Petra Lietz

Encouraging the entry of women into science-related careers remains problematic in the UK and Australia. Although recent initiatives have resulted in increased participation of girls in science-related subjects in schools, there remains a significant gender divide in entry to scientific programmes of study at post-compulsory and university levels. In this study, datasets for 13-year-old pupils in Australia and England taken from the Third International Maths and Science Survey (TIMSS) were used to derive path models that identify factors influencing the extent to which science-related careers were viewed as desirable by Australian and English pupils. Results indicated that, in both countries, …

Student Absence In South Australian Schools., Sheldon Rothman

Dr Sheldon Rothman

Students who are frequently absent from school ('non-attenders') are considered to be 'at risk'. State education departments have recently begun to improve their collection of student absence data, often to contribute to the development of performance standards for schools. This paper presents a summary of data from the Term 2 collection in South Australian government schools in 1997 and 1999. the data were combined with student information, which allowed examination and comparison of attendance patterns for different groups of students. The author provides details about which students were absent in those years, the frequency of students' absences, which students had …

Bridging The Gap Between The 'Haves' And The 'Have Nots' : Report Of The National Education And Employment Forum (Neef), A Feeney, D Feeney, M Norton, Robert Simons, D Wyatt, G Zappala

Dr Robert Simons

This report addresses key issues of concern across the country about those Australians who continue to experience disadvantage in a variety of ways. It reaffirms the role of education as a major contributor to the transformation of Australian society, and as a passport to employment and fuller participation in that society.

Parametric Optimization In Data Mining Incorporated With Ga-Based Search, L Tan, D Taniar, K Smith

Dr Ling Tan

A number of parameters must be specified for a data-mining algorithm. Default values of these parameters are given and generally accepted as ‘good’ estimates for any data set. However, data mining models are known to be data dependent, and so are for their parameters. Default values may be good estimates, but they are often not the best parameter values for a particular data set. A tuned set of parameter values is able to produce a data-mining model of better classification and higher prediction accuracy. However parameter search is known to be expensive. This paper investigates GA-based heuristic techniques in a …

The Certificates In Science For Adults : Working Towards Scientific Literacy., Dave Tout

David (Dave) Tout

The Certificates in Science for Adults are a new set of further education certificates at AQF levels I, II, and III. They are designed for adults who left school early and/or who did not pursue science at school and who now want to improve their knowledge, understanding and skills in science.

Retroviral Delivery Of Connexin Genes To Human Breast Tumor Cells Inhibits In Vivo Tumor Growth By A Mechanism That Is Independent Of Significant Gap Junctional Intercellular Communication, H. Qin, Q. Shao, H. Curtis, J. Galipeau, Daniel Belliveau, T. Wang, M. Alaoui-Jamali, D. Laird

Daniel J. Belliveau

The mechanism by which gap junction proteins, connexins, act as potent tumor suppressors remains poorly understood. In this study human breast tumor cells were found to exhibit diverse gap junction phenotypes including (a) undetectable Cx43 and no intercellular communication (HBL100); (b) low levels of Cx43 and sparse intercellular communication (MDA-MB-231); and (c) significant levels of Cx43 and moderate intercellular communication (Hs578T). Although retroviral delivery of Cx43 and Cx26 cDNAs to MDA-MB-231 cells did not achieve an expected substantial rescue of intercellular communication, overexpression of connexin genes did result in a dramatic suppression of tumor growth when connexin-expressing MDA-MB-231 cells were …

Intellectual Capital : Managing The New Performance Drivers : Information, Resources And Basic Steps To Self-Evaluation, Fran Ferrier, Phil Mckenzie

Dr Phillip McKenzie

This document is a guide for enterprises on the measurement, reporting and management of the new performance drivers which are variously known as 'intangibles' and, when captured to produce value, as intellectual capital. The guide provides information, selected resources and a basic method for self-evaluation. It includes information and ideas to help enterprises of all kinds to better familiarise themselves with the new performance drivers, to manage them more effectively and to report on them more clearly.

Introducing The Longitudinal Study Of Australian Children, A Sanson, J Nicholson, J Ungerer, S Zubrick, K Wilson, John Ainley, D Berthelsen, D Broom, L Harrison, B Rodgers, M Sawyer, S Silburn, L Strazdins, G Vimpani, M Wake, M Bittman

Dr John Ainley

This discussion paper presents and overview of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC), incorporating descriptions of the rationale for the study, relevance for policy development, the conceptual framework, broad and specific research questions, and study design. The bulk of the paper is taken up with a discussion of current thinking about how the research questions will be addressed, and what data are to be collected. [p.x]

Capacity Building Of Thai Education Reform (Cabter) : Educational Technologies (Stage 1) Thai Learning Technologies 2010, John Ainley, Phillip Arthur, Pamela Macklin, Bruce Rigby

Dr John Ainley

This report provides advice to assist the Royal Thai Government in promoting social and economic development through the effective and efficient introduction of learning technologies into all sectors of education and training. The strategies and initiatives proposed in the report are designed to facilitate access to learning technologies and to promote the development of knowledge, skills and understanding that will enable people of all ages and in all areas of Thailand to embrace a culture of lifelong learning.

Pathways For Youth In Australia, Phil Mckenzie

Dr Phillip McKenzie

This paper discusses the concept of 'pathways' as an organising idea in Australian education and in the climate of a rapid decline in the number of full-time jobs available to 15 to 19 year-olds together with increasing education participation rates for the 15 to 24 year-olds. The two major objectives of the pathways concept are noted as connections between schooling and work for those who will not enter university or start apprenticeships, and helping young people navigate through an increasingly complex array of training and education options. The author profiles the pathways, analyses pathways policy and provides an overview of …

Proficiency Scales Construction, Ross Turner

Ross Turner