Education Commons^™

Measuring Student Well-Being In The Context Of Australian Schooling : Discussion Paper, Julian Fraillon

Wellbeing

This report was commissioned by the South Australian Department of Education and Children's Services as an agent of the Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs (MCEETYA). The report constitutes Phase 1 of a planned two phase process. Specifically this report defines a measurement construct for student well-being; outlines a methodology for measuring student well-being; and provides recommendations for ongoing work in the measuring, reporting and monitoring of student well-being (Phase 2).

Engaging Indigenous Students At School: An Evaluation Of The Deadly Vibe Magazine, Nola Purdie, Louise Ellis, Alison Stone

Indigenous Education Research

Closing the divide between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students is one of the most pressing current educational imperatives. A multifaceted approach is needed to achieve this, given the diversity of educational disadvantage experienced by Indigenous students, and the contexts within which they obtain their education. One innovative approach to overcoming the disparity between Indigenous and non- Indigenous educational outcomes is that developed by Vibe Australia through its publication of the magazine Deadly Vibe. Deadly Vibe is a magazine for Indigenous students that aims to enhance their academic and social outcomes of schooling, including literacy and numeracy learning, self-esteem and self-concept, regular …

Immigrant Status And Home Language Background : Implications For Australian Student Performance In Pisa 2000, John Cresswell

ACER Research Monographs

The primary focus of this report is to examine the effect that immigrant status and home language background may have on the performance of Australian students who participated in the OECD/Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA 2000). Approximately 5477 students from 231 schools across Australia participated in the study. In this report, two sets of analyses were conducted. The first set focuses on immigrant status of students and the second set of analyses provides data on those students who speak a language other than English at home compared to students from an English home language background.

What Do We Know About The Experiences Of Australian Youth? An Easy Reference Guide To Longitudinal Surveys Of Australian Youth Research Reports, 1996–2003, Robyn Penman

LSAY Research Reports

This reference guide is not simply a summary of each report – rather the findings from 36 reports have been summarised thematically to show what we know about the experiences of Australian youth as they move through education and training into the labour market and adult life. The bracketed notations in the right hand margin indicate the report number and the relevant page(s) on which each piece of information is based and where further information can be found.

The Importance Of Teaching: Ensuring Better Schooling By Building Teacher Capacities That Maximize The Quality Of Teaching And Learning Provision – Implications Of Findings From The International And Australian Evidence-Based Research, Ken Rowe

Student learning processes

Given the level of consensus regarding the importance of school education as an essential element of micro- and macro economic reform, policy issues surrounding school and teacher effectiveness are of particular importance. However, much of the traditional and prevailing dogmas surrounding ‘factors’ affecting students’ experiences and outcomes of schooling throughout their primary and secondary years, especially socio-cultural and socio-economic factors, are now understood to be products of methodological and statistical artifact, and amount to little more than ‘religious’ adherence to the moribund ideologies of biological and social determinism. Above all, a good deal of this ‘discourse’ is not supported by …

Teacher Education Courses In Victoria: Perceptions Of Their Effectiveness And Factors Affecting Their Impact, Lawrence Ingvarson, Adrian Beavis, Elizabeth Kleinhenz

Teacher education

Investment in teacher education is a major strategy to enhance the quality of teaching and learning in our schools. Agencies, such as the Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT), with responsibility for the accreditation of teacher education, can use feedback about the effectiveness of different modes of teacher preparation to support providers. It is vital that data for this purpose be valid and reliable. The Future Teachers Project (FTP) was designed to collect such data. It was designed to address two major questions: What are the perceptions of stakeholders (beginning teachers and their employers) about the effectiveness of current teacher education …

Codebook: The Lsay 1998 Year 9 Sample Wave 6 (2003) Technical Report No. 30, Kylie Hillman

LSAY Technical Reports

In 1998, a nationally representative sample of approximately 14,000 Year 9 students was selected to form the second cohort of the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth. The sample was constructed by randomly selecting two Year 9 classes from a sample of schools designed to represent state and sector. Reading and numeracy tests were administered to students in their schools to provide information on school achievement for use in later analyses of educational and labour market participation. Students also completed a background questionnaire about their educational and vocational plans and attitudes to school. Details on the 1998 survey are provided in …

Codebook: The Lsay 1995 Year 9 Sample Wave 9 (2003) Technical Report No. 31, Kylie Hillman

LSAY Technical Reports

In 1995, a nationally representative sample of approximately 13,000 Year 9 students was selected to form the first cohort of the new Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth program. The sample was constructed by randomly selecting two Year 9 classes from a national sample of 300 schools designed to represent state and sector. Reading and numeracy tests were administered to students in their schools to provide information on school achievement for use in later analyses of educational and labour market participation. Students also completed a background questionnaire about their educational and vocational plans and attitudes to school. In 1996, these students …

Location, Location, Location : Implications Of Geographic Situation On Australian Student Performance In Pisa 2000, John Cresswell, Catherine Underwood

ACER Research Monographs

The primary focus of this report is to examine the effect that geographical location may have on the performance of students from schools from all parts of Australia who participated in the OECD/Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA 2000). Approximately 5477 students from 231 school across Australia encompassing schools in Major Cities, Inner Regional areas, Outer Regional areas, Remote areas and Very Remote areas participated. Results for Australian schools located in Major Cities and Inner Regional areas were above the OECD average in reading literacy. Outer Regional areas and Remote/Very Remote areas were at or below the OECD average.

Evaluation Of The Standards And Professional Learning Project 2003, Elizabeth Kleinhenz, Lawrence Ingvarson, Charlotte Danielson

Teaching standards and teacher evaluation

In February 2003, the Victorian State Minister for Education and Training launched the ‘Standards and Professional Learning Project’ as the first major policy initiative of the new Institute. The brief of the project was: to develop professional teaching standards for full registration, and to support new teachers (who were mostly newly graduated teachers from tertiary teacher education programs) to move from provisional to full registration at the end of their first year of teaching. This involved designing and implementing evidence based assessment processes to show that the standards had been met. These assessments would provide guarantees of teacher quality to …

Analysing And Reporting Performance Indicator Data: ‘Caress’ The Data And User Beware!, Ken Rowe

Student learning processes

Within the context of a growing international movement toward the adoption of ‘outcomes-based’ modes of public sector service provision, policy, governance and accountability, this paper focuses on the context, nature and purpose of performance indicators (PIs), and in particular on the analysis and reporting of data derived from them as bases for informing policy. Presented and discussed are key issues related to: • The nature, purpose, types and sources of PIs; • essential features of useful indicators; • the ‘dangers’ of analysing, interpreting and reporting aggregated data, and • effective methodologies for the responsible analysis and reporting of PI data. …

Post-School Plans : Aspirations, Expectations And Implementation : A Report Prepared For The Smith Family, Adrian Beavis, Martin Murphy, Jennifer Bryce, Matthew Corrigan

Transition and Post-School Education and Training

This report highlights the important role of vocational education and training such as TAFE as an alternative for students with no plans to study at university. The report was based on the surveys of almost 19,000 teenagers. The study suggests that the most important factors for predicting post-school plans are gender, ability and the vocational orientation of the student. Students appear to have a good understanding of all these factors and plan their post-school destinations accordingly.

The Seeker, Sivakumar Alagumalai Ed., Murray Thompson Ed., James Anthony Gibbons Ed., Andrew Dutney Ed.

Shannon Research Press

This book is dedicated to acknowledge and honour the work Prof John P Keeves. A seeker of knowledge, John is exemplary in highlighting the nexus between instruction, learning and research. John’s diversity of learning experiences and contributions to students, colleagues and the broader community are highlighted through the broad range of articles in the book.

PART 1 FROM SCHOOL TO UNIVERSITY

• Chapter 1 Observations from a Family Perspective by John S. Keeves & Wendy Keech
• Chapter 2 Student Days at PAC by Ren Potts
• Chapter 3 Prince Alfred College 1934-1977 by Murray Thompson & Alan Dennis
• Chapter 4 John’s Reflection …

Sustainable School Improvement : Building A System-Wide Vision, David Jackson

APC Monographs

Discusses the idea of networked learning communities, where groups of schools work together to solve the problems of one child - any child, in any classroom, in any school in the network.

Evaluation Of School-Based Arts Education Programmes In Australian Schools, Jennifer Bryce, Juliette Mendelovits, Adrian Beavis, Joy Mcqueen, Isabelle Adams

Policy Analysis and Program Evaluation

This report presents evaluations of four Australian school-based arts programmes: Arts@Direk (SA), Boys’ Business (NT), Indigenous Music Education Programme (NT), and SCRAYP – Youth Arts with an Edge (Vic). Arts@Direk and SCRAYP provided a focus on drama, while Boys’ Business and Indigenous Music Education Programme (IMEP) concentrated on music. There was a range of ages from Year 4 to Year 10 and a diverse range of backgrounds amongst the participating students. The study investigated the impact of each arts programme on students’ academic progress, engagement with learning and school attendance. It also considered which attributes of arts programmes were of …

Pre-Service Teacher Education In Australia : A Mapping Study Of Selection Processes, Course Structure And Content, And Accreditation Processes, Lawrence Ingvarson, Adrian Beavis, Elizabeth Kleinhenz, Alison Elliott

Teacher education

The main purpose of this study was to conduct a survey of Australian institutions that provide pre-service teacher education courses for primary and secondary teachers. The key elements of this mapping exercise included: Selection processes: The criteria and processes that teacher education institutions use to select students for courses. Course structure and content: The types of course content and structure that exist currently, including key components such as arrangements for the practicum and for ICT. Accreditation processes: The processes currently used, both internally and externally, for the accreditation and evaluation of teacher education courses. The survey instrument was sent to …

Literacy And Numeracy Development For Indigenous Students : A Longitudinal Study, Nola Purdie

Indigenous Education Research

No abstract provided.

Australia's Indigenous Students In Pisa 2000 : Results From An International Study, Lisa De Bortoli, John Cresswell

Indigenous Education Research

In the total PISA sample, the weighted percentage of Indigenous students was 2.4 percent. This figure consisted of 192 students who identified themselves as being of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent in the main sample. An additional 301 Indigenous students, not selected for the main sample, accepted the offer to participate in PISA. This report is based on the results of this combined group of 493 Indigenous students. The distribution of the sample is representative of the Indigenous population in Australia.

Evaluating Australian Teachers, Lawrence Ingvarson, Elizabeth Kleinhenz

Teaching standards and teacher evaluation

ACER researchers Lawrence Ingvarson and Elizabeth Kleinhenz have investigated current Australian policies and practices in teacher evaluation and their relation to the improvement of teaching and learning.

Highlights From Timss From Australia's Perspective: Highlights From The Full Australian Reports From The Trends In International Mathematics And Science Study 2002/03, Sue Thomson, Nicole Fleming

TIMSS Australia Monograph Series

No abstract provided.

Summing It Up : Mathematics Achievement In Australian Schools In Timss 2002, Sue Thomson, Nicole Fleming

TIMSS Australia Monograph Series

This document analyses and interprets the Australian data collected as part of the TIMSS study for Year 4 and Year 8 students.

Examining The Evidence: Science Achievement In Australian Schools In Timss 2002, Sue Thomson, Nicole Fleming

TIMSS Australia Monograph Series

In Australia, 10030 students in 414 schools participated in the main sample of TIMSS 2002/03. Results are reported as average scores with the standard error, as distributions of scores, and as percentages of students who attain the international benchmarks, for countries and specific groups of students within Australia.

Measuring The Social Outcomes Of Schooling: What Does Acer Research Tell Us?, Margaret Forster

2004 - Supporting Student Wellbeing: what does the research tell us about social and emotional development of young people?

For the past eight years the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) has been at the forefront of work in Australia to refine reconceptualisations of the social outcomes of schooling, and to explore ways to measure the social and emotional development of young people. Contexts for ACER's work in this area include consultancies for individual schools, the development of questionnaire instruments as part of fee for services provisions for schools, assistance for state ministries of education, and development work for a variety of tertiary assessments. For example, in 1998, ACER worked with one school to formally assess and monitor the …

The Emotional Wellbeing Of Young People : School, Further Study, Work And Beyond, Julie Mcmillan, Kylie Hillman

2004 - Supporting Student Wellbeing: what does the research tell us about social and emotional development of young people?

Educational and labour market pathways in the early post-school years are becoming increasingly diverse. A pertinent issue for those working with young people is how young people now navigate the transition from secondary school into post-school education, training and employment, and the impact of the different paths followed on their emotional wellbeing. This paper has two aims: to describe the cross-sectional relationship between emotional wellbeing and participation in a range of post-school education, training and labour market activities; and, to assess whether movement between activities in the early post-school years is associated with changes in emotional wellbeing.

Individual And School Influences On Interdependence, John Ainley

2004 - Supporting Student Wellbeing: what does the research tell us about social and emotional development of young people?

One of the major developmental purposes of schooling is that of independence which is seen as the outcome of competence and confidence. The capacities for independent thought, independent judgment and independent action are highly valued. However, a concern with developing independence needs to be balanced by a concern with interdependence. Schools and families have long recognised that they have a role in the development of interdependence. A sense of interdependence is at the heart of the social outcomes of schooling because it concerns relations with other individuals, groups and institutions. This paper examines individual and school influences on interdependence.

A School System Perspective On Strengthening Student Wellbeing, Peter Hamilton

2004 - Supporting Student Wellbeing: what does the research tell us about social and emotional development of young people?

In the best tradition of education bureaucracies my title has changed since the conference program was printed! I now head up a new Directorate within the Western Australian Department of Education and Training called Student Behaviour and Wellbeing. The establishment of this new Directorate is symbolic of the profile the Department is giving to issues of student behaviour and wellbeing. It’s a sign of the times. The perspective I will be presenting this afternoon is that of a senior bureaucrat in a state system with all the messiness and the rough and tumble and the daily crises that characterize life …

Conceptualising And Researching Student Wellbeing, Geoff N. Masters

2004 - Supporting Student Wellbeing: what does the research tell us about social and emotional development of young people?

Schools have always seen it as part of their role to support and encourage children's all-round development, including their cognitive, interpersonal, social, aesthetic, physical and moral/spiritual growth. Beyond the academic, schools have been committed to children's general wellbeing; in seeing children develop into well-rounded, healthy individuals who can take their place as informed, principled and engaged members of society. In fulfilling this role, schools have worked alongside and complemented families, churches and other institutions in the community. In recent years, Australian schools and education systems have made efforts to clarify the broad purposes of schooling and to introduce ways of …

'Literacy Behaviour' And Auditory Processing : Building 'Fences' At The Top Of The 'Cliff' In Preference To Ambulance Services At The Bottom, Kathy Rowe, Ken Rowe, Jan Pollard

2004 - Supporting Student Wellbeing: what does the research tell us about social and emotional development of young people?

Children who are inattentive or disruptive are at high risk of poor achievement progress, especially in literacy. Approximately nine percent of school children have both literacy and externalising behaviour problems, and the long term consequences of these are costly emotionally, socially, educationally and economically. Many of these children are referred to paediatricians and psychologists to assess whether learning difficulties or attention deficits are contributing factors to their behaviour problems at school. Similarly, many are referred to audiologists to test hearing in the event that their observed difficulties in listening and following instructions may be due to hearing impairment. However, following …

Helping Teachers Help Students Act Responsibly, Ramon Lewis

2004 - Supporting Student Wellbeing: what does the research tell us about social and emotional development of young people?

This paper examines the relationship between Australian students responsibility in classrooms and their teachers discipline strategies.

Supporting Student Wellbeing : What Does The Research Tell Us About The Social And Emotional Development Of Young People? (Conference Proceedings), Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer)

2004 - Supporting Student Wellbeing: what does the research tell us about social and emotional development of young people?

More than 500 researchers, policy makers and teachers from a broad range of educational contexts from Australia and overseas met Adelaide on 25 and 26 October 2004 to examine effective ways of supporting student wellbeing at ACER's Research Conference 2004.