Education Commons^™

Policy Research As Critical Praxis, Pauline M. Mcguirk

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

In responding to Woods and Gardner's (2011) article, this piece positions policy research as a potentially rich site for critical praxis. It works through the possibilities around (i) negotiating the politics of policy research; (ii) the iterative and hybrid nature of policy research; and (iii) the internally differentiated nature of states. While remaining clear-eyed around the limits Woods and Gardner point to that shape collaborative work around policy, the article argues that policy research can be a site where the ethical and normative commitments of a critical agenda can be pursued. This requires that we recognise, first, policy research as …

Early Years Experience And Longer-Term Child Development: Research And Implications For Policymaking, Edward Melhuish

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Why should we focus on the early years? One reason is the accumulation of evidence that indicates that the child's experience in the early years has profound consequences for later life. There are now many studies that present a consistent picture indicating that adversity in early life, such as frequently accompanies child poverty, is linked to: poor adult mental and physical health , adult mortality, anti-social and criminal behaviour, substance abuse and poor literacy and academic achievement.

Performing Against The Odds: Developmental Trajectories Of Children In The Eppse 3 To 16 Study: Brief, Iram Siraj-Blatchford, Aziza Mayo, Edward Melhuish, Brenda Taggart, Pam Sammons, Kathy Sylva

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The Effective Provision of Pre-School, Primary and Secondary Education (EPPSE 3-16) project is a large scale, longitudinal, mixed-method research study that has followed the progress of 3000+ children since 1997 from the age of 3 to 16 years. The EPPSE project uses a mixed-methods approach to investigate how child, family, pre-school and school characteristics interact and contribute to children's development up to early secondary age.

This research uses case studies to explore why and when certain children 'succeed against the odds' while others fall further behind, and also when and why some 'privileged' children fall behind despite their positive circumstances.

The Waitangi Tribunal And The Regulation Of Maori Protest, Juan M. Tauri, Robert Webb

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Much of the current academic and political discourse related the development and operations of the Waitangi Tribunal over its first twenty years portray it as a forum that provided Maori with a meaningful avenue for settling Treaty grievances compared to the formal legal systems performance in the preceding 100 years. In contrast, we argue that from its inception and throughout much of the 1980s, the Waitangi Tribunal functioned primarily as an informal justice forum that assisted the New Zealand state's regulation of Maori Treaty activism during the transition from a Fordist to a Post-Fordist mode of capital accumulation.

Adoption Of An Infection Prevention And Control Programme (Ipcp) In The Republic Of Kiribati: A Case Study In Diffusion Of Innovations Theory, Peta-Anne Zimmerman, Heather Yeatman, Michael Jones, Helen Murdoch

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Abstract presented at the International Conference on Prevention & Infection Control (ICPIC 2011) Geneva, Switzerland. 29 June - 2 July 2011

Profiling The Silver Surfers: Which Older Australians Are Using The Internet?, Pippa Burns, Sandra C. Jones, Donald C. Iverson

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Abstract presented at the 10th national emerging researchers in ageing conference, 24-25 November 2011

The Impact Of Self-Efficacy On Asthma Management Amongst Older Australian Adults, Pippa Burns, Sandra C. Jones, Donald C. Iverson

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Rationale: Australian asthma rates are high by international standards causing greatest mortality amongst older adults.

This paper looks at the relationships between perceived self-efficacy (belief in oneself) to manage the physical discomfort or pain caused by asthma and also the emotional distress caused by asthma and: reported health status; asthma quality of life for both mood and breathlessness; asthma management practices; and emergency health care use for asthma in adults aged 55 years and over.

Methods: A 20 page survey exploring the health beliefs, behaviours and attitudes of older Australians, was mailed to 9,000 people, (response rate = 46.8%). Participants …

Examining Brain-Cognition Effects Of Ginkgo Biloba Extract: Brain Activation In The Left Temporal And Left Prefrontal Cortex In An Object Working Memory Task, R B. Silberstein, A Pipingas, J Song, David Camfield, P J. Nathan, C Stough

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Ginkgo Biloba extract (GBE) is increasingly used to alleviate symptoms of age related cognitive impairment, with preclinical evidence pointing to a pro-cholinergic effect. While a number of behavioral studies have reported improvements to working memory (WM) associated with GBE, electrophysiological studies of GBE have typically been limited to recordings during a resting state. The current study investigated the chronic effects of GBE on steady state visually evoked potential (SSVEP) topography in nineteen healthy middle-aged (50-61 year old) male participants whilst completing an object WM task. A randomized double-blind crossover design was employed in which participants were allocated to receive 14 …

Cold Pressor Stimulation Diminishes P50 Amplitude In Normal Subjects, Adam J. Woods, John W. Philbeck, Kenneth Chelette, Robert D. Skinner, Edgar Garcia-Rill, Mark Mennemeier

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The present study examined how cold pressor stimulation influences electrophysiological correlates of arousal. We measured the P50 auditory evoked response potential in two groups of subjects who immersed their foot in either cold (0-2 degreees Celsius) or room temperature (22-24 degreees Celsius) water for 50 seconds. The P50, which was recorded before and after stimulation, is sleep-state dependent and sensitive to states of arousal in clinical populations. We found a significant reduction in P50 amplitude after exposure to cold, but not room temperature water. In comparison with other studies, these results indicate that cold pressor stimulation in normal subjects may …

Neoliberalism And The Biophysical Environment 3: Putting Theory Into Practice, Noel Castree

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

There now exists a significant body of theoretically informed empirical research into 'neoliberal environments'. It comprises numerous studies which together explore the connections between neoliberal principles and policies, on the one side, and the biophysical world on the other. However, making sense of them is by no means straightforward, despite their common focus on neoliberal environments. It is currently left to readers of these studies to synthesize them into a wider, joined-up account of neoliberal environments. This and two companion articles aim for precisely this sort of broad and coherent understanding. The contribution of this third instalment is twofold. First, …

Mind The Gap: Unexpected Pitfalls In Doing Classroom Research, Amanda A. Baker, Joseph Lee

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

unanticipated, challenges experienced by researchers. This article moves beyond the main issues highlighted in the literature and identifies some of the problems the authors encountered when conducting two common methodological procedures, classroom observations and stimulated recall interviews (SRIs), as part of our dissertation research investigations. The paper first surveys what the literature describes as the main areas of concern with these two procedures. It then pulls away from these resources to explore actual difficulties we experienced that we believe are inadequately addressed in the literature. Using illustrations from our dissertation projects, we examined several recurring challenges we faced, including participant …

Examination Of Self-Determination Within The Sport Education Model, Dana Perlman

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of the Sport Education Model (SEM) on students’ self-determined motivation and underlying psychological need(s) in physical education. A total of 182 Year-9 students were engaged in 20 lesson units of volleyball, using either the SEM or a traditional approach. Data was collected using a pretest/posttest design measuring self-determined motivation and perceptions of the psycho-social climate. Analysis of data utilized four separate repeated measures ANOVAs for self-determination and basic psychological needs. Results indicated significant change in self-determination and relatedness for students engaged in the SEM. As such, implementation of the SEM …

Incorporating Tgfu Into A Bachelor Of Physical And Health Education Degree At An Australian University, Philip J. Pearson, Paul I. Webb

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

Pearson and Webb (2010) investigated whether Physical Educators in NSW schools had adopted the TGfU approach to the teaching of games in their classes. Forty PDHPE teachers were surveyed with questionnaires and focus group interviews to determine their knowledge and understanding of TGfU and the extent to which they had incorporated TGfU into their teaching of games in Years 7 to 10. Fifty third-year Physical and Health Education pre-service teachers were also surveyed after completing their Professional Experience in the schools of the teachers surveyed. The pre-service teachers’ observations of Physical Education classes in the schools were also used to …

Theorising Knowledge Practices: A Missing Piece Of The Educational Technology Puzzle, Sarah Howard, Karl A. Maton

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

No abstract provided.

Proficiency Deficiency: Mastery Of Fundamental Movement Skills And Skill Components In Overweight And Obese Children, Dylan P. Cliff, Anthony D. Okely, Philip J. Morgan, Rachel A. Jones, Julie R. Steele, Louise A. Baur

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

No abstract provided.

A School-Based Intervention To Promote Physical Activity Among Adolescent Girls: Rationale, Design, And Baseline Data From The Girls In Sport Group Randomised Controlled Trial, Anthony D. Okely, Wayne G. Cotton, David R. Lubans, Philip J. Morgan, Lauren M. Puglisi, Judy Miller, Jan Wright, Marijka Batterham, Louisa Peralta, Janine Perry

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

Background: Physical activity levels decline markedly among girls during adolescence. School-based interventions that are multi-component in nature, simultaneously targeting curricular, school environment and policy, and community links, are a promising approach for promoting physical activity. This report describes the rationale, design and baseline data from the Girls in Sport group randomised trial, which aims to prevent the decline in moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA) among adolescent girls. Methods/design: A community-based participatory research approach and action learning framework are used with measurements at baseline and 18-month follow-up. Within each intervention school, a committee develops an action plan aimed at meeting the …

Culture, Motivation, And Vocational Decision-Making Of Australian Senior High School Students In Private Schools, Jae Yup Jung, John M. Mccormick, Gary Gregory, Kerry Barnett

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

The purpose of this study was to investigate the roles of culture and motivation in the occupational decisions of senior high school students attending private schools. A theoretical framework guided the study. A questionnaire was administered to 492 Grade 11 students attending a stratified random sample of six independent (private) schools located in the Sydney (Australia) metropolitan area. Structural equation modelling was performed on the data collected. The major findings of the study centre on a new model of vocational decision-making, which provides empirical support for relationships between cultural orientation variables, expectancy-value variables, and related constructs. The findings may be …

Are We Exacerbating Students' Learning Disabilities? An Investigation Of Preservice Teachers' Attributions Of The Educational Outcomes Of Students With Learning Disabilities, Wilhelmina J. Vialle, Stuart Woodcock

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

While claims of the importance of attribution theory and teachers’ expectations of students for student performance are repeatedly made, there is little comprehensive research identifying the perceptions preservice teachers have of students with learning disabilities (LD). Accordingly, 444 Australian preservice primary school teachers were surveyed using vignettes and Likert-scale questions, to ascertain their responses to students with and without LD. It was found that preservice primary school general education teachers held a negative attribution style towards students with LD. Preservice primary teachers perceived students with LD as lacking ability in comparison to others in the class. Recommendations for research and …

Transformations And Self-Discovery: Mature-Age Women’S Reflections On Returning To University Study, Sarah O'Shea, Cathy Stone

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

Research has highlighted the challenges that women face as mature-age students in higher education. The challenges are particularly acute when a woman is the first in her family to go to university. Many women begin their journey as students with considerable self-doubt and lack of confidence. They also frequently face an ongoing struggle to find a way to combine their studies with other family responsibilities (Edwards, 1990; Merrill, 1999; Tett, 2000). This article presents the reflections of 18 women enrolled as mature-age students at an Australian university campus. Their triumphs, achievements and self-discoveries, as well as their struggles whilst undertaking …

Turning Into Teachers Before Our Eyes: The Development Of Professional Identity Through Professional Dialogue, Jessica Mantei, Lisa Kervin

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

This paper examines the development of professional identity in early career teachers enrolled in an “add-on year” of an undergraduate teacher education degree. Through a series of readings focused on reflection and pedagogy, participants engaged in professional dialogue as they made connections between the themes in their professional readings and their own understanding of the professional practice of a teacher. Dialogue was recorded and shared on a developed website. Participation in this dialogue afforded teachers opportunities to reflect on their professional identity in connection with literature, personal experiences and experiences of others. Further, uploading audio files to the site created …

A Systematic Review Of The Validity And Reliability Of Sedentary Behaviour Measures Used With Children And Adolescents, D R. Lubans, K Hesketh, D P. Cliff, L M. Barnett, J Salmon, J Dollman, P J. Morgan, A P. Hills, L L. Hardy

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

No abstract provided.