Education Commons^™

Uni-Start: A Peer-Led Orientation Activity Designed For The Early And Timely Engagement Of Commencing University Students, Sarah E. O' Shea Dr, Michelle Vincent

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

Universities have both social and cultural contexts, and new students need to participate effectively in both in order to succeed in this environment. With ever increasing numbers of students and the diversity of the contemporary university population, institutions have to consider innovative ways to effectively engage individuals. In terms of supporting students, there is a need to be more proactive, initiating structures of support that reach out to students rather than an often implicit expectation that the learners themselves will take the initiative and seek out support individually. This article reflects on one approach to supporting diverse student populations that …

Nomads In Diaspora Space: Exploring Women's Indentity Work In The University, Sarah O'Shea

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

How individuals position themselves as ‘students’ within the university landscape can provide insight into the personal and actual experience of entering this environment. This article will explore how one group of female students narrated their identity work as they moved through the first year of study in an Australian university. These students were all first in the family to attend university and some had had a significant gap between educational experiences. In depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with individuals as they commenced university study and these were repeated at four points during the year; this series of conversations captured the …

Understanding The Design Context For Australian University Teachers: Implications For The Future Of Learning Design, Susan Bennett, Lisa Thomas, Shirley Agostinho, Lori Lockyer, Jennifer Jones, Barry Harper

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

Based on the premise that providing support for university teachers in designing for their teaching will ultimately improve the quality of student learning outcomes, recent interest in the development of support tools and strategies has gained momentum. This article reports on a study that examined the context in which Australian university teachers design in order to understand what role design support tools and strategies could play. In-depth interviews were conducted with 30 academics across 16 Australian universities. The findings suggest that most Australian university teachers have a high degree of flexibility in their design decisions suggesting that opportunities exist for …

A Cross Sectional Study Of Pre-Service Teacher Efficacy Throughout The Training Years, Stuart Woodcock

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

Teachers’ judgments in their ability to motivate students and promote learning can play a vital role in determining a student’s performance in the classroom and once a belief has been held for a long time, it can become difficult to change. Utilising a sample of 467 beginner and final year pre-service teachers training to become primary (elementary) and secondary teachers, the aim of this study was to examine to what extent pre-service teachers’ level of teacher efficacy changed during their teacher training years. Results showed that the training courses for primary school teachers appeared to have no influence on teacher …

Turning The Switch On! The Teachers’ Ability To Influence Student Motivation In Physical Education, Dana Perlman, Philip J. Pearson, Kim Mckeen, Gregory J. Forrest

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

Student motivation is an area of importance in physical education due to the association with enhanced levels of effort, participation and aspects of learning (Tjeerdsma-Blankenship, 2008; Chen, 2001). Physical education specialists are routinely challenged by students who demonstrate behaviours indicative of low levels of motivation, such as high rates of absenteeism and severely low levels of active participation within the class setting (Ntoumanis, Peensgaard, Martin & Pipe, 2004). Bryan and Solmon (2007) indicate that the teacher is a primary driver for the development and implementation of experiences that support and/or thwart student motivation. Therefore, the purpose of this study was …

Ustart@Uow And Ustart2@Uow: A Comprehensive Approach To Supporting Commencing Students From Low Socio-Economic Backgrounds, Sarah O'Shea, Pauline Lysaght, Yvonne Kerr

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

Students from low socio-economic backgrounds as well as those who are the first in family to attend university often report feeling that they don’t ‘belong’ at university (James, Krause & Jennings, 2010; O’Shea, 2008). The isolation they sometimes experience may be exacerbated when families are unable to provide personal support through a basic lack of knowledge and understanding of university life. This nuts and bolts session explores two initiatives introduced at the University of Wollongong to support commencing students from low socio-economic backgrounds and to provide information for their families. The session will provide details about how this framework was …

The Secret Of Excellence In Student Services - A Case Example Of Cross-Institution Collaboration And Cooperation, Cathy Stone, Annie Andrews, Melissa Moore, Allison Cahill, Sarah O'Shea, David Said

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

No abstract provided.

Preservice Teachers' Views Of Inclusive Education: A Content Analysis, Brian Hemmings, Stuart Woodcock

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

Survey-based research was conducted with pre-service teachers, from a large regional Australian university, to explore their views about inclusion and their readiness to teach in inclusive classrooms. Open-ended questions were included in the survey to glean information on the respondents’ feelings and concerns about inclusion and inclusive practices. In addition, questions were framed to allow the respondents to discuss ways that the University could better prepare them as practising teachers. The responses to each of these questions were content analysed to delineate categories, and frequencies were calculated on the most salient categories. The results of this analysis are reported and …

Esl Teachers And Pronunciation Pedagogy: Exploring The Development Of Teachers' Cognitions And Classroom Practices, Amanda A. Baker

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

Over the past few decades, increasing more research has examined the cognitions (knowledge and beliefs) of second language (L2) teachers. Such research has provided insight into what constitutes teachers' beliefs and knowledge about teaching, how these cognitions have developed and how they are reflected in classroom practice (see Borg, 2006). Although numerous studies have been conducted into the curricular areas of grammar and, to a lesser extent, reading and writing, even fewer have examined teachers' cognitions into pronunciation instruction. The purpose of the present study, therefore, is to explore some of the dynamic relationships that exist between L2 teachers‘ cognitions …

Online Practice & Offline Roles: A Cultural View Of Teachers’ Low Engagement In Online Communities, Sarah Howard, Jonathan Mckeown

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

An online community of practice (CoP) can extend teachers’ professional interaction beyond their school, but these practices are often underutilized. Using cultural theory, this paper proposes that teachers’ low engagement in online CoPs is that this “practice” is not part of their role as a teacher, individually or in their school culture. These ideas are examined through teachers’ low engagement in an online CoP as part of a research project. Findings suggest that teachers saw the online community as part of their role in the project, not as part of their “offline” role as a classroom teacher. The discussion conjectures …

Peer-Led Transition Strategies And The First Year Experience - Implementation, Implications And Insights, Sarah E. O'Shea, Pauline Lysaght

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

This presentation provides an overview of a peer-led transition strategy targeted at equity groups that the program chair has been involved in implementing at two separate universities. The difference between this and other programs is that this strategy is grounded within the actual experience of students, who design, develop and facilitate a program that provides authentic insight into the culture and environment of university life. Participants will hear how program was introduced, suggestions around initiation and feedback from program participants.

Canadian And Australian Pre-Service Teachers' Use, Confidence And Success In Various Behaviour Management Strategies, Andrea Reupert, Stuart Woodcock

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

The purpose of this study was twofold; first, to identify Australian and Canadian pre-service teachers’ use, confidence and success in various behaviour management strategies, and second, to identify significant differences between the two cohorts. Pooled data indicated that pre-service teachers most frequently employ low level corrective strategies, such as nonverbal body language, rather than strategies that serve to prevent student misbehaviour. The strategies pre-service teachers report most frequently employing were also those they felt most confident in. Australian pre-service teachers employ rewards significantly more, whilst Canadian pre-service teachers utilise preventative and differentiation strategies significantly more. Differences might be accounted for …

Designing Instruction For The Contemporary Learning Landscape, Fred Paas, Jeroen Van Merrienboer, Tamara Van Gog

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

No abstract provided.

Using Computer-Based Tools To Self Manage Cognitive Load, Shirley Agostinho, Sharon Tindall-Ford, Kylie Roodenrys

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

This paper presents a work-in-progress exploring how learners can manage their own cognitive load through the use of computer-based tools. Cognitive load refers to the amount of mental processing undertaken in working memory by a learner. Cognitive Load Theory (CLT) has identified evidence-based design principles that inform the development of instructional materials to support the efficient use of working memory. Much of the CLT research has focused on how to present learners with optimally designed learning materials. There has been little research that has examined how learners can implement CLT design principles to manage their own cognitive load when exposed …

Developing Capabilities For Social Inclusion: Engaging Diversity Through Inclusive School Communities, Linda J. Graham, Valerie Harwood

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

The effort to make schools more inclusive, together with the pressure to retain students until the end of secondary school, has greatly increased both the number and educational requirements of students enrolling in their local school. Of critical concern, despite years of research and improvements in policy, pedagogy and educational knowledge, is the enduring categorisation and marginalization of students with diverse abilities. Research has shown that it can be difficult for schools to negotiate away from the pressure to categorise or diagnose such students, particularly those with challenging behaviour. In this paper, we highlight instances where some schools have responded …

Challenging Participants In Target Games Through Teaching Games For Understanding (Tgfu) And Creating And Defining Games, Philip J. Pearson, Paul I. Webb

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU) places an emphasis on the play, where tactical and strategic problems are posed in a modified game environment, ultimately drawing upon students to make decisions. It places the focus of a lesson on the student in a game situation where cognitive skills such as ‘tactics’, decision-making and problem solving are critical....with isolated technique development utilised only when the student recognises the need for it’ (Webb and Thompson, 1998). In addition, games come under various categories: invasion, net/court/wall, striking/fielding and target games. The aim of target games is to get the implement either in or close …

Movement Skill Mastery In A Clinical Sample Of Overweight And Obese Children, Dylan P. Cliff, Anthony D. Okely, Anthea M. Magarey

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

No abstract provided.

Creating Virtual Classrooms For Rural And Remote Communities, Kavita Rao, Michelle J. Eady, Patricia Edelen-Smith

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

Rural and remote communities, in the United States as well as in other countries, often have only limited access to higher education. In order to pursue professional training or advanced degrees, people in these communities must leave home. This causes more than just a financial burden. Those with commitments to jobs, families, and traditional roles in the community find it difficult to leave home to further their education.

This is especially true for indigenous and native people. These people often live in villages or communities far from large cities and towns. Although they’re increasingly integrated with the modern world through …

Mapping Place: Further Delicacy In Circumstantiation, Shoshana J. Dreyfus, Pauline Jones

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

This chapter reports on our work on circumstantiation in order to better understand discursive construals of place. Our experiences teaching English literacy to students from diverse backgrounds have convinced us of the explanatory power of Systemic Functional Linguistics, particularly with respect to reading English texts. This work has been greatly assisted by our familiarity with the detailed descriptions of linguistic options provided by SFL theory. As analysts and educators, we have used the grammatical tools to identify the choices taken up (or not) by writers and to support discussions of those choices and their effects on meaning. Through this work, …

New Technologies To Support Language Learning, Lisa K. Kervin, Beverly M. Derewianka

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

Language classrooms have always used technologies of various kinds, from the blackboard through to the language laboratory. In recent decades, however, there has been an explosion in the resources available to teachers, to the point where many feel overwhelmed. This chapter therefore, does not attempt to provide a comprehensive review of 'state of the art' technologies - primarily because the ground is shifting so rapidly that any such endeavour would soon be out of date. Rather, we have kept in mind an audience who are not necessarily interested in the finer points of technological innovations but who are seeking some …

Split-Attention And Redundancy Effects On Mobile Learning In Physical Environments, T C. Liu, Y C. Lin, M J. Tsai, Fred Paas

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

This study investigated split-attention and redundancy effects in a mobile learningenvironment on leaf morphology of plants as a function of different combinations ofmedia. Eighty-one fifth-grade students were randomly assigned to the following threeconditions: texts with pictures embedded in the mobile device (TP condition); textsembedded in the mobile device and real objects that are outside of the mobile device(TO condition); and texts with pictures embedded in the mobile device and realobjects that are outside of the mobile device (TPO condition). Differences inperformance on comprehension tests and learning efficiency were examined acrossconditions. The TP condition was expected to perform better than the …

Using Slowmation For Animated Storytelling To Represent Non-Aboriginal Preservice Teachers' Awareness Of "Relatedness To Country", Anthony D. Mcknight, Garry Hoban, Wendy Nielsen

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

In this study, a group (N=15) of final year non-Aboriginal pre ervice teachers participated in an elective subject that aimed to raise their awarene s ab ut Aboriginal ways of knowing. A vital aspect of the course was developing the preservice teachers' awareness of "relatedness to country" which is a key belief for Aboriginal people. The non-Aboriginal pre service teachers s lected their own special place and then experienced Aboriginal ways of knowing throughout the course and vi ited local Aboriginal sites to hear and listen to stories shared by an Aboriginal Elder. At the end of the subject, the …

Knowledge Base Of Pronunciation Teaching: Staking Out The Territory, Amanda A. Baker, John Murphy

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

Despite decades of advocacy for greater investigative attention, research into pronunciation instruction in the teaching of English as a second language (ESL)and English as a foreign language (EFL) continues to be limited. This limitations particularly evident in explorations of teacher cognition (e.g., teachers knowledge, beliefs, and understandings), an area emerging as a vibrant focus for grounded research on the development, preparation, and instructional behaviors of ESL/EFL teachers. This article provides a comprehensive review of teacher cognition literature tied to ESL/EFL pronunciation instruction. The review's dual purposes are (a) to document the current knowledge base of pronunciation teaching, and(b) to propose …

Tracing Discourses Of Health And The Body: Exploring Pre-Service Primary Teachers' Constructions Of `Healthy' Bodies, Jan Wright, Rosemary K. Welch

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

Contemporary notions of childhood overweight and obesity have become increasingly influential in curriculum and pedagogy in school-based Health and Physical Education (HPE). Teachers' delivery of HPE subject matter and related school practices are likely to have a considerable impact on the attitudes and beliefs of the children they teach, particularly in the primary school. It thus becomes important to consider the ways of thinking about and doing health (discourse positions on health) that teachers bring to their teaching of HPE. This paper examines pre-service teachers' positions in relation to the health discourses to better understand what teachers, in this case …

An Experimental Study On The Effects Of Exposure To Magazine Advertising On Children's Food Choices, Sandra C. Jones, Lisa K. Kervin

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

Objective: The present study sought to determine the feasibility of an experimental research design to investigate the effects of exposure to magazine advertising on children’s food choices. Design: Children were randomized to read either a magazine with food advertisements or a magazine with no food advertisements. They then chose two food items from the intervention ‘store’ to eat after the session. Data were also collected on attitudes to advertising and snack food preferences. Finally, participants’ parents were provided with a self-completion survey on food choices and other variables (n 24). Setting: Three vacation care centres in regional New South Wales, …

Intellectual Field Or Faith-Based Religion: Moving On From The Idea Of 'Digital Natives', Sue Bennett, Karl A. Maton

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

For the past decade the general notion of ‘digital natives’ has attracted considerable attention in both academia and the popular media. While proponents of the idea use a variety of labels, such as ‘Net Generation’, or ‘millenial learners’, the claim they make is essentially the same: younger generations have grown up with digital technologies as part of their everyday worlds and so behave and think differently to older generations to whom these technologies have been introduced later in life (Howe & Strauss, 2000; Palfrey & Gasser, 2008; Prensky, 2001; Tapscott, 1998; 2008). This claim has led to the argument that …

Understanding The Complexity Of Technology Acceptance By Higher Education Students, Sue Bennett, Karl A. Maton, Lisa Carrington

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

It is often claimed that all young people are highly adept with the digital technologies that infuse their lives, and that the way they think and behave has created a new gap between them and their teachers. It is suggested that to bridge this gap and ensure that young people are fully engaged, educators must incorporate digital technology more effectively into teaching and learning. This is problematic, however, because technology has had limited impact on education and has failed to be widely adopted as a learning support across many aspects of school and university education. More needs to be known …

Educacion Corporal En Australia: 1870-1910, Jan Wright

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

Reading through the keys texts on the history of education in Australia one would easily be persuaded to the absence of any form of formal physical education in schools. Drills and even the cadet movement receive scarcely a mention in key texts covering the period such as Barcan’s various histories of education in NSW and Australia (Barcan 1980, 1988), in Smith and Spaull’s (1925) History of Education in NSW and Theobold and Selleck’s (1990) collection Family School and State in Australian History. In one sense these point to what has always been obvious to physical educators, that academic and …

The Influence Of State Motivation, Content Relevance And Affective Learning On High School Students' Intentions To Use Class Content Following Completion Of Compulsory Physical Education, Collin A. Webster, Diana Mindrila, Robert Weaver

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

Little research has examined mechanisms leading to the utilization of compulsory physical education content in future contexts. This study tested a model in which motivation to be in physical education class functions as a predisposition influencing perceptions of teacher communication of content relevance, perceptions of course relevance to one’s personal life, affect for physical education and intentions to apply class content in the future. High school students (N = 636) enrolled in compulsory physical education classes completed questionnaires assessing each of these variables. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses indicated the questionnaire items were adequate indicators of the five constructs. Structural …

Nutritional Policies And Standards For Snacks Served In After-School Programmes: A Review, Michael W. Beets, Falon Tilley, Youngwon Kim, Collin Webster

Faculty of Education - Papers (Archive)

Objective: To review and synthesize existing national and state organizations’ policies related to the nutritional quality of snacks served in after-school programmes (ASP; 15.00–18.00 hours) in the USA. Design: Systematic review of websites and corresponding documentation describing national and state-level ASP organizations’ policies, standards, guidelines and/or recommendations for the nutritional quality of snacks served within the ASP setting. Setting: ASP can play a critical role in a child’s daily dietary intake. State and national organizations have developed policies to assist ASP in selecting nutritionally appropriate snacks, yet no widely accepted standards exist. By reviewing the extent of existing policies, recommendations …