Education Commons^™

Four Functions Of Statistical Significance Tests, Xinshu Zhao

Professor Xinshu ZHAO

Timss 2015 : A First Look At Australia's Results, Sue Thomson, Nicole Wernert, Elizabeth O'Grady, Sima Rodrigues

Elizabeth O'Grady

The goal of TIMSS is to provide comparative information about educational achievement across countries to improve teaching and learning in mathematics and science. It is designed, broadly, to align with the mathematics and science curricula in the participating education systems and countries, and focuses on assessment at Year 4 and Year 8. It also provides comparative perspectives on trends in achievement in the context of different education systems, school organisational approaches and instructional practices; and to enable this, TIMSS collects a rich array of background data from students, schools and teachers, and also collects data about the education systems themselves. …

Icils At A Glance: Highlights From The Full Australian Report – Australian Students’ Readiness For Study, Work And Life In The Digital Age, Lisa De Bortoli, Sarah Buckley, Catherine Underwood, Elizabeth O'Grady, Eveline Gebhardt

Elizabeth O'Grady

The International Computer and Information Literacy Study (ICILS) is the first international comparative study that examines students’ acquisition of computer and information literacy: ‘the ability to use computers to investigate, create and communicate in order to participate effectively at home, at school, in the workplace and in society'. This publication includes highlights from the full Australian report called ICILS 2013: Australian students’ readiness for study, work and life in the digital age which is available for download from http://research.acer.edu.au/ict_literacy/6/

Are The Kids Alright? Young Australians In Their Middle Years : Final Summary Report Of The Australian Child Wellbeing Project, Gerry Redmond, Jennifer Skattebol, Peter Saunders, Petra Lietz, Gabriella Zizzo, Elizabeth O'Grady, Mollie Tobin, Vanessa Maurici, Jasmine Huynh, Anna Moffat, Melissa Wong, Bruce Bradbury, Kelly Roberts

Elizabeth O'Grady

Compared with the early years and adolescence, young people in their middle years (ages 8-14 years) have received relatively little attention from policymakers other than in the space of academic achievement, where national curriculums have been developed, and a national testing regime is in place. Yet there is growing recognition that this is a critical time when young people experience rapid physical and mental development, in addition to facing a significant transition from primary to secondary school. The Australian Child Wellbeing Project (ACWP) asked young people about their lives and wellbeing during this crucial period. Wellbeing can be seen as …

The Acwp Questionnaire : Results Of The Field Trial : The Australian Child Wellbeing Project : Draft Phase Three Report, Petra Lietz, Elizabeth O'Grady, Mollie Tobin, Helen Popple, Myra Hamilton, Gerry Redmond

Elizabeth O'Grady

This is the Phase Three report of the Australian Child Wellbeing Project (ACWP) which is a child-centred study that started with young people’s perspectives to design a major nationally representative survey of wellbeing among 8-14 year olds. The Phase three report describes and presents analysis on the field trial of the ACWP survey which occurred in ten schools in New South Wales and Victoria in March 2014. The chapters in this report cover: sample characteristics and missing data analysis, descriptive and frequency analysis, factor and reliability analysis, examination of specific questions or items and question order, measuring affluence deprivation, inserting …

Towards The Acwp Questionnaire : The Australian Child Wellbeing Project : Final Phase Two Report, Petra Lietz, Elizabeth O'Grady, Mollie Tobin, Alice Mcentee, Gerry Redmond

Elizabeth O'Grady

This is the Phase Two report of the Australian Child Wellbeing Project (ACWP) which is a child-centred study that started with young people’s perspectives to design a major nationally representative survey of wellbeing among 8 - 14 year olds. The survey will benchmark child wellbeing in Australia and provide information that contributes to the development of effective services for young people’s healthy development. This document reports on Phase Two of the project: development of the wellbeing indicators. The development of indicators was informed by the findings of the first qualitative phase of the project, a review of literature and existing …

Forging A New Path: Faculty Buy-In For The Institutional Repository And Open Access Publishing, Carol G. Hixson, Tina Neville, Deborah Henry

Deborah B. Henry

Many institutions with institutional repositories have had difficulty getting faculty buy-in to add their content to the institutional repository. The University of South Florida St. Petersburg (USFSP), a separately accredited institution within the USF System, has experienced significant buy-in from its faculty for depositing materials in the institutional repository, known as the USFSP Digital Archive. In a small institution of 5000 students, we have established collections for over one quarter of our faculty, with almost 1400 separate submissions in only two years. Faculty have also developed an understanding of and appreciation for open-access publishing and now consult with the library …

A Descriptive Study Of The Personality, Attitudes, And Overseas Experience Of Seventh-Day Adventist College Students Who Served As Short-Term Volunteer Missionaries, Donna Habenicht

Donna Habenicht

Problem. During the last ten years there has been a surge of Interest among college students in short-term volunteer missionary service. It was the purpose of the present study to describe the personality, attitudes, and overseas experience of a group of 150 Seventh-day Adventist college students who served as short-term volunteer missionaries (student missionaries) during the 1975-76 school year. Method The Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire (Form A), a series of semantic differential rating scales for selected religious, mission, cultural, and personal concepts, and a two-part questlonnaire were used to describe the personality, attitudes, and overseas experience of the student missionaries. …

What's Going Wrong For Our Users? Analysing Zero Result Searches To Enhance The User Experience, Jessie Donaghey

Jessie Donaghey

No abstract provided.

Assuring The Quality Of Future Victorian Teachers : Acer Response To Det Discussion Paper: Working Together To Shape Teacher Education In Victoria, Lawrence Ingvarson

Dr Lawrence Ingvarson (Consultant)

ACER’s response to the August 2016 discussion paper on teacher education titled, 'Working Together To Shape Teacher Education in Victoria' released by James Merlino, the Minister for Education and Training in Victoria. This response addresses focus areas including: Raising the quality and status of teaching: a profession of choice Ensuring high quality pathways into the profession Improving course quality Developing Early Career Teachers

Measuring The Effectiveness Of Team-Based Learning Outcomes In A Human Factors Course, Michael C. Dorneich, Sarah E. Bickelhaupt, Cassandra Dorius, Georgeanne M. Artz, Holly Bender, Laura Bestler, Beth Caissie, Sandra W. Gahn, Keri L. Jacobs, Monica H. Lamm, Lisa Orgler, Jane M. Rongerude, Ann Smiley-Oyen, Richard T. Stone

Lisa Orgler

Preparing Teachers To Apply Research To Mathematics Teaching: Using Design-Based Research To Define And Assess The Process Of Evidence-Based Practice, Sarah Van Ingen

Sarah van Ingen

Persistent lack of mathematics achievement and disparity in achievement has led to the publication of research findings related to equitable teaching practices. Although the publication of such research provides insights about approaches for potentially increasing equity in mathematics education, teachers must be able to apply what has been learned from these studies to their classroom teaching practices. Despite the widespread expectation that teachers use research-supported teaching strategies to meet the needs of their diverse classrooms, the research to practice gap persists. Little research is currently available to guide mathematics teacher educators in how to prepare future teachers to apply research …

Applying An Alternative Mathematics Pedagogy For Students With Weak Mathematics: Meta-Analysis Of Alternative Pedagogies, Warren Lake, Margie Wallin, Geoff Woolcott, Wendy Boyd, Alan Foster, Christos Markopoulos, Bill E. Boyd

Dr Wendy Boyd

Student mathematics performance and the need for work-ready graduates to be mathematics-competent is a core issue for many universities. While both student and teacher are responsible for learning outcomes, there is a need to explicitly acknowledge the weak mathematics foundation of many university students. A systematic literature review was undertaken of identified innovations and/or interventions that may lead to improvement in student outcomes for university mathematics-based units of study. The review revealed the importance of understanding the foundations of student performance in higher education mathematics learning, especially in first year. Pre-university mathematics skills were identified as significant in student retention …

Effects Of Management-Development Practices On Hospitality Management Graduates' Job Satisfaction And Intention To Stay, Edwin Torres, Howard Adler

Edwin Torres

Companies have long recognized the importance of training and developing their managers to prepare them for their short- and long-term careers. Formal management-development programs and other less formal means of management development abound in the hospitality industry. Therefore, one may ask whether the entry-level managers for whom these programs are designed perceive them to be effective. The present study explores management-development practices, procedures, and techniques, and their effects on job satisfaction and organizational commitment

Parenting Childhoodnature Simone Blom.Pdf, Simone Miranda Blom

Simone Blom

Wellbeing In Schools: Research Project: Improving Approaches To Wellbeing In Schools: What Role Does Recognition Play? Final Report: Volume One, Anne Graham, R Fitzgerald, Mary Ann Powell, Nigel Thomas, Donnah L. Anderson, Nadine E. White, Catharine A. Simmons

Nadine E White

Volume One of the Final Report for t he Australian Research Council Linkage Project ‘Improving approaches to wellbeing in schools: What role does recognition play?’.

How To Develop The Habits Of Outstanding Teaching, Peter W. Kilgour

Peter Kilgour

No abstract provided.

Getting On Board With The Stem Revolution: Two Christian Schools’ Experiences, Peter W. Kilgour, Phil Fitzsimmons, Vanessa Baywood, Jennifer Merriman

Peter Kilgour

No abstract provided.

Caffeine Consumption Among Students Attending Christian Schools In Australia And Its Relationship To Classroom Behaviour And Academic Performance, Peter Beamish, Peter Morey, Cedric Grieve, Ross Grant, Jade Guest

Peter Beamish

No abstract provided.

Engaging Students In The Use Of Technologies For Assessment Within Personal Learning Environments (Ples): The Development Of A Framework, David Bolton, Paula M. Mildenhall, Kwong Sim, Lynnette Lounsbury, Maria T. Northcote

Lynnette Lounsbury

Higher education students use a wide range of information and communication technologies for personal and study purposes, collectively known as a Personal Learning Environment (PLE). The ways in which students use technologies to prepare and complete assessment tasks, however, has not been researched as much as their general use of technology. This paper reports on the process adopted to develop a research-informed framework to engage higher education students in the use and evaluation of technologies for assessment purposes within their PLEs. The method used to construct the framework is presented alongside recommendations for how the framework may be used by …

What Offline And Online Technologies Do Higher Education Students Use To Complete Assessment Tasks?, Lynnette Lounsbury, David Bolton, Paula Mildenhall, Maria T. Northcote

Maria Northcote

A Personal Learning Environment (PLE) is a system, usually self-constructed, that enables learners to manage their own learning and may include tools, services, online resources and communities. The aim of the project: to determine which technologies students use when they prepare, complete and submit assessment tasks such as assignments and examinations. The participants (n=39): 24 students from Edith Cowan University in WA and 15 students from Avondale in NSW. All students were undergraduate, on-campus students from Education and Arts courses, mainly female, most were aged between 20-24 years. Previous research has defined PLEs (Dabbagh & Kitsantas, (2012), especially in social …

What Matters Most When Students And Teachers Use Interactive Whiteboards In Mathematics Classrooms?, Kimberley Mcquillan, Maria T. Northcote, Peter Beamish

Maria Northcote

As teachers, we are encouraged to immerse our students in rich and engaging learning environments (NSW Department of Education and Training, 2003). One teaching tool that can facilitate the creation of rich learning environments is the interactive whiteboard (IWB) (Baker, 2009). IWBs are quickly being introduced into schools across the nation and worldwide, and educators are exploring the implications of having them in the classroom. Of particular interest are student attitudes to the use of IWBs: what students think and feel about IWBs, and what factors matter most to students when IWBs are used in their classroom. Attitudes play an …

Using The Tpack Framework To Unite Disciplines In Online Learning, Alan Anderson, Nicholas Barham, Maria T. Northcote

Maria Northcote

This paper builds on a previous case study in which a group of lecturers from various disciplines were interviewed about their practice as facilitators of online learning. The lecturers' comments about their teaching practices revealed their awareness of specific types of teacher knowledge about online teaching. This was an unintended outcome of the previous study. Subsequently, as reported in this paper, the data were interrogated further using a new lens to investigate the extent to which these elements of teacher knowledge were evident throughout their practices. The technological, pedagogical and content knowledge (TPACK) theoretical framework enabled the researchers to identify …

What Mathematics Calculations Do Adults Do In Their Everyday Lives?: Part 1 Of A Report On The Everyday Mathematics Project, Maria T. Northcote, Linda Marshall

Maria Northcote

This first part of a report on the Everyday Mathematics Project presents information about the topics, frequency, amount, type, nature and methods used by adults in calculations in their everyday lives. This serves to demonstrate the relevance of primary school mathematics, especially in terms of mental computation and estimation strategies situated within authentic contexts.

Virtual Manipulatives On The Interactive Whiteboard: A Preliminary Investigation, Paula Mildenhall, Paul Swan, Maria Northcote, Linda Marshall

Maria Northcote

An outline of how virtual manipulatives and interactive whiteboards can be used in the classroom.

What Mathematics Do Adults Really Do In Everyday Life?, Maria Northcote, Alistair Mcintosh

Maria Northcote

A description of the Saucer Project at the Edith Cowan University is presented. The project is designed to find out what types of mathematical calculations adults do in their ordinary lives.

Using The Self-Determined Learning Principles Of Heutagogy To Support Academic Staff Who Are Learning To Teach Online, Maria T. Northcote, Chris Boddey

Maria Northcote

Tailored professional development (PD) programs assist university teaching staff to capitalize on the educational use of technology. To supplement on-campus PD support, staff at Avondale College of Higher Education developed a self-help online resource, Moodle's Little Helper (MLH), that has since become an integral and accepted component of the institution's PD landscape. Since Avondale's overall PD program is built upon the theoretical underpinnings of heutagogy (Hase, 2009; Hase & Kenyon, 2003), a self-determined learning theory, the purpose and nature of the resource also reflects the key principles of this educational philosophy. Adopting a utilisation-focused research methodology (Patton, 2011) ensured staff …

The Educational Beliefs Of A Group Of University Teachers And Their Students: Identification, Exploration And Comparison, Maria T. Northcote

Maria Northcote

The quality of teaching and learning in tertiary education contexts is influenced by many factors including the educational beliefs of the university teachers and students who teach and learn in such contexts. Most belief research in the tertiary education sector has, to date, reported on the teaching or learning beliefs of just teachers or the teaching or learning beliefs of just students. Much less research has explored the connections between the educational beliefs of these two groups. This research has aimed to extend the parameters of previous research by investigating the point of intersection between the educational beliefs of a …

Threshold Concepts About Online Teaching: Progress Report On A Five Year Project, Kevin P. Gosselin, Maria T. Northcote, Daniel Reynaud, Peter W. Kilgour, Malcolm Anderson, Chris Boddey

Maria Northcote

The burgeoning expansion of online education has presented the challenges of articulating an appropriate pedagogy for online education (Stevens, 2003; Runnels et al., 2006; Gosselin, 2009) while also contending with perceived and real deficits in lecturer competence (Shephard, 2007). Conceptually, the identified areas of concern are viewed as troublesome knowledge (Perkins, 1999), or knowledge that is counter intuitive to traditional teaching face to face teaching. To meet the emerging difficulties of new modes of distance teaching, researchers have focused on transformative learning using threshold concepts, or new portals, that allow understanding of concepts through new modes of thinking (Meyer & …

Use Of Cognitive Tools As Support Mechanisms For Adult Indigenous Learners In An Online Mathematics Unit, Maria T. Northcote, Linda Marshall, Max Lenoy

Maria Northcote

The staff at Kurongkurl Katitjin (the School of Indigenous Australian Studies, at Edith Cowan University) design, develop and teach courses that are offered in a variety of delivery formats: on-campus, online and through traditional distance education. Many of our off-campus courses are now being delivered via the use of online learning technologies. For example, the individual units within the Indigenous University Orientation Course (IUOC) are currently being redesigned to incorporate these new learning and communication technologies. With the major components of these units being based on the internet, learning is also supported by contact with on-campus lecturers, print and multimedia …