Education Commons^™

This presentation showcases the continuing expansion of the KidsMatter and MindMatters national initiatives for student mental health promotion, prevention and early intervention in primary and secondary schools across Australia – now in over 3000 schools. As part of a broad approach to reducing problem behaviour, such as bullying, KidsMatter and MindMatters use best-practice blended learning approaches that raise school capacity. Focus is given to the KidsMatter and MindMatters strategies that support schools to reduce bullying by developing whole-school policy, prevention and management strategies. Evidence from KidsMatter and MindMatters schools is presented. It demonstrates potential increases in staff understanding and confidence …

KidsMatter and MindMatters are national initiatives that support student mental health promotion, prevention and early intervention in 4700+ primary and secondary schools across Australia. As part of a broad approach to reducing problem behaviour, such as bullying, KidsMatter and MindMatters offer resources and expertise. This paper presents evidence that these initiatives are making a difference to the lives of students with regard to reductions in bullying and harassment. Findings suggest that students feel safer in schools that have in place, opportunities to develop their skills to deal with bullying. Focus is given to strategies that support schools to reduce bullying …

This chapter draws key findings from a South Australian study, KidsMatter for Students with a Disability, in order to extend the discussion on whether whole-school mental health promotion initiatives are equally supportive of students with and without a disability. This discussion contributes to overcoming the lack of evidence-based research in this area and proposes new opportunities to better support all students with disabilities, whether identified or unrecognised.

The use of information and communication technology (ICT) in schools is now an intrinsic part of students' learning, both inside and outside the classroom. The adoption and impact of ICT on teaching practice and learning outcomes has been a source of keen interest among government policy makers, school leaders, teachers and researchers worldwide. Research in this field has principally centred on pseudo-scientific comparative studies conducted mainly in the United States and the United Kingdom, with a focus on academic achievement. Few empirical studies have been conducted in Australia, or worldwide, that focus on student attitudinal outcomes framed within a design-based …