Education Commons^™

Mathematics Teachers’ Feedback Responses To Students’ Errors And Unexpected Strategies, Andrés Pinzón, Pedro Gómez, María José González

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

A part of students learning in the classroom depends on how the teacher responds to their thinking. The literature has separately addressed teachers’ feedback responses to errors and unexpected strategies that students put into play when solving tasks. We propose a framework to analyze these responses together based on three criteria: the focus of the answers (teacher or student), the type of knowledge (conceptual or procedural) that the teacher puts into play in the teacher-centered answers, and the types of actions (asking and proposing) involved in student-centered responses. We codified and analyzed the feedback responses of a group of mathematics …

Celebrating The Work Of Pre-Service Teachers, Keyan Robertson

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

'Books can be both mirrors and windows', by investigating this statement, acknowledgment can be given to the vital importance of engaging students in a diverse range of children's literature within the classroom. The purpose is to develop children into accepting, empathetic, compassionate and prosocial members of the community, who strive to achieve self-actualisation (Maslow, 1943; McMillan and Chavis, 1986). Literature is constructed on the foundations of historical, social and cultural contexts, traditionally, biased and persuaded by the political and social views of its time (McDonald, 2018).

Kindytxt: A Free Text Messaging Program For Kindergarten Children And Families, Lennie Barblett, Nicola Johnson, Caroline Barratt-Pugh, Susan Hill

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

• This project focused on developing, delivering and evaluating a literacy text-messaging program for parents / carers with a child at kindergarten in WA.
• Texts were delivered weekly over 30 weeks, in collaboration with Better Beginnings. Families were invited to participate through a flyer in the book gifting bag delivered by local librarians to families attending kindergarten across Western Australia.
• Kindergarten teachers and librarians from 16 LGAs attended workshops to establish kindergarten-family library partnerships, along with the production and evaluation of a partnership framework and implementation materials.
• Evaluation involved all participants, with in-depth data collected from participants in six communities.

Designing And Using Innovative Learning Spaces: What Teachers Have To Say, Julia E. Morris, Wesley Imms

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

There is no universal definition of what constitutes an innovative learning environment, because each school is unique. Plans to Pedagogy, developed by the University of Melbourne’s Learning Environments Applied Research Network (LEaRN) team, is exploring issues schools identify as they transition to and use innovative learning environments. Embedded in a range of schools across Australia and New Zealand, each school is assigned an academic who works with them to co-design a project targeting the school’s identified spatial challenge. This paper overviews the eight current Plans to Pedagogy projects to give a sense of the issues faced by teachers in terms …

Conversations With Australian Teachers And School Leaders About Using Differentiated Instruction In A Mainstream Secondary School, Kathryn Gibbs, Wendi Beamish

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Circumstances in today’s schools are requiring a rethinking of pedagogical approaches so that equitable learning opportunities are provided to all students. This small-scale, qualitative Australian study reports how some teachers and school leaders viewed differentiated instruction (DI) being applied in their secondary campus to address diverse abilities and needs. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted using Zoom. The analysis of data identified three themes related to DI: understandings, practices, and concerns. Findings showed that all participants understood many of the important elements of DI. Teachers reported using several well-known DI strategies, with experienced teachers applying a more considered approach. Teachers raised …

A Survey Of Western Australian Teachers’ Use Of Texts In Supporting Beginning Readers, Simmone Pogorzelski, Susan Main, Susan Hill

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Connected text reading is crucial to beginning reading development as this is where children apply the reading skills they are learning. The most recent version of the Australian Curriculum includes the requirement that teachers use both predictable and decodable texts in early reading instruction. As each text type is underpinned by a different approach to reading instruction, this creates a potential dilemma for teachers when implementing the curriculum. A preliminary study of the instructional practices used to teach reading in the first two years of schooling was therefore conducted to investigate how early years teachers make use of two different …

Parents And Teachers’ Perceptions Of The Tone And Emotional Impact Of Education News Coverage, Kathryn Shine, Shane L. Rogers

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This study examines Australian teachers (n = 268) and parents’ (n = 206) self-reported perceptions of education news coverage and how the coverage affects them. Overall, the participants reported a perception that news coverage of teachers, schools, the education system and standardised testing was generally negative in tone. Participants reported typically feeling demoralised by negative stories and inspired by positive stories. A high importance was placed upon the public perception of education by participants. However, trust in the media reporting of educational issues was low. An exception to this general pattern of findings was that participants did not place as …

“The Pay Is Not Worth It But It Is Excellent Pd”: Australian Teachers’ Perspectives On Doing Large-Scale Marking, Nathanael Reinertsen

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Anecdotally, teachers take up opportunities to mark large-scale assessments because they are told by colleagues that it is 'good PD'. Assertions about the value of marking are passed along with little question. However, research into the benefits of participating as a marker in large-scale marking has not been conducted in the Australian context. This paper reports the results of an online survey of Australian teachers (N=43) about their participation in large-scale marking in order to examine whether the research that has been conducted internationally is likely to be generalisable to Australia. The responses to the survey are described and then …

How Teachers Find Meaning In Their Work And Effects On Their Pedagogical Practice, Kristina Turner, Monica Thielking

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This study addresses a gap in current literature by applying a qualitative phenomenological approach to understand how teachers with a calling orientation perceive meaning in their work. A calling orientation has been defined by Wrzesniewski, et al. (1997) as a commitment to one’s work as it contributes to the greater good and makes the world a better place. Individuals’ perception of participation in meaningful work has been closely linked to subjective wellbeing. The current study revealed that teachers’ reported that they found meaning in their work through having an impact on their students’ lives and through positive relationships with students …

Anecdotes, Experience, And ‘Learning By Osmosis’: The Role Of Professional Cultures In Preparing Teachers For Parent-School Engagement, Sue Saltmarsh, Amy K. Mcpherson, Sayan Chakrabarty, Stephen Winn, David Saltmarsh

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Initial teacher education and experiences of the professional cultures of teaching contribute to teachers’ understandings about how to engage with parents. Drawing on qualitative research data, and informed by Michel de Certeau’s theory of culture and everyday life, this paper explores how everyday beliefs and professional practices that shape relationships between teachers and parents can remain relatively stable despite changing expectations of policy-makers and communities. The paper argues that equipping pre-service, beginning and experienced teachers and school leaders with research-based understandings about these cultural dynamics is crucial to informing professional practices that support meaningful and effective parent-school engagement.

“I Feel Very Fortunate To Still Be Doing What I Love”: Later Career Performing Arts Teachers Still Keen And Committed, Christina Gray, Geoffrey Lowe, Peter Prout, Sarah Jefferson

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The problem of attrition among early-career teachers has generated a substantial body of research. However, less research has been devoted to later-career teachers who survive and thrive. This article explores the career experiences of four later-career performing arts teachers who remain keen and committed to teaching. Informed by seminal studies by Huberman (1989, 1993) and Day and Gu (2007, 2009) into teacher career trajectories, and using a phenomenological ‘lens’ of portraiture methodology, members of the research team undertook a series of in-depth interviews to gain insight into how these teachers maintain their positivity and commitment to teaching. Four key themes …

Participation Of Children With Disabilities In School: A Realist Systematic Review Of Psychosocial And Environmental Factors, Donald Maciver, Marion Rutherford, Stella Arakelyan, Jessica M. Kramer, Janet Richmond, Liliya Todorova, Dulce Romero-Ayuso, Hiromi Nakamura-Thomas, Marjon Ten Velden, Ian Finlayson, Anne O’Hare, Kirsty Forsyth

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background In order to make informed decisions about how best to support children and young people with disabilities, effective strategies that facilitate active and meaningful participation in school are required. Clinical factors, diagnosis or impairments somewhat helpful in determining what should be provided in interventions. However, clinical factors alone will not offer a clear view of how to support participation. It is helpful then to look at wider psychosocial and environmental factors. The aim of this review was to synthesise evidence of psychosocial and environmental factors associated with school participation of 4–12 year old children with disabilities to inform the …

Teenagers Perceptions Of Teachers: A Developmental Argument, J-F J-F, Karen Swabey, Darren Pullen, Seyum Getenet, Tony Dowden

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Using the concept of a developmental lens (Brighton, 2007; Caskey & Anfara, 2014; Davis, 2006; J-F, Pullen, & Carroll, 2013; National Middle School Association, 2010; Peterson, 2010), this article focuses on young teenage students’ perceptions of teachers. School teachers play an important role in the educational development of teenagers but little is known about how teachers cater for teenage students’ social, emotional, physical and cognitive developmental domains. Even less is known about teenage students’ perceptions of their teachers. The current study asked a cohort of Year 9 students in a secondary school in Brisbane, Australia (N=182) to comment on what …

Supporting Positive School Culture Through Interpersonal Engagement: Phase Two Report: Hampton Senior High School December 2017, Geoffrey Lummis, Julia Morris, Graeme Lock

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The Industry Collaboration Project, ‘Supporting Positive School Culture Through Interpersonal Engagement’ is a joint project between Edith Cowan University, Hampton Senior High School, Kinross College and Mindarie Senior College. The project aims to empower school leaders to co-create, implement and evaluate professional learning programs that promote enhanced staff relationships. Supporting school leaders to improve staff relationships is important because staff (both teaching and school support) are key stakeholders in children’s educational outcomes (Stringer, 2013). Ensuring school staff feel valued in their school community is also of ongoing importance, particularly as staff accountability and burnout rises in the teaching profession both …

Autism Spectrum Disorder Coursework For Teachers And Teacher-Aides: An Investigation Of Courses Offered In Queensland, Australia, Mitchell Coates, Janeen Lamb, Brendan Bartlett, Poulomee Datta

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The content and structure of pre-service and teacher-aide programs has major implications for training, management, support and deployment of teachers and teacher-aides in mainstream schools working with students who have ASD. Data pertaining to course content and structure were collected from university and teacher-aide training websites, program enrolment guides, and through direct contact with institutions in Queensland, Australia. 101 education programs were narrowed down to 45 in early-childhood/primary education, and 8 online teacher-aide training programs. Findings indicate the urgent need for academics in institutions to begin working towards redesigning programs that deliver best practices in ASD for pre-service educators.

Supporting Positive School Culture Through Interpersonal Engagement: Phase One Report: Mindarie Senior College April 2016, Geoffrey Lummis, Julia Morris, Graeme Lock

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The Industry Collaboration Project, ‘Supporting Positive School Culture Through Interpersonal Engagement’ is a joint project between Edith Cowan University, Hampton Senior High School, Kinross College and Mindarie Senior College. The project aims to empower school leaders to co-create, implement and evaluate professional learning programs that promote enhanced staff relationships. Supporting school leaders to improve staff relationships is important because staff (both teaching and school support) are key stakeholders in children’s educational outcomes (Stringer, 2013). Ensuring school staff feel valued in their school community is also of ongoing importance, particularly as staff accountability and burnout rises in the teaching profession both …

An Investigation Into Student And Teacher Perceptions Of, And Attitudes Towards, The Use Of Information Communications Technologies To Support Digital Forms Of Summative Performance Assessment In The Applied Information Technology And Engineering Studies Courses In Western Australia, Steven Puay Chong Chia

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study investigated the connections between teachers’ and students’ perceptions of, and attitudes towards, the use of Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) to support assessment in senior secondary courses in Western Australia, and the feasibility of such support in various forms. This investigation focused on the main characteristics of these perceptions, and attitudes and their relationships with curriculum, pedagogy, assessment and ICT. The findings provide guidelines for educators in using ICT to support summative performance assessment. My study was part of the main research study undertaken by Edith Cowan University (ECU) and the Curriculum Council of Western Australia (CCWA) and …

Research In Action: Leading Literacy Learning In Primary Schools: Final Report 2013 - 2014, Deslea Konza

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

PALL Plus was funded by a Public Education Endowment Trust (PEET) grant and was conducted with the leaders of 12 primary schools serving low socio-economic communities in metropolitan Perth throughout 2013 and 2014. It was a development of the Principals as Literacy Leaders (PALL) pilot project funded by the Commonwealth Government in 2009-10, which was designed to assist primary school principals across Australia to develop their capacity to lead the teaching of reading in their schools...

Supporting Positive School Culture Through Interpersonal Engagement: Phase One Report: Kinross College December 2015, Geoffrey Lummis, Graeme Lock, Julia Morris

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The Industry Collaboration Project, ‘Supporting Positive School Culture Through Interpersonal Engagement’ is a joint project between Edith Cowan University, Hampton Senior High School, Kinross College and Mindarie Senior College. The project aims to empower school leaders to co-create, implement and evaluate professional learning programs that promote enhanced staff relationships. Supporting school leaders to improve staff relationships is important because staff (both teaching and school support) are key stakeholders in children’s educational outcomes (Stringer, 2013). Ensuring school staff feel valued in their school community is also of ongoing importance, particularly as staff accountability and burnout rises in the teaching profession both …

Relations Between Teachers’ Classroom Goals And Values: A Case Study Of High School Teachers In Far North Queensland, Australia, Claudia E. Pudelko, Helen J. Boon

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

To date, there is an empirical gap in the evidence of the relations between teachers’ classroom goals and values, two key variables linked to students’ achievement motivation. The purpose of this study was to investigate this relationship in an Australian teacher sample. We surveyed 102 high school teachers from seven schools in Cairns, Queensland using items of Wentzel’s Classroom Goals Scales and Schwartz’s Portrait Values Questionnaire. Results showed several positive associations between teachers’ classroom goals and values. Social goals were linked to a wide range of values, while academic goals were linked to specific value dimensions, e.g. mastery approach goals …

Australian Youth Work Education: Curriculum Renewal And A Model For Sustainability For Niche Professions, Trudi Cooper, Judith Bessant, Robyn Broadbent, Jen Couch, Kathy Edwards, Jayne Jarvis, Cath Ferguson

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The four main purposes of this project were to:

• Renew the curriculum for Australian youth work professional education, applying the approach to curriculum outlined by Barnett and Coate (2005)

• Investigate the potential for cross-institutional sharing of courseware and educational materials that will facilitate future benchmarking, inter-sectoral and inter-professional pathways, and international qualification recognition

• Promote long-term change through the establishment of a cross-sectoral youth work educators network

• Suggest starting points for a sustainability model for other niche professions.

Responding To The Evidence: Synthetic Phonics In Action: Final Report: Keys To Unlocking The Future 2012-2013, Deslea Konza

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This project aimed to develop the capacity of primary teachers and School Support Officers (SSOs) to deliver a synthetic phonics program to beginning and struggling readers in 12 primary schools in the Yorke and Mid North region of South Australia. It was designed to ‘value-add’ to the Principals as Literacy Leaders (PALL) project which had been implemented in the region over the previous three years, and to build a critical mass of skilled teachers in a region that usually scored below average in reading on NAPLAN assessments.

A synthetic phonics program refers to one that teaches the alphabetic code or …

Mathematics, English And Gender Issues: Do Teachers Count?, Gilah C. Leder, Helen J. Forgasz, Glenda Jackson

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Pedestrians were stopped in the street and asked about their views on the teaching and learning of mathematics and English for boys and girls. Many commented on the importance of teachers for both subject areas; some respondents self-identified as teachers. In this article we present findings on the gendering of mathematics and English and the impact that teachers can have on learning outcomes in these disciplines. The data reveal that mathematics is endorsed by many as a male domain and English as a female domain, and that teachers play an influential part in the learning outcomes – achievement, future participation, …

Teachers’ Knowledge Of Anxiety And Identification Of Excessive Anxiety In Children, Clea Headley, Marilyn A. Campbell

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This study examined primary school teachers’ knowledge of anxiety and excessive anxiety symptoms in children. Three hundred and fifteen primary school teachers completed a questionnaire exploring their definitions of anxiety and the indications they associated with excessive anxiety in primary school children. Results showed that teachers had an understanding of what anxiety was in general but did not consistently distinguish normal anxiety from excessive anxiety, often defining all anxiety as a negative experience. Teachers were able to identify symptoms of excessive anxiety in children by recognizing anxiety-specific and general problem indications. The results provided preliminary evidence that teachers’ knowledge of …

Enhancing The Uptake Of Learning Through Simulation In Health, Cobie Rudd

Research outputs 2013

The initial reason that a simulated learning environment (SLE) was pursued was to offer university-based health students a safe and authentic environment in which to learn and practise their skills. Since that time, some eight years later, experience has shown that an SLE needed multiple dimensions to its work, based on evidence. In addition, a new approach to applying and integrating learning through simulation within health curricula, that was replicable and affordable, was required...

Through The Viewfinder: Reflecting On The Collection And Analysis Of Classroom Video Data, Angela Fitzgerald, Mark Hackling, Vaille Dawson

Research outputs 2013

The possibilities inherent in the collection and use of video footage point to an important innovation for classroom research. Unfortunately, researchers often experience uncertainty about incorporating video into their methodological approach as it can present a potential minefield of operational, technical, and ethical issues that require consideration and negotiation. Nevertheless, with the increased emphasis on the use of digital technologies, the timing is right to engage in more in-depth discussions about the role of video data in education research. In contributing to this discussion, this article unpacks several issues connected to the use of video technology as a tool for …

Higher Degree Research Training Excellence: A Good Practice Framework, Joe Luca, Trish Wolski

Research outputs 2013

Over the last decade, the Australian Government has tabled a number of reports targeting improved research and research training outputs from Australian universities. This is placing all Australian universities under increased pressure to promote quality and timely research training outputs.

The Good Practice Framework (GPF) for research training has been developed to respond to the Australian Government’s agenda for research training and to promote Australian excellence in research training. The GPF assists institutions to identify key areas of good practice or gaps when reviewing and evaluating their research training processes and practices...

Professional Conversations: Mentor Teachers’ Theories-In-Use Using The Australian National Professional Standards For Teachers, Simon N. Leonard

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

In this paper the written feedback provided by mentor teachers using a new assessment model for preservice teacher professional experience deployed in the Australian Capital Territory and based on the Australian National Standards for Teachers is analysed. The analysis reveals mentor teachers hold a pervasive theory-in-use in regards to the needs of beginning teachers that may restrict the developmental ambition of the assessment model. The restricted vision of what is important for beginning teachers held by mentor teachers is possibly a reaction to continual change within school education. The analysis is preceded by a description of the ‘Professional Conversations’ model …

What A Difference A Year Made! : An Evaluation Of The National Year Of Reading 2012 In Western Australia, Queensland And The Australian Capital Territory, Caroline Barratt-Pugh, Pru Smith, Karen Anderson

Research outputs 2012

This report is an evaluation of how the National Year of Reading helped to build a reading culture across the nation. The evaluation was undertaken by The Centre for Research in Early Childhood Education, Edith Cowan University, Western Australia . The report describes the nature and outcomes of the National Year of Reading in the four case studies, including a consideration of what participating organisations delivered beyond what would normally be expected of them. The findings lead to a series of conclusions about the program's successes, challenges and legacy followed by recommendations about how these successes can be sustained and …

Students With Asd In Mainstream Primary Education Settings: Teachers' Experiences In Western Australian Classrooms, Rebecca Soto, Julie Ann Pooley, Lynne Cohen, Myra Taylor

Research outputs 2012

The shift to inclusive education within Australia has resulted in increasing numbers of students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) being placed in mainstream educational settings. This move has created new demands on teachers who are not necessarily trained to meet the challenge. Therefore, the present study aimed to develop an understanding of how 12 Western Australian primary school (K-7) teachers adapted to the challenge of having a student with ASD in their mainstream classroom. Using an interpretivist framework, data from semistructured interviews revealed that teachers perceived a need to first recognise and accept the challenges associated with having a student …