Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Social Value And Its Impact Through Widening Participation: A Review Of Four Programs Working With Primary, Secondary & Higher Education Students, Jioji Ravulo, Shannon Said, Jim Micsko, Gayl Purchase

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

In 2017 the Office of Widening Participation conducted a program- wide analysis of the Social Return On Investment (SROI) to evaluate the impact of four Widening Participation programs at Western Sydney University (WSU). The programs evaluated were Fast Forward, Strive Towards Educational Participation and Success (STEPS), First Foot Forward, and Pasifika Achievement To Higher Education (PATHE). The overlapping aim amongst the four programs is to increase higher education participation rates, particularly for students coming from low socio-economic backgrounds. The SROI framework provided a holistic analysis by intertwining qualitative and quantitative data. The analysis showed that each program-albeit with differences-produced a …

The Invisible Line: Students As Partners Or Students As Colleagues?, Michelle J. Eady, Corinne Green

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

No abstract provided.

Viewpoints: Should Teaching Students Who Fail A Literacy And Numeracy Test Be Barred From Teaching?, Lynn D. Sheridan, Nan Bahr

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Starting this month, teaching students who fail or haven't yet taken the Literacy and Numeracy Test for Initial Teacher Education (LANTITE) will not be able to teach in Victorian schools. Previously, around one in 20 teachers who had failed the test or hadn't taken it yet received provisional registration. Prospective students who took the test late in 2018 received their results on January 11.

The Long And Winding Road: Experiences Of Students Entering University Through Transition Programs, Theresa Millman, Jacinta M. Mcnamara

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This article presents outcomes of two studies which focus on the lived experience of transition by students entering higher education in NSW (New South Wales), Australia, from two divergent pathways: Technical and Further Education (TAFE) and a university based enabling program. The studies intersect in two fundamental ways. First, the theoretical foundations (Mezirow's Transformational Learning Theory and Bourdieu's Social Capital Theory) which emphasise the role of habits of mind and the habitus respectively in an individual's life. Second, both studies have identified the primacy of the contribution of education to changing notions of self. The studies have found that successful …

The Predominant Learning Approaches Of Medical Students, Sonali P. Chonkar, Tam C. Ha, Sarah Chu, Ada X. Ng, Melissa Lim, Tat X. Ee, Mor J. Ng, Kok H. Tan

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background By identifying medical students’ learning approaches and the factors that influence students’ learning approaches, medical schools and health care institutions are better equipped to intervene and optimize their learning experience. The aims of our study is to determine the predominant learning approach amongst medical students on a clinical posting in a hospital in Singapore and to examine the demographic factors that affect their learning approach. Methods The Approaches and Study Skills Inventory for Students (ASSIST) questionnaire was administered to 250 medical students from various medical schools on clinical attachment to the Obstetrics and Gynaecology (O&G) department of KK Women’s …

Refugee Background Students Transitioning Into Higher Education: Navigating Complex Spaces, Skye Playsted

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Book review

Relationships Between Mental Toughness, Barriers To Exercise, And Exercise Behaviour In Undergraduate Students, Elizabeth Stamp, Lee Crust, Christian F. Swann, John Perry

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The present study explored relationships between mental toughness (MT), barriers to exercise, and self-reported exercise behaviour in university students. Perceived barriers to exercise are important since previous work has identified barriers as strong predictors of exercise behaviour. MT was hypothesised to predict exercise barriers and self-reported exercise behaviour. Participants were 173 undergraduate students (45 men, 128 women) from 10 United Kingdom universities. Questionnaires were used to assess MT, exercise levels, and exercise barriers. Path analysis identified that MT predicted barriers to exercise, with higher MT associated with weaker perceived barriers. Regular exercisers were found to have significantly higher MT than …

Knowledge And Attitudes To Sexual Health And Sti Testing For Students At An Australian Regional University: A Cross-Sectional Study, Catherine L. Mac Phail, Tinashe Dune, Gina Dillon, Saifur Rahman, Rasheda Khanam, Laura Jenkins, Marnie Britton, Bernie Green, Christine Edwards, Annette Stevenson

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Notifications for sexually transmitted diseases in young people in Australia are increasing. Young people are a priority population within the National Sexually Transmissible Infections Strategy, yet their knowledge of sexual health issues is limited. In the context of Health-Promoting Universities, we examined sexual health knowledge and access to care of both on and off-campus students at a regional university. In late 2012, 418 tertiary students aged 18-29 years completed an online baseline survey on their recent sexual behaviours and attitudes. In mid-2014, 956 students aged 18-31 years, of which 105 had completed the 2012 survey, completed the same or "endline" …

‘Students That Just Hate School Wouldn’T Go’: Educationally Disengaged And Disadvantaged Young People’S Talk About University, Samantha Mcmahon, Valerie Harwood, Anna Hickey-Moody

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This paper contributes to a growing body of literature on widening university participation and brings a focus on the classed and embodied nature of young people’s imagination to existing discussions. We interviewed 250 young people living in disadvantaged communities across five Australian states who had experienced disengagement from compulsory primary and secondary schooling. We asked them about their education and their educational futures, specifically how they imagined universities and university participation. For these young people, universities were imagined as ‘big’, ‘massive’ alienating schools. The paper explores how the elements of schooling from which these young people disengaged became tangible barriers …

Navigating The Knowledge Sets Of Older Learners: Exploring The Concept Of Experiential Capital Amongst First-In-Family Mature Age Students, Sarah Elizabeth O'Shea

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This paper is based upon research with university students who were first in their family to come to university. The studies sought to explore how attending university impacted upon both the learners and their families, particularly the intergenerational implications of this attendance. Drawing on in-depth interviews conducted with older university students, this paper will focus on how this mature cohort articulated the ways in which they drew upon life and work experiences in their transition to university. The research indicates that these learners had access to additional capitals in the higher education environment including what has been termed as 'experiential …

Opportunity Through Online Learning: Experiences Of First-In-Family Students In Online Open-Entry Higher Education, Cathy Stone, Sarah Elizabeth O'Shea, Josephine May, Janine Delahunty, Zoe Partington

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Online learning has an important place in widening access and participation in higher education for diverse student cohorts. One cohort taking up online study in increasing numbers is that of mature-age, first-in-family students. First-in-family is defined as those who are the first in their immediate family, including parents, siblings, partners and children, to undertake university studies. This paper looks at the experience of 87 first-in-family students, for whom the opportunity to study open-entry, online undergraduate units through Open Universities Australia made it possible for them to embark on a university education. Using a qualitative methodology, in-depth interviews and surveys were …

Challenges Experienced By Japanese Students With Oral Communication Skills In Australian Universities, Miho Yanagi, Amanda Ann Baker

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Due to ever-increasing demands to acquire effective communicative abilities in the English language, increasing numbers of international students choose to study in Western tertiary institutions; however, they frequently encounter difficulties in performing satisfactorily in English. This study aims to identify specific challenges that Japanese students face with oral communication skills while studying in Australian universities. Results from questionnaire data collected from 33 undergraduate and postgraduate Japanese students in Australia and interview data from five TESOL postgraduate students indicate that Japanese students have greater difficulty with speaking than with listening and pronunciation. It also sheds additional insight into two areas of …

Re-Examining "Redesign" In Critical Literacy Lessons With Grade 6 Students, Jessica Mantei, Lisa K. Kervin

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

In children's literary texts, ideologies aligning readers with discourses of certain communities often remain uncontested, potentially privileging those views and values over others. Critical literacy, therefore, is important so children can contest positions taken in literary texts and consider how their own texts in turn position others. This inquiry examined redesign as a pedagogical approach for developing critical literacy with 12 year old students as they deconstructed messages they identified in a short film and then reconstructed alternative viewpoints with new digital literary texts (redesigns). Findings revealed that the redesign cycle supported learners as they moved through a process of …

Supporting And Engaging Students Who Are The First In Their Families To Attend University: A Practise Paper, Sarah Elizabeth O'Shea

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Globally, first-in-family learners represent a significant proportion of the university student population, yet these high rates of participation are not necessarily matched by equally high success rates. Instead, internationally the research on this group indicates that these learners are at greater risk of departure from university when compared to their second and third generation peers, often as a result of limited exposure to academic culture and expectations. This article provides an overview of current research on first-in-family learners and also, offers some recommendations for supporting and engaging with this cohort within university settings.

Navigating The Knowledge Sets Of Older Learners: Exploring The Capitals Of First-Infamily Mature Age Students, Sarah Elizabeth O'Shea

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This paper is based upon research with Australian students who were the first in their family to come to university. The studies sought to explore how attending university impacted upon both the learners and their families, particularly the intergenerational implications of this attendance. Drawing on indepth interviews conducted with older university students enrolled in a medium sized regional university, this paper will focus on how this mature cohort articulated the ways in which they drew upon life and work experiences during their transition to university. Applying the Community Cultural Framework (Yosso, 2005) this article proposes that these learners brought a …

Avoiding The Manufacture Of 'Sameness': First-In-Family Students, Cultural Capital And The Higher Education Environment, Sarah Elizabeth O'Shea

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Drawing upon Bourdieu's theories of social and cultural capital, a number of studies of the higher education environment have indicated that students who are first-in-family to come to university may lack the necessary capitals to enact success. To address this issue, university transition strategies often have the primary objective of 'filling students up' with legitimate forms of cultural capital required by the institution. However, this article argues that such an approach is fundamentally flawed, as students can be either framed as deficit or replete in capitals depending on how their particular background and capabilities are perceived. Drawing on interviews conducted …

Preparing To Cross The Research Proposal Threshold: A Case Study Of Two International Doctoral Students, Meeta Chatterjee, Wendy S. Nielsen

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This paper presents a study of two international doctoral students' perspectives on preparing to formally present the thesis proposal, which we conceptualise as a threshold in the PhD journey. They participated in a thesis writing group (TWG) that aimed to support international doctoral students to develop aspects of their scholarship in the early stages of their candidature. The case students reported feeling 'stuck' before joining the TWG run by the authors. After the writing group experience, they reported that they had gained confidence and developed the skills and knowledge required to prepare for their proposal presentation. Their perspectives were gathered …

A Comparison Of Chinese And Australian University Students' Attitudes Towards Plagiarism, John Ehrich, Steven J. Howard, Congjun Mu, Sahar Bokosmaty

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Student plagiarism is a growing problem within Australian universities and abroad. Potentially exacerbating this situation, research indicates that students' attitudes toward plagiarism are typically more permissive and lenient than the policies of their tertiary institutions. There has been suggestion that this is especially so in Asian countries relative to Western countries; however, very little research has sought to empirically validate this suggestion. Moreover, existing research in this area has typically compared international and domestic students studying in Western countries. As yet, no studies have directly compared Chinese and Australian university students' attitudes toward plagiarism, as they exist within their native …

The Purpose And Value For Students Of Pbl Groups For Learning, Vicki Skinner, Annette J. Braunack-Mayer, Tracey J. Winning

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Groups are central to problem-based learning (PBL) and educational and professional outcomes relevant to clinical education. However, PBL groups in practice may differ from theoretical conceptions of groups. Therefore, this study explored students’ understandings of the purpose and value of PBL groups for their learning. We conducted a naturalistic study with novice (first-year) students at two dental schools (Australia, Ireland), using observation and interviews analyzed thematically. Students constructed PBL learning as individual knowledge gain, and group purpose as information gathering and exchange; few students acknowledged the learning potential of group processes. Group value depended on assessment and curriculum context. Findings …

How Primary School Students Can Self-Manage Cognitive Load When Presented With Redundant Information, Faisal Mirza, Shirley Agostinho, Sharon K. Tindall-Ford, Fred Paas

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Abstract presented at the 8th Cognitive Load Theory Conference, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA, June 15th - 17th, 2015.

How Finger Tracing Of Temperature Graphs On An Ipad Can Support Primary School Students' Learning, Shirley Agostinho, Sharon K. Tindall-Ford, Paul Ginns, Steven J. Howard, Wayne Leahy, Fred Paas

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Abstract presented at the 8th Cognitive Load Theory Conference, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA, June 15th - 17th, 2015.

Using Cognitive Load Compliant Instructions To Support Working Memory For Anxious Students, Deborah Chadwick, Sharon K. Tindall-Ford, Shirley Agostinho, Fred Paas

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Abstract presented at the 8th Cognitive Load Theory Conference, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA, June 15th - 17th, 2015.

Why First-In-Family Uni Students Should Receive More Support, Sarah Elizabeth O'Shea

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Many university students fall into one of the six “equity groups” that receive targeted funding. However, there is one group that has for too long been ignored as a group that needs extra assistance in making it through university.

The six targeted equity groups include those:

• from lower socioeconomic backgrounds: currently measured by permanent home postcode

• from rural and isolated areas: measured by permanent postcode, population density data and proximity to cities

• with a disability (self-identified on enrolment)

• from a non-English-speaking background (those born overseas and who speak a language other than English)

• women in non-traditional areas of study; and …

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Getting Students Into Uni Is One Thing, But How To Keep Them There?, Sarah Elizabeth O'Shea, Paul A. Chandler, Valerie Harwood

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has revealed Labor's policy platform for higher education, saying the focus would be on retaining students in higher education and curbing the numbers dropping out. The students most at risk of not graduating are those from equity backgrounds including low socioeconomic and Indigenous students. So how do we make sure these students complete their degrees? Labor has been light on detail, but we know of some things that would help.

'University Wasn't Spoken About At Home, It Was Just Assumed That We Would Start Working…': First-In-Family Students, Family Capital And Higher Education Participation, Sarah Elizabeth O'Shea

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The increases in the number of students attending higher education, particularly those who are the first in their immediate family to attend university provided the impetus for the study outlined in this article. Whilst previous research has explored the qualitative experience of being a first in family student, very few studies have explicitly focussed on how attending university interacts and impacts upon the immediate family of the learner. Drawing upon in-depth semi-structured interviews, this article will detail the findings from a small-scale study conducted in an Australian university that explored the interaction of the family home place and students' enactment …

Physics Students' Social Media Learning Behaviors And Connectedness, Rachel Moll, Wendy S. Nielsen, Cedric Linder

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Drawing on a complexity thinking perspective on learning, the conditions of emergence for complex systems were used as an analytic framework to characterize social media learning behaviours for their potential to promote connectedness. The authors' analysis identifies trends in secondary and tertiary physics students' social media use from focus group interview data and characterizes the nature of these behaviours for their potential to benefit students' understanding of the content of science curricula. While the authors' study focuses on physics learning, they propose implications that extend to other science learning contexts vis-a-vis how to transform connectivity learning behaviours into connectedness learning …

An Examination Of Pre-Service Teachers' Attributions For Students With Specific Learning Difficulties, Stuart Woodcock, Wilma Vialle

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

One of the most important factors in the successful inclusion of students with specific learning difficulties in mainstream classrooms is the teacher. Despite strong support for inclusion, mainstream teachers still demonstrate mixed responses to the inclusion of certain students in the classrooms. Further, their attitudes towards inclusion seem to be formed during their initial training. The purpose of this research was to examine the attitudes of pre-service teachers towards students with specific learning difficulties by analyzing their attributional responses to hypothetical students. Participants included 205 pre-service teachers, and the results demonstrated that the pre-service teachers' attributional responses differed according to …

Leading School Communities To Implement A Sustainable School-Wide Model Leading To Enhancing Learning Outcomes For Students With Asd, Amanda A. Webster, Jane Wilkinson

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The crucial role of school leaders in inclusive schools for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has received more attention in recent years. A pilot study was conducted in three Australian/Queensland schools to trial a shared model of school leadership in implementing a whole school approach for students with ASD. Schools established an ASD leadership team, which was headed up by the school principal and head of special education (HOSE) but also included a classroom teacher, and a parent of a child with ASD. Together the principal and HOSE led the team in assessing their current practices and establishing an …

Does Using Active Learning In Thermodynamics Lectures Improve Students' Conceptual Understanding And Learning Experiences?, Helen Georgiou, Manjula Sharma

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Encouraging 'active learning' in the large lecture theatre emerges as a credible recommendation for improving university courses, with reports often showing significant improvements in learning outcomes. However, the recommendations are based predominantly on studies undertaken in mechanics. We set out to examine those claims in the thermodynamics module of a large first year physics course with an established technique, called interactive lecture demonstrations (ILDs). The study took place at University of Sydney, where four parallel streams of the thermodynamics module were divided into two streams that experienced the ILDs and two streams that did not. The programme was first implemented …

Intellectually Gifted Students Often Have Learning Disabilities, Catherine M. Wormald

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Mention the terms "intellectual giftedness" and "learning disability" and there is a general understanding of what each term means. However, most people are unaware that in many circumstances the two can go hand in hand. Current US research suggests that 14% of children who are identified as being intellectually gifted may also have a learning disability. This is compared to about 4% of children in the general population. No-one has been able to explain this discrepancy. While children who are intellectually gifted are acknowledged, the fact that some of these students could also have a learning disability is ignored. Teachers …