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University of Wollongong

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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

“I Think That’S My Job”: What Motivates Teachers To Partner With Teacher Educators In Ite?, Corinne Green, Michelle J. Eady, Sharon K. Tindall-Ford Jan 2020

“I Think That’S My Job”: What Motivates Teachers To Partner With Teacher Educators In Ite?, Corinne Green, Michelle J. Eady, Sharon K. Tindall-Ford

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Policymakers and researchers internationally have advocated school–university partnerships as an innovative means of strengthening initial teacher education (ITE) through the integration of theory and practice. These partnerships provide valuable learning opportunities for the pre-service teachers, in-service teachers, university teacher educators, and school students involved. While there has been ample literature discussing the implementation and benefits of school–university partnerships, there is currently a paucity of research investigating what motivates teachers’ involvement in these collaborations. This chapter provides a local response to this research gap by presenting an Australian-based case study. Informed by the Reasoned Action Approach (Fishbein & Ajzen, 2010), this …


Research On Teacher Cognition And Pronunciation Instruction: Implications For Teachers, Amanda Ann Baker Jan 2018

Research On Teacher Cognition And Pronunciation Instruction: Implications For Teachers, Amanda Ann Baker

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

No abstract provided.


Identifying The Characteristics Of Support Australian University Teachers Use In Their Design Work: Implications For The Learning Design Field, Shirley Agostinho, Lori Lockyer, Sue Bennett Jan 2018

Identifying The Characteristics Of Support Australian University Teachers Use In Their Design Work: Implications For The Learning Design Field, Shirley Agostinho, Lori Lockyer, Sue Bennett

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Quality teaching is a strategic objective for universities; thus, there is an expectation that university teachers design high quality learning experience for their students. The field of learning design has developed over the past 15 years as a way to support teachers in their design work. There has been significant research and development work that has focused on creating support tools to help teachers plan, develop and deliver learning experiences. However, little is known about what supports teachers access and use when they design and overall how teachers undertake their design work. This paper presents the findings from a qualitative …


How Technology Shapes Assessment Design: Findings From A Study Of University Teachers, Sue Bennett, Phillip Dawson, Margaret Bearman, Elizabeth K. Molloy, David J. Boud Jan 2017

How Technology Shapes Assessment Design: Findings From A Study Of University Teachers, Sue Bennett, Phillip Dawson, Margaret Bearman, Elizabeth K. Molloy, David J. Boud

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

A wide range of technologies has been developed to enhance assessment, but adoption has been inconsistent. This is despite assessment being critical to student learning and certification. To understand why this is the case and how it can be addressed, we need to explore the perspectives of academics responsible for designing and implementing technology-supported assessment strategies. This paper reports on the experience of designing technology-supported assessment based on interviews with 33 Australian university teachers. The findings reveal the desire to achieve greater efficiencies and to be contemporary and innovative as key drivers of technology adoption for assessment. Participants sought to …


Feedback On Second Language Pronunciation: A Case Study Of Eap Teachers' Beliefs And Practices, Amanda Ann Baker, Michael Burri Jan 2016

Feedback On Second Language Pronunciation: A Case Study Of Eap Teachers' Beliefs And Practices, Amanda Ann Baker, Michael Burri

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

In the modern English language classroom, teachers are often faced with the challenging task of supporting students to achieve comprehensible pronunciation, but many teachers limit or neglect giving students feedback on their pronunciation for a variety of reasons. This paper examines the case of five experienced English for Academic Purposes (EAP) instructors who strive to provide feedback on specific features of pronunciation that negatively affect students' comprehensibility. Results derived from semi-structured interviews, classroom observations and stimulated recall interviews reveal that the teachers use similar approaches to select and provide feedback on problematic features of pronunciation. Naturally, these approaches sometimes differed …


The Process Of Designing For Learning: Understanding University Teachers' Design Work, Sue Bennett, Shirley Agostinho, Lori Lockyer Jan 2016

The Process Of Designing For Learning: Understanding University Teachers' Design Work, Sue Bennett, Shirley Agostinho, Lori Lockyer

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Interest in how to support the design work of university teachers has led to research and development initiatives that include technology-based design-support tools, online repositories, and technical specifications. Despite these initiatives, remarkably little is known about the design work that university teachers actually do. This paper presents findings from a qualitative study that investigated the design processes of 30 teachers from 16 Australian universities. The results show design as a top-down iterative process, beginning with a broad framework to which detail is added through cycles of elaboration. Design extends over the period before, while, and after a unit is taught, …


Hpe Teachers' Negotiation Of Environmental Health Spaces: Discursive Positions, Embodiment And Materialism, Nicole Taylor, Jan Wright, Gabrielle H. O'Flynn Jan 2016

Hpe Teachers' Negotiation Of Environmental Health Spaces: Discursive Positions, Embodiment And Materialism, Nicole Taylor, Jan Wright, Gabrielle H. O'Flynn

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

A National Curriculum in Health and Physical Education (HPE) has recently been developed in Australia. This new curriculum reflects, among other educational priorities, both environmental sensitivities and a commitment to the enhancement of young people's health and wellbeing. HPE is one of the key sites in the curriculum where a focused consideration of the relationship between the environment and health is possible. However, to date no research has considered the ways that HPE teachers might recognise and negotiate these spaces. The research described in this paper addresses this gap through an analysis of semi-structured interviews with generalist primary and specialist …


Preservice Teachers' Learning With Yuin Country: Becoming Respectful Teachers In Aboriginal Education, Anthony D. Mcknight Jan 2016

Preservice Teachers' Learning With Yuin Country: Becoming Respectful Teachers In Aboriginal Education, Anthony D. Mcknight

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The ownership of Aboriginal knowledge and the Aboriginal perspective presented in school curriculum is always with Country. A number of preservice teachers were taken to a sacred story, "Gulaga a Living Spiritual Mountain," to participate in an elective subject to engage in respectful reciprocal relationship with Country. The spirituality of Country is unknown to many preservice teachers, consequently the concept of Country as teacher in a respectful reciprocal relationship was unfamiliar. Engaging in Aboriginal ways of knowing, learning, and behaving provides an opportunity for preservice teachers to initiate a relationship with Country to respectfully implement Aboriginal perspectives in their own …


Confusions And Conundrums During Final Practicum: A Study Of Preservice Teachers' Knowledge Of Challenging Behaviour, Samantha Mcmahon, Valerie Harwood Jan 2016

Confusions And Conundrums During Final Practicum: A Study Of Preservice Teachers' Knowledge Of Challenging Behaviour, Samantha Mcmahon, Valerie Harwood

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This chapter describes the psy-knowledges central to preservice teachers' understandings of challenging behaviour. Particularly, it pays attention to the unexpectedly dangerous questions generated when working towards a practical and integrated understanding of how biological, psychological, and ecological factors interact. This chapter deploys Foucauldian discourse analysis to problematize the preservice teachers' shifting and changeable awareness of these causal attributions of behaviour and how this impacts their pedagogy.


Examining Changes In Pre-Service Teachers' Beliefs Of Pedagogy, Lynn D. Sheridan Jan 2016

Examining Changes In Pre-Service Teachers' Beliefs Of Pedagogy, Lynn D. Sheridan

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Pre-service teachers enter teacher education with beliefs about teaching and ideas on pedagogical approaches. This research focuses on monitoring the pedagogical beliefs of a cohort of pre-service teachers'; pre-existing pedagogical beliefs on important/relevant pedagogy for secondary teaching and how these beliefs changed over the course of their degree. Data were collected from a cohort via a survey at the beginning and end of the year of the study. The cohort comprised pre-service teachers from each year of the four-year degree. This research found that pedagogical beliefs changed over the duration of the course. This finding indicates that there are educational …


Identity Formation Of Lbote Preservice Teachers During The Practicum: A Case Study In Australia In An Urban High School, Hoa Thi Mai Nguyen, Lynn D. Sheridan Jan 2016

Identity Formation Of Lbote Preservice Teachers During The Practicum: A Case Study In Australia In An Urban High School, Hoa Thi Mai Nguyen, Lynn D. Sheridan

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The article presents a case study of a growing number of English language background other than English (LBOTE) students in teacher education in Australia. Topics discussed include the impact of teaching practice in the identity formation of preservice teachers, the work experience of teachers in Australian schools, and the teacher identity.


The Learning Experience: Training Teachers Using Online Synchronous Environments, Stuart Woodcock, Ashley Sisco, Michelle J. Eady Jan 2015

The Learning Experience: Training Teachers Using Online Synchronous Environments, Stuart Woodcock, Ashley Sisco, Michelle J. Eady

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This study examined the effectiveness of an online synchronous platform used for training preservice teachers. A blended learning approach was implemented. Fifty-three students participated in the course. Qualitative interview data and quantitative survey data were collected about students' experiences using the platform, and analyzed via thematic content analysis and statistical analysis, respectively. The findings show that e-learning synchronous technology is an effective learning tool in enhancing preservice teachers' e-learning competency in subject matter and information communication technology skills. However, preservice teachers' competency to learn and implement e-learning for students is dependent on four hierarchal conditions (a) ease of use, (b) …


'But I'M Not Artistic': How Teachers Shape Kids' Creative Development, Gai M. Lindsay Jan 2015

'But I'M Not Artistic': How Teachers Shape Kids' Creative Development, Gai M. Lindsay

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Many adults believe they are not artistic and feel nervous about visual art. They vividly recall the moment when a teacher or family member discouraged their efforts to creatively express their ideas through drawing or art-making. Such early childhood experiences can affect developing confidence and learning potential throughout a child's education and into adulthood. If preschool educators lack the visual art knowledge and confidence to provide valuable art experiences, children's potential to creatively express their ideas using visual symbols may be restricted. Creative thinking and the ability to make meaning in many ways is the key to success in the …


What Should Be Taught By Teachers, And What By Parents?, Pauline Lysaght Jan 2015

What Should Be Taught By Teachers, And What By Parents?, Pauline Lysaght

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Who taught you to tell the time, to tie your shoelaces or to write your name? I have memories of my parents and teachers taking a hand in helping me to learn these skills as a small child. But what about more challenging tasks - who taught you to analyse a poem or to solve equations? Mr Williamson, my favourite teacher, taught the principles of algebra to our class and patiently went over the information until it started to make some sense to me. I also remember my parents encouraging me to practise what I was learning in class and …


Designing A Digital Teaching Resource To Explain Phases Of The Moon: A Case Study Of Preservice Elementary Teachers Making A Slowmation, Wendy S. Nielsen, Garry F. Hoban Jan 2015

Designing A Digital Teaching Resource To Explain Phases Of The Moon: A Case Study Of Preservice Elementary Teachers Making A Slowmation, Wendy S. Nielsen, Garry F. Hoban

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This research studied a group of three preservice elementary teachers creating a narrated stop-motion animation (Slowmation) from start to finish in 3 hours to explain the challenging concept of "phases of the moon" to elementary school children. The research questions investigated the preservice teachers' learning before and after the construction as well as how the preservice teachers designed the slowmation as a teaching resource. Data collection involved individual interviews immediately before and after the construction in conjunction with analysis of video and audio data collected during the construction process. Before the animation construction, the participants had little understanding of the …


Teachers: Technology, Change And Resistance, Sarah Katherine Howard, Adrian Mozejko Jan 2015

Teachers: Technology, Change And Resistance, Sarah Katherine Howard, Adrian Mozejko

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This chapter explores the way in which a culture of educational technology-related policy and curriculum change has arguably resulted in minimal improvement in teaching and learning. Moreover, it is argued that such a culture of change has instead simply increased teacher disengagement and thereby resulted in teachers being erroneously labelled by polichy actors, administrators and technology enthusiasts as 'resistant' to change, 'luddites' and 'risk averse'. Accordingly, this chapter challenges these simplistic labels, and offers a more critical perspective of how and why teachers (dis)engage with technology.


An Examination Of Pre-Service Teachers' Attributions For Students With Specific Learning Difficulties, Stuart Woodcock, Wilma Vialle Jan 2015

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 …


Student Teachers' Cognition About L2 Pronunciation Instruction: A Case Study, Michael Burri Jan 2015

Student Teachers' Cognition About L2 Pronunciation Instruction: A Case Study, Michael Burri

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

In view of the minimal attention pronunciation teacher preparation has received in second language (L2) teacher education, this study examined the cognition (i.e. beliefs, thoughts, attitudes and knowledge) development of 15 student teachers during a postgraduate subject on pronunciation pedagogy offered at an Australian tertiary institution. Findings revealed that, as a result of taking the subject, student teachers' cognition shifted from teaching individual sounds (i.e. segmentals) to favouring a more balanced approach to pronunciation instruction. That is, teaching the melody of the English language (i.e. suprasegmentals) was seen as important as teaching segmentals. Non-native speakers' self-perceived pronunciation improvement, an increase …


"Teachers Are Not Empty Vessels": A Reception Study Of Freeman And Johnson's (1998) Reconceptualization Of The Knowledge Base Of Second Language Teacher Education, Joseph J. Lee, John Murphy, Amanda Ann Baker Jan 2015

"Teachers Are Not Empty Vessels": A Reception Study Of Freeman And Johnson's (1998) Reconceptualization Of The Knowledge Base Of Second Language Teacher Education, Joseph J. Lee, John Murphy, Amanda Ann Baker

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This study traces the reception history of Freeman and Johnson's (1998) widely cited article dedicated to theory and practices of second language teacher education (SLTE). It illuminates the degree to which that article has impacted SLTE theory, research, and potentially instructional practices. The reception study analysis is based on a data set of 413 journal articles, books, book chapters, master's theses, and doctoral dissertations that cited Freeman and Johnson (F&J) between 1999 and 2014. Using an innovative analytical approach combining both Hyland's (1999, 2004) citation categories and Coffin's (2009) stance framework, we investigate the citation analytics of F&J within this …


Enhancing The Quality Of Pre-Service Teachers Learning Through The Conceptualizing Of Mentoring Strategies During The Practicum, Lynn D. Sheridan, Hoa Nguyen Jan 2015

Enhancing The Quality Of Pre-Service Teachers Learning Through The Conceptualizing Of Mentoring Strategies During The Practicum, Lynn D. Sheridan, Hoa Nguyen

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Professional experience has been described as a cornerstone of teacher preparation that has a "profound impact on student teachers" (Hammerness, Darling-Hammond, & Shulman, 2002, p. 409). There is a wide variation of teacher education programs across the world however, in most countries teacher preparation programs consists of initial university-based course work followed by school-based student teaching practice. Clearly, this program structure has implications for the role of professional experience in creating genuine opportunities for pre-service teachers to develop teaching practice and knowledge about the profession. During the professional experience, mentoring pre-service teachers has been considered critical in ensuring a quality …


Identity Formation Of Lbote Pre-Service Teachers During The Practicum, Hoa Nguyen, Lynn D. Sheridan Jan 2015

Identity Formation Of Lbote Pre-Service Teachers During The Practicum, Hoa Nguyen, Lynn D. Sheridan

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Abstract presented at the AARE 2015 Conference, 30 November-3 December 2015, Fremantle, Australia


Technology Tools To Support Learning Design: Implications Derived From An Investigation Of University Teachers' Design Practices, Sue Bennett, Shirley Agostinho, Lori Lockyer Jan 2015

Technology Tools To Support Learning Design: Implications Derived From An Investigation Of University Teachers' Design Practices, Sue Bennett, Shirley Agostinho, Lori Lockyer

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The need to improve the quality of higher education has fostered an interest in technology tools to support effective design for teaching and learning. Over the past decade this interest has led to the development of tools to support the creation of online learning experiences, specifications to underpin design systems, and repositories to share examples. Despite this significant activity, there remain unanswered questions about what shapes university teachers' design decisions and how tools can best support their design processes. This paper presents findings from a study of university teachers'; design practices that identified teachers' perceptions of student characteristics, their own …


An Investigation Of Teachers' Awareness And Willingness To Engage With A Self-Directed Professional Development Package On Gifted And Talented Education, Kylie Fraser-Seeto, Steven J. Howard, Stuart Woodcock Jan 2015

An Investigation Of Teachers' Awareness And Willingness To Engage With A Self-Directed Professional Development Package On Gifted And Talented Education, Kylie Fraser-Seeto, Steven J. Howard, Stuart Woodcock

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Despite recognising the importance of educators in meeting the needs of gifted and talented students, research indicates that teachers often lack the essential knowledge, skills and confidence to identify and meet the needs of gifted and talented students. Evidence suggests this lack of preparation may be related to teachers' professional development. This quantitative study of 96 primary school teachers aimed to provide an initial insight into the knowledge and uptake of the 2005 DEST/GERRIC Gifted and Talented Training Package. It further aimed to give some insight into teachers' opinions and behaviours as it pertains to this mode of professional development. …


Science Teachers' Response To The Digital Education Revolution, Wendy S. Nielsen, K. Alex Miller, Garry F. Hoban Jan 2015

Science Teachers' Response To The Digital Education Revolution, Wendy S. Nielsen, K. Alex Miller, Garry F. Hoban

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

We report a case study of two highly qualified science teachers as they implemented laptop computers in their Years 9 and 10 science classes at the beginning of the 'Digital Education Revolution,' Australia's national one-to-one laptop program initiated in 2009. When a large-scale investment is made in a significant educational change, it is important to consider teachers perspectives and responses to such change and we draw from sociocultural perspectives for our analysis. Through interviews and classroom observations, our interpretive analysis identified four key tensions and contradictions. These include the following: (1) barriers to innovative science teaching; (2) maintaining classroom and …


The Seven Messages Of Highly Effective Reading Teachers, Brian L. Cambourne Jan 2014

The Seven Messages Of Highly Effective Reading Teachers, Brian L. Cambourne

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

In 1982, the late, great NZ reading researcher Marie Clay identified a group of children having difficulty learning to read as "tangled tots (with) reading knots". She was referring to children who, despite having no condition that potentially affected their ability to learn, didn't seem to benefit from reading instruction. She hypothesised that such children "had tangled the teaching in a web of distorted learning which blocked school progress".


School Culture And Mentoring Relationships, Crucial To Developing Confidant Professional Identities Among Lbote Pre-Service Teachers, Lynn D. Sheridan Jan 2014

School Culture And Mentoring Relationships, Crucial To Developing Confidant Professional Identities Among Lbote Pre-Service Teachers, Lynn D. Sheridan

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Abstract presented at the AARE-NZARE 2014 Conference, 30 November-4 December, Brisbane, Australia


Stakeholder Perceptions Of Ielts As A Gateway To The Professional Workplace: The Case Of Employers Of Overseas Trained Teachers, Jill Murray, Judie Cross, Kenneth E. Cruickshank Jan 2014

Stakeholder Perceptions Of Ielts As A Gateway To The Professional Workplace: The Case Of Employers Of Overseas Trained Teachers, Jill Murray, Judie Cross, Kenneth E. Cruickshank

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This paper reports on a qualitative study which explored stakeholder perceptions of the IELTS test as a gateway to the professional workplace for teachers in Australia and New Zealand. The goal of this study was to research perceptions of school principals as regards teachers who have entered the profession through IELTS or other English language proficiency test pathways and how the changing language demands of teaching may have impacted on these perceptions. Three research questions were addressed, with data for the study collected from 21 principals through their participation in one-to-one interviews and/or face-to-face focus groups. Five IELTS sample Speaking …


Improving Awareness, Attitudes And Uptake Of The Australian Physical A Ctivity G Uidelines Among Primary School Students, Their Teachers And Parents, Lyn Phillipson, Danika Hall Jan 2014

Improving Awareness, Attitudes And Uptake Of The Australian Physical A Ctivity G Uidelines Among Primary School Students, Their Teachers And Parents, Lyn Phillipson, Danika Hall

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Abstract presented at the International Social Marketing Conference 2014, 17-18 July 2014, Melbourne, Australia


Generating Procedural And Conceptual Knowledge Of Fractions By Pre-Service Teachers, Mohan Chinnappan, Patricia Forrester Jan 2014

Generating Procedural And Conceptual Knowledge Of Fractions By Pre-Service Teachers, Mohan Chinnappan, Patricia Forrester

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Knowledge that teachers bring to the teaching context is of interest to key stakeholders in improving levels of numeracy attained by learners. In this regard, the centrality of, and the need to investigate, the quality of teachers' mathematical knowledge for teaching mathematics has been gaining momentum in recent years. There is a general consensus that teachers need a robust body of content and pedagogical knowledge related to mathematics and that one impacts on the other. However, in current debates about this interconnection between content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge, there is limited analysis about the procedural-conceptual nature of content knowledge …


Changes In Pre-Service Teachers Perceptions’ Of Tea Cher Qualities: Development From Egocentric To Student Centric, Lynn D. Sheridan Jan 2013

Changes In Pre-Service Teachers Perceptions’ Of Tea Cher Qualities: Development From Egocentric To Student Centric, Lynn D. Sheridan

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

This study looks at pre-service teachers’ developing perceptions wit h a view to supporting teacher education practices. In determining and guiding program structures it is the opinions of the experts that are most often heard. Absent from this debate is an understanding of the changing perceptions of the pre-service teacher as they progress through their program. The purpose of this paper is to extend our understanding of pre-service teacher belief systems’ highlighting, the relevance this has for understanding and supporting pre-service teacher development. The perceptions of valued teacher qualities changed from ego-centric beliefs to student centric practices for the participants …