Digital Commons Network^™

Early Childhood Teachers’ Perceptions Of Environmental Sustainability: A Phenomenographic Investigation, Jane Spiteri

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Early childhood teachers’ environmental perceptions can influence young children’s learning about environmental issues. Yet, to date, there is minimal research focusing on the perceptions of environmental sustainability held by early childhood teachers. This qualitative phenomenographic study collected data via individual semi-structured interviews with five early childhood teachers and one head teacher, in Malta. Preliminary findings revealed that the participants perceived environmental sustainability in terms of environmental concerns; environmental responsibility; and environmental protection. A mismatch between the participants’ environmental concerns and their pro-environmental behaviour emerged. The data also show that any environmental activities at school were done so uncritically. These findings …

Addressing The Social Loafing Problem In Assessment Practices From The Perspectives Of Tanzania’S Pre-Service Teachers, Joseph Reginard Milinga, Ezelina Angetile Kibonde, Venance Paul Mallya, Monica Asagwile Mwakifuna

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Recent developments of higher teacher education in Tanzania have witnessed high student enrolments necessitating change of an emphasis from individual assessment to group-based assessment practices. In this context, informed by the constructivist philosophical perspective, this article reports on the pre-service teachers’ voices regarding the prevalence, impacts and counteractive strategies of social loafing. The pre-service teachers are drawn from one higher education institution in Tanzania that serves as a case study. It draws on qualitative data collected from a sample of purposively selected undergraduate pre-service teachers. The study found social loafing tendencies to be commonplace and with far-reaching consequences amongst students …

Tough Teachers Actually Care: An Ethnographic Look Into The ‘Problematic’ Role Of Teachers As Figures Of Authority Under Learner-Centered Education, Julie Lucille Haber Del Valle

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Teacher authority is culturally valued among Filipinos. This authority however poses a threat to the fundamental principles of learner-centred education as it arguably perpetuates ‘teacher-centered’ instruction and obstructs positive student-teacher relationships which are necessary for student learning. This problematic role of teacher authority is examined in this study by investigating what constitutes good pedagogy in one class within a rural school in the Philippines. With this research problem, this study used ethnographic research approach to examine what students and teachers understand about ‘classroom authority’ and its perceived value in good pedagogy within a specific and cultural place. Ethnographic data in …

Collaborative And Traditional Practice-Models As Perceived By Preservice Teachers: The Potential Impact Of Culture, Ilana Klima Ronen, Alexandra Danial-Saad, Rachel Holsblat

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

A differential cultural aspect manifested when we compared the experiences of 96-Jewish and 107-Arab PSTs who participated in a collaborative academy-class-practice- model (ACPM), or a traditional-practice-model (TPM). The attempt to implement the collaborative ACPM was hesitantly accepted by Jewish-PSTs, whereas the Arab-PSTs welcomed it warmly. This led us to question whether culture played a role in the groups’ perceptions of the ACPM\TPM. A mixed methods questionnaire has been used to examine PSTs` pedagogical knowledge, the perceived benefits they gained during the practicum, and the importance they attributed to the advice of staff members and peers. Although the PSTs from both …

Teachers’ Experiences Preparing To Teach A New Senior Secondary School (Psychology) Curriculum On The Eve Of Enactment, Karen Marangio, Ellen Heyting

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This article explores teachers’ experiences in preparing to enact a new senior secondary school subject, psychology, in Queensland, Australia, at a time of major curriculum reform. In this study, 62 teachers completed an online survey about their experiences on the eve of enactment. From an ecological lens, data were analyzed via descriptive statistics and content analysis before thematic analysis of open-ended responses. Teachers described their preparation in terms of excitement and anticipation in establishing a new subject; frustration and urgency for support to plan, collaborate and access professional learning and curriculum materials; and feelings of isolation and desire to connect …

Are Teachers Still The Problem? An Analysis Of The Nsw Education What Works Best Documents, Brad A. Fuller

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

: This paper interrogates Stacey’s assertion that New South Wales (NSW) education policy is underpinned by a ‘particular instance of neoliberalisation’ which has significant ‘direct and material impacts’ on teachers. It examines the role Evidence-based Practice can play in the neoliberalist reform of education globally and analyses the Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation’s What Works Best documents. The paper asserts that the character of education policy in NSW is consistent with the wider Global Education Reform Movement and continues to exhibit and extend the neoliberalist tendencies identified by Stacey. Furthermore, it claims that, through a collection of neoliberalist devices, …

Preservice Teachers’ Self-Efficacy Through Covid-19: A Large Scale Survey Of Students At A Regional University In Australia, Tania Leach, Anh Hai Le, Georgina M. Barton Dr

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Throughout 2020, the world was significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. In the context of higher education, the pandemic critically affected professional experience, a core component of teacher education. This paper shares data from a large-scale survey about teachers’ sense of self-efficacy and the impact of COVID-19 on professional experience. Findings showed that the disrupted context had a moderate effect of pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy in relation to their classroom management, instructional strategies, and student engagement. Qualitative results illuminated that the modes of learning, changing classroom contexts and communication between the pre-service teachers, school and their university were the underlying contextual …

Balancing The Needs Of The School Community: Implementing Trauma-Informed Behaviour Supports In An Australian Regional Primary School., Kay Ayre, Govind Krishnamoorthy, Bronwyn Rees, Emily Berger Dr

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Exposure to adverse and traumatic events in childhood has been found to lead to poorer academic and social-emotional outcomes in school settings. The psychological impact of exposure to such events, referred to as childhood trauma, has been identified as a key driver of these educational difficulties. First Nations students have been found to experience higher rates of childhood trauma compared to non-First Nations students, with historical and intergenerational adversity contributing to such difficulties. There are national guidelines in Australia for the use of trauma-informed care practices in schools to reduce the impact of childhood trauma on educational engagement. This pilot …

Anxious, Disconnected And ‘Missing Out’, But Oh So Convenient: Tertiary Students’ Perspectives Of Remote Teaching And Learning With Covid-19, Melissah B. Thomas, Helen Widdop Quinton, Zali Yager

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The higher education sector has learnt a great deal in the online delivery shift due to Covid-19, however, student voice has been underrepresented in literature. This paper reveals 15 student perspectives, including both international and domestic students, who were studying a Master of Teaching (Secondary) at one university in Melbourne, Australia, during heightened social distancing restrictions. The inductive thematic qualitative data analysis collected through semi-structured interviews showed opportunities and challenges of learning experiences. Emergent themes found affordances of convenience and challenges of relational and structural aspects of teaching and learning. Relational aspects of learning were more challenging, including peer collaboration, …

Developing Mathematics And Science Teachers’ Ability To Design For Active Learning: A Design-Based Research Study, Steven Kickbusch, Les Dawes, Nick Kelly, Katherine Nickels

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This paper describes an approach to working with secondary preservice mathematics and science (M&S) teachers to develop their ability to design for active learning. It presents the design of a studio-style intervention that augments existing teacher education. It describes the way that these studios can be organised, with specific suggestions that a specialised learning designer, a subject matter expert, and administrative support be included to aid in the design for learning—on the justification that this can both improve the learning design as well as advance teacher learning. It describes a study in which 10 secondary M&S preservice teachers experienced this …

Brain-Based Learning: Beliefs And Practice In One Australian Primary School Implementing A Neuroscience Pedagogical Framework, Christina Deans, Ellen Larsen

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

: Pedagogy grounded in neuroscience is an influential approach in Australian schools, despite concerns regarding teachers’ beliefs in several neuromyths that go on to pervade their practice. This paper reports on a small study that explored teachers’ beliefs and implementation of brain-based learning in one Australian primary school whose pedagogy is specifically underpinned by neuroscience. Survey data collected from 14 teachers were analysed using simple descriptive statistics and content analysis. Findings indicated that these teachers, despite having some accurate brain-based knowledge, were still prone to endorsing common neuromyths regardless of the school’s teaching and learning framework, years at the school, …

Preparing Australian Special Educators: Courses And Content, Jennifer Stephenson, Rahul Ganguly, Coral Kemp, Catherine Salisbury

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

: The characteristics and content of post-graduate courses in special and/or inclusive teacher education in Australian universities were examined using publicly available material on university websites. Content analysis was guided by a set of content area elements covering desirable skills and knowledge for special educators that were identified in the Australian literature. The presence or absence of these content elements in each course and in core or elective units was coded for 28 courses from 21 universities. All or most courses covered generic content such as teaching strategies and evaluating and using research. However, more specialist content, such as explicit …

Using Formative Assessment To Build Coherence Between Educational Policy And Classroom Practice: A Case Study Using Inquiry In Science, Connie Cirkony, John Daniel Kenny

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

In this paper we argue that the complexity of education systems can lead to a lack of coherence in the implementation of policy. More effective educational change requires policy-makers and researchers to pay more attention to supporting teachers in classrooms. As an example, we consider decades of research attempts in STEM education to implement learning through inquiry and note there has been little change in teaching practices in classrooms. Using formative assessment in science education as a case study, we developed a rubric for teachers that embeds key aspects of the desired pedagogy. We argue this builds teachers’ confidence to …

Teacher Educators’ Perceptions Of Schoolteacher Feedback Literacy: Implications For Feedback Training In Teacher Education Programmes, Ying Zhan

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Few studies have empirically explored the specific elements of schoolteachers’ feedback literacy in spite of its crucial role in supporting student learning in classrooms. To address this research gap, individual interviews were conducted with 20 teacher educators in Hong Kong. The interviewees were asked to explicate the mind maps of schoolteacher feedback literacy that they had previously drawn. Data analysis revealed that the participants perceived schoolteacher feedback literacy as a three-dimensional concept, comprising knowledge, competence and disposition with specifications. In addition, the participants believed that schoolteacher feedback literacy was gradually evolving from a qualified level to a fully professional level …

Changes In Students’ Perceptions Of Self-Assessment In Courses With Different Approaches To Assessment, Ester Aflalo

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The importance of student self-assessment and its contribution to learning in teacher education is well documented in the research literature. However, we still need to better understand when and why self-assessment actually works. This study examines preservice teachers’ perception of self-assessment prior to and following experiencing self-assessment. The study included 135 students studying at two education colleges in Israel. The students attended courses with differing evaluation approaches. The findings show that the experience with self-assessment in the courses with formative evaluation or integrative evaluation encourages the students’ positive perception of self-assessment, in contrast to summative evaluation courses. The study expands …

Pre-Service Teachers’ Beliefs About Motivating Students To Learn Science, Davis Jean-Baptiste, Damian Maher

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Motivation in science learning is important, given increasing necessity for scientific and critical literacy. The purpose of this article is to examine secondary science pre-service teachers’ (PSTs) beliefs about motivating students to learn science. A mixed method study was conducted with 73 secondary science PSTs across Australia. A web-based survey and interviews were used to gather data. Turner et al.’s motivation theory (2011) is used as a framework to analyse the data. The findings indicate that the PSTs believed that competence, belongingness, and meaningful learning were factors involved in motivating students. These findings are critical as they are relevant to …

Increasing In-Service Teachers’ Willingness To Be Videoed To Support Professional Learning, Marie-Christina Edwards

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Increasing and compelling research demonstrates the affordances of personal video footage as an informative and transformational tool in teacher professional learning (PL), yet many in-service teachers avoid engaging in this practice. This Australian Research Council funded study tracked teacher willingness to use video to capture the application of PL over 12 months in a rural Australian primary school. Data from questionnaires, video-based learning conversations, and collaborative sharing sessions demonstrated a strong increasing trend in the number of teachers volunteering to be videoed across three iterations of research. Thematic analysis highlighted five key factors as catalysts for increased teacher participation in …

Investigation Of Non-Academic Characteristics Used For Selection Entry Of Pre-Service Teachers Into Higher Education Courses, Janine E. Wyatt, Michael O'Neill

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

: Education reform is prioritised in most countries. In 2014, the Australian federal government established the Teacher Education Ministerial Advisory Group with a mandate to improve initial teacher education (ITE) to better prepare new teachers for the classroom. One recommendation involved higher education providers selecting ITE candidates who possessed the required academic skills and non-academic characteristics to become successful teachers. This study investigates the prevalence and impact of non-academic characteristics among first-year graduates, using insights from principals in Western Australian public schools. According to the available literature, the link between non-academic characteristics in the ITE selection process and student outcomes …

Preservice Teachers’ Wellbeing In Mathematics Education, Philemon Chigeza

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The study investigated first-year preservice teachers’ affective, conative, cognitive, social, and physical wellbeing in a mathematics education subject at a regional university in Far North Queensland. Data collected included pre and post surveys with forty-nine preservice teachers, and interviews with preservice teachers and teacher educators. The pre and post surveys evaluated preservice teachers’ belief statements about their wellbeing before and after a six-week module. Before the module, their belief statements suggested significant challenges. The post survey suggested an increased confidence with mathematics. Four themes that emerged from interview data analysis included the need to: address the emerging unbalanced wellbeing; address …

Awaken The Dreamer: An Ontology Of Dreams In The Raven Cycle, Dreamstrider, And The Dreamwalker Trilogy, Clinton J. Visser

Theses : Honours

Existing scholarship on dreams in Young Adult (YA) Literature tends to revolve around the analysis and understanding of dreams using a psychanalytic approach. Using theorists like Freud and Jung, scholars analyse dreams to predict the future development of the self. My thesis, however, veers away from such psychoanalytic studies and focus more on the ontological and liminal powers of dreams. Within The Raven Cycle, Dreamstrider, and The Dreamwalker Trilogy dreams are used by dreamer protagonists as tools to access a constant state of becoming— the liminal space where the recognition and transformation of the self occurs. The use of dreams, …

Emotion Regulation Strategies, Co-Rumination, And Emotional Wellbeing, Guillaume P. Tanfin

Research Datasets

The dataset represents answers to an online questionnaire that was completed by 305 participants. The dataset captures participants' levels of emotional wellbeing, cognitive reappraisal, expressive suppression, and co-rumination. The data also captures participants demographics (i.e., age in year, ethnicity, relationship status, and gender).

Semi-Structured Interviews Exploring The Attitudes And Perceptions Toward Miscarriage In Western Australian Women That Have Not Experienced A Pregnancy Loss, Rachel Parker

Research Datasets

Data is from 18 semi-structured interviews exploring the attitudes and perceptions toward miscarriage in Western Australian Women that have not experienced a pregnancy loss.

Shorter Cwr Cycling Tests As Proxies For Longer Tests In Highly Trained Cyclists, Chantelle Du Plessis, Mark Andrews, Lachlan J.G. Mitchell, Jodie Cochrane Wilkie, Trish King, Anthony J. Blazevich

Research Datasets

Severe-intensity constant work rate (CWR) cycling tests simulate the high-intensity competition environment and are useful for monitoring training progression and adaptation, yet impose significant physiological and psychological strain, require substantial recovery, and may disrupt athlete training or competition preparation. A brief, minimally fatiguing test providing comparable information is desirable.

Purpose: To determine whether physiological variables measured during, and functional decline in maximal power output immediately after, a 2-min CWR test can act as a proxy for 4-min test outcomes.

Methods: Physiological stress (V̇O₂ kinetics, heart rate, blood lactate concentrations ([La^-]_b)) was monitored and …

Maintaining Social And Emotional Wellbeing Among Older Adults During Periods Of Increased Social Isolation: Lessons From The Covid-19 Pandemic, Brigitta Scarfe, Claire Adams, Eyal Gringart, Daniel Mcaullay, Moira Sim, Natalie Strobel

Research Datasets

Older adults are vulnerable to isolation and poor emotional wellbeing during COVID-19, however, their access to appropriate supports is unknown. The aim of this study was to explore older adults’ experiences accessing social and emotional support during the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia.

Ten older adults from Western Australia (Australia) aged 68 to 78 years participated in individual semi-structured interviews between December 2020 and January 2021. Responses were investigated using thematic analysis.

Three key themes emerged: adaptability and self-sufficiency; informal support-seeking; and digital and online technologies. Older adults were adaptable to COVID-19 restrictions; however, some were anxious about reconnecting with their …

Protocol For The Development Of The International Population Registry For Aphasia After Stroke (I-Praise), M. Ali, A. L. Ben Basat, M. Berthier, M. B. Johansson, C. Breitenstein, D. A. Cadilhac, F. Constantinidou, M. Cruice, G. Davila, M. Gandolfi, M. Gil, R. Grima, Erin Godecke, L. Jesus, L. M. Jiminez, M. Kambanaros, T. Kukkonen, A. Laska, I. Mavis, R. Mc Menamin, C. Mendez-Orellana, H. Obrig, P. Ostberg, H. Robson, K. Sage, M. Van De Sandt-Koenderman, K. Sprecht, E. Visch-Brink, E. Wehling, S. Wielaert, S. J. Wallace, L. J. Williams, M. C. Brady

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background: We require high-quality information on the current burden, the types of therapy and resources available, methods of delivery, care pathways and long-term outcomes for people with aphasia. Aim: To document and inform international delivery of post-stroke aphasia treatment, to optimise recovery and reintegration of people with aphasia. Methods & Procedures: Multi-centre, prospective, non-randomised, open study, employing blinded outcome assessment, where appropriate, including people with post-stroke aphasia, able to attend for 30 minutes during the initial language assessment, at first contact with a speech and language therapist for assessment of aphasia at participating sites. There is no study-mandated intervention. Assessments …

An Initial Investigation Into Parental Perceptions Surrounding The Impact Of Mobile Media Use On Child Behavior And Executive Functioning, Stephanie C. Milford, Lynette Vernon, Joseph J. Scott, Nicola F. Johnson

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Children demonstrate increasing early engagement with mobile media facilitated by its portability and interactivity. Parents are known to employ a range of mediation strategies for mobile media use but continue to have limited awareness about the impact of mobile media on their child’s executive functioning. Mobile media use has previously been shown to be negatively correlated with the executive functioning development of a child; however, little is known of how parents approach their child’s mobile media use. This study employed a survey design (N = 281) to examine how parents access information related to mobile media and document their perspectives …

Toolkit Of Methods For Feminist Participatory Action Research: Empowering Women, Transforming Systems, Trimita Chakma, Naomi Joy Godden, Kavita Naidu

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This Toolkit was developed following a series of training workshops on Feminist Participatory Action Research (FPAR) concepts and methods with Oxfam Cambodia’s Inclusion Project 2 (IP2) partners from Lao, Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam. The training provided targeted capacity support and technical assistance to the IP2 partners to develop gender-responsive advocacy activities on water governance in the Mekong region.

This Toolkit was developed to provide guidance to IP2 partners on how to use FPAR methods in their ongoing activities and advocacy. However, FPAR is a process and is not issue-specific. As such, the Toolkit can also be used by communities, …

Understanding The Needs Of Migrants From Bhutan In Perth, Sonam Pelden, Sangay Wangchuk, Tshewang Rinzin, Pelden Chejor, Dago Tshering

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Bhutanese migrants in Perth have increased manifold in the last decade with numbers estimated at around 12000 in 2022. Almost ninety-nine per cent of these Bhutanese migrants come on student visas. Research has indicated that migration move is typically driven by hope and a search for better futures. Consequently, there is an increase in the community activities and complexities experienced by the Bhutanese migrants in Perth as they seek to build a new home in a new country. There is little information about the needs of Bhutanese migrants in Australia other than the literature on Bhutanese refugees in Australia. Thus, …

Lively Emu Dialogues: Activating Feminist Common Worlding Pedagogies, Mindy Blaise, Catherine Hamm

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This paper draws from a series of Place-thought walks that the authors took at an open-range zoo. It practices a feminist common worlds multispecies ethics to challenge the systems that maintain nature-culture divisions in early childhood education. Postdevelopmental perspectives (i.e., feminist environmental humanities, multispecies studies, Indigenous studies) are brought into conversation with early childhood education to consider how zoo-logics maintain binaries and hierarchical thinking. Zoo-logics are related to developmental, colonial, and Western ways of reasoning and being in the world. Two feminist approaches to ethics, (re)situating and dialoguing, are discussed and show how they are necessary for undermining binaries and …

How To Phrase Critical Realist Interview Questions In Applied Social Science Research, Andreas Brönnimann

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The tenets of critical and social realism are well supported in the literature. However, researchers following a realist paradigm have concerns about the lack of methodical guidance for qualitative interviewing, despite their affirmation about the importance of in-depth interviews. A conducted review of empirical realist literature provides evidence of an absence of guidance and commonality regarding interview planning practices. To overcome this absence, this paper composes a guiding framework to assist researchers to phrase more appropriate interview questions in realist research. The steps are founded on critical and social realist concepts while guided by methodological realist principles. Its contribution aims …