Education Commons^™

Students' Voices : Learning With Technologies : Students' Expectations About Learning With Technologies : A Literature Review, Kathryn Moyle, Susanne Owen

Professor Kathryn Moyle

This literature review is concerned with studies published since 2002 that take the perspectives of students in relation to learning with information and communication technologies. Students in schools, vocational education and training and in preservice teacher education, as well as early career teachers and other higher education students are included. The review examines published literature to: ascertain what recent research has already been undertaken in the field within Australia and overseas; ascertain the research methods used to underpin existing research; determine the gaps in existing knowledge; and consider the implications for determining what next steps could be undertaken. [Executive summary, …

Embracing Learner’S Ideas About Diffusion And Osmosis: A Coupled-Inquiry Approach, Ryan Sweeney, Lisa Martin-Hansen, Geeta Verma, John Dunkhase

Geeta Verma

Learning about osmosis and diffusion is often a challenging task for middle school students. Here the authors present a lesson that was converted from a “cookbook” lab (McLaughlin and Thompson 2007) into a more inquiry-oriented lab that uses inquiry teaching strategies and hands-on investigations to teach middle-grade students about osmosis and diffusion.

Signposts: Research Points To How Victorian Government Schools Have Improved Performance, Elizabeth Hartnell-Young

Dr Elizabeth Hartnell-Young

The Blueprint for Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD, 2008) underlines the importance of providing opportunities for every child to succeed, in every circumstance. The Blueprint points out that, while previous reforms are paying dividends, improvement is not yet consistent across all schools. So, to support a reform agenda for all schools to improve, this research by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development (DEECD) was specifically designed to investigate the nature of the practices in those schools where Victorian strategies are showing positive results. We wanted to have greater knowledge of the practices of Victorian schools that lead …

When Two Universities Meet : Fostering Research Capacity Among Early Career Researchers, Kathy Mann, Kathryn Moyle, Andrea Reupert, Jane Wilkinson, Gary Woolley

Professor Kathryn Moyle

Between one-third and one-half of all presently employed academics will reach retirement age in the next decade. A challenge facing universities in this current environment is to continue to sustain their research capacities. Policy-makers and universities have developed various strategies to support ongoing development of different cohorts within the broader research community. One strategic approach has been to foster the research capabilities of Early Career Researchers (ECRs). This paper describes and analyses the features of one promising program collaboratively developed to support ECRs from education faculties within the University of Canberra and Charles Sturt University. The program was initiated by …

On "Literature Reviews Of, And For, Educational Research": A Response To The Critique By Joseph Maxwell, David Boote, Penny Beile

Penny Beile

The Hidden Advantages Of Focus Group Interviews In Educational Research, Lisa Shoaf, Michael Shoaf

Lisa M. Shoaf

In the field of education, success of a school system has traditionally been determined through quantitative methods, such as through scores on achievement tests and survey results. In short, the quantitative method can determine if a school is failing or not. However, it does not answer the question of why a school is failing, a particularly important question for school administrators who hope to make positive changes in their districts. Focus group research, or qualitative analysis, is an underutilized method for gathering data in schools. Focus group methodology offers a more in-depth understanding of participants' perceptions than do quantitative measures …

Sampling For National Surveys In Education, Martin Murphy, Wolfram Sculz

Martin Murphy

The aim of this paper is to provide PMRT and its subgroups with information about the sampling processes used in surveys conducted under its National Assessment Plan (NAP). The design of national surveys in education in recent years has been strongly influenced by the methodologies used in major international surveys, particularly TIMSS and PISA. In the discussion below, reference will be made to the methods used in these surveys, and their application in the context of Australian national surveys. The intention of this paper is to explain the major steps in the survey sampling process, the reasons for the methods …

Distance No Longer A Barrier : Using The Internet As A Survey Tool In Educational Research, Katherine Dix, Jonathan Anderson

Dr Katherine Dix

America Reads Challenge, Catherine Rosemary, L. Lindemann

Catherine A. Rosemary

No abstract provided.