Education Commons^™

State Differences In Achievement Among Secondary School Students In Australia, Gary Marks, John Cresswell

Dr John Cresswell

A number of recent national studies of student achievement in secondary school have reported differences between the Australian states and territories. State differences are often viewed as insubstantial or as simply reflecting sociodemographic factors, or differences between the states in the grades or ages of the students sampled. In this article, the authors show that state differences are larger than generally assumed and cannot be attributed to socioeconomic and demographic factors. Generally, student achievement in reading, mathematics and science are higher in New South Wales than the other states, once demographic and grade differences are taken into account. Of concern, …

Pathways Through Tafe: Entry, Progress And Outcomes, Julie Mcmillan, Sheldon Rothman

Dr Sheldon Rothman

No abstract provided.

Transition To Further Education: The First-Year Experience, Julie Mcmillan, Kylie Hillman

Kylie Hillman

Look at tertiary study in terms of academic failure and attrition, and research clearly identifies the first year of study at university or TAFE as the year of highest risk. Put otherwise, completion of the first year is 'more than half the battle' when it comes to the completion of a degree or diploma. Since that's the case, it's worth developing a fuller understanding of young people's experiences and perceptions of their first year of tertiary study, particularly to understand why people change their course of study, why they discontinue their studies and how they develop as lifelong learners, which …

Leadership In Catholic Schools : Development Framework And Standards Of Practice, Elizabeth Kleinhenz, Lawrence Ingvarson

Dr Elizabeth Kleinhenz

This study emphasises the connections between the work of leaders and the core functions of schooling. It draws these connections in the context of the values and beliefs of the Catholic Church and the mission of Catholic schools in their communities. The Framework has been developed with two main purposes in mind. The first is to guide the professional learning and development of aspiring leaders and to encourage teachers to consider movement into leadership positions. The second is to unite Catholic schools around a vision of agreed leadership practices for leaders – 'the standards' – and to provide a foundation …

Haitian Creole, Marc E. Prou

Marc E. Prou

Haitian Creole, also known as Kreyòl, is a member of the French-based creole language groups with a considerable part of its lexicon coming directly from seventeenth century French. Its grammar differs from French, however, and reflects closely the West African languages, such as Ewe, Fon, Yoruba, and Ibo. Kreyòl is similar to the creoles spoken in the French overseas departments of Martinique and Guadeloupe, as well as in Dominica, Saint Lucia, and parts of Trinidad.

Australian Skills For The 21st Century, Gerald White

Dr Gerald K. White

An overview of the changes which are occurring in Australia and the work that has been undertaken related to ICT in the VET sector. Also to be discussed are the skills in ICT that will be needed for Australia to be successful in a global society.

Learning Environment Design For Learners And Teachers, Gerald White

Dr Gerald K. White

This paper proposes that for elearning to be taken up widely by teachers and learners, a broadly purposed or designed elearning environment of essential educational elements needs to be available. It suggests that the work of preparing online learning programs involves seven different elements which can be organised into seven distinct digital online services layers. Further, from research conducted into educational usage of the internet in the Global Gateways (2003) report, there would appear to be four different types of educational users of Web services to be taken into account when constructing educational online environments.

Political Efficacy And Expected Participation Among Lower And Upper Secondary Students. A Comparative Analysis With Data From The Iea Civic Education Study., Wolfram Schulz

Dr Wolfram Schulz

The process of political socialisation of adolescents includes more than the acquisition of knowledge about society, citizenship and the political system. In a democracy, citizens are expected to participate actively in the political process. Active participation, however, requires citizens to believe in their own ability to influence the course of politics, in other words, to feel politically efficacious. Therefore, enhancing control beliefs and the willingness to act politically could be viewed as important areas of civic and citizenship education. This paper examines changes in levels and relationships regarding efficacy and expected participation using data from students at different stages of …

What's In A Name? Why We Can't Learn With Mobile Phones, Elizabeth Hartnell-Young

Dr Elizabeth Hartnell-Young

A team from the University of Melbourne is exploring the potential of mobile camera phones to support learning in schools and TAFE colleges. This article discusses some of the findings of the study.

Scholars Before Researchers: On The Centrality Of The Dissertation Literature Review In Research Preparation, David Boote, Penny Beile

Penny Beile

Are There National Patterns Of Teaching? Evidence From The Timss 1999 Video Study, Karen Givvin, James Hiebert, Jennifer Jacobs, Hilary Hollingsworth, Ronald Gallimore

Dr Hilary Hollingsworth

Why do teachers today teach as they do, and why has teaching evolved in the way that it has evolved? In order to improve teaching, it is important to understand why teaching looks the way that it now does and how its general form can be explained. One way to address this question is at the classroom level. In this article we build on ethnographic research by using the 1999 Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) video archives. Here we consider two possible explanations for the general patterns that have developed in school teaching. One explanation is that there …

“Minimizing Risks In Study Abroad Programs: Who Is Responsible?”, Marc Prou

Marc E. Prou

This presentation focuses on the possibilities of minimizing potential risks involved in education abroad programs in the Caribbean. Dealing with the existing literature, the procedures of past and existing programs, and the testimonies and experiences of former students and administrators, we aim to achieve a better understanding of the relationships between responsibilities, accountability, and the possibility of minimizing foreseeable risks. From the standpoint of the students, the faculty, and the institution, we will attempt to gauge the possible risks based on their likelihood, preventability, and severity, and will examine ways in which a standardized procedure for allocating responsibility and accountability …

Designing Assessment Tasks For Deep Thinking, Gabrielle Matters

Dr Gabrielle Matters

I want to present some ideas about how a valid and reliable process for assessing deep thinking is not a function of the assessment regime (such as external or internal, standardised or teacher-devised), but is actually a product of the successful application of certain design criteria and the interplay of three essential elements. The argument I present rests on one simple belief that I hold: the capacity to design good assessment tasks is a vital part of an extensive professional repertoire and, as such, demands space and time, ritual and respect. (Teacher–assessors should not let anybody tell them that designing …

Are Learning Technologies Making A Difference? A Longitudinal Perspective Of Attitudes, Katherine Dix

Dr Katherine Dix

Perceived Impact Of Curriculum Management Audit Recommendations On Increased Student Achievement (Dissertation), Kelly Cross

Kelly L. Cross

Curriculum management audits are an intensive investigation, or audit, of a school district's daily operations, including curriculum, policies, organizational structure, financial operations, and use of assessment data. Curriculum audits are conducted by a team of certified auditors composed of professional educators and administrators. Curriculum audit findings are used to generate recommendations, which are presented to the school district in an audit report. The audit recommendations provide the district with specific recommended actions that are intended to improve district operations and to improve student achievement. This research examined whether implementation of curriculum audit recommendations, as perceived by key administrators, influenced student …

Mathematics Self-Efficacy And Student Expectations. Results From Pisa 2003., Wolfram Schulz

Dr Wolfram Schulz

Student performance is generally viewed as the main criterion variable when analysing equity in the outcomes of education. However, there is evidence that even with increasing equity in achievement, inequity in other important learning outcomes might still prevail. Self-beliefs like mathematics self-efficacy, i.e. students’ judgements of their own ability to solve tasks in mathematics, are often viewed as crucial learning outcomes, which affect the process of learning and are an important predictor of educational career choices. The second survey of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA 2003) provides data on self-related cognitions, motivations, learning behaviours and student performance in …

Factors Influencing Reading Achievement In Germany And Spain : Evidence From Pisa 2000, Petra Lietz, Dieter Kotte, Maria Lopez

Dr Petra Lietz

This article examines the factors fostering and inhibiting student achievement in Germany and Spain at the 15-year-old level in the OECD Programme on International Student Assessment (PISA) in 2000. Both countries performed significantly below the OECD average not only in Reading but also in Mathematics and Science on this occasion. Since the two countries are similar in average levels of student achievement, it is of interest to consider whether similar patterns exist in the ways in which factors operate to influence student achievement in these two countries. Preliminary analyses were carried out with PLSPATH and subsequent two-level models were analysed …

The Lone Ranger, Charlie Sweet

Charlie Sweet

The Fifties in America surveys the events and people of all of North America during the 1950's. This three-volume publication, Salem Press's second reference set on a twentieth century decade, is modeled on the award-winning The Sixties in America (1999). The 1950's are often portrayed as an uneventful era in North American history - a period of political and cultural conservatism. The decade was in fact a period of political turbulence, mounting world conflict, and cultural change. The 1950's experienced the Cold War, McCarthyism and a trend toward the suppression of civil liberties.

“Haitian-Americans”, Marc Prou

Marc E. Prou

The indisputable massive presence of haitian Americans in the last three decades has changed the way scholarship on black immigrants from the Caribbean and the African Diasporas has taken shape. Haitian Americans' presence has serious implications for U.S society, its institutions and public policies. The existing body of literature dealing with ethnic Haitian Americans, although not as voliminous as that of other recent ethnic groups in the United States, reflects a vast array of perspectives. Much of the literature centers on the history of immigration and the adaptation process of Haitian immigrants and Haitian Americans in many urban areas of …

Lesson Study : A Professional Learning Model That Actually Makes A Difference, Hilary Hollingsworth, Delwyn Oliver

Dr Hilary Hollingsworth

Over the past year, a group of mathematics teachers from one Victorian school engaged in a process of professional learning called Lesson Study. In bi-weekly meetings that focused on the development of a single exemplary lesson, they questioned, pondered, discussed, debated, explored, and examined mathematics, and the teaching and learning of mathematics. This paper describes the process and the outcomes of what these teachers consider to be the most powerful professional learning they have experienced.

Teachers' New Roles In School-Based Communities Of Practice, Elizabeth Hartnell-Young

Dr Elizabeth Hartnell-Young

School classrooms can be conceptualised as bounded communities of practice made up of teachers and students working together to learn and build knowledge. The widespread use of information and communication technologies enables these communities to create knowledge, cross boundaries and build up intellectual capital. This paper, based on a qualitative study of thirty-two teachers in Victorian state schools, offers a model of four teachers’ roles that reflects the current situation, and suggests ways in which these roles might be developed to enhance knowledge building. It argues that safe, knowledgeable communities within boundaries, together with active boundary-crossing, can provide the conditions …

Longitudinal Pathways Linking Family Factors And Sibling Relationship Qualities To Adolescent Substance Use And Sexual Risk Behaviors, Patricia East, Siek Toon Khoo

Dr Siek Toon Khoo

This 3-wave, 5-year longitudinal study tested the contributions of family contextual factors and sibling relationship qualities to younger siblings' substance use, sexual risk behaviours, pregnancy, and sexually transmitted disease. More than 220 non-White families participated (67 percent Latino and 33 percent African American), all of which involved a younger sibling (133 girls and 89 boys; mean age=13.6 years at Time 1) and an older sister (mean age=17 years at Time 1). Results from structural equation latent growth curve modelling indicated that qualities of the sibling relationship (high older sister power, low warmth/closeness, and low conflict) mediated effects from several family …

Solving The Multilevel Dilemma, Bradley Baurain

Bradley Baurain

No abstract provided.

Beyond The Horseless Carriage: Harnessing The Potential Of Ict In Education And Training, Gerald White

Dr Gerald K. White

This paper suggests that the use of ICT has changed our conventional way of understanding learning and proposes the need to rethink education in terms of a more current context. Beyond the Horseless Carriages was first published as a paper for the Board of education.au limited on 28 January 2005, and following wide consultation has been republished for general readership.

Manual And Automatic Estimates Of Growth And Gain Across Year Levels, Petra Lietz, Dieter Kotte

Dr Petra Lietz

Users of statistical software are frequently unaware of the calculations underlying the routines that they use. Indeed, users, particularly in the social sciences, are often somewhat adverse towards the underlying mathematics. Yet, in order to appreciate the thrust of certain routines, it is beneficial to understand the way in which a program arrives at a particular solution. Based on data from the Economic Literacy Study conducted at year 11 and 12 level across Queensland in 1998, this article renders explicit the steps involved in calculating growth and gain estimates in student performance. To this end, the first part of the …

The Myth Of Too Many University Students, Bob Birrell, Daniel Edwards, Ian Dobson, T Smith

Dr Daniel Edwards

The Coalition Government has recently asserted that too many young Australians are training to become professionals and not enough as traditional tradespersons. By implication, there is a surfeit of young professionals. This article challenges these assertions. It shows that there has been a substantial increase in the employment of professionals since the Coalition came to power in 1996. Yet over the same period, the number of domestic students in Australian universities at the undergraduate level has hardly increased at all. All of the increase in professional training at the undergraduate level in Australian universities has been directed at overseas students. …

Reclaiming Compassion: Getting To The Heart And Soul Of Teacher Education, Patricia Whang, Claudia Peralta Nash

Claudia Peralta

As professors committed to preparing educators poised to teach effectively across differences and in ways that actively resist perpetuating injustices, we have found Buddhist teachings to be nothing short of provocative in terms of expanding how we think and do our work. We offer the following in hopes of intriguing others to join us as we continue exploring the power and potential in practices enlightened by Buddhist teachings. These teachings have much to offer those committed to peace education. This is especially true if one agrees that peace in the world depends on a populace committed to achieving inner peace …

The Development Of A Single Scale For Mapping Progress In Mathematical Competence, Ross Turner, Gayl O'Connor

Gayl O'Connor

The authors’ intention is to develop a progress map that describes increasing mathematical competence. The main purpose of this chapter is to describe the means by which the research team has been able to use the data from a longitudinal testing program to build and refine a picture of growth in mathematical competence. In this chapter, conceptualisation of the underlying variable to be measured in developing a mathematical progress map is considered, and approaches to its development are discussed. The approach adopted is described and the results of the application of that methodology to the data generated through this research …

Feedback Improves Learning, Marion Meiers

Marion Meiers

How does formative assessment support students' learning? A recent international study conducted by the OECD Centre for Educational Research and Innovation (CERI) makes it clear that the ongoing interactive assessments within classrooms play a key role in identifying students' needs and in planning future teaching. The author looks at the place of feedback in formative assessment.

A Clustering Algorithm Based On An Estimated Distribution Model, L Tan, D Taniar, K Smith

Dr Ling Tan

This paper applies an estimated distribution model to clustering problems. The proposed clustering method makes use of an inter-intra cluster metric and performs a conditional split-merge operation. With conditional splitting and merging, the proposed clustering method does not require the information of cluster number and an improved cluster vector is subsequently guaranteed. In addition, this paper compares movement conditions between inter-intra cluster metric and intra cluster metric. It proves that, under some conditions, the intersection of convergence space between inter-intra cluster metric and intra cluster metric is not empty, and neither is the other subset in the convergence space. This …