Education Commons^™

Scoping The Potential Of A Noongar Re-Entry Peer Navigator Model, Jane Anderson

Journal of the Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet

The Noongar people of the South West of Western Australia (WA) continue to seek self-determination and empowerment to ensure their families are able to meet cultural, economic and social needs. Their aspirations, however, are thwarted by a significant number of their members who are incarcerated and the adverse consequences of imprisonment on families. In the meantime, the WA prison system is yet to respond to the unique needs of Noongar prisoners transitioning out of the prison system. The article reviews the literature to develop the idea of a Noongar re-entry peer navigator (PN) model. In this model, select Noongar people …

Chemistry Learning Through Culturally Responsive Transformative Teaching (Crtt): Educating Indonesian High School Students For Cultural Sustainability, Yuli Rahmawati, Alin Mardiah, Elisabeth Taylor, Peter Charles Taylor, Achmad Ridwan

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), culture provides the transformative dimension for ensuring the development process of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. As one of the key drivers in the implementation of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, culture ensures a people-centered and context-relevant approach that cuts across a range of policy areas and, thus, in the context of quality education promotes the development of human resources for cultural and environmental sustainability. It is in this context that we report on a study aimed at developing students’ cultural identity and supporting the …

Student Voices That Resonate – Constructing Composite Narratives That Represent Students’ Classroom Experiences, Olivia Johnston, Helen Wildy, Jennifer Shand

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Words and stories have the power to resonate with people. Composite narratives can be constructed using multiple participant accounts, representing their experiences while also capturing the properties and categories of qualitative research findings. The ability of composite narratives to represent the multiple facets of theory construction through a singular narrative point-of-view is unique and provides a concise and credible method to present research findings. This paper explains how composite narratives can be constructed to present the research data that findings are built upon through an illustrative example of the process. The example of a composite narrative presented in this article …

Models Of School Breakfast Program Implementation In Western Australia And The Implications For Supporting Disadvantaged Students, Susan M. Hill, Matthew F. Byrne, Elizabeth Wenden, Amanda Devine, Margaret Miller, Henrietta Quinlan, Donna Cross, Judy Eastham, Miranda Chester

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

A substantial body of literature points to the educational and social benefits of school breakfast programs. Most high-income countries provide free or subsidized school breakfasts to support disadvantaged children. Australia does not have a nationally-funded school meal program. Instead, charitable organizations offer school breakfast programs on a voluntary basis, often with funding support from state/territory governments. Decisions about participating in a school breakfast program (SBP), which students to support, and the degree of integration with other strategies to support disadvantaged students are made at the school level. This large-scale, multi-year study examined models of SBP implementation in Western Australian (WA) …

Students’ Contrasting Their Experiences Of Teacher Expectations In Streamed And Mixed Ability Classes: A Study Of Grade 10 Students In Western Australia, Olivia Johnston, Helen Wildy, Jennifer Shand

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Many secondary schools sort students into ‘ability’-based classes, but research shows that streaming students by ability is inequitable and does not improve student academic results. There has been little qualitative research that considers students’ experiences of streaming, with none that compares students’ experiences in classes that are streamed against the same students’ experiences in other classes that are mixed-ability. The research in this paper explains student experiences of differences between their streamed and mixed-ability classrooms, including the perceived influence on their educational outcomes. The study is unique because the results project the voices of 25 Grade 10 secondary school students …

A Q-Methodology Of Preservice Teachers’ Cognition Of Digital Literacy: A Philippine Case Study In Resource-Rich And Resource-Limited Settings, Camilla Vizconde, Rowena Sto. Tomas

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This study aims to determine the existing digital literacy notions of Filipino preservice in two universities: one is a resource-rich context while the other is a resource-limited context. Contexts were determined based on the observed availability of digital tools. Twenty (20) preservice teachers each from two universities were invited for interviews after which they were again requested to arrange statements culled from the interviews. Utilizing the Q-sort methodology, a method that determines the standpoints of participants by their ranking of statements, three dimensions were identified: the portrait of balance, portrait of responsibility and portrait of support. The portraits represent the …

Supporting Learners Through Effective Communication: Student Teachers’ Communication Strategies To Address Learner Behaviour, Jirina Karasova, Gabriela Kleckova

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Teachers’ communication skills are integral to classroom management skills. If teachers implement effective communication skills and appropriate communication strategies, they are more likely to support learner autonomy, engagement, self-concept, well-being, or responsibility and succeed in behaviour management. This study examines student teachers’ awareness and use of communication strategies to address common disruptive learner behaviours. Although the participants showed limited ability to support learners through communication, they were more likely to identify effective communication responses than to produce them themselves. The study unveils that student teachers in the last year of a graduate program cannot respond to disruptive behaviour without communication …

Integrating Tpack In Pre-Service Teachers’ Efl Course: Impacts On Perception, Knowledge, And Practices, Amira Ali, Hanan Waer

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Most research that has explored integrating the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework into teacher education programs primarily utilized context-unspecific self-report instruments. This mixed-methods study explored the efficacy of integrating four domains of the TPACK framework in an EFL course on the perception and knowledge of (30) pre-service teachers in an Egyptian university. The study also investigated the effect of the TPACK-based course on participants’ lesson plans and teaching practices. Data collection instruments included a test, a questionnaire, observation checklists, lesson plans, and semi-structured interviews. Quantitative analysis showed that pre-service teachers’ knowledge and perception of PCK, TCK, TPK, and TPCK …

Development Of A Teaching Performance Assessment In Australia: What Did We Learn?, Rebecca Spooner-Lane, Tania Broadley, Elizabeth Curtis, Peter Grainger

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Following increasing criticism of the variability in graduate teachers’ readiness to enter the profession, the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) introduced a program accreditation requirement that all initial teacher education (ITE) providers must implement a Teaching Performance Assessment (TPA) in the final year of their teacher education programs. AITSL were not prescriptive in how ITE providers must meet the program standard which has resulted in 12 TPAs being implemented across 42 ITE providers. This paper outlines the development and implementation of one endorsed TPA designed to measure the readiness of graduating teachers, whilst taking into consideration the …

Iraqi Kurdish Pre-Service Teachers And Teacher Educators’ Perceptions On Technological Pedagogical Knowledge And Professional Identity Development, Ebrahim Mohammadkarimi

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This study intended to investigate pre-service teachers' and teacher educators' perceptions of technological pedagogical knowledge and professional identity development. The research was conducted with 152 English Language Teaching (ELT) pre-service teachers and 73 teacher educators from various universities in Iraqi Kurdistan. Using a mixed-method, the data for this study was collected through semi-structured interviews as well as a Technology, Pedagogy, and Content Knowledge survey questionnaire. Thematic analysis and SPSS 24 were employed for analyzing the interview responses and survey data, respectively. From this data, both pre-service teachers and teacher educators perceived a high rate of proficiency in their pedagogical content …

Experiential Learning Projects As Assessment In Initial Teacher Education, Renee Crawford, Louise E. Jenkins, Lydia Wan

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

In a rapidly changing global environment, Initial Teacher Educators (ITE) have a responsibility to role-model contemporary teaching approaches, which develop graduates who think creatively and flexibly in educational workplaces. An important aspect of this work is supporting pre-service teachers (PSTs) to understand how to design assessments which facilitate a deep understanding of student learning. This learning can be achieved through the implementation of assessments which model contemporary practices and enrich student learning in ITE courses. This paper discusses new ways to consider the purpose of assessment by focusing on Experiential Learning (EL) as a form of assessment in ITE. This …

Does Individual Innovativeness Influence Tpack Development?: The Case Of Pre-Service Efl Teachers In Türkiye, Taibe Kulaksız

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

: This study aims to investigate how pre-service EFL teachers’ individual innovativeness levels affect their TPACK development during an educational technology course. Employing a quasi-experimental research design, the participants were 59 pre-service EFL teachers. The course followed the Diffusion of Innovation Theory steps. Analyzing the data, TPACK and individual innovativeness scales were implemented as pre- and post-tests. The results showed a significant increase in participants' TPACK, while their individual innovativeness did not exhibit a significant change during the course. Although there was a notable difference in pre-service teachers' initial TPACK levels based on their innovativeness, this difference was no longer …

Professional Teaching Standards And Inclusion In Teacher Education: Insights From A Hearing-Impaired Health And Physical Education Pre-Service Teacher’S Professional Experience, Donna Barwood, John O'Rourke, Dawn Penney, Andrew Jones, Jordan Thomas

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Initial Teacher Education (ITE) is a critical arena for advancing inclusion in Health and Physical Education (HPE). This paper reports research that is engaging with the diversity of the HPE profession and practitioners. It centres on a unique case study that critically explored the school-based professional experience of an Australian secondary HPE Pre-service Teacher (PsT) who has a hearing impairment. Specifically, to enable PST success in HPE professional experiences as defined by the professional standards for teachers in Australia and to which, PSTs’ must evidence to graduate and attain teacher registration. Drawing on documentary and interview data the paper focuses …

Are We Talking About The Same Thing? The Case For Stronger Connections Between Graduate And Worker Employability Research, Jos Akkermans, William E. Donald, Denise Jackson, Anneleen Forrier

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Purpose and approach: This article presents the case for creating stronger connections between research on graduate and worker employability. We offer a narrative review of commonalities and differences between these research streams and offer thoughts and suggestions for further integration and mutual learning. Findings: We outline some of the main theories and concepts in the graduate and worker employability domains. Furthermore, we analyze how these show considerable overlap, though they have barely connected with each other yet. We also formulate an agenda for future research that would spur stronger connections between the fields. Finally, we turn to our fellow authors, …

Leadership As A Challenging Opportunity: Nepali Secondary Principals’ Contextual Understandings And Perception Of Their Roles, Shankar Dhakal, Andrew Jones, Geoffrey W. Lummis

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This qualitative case study explores the perceptions of three Nepali secondary principals regarding their leadership roles, behaviors, and experiences. By employing semi-structured interviews in both physical and virtual school contexts, it emphasizes the importance of understanding the specific contexts, critically evaluating global leadership trends, and adopting approaches that enhance student wellbeing. The study highlights the influence of sociocultural structures shaped by societal values and beliefs. Spiritual attributes like humility, compassion, and connectedness are identified as contextual knowledge for Nepali principals. The research identifies a gap in Nepali school leadership literature, providing practical insights for their future career pathways.

Transformative Learning Experiences Of The Vocationally Interested And Vocationally Disinterested Pre-Service Teachers In Teacher Training Colleges In Zimbabwe, Esnati Macharaga, Tabitha Grace Mukeredzi

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This article reports on some of the findings from a doctoral research project that explored how the vocationally interested and vocationally disinterested pre-service teachers in selected teacher training colleges in Zimbabwe experienced transformative learning. Through multiple-site case study and qualitative approach within an interpretive paradigm, guided by Mezirow’s ten-phase Transformative Learning Theory, the study sought to understand the pre-service teacher transformative learning experiences. The study employed a multi-modal approach which involved focus group discussions, individual face to face interviews and continuum drawing and discussions to generate data from a purposive sample of 40 participants. Findings suggest that, both vocationally interested …

Influence Of Entry Pathway And Equity Group Status On Retention And The Student Experience In Higher Education, Ian W. Li, Denise Jackson

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Expansionary policies to widen participation in higher education have led to a growth in alternative entry pathways into university. This study considers the experiences and retention outcomes of those entering Australian universities through different pathways, and how these vary across diverse student groups. Data were drawn from linked student administrative records for 81,874 students from sixteen Australian universities who commenced a Bachelor degree in 2015, with academic enrolment status tracked over five years, as well as data from a national survey of student experience conducted in 2019. Students from alternative pathways were associated with lower retention outcomes in the first …

Mapping The Leap: Differences In Quality Improvement In Relation To Assessment Rating Outcomes, Belinda Davis, Rosemary Dunn, Linda J. Harrison, Manjula Waniganayake, Fay Hadley, Rebecca Andrews, Hui Li, Susan Irvine, Lennie Barblett, Maria Hatzigianni

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Introduction: Australia’s National Quality Standard (NQS) outlines the criteria to assess the quality of early childhood services. A four-point rating scale: (i) Exceeding NQS; (ii) Meeting NQS; (iii) Working Toward NQS; and (iv) Significant Improvement Required is applied to services following a regular assessment and rating process. Settings rated as Working Toward are reassessed within 12 months. Most settings achieved a one-step improvement in this Time 2 reassessment, moving to a Meeting rating but some settings made a two-step improvement, moving to an Exceeding rating. The QIP is a key document used by authorities to assess the quality of a …

No Time To Read? How Precarity Is Shaping Learning And Teaching In The Humanities, Helena Kadmos, Jessica Taylor

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Humanities educators are frequently frustrated by students’ poor engagement in reading. The contemporary student experience is characterised by disruption and precarity. Similarly, is that of teachers who work in casual employment. This discussion is located within broader conversations around the neoliberal university, but aims to make more visible ways that teaching and learning are increasingly shaped by precarity, and consequences for the humanities. It describes what precarity in higher education looks like and considers the kinds of strategies that students and their teachers are positioned to develop by virtue of engaging in education under such conditions, amid chaos, making these …

Understanding The Identity Work And Aspirations Of Indigenous Males Navigating Elite Australian Higher Education, James A. Smith, Garth Stahl, Andrew Harvey, Braden Hill, Himanshu Gupta, Sam Moore, Jianing Wang

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

In Australia, there has been increased attention to attracting Indigenous peoples into higher education but, despite a recent growth in enrolment numbers, they remain severely underrepresented. This underrepresentation is particularly notable among Indigenous males, who are the least likely to attend. In this paper, we investigate the experiences of four Indigenous young men who attended an elite higher education institution. Aligned with other research on the experiences of Black and Minority Ethnic males in higher education, the article captures how their experience in privileged institutions compels them to reflect on their own positionality and the cultural interface between Indigenous and …

Child Studies Multiple – Collaborative Play For Thinking Through Theories And Methods, Anna Sparrman, Yelyzaveta Hrechaniuk, Olga A. Smith, Klara Andersson, Deniz Arzuk, Johanna Annerbäck, Linnea Bodén, Mindy Blaise, Claudia Castañeda, Rebecca Coleman, Florian Eßer, Matt Finn, Daniel Gustafsson, Peter Holmqvist, Jonathan Josefsson, Peter Kraftl, Nick Lee, Karín Lesnik-Oberstein, Sarah Mitchell, Karin Murris, Alex Orrmalm, David Oswell, Alan Prout, Rachel Rosen, Katherine Runswick-Cole, Johanna Sjöberg, Karen Smith, Spyros Spyrou, Kathryn B. Stockton, Affrica Taylor, Ohad Zehavi, Emilia Zotevska, Sonja Arndt, David Cardell

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This text is an exploration of collaborative thinking and writing through theories, methods, and experiences on the topic of the child, children, and childhood. It is a collaborative written text (with 32 authors) that sprang out of the experimental workshop Child Studies Multiple. The workshop and this text are about daring to stay with mess, “un-closure” , and uncertainty in order to investigate the (e)motions and complexities of being either a child or a researcher. The theoretical and methodological processes presented here offer an opportunity to shake the ground on which individual researchers stand by raising questions about scientific inspiration, …

Exploring The Re-Legitimisation Of Messages For Health And Physical Education Within Contemporary English And Welsh Curricula Reform, J. Stirrup, David Aldous, S. Gray, R. Sandford, O. Hooper, S. Hardley, A. S. Bryant, N. R. Carse

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This paper explores how messages for health and PE ([H]PE) within English and Welsh curricula are being re-legitimised through distinct performance and competence pedagogic models. Drawing upon Bernstein’s sociology of knowledge (Bernstein, 1996. Pedagogy, symbolic control and identity: Theory, research, critique. Taylor and Francis; 2000. Pedagogy, symbolic control and identity: Theory, research and critique (revised ed.). Rowman and Littlefield) data was generated through a deductive content analysis of the contemporary statutory English National Curriculum for Physical Education (NCPE) and the new Curriculum for Wales (CfW), Health and Well-Being Area of Learning and Experience (HWB-AoLE). Findings illustrate how the current English …

Feeling And Hearing Country As Research Method, Anne Poelina, Marlikka Perdrisat, Sandra Wooltorton, Edwin L. Mulligan

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This paper explains Feeling and Hearing Country as an Australian Indigenous practice whereby water is life, Country is responsive, and Elders generate wisdom for a communicative order of things. The authors ask, as a society of Indigenous people and those no longer Indigenous to place, can we walk together in the task of collectively healing Country? The research method uses experiential, creative, propositional, and practical ways of knowing and being in and with local places. Evidence may take many forms based upon engagement with an animate, sentient world. The research method can generate new meanings, implications and insights, and regenerate …

Physical Education And Covid-19: What Have We Learned?, Valeria Varea, Ana Riccetti, Gustavo González-Calvo, Marcela Siracusa, Alfonso García-Monge

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The aim of this paper is to explore what we have learned during the COVID-19 pandemic in the field of Physical Education in three different countries: Argentina, Spain and Sweden. Data were generated through semi-structured interviews, and the concept of field agency is used to make sense of the data. Differences were found among the three countries, regarding the content of the classes, the use of resources, the emotions of teachers, and the use of physical contact. This was also a result of the regulations and resources in place. The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated that the nature of the field …

The Impact And Management Of Mis/Disinformation At University Libraries In Australia, Nicole Johnston

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Mis/disinformation has in recent political and health climates become increasingly spread through social media and the internet, drawing increased discussion on the role libraries play in countering and combating the spread of mis/disinformation. This study investigated the impact and management of mis/disinformation at university libraries in Australia through a survey of 88 library staff and interviews with 17 managers. Library staff believe they have a role in teaching skills such as critical thinking and evaluation, advocating in this space and maintaining credible, balanced and inclusive collections. Although combating mis/disinformation is a strategic priority for libraries, it is often not a …

Readability Of Australian Road Safety Information For The General Public, Catherine Ferguson, Stephen Winn

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This research was conducted as a result of the authors becoming aware of the Australasian College of Road Safety (ACRS) submission to the National Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030. The ACRS submission outlined six key elements, one of which suggested that the National Road Safety Strategy should include ‘Publication in easily consumable form, for the public, of infrastructure safety star ratings for all road users’ (ACRS, 2021, p.61). This prompted the researchers to consider the road safety information provided to the general public about driving behaviour. Forty excerpts from online data from one Australian State’s road safety website were assessed for …

The Relationship Between Student Employment, Employability-Building Activities And Graduate Outcomes, Denise Jackson

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

There is continued pressure on universities to develop future-oriented graduates given documented skill gaps and global talent shortages. Although work experience supports work-readiness and is prioritised among graduate employers, little is known about the labour market gains from student employment compared to work experience embedded within the curriculum (e.g. internship or work placement), and how one may influence the other. Drawing on the lens of capital resources and signalling theory, this study uses national survey data from 152,226 recent Australian graduates to examine the relationship between student employment, in-curricular work experience and labour market outcomes. The findings affirm the high …

Final Report June 2023: Research Impact Evidence Scheme - Research Impact: Dr. Helen Adam, Maria Enriquez-Watt, Helen Adam

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This research addressed the question: What is the impact of the research of Dr. Helen Adam into the culturally responsive use of diverse literature on practitioners, school communities, policy makers and the wider community?

Key Findings:

• The primary beneficiaries of Adam’s work include policy makers, educational professionals & consultants, academics, teacher trainers, and librarians.
• The secondary beneficiaries of Adam’s research include school children and their families, school communities and the wider community.
• Adam’s research is of pervasive and profound significance in educational sectors and is rapidly becoming of global significance.
• Adam’s research is transformative and impacts on the lives of …

A National Survey Of Gendered Grouping Practices In Secondary School Physical Education In England, Shaun D. Wilkinson, Dawn Penney

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Gendered grouping practices and curriculum provision are matters of long-standing contention and debate in physical education (PE) policy, research, and practice internationally. In England, there is a long tradition of single-sex grouping in PE in secondary schools, with accompanying gendered patterns of staffing and many boys and girls taught different activities in the curriculum. Research on the incidence of single- and mixed-sex grouping in PE is however scarce, dated, and limited in scale. At a time when education, sport, and society are challenged to move beyond binary discourses and critically review structures and practices that uphold stereotypical and established …

Employability For Inclusion: The Urgent Need For A Biopsychosocial Model Perspective, Mollie Dollinger, Tim Corcoran, Denise Jackson, Sarah O'Shea

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Definitions of disability are changing, shifting from a narrow medical diagnosis to a biopsychosocial model of disability, where disability is conceptualised as a series of relational conditions that can potentially disadvantage individuals within environments. Implications of this new understanding of disability will have significant effects in the higher education sector, where there is increasing participation of disabled students. In this paper, we discuss one aspect of these implications through the topic of graduate employability. In doing so, we generate a new concept ‘Employability for Inclusion’ that can be utilised as an equity-focused lens for universities to consider how employability initiatives …