Education Commons^™

Learning To Teach With Technologies What Pre-Service Teachers Say About Their Experiences, Kathryn Moyle

Professor Kathryn Moyle (consultant)

It is the intention of the Australian Government, that over the next five years, as a result of the Digital Education Revolution, all secondary schools in Australia will have achieved computer to student ratios of one-to-one. This investment in infrastructure brings with it many challenges. Two of these facing Australian educators are: In what ways can advantage be made of such a significant investment in schools’ infrastructure?; and What preparation do pre-service teachers require to enable them to meaningfully include technologies in their classroom activities? To provide some insights into these two questions, this paper draws on data collected from …

The Case Against League Tables, Glenn Rowley

Dr Glenn Rowley (retired)

Glenn Rowley explains why nationally comparable data about school performances should be reported to the public, but should not be used to create league tables.

The 2008 Graduate Pathways Survey : Graduates Education And Employment Outcomes Five Years After Completion Of A Bachelor Degree At An Australian University, Hamish Coates, Daniel Edwards

Dr Daniel Edwards

This report presents findings from the first national study in Australia of bachelor degree graduates five years after degree completion. It details the design, development, implementation and outcomes of the Graduate Pathways Survey (GPS). Findings from the 2008 GPS are wide ranging. They must be read within the context of the project's methodology which is detailed in Appendix B, but it is clear that the findings have the capacity to shape university education and the development of Australia's economy and professional workforce. Findings from the 2008 Graduate Pathways Survey are of interest to a wide range of audiences. Potential university …

Improving Higher Education Through User-Inspired Research: Findings From Multi-National Needs Assessments, Joseph B. Berger

Joseph B. Berger

No abstract provided.

Questionnaire Construct Validation In The International Civic And Citizenship Education Study, Wolfram Schulz

Dr Wolfram Schulz

International studies tend to use student, teacher or school questionnaires for the collection of contextual data on student or teacher characteristics, background, activities and the school's learning environment. Furthermore, student measures of values, attitudes and behavioural intentions are also frequently viewed as important learning outcomes, in particular in the context of studies of civic and citizenship education. Data obtained from these instruments become frequently important predictors of student performance or are treated as learning outcome variables of interest. Therefore, the scaling of questionnaire items to obtain measures of students', teachers' and principals' perceptions and attitudes should ideally be subject of …

An International Perspective On Civic And Citizenship Education: Exploring The Learning Context For Lower Secondary Students, Wolfram Schulz, Julian Fraillon

Dr Wolfram Schulz

The purpose of the International Civic and Citizenship Education Study (ICCS) is to investigate, in a range of countries, the ways in which young people are prepared and consequently ready and able to undertake their roles as citizens. In pursuit of this purpose, the study will report on student achievement, student activities, value beliefs, behavioural intentions and attitudes related to civic and citizenship education. The collection of contextual data will help to explain variation in these outcome variables. This paper describes how the learning context for civic education is explored in the ICCS survey. It outlines the conceptual framework, the …

Can We Make Accounting Relevant Again? Non-Traditional Accounting Systems Can Drive Productivity And Future Prosperity, Mark Doggett

Mark Doggett

No abstract provided.

Implementing A New Initiative In Mental Health In Australian Primary Schools, Michael Lawson, Helen Askell-Williams, Katherine Dix, Phillip Slee, Grace Skrzypiec, Barbara Spears

Dr Katherine Dix

I'M A Girl, You're A Boy. You Study Social Science, I Study Natural Science:, Petra Lietz, Ognyan Seizov

Dr Petra Lietz

In this multiple case study (n= 8) with process orientation (Yin, 2003) in-depth interviews were conducted annually over a three-year period with undergraduate students from eight countries at an international university. They had been purposely selected to reflect a mix of learning approaches, gender and discipline areas. Interviews probed students about their instructional experiences, such as evaluation of teaching, assessment preferences and preparation, adaptation of learning approaches and plans for the future. The systematic content analysis was aimed at comparing responses across learning approaches, gender and discipline areas. Results indicated commonalities across learning approaches, gender and discipline areas in terms …

The Contribution And Standards Processes Of Private Higher Education Providers, Daniel Edwards, Hamish Coates, Ali Radloff

Dr Daniel Edwards

This research project has been conducted by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) for the Australian Council for Private Education and Training (ACPET). The main purpose of this work is to provide information about the standards processes and practices among private1 higher education providers (HEPs) in Australia. This project has used quantitative modelling to determine the size, diversity and recent growth of HEPs in Australia, and to provide a contextual base for this part of the sector in comparison with the public universities. A number of HEPs have also participated in consultations undertaken as part of this research. Participating …

The Contribution And Standards Processes Of Private Higher Education Providers, Daniel Edwards, Hamish Coates, Ali Radloff

Ali Radloff

This research project has been conducted by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) for the Australian Council for Private Education and Training (ACPET). The main purpose of this work is to provide information about the standards processes and practices among private1 higher education providers (HEPs) in Australia. This project has used quantitative modelling to determine the size, diversity and recent growth of HEPs in Australia, and to provide a contextual base for this part of the sector in comparison with the public universities. A number of HEPs have also participated in consultations undertaken as part of this research. Participating …

Certificating Ielts Writing And Speaking Examiners, Sacha Develle

Dr Sacha DeVelle

IELTS examiners are subject to rigorous procedures for the certification of new examiners and the re-certification of experienced examiners. The IELTS Professional Support Network (PSN) integrates these procedures via a global system of recruitment, induction, training, standardisation, certification and monitoring. Research funded by the IELTS Joint-funded Research Program (Brown 2000, Furneaux and Rignall 2007), and outcomes from The IELTS Speaking Test Revision Project (1998-2001) and Writing Test Revision Project (2001-2005) have provided valuable insights into examiner training and the regular updating of examiner certification and training materials. Studies in Language Testing 19 (Taylor and Falvey 2007) documents Speaking and Writing …

La Efectividad De Un Modelo Metodológico Mixto Para La Enseñanza-Aprendizaje De Español Como Le, Kerwin A. Livingstone, Anita A. Ferreira Cabrera

Kerwin A. Livingstone

El presente artículo propone proveer un modelo metodológico mixto para el desarrollo e implementación de un Módulo de Enseñanza para el español como lengua extranjera en la modalidad presencial. El objetivo principal es evidenciar cómo los principios metodológicos provenientes de los enfoques didácticos (“nfoque por tareas”y “prendizaje cooperativo” pueden ser aplicados de manera efectiva en el diseño de contextos presenciales. Para ello, se explora evidencia empírica acerca de la efectividad de la metodología mixta en la enseñanza-aprendizaje de español como lengua extranjera en dichos ambientes, en un estudio basado en un diseño experimental longitudinal con pre-est y post-est, sin grupo …

Signaling The Competencies Of High School Students To Employers, John H. Bishop

John H Bishop

[Excerpt] The fundamental cause of the low effort level of American students, parents, and voters in school elections is the absence of good signals of effort and accomplishment and the consequent lack of rewards for learning. In most other advanced countries mastery of the curriculum is assessed by examinations that are set and graded at the national or regional level. Grades on these exams signal the student's achievement to employers and colleges and influence the jobs that graduates get and the universities and programs to which they are admitted. Exam results also influence school reputations and in some countries the …

Are National Exit Examinations Important For Educational Efficiency?, John H. Bishop

John H Bishop

“This paper analyses effects of national or provincial exit examinations on education quality. On theoretical grounds, the paper argues that such examinations should increase high school achievement, particularly in examination subjects, and that teachers and students and parents and school administrators should focus more on academic achievement when making school-quality decisions. On the negative side, exit examinations may lead to a tendency to concentrate on learning facts, rather than understanding contexts.”

Secondary Education In The United States: What Can Others Learn From Our Mistakes?, John H. Bishop , Ferran Mane, Michael Bishop

John H Bishop

Secondary schools are the least successful component of the U.S. education system. Students learn considerably less than in other industrialized nations and dropout rates are significantly higher. This paper provides an explanation for this failure, describes the standards based reforms strategies that many states are implementing to attack these problems, and evaluates the success of these efforts.

Is The Test Score Decline Responsible For The Productivity Growth Decline?, John H. Bishop

John H Bishop

[Excerpt] The test score decline between 1967 and 1980 was large (about 1.25 grade-level equivalents) and historically unprecedented. New estimates of trend in academic achievement, of the effect of academic achievement on productivity and of trend in the quality of the work force are developed. They imply that if test scores had continued to grow after 1967 at the rate that prevailed in the previous quarter century, labor quality would now be 2.9 percent higher and 1987 GNP $86 billion higher.

High School Exit Examinations: When Do Learning Effects Generalize?, John H. Bishop

John H Bishop

This paper reviews international and domestic evidence on the effects of three types of high school exit exam systems: voluntary curriculum-based external exit exams, universal curriculum-based external exit exam systems and minimum competency tests that must be passed to receive a regular high school diploma. The nations and provinces that use Universal CBEEES (and typically teacher grades as well) to signal student achievement have significantly higher achievement levels and smaller differentials by family background than otherwise comparable jurisdictions that base high stakes decisions on voluntary college admissions tests and/or teacher grades. The introduction of Universal CBEEES in New York and …

The Role Of End-Of-Course Exams And Minimum Competency Exams In Standards-Based Reforms, John H. Bishop, Ferran Mane, Michael Bishop, Joan Moriarty

John H Bishop

[Excerpt] Educational reformers and most of the American public believe that most teachers ask too little of their pupils. These low expectations, they believe, result in watered down curricula and a tolerance of mediocre teaching and inappropriate student behavior. The result is that the prophecy of low achievement becomes self-fulfilling. Although research has shown that learning gains are substantially larger when students take more demanding courses2, only a minority of students enroll in these courses. There are several reasons for this. Guidance counselors in many schools allow only a select few into the most challenging courses. While most schools give …

Do Curriculum-Based External Exit Exam Systems Enhance Student Achievement?, John H. Bishop

John H Bishop

[Excerpt] It is claimed that 'curriculum-based external exit exam systems', CBEEES, based on world class content standards will improve teaching and learning of core subjects. What evidence is there for this claim? New York's Regents Exams are an example of such a system. Do New York students outperform students with similar socio-economic backgrounds from other states? Outside the United States such systems are the rule, not the exception. What impacts have such systems had on school policies, teaching and student learning?

The Effect Of Curriculum-Based Exit Exam Systems On Student Achievement, John H. Bishop

John H Bishop

[Excerpt] Two presidents, the National Governors Association and numerous blue ribbon panels have called for the development of state or national content standards for core subjects and examinations that assess the achievement of these standards. The Competitiveness Policy Council, for example, advocates that "external assessments be given to individual students at the secondary level and that the results should be a major but not exclusive factor qualifying for college and better jobs at better wages (1993, p. 30)." It is claimed that 'curriculum-based external exit exam systems', CBEEES, based on world class content standards will improve teaching and learning of …

Expert Versus Novice Tutors: Impacts On Student Outcomes In Problem Based Learning, Heather Leary, Andrew Walker, Brett E. Shelton, M. Harrison Fitt

Heather Leary, Ph.D.

Problem based learning (PBL) is well known for the large amount of literature in Medical Education (Savery & Duffy, 1995). An essential part of PBL is the role of the tutor. With inconsistencies in the definition of an effective tutor, a systematic review of the literature in all disciplines is necessary. Meta-analysis (Cooper & Hedges, 1994) was used to investigate both content expertise and facilitator training of PBL tutors as moderators of student learning outcomes.

Reporting And Comparing School Performances, Geoff Masters, Glenn Rowley, John Ainley, Siek Toon Khoo

Prof Geoff Masters AO

This report provides advice on the collection and reporting of information about the performances of Australian schools. The focus is on the collection of nationally comparable data. Two purposes are envisaged: use by education authorities and governments to monitor school performances and, in particular, to identify schools that are performing unusually well or unusually poorly given their circumstances; and use by parents/caregivers and the public to make informed judgements about, and meaningful comparisons of, schools and their offerings. Our advice is based on a review of recent Australian and international research and experience in reporting on the performances of schools. …

Doing Assessment, Not Just Talking About It, Steven M. Culver

Steven M Culver

No abstract provided.

The Real Thing, Elizabeth Kleinhenz

Dr Elizabeth Kleinhenz

The author, an educational researcher who has not taught in a school for almost 10 years, agreed to take over a colleague's German classes for a week while the colleague holidayed overseas. The author recounts her experience of teaching in the 'real world' of schooling over these five days, including her interaction with the students and faculty, staff meetings, doubts about her linguistic capabilities, finding out how the school's leaders perceived their role, curriculum.

We Don’T Want To Go Around Unwritten: Understanding Our Students Through Meaningful And Culturally Welcoming Writing Assignments, Susan Adams

Susan Adams

Workshop presented at the Indiana Teachers of Writing Annual Conference, October 2009.

Questionnaire Construct Validation In The International Civic And Citizenship Education Study, Wolfram Schulz

Dr Wolfram Schulz

International studies tend to use student, teacher, and/or school questionnaires to collect contextual data on student and teacher characteristics, background, and activities, and the school’s learning environment. Student measures of values, attitudes, and behavioral intentions are also often viewed as important learning outcomes, in particular within the context of studies of civic and citizenship education. The scaling of questionnaire items to obtain measures of students’, teachers’, and principals’ perceptions and attitudes should therefore ideally be subject to a thorough cross-country validation of the underlying constructs. However, whereas those conducting international studies spend considerable effort ensuring measurement equivalence for international test …

Troubling The Waters: Alterity In The Experienced Curriculum Of English Language Learners And Special Education Students, Susan Adams

Susan Adams

Presentation at the 30th Annual Bergamo Conference on Curriculum Theory and Classroom Practice, Dayton, OH, October 2009.

Implementación De Un Modelo Metodológico Mixto Para La Enseñanza-Aprendizaje De Español Como Le, Kerwin A. Livingstone

Kerwin A. Livingstone

El presente estudio propone proveer un modelo metodológico mixto para el desarrollo e implementación de un Módulo de Enseñanza para el español como lengua extranjera en la modalidad presencial. El objetivo principal es evidenciar cómo los principios metodológicos provenientes de los enfoques didácticos (“enfoque por tareas” y “aprendizaje cooperativo”) pueden ser aplicados de manera efectiva en el diseño de contextos presenciales. Para ello, se explora evidencia empírica acerca de la efectividad de la metodología mixta en la enseñanza-aprendizaje de español como lengua extranjera en dichos ambientes, en un estudio basado en un diseño experimental longitudinal con pre-test y post-test, sin …

National Conversations: Listening To Students’ Views Of Learning With Technologies, Kathryn Moyle

Professor Kathryn Moyle (consultant)

The Digital Education Revolution is a key policy plank of the Rudd government. It is intended to develop students’ capabilities to learn with technologies. Little Australian research though, has focused upon the views and expectations of students about their learning that includes technologies. This paper draws on the findings from the 2008 research project, Listening to students and educators views of learning with technologies. This Australian national research project, funded by the Department for Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) set out to listen to and analyse what Australian students in primary and secondary schools, in vocational education and training …