Education Commons^™

A Taste Of Research: Preliminary Insights From An Undergraduate Research Training Cadetship Project In A Western Australian University Offering Experiences Outside The Classroom, Caitlin Fox-Harding, Kristina Kendall, Tenielle Porter, Brianna Fleay, Shelley Beatty, Ruth Wallace

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This paper assessed the impact of a Student Research Cadetship Program aimed at providing undergraduate students with extracurricular research opportunities within the School of Medical & Health Sciences at Edith Cowan University. This preliminary evaluation, comprising two studies, explored the outcomes, benefits, and challenges experienced by students and academic staff. Study 1 analysed outputs from cadetship projects between 2016-2023 (n= 80 students; 42 academics). Notably, cadets contributed to over 60 research outputs, with 30% of cadets transitioning to postgraduate studies following competition of the program. Study 2 focused specifically on the 2023 program, highlighting positive impacts on academic staff and …

Developing An 'Eportfolio Of Evidence' Towards Employment And Registration For Early Childhood Teachers, Pauline Roberts, Leonie Menzel, Bev Adkin, Lennie Barblett

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

ePortfolios have been in use in Initial Teacher Education (ITE) courses for many years. The link to employability has been part of these initiatives, however, recent concerns over workforce and employment requires additional focus to ensure the ongoing sustainability of the ePortfolio. Ensuring teachers are 'classroom ready' led to increased pressure on pre-service teachers (PSTs) to demonstrate achievement of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (APST) (Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership, 2017). The goal of this project was to explore and influence PST's thinking towards the ePortfolio through changes in practice. The research entailed a rapid systematic review …

University Evaluation Toolkit: Navigating Evaluative Practices Across All Levels With Rufdatae, Elizabeth J. Cook, Kena Cabral Morales

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

University stakeholders have mixed feelings about evaluation, and mixed understandings, skills and knowledge about how to effectively evaluate. How much do you know about evaluation? Could you plan an evaluation if asked? This poster provides a toolkit of strategies for enhancing evaluation in universities, based on Cook’s (2021) “Evaluation of work-integrated learning: A realist synthesis and toolkit to enhance university evaluative practices”. RUFDATAE is a modified version of Saunders’ (2000) approach.

The poster: defines evaluation; clarifies the difference between evaluation and research; summarises the four domains of evaluation in higher education; and outlines RUFDATAE, an evaluation planning framework, for prompting …

Continuous Professional Development Strategies Of Nepali Secondary Principals: Navigating Challenges In Changing Times, Shankar Dhakal, Geoffrey W. Lummis, Andrew Jones

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This article delves into the ‘continuous professional development’ (CPD) strategies of three Nepali public secondary principals in complex settings. Through semi-structured interviews, the case studies reveal key CPD themes such as academic qualifications, contextual learning, collaborative networking, leadership training, critical self-reflection, and spiritual dimensions aligned with contextual expectations. The research reinforces the importance of networking and collaboration, in providing targeted CPD for principals, necessitating the negotiation of cultural sensitivities. These insights carry vital implications for school leadership in Nepal and similar international contexts, providing strategies to ensure positive educational outcomes.

Engaging Stakeholders To Inform Policy Developments In Early Childhood Education And Outside School Hours Care, Fay Hadley, Linda J. Harrison, Leanne Lavina, Lennie Barblett, Susan Irvine, Francis Bobongie-Harris, Jennifer Cartmel

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The application of engagement strategies to ensure democracy of decisions is increasingly valued and adopted by governments to ensure trust in the process and ownership of the outcome. This paper describes the approach and methods used to engage early childhood education and care (ECEC) and outside school hours care (OSHC) stakeholders in the contemporizing and updating of Australia’s national Approved Learning Frameworks (ALFs): Belonging, Being and Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia (EYLF) and My Time Our Place: Framework for School Age Care (MTOP). Theoretical underpinnings of a robust stakeholder engagement strategy ensured a range of methods were …

The Benefits, Barriers And Facilitators Of Mentoring Programs For First-Year Doctors: A Systematic Review, Joelle Winderbaum, Linda L. L. Coventry

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Introduction: The transition from medical student to first-year doctor is notoriously difficult, yielding a high rate of transition failure, burn-out and mental health deterioration. Doctors in this cohort experience unique challenges during this time, which manifest through performance gaps, issues of professional identity, new occupational pressures, and cultural expectations. Mentoring programs are commonly utilised in the medical profession to foster personal and professional development and improve psychosocial well-being and career satisfaction. However, there exist no systematic reviews examining the use of mentorship specifically for the first-year doctor cohort, given the unique transition challenges faced by this vulnerable group. Purpose: Due …

Unravelling The Wellbeing Needs Of Australian Teachers: A Qualitative Inquiry, Narelle Lemon, Kristina Turner

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The declining wellbeing of Australian teachers is a longstanding problem, with much attention on retention, stress, burnout, and poor resourcing and conditions that impact wellbeing. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic has further illuminated these challenges. This qualitative study aimed to explore Australian teachers’ perceptions of their wellbeing needs with a focus on asking the questions that are often not asked—what is working, what are we learning, and how can we move forward to support teacher wellbeing? The voices of teachers revealed findings that support a much-needed shift in teacher wellbeing rhetoric in Australia. We illuminate five key areas that influence teacher …

An Ecosystem Of Knowledge: Relationality As A Framework For Teachers To Infuse Indigenous Perspectives In Curriculum, Maryanne Macdonald, Sarah Booth, Libby Jackson-Barrett

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

New data is presented from two studies involving thirteen practising secondary teachers and twelve pre-service early childhood, primary and secondary teachers in Australia. The first study explored how non-Indigenous practising teacher identities, shaped by external and policy discourse, create obstacles to teachers’ willingness and confidence in infusing Indigenous perspectives in curriculum. With this knowledge in hand, the researchers utilised a Design-Based Research methodology to conduct a second study with pre-service (ITE) teachers, exploring the power of relationality as a framework to re-shape non-Indigenous pre-service teachers’ conceptualisation of racial and place-based identity. By enabling non-Indigenous pre-service teachers to construct an authentic …

A Maturity Model For Micro-Credentialing And Shorter Forms Of Learning Practice In Australasian Universities, Ratna M. Selvaratnam, Steven Warburton, Dominique Parrish, Suzanne Crew

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

As education and training providers grapple with increasing demand for micro-credentials, guidance on how to improve providers’ capacity and capability to deliver a high standard of learning along with profitable outcomes is needed. This study sought to develop a maturity model that could assist higher education providers in distinguishing their stage of development for delivering micro-credentials and provide guidance on activities to advance micro-credential maturity. A survey of Australasian higher education providers validated the developed model and provided an indicator of the sector’s maturity and ability to meet the increasing demand for micro-credentials. The model’s domains of quality, resourcing, standards …

Assessing Primary School Preservice Teachers’ Confidence To Apply Their Tpack In Specific Categories Of Technologies Using A Self-Audit Survey, David A. Martin, Michael D. Carey, Natalie Mcmaster, Madeleine Clarkin

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Internationally, university teacher educators have acted on the requirement that practising teachers need to be operational users of technologies. In response, coursework has been restructured to develop preservice teachers’ (PSTs) use and application of educational technologies for teaching and learning purposes. This paper presents the development and use of a self-audit survey designed to guide primary school PSTs’ self-directed learning and assessments in 10 specific categories of technologies, and to improve their confidence to apply their knowledge. The survey was administered to 296 PSTs in a pre- and post-course design and validated post hoc with Rasch analysis. Pre- and post-course …

Personal Values, Subjective Wellbeing, And The Effects Of Perceived Social Support In Childhood: A Pre-Registered Study, Patricia R. Collins, Joanne Sneddon, Julie A. Lee

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Personal values are broad motivational goals that have been found to have systematic relations with subjective wellbeing in adults. Values that promote higher subjective wellbeing are considered healthy while those that hamper it are considered unhealthy (Schwartz & Sortheix, 2018). However, little is known about these relations in children. This pre-registered study examined (1) whether the values of children (6 to 12 years of age) relate to their subjective wellbeing and (2) whether these relations are moderated or mediated by perceived social support from parents, teachers, classmates, and close friends. These research questions were examined with a sample of 738 …

The Quest For Continuous Quality Improvement In Australian Long Day Care Services: Getting The Most Out Of The Assessment And Rating Process, Susan L. Irvine, Lennie Barblett, Manjula Waniganayake, Fay Hadley, Rebecca Andrews, Maria Hatzigianni, Hui Li, Leanne Lavina, Linda J. Harrison, Belinda Davis

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The National Quality Framework (NQF) was intended to drive continuous improvement in education and care services in Australia. Ten years into implementation, the effectiveness of the NQF is demonstrated by steady improvements in quality as measured against the National Quality Standard (NQS). The process of assessing and rating services is a key element in the NQF, drawing together regulatory compliance and quality assurance. This paper draws on findings from a national Quality Improvement Research Project investigating the characteristics, processes, challenges and enablers of quality improvement in long day care services, concentrating on Quality Area 1 Educational program and practice and …

Navigating The Intersection Between Academic And Research Integrity For Investigations Involving Research Students. Practitioner Experiences At An Australian University, Marc Fellman

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

There is limited research on the intersection between research and academic integrity in scenarios concerning research students. In this commentary the experiences of a practitioner working in research governance, navigating the interstices between research integrity (RI) and academic integrity (AI) investigations, will be examined. With a view to promoting discussion on this aspect of research governance.

De+D61:D80signing Bespoke Visual Mediation Tools Using 'Viscourse' For Intergenerational Research Visiblising Pedagogies, Amelia Ruscoe, Penny Baker

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Visual methods are an innovative design space for study methodologies with young children. The accessibility of visual media, and flexibility of their design and use, has spurred methodological innovations that stretch the boundaries of intergenerational research. This article explores the visual dialogic nexus in research methods tailored to investigate discourse. The research sought to uncover the perspectives of young children and their teachers about their discursive affordances in the first year of school. Employing an iterative design process, bespoke visual mediation tools were collaboratively created with a visual artist to capture the intergenerational viewpoints of the participants. This article reconceptualises …

Host Organizations' Perceptions To Providing Safe And Inclusive Work-Integrated Learning Programs For Students With Disability, Tanya Lawlis, Tamieka Mawer, Thomas Bevitt, Tom Arthur, Lesley Andrew, Ruth Wallace, Ros Sambell, Amanda Devine

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Inclusive work-integrated learning (WIL) requires collaboration between universities, host organizations and students, particularly, when designing and delivering WIL for students with disabilities. Host organizations, however, are not often included in the collaborations. This study explored host organization knowledge, capacity and challenges to providing WIL experiences for students with disability. A case study multi-method approach comprising an online survey and focus groups was undertaken. Host organizations, represented by supervisors, providing WIL to students enrolled in health courses at two Australian higher education institutions participated. The perceived need for student disclosure, office building limitations, and host organization limited knowledge of WIL expectations, …

Parent Self-Efficacy And Its Relationship With Children's Screen Viewing: A Scoping Review, Stephanie C. Milford, Lynette Vernon, Joseph J. Scott, Nicola F. Johnson

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This scoping review examines the relationship between parent self-efficacy and children's screen viewing, to provide context, identify gaps and limitations of the current body of literature, and provide recommendations for future research. We identified 111 studies from a search of four academic databases, of which sixteen were within scope and met inclusion criteria. This review found that parents who identified as more self-efficacious in task-specific areas related to screen time had children with less screen viewing time. This finding suggests that parents who identify as more self-efficacious in these areas may implement more mediation strategies, in line with current public …

Teaching Stare Decisis To First-Year Law Students In Higher Education: A Pedagogical Blind Alley?, Kenneth Yin, Carmela De Maio

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The doctrine of stare decisis is often explained in first-year law studies as synonymous with the doctrine of precedent and dichotomised into ratio decidendi and obiter dicta. This explanation of stare decisis is frequently supplemented by an exercise where the novice law student is provided with a case and directed to identify the ratio decidendi of the case, and to appreciate the distinction between ratio and obiter dicta in it, the latter being persuasive only. It is argued that this pedagogy is limited and unrealistic because stare decisis is a dynamic process whereby, applying the precepts of formal legal logic, …

A Systematic Review Of K-12 Cybersecurity Education Around The World, Ahmed Ibrahim, Marnie Mckee, Leslie F. Sikos, Nicola F. Johnson

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This paper presents a systematic review of K-12 cybersecurity education literature from around the world. 24 academic papers dated from 2013-2023 were eligible for inclusion in the literature established within the research protocol. An additional 19 gray literature sources comprised the total. A range of recurring common topics deemed as aspects of cybersecurity behavior or practice were identified. A variety of cybersecurity competencies and skills are needed for K-12 students to apply their knowledge. As may be expected to be the case with interdisciplinary fields, studies are inherently unclear in the use of their terminology, and this is compounded in …

Examination Of The Reliability And Validity Of The Japanese Version Of The 10-Item Reflective Practice Questionnaire, Daichi Sugawara, Atsumi Iikura, Syohei Miyamoto, Akihiro Masuyama, Kanako Nakazawa, Keigo Hatto, Ayaka Matsumoto, Lon J. Van Winkle, Shane L. Rogers

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

While various self-administered instruments measure reflective practice, the Reflective Practice Questionnaire (RPQ) can be used across multiple professions. We evaluated the Japanese version of the 10-item Reflective Practice Questionnaire (RPQ-10-J). In Study 1, 300 Japanese interpersonal assistance professionals were surveyed, and the RPQ-10-J was found to conform to a single factor via confirmatory factor analysis. We also found evidence of high internal consistency and adequate test-re-test reliability. High internal consistency was replicated in Study 2. In Study 2, 83 and 80 practicing interpersonal assistance professionals were surveyed physically and online, respectively. Additionally, the RPQ-10-J was correlated with the Japanese version …

2024 Suffolk University Commencement Program, Law School, Suffolk University

Suffolk University Commencements

Suffolk University commencement programs detail the location, date, order of exercises, academic honors, speakers, administration, graduates, and other related information.

2024 Suffolk University Commencement Program, College Of Arts & Sciences And Sawyer Business School, Suffolk University

Suffolk University Commencements

Suffolk University commencement programs detail the location, date, order of exercises, academic honors, speakers, administration, graduates, and other related information.

2023 Suffolk University Commencement Program, Law School, Suffolk University

Suffolk University Commencements

Suffolk University commencement programs detail the location, date, order of exercises, academic honors, speakers, administration, graduates, and other related information.

The Living Room Peer Support Training: Leading The Way In Unlocking Mental Health Benefits For University Students In Peer-Led Service Models In Higher Education, Amanda L. Cole, Dawn Reid

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This paper presents the development and execution of a specialised university training program designed to support Peer Support Advisors (PSAs) within The Living Room: a low-barrier peer-led mental health service. The primary objective was to investigate the training program's impact on the knowledge and attitudes of PSAs. Two questionnaires were administered: a pre-training questionnaire to establish participants' initial attitudes and knowledge levels, and a post-training questionnaire to assess any changes following completion of the program. Additionally, a feedback questionnaire was used to gather qualitative insights on the training experience. The integration of qualitative narrative accounts with quantitative data facilitated a …

Students' Preferences For Setting And/Or Mixed-Ability Grouping In Secondary School Physical Education In England, Shaun D. Wilkinson, Dawn Penney

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

There is an extensive international literature on different forms of ability grouping in schools, much of which describes their impact on students' academic achievement, motivation, self-concept and/or attitudes towards learning. Comparatively little research has focused on students' perspectives of these practices, while the research that has been conducted has primarily focused on mathematics, English and science. There is a conspicuous and arguably significant absence of research that explores students' perspectives on different forms of ability grouping in other areas of the school curriculum, including physical education (PE). In contrast to the relative privacy of classroom-based subjects, students' bodies, physical competencies …

Where Are The Diverse Families In Australian Children’S Literature? Impacts And Consideration For Language And Literacy In The Early Years, Helen Adam, Sally Murphy, Yvonne Urquhart, Katira Ahmed

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

A lack of representation of diverse families in children’s books can affirm insecurities and contribute to a sense of “otherness”. This study reports on the representation of family diversity in award-listed Australian children’s picture books. A critical theoretical framework was employed to analyse both texts and images. This study found a lack of diverse family structures in children’s books, especially LGBTIQA+, foster, step and blended families. This paper argues that to ensure inclusive and equitable literacy learning opportunities for all, educators need to go beyond award-listed books when selecting books for early literacy environments.

National Cyber Security Licence Consultation Report: Stakeholder Consultation Workshops Consolidated Feedback Held Oct – Nov 2023, Nicola F. Johnson, Leslie F. Sikos, Ahmed Ibrahim, Marnie Mckee

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The consultation workshops invited stakeholders to join a roundtable environment to comment on and discuss the Consultation Paper, shared by Project Lead Associate Professor Nicola Johnson, Edith Cowan University (ECU) in October 2023. The purpose of the Consultation Paper was to identify whether stakeholders agreed that the national cyber security licence the Research Team had developed to date was a best solution towards addressing K-12 students’ cyber security education needs, which was found to not presently be sufficient (see Johnson et al., 2022). Eight workshops were conducted over a month-long period held October to November 2023. 250 invitations were sent …

Care In The Academy: How Our Online Writing Group Transformed Into A Caring Community, Martina Costello, Julie Nyanjom, Susan Bailey, Deb Ireson

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This study explores the challenges academics face in prioritising their writing and research activities within the neoliberal academy. Using a collaborative autoethnography methodology, including verbatim transcriptions of recorded meetings and personal reflections as data, we explore the processes and strategies employed within an interdisciplinary online writing community. The findings highlight that collaborative, supportive online writing groups, when underpinned by an ethics of care, can effectively address the dehumanising aspects of the neoliberal academy without compromising productivity. This study concludes that it is possible to create real communities of care whilst simultaneously meeting the individualistic demands imposed by the academy.

Exploring Integrated Active Learning Practices In An Accelerated Fully Online Graduate-Level Course At A Hispanic Serving Institution, P. Ming-Tsan Lu, Seokmin Kang

Teaching and Learning Faculty Publications

The purpose of the study aimed to explore integrated active learning (IAL) practices in a graduate-level fully online, accelerated course at an HSI, with a focus on students’ perceptions, and to evaluate the implementation of integrated active learning based on student feedback and reflections. Course instructors started implementing IAL practices for the same course in 2022. Data from before and after IAL implementation in terms of course syllabi and course designs on Blackboard, the LMS used in the HSI, were collected. To investigate students’ perceptions, survey methods were also conducted. Findings revealed that graduate students overwhelmingly preferred IAL over traditional …

Effects Of Physical Exercise On Academic Performance In University Students: A Systematic Review, Yury Rosales-Ricardo, Verónica Cáceres-Manzano

Health Professions Education

Purpose: to evaluate the scientific evidence on the effects of physical exercise on the academic performance of university students, through a systematic review.

Methods: Eleven hundred and fifty-three studies emerged from this search, based on the following selection criteria: articles published in the last 5 years, original studies of different types: experimental at any level, correlational, analytical, and observational, where any type of physical exercise is applied, in undergraduate university students, of any sex and university career. The review was finally performed with only 11 studies. Search for appropriate manuscripts was based on the following descriptive terms: "Exercise" …

Environmental Sustainability, Healthcare Workers And Healthcare Students: A Literature Review Of Attitudes And Learning Approaches, Pamela R. Mccauley, Kavita Mathur, Reza Kamali Miab, Nina Cohen, Kedena Henriques-Thompson, Jyo Gopinath

Health Professions Education

Purpose: Today, increased attention has been placed on the healthcare industry and its workers in the wake of the global COVID-19 pandemic. Increases in facemask production, personal protective equipment, and the number of patients admitted into hospitals have resulted in a sharp rise in medical waste and environmental concerns. This has led to a greater interest by the research community to study the type of training and education that healthcare workers and students receive which could facilitate the implementation of sustainability activities during their work.

Design/Methodology: We have conducted a literature review (2010 to 2024) on healthcare worker …