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Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER)

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Articles 151 - 180 of 686

Full-Text Articles in Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research

Environmental Scan: Topical Areas To Inform A Future Review Of The Australian Professional Standards For Teachers, Kerry Elliott, Pru Mitchell, Hilary Hollingsworth, Charlotte Waters, Jenny Trevitt Feb 2020

Environmental Scan: Topical Areas To Inform A Future Review Of The Australian Professional Standards For Teachers, Kerry Elliott, Pru Mitchell, Hilary Hollingsworth, Charlotte Waters, Jenny Trevitt

Teaching standards and teacher evaluation

The brief was to conduct a broad sweep of literature that has surfaced since the publication of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers in 2011, and to consider how this literature could inform any future review of the standards. This multi-pronged scan method identified eleven topics that have increasingly influenced teachers' work over the past decade. The environmental scan report provides a critical review of current educational research and policy literature for each of the 11 topics. Findings provide a description of the topic, key sources, an outline of the changing landscape as it relates to teaching, examples of how …

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The Impact Of The Ib Primary Years Programme (Pyp) On Student Wellbeing And Other Related Social-Emotional Learning Outcomes, Katherine Dix, Shani Sniedze Jan 2020

The Impact Of The Ib Primary Years Programme (Pyp) On Student Wellbeing And Other Related Social-Emotional Learning Outcomes, Katherine Dix, Shani Sniedze

Wellbeing

This study investigated the impact of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme (PYP) on student wellbeing and related outcomes. The PYP, an educational framework for children ages 3–12, offers a holistic education focusing on whole-child development through an inquiry-driven approach. It does so through multiple programmatic elements that include leadership and teacher professional development, to deliver an inclusive curriculum in classrooms that builds transdisciplinary skills, culminating in the development of students’ international-mindedness, critical thinking and attributes of the IB learner profile.

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Using Project Work To Enhance Learning, Divya Kapoor Jan 2020

Using Project Work To Enhance Learning, Divya Kapoor

Teacher India

The old school model of passively learning facts and rote memorisation is no longer sufficient for preparing students to survive in today’s world. Project-based learning can help foster 21st century skills, says Divya Kapoor.

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Supporting Examination Reform In Nepal, Mee Young Han Jan 2020

Supporting Examination Reform In Nepal, Mee Young Han

Teacher India

ACER is helping to ensure that school assessment in Nepal focuses on testing higher-order thinking skills.

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Iea International Computer And Information Literacy Study 2018. Technical Report, Julian Fraillon, Wolfram Schulz, John Ainley, Tim Friedman, Daniel Duckworth Jan 2020

Iea International Computer And Information Literacy Study 2018. Technical Report, Julian Fraillon, Wolfram Schulz, John Ainley, Tim Friedman, Daniel Duckworth

ICT - Digital Literacy

The International Computer and Information Literacy Study (ICILS) studied the extent to which young people have developed computer and information literacy (CIL) to support their capacity to participate in the digital age. ICILS systematically investigated differences in CIL outcomes across the participating countries and looked at how these countries provide CIL-related education. The study also explored differences within and across countries with respect to the relationship between the outcomes of CIL education and student characteristics and school contexts. Chapter 1 of this report presents an overview of the International Computer and Information Literacy Study. Chapters 2 and 3 are concerned …

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School Resourcing: What Hinders Quality Instruction?, Sue Thomson Dec 2019

School Resourcing: What Hinders Quality Instruction?, Sue Thomson

Teacher columnist - Sue Thomson

It was recently reported in the media that, in a survey of about 1000 parents, 88 per cent rated the level of resources available at their children’s school as at least adequate. Of course, parents’ views are only one perspective.

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Reporting Student Learning, Hilary Hollingsworth, Jonathan Heard Dec 2019

Reporting Student Learning, Hilary Hollingsworth, Jonathan Heard

NSW Curriculum Review

This paper is one of six research ‘backgrounders’ to support the 2018–20 review of the New South Wales (NSW) curriculum. It focuses on reporting student learning, which has been identified as an area of interest in the review. This paper seeks to present an evidence base, based on a rapid review of relevant research literature, to inform considerations related to student reporting practice reform.

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Communicating Student Learning Progress: A Review Of Student Reporting In Australia. Findings In Brief, Hilary Hollingsworth, Jonathan Heard, Paul R. Weldon Nov 2019

Communicating Student Learning Progress: A Review Of Student Reporting In Australia. Findings In Brief, Hilary Hollingsworth, Jonathan Heard, Paul R. Weldon

Assessment and Reporting

The Communicating Student Learning Progress project was initiated to investigate questions relating to the effectiveness of current methods of communicating student progress, the extent to which they are valued by stakeholders, whether they are considered to provide quality information about student learning, and whether there are alternative designs for these activities that might be more effective. The project took place over a three-year period from July 2016 to June 2019.

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Communicating Student Learning Progress: A Review Of Student Reporting In Australia, Hilary Hollingsworth, Jonathan Heard, Paul R. Weldon Nov 2019

Communicating Student Learning Progress: A Review Of Student Reporting In Australia, Hilary Hollingsworth, Jonathan Heard, Paul R. Weldon

Assessment and Reporting

The Communicating Student Learning Progress project was initiated to investigate questions relating to the effectiveness of current methods of communicating student progress, the extent to which they are valued by stakeholders, whether they are considered to provide quality information about student learning, and whether there are alternative designs for these activities that might be more effective. The project took place over a three-year period from July 2016 to June 2019.

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Preparing For Life In A Digital World: The Iea International Computer And Information Literacy Study 2018 International Report, Julian Fraillon, John Ainley, Wolfram Schulz, Tim Friedman, Daniel Duckworth Nov 2019

Preparing For Life In A Digital World: The Iea International Computer And Information Literacy Study 2018 International Report, Julian Fraillon, John Ainley, Wolfram Schulz, Tim Friedman, Daniel Duckworth

ICT - Digital Literacy

The second cycle of ICILS in 2018 (ICILS 2018) continued to investigate students’ computer and information literacy (CIL) and also investigated students’ computational thinking (CT). This dimension involves conceptualising problems (through algorithmic or systems thinking) and operationalising solutions (creating, implementing, and evaluating computer-based responses to problems). The inclusion of CT as an option in ICILS 2018 reflects recent interest by educators, researchers, and policymakers in the value of CT in schooling. ICILS 2018 studied how these components of digital competence related to each other and to the school and out-of-school contexts that support learning with and about computer technology. This …

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Learning Practice Guide, Jen Jackson, Kate Noble, Jeanne Marie Iorio, Dan Cloney, Pru Mitchell Oct 2019

Learning Practice Guide, Jen Jackson, Kate Noble, Jeanne Marie Iorio, Dan Cloney, Pru Mitchell

Early Childhood Education

The first section of this Learning Practice Guide reminds early childhood professionals of the theory and pedagogy that underpins day-to-day practice, and helps them find ways to recognise children’s confidence and involvement in learning as a key component of their professional practice. The second section describes eight scenarios to prompt professional reflection, and illustrate ways in which early childhood professionals can improve their practice in relation to the VEYLDF Learning and Development Outcome: Children are confident and involved learners.

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Nurturing Wonder And Igniting Passion: Designs For A Future School Curriculum. Nsw Curriculum Review Interim Report, Geoff N. Masters Oct 2019

Nurturing Wonder And Igniting Passion: Designs For A Future School Curriculum. Nsw Curriculum Review Interim Report, Geoff N. Masters

NSW Curriculum Review

This report is an interim report of the New South Wales Curriculum Review. This review has concluded that change is required. The changes proposed by the Review are significant. They relate to the amount and nature of syllabus content, the overall structure of the curriculum, and the focus of learning in the senior years of school. It has been produced as a progress report and a basis for consultation on the broad directions it identifies.

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Measuring The Value Of Professional Indexing, Philip Hider, Pru Mitchell, Robert Parkes Sep 2019

Measuring The Value Of Professional Indexing, Philip Hider, Pru Mitchell, Robert Parkes

Information Management

This study provides both a quantitative estimate and qualitative analysis of the additional ‘retrieval power’ that professionally assigned subject indexing affords users of a typical database in the field of education. A full version of Informit’s A+ Education database and one stripped of its subject indexing were searched by four research assistants tasked with compiling exhaustive bibliographies on forty-eight topics. The searchers were then surveyed about their use of the two databases, while their bibliographies and search logs were also examined. A two-way ANOVA model was constructed to estimate the percentage of additional resources found by the searchers on the …

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Assessing Computational Thinking, Daniel Duckworth Aug 2019

Assessing Computational Thinking, Daniel Duckworth

2009 - 2019 ACER Research Conferences

This paper provides some context for the role of computation thinking (CT) in the Australian Curriculum, an abridged literature review of CT as a problem-solving framework from the International Computer and Information Literacy Study (ICILS) 2018 assessment framework and some examples of how CT has been used to solve real-world problems. Finally, this paper presents ways to teach and assess CT.

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What Can Early Childhood Education And Care Settings Teach Us About Skills For The 21st Century?, Dan Cloney, Kellie Picker Aug 2019

What Can Early Childhood Education And Care Settings Teach Us About Skills For The 21st Century?, Dan Cloney, Kellie Picker

2009 - 2019 ACER Research Conferences

Early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings are naturally oriented towards promoting 21st century skills. This can be seen in Australia, where learning is defined as the development of identity, social and emotional skills, problem-solving, and communication skills. A 21st century orientation is also seen in the playbased pedagogies implemented in ECEC settings. A gap, however, exists in the ability of the ECEC sector to communicate its successes. This gap relates to the lack of measurement tools to quantify the quality of the adult–child interactions in ECEC settings, and children’s growth in these 21 century skills and abilities. This paper …

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Key Skills For The 21st Century: An Evidence-Based Review, Esther Doecke, Quentin Maire Aug 2019

Key Skills For The 21st Century: An Evidence-Based Review, Esther Doecke, Quentin Maire

2009 - 2019 ACER Research Conferences

It is vital that education systems deliver quality outcomes for all young people and prepare them well for their future in the economy and society. To do so, many systems have traditionally had a strong focus on developing academic skills, particularly in literacy and numeracy. In recent years, education systems have developed greater expectations that schools will also equip young people with a broader set of skills for the 21st century (e.g. creativity, critical thinking, problem-solving). This paper addresses these developments and the challenges they present. Building on an evidence-based review, this paper asks what are the key skills required …

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Assessment In The Interpersonal Domain: Experiences From Empathy Assessment In Medical Education, Neville Chiavaroli Aug 2019

Assessment In The Interpersonal Domain: Experiences From Empathy Assessment In Medical Education, Neville Chiavaroli

2009 - 2019 ACER Research Conferences

Frameworks for the teaching and assessment of 21st-century skills commonly recognise the importance of learning and skill development in the interpersonal domain. They also usually acknowledge the challenge of reliably and validly assessing students in this domain. In the field of medical education and in selecting students for medical courses, the concept of empathy has become central to representing the particular interpersonal understandings and skills expected of students and practising doctors. Attempts to assess these attributes during medical training are just as challenging as in school contexts. This presentation draws on several years’ experience of working with medical educators to …

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Digital Literacy: Myths And Realities, Julian Fraillon Aug 2019

Digital Literacy: Myths And Realities, Julian Fraillon

2009 - 2019 ACER Research Conferences

Digital literacy, under a wide variety of names, is routinely classified as a 21st-century skill and is frequently reported as an area of high priority in school education systems internationally. In comparison with students in other countries, Australian students have high levels of access to digital technologies both at and outside of school. With this access comes the expectations that students will be highly-proficient users of digital technologies and that schools will use digital technologies in transformative ways to support student learning. This session will examine how concepts of digital literacy have developed over time, what data from large-scale assessments …

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Assessing And Understanding Social And Emotional Skills: The Oecd Study On Social And Emotional Skills, Sue Thomson Aug 2019

Assessing And Understanding Social And Emotional Skills: The Oecd Study On Social And Emotional Skills, Sue Thomson

2009 - 2019 ACER Research Conferences

In an increasingly fast-changing and diverse world, the importance of developing social and emotional skills is becoming more evident. The large body of accumulated evidence shows that these skills have strong relationships with life outcomes and they have been referred to as a key component of 21st century skills. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Study on Social and Emotional Skills is a new international assessment of these skills in students at primary and secondary schools. This study also gathers information on students’ families, schools and community learning contexts, aiming to provide information about the conditions or practices …

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Teaching And Assessing The General Capabilities In A Secondary School Context, Loren Clarke, Melissa Hughes Aug 2019

Teaching And Assessing The General Capabilities In A Secondary School Context, Loren Clarke, Melissa Hughes

2009 - 2019 ACER Research Conferences

Education researchers, policymakers and private enterprise agree that, in addition to content knowledge, students in the 21st century need to acquire particular skills to equip them for active citizenship in the modern world. This is a real challenge for teachers today: how do they teach and assess the skills needed to live and work in the 21st century? This paper will explore the development of Eltham High School’s focus on teaching and assessment of collaboration, problem-solving, and critical thinking over the past seven years. It will explore the development of the assessment program, its connection to the school and state …

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Using Learning Analytics To Measure 21st-Century Skills, Dragan Gašević Aug 2019

Using Learning Analytics To Measure 21st-Century Skills, Dragan Gašević

2009 - 2019 ACER Research Conferences

The unprecedented opportunities to collect data about learning and contexts in which learning occurs has attracted great attention in education. The use of data analytics and machine learning methods have offered much potential to address many relevant questions in education. This talk will focus on the use of learning analytics to measure 21st-century skills in education and outline the types of data commonly used. It will also discuss approaches that are used for analysis and modelling of relevant learning processes and outline the ways in which learning analytics can be used to track learning progression and how the validity of …

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The Science Behind The Art Of Teaching: Evaluation As Inspiration, Michele Bruniges Am Aug 2019

The Science Behind The Art Of Teaching: Evaluation As Inspiration, Michele Bruniges Am

2009 - 2019 ACER Research Conferences

Teachers across Australia inspire students to love learning. Our best teachers are constantly evaluating their impact on learning outcomes and adapting their practice – balancing the art and science of teaching. As we move rapidly towards the third decade of the 21st century, there is more pressure than ever for all teachers to deliver both deep discipline knowledge and the skills students need to survive and thrive in the workplace of the future. We need to use technology and data to support teachers to maximise learning outcomes for their students. This has to be done in a way that helps …

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Digital Literacy Skill Development: Prescriptive Learning Analytics Assessment Model, Elspeth Mckay Aug 2019

Digital Literacy Skill Development: Prescriptive Learning Analytics Assessment Model, Elspeth Mckay

2009 - 2019 ACER Research Conferences

There is a broad awareness of how information communications technology (ICT) digital literacy impacts everyday life. In schools, use of ICT tools has become mandatory. These tools include computers, tablets and mobile phones. These smart devices are used to send emails, browse the internet and make video calls. It is essential for teachers to identify student digital literacy levels through classroom activities and when to implement flexible ePedagogies for students who need help. This presentation will provide easy-to-follow steps to manage learning analytics to determine digital literacy skill levels. Learning analytics can be used for a range of purposes: to …

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Measures Of Characteristics And Skills Associated With Learning Through Play: Findings From The Literature, Rachel Parker, Lisa Van Beeck, Janine Callanan Jun 2019

Measures Of Characteristics And Skills Associated With Learning Through Play: Findings From The Literature, Rachel Parker, Lisa Van Beeck, Janine Callanan

Monitoring Learning

This literature review was commissioned by the LEGO Foundation to inform the revision of the Learning through Play (LtP) Experience Tool, which was developed for use at LEGO House to observe and measure the quality of children’s play experiences. This review aims to determine the extent to which the LEGO Foundation’s tool reflects good practice regarding instrument design and administration, and whether tools that measure similar characteristics using similar methods already exist

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Australian Higher Education Equity Ranking Project: Final Report, Tim Pitman, Paul Koshy, Daniel Edwards, Liang-Cheng Zhang, Julie Mcmillan Jun 2019

Australian Higher Education Equity Ranking Project: Final Report, Tim Pitman, Paul Koshy, Daniel Edwards, Liang-Cheng Zhang, Julie Mcmillan

Higher education research

This report details the findings of a feasibility study for the Department of Education and Training (DET) into the development of a higher education student equity ranking index. The purpose of study was to determine whether it was possible to measure higher education equity performance at the institutional level and convey each institution’s relative performance through an ‘equity rank’. The ranking was to be based on institutional performance in regard to equity-group students, including students from low socio-economic backgrounds; students from regional/remote areas of Australia; Indigenous students; students with disability; and students from non-English speaking backgrounds.

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Integrating Vocational Education And Training For Secondary School Students, Justin Brown Apr 2019

Integrating Vocational Education And Training For Secondary School Students, Justin Brown

NSW Curriculum Review

This paper is a research ‘backgrounder’ to support the 2018–19 review of the New South Wales (NSW) curriculum. It focuses on the topic of ‘integrating’ vocational education and training (VET) programs for secondary school students, which has been identified as an area of interest in the review. The paper begins by detailing the context, in Australia and internationally, for the introduction and expansion of vocational offerings within secondary schooling (Section 1). It then reviews the available research literature and policy documents on VET programs for secondary school students in Australia, including a review of the benefits and challenges (Section 2). …

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Teacher Development Multi-Year Study Series: Timor-Leste: Interim Report 1, Elizabeth Cassity, Jennie Chainey, Sheldon Rothman Apr 2019

Teacher Development Multi-Year Study Series: Timor-Leste: Interim Report 1, Elizabeth Cassity, Jennie Chainey, Sheldon Rothman

Initial Teacher education

The purpose of this Interim Report is to present the findings from the first year of a multi-year study of Timor-Leste’s Professional Learning and Mentoring Program (PLMP). The study focuses on understanding the extent to which education stakeholders, including school leaders and teachers, develop teaching knowledge and change teaching practice over time. It also explores the extent to which participation in the PLMP leads to improvements in learning outcomes for students. This study of the PLMP is framed within the context Timor-Leste’s introduction of a new National Basic Education Curriculum.

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Early Career Teacher Development Program: Two-Years-On Survey Development, Katherine L. Dix, Syeda Kashfee Ahmed Mar 2019

Early Career Teacher Development Program: Two-Years-On Survey Development, Katherine L. Dix, Syeda Kashfee Ahmed

Professional learning for teachers and school leaders

This report, the second of three, presents insights into the development of the Two-Years-On survey to inform the South Australian Department for Education’s Early Career Teacher Development (ECTD) program evaluation, conducted by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER). The focus of Report 2 is a review of existing similar surveys and the development of this new survey for the evaluation in 2019 and possible ongoing use for program monitoring. The program was launched in January 2017 and is designed to support the induction and professional development of early career teachers (ECTs) in their first two years. The program involves …

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Changing Priorities? The Role Of General Capabilities In The Curriculum, Paul R. Weldon Feb 2019

Changing Priorities? The Role Of General Capabilities In The Curriculum, Paul R. Weldon

NSW Curriculum Review

This background paper takes a brief look at the history of the development of general capabilities in Australia, including in the vocational and higher education sectors, and the current state of play. It then considers some of the issues inherent in what has been called the skills movement, and the incorporation of skills into the curriculum internationally.

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Equitable Learning Assessments For Students With Disabilities (Neqmap Thematic Review), Anannya Chakraborty, Amit Kaushik, Unesco Office Bangkok And Regional Bureau For Education In Asia And The Pacific Jan 2019

Equitable Learning Assessments For Students With Disabilities (Neqmap Thematic Review), Anannya Chakraborty, Amit Kaushik, Unesco Office Bangkok And Regional Bureau For Education In Asia And The Pacific

Assessment and Reporting

Asia-Pacific is home to 690 million persons with a disability. Persons with disabilities experience lower educational opportunities as children and therefore also face fewer opportunities as adults. Children with disabilities experience barriers to participating in education that result in enrolment rate drops of up to 53 per cent between primary and secondary education, making it increasingly difficult for persons with disabilities to secure employment. Low participation rates and other barriers have a serious impact on the learning achievement and learning outcomes of learners with disabilities. This thematic review provides an overview of the existing inclusive education policies and practices in …

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