Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research Commons^™

The Designed And Achieved Sample Of The 1998 Lsay Sample Technical Paper No. 16, Michael Long, Nicole Fleming

LSAY Technical Reports

The design was intended to provide a national stratified sample of Year 9 students which would permit a sample of some 10,000 young people to be interviewed by phone in late 2000. The major stratum considered in the design was State of schooling. Students from smaller states were to be over-sampled and, correspondingly, students from larger states were under-sampled. However, in the 1998 sample, the over-sampling of the smaller states and the territories was undertaken at a lower rate than for the 1995 sample. There were two reasons for this: 1. Continued over-sampling of schools in the smaller states would …

The Apc Summer Institute, 2002 : Reconfiguring Schooling For The 21st Century, Brian Caldwell, Bruce Wilson, Bert Van Halen, Gabrielle Leigh

APC Monographs

The APC Summer held in January 2001 aimed to provide: a two-day intensive program that linked theory and practice in a chosen area relevant to school leaders in their day to day work; an opportunity for practising school leaders to develop an operational framework to be applied to strategy planning or to the management of key projects in their school; a big picture framework in which school leaders can contextualise their work; and a series of exemplary practices whose underlying principles can be adapted for use in other settings.

Learning From International Studies Of Teaching : The Timss-R Video Study., James Hiebert, Hilary Hollingsworth

2002 - Providing World-Class School Education

This paper discusses the Third International Mathematics and Science Study - Repeat (TIMSS-R) Video Study. In addition to the broad goal of describing mathematics teaching in seven countries including a number of countries with records of high achievement, the study had the following research objectives: to develop objective, observational measures of classroom instruction to serve as appropriate quantitative indicators of teaching practice in each country; to compare teaching practice and identify similar or different lessons; and to describe patterns of teaching practice for each country.

Pisa From Australia's Perspective, Jan Lokan

2002 - Providing World-Class School Education

This paper discusses the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) survey and the Australian teenagers that took part with students from thirty-one other countries. The paper describes the background to PISA, an initiative of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) keen to have measures of outputs from compulsory level schooling to accompany regularly collected country-level data on educational context and investment in education of human and monetary resources. The author describes the goals and features of PISA, its scope, Australian representatives and, school and background factors.

Australian 14-Year-Olds’ Civic Knowledge And Attitudes, And How Teachers And Schools Might Improve Them, Suzanne Mellor

2002 - Providing World-Class School Education

This paper describes the Australian content for the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) Civic Education Study and the conduct of the IEA in Australia. The IEA concept of civil knowledge and attitudes towards the civics knowledge of Australian students is discussed. Some general trends and influences identified in the meta data are considered. The author discusses the value of comparing student responses and activities across like countries and considers what the data shows about the total civic knowledge of Australian students and the extent of their civil engagement.

Information And Communication Technologies In Classrooms : Perspectives From An International Study, John Ainley, Diana Banks, Marianne Fleming

2002 - Providing World-Class School Education

Many countries have envisaged a significant role for information and communications technologies (ICT) in their education systems. For example, in Australia one of the goals in the declaration of the Ministerial Council on Education, Training and Youth Affairs on national goals for schooling stated that students should be confident, creative and productive users of new technologies and understand the impact of those technologies on society. A national action plan, Learning in an Online World, has set three priority areas for development making available connections of sufficient bandwidth to allow schools to integrate online services into curriculum practice; providing effective pre-service …

Retrieving Information, Interpreting, Reflecting, And Then... : Using The Result Of Pisa Reading Literacy., Juliette Mendelovits

2002 - Providing World-Class School Education

This paper discusses the results achieved by Australia in the initial report on the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). The German reaction to a low score for German students is described. Three responses to PISA reading literacy results in Australia are described. These include: pragmatic use of the PISA reading literacy results at a national level; retrieving information from the international study and using it to create a benchmark for reading literacy for fifteen year-olds in Australia; and, using what has been learnt about reading literacy to question, evaluate and perhaps modify the way that reading literacy is taught …

Providing World-Class School Education (Conference Proceedings), Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer)

2002 - Providing World-Class School Education

International achievement studies are capable of identifying international best practice in school education and providing decision makers at all levels—from policy maker to system manager to school leader to classroom teacher—with information that may be useful in their own efforts to improve student learning outcomes. These studies assist us in answering such questions as: What is ‘world-class’ education? and What characterises outstanding educational provision?

Citizenship And Democracy : Australian Students' Knowledge And Beliefs : The Iea Civic Education Study Of Fourteen Year Olds, Suzanne Mellor, Kerry Kennedy, Lisa Greenwood

Civics and Citizenship Assessment

This Civic Education Study was carried out in two phases by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA). Phase 1 examined the contexts and meaning of civic education in 24 countries. In Phase 2, nationally representative samples of nearly 90,000 students in the usual grade for 14 year olds in 28 countries were surveyed on topics ranging from their knowledge of fundamental democratic principles and skills in interpreting political information to their attitudes toward government and willingness to participate in civic activity. This Australian national report analyses and interprets the Australian data collected.

Civic Knowledge And Engagement: An Iea Study Of Upper Secondary Students In Sixteen Countries, Jo-Ann Amadeo, Judith Torney-Purta, Rainer Lehmann, Vera Husfeldt, Roumiana Nikolova

Civics and Citizenship Assessment

No abstract provided.

Learning The Chinese Language In An Australian School, Ruilan Yuan

Shannon Research Press

This study deals with the learning of Chinese as a foreign language across school grades in South Australia. The purposes of the study are briefly to measure student achievement in learning the Chinese language across grade levels from Year 4 to Year 12 over a period of 12 months; investigate the factors that influence learners' continuing with the study of the Chinese language; and identify the factors that influence student achievement in learning the Chinese language within and between school grades. The term 'Chinese language' in this study refers to the Mandarin Chinese language, rather than the many other dialects …

Neighbourhood Effects And Community Spillovers In The Australian Youth Labour Market, Dan Andrews, Colin Green, John Mangan

LSAY Research Reports

Neighbourhood effects refer to the situation whereby residential location impacts on the social outcomes of individuals, above and beyond what would be expected from their personal and family characteristics. A number of theories of neighbourhood effects exist. These can be broadly classified as theories of collective socialisation theories; contagion-based or 'epidemic' theories; and information network theories. Existing Australian research has focused mainly on the impact of neighbourhoods on youth education decisions. In contrast, this study models the probability of unemployment as a function of personal characteristics, family structure and neighbourhood composition. [Executive summary, ed]

Enabling Learning : The Crucial Work Of School Leaders, Jean Russell

Educational leadership

This paper addresses several fundamental questions. What are the most important, most highly valued and most powerful learning outcomes for students? What do students tell us about their experience of school, about the things that enhance or diminish their involvement in learning? What changes in teaching and learning approaches would enhance students' engagement in learning and help achieve the desired learning outcomes? Are school leaders seen by teachers to be important to the process of bringing about change in teaching practices? The paper argues that, amidst the complexity that constitutes school life, school leaders can enable learning through the maintenance …

The 1975 Cohort Questionnaires: 1997-2001: Addendum To Technical Paper No. 6, Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer)

LSAY Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

Educational Attainment In Australia : A Cohort Analysis, Ahn Le, Paul Miller

LSAY Research Reports

This paper attempts to explain differences in the schooling decisions of two cohorts, namely individuals born in 1961 and 1970. The aims are to establish whether the way in which education decisions are made differ across cohorts, and to assess whether any such differences can be related to the institutional reforms that occurred over the 1960 to 1980 period. The study emphasises differences in schooling decisions across gender. [p.v]

Firm-Based Training For Young Australians : Changes From The 1980s To The 1990s, Michael Long, Stephen Lamb

LSAY Research Reports

This report examines changes in the extent, pattern and outcomes of participation in firm-based education and training by young Australians. It compares results for the mid-1990s from the Australian Youth Survey (AYS) with the already- published results for the mid-1980s from the Australian Longitudinal Survey (ALS). The decade between these two surveys witnessed substantial policy initiatives intended to lift the quantity and quality of training experienced by Australian workers. This research report draws on the most comprehensive available data to analyse the changes in training experienced by young workers over that time. The key findings which are examined in the …

Rural And Urban Differences In Australian Education., Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer)

LSAY Briefing Reports

Whether or not students' educational performance is influenced by where they live is an important issue for educators and policy makers. This paper reports findings from the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) into the influence of students' location on several outcomes: achievement in literacy and numeracy; tertiary entrance scores; subject choice in Year 12; participation in Year 12 and higher education; participation in vocational education and training; and transitions from education to work.

Graduate Skills Assessment : Stage One Validity Study, Sam Hambur, Ken Rowe, Luc T. Le

Higher education research

The Graduate Skills Assessment (GSA) is a new test with complex aims and is in the first stages of development and application. Principally, the test aims to assess a set of valued and widely applicable generic skills that may be developed by the university experience and which are relevant to university achievement and graduate work.

This publication reports on the validity of the first stage of the Graduate Skills Assessment test (GSA Stage One Validity Study), which covers the first two tests, Exit 2000 and Entry 2001. These tests involved the participation of 3663 students drawn from nine broad fields …

Leading And Managing For High Performance, John West-Burnham

APC Monographs

This paper explores some of the changing perceptions of leadership in education. It focuses in particular on the issue of 'performance', which is at the heart of much educational reform.

Mathematics And Science Achievement Of Junior Secondary School Students In Australia, Susan Zammit, Alla Routitsky, Lisa Greenwood

TIMSS Australia Monograph Series

The Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) 1998 assessed the mathematics and science achievement of students in their second year at high school. Testing for the study was carried out in 38 countries in 1998–99.1 Extensive information was collected from students, teachers and school principals about the context of mathematics and science teaching and learning. Among the countries participating in TIMSS 1998, 26 countries, including Australia, also participated in TIMSS 1994. It was therefore possible to report on any significant changes between the two studies. Two reports, TIMSS 1999 International Mathematics Report and International Science Report were released in …

Closing The Gap Between Research And Practice: Foundations For The Acquisition Of Literacy, Molly De Lemos

Literacy and numeracy

Over the years two main approaches have emerged in the teaching and learning of reading and writing. One is the 'whole language' approach; the other concentrates more on instruction in phonics. This paper focuses on the theoretical assumptions underlying these two approaches to the teaching of literacy, and the studies which have been undertaken, in the international arena, to find out how children progress, from their earliest educational years, in attaining both initial reading skills and lifelong literacy.

Messages For Minority Groups In Australia From International Studies, Lisa Greenwood, Tracey Frigo, Paul Hughes

Indigenous Education Research

Results from international studies such as the recent OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) tend to be reported in the media in terms of national averages, with a focus on the ranking of participating countries. However, the disaggregation and analysis of data collected from various social groupings within countries provides an opportunity to investigate the extent to which countries support students from various minority groups to achieve equitable educational outcomes. In Australia, the gap between educational outcomes for Indigenous1 and non-Indigenous students at all levels of education has long been a concern (Long et al, 1999). In recent years, …

Acer 2001-2002 Annual Report, Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer)

ACER Annual Reports

No abstract provided.

Employability Skills For Australian Industry: Literature Review And Framework Development, David C. Curtis, Phillip Mckenzie

Vocational, adult and professional education research

The Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST) and the Australian National Training Authority (ANTA) funded a project in 2001 to analyse and report on industry requirements for ‘employability skills’. This project was jointly managed by the Business Council of Australia and the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and was completed in March 2002. Employability skills were defined for the purposes of the project as ‘skills required not only to gain employment, but also to progress within an enterprise so as to achieve one’s potential and contribute successfully to enterprise strategic directions’. The project was commissioned to provide: (a) …

Science, Technology And Society In Science Education, Debra Tedman

Shannon Research Press

This study had four major purposes. First, the study developed and used scales to measure the strength and coherence of students', teachers', and scientists' views, beliefs and attitudes in relation to science, technology and society (STS). Second, the factors which influenced the development of strong and coherent views on STS by students, were examined. Third, the study investigated whether male and female students differed in the strength and coherence of their views on STS. Fourth, structured group interviews with teachers provided information for the consideration of the problems encountered by teachers and students in the introduction of STS courses.

Lsay Cohort Report The Year 9 Class Of 1995 In 2000: Experiences In Education And Employment, Sheldon Rothman

LSAY Cohort Reports

This report provides details of the experiences of the 1995 cohort of the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (abbreviated to LSAY Y95) at a single point in time. Information on this cohort was first collected in 1995, when these young people were Year 9 students in Australian schools. The reference period for this report is 2000. Nearly all of the cohort had completed secondary school, and more than half were undertaking some type of study.

Tertiary Entrance Performance : The Role Of Student Background And School Factors, Gary Marks, Julie Mcmillan, Kylie Hillman

LSAY Research Reports

This report examines the tertiary entrance performance of students in Year 12 in 1998 using data from the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) project to address a variety of issues relating to tertiary entrance performance. The first part of the report examines the relationship between tertiary entrance performance and a variety of demographic, socioeconomic, educational and psychological factors. The second part focuses on individual schools, examining the impact of schools on student performance. School effectiveness is also addressed in this report.

Vet In Schools : Participation And Pathways, Sue Fullarton

LSAY Research Reports

The introduction of vocational education and training (VET) programs into secondary schools is a significant development in Australian education. VET programs are intended to broaden the range of curriculum offerings and provide young people with another pathway to work and tertiary education. A key feature of the secondary VET programs in Australia is that they comply with the National Training Framework and also form part of students' senior secondary certificate. This report uses a substantial national data set to analyses the levels of participation in VET in Schools, the characteristics of the young people who take VET programs, and their …

Participation And Achievement In Vet Of Non-Completers Of School, Katrina Ball, Stephen Lamb

LSAY Research Reports

This report examines the vocational and training (VET) activities and experiences of non-completers of Year 12 in the initial post- school years. It investigates differences between those who participate in VET after leaving school and those who do not. It also reviews VET achievement examining results in the VET courses undertaken by non-completers. The report provides information on the characteristics and success rates of non-completers who participated in VET, concentrating on the characteristics and achievement levels of those non-completers who participated in VET according to their specific study programs. The analyses were based on data from the Y95 cohort of …

Work Experience, Work Placements And Part-Time Work Among Australian Secondary School Students., Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer)

LSAY Briefing Reports

This paper reports findings from the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth, focusing on the labour force experiences of secondary school students.