Australian Volunteers Abroad in Communities in the Asia/Pacific Region. Each year over 300 Australian volunteers work abroad in communities in the Asia Pacific region. This project researches key questions about the role of volunteers in contributing to regional stability, community capacity building and poverty alleviation. The research also explores questions about the preparation and knowledge required for overseas volunteers working in local communities in the future. The project aims to ana ....Australian Volunteers Abroad in Communities in the Asia/Pacific Region. Each year over 300 Australian volunteers work abroad in communities in the Asia Pacific region. This project researches key questions about the role of volunteers in contributing to regional stability, community capacity building and poverty alleviation. The research also explores questions about the preparation and knowledge required for overseas volunteers working in local communities in the future. The project aims to analyse an important aspect of Australia's interaction with the Asia Pacific region; identify key features of volunteering from the perspective of volunteers, volunteer organisations, host communities and government; and develop up-to-date research material and procedures for preparing Australian volunteers.Read moreRead less
Discipline and Diversity: Cultural Practices and Dispositions of Learning. This project, based in six primary schools across a number of regions in the Sydney metropolitan area, will examine the links between ethnicity, sociocultural background and 'scholarly habitus' - the embodied dispositions and educational capital necessary for participation in the Australian educational system. It will explore the extent to which such a habitus can be explained by ethnicity, or whether it also relates to a ....Discipline and Diversity: Cultural Practices and Dispositions of Learning. This project, based in six primary schools across a number of regions in the Sydney metropolitan area, will examine the links between ethnicity, sociocultural background and 'scholarly habitus' - the embodied dispositions and educational capital necessary for participation in the Australian educational system. It will explore the extent to which such a habitus can be explained by ethnicity, or whether it also relates to a complex set of factors related to family background and socioeconomic status, manifest in specific home- and school-based practices.Read moreRead less
Productive Partnerships for Teaching Quality: Quality Improvement, School-Community Practice and Teacher Education in and for Rural and Remote Settings. This project aims to develop a partnership between two teacher-education institutions and eleven school districts in NSW, in researching quality improvements in teaching for rural and remote areas. These areas and their communities, including schools, are clearly under pressure, given global economic developments. Using various forms of data ana ....Productive Partnerships for Teaching Quality: Quality Improvement, School-Community Practice and Teacher Education in and for Rural and Remote Settings. This project aims to develop a partnership between two teacher-education institutions and eleven school districts in NSW, in researching quality improvements in teaching for rural and remote areas. These areas and their communities, including schools, are clearly under pressure, given global economic developments. Using various forms of data analysis, case-studies, interviews, Web-networks and school-based action research, the project will identify successful strategies for building rural teacher and community capacity, improving educational outcomes for all children, and appropriately preparing and retaining teachers for rural schools. The project will make recommendations for general educational policy and practice and for teacher education.Read moreRead less
Addressing the teacher exodus: Enhancing early career teacher resilience and retention in changing times. This research will produce new knowledge, strategies, models and recommendations that will help to keep early career teachers in the profession in regional, rural and remote areas. In doing so it will address the problem of teacher shortage that is currently threatening the nation's educational, economic and social outcomes. The research outcomes will have particular credibility at the natio ....Addressing the teacher exodus: Enhancing early career teacher resilience and retention in changing times. This research will produce new knowledge, strategies, models and recommendations that will help to keep early career teachers in the profession in regional, rural and remote areas. In doing so it will address the problem of teacher shortage that is currently threatening the nation's educational, economic and social outcomes. The research outcomes will have particular credibility at the national level because they will be the result of dialogue and collaboration across three universities and six industry partners who are the key stakeholders in teacher employment in two states. In addition, the collaborative approach will facilitate implementation of recommendations at the local, state and national levels.Read moreRead less
Healthier and sustainable futures for disadvantaged young people. The economic health and social costs to the Australian community of young people who disengage from post-secondary education and employment are immense. Development of National, State and local policy, programs and services for these young people is significantly hampered by a widely acknowledged lack of evidence about disadvantaged young peoples post-compulsory education and employment pathways. This research will establish an ev ....Healthier and sustainable futures for disadvantaged young people. The economic health and social costs to the Australian community of young people who disengage from post-secondary education and employment are immense. Development of National, State and local policy, programs and services for these young people is significantly hampered by a widely acknowledged lack of evidence about disadvantaged young peoples post-compulsory education and employment pathways. This research will establish an evidence base that will inform the development of targeted cross-sectoral government policy and programmatic responses to these young people, improve delivery of relevant health, welfare and education services, thereby enabling disadvantaged young people to create healthier, economically sustainable futures. Read moreRead less
Research and innovation leaders for industry. This research project will contribute significant national benefits because it will provide new data on the future likely requirements of 21st century researchers who will play a leading role in promoting Australia's innovation culture and economy. Government, industry, university and graduate stakeholders require an evidence-base upon which to reform Australian research training policy. By exploring the graduate employment outcomes and transitions o ....Research and innovation leaders for industry. This research project will contribute significant national benefits because it will provide new data on the future likely requirements of 21st century researchers who will play a leading role in promoting Australia's innovation culture and economy. Government, industry, university and graduate stakeholders require an evidence-base upon which to reform Australian research training policy. By exploring the graduate employment outcomes and transitions of recent graduates and employers' perceptions of their knowledge and skills, this study will inform the development of research training quality indicators and contribute to theoretical debates about the nature of knowledge production and innovation in post-modern times.Read moreRead less
Children of the new millennium: Using information and communication technologies for playing and learning in the information age. This research explores the development of young children's expertise with information and communication technologies from the preschool to the second year of school. It examines where young children in diverse socioeconomic areas use information and communication technologies, how many forms of it they use and to what extent technology relates to other forms of play ....Children of the new millennium: Using information and communication technologies for playing and learning in the information age. This research explores the development of young children's expertise with information and communication technologies from the preschool to the second year of school. It examines where young children in diverse socioeconomic areas use information and communication technologies, how many forms of it they use and to what extent technology relates to other forms of play and learning in literacy and numeracy. An assessment tool will be developed to explore how children's knowledge, understanding and use of technology changes over time. The research will inform policy and curriculum directions in the early years of education.Read moreRead less
Predicting progress: A longitudinal study of the social behaviour, numeracy and literacy of children in the Queensland preparatory trial. High quality early education has been shown to improve later school performance. By identifying factors that affect literacy, numeracy and social behaviour in the early years, this project contributes to improvements in literacy and numeracy outcomes for children and increased levels of pedagogical expertise for teachers. Children will have better chances of a ....Predicting progress: A longitudinal study of the social behaviour, numeracy and literacy of children in the Queensland preparatory trial. High quality early education has been shown to improve later school performance. By identifying factors that affect literacy, numeracy and social behaviour in the early years, this project contributes to improvements in literacy and numeracy outcomes for children and increased levels of pedagogical expertise for teachers. Children will have better chances of achieving essential standards in literacy and numeracy, especially in rural, remote, Indigenous, and culturally and linguistically diverse communities. National benefits include contributing to life long learning and improving the life chances of young children. Read moreRead less
An Investigation into Strategies for using Information and Communication Technologies to Address Educational Disadvantage Resulting from Prolonged School Absence. A framework of information and communication technolgy (ICT) types and uses relating to accessibility problems caused by illness and recuperation will be developed. Working with 30 secondary students from a major children's hospital, teachers and hospital educators, the researchers will develop, implement and evaluate communications st ....An Investigation into Strategies for using Information and Communication Technologies to Address Educational Disadvantage Resulting from Prolonged School Absence. A framework of information and communication technolgy (ICT) types and uses relating to accessibility problems caused by illness and recuperation will be developed. Working with 30 secondary students from a major children's hospital, teachers and hospital educators, the researchers will develop, implement and evaluate communications strategies, support structures and continuing professional development programs for effective elearning. Outcomes will aid students whose education is disrupted through illness and absence, with consequential benefits to them, the community and nation. This project focuses on students absent due to illness or accident, but has potential benefit for other students absent from school for extended periods.Read moreRead less
Enhancing mathematical learning for Indigenous students in remote communities: A design research approach. Students attending schools in remote community schools need to have quality learning practices that are sustainable in hard-to-staff regions. Indigenous students are not performing at acceptable levels in many measures of mathematical achievement so the project is of national significance in addressing this social phenomenon. The cultural-mathematical approach of the project is novel and of ....Enhancing mathematical learning for Indigenous students in remote communities: A design research approach. Students attending schools in remote community schools need to have quality learning practices that are sustainable in hard-to-staff regions. Indigenous students are not performing at acceptable levels in many measures of mathematical achievement so the project is of national significance in addressing this social phenomenon. The cultural-mathematical approach of the project is novel and offers new potential for learning. The project takes a holistic approach to this issue to include teachers, students and Aboriginal Education Workers in a partnership of learning mathematics. The principles developed through this project can be applied to learners and learning mathematics in other contexts.Read moreRead less