Creating musical futures in Australian schools and communities: Refining theory and planning for practice through empirical innovation. This proposal forms a logical and much needed extension of the Commonwealth Government's (2005) National Review of Music Education. It will establish international leadership for Australian music education research by constructing the most complete picture of children's motivation to study music ever attempted. A series of interconnected studies will refine theo ....Creating musical futures in Australian schools and communities: Refining theory and planning for practice through empirical innovation. This proposal forms a logical and much needed extension of the Commonwealth Government's (2005) National Review of Music Education. It will establish international leadership for Australian music education research by constructing the most complete picture of children's motivation to study music ever attempted. A series of interconnected studies will refine theory in ways that can be used to mobilize public awareness of the life-long sense of wellbeing and enjoyment that artistic appreciation and participation in music can offer, and future efforts to promote more effective strategies for the provision of music education for all young people in Australia and beyond.Read moreRead less
Individual, Institutional and Community 'Capacity Building' in a Cluster of Disadvantaged Schools and their Community. It is no longer ethically, socially or economically acceptable to have significant and growing proportions of the school population that are alienated, marginalised and excluded from a satisfying and rewarding educational experience. The national and community benefits for Australia expected from this research will be a better understanding of, and possibly alleviation of, the s ....Individual, Institutional and Community 'Capacity Building' in a Cluster of Disadvantaged Schools and their Community. It is no longer ethically, socially or economically acceptable to have significant and growing proportions of the school population that are alienated, marginalised and excluded from a satisfying and rewarding educational experience. The national and community benefits for Australia expected from this research will be a better understanding of, and possibly alleviation of, the structural educational impediments that operate on disadvantaged individuals, institutions and communities. It is in the national interest to have a society in which all its members, not just the privileged, gain lifelong benefit from a rewarding schooling experience.Read moreRead less
The Shallow Teaching Syndrome in School Mathematics - towards practical ways that will engage students more deeply. Australian governments have made considerable investment in international comparative studies of student achievement in mathematics. One of the findings is that an average Australian lesson exhibits the 'shallow teaching syndrome', having relatively lower complexity, higher repetition and less mathematical reasoning than high-achieving countries. This project will interview cur ....The Shallow Teaching Syndrome in School Mathematics - towards practical ways that will engage students more deeply. Australian governments have made considerable investment in international comparative studies of student achievement in mathematics. One of the findings is that an average Australian lesson exhibits the 'shallow teaching syndrome', having relatively lower complexity, higher repetition and less mathematical reasoning than high-achieving countries. This project will interview curriculum leaders and textbook writers, and analyse both traditional textbook and innovative curriculum materials. This will help to understand the reasons for the syndrome and recommend practical ways in which lessons that engage students more deeply, can be encouraged.Read moreRead less
Success despite learning difficulties: The effectiveness of a coping program for adolescent students. Despite skilled teaching and average general ability, people with specific learning difficulties (SLD) will never learn to read or write with ease. As approximately 10 percent of the population has SLD, the higher than average risk of negative life outcomes for these people is of significant social and economic cost to the community. Expected outcomes of this study are theory and practice that c ....Success despite learning difficulties: The effectiveness of a coping program for adolescent students. Despite skilled teaching and average general ability, people with specific learning difficulties (SLD) will never learn to read or write with ease. As approximately 10 percent of the population has SLD, the higher than average risk of negative life outcomes for these people is of significant social and economic cost to the community. Expected outcomes of this study are theory and practice that can assist schools to implement programs that help Australian adolescent students with SLD to be empowered and successful in school and adult life. This will be of significant long-term national and community benefit. Read moreRead less
Motivations for choosing teaching as a career and development in the profession: A multicohort longitudinal study of beginning teachers. Schooling contributes significantly to the preparation of young people for citizenship so it is essential for the social infrastructure of the country that State Governments, employing authorities, teacher educators, the Federal Government and recruitment bodies better understanding the different motivational profiles of those entering teacher education now and ....Motivations for choosing teaching as a career and development in the profession: A multicohort longitudinal study of beginning teachers. Schooling contributes significantly to the preparation of young people for citizenship so it is essential for the social infrastructure of the country that State Governments, employing authorities, teacher educators, the Federal Government and recruitment bodies better understanding the different motivational profiles of those entering teacher education now and why people are not retained in the profession, suffer burnout or become disgruntled less effective teachers. It is also critical that we better understand the link between motivations, self-efficacies and the support networks and strategies needed to sustain teachers in the profession, particularly in difficult to staff regions, districts and schools. Read moreRead less
Maximising Sucess in Mathematics for Disadvantaged Students. This project aims to identify strategies that teachers can use to overcome the obvious disadvantage some school students experience in learning mathematics. Currently working class and Indigenous students in Australian schools are performing very much worse than their peers in mathematics. Some currently recommended teaching strategies may be actually exacerbating this disadvantage. This project will identify the factors contributing t ....Maximising Sucess in Mathematics for Disadvantaged Students. This project aims to identify strategies that teachers can use to overcome the obvious disadvantage some school students experience in learning mathematics. Currently working class and Indigenous students in Australian schools are performing very much worse than their peers in mathematics. Some currently recommended teaching strategies may be actually exacerbating this disadvantage. This project will identify the factors contributing to the lack of success of these students, and offer strategies that teachers can use to ensure that students from disadvantaged backgrounds have the same opportunities to learn mathematics as other students.Read moreRead less
Conceptual complexity and student engagement with science in secondary school. Research demonstrates that negative student attitudes to school science are associated with the subject's difficulty and its lack of relevance to real-world experience. However, teachers who link learning to students' experience may exacerbate the difficulty of science, because real-world applications of concepts are complex. This study will initially investigate teachers' perceptions of this dilemma, and then focus ....Conceptual complexity and student engagement with science in secondary school. Research demonstrates that negative student attitudes to school science are associated with the subject's difficulty and its lack of relevance to real-world experience. However, teachers who link learning to students' experience may exacerbate the difficulty of science, because real-world applications of concepts are complex. This study will initially investigate teachers' perceptions of this dilemma, and then focus on two classrooms where teachers acknowledge the complexity involved. Using a novel conceptual framework and an innovative data collection technique the study will explore how the students? experiences of complexity shape their attitudes to science. The findings will help improve student engagement with science.Read moreRead less
Vocational Education and Training in Schools: Cultural Resistance and the Academic Tradition. This study seeks to relate how well different models of VET in Schools delivery (in different settings) work towards achieving the objectives of improved participation, more effective transitions and engagement of reluctant learners. It also seeks to assess how effectively the different ways of delivering VET are meeting governments' objectives to build Australia's skills base and provide young people w ....Vocational Education and Training in Schools: Cultural Resistance and the Academic Tradition. This study seeks to relate how well different models of VET in Schools delivery (in different settings) work towards achieving the objectives of improved participation, more effective transitions and engagement of reluctant learners. It also seeks to assess how effectively the different ways of delivering VET are meeting governments' objectives to build Australia's skills base and provide young people with effective pathways. This study will provide education and training systems with valuable data on the effectiveness of this major policy innovation for different student groups. It will do so by analysing three major school leaver data-bases, followed up by qualitative studies in 12 schools in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland.Read moreRead less
Scholarship in Science Teaching: an examination of the relationships between science content, teaching and learning. Excellent science teachers have profound impact on the students they teach. A central core of their excellence is the intertwined understandings they have of the content they teach and pedagogies for teaching this (termed pedagogical content knowledge). This knowledge is largely implicit, and hence not available to others. This research will develop enhanced methodologies to doc ....Scholarship in Science Teaching: an examination of the relationships between science content, teaching and learning. Excellent science teachers have profound impact on the students they teach. A central core of their excellence is the intertwined understandings they have of the content they teach and pedagogies for teaching this (termed pedagogical content knowledge). This knowledge is largely implicit, and hence not available to others. This research will develop enhanced methodologies to document and disseminate the knowledge of practice that underpins claims of professional excellence. Such research is crucial to the national and international moves to recognise, articulate, document, justify/validate, and share professional teaching excellence.Read moreRead less
Principal Aspirations and Recruitment amidst Leadership Disengagement. The research addresses the problem of principal shortages in a climate of leadership disengagement and why the principalship is becoming a less attractive career option for teachers. It will establish whether the principalship is part of teachers' professional goals and identities, and identify the factors conducive to, or inhibitory of, teachers' principalship aspirations. Qualitative and quantitative methods will be used ....Principal Aspirations and Recruitment amidst Leadership Disengagement. The research addresses the problem of principal shortages in a climate of leadership disengagement and why the principalship is becoming a less attractive career option for teachers. It will establish whether the principalship is part of teachers' professional goals and identities, and identify the factors conducive to, or inhibitory of, teachers' principalship aspirations. Qualitative and quantitative methods will be used to ascertain teachers' anticipated career profiles and leadership role perceptions in Victoria, Tasmania and Queensland. Research outcomes should lead to a review and possible redesign of the principal role, and influence significantly the states' succession planning policies and leadership development strategies.Read moreRead less