Measuring and modelling the childhood determinants of human capital formation and human capability expansion. This project aims to address significant gaps in the data infrastructure needed to advance Australian's current human capital reform agenda. It will draw on existing population and longitudinal datasets and collect specific community and family data to analyse how the social, economic and ecological contexts of child development enable life-course outcomes in health and human capability ....Measuring and modelling the childhood determinants of human capital formation and human capability expansion. This project aims to address significant gaps in the data infrastructure needed to advance Australian's current human capital reform agenda. It will draw on existing population and longitudinal datasets and collect specific community and family data to analyse how the social, economic and ecological contexts of child development enable life-course outcomes in health and human capability. Existing human capital measures will be refined to develop data standards to support the monitoring of the reform agenda. New modelling techniques to predict patterns of economic, civic and social participation in individuals and populations will also be developed and tested.Read moreRead less
Protect, prepare and engage: Does extracurricular activity participation offer sustained benefits for youth? Organized extracurricular activities such as sport and music have the potential to promote healthy development and to reduce the levels of risk behaviours in teenagers. However, current research evidence, often based on middle-class youth in the US, is inadequate for making policy recommendations for improvement to the after-school lives of Australian youth. This study will offer insight ....Protect, prepare and engage: Does extracurricular activity participation offer sustained benefits for youth? Organized extracurricular activities such as sport and music have the potential to promote healthy development and to reduce the levels of risk behaviours in teenagers. However, current research evidence, often based on middle-class youth in the US, is inadequate for making policy recommendations for improvement to the after-school lives of Australian youth. This study will offer insight into the long-term benefits of making a diverse selection of organised activities available to Australian teenagers, and will improve our understanding of which aspects of participation are most likely to enhance their social and educational opportunities.Read moreRead less
The role of extracurricular activity participation in promoting healthy development of Australian youth. Organized extracurricular activities such as sport and art have the potential for promoting healthy development and reducing the risks faced by teenagers. However, current research evidence, often based on middle-class youth in the US, is inadequate for making policy recommendations for improvement to the after-school lives of Australian youth. This study will offer insight into the importanc ....The role of extracurricular activity participation in promoting healthy development of Australian youth. Organized extracurricular activities such as sport and art have the potential for promoting healthy development and reducing the risks faced by teenagers. However, current research evidence, often based on middle-class youth in the US, is inadequate for making policy recommendations for improvement to the after-school lives of Australian youth. This study will offer insight into the importance of making a diverse selection of organized activities available to Australian teenagers, and will improve our understanding of which aspects of participation are most likely to enhance their social and educational opportunities.Read moreRead less
Internationalisation of higher education:Sociocultural dynamics of group learning. A better understanding of the challenges created by social and cultural diversity in the context of internationalisation of higher education will lead to educational and social benefits. The research will provide a conceptual basis for the development of innovative teaching practices, which address these challenges and capitalise on diversity to enrich the learning of both international and local students. It dire ....Internationalisation of higher education:Sociocultural dynamics of group learning. A better understanding of the challenges created by social and cultural diversity in the context of internationalisation of higher education will lead to educational and social benefits. The research will provide a conceptual basis for the development of innovative teaching practices, which address these challenges and capitalise on diversity to enrich the learning of both international and local students. It directly addresses the national research priority of enhancing Australia's capacity to interpret and engage with its regional and global environment, through greater reciprocal understanding of the interface of diverse cultures and societies.Read moreRead less
Productive co-regulation of learning at university: A situative approach. Fostering graduates' capacity to learn productively from and with professional peers is of educational and economic significance for professional education and for the workplace. The research will establish how learning from clinical cases in interactions with a group of peers at university can be enhanced, with direct benefits for conceptual understanding and professional practice. Social benefits are also expected from b ....Productive co-regulation of learning at university: A situative approach. Fostering graduates' capacity to learn productively from and with professional peers is of educational and economic significance for professional education and for the workplace. The research will establish how learning from clinical cases in interactions with a group of peers at university can be enhanced, with direct benefits for conceptual understanding and professional practice. Social benefits are also expected from broadening individual approaches to study to include preparation for the social nature of work. Read moreRead less
Protect from harm or lead into danger? The influence of peers in leisure activities on adolescent behaviour. When are peers a bad influence? This project will offer answers about the leisure settings that expose young people to risk and those that protect them from harm during the high school years. This research will also help identify those youth who may be especially vulnerable to negative effects of peer influence.
Fostering the development of intercultural confidence as an integral part of university education. A better understanding of the opportunities created by social and cultural diversity in the context of internationalisation of higher education can lead to substantial educational and social benefits. The research will provide a conceptual basis for the development of innovative teaching practices, which capitalise on diversity to enhance all students', international and domestic, preparation for p ....Fostering the development of intercultural confidence as an integral part of university education. A better understanding of the opportunities created by social and cultural diversity in the context of internationalisation of higher education can lead to substantial educational and social benefits. The research will provide a conceptual basis for the development of innovative teaching practices, which capitalise on diversity to enhance all students', international and domestic, preparation for professional practice. It directly addresses the national research priority of enhancing Australia's capacity to interpret and engage with its regional and global environment, through greater reciprocal understanding of the interface of diverse cultures and societies.Read moreRead less
Transforming Lives and Communities: Impact of Quality Indigenous Education. The project aims to advance knowledge, policy and practice by exploring the impact of Indigenous education programs in transforming lives and communities. There is a revolution in Australian education whereby private boarding schools are actively enabling Indigenous students to reap the rewards of a quality education. While there is anecdotal evidence suggesting that these programs have long-term and far-reaching effects ....Transforming Lives and Communities: Impact of Quality Indigenous Education. The project aims to advance knowledge, policy and practice by exploring the impact of Indigenous education programs in transforming lives and communities. There is a revolution in Australian education whereby private boarding schools are actively enabling Indigenous students to reap the rewards of a quality education. While there is anecdotal evidence suggesting that these programs have long-term and far-reaching effects for the students that extend to Indigenous communities, non-Indigenous peers, and the whole-school community, the actual impact of and pathways through which these benefits are achieved is unknown.Read moreRead less
Touching scenes: intelligent haptic guidance for supporting learning with complex graphic displays. Complex visual information is a defining feature of 21st Century life because advances in graphics display technology permeate all aspects of our society. For Australian citizens to prosper in a world reliant on rich informational graphics, they must be able to use these depictions effectively and efficiently. Touch-based approaches, using a haptic tablet, could facilitate processing of key visual ....Touching scenes: intelligent haptic guidance for supporting learning with complex graphic displays. Complex visual information is a defining feature of 21st Century life because advances in graphics display technology permeate all aspects of our society. For Australian citizens to prosper in a world reliant on rich informational graphics, they must be able to use these depictions effectively and efficiently. Touch-based approaches, using a haptic tablet, could facilitate processing of key visual information in challenging circumstances where displays are complex or vision is limited. Improving visually-based performance and learning will benefit education and training, increase productivity and safety across the industrial, professional and service sectors, enhance security monitoring, and broaden community information access.Read moreRead less
Parents as Partners: Getting children off to a healthy start in literacy. Our nation is best served by children getting off to a healthy start in literacy. However, almost one in six children fails to do so. This group has reduced academic and vocational options, increased social, emotional and mental health problems, higher youth unemployment, and is significantly over-represented among offenders. The nation bears the costs of these problems through reduced productivity and expenditure on unemp ....Parents as Partners: Getting children off to a healthy start in literacy. Our nation is best served by children getting off to a healthy start in literacy. However, almost one in six children fails to do so. This group has reduced academic and vocational options, increased social, emotional and mental health problems, higher youth unemployment, and is significantly over-represented among offenders. The nation bears the costs of these problems through reduced productivity and expenditure on unemployment benefits, social programs, mental health services, and incarceration. This project targets both these sources of loss to the nation by utilising a hitherto untapped community resource: Training parents of preschoolers to develop critical pre-literacy skills in their children at home before they begin to fail. Read moreRead less