An exploratory cluster trial of a sustainable capacity building intervention to promote positive child mental health in Family Day Care. Rarely is solution-oriented intervention research built and conducted with rigorous research designs in communities of extreme disadvantage. This study builds on the enthusiasm of a leading child welfare organisation in its commitment to contribute to evidence for practice-oriented solutions. The research will serve as a model for the Family Day Care and childc ....An exploratory cluster trial of a sustainable capacity building intervention to promote positive child mental health in Family Day Care. Rarely is solution-oriented intervention research built and conducted with rigorous research designs in communities of extreme disadvantage. This study builds on the enthusiasm of a leading child welfare organisation in its commitment to contribute to evidence for practice-oriented solutions. The research will serve as a model for the Family Day Care and childcare sectors. The study is an essential step in the development of an intervention prior to a large-scale evaluation. With a strong evidence base, this program may be implemented widely within the sector nationally, thus addressing a key area of children's health inequalities - mental health.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE140100751
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$379,506.00
Summary
How health shapes young children’s academic outcomes, and opportunities to intervene. Every year, about 280,000 Australian children make the crucial transition from preschool to formal education. Within this population, there is a wide range of learning capabilities and levels of preparedness. Children who have difficulties during the early years have greater risk of poorer academic and social outcomes. This project aims to determine how children's academic outcomes are shaped by common physical ....How health shapes young children’s academic outcomes, and opportunities to intervene. Every year, about 280,000 Australian children make the crucial transition from preschool to formal education. Within this population, there is a wide range of learning capabilities and levels of preparedness. Children who have difficulties during the early years have greater risk of poorer academic and social outcomes. This project aims to determine how children's academic outcomes are shaped by common physical health problems during the early years of school and how best to address these problems within the traditional school setting. This will inform future research as to the opportunities to help all children have the best opportunity to learn so they can reach their academic potential.Read moreRead less
A Multi-disciplinary Investigation of how Trauma and Chronic Illness impact on Schooling, Identity and Social Connectivity. School connectedness and retention is an established key to both immediate and long-term health, academic and life outcomes. Young people with chronic illness or accident trauma often miss schooling and get caught in a spiral of catching up and disconnection from important peer relationships and from school. This study investigates the experiences and perspectives of young ....A Multi-disciplinary Investigation of how Trauma and Chronic Illness impact on Schooling, Identity and Social Connectivity. School connectedness and retention is an established key to both immediate and long-term health, academic and life outcomes. Young people with chronic illness or accident trauma often miss schooling and get caught in a spiral of catching up and disconnection from important peer relationships and from school. This study investigates the experiences and perspectives of young people whose schooling is disrupted by illness and trauma. It will produce guidelines for better practice by health and schooling professionals and parents of such children, and provide better knowledge about the processes by which disconnection occurs.Read moreRead less
Promoting healthy eating, active play and sustainability awareness in early childhood curricula: Addressing the Ben10™ problem. A pedagogical communication strategy has been developed to allow early childhood educators to design curriculum interventions that support children’s learning about healthy eating, the importance of active play and the sustainability consequences of their food and toy selections. The aim of this study is to conduct a randomised trial to evaluate the efficacy of the curr ....Promoting healthy eating, active play and sustainability awareness in early childhood curricula: Addressing the Ben10™ problem. A pedagogical communication strategy has been developed to allow early childhood educators to design curriculum interventions that support children’s learning about healthy eating, the importance of active play and the sustainability consequences of their food and toy selections. The aim of this study is to conduct a randomised trial to evaluate the efficacy of the curriculum interventions, developed by teachers using this pedagogical communication strategy, on children’s knowledge about healthy eating, active play and the sustainability consequences of their food and toy selections. This project connects strongly with the learning outcomes of the National Early Years Learning Framework and the Australian Curriculum to be implemented in 2014.Read moreRead less
ARC Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child. Our vision is for Australian children to be healthy, educated and connected. This Centre will integrate child health, education, and digital and social connectedness, innovating across disciplines to meet Australia’s ongoing challenges of supporting young children growing up in a rapidly changing digital age. The Centre’s world-leading team investigates children’s digital practices through three interconnected research programs supported by a longi ....ARC Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child. Our vision is for Australian children to be healthy, educated and connected. This Centre will integrate child health, education, and digital and social connectedness, innovating across disciplines to meet Australia’s ongoing challenges of supporting young children growing up in a rapidly changing digital age. The Centre’s world-leading team investigates children’s digital practices through three interconnected research programs supported by a longitudinal family cohort study and children’s technology laboratories. The Centre will address tensions in a contested field to inform government and non-government policy, technology innovation, and develop programs and guidelines for children, families, educators and technology developers. Read moreRead less
How do qualifications delivered by enterprises contribute to improved skill levels and other benefits for companies, workers and the nation? This project investigates the role of employer-based qualifications training in developing the skills and prospects of the Australian workforce and the competitive capabilities of companies. It focuses on enterprises that are accredited to deliver qualifications to their own workers, providing data to improve and expand this form of training.
Crucibles of creativity? Australian universities and path-breaking intellectual work. The project will investigate path-breaking creative work by 60-80 Australians working at home and abroad, focusing on the role of Australian universities in forming creative persons and agendas and providing conditions for (or inhibiting) creativity. The practical question is ‘How might the role of universities in path-breaking work be enhanced?'
Building futures for young Australians at risk: a coordinated measurement framework and data archive. This project will build a national data base of evidence about and for programs that address the needs of the 16 per cent of young Australians currently at risk of school non-completion. It will generate important knowledge for program improvement and sustainability and coordination of evidence across diverse and fragmented programs.
National and global public goods in higher education. This project will compare case studies in Australia, the United Kingdom, central Europe and China to clarify the definition, measurement and creation of public (social and community) benefits in higher education, including global benefits. It will inform government policies and institutional and philanthropic strategies designed to maximise those public benefits.
Leadership in entrepreneurial universities: cross-national investigations of engagement and diversity. Attracting and retaining academics in leadership is critical to developing twenty-first century universities that promote innovative and creative economies and inclusive civil societies. This comparative study will provide policy makers and universities with empirical evidence and policy options to build leadership capacity and increase diversity in leadership.