Modelling with data: Advancing STEM in the primary curriculum. Improving the nation's skills in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) remains a continuing concern, especially given the decline in international test results. The project aims to introduce a new approach to promoting this learning across grades 3-6 through modelling with data. With a focus on inquiry processes involving data variation and uncertainty within STEM-based contexts, the project aims to develop the imp ....Modelling with data: Advancing STEM in the primary curriculum. Improving the nation's skills in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) remains a continuing concern, especially given the decline in international test results. The project aims to introduce a new approach to promoting this learning across grades 3-6 through modelling with data. With a focus on inquiry processes involving data variation and uncertainty within STEM-based contexts, the project aims to develop the important mathematical and statistical literacies needed for lifting student achievements. In advancing both theory and practice, the project aims to contribute to knowledge of primary students' capabilities for STEM problem solving and ways of enhancing implementation of the Australian Curriculum.Read moreRead less
Global childhoods: Life-worlds and educational success in Australia and Asia. This project aims to investigate how everyday life-worlds of year four students (nine-ten years of age) in Australia, Hong Kong and Singapore shape children’s orientations to educational success. Situated in the global cities of Melbourne, Sydney, Hong Kong and Singapore, the study explores connections between policy contexts, school experiences and everyday activities of children growing up in the Asian Century. Findi ....Global childhoods: Life-worlds and educational success in Australia and Asia. This project aims to investigate how everyday life-worlds of year four students (nine-ten years of age) in Australia, Hong Kong and Singapore shape children’s orientations to educational success. Situated in the global cities of Melbourne, Sydney, Hong Kong and Singapore, the study explores connections between policy contexts, school experiences and everyday activities of children growing up in the Asian Century. Findings will advance knowledge of factors that contribute to children’s understandings of how their experiences in and out of school prepare them for futures in a global world. This will enable policy-makers, educators and parents to provide improved learning opportunities in children’s lives.Read moreRead less
Raising the literacy bar for economically-disadvantaged students. This project aims to promote higher order literacy skills among economically-disadvantaged students. Higher order literacy is critical for productive engagement in academic, economic and personal spheres of life in literacy-rich knowledge economies. Opportunities for disadvantaged students to develop advanced literacy skills are limited if schools serving these students focus predominantly on basic skills training. This project ....Raising the literacy bar for economically-disadvantaged students. This project aims to promote higher order literacy skills among economically-disadvantaged students. Higher order literacy is critical for productive engagement in academic, economic and personal spheres of life in literacy-rich knowledge economies. Opportunities for disadvantaged students to develop advanced literacy skills are limited if schools serving these students focus predominantly on basic skills training. This project will investigate contradictions in policies and practices in Australia and Hong Kong to understand why and how disadvantaged students are supported or unsupported to learn higher-order literacy skills. It also explores successful practices that promote such learning, alongside basic skills, for disadvantaged students. This will provide significant benefits such as providing new conceptual understandings of the policy-practice interface and empirical evidence to inform the design of effective practices that promote higher-order literacy skills, alongside basic skills, for economically-disadvantaged students in Australia and Hong Kong.Read moreRead less
Investigating the relationship between teacher expectations, student persistence and the learning of mathematics. There is a culture in many classrooms in which teachers are encouraged by students to pose easy tasks. The project will explore what is needed to encourage students to embrace challenges and to persist even when tasks are difficult. The outcome will be enhanced mathematics learning and improved student confidence.
Love Maths, Why Not? Developing Students’ Positive Learning Identities and Engagement in Mathematics. Mathematics is the foremost enabling science that underpins research, development and innovation in every aspect of society. Recent trends in mathematics education show that attitude, confidence and a sense of personal relevance play an influential role in student engagement and achievement. Yet Australian students’ achievement in mathematics has plateaued, and participation in mathematics is st ....Love Maths, Why Not? Developing Students’ Positive Learning Identities and Engagement in Mathematics. Mathematics is the foremost enabling science that underpins research, development and innovation in every aspect of society. Recent trends in mathematics education show that attitude, confidence and a sense of personal relevance play an influential role in student engagement and achievement. Yet Australian students’ achievement in mathematics has plateaued, and participation in mathematics is steadily declining. This study combines innovative pedagogical research in mathematics with research of positive learning identity and engagement to develop knowledge about educational practices that sustain the attention and positive engagement of our nations’ future mathematicians, scientists and mathematically fluent citizenry. Read moreRead less
Improving disadvantaged students? Reading outcomes through overcoming reading avoidance and building reading engagement. It is costly for students to avoid reading. Low literacy levels impact negatively on academic success, earning levels and employment opportunities. This project aims to produce new conceptual and empirical knowledge to inform the development of effective teaching practices to promote reading engagement for disadvantaged students.
Is Maths for me? Understanding and promoting disadvantaged students' academic aspirations for Mathematics. The problem of persistent decline in participation in post-compulsory mathematics in Australian schools and universities has been aggravated when disadvantaged students are taken into consideration. However, know little as to how, why and under what circumstances disadvantaged students make decisions to quit or continue learning advanced Mathematics. To address this national challenge, thre ....Is Maths for me? Understanding and promoting disadvantaged students' academic aspirations for Mathematics. The problem of persistent decline in participation in post-compulsory mathematics in Australian schools and universities has been aggravated when disadvantaged students are taken into consideration. However, know little as to how, why and under what circumstances disadvantaged students make decisions to quit or continue learning advanced Mathematics. To address this national challenge, three related studies will explore systematically disadvantaged students’ academic aspirations during the early and senior secondary periods, track their development within dynamic interplay of individual, social and schooling influences, and explore effective schooling practices capable of sustaining aspirations in advanced Mathematics.Read moreRead less
Historical frontier violence: drivers, legacy and the role of truth-telling. This project aims to build data to identify the historical factors that incited frontier violence; quantify the legacy on communities today and conduct fieldwork to understand how historical trauma is transmitted across generations. This project expects to develop new knowledge on the circumstances and legacy of settlement and the origins of gaps in life prospects between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. Our e ....Historical frontier violence: drivers, legacy and the role of truth-telling. This project aims to build data to identify the historical factors that incited frontier violence; quantify the legacy on communities today and conduct fieldwork to understand how historical trauma is transmitted across generations. This project expects to develop new knowledge on the circumstances and legacy of settlement and the origins of gaps in life prospects between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. Our expectation is that this will increase public acceptance of the circumstances of settlement and the need to make amends. This project should help increase public support for truth-telling and better relations between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, a vital step towards reconciliation and healing the nation. Read moreRead less
Making Australia internationally competitive: driving educational attainment by academic motivation, self-concept, engagement and aspirations. This project will extend and test predictions from motivation theory about educational choice and attainment, using multiple large national/international databases and new statistical models. This will result in better strategies to meet government targets of increasing tertiary enrolments, particularly for disadvantaged students.
Statistical literacy in the primary school: beginning inference. Australia is committed to building a stronger foundation for school mathematics and science. This project will introduce primary school students to beginning inference, a core component of statistical literacy and an increasingly important life skill. Foundations for secondary mathematics study and productive societal participation will be laid.