Improving Regional Low SES Students' Learning and Wellbeing. This study aims to address the learning and wellbeing needs of over 7000 predominantly low socio-economic status students in regional Australia by researching the conditions that enable refinement and extension of a successful curricular and wellbeing program. The current low educational performance of this student cohort has significant negative effects on individual employment prospects and broader national productivity. Their under- ....Improving Regional Low SES Students' Learning and Wellbeing. This study aims to address the learning and wellbeing needs of over 7000 predominantly low socio-economic status students in regional Australia by researching the conditions that enable refinement and extension of a successful curricular and wellbeing program. The current low educational performance of this student cohort has significant negative effects on individual employment prospects and broader national productivity. Their under-achievement and disengagement from schooling also contribute to many antisocial, harmful short-and long-term outcomes for individuals, with significant health and other costs to the broader community. Outcomes from the project have the potential to improve these current outcomes and to be applicable to similar settings.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
Digital mediation of children’s interactions with the more than human world. This project aims to investigate how children deploy digital devices to interact with the "natural" world and how this influences their literate practices, emotional engagement and identities. The project intends to examine these issues longitudinally across Australia and Finland, and in relation to key contextual issues of social class, material conditions, and pedagogical approach. Expected outcomes include identifyin ....Digital mediation of children’s interactions with the more than human world. This project aims to investigate how children deploy digital devices to interact with the "natural" world and how this influences their literate practices, emotional engagement and identities. The project intends to examine these issues longitudinally across Australia and Finland, and in relation to key contextual issues of social class, material conditions, and pedagogical approach. Expected outcomes include identifying ways of educating students through mobile digital technologies that connect them in emotional, creative and engaging ways with the "natural" world. This should provide significant benefits as children contribute as co-researchers in establishing a set of protocols for using digital technologies to both maximise learning in "nature" and mitigate harm to the environment.Read moreRead less
Exploring quality primary education in different cultures: a cross-national study of teaching and learning in primary science classrooms. This project uses video studies of primary science classrooms in Australia, Taiwan, and Germany to explore teaching and learning practices, situated in diverse cultures, which provide opportunities for quality reasoning and learning in science. The findings will inform primary science teacher education to improve student achievement.
Transforming children's mathematical and scientific development: a longitudinal study. An innovative program promoting young children's mathematical and scientific reasoning will be evaluated from grades one to three This study will determine whether an intervention capitalising on children's natural capacity for learning impacts their general cognitive development and problem solving skills at an optimum age.
"I think; therefore I am": Loneliness and neurodevelopmental disorders. This project aims to develop a 3-D animated program for adolescents with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) that alters the automatic biases arising from their everyday social communication difficulties (including via social media), which result in negative thought patterns and loneliness. Negative thought patterns, which are arguably the hallmarks of, and causal in, the development of emotional dysfunction are amplified by ...."I think; therefore I am": Loneliness and neurodevelopmental disorders. This project aims to develop a 3-D animated program for adolescents with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) that alters the automatic biases arising from their everyday social communication difficulties (including via social media), which result in negative thought patterns and loneliness. Negative thought patterns, which are arguably the hallmarks of, and causal in, the development of emotional dysfunction are amplified by loneliness, and adolescents with NDDs experience significantly greater levels of loneliness. Altering these negative thought patterns via an engaging 3-D animated program offers great potential to improve educational and social-emotional outcomes along with generating economic benefits nationally and internationally.Read moreRead less
Indigenous persistence in formal learning. This project will improve knowledge of the learning experiences of Indigenous students transiting from TAFE to university studies. The results will have significant implications for the ways Indigenous students can be supported in their studies in order to achieve better quality learning experiences as well as learning outcomes.
The impact of examiner feedback on doctoral learners and thesis outcomes. This project aims to investigate the final stage of doctoral examination across institutions in Australia, with particular emphasis on examiner feedback, candidate engagement with feedback, and the decision processes involved. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the least visible yet critical end stage of the doctoral examination process and its impact on thesis quality and candidate development. The expected ....The impact of examiner feedback on doctoral learners and thesis outcomes. This project aims to investigate the final stage of doctoral examination across institutions in Australia, with particular emphasis on examiner feedback, candidate engagement with feedback, and the decision processes involved. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the least visible yet critical end stage of the doctoral examination process and its impact on thesis quality and candidate development. The expected outcomes will inform future examination models and contribute new knowledge on the role of feedback in doctoral examination, and assessment practices more generally.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE150100365
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$371,000.00
Summary
Creating better futures for children through effective parent education. Children born into circumstances of socio-economic disadvantage are at risk of missing out on the developmental, educational and social opportunities that give them the best possible start in life. By helping parents in disadvantaged families to cope with adversity, parent education services can mitigate these risks, build resilience in families, and change children's prospects for the future. This project aims to identify ....Creating better futures for children through effective parent education. Children born into circumstances of socio-economic disadvantage are at risk of missing out on the developmental, educational and social opportunities that give them the best possible start in life. By helping parents in disadvantaged families to cope with adversity, parent education services can mitigate these risks, build resilience in families, and change children's prospects for the future. This project aims to identify the most effective ways that parent educators can create lasting positive impacts for families. This project also aims to find out what needs to change to make these best practices more widespread and cost effective, including learning from study of low-cost community-based services.Read moreRead less
The impact of urban vertical schools on students’ capability and wellbeing. Urban vertical schools are new types of schools in Australia. There are no evidence-based Australian precedents to guide designers or educators, no formal knowledge sharing processes that draw on experiences of pioneers, and little understanding of what these spaces mean for student capability and wellbeing. This evaluative case study will bring together evidence from designers, educators and students in three newly buil ....The impact of urban vertical schools on students’ capability and wellbeing. Urban vertical schools are new types of schools in Australia. There are no evidence-based Australian precedents to guide designers or educators, no formal knowledge sharing processes that draw on experiences of pioneers, and little understanding of what these spaces mean for student capability and wellbeing. This evaluative case study will bring together evidence from designers, educators and students in three newly built urban, vertical schools. Project findings will point to inclusive principles for designing and leading in physical, digital and social school spaces to maximise student wellbeing and capability. Insights into student experiences in urban, vertical school spaces will have value for infrastructure spending in all schools.Read moreRead less