A RCT of an education reengagement program for at-risk youth. A RCT of an education reengagement program for at-risk youth. This project aims to determine the best and most cost-effective way to help 12–15 year olds re-engage with school when they become at-risk for dropping out, by conducting a gold-standard randomized-control trial. 20% of Australians fail to attain a Year 12 or equivalent certificate, often for preventable reasons. Dropouts are more likely to be unemployed, have psychological ....A RCT of an education reengagement program for at-risk youth. A RCT of an education reengagement program for at-risk youth. This project aims to determine the best and most cost-effective way to help 12–15 year olds re-engage with school when they become at-risk for dropping out, by conducting a gold-standard randomized-control trial. 20% of Australians fail to attain a Year 12 or equivalent certificate, often for preventable reasons. Dropouts are more likely to be unemployed, have psychological, social, and health problems, and end up in prison. This project could influence implementation of programmes and policy related to youth dropout, promote youth economic, social and physical wellbeing, and decrease their chance of committing crimes and becoming a social burden.Read moreRead less
The role of social-emotional learning in attaining literacy and numeracy. This project aims to characterise variability in developmental pathways to literacy and numeracy, and the factors that contribute to this variation, utilising innovative analytical approaches and population data. This project expects to generate new knowledge regarding the role of school-based social-emotional learning programs in supporting children’s achievement of literacy and numeracy. Expected outcomes of the project ....The role of social-emotional learning in attaining literacy and numeracy. This project aims to characterise variability in developmental pathways to literacy and numeracy, and the factors that contribute to this variation, utilising innovative analytical approaches and population data. This project expects to generate new knowledge regarding the role of school-based social-emotional learning programs in supporting children’s achievement of literacy and numeracy. Expected outcomes of the project include enhanced collaboration with government to deliver policy-relevant information on the most effective targets and timing for delivering social-emotional programs that maximise academic learning. This should assist policy makers to develop better strategies to support every child’s academic achievement.Read moreRead less
The Helmsman Project: Giving at-risk adolescents skills to navigate life’s journey and make a difference. This project aims to investigate how to keep able but disadvantaged youth engaged in school and give them the psychological tools they need to succeed. To meet this challenge, this project aims to propose a randomised control and extended baseline control test of a combined personal coaching and outdoor education (sailing experience) program designed to foster positive psychological outcomes ....The Helmsman Project: Giving at-risk adolescents skills to navigate life’s journey and make a difference. This project aims to investigate how to keep able but disadvantaged youth engaged in school and give them the psychological tools they need to succeed. To meet this challenge, this project aims to propose a randomised control and extended baseline control test of a combined personal coaching and outdoor education (sailing experience) program designed to foster positive psychological outcomes by developing goal strategies, hope, resilience, and self-regulation. The study aims to be extensive and novel, capturing the experiences of not just the participants but their peers, parents, teachers, and alumni mentors of the program. Both traditional survey and experience sampling data will be collected.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.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE140100080
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$389,352.00
Summary
Closing the Disadvantaged Gap: Self-Beliefs and Task Value as Drivers of Educational Choices During the Post High School Transition. Australia's economic future requires education to close the gap between disadvantaged and advantaged students. Even successful interventions, however, typically increase the gap with advantaged students benefitting more. Whilst most efforts focus on test scores, evidence suggests that non-cognitive outcomes (such as, self-concept, task value, motivation and social ....Closing the Disadvantaged Gap: Self-Beliefs and Task Value as Drivers of Educational Choices During the Post High School Transition. Australia's economic future requires education to close the gap between disadvantaged and advantaged students. Even successful interventions, however, typically increase the gap with advantaged students benefitting more. Whilst most efforts focus on test scores, evidence suggests that non-cognitive outcomes (such as, self-concept, task value, motivation and social context) are critical in closing the gap. This project will test these predictions for successful educational transitions by disadvantaged students, using an innovative blend of multiple large-scale primary and secondary data sources, and new, evolving statistical models. This project will provide potential actions for strengthening the economic and social future of disadvantaged youth in Australia and beyond.Read moreRead less
Self-regulation in very low birthweight/very preterm 2 and 4 year olds: A comparison study. Increasing numbers of extremely low birthweight children are surviving, and the majority go on to have learning problems. The difficulties these children experience and the resources that are devoted to the task of improving their academic skills have personal, social and economic costs. This project will assist in the identification of areas of difficulty that contribute to their problems in learning, es ....Self-regulation in very low birthweight/very preterm 2 and 4 year olds: A comparison study. Increasing numbers of extremely low birthweight children are surviving, and the majority go on to have learning problems. The difficulties these children experience and the resources that are devoted to the task of improving their academic skills have personal, social and economic costs. This project will assist in the identification of areas of difficulty that contribute to their problems in learning, essential for developing effective interventions. Success will bring substantial benefits at both the level of the individual and of society. The study will be undertaken by a PhD candidate as part of a multidisciplinary team, an experience that will provide an exceptional training in research with vulnerable children.Read moreRead less
Square Eyes or All Lies? Understanding Children's Exposure to Screens. This project will examine Australian parents’ number one concern about their children’s health and behaviour – their interactions with electronic screens. Current screen time guidelines are based on low-quality evidence and lack the nuance required to address this complex issue. This project will use innovative technology to resolve these weaknesses. Wearable cameras will measure what children are doing on screens, and where, ....Square Eyes or All Lies? Understanding Children's Exposure to Screens. This project will examine Australian parents’ number one concern about their children’s health and behaviour – their interactions with electronic screens. Current screen time guidelines are based on low-quality evidence and lack the nuance required to address this complex issue. This project will use innovative technology to resolve these weaknesses. Wearable cameras will measure what children are doing on screens, and where, when, and how long they are doing it. The project will also investigate how screen time impacts children’s development and how it is influenced by their environment. This evidence will benefit children by improving screen time guidelines, and help parents understand the impact of screen time on children’s development.
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Content and source of teasing and victimisation in adolescents. This project aims to determine the content and source of teasing that are most toxic for adolescents' personal adjustment. Rejection, teasing and victimisation can distress teens, and cause eating disorders, body and muscle distortion, social anxiety and depression. This project will investigate these associations and discover whether teasing is more toxic depending on the content, and if the teaser’s sex causes more mental health p ....Content and source of teasing and victimisation in adolescents. This project aims to determine the content and source of teasing that are most toxic for adolescents' personal adjustment. Rejection, teasing and victimisation can distress teens, and cause eating disorders, body and muscle distortion, social anxiety and depression. This project will investigate these associations and discover whether teasing is more toxic depending on the content, and if the teaser’s sex causes more mental health problems. It will examine how coping, competence and support from others protect against the toxicity of teasing. The project expects to develop a theoretical model that guides effective intervention and identify factors that protect against the toxicity of teasing.Read moreRead less
Furthering Positive Futures for Children with Intellectual Disabilities: A Longitudinal Investigation. This project will address the paucity of empirical research on drivers of psychosocial and physical well-being (PPW; for example self-concept, depression, behavioural problems, physical fitness, weight) of children with Intellectual Disabilities (ID). This proposal presents an extensive research program aimed at understanding the effects of school life and Physical Activity (PA) on PPW for Aust ....Furthering Positive Futures for Children with Intellectual Disabilities: A Longitudinal Investigation. This project will address the paucity of empirical research on drivers of psychosocial and physical well-being (PPW; for example self-concept, depression, behavioural problems, physical fitness, weight) of children with Intellectual Disabilities (ID). This proposal presents an extensive research program aimed at understanding the effects of school life and Physical Activity (PA) on PPW for Australian children with ID. This program examines: the relations between school life and PPW; the benefits, barriers and predictors of PA; moderators (personal characteristics, educational settings). The overarching objective is to advance theory and research in this area, and to inform intervention strategies furthering more positive futures for children with ID.Read moreRead less
Uncovering the coping toolbox for social and academic resilience in youth. This project aims to provide important new knowledge on youth stress, life adversity and coping to assist the development of efficient and successful resilience programs. Coping with stress is the number one concern of today's Australian teenagers. The project intends to address coping flexibility and resilience across the transition of youth from primary to secondary school and through the final years of secondary school ....Uncovering the coping toolbox for social and academic resilience in youth. This project aims to provide important new knowledge on youth stress, life adversity and coping to assist the development of efficient and successful resilience programs. Coping with stress is the number one concern of today's Australian teenagers. The project intends to address coping flexibility and resilience across the transition of youth from primary to secondary school and through the final years of secondary school. Expected outcomes include findings that can be translated into interventions that can assist individuals coping with life transitions at any age and those facing significant social, medical, workplace or academic stressors in other times of their life.Read moreRead less