AARE Conference Paper Abstracts - 2005
ISSN 1324-9339

[PDF Paper] indicates a hypertext link to the relevant paper in PDF format.
The symbol ® indicates that the full paper was refereed.

This file is very large, over 1 Mb. It may take a considerable time to load. Loading continues for a time after you see this page open. A message will notify you when loading has finished.

This page does not contain abstracts for papers that were not presented, nor for presented papers for which no electronic copy of the paper was submitted.

ABSTRACTS of 2005 PAPERS

Published January 2006

A

AGH05116
[PDF Paper]
Estimating the Hausman Test for Rasch with poorly fitted items

Kingsley Agho, University of Newcastle and James Athanasou, University of Technology, Sydney

In this study, an assessment that was difficult for a sample was used as a demonstration of the bootstrap method for estimating the Hausman test for Rasch analysis when the items are poorly fitted. A 10-item dichotomously scored test of numerical reasoning was administered to 200 (120 male, 80 female) high school pupils in Nigeria. The INFIT, OUTFIT statistics and standard error inflator showed that the 10 test items did not fit the Rasch model well and 1000 bootstrap replicates of the sample was generated. This paper reports results from the parametric, simulation and bootstrap method for estimating the Hausman test for the Rasch model. The main findings were that the simulation and bootstrap method for estimating the Hausman test for Rasch were statistically better than the parametric method and there was no need to eliminate poorly fitted items as suggested previous in the literature.

Keywords: Assessment and Measurement

ALD05749
[PDF Paper]
Enabling Dialogue

Sharon Alderson and David Gilles, Auckland University of Technology

Current educational discourse has struggled to genuinely move beyond deficit-based language. Even Action Research, the predominant model for professional development and research in education, starts with the identification of the problem - the gap (Cardno, 2002). It would appear that the vocabulary for a hope-filled discourse, which captures the imagination surrounding our educational future, has escaped us. Equally important, we seem bereft of educational contexts where the experience for students is holistic and transformative.

Appreciative Inquiry is a research approach that seeks to facilitate change based on participant's recall moments of best practice and the subsequent processing of this information (Cady & Caster, 2000; Cooperrider & Srivastva, 1987;English, Fenwick, & Parsons, 2003; Hammond, 1998; Hammond & Royal, 1998). Rather than problem-centred, it is solution-focused. In this way, proponents describe it as 'dream forming' and 'destiny creating'. Based on assumptions that include 'in every organisation something works' and 'if we are to carry anything of our past forward in our lives, it should be the good things', Appreciative Inquiry energises the researcher and participants alike to reach for higher ideals (Hammond, 1998; Hammond & Royal, 1998).

This paper will outline an appreciative inquiry within a Family Literacy project, a bridging programme for adults, jointly sponsored by COMET (City of Manakau Education Trust), the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Social Development and Auckland University of Technology. The particular research approach enabled the capture of data revealing student's accounts of transformative learning experiences within their learning community and the impact this in turn had on their wider communities.

Keywords: Educational Change and Innovation

ALI05332   ®
[PDF Paper]
Testing the invariance of a motivation model across seven cultural groups

Jinnat Ali and Dennis McInerney, University of Western Sydney

Using confirmatory factor analysis this study examines the cross-cultural generalizability of the factor structure for the Inventory of School Motivation (ISM), an instrument based on Personal Investment theory. The instrument consists of eight different scales with 43 survey items (ranging from 3 to 7 items each) and each reflecting one of eight specific dimensions: task, effort, competition, social power, affiliation, social concern, praise, and token. The factor structure was invariant over large samples of responses by Anglo-Australian (n=2,616), Migrant Australian (n=1,265), Aboriginal Australian (n=906), Hong Kong Chinese (n=697), Navajo (n=1,776), Anglo-American (n=884) and African (n=819) cultural groups of high school students. The results of factorial invariance analysis indicated that the ISM has a stable and reliable factor structure among the 7 cultural groups. Findings also provide evidence that the ISM scales are applicable to students of different cultural backgrounds; meaningful cross-cultural comparisons should use the 43 items in educational settings.

This paper will be presented as part of Symposium 23 JOH05327 New advances in cross-cultural research: Insights into motivation and achievement.

Keywords: Motivation and Self-Concept

ALI05403   ®
[PDF Paper]
An analysis of the predictive validity of the Inventory of School Motivation (ISM)

Jinnat Ali and Dennis McInerney, University of Western Sydney

This study examines the predictive validity of the Inventory of School Motivation (ISM), an instrument based on a Personal Investment theory and specifically the use of eight (task, effort, competition, social power, affiliation, social concern, praise, and token) ISM factor scales as predictors of academic achievement for five cultural groups, Anglo-Australian (n=2,616), Migrant Australian (n=1,265), Aboriginal Australian (n=906), Navajo (n=1,776), and Anglo-American (n=884) of high school students. Multiple regression analysis was conducted to examine the relationship among the Personal Investment factors and school achievement criteria (Math, English and GPA) and School Attendance. Findings support the validity and usefulness of the ISM in predicting achievement outcomes and in providing a motivational profile for students from diverse cultural backgrounds in educational settings.

This paper will be presented as part of Symposium 29 JOH05399 Cutting edge advances in research methods.

Keywords: Motivation and Self-Concept

ALL05295
[PDF Paper]
Teachers heard or herd: when research silences teacher stories

Jennifer Allen, University of Newcastle

The ongoing debate between critical theory and postmodernism has borne ongoing concerns over the place of philosophical research in informing teacher practices. In seeking to critique emanicipatory goals 'for all', 'truth' and the grand narratives that appear implicit in critical theory postmodernists have challenged the constructive power of discourse and the nexus of power and knowledge. Power relations are thought to not only distort knowledge (as with critical theory) but that knowledge itself is borne of these power relations. In seeking to give voice to the marginalised postmodernism engages with research as a social practice rather than a producer of transcendental 'truth'. If philosophical research is to inform teachers' work it should recognise the "interconnectedness" of teachers' worlds, in a context that acknowledges that lifeworld is pervasive in communicative everyday practice. The debate continues over the "taken-for-granted' nature and unquestioned familiarity of the lifeworld of teachers and the possibility of bringing such knowledge to the fore.

This paper makes explicit the danger of placing the methodology and methods of philosophy as themselves beyond question, where lived experience is regarded as a pure unmediated and authentic knowledgeability and the research account the true and direct 'speech' of the autonomous, self-present individual. Rather lived experience and the 'tools' of research must be constantly problematised recognising their 'mediation' into 'reality through language, text, discourse, discursive practices and power relations. This problematisation is thus evident in the tension in the 'personalising' of research and the role of reflexivity and a critical consciousness in demystifying implicit, political and ideological teacher contexts. This paper explores the tension facing research when it is driven by a sense of transcending direction but seeks to acknowledge the importance of the immanent, emerging world of teachers work.

ALL05471
[PDF Paper]
Journeys: Supporting innovation in teacher education throughout Australia

Jennifer Allen, University of Newcastle

Since the late 1990s, the Response Ability project team has been working to support the inclusion of certain adolescent health and social issues in pre-service secondary education. This is an initiative of the Department of Health and Ageing and began under the National Youth Suicide Prevention Strategy. With subsequent shifts in policy and emerging research about resilience and mental health, the project has evolved considerably in its aims, principles and processes. While implementation has always been collaborative, the project's evolution has been marked by stronger partnerships between health professionals and teacher educators and by a critical shift from a health risk focus to an educational one. Drawing on consultation with teacher educators and reflections of project team members, this paper will explore the process of working with universities on a national level and identify factors that make lasting change difficult in pre-service secondary education. Critical issues include the crowded university curriculum and tertiary cultures that may not be supportive of innovation in teaching and program design. While the project has achieved considerable success - producing award-winning resources and gaining support from many teacher educators throughout Australia - difficulties remain in regard to positioning this issue within teacher education and ensuring sustainability. This paper presents not only the story of the project itself but also the journey of those wrestling with curriculum change.

This paper will be presented as part of Symposium 36 ALL05470 Constructive solutions: Responding to the changing role of the teacher through innovation, professional development and pre-service education

Keywords: Teachers' Work

ALL05494
[PDF Paper]
Cultural differences in teaching and learning styles

Michael Allan, University of Bath

This presentation, based on a post-graduate case study of cross-cultural interaction in an international school, identifies problems that students from different cultures experience in the predominantly western culture of international schools.

What ideas of education in all cultures have in common is the transmission of cultural values of that society, as well as of the knowledge and skills specific to that society's needs. However the nature of these varies tremendously, as does the way in which they are transmitted, taught, learned and assessed. For migrant students, these differences will cause a culture clash between home and school, as children from different cultural backgrounds are socialized in conflict with the expectations of the school.

Using evidence from classroom discourse, this presentation looks at how dissonance between the predominantly western teaching style of international school teachers and the preferred learning styles of students from other cultures affects the learning and achievement of the students. It discusses a model of critical learning where different learning styles are recognised in the classroom, and a non-culture specific curriculum is delivered in a more pluralist style which can make it accessible to all pupils.

Keywords: Multicultural Education

AND05154   ®
[PDF Paper]
Evaluating the professional learning of secondary mathematics teachers: Reflecting on their reflections!

Judy Anderson and Maxine Moore, The University of Sydney

The need to provide quality professional learning opportunities if change is to be realised in classrooms is well documented (e.g., Guskey, 2002). A new secondary mathematics syllabus in NSW was the impetus to design a course offered through the Division of Professional Learning at the University of Sydney. The course addressed key changes to the syllabus but also encouraged participants to reflect on their practice and to consider ways they might implement the recommendations. It is acknowledged that providing such opportunities does not automatically guarantee change will occur. However, supporting teacher growth through continuous contact over a six-week period where teachers are given opportunities to share understandings and develop partnerships might afford greater chances for change. The thirty participants completed weekly surveys that involved reflecting on what they had learnt, describing how they had shared new ideas with colleagues, and evaluating new information in relation to their knowledge and current needs. The results suggest that teachers valued the course, and felt they had been supported in knowledge development. However for some teachers, opportunities to reflect on their learning indicated that their levels of reflection were limited to listing strategies they might use rather than critically reflecting on their practice. Follow-up interviews with two experienced, creative teachers confirmed that they enjoyed the course, learnt a great deal, and yet they both found the reflective process rather challenging.

Keywords: Teacher Professional Learning

AND05224   ®
[PDF Paper]
Repertoires for diversity: Effective higher order pedagogies for inclusive practice

Kim Beswick, Rob Andrew and Karen Swabey, University of Tasmania

This paper reports on the findings of a Tasmanian study for the Government of Australia's Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST). The study was funded through the Australian Government's Effective Teaching and Learning Practices for Students with Learning Difficulties Initiative and its purpose was to provide specific support to increase teachers' capacity to enhance the literacy and numeracy development of students with learning difficulties in the early and middle years of schooling. The Tasmanian study was designed to explore connections between school and teacher practices used in inclusive primary grade classes and schools' levels of 'value-adding', determined from national benchmark testing.

The results showed that schools used a range of policies, programs and school-wide processes and professional learning to support literacy and numeracy pedagogies in value-adding schools. The study acknowledged the multiple challenges facing teachers who are attempting to balance continuous improvement of students' literacy and numeracy learning with that of increasing social and educational diversity of inclusive school communities.

Keywords: Inclusive and Special Education

ARN05532   ®
[PDF Paper]
Inter-intra subjectivities: Empathic intelligence and students' voices

Roslyn Arnold, University of Tasmania and John Hughes, University of Sydney

Students' voices can reveal insights into the nature of effective teaching and signal the importance of inter-intra subjectivity in the dynamics of pedagogy. The study was designed to explore correspondence between the principles of empathic intelligence and students' embodied experiences of pedagogy. Secondary school students' voices, articulated through a particular role-play, provided data to reveal the degree of match between their experience and these principles. The data reveals insights into the nature of new pedagogic principles and current theory supporting the notion of empathic intelligence in education. The study provides nuanced evidence to suggest that the relational and affective aspects of pedagogy are integral to learning and teaching effectiveness.

Keywords: New pedagogies

ASK05152
[PDF Paper]
Extending teacher education students' mental models of teaching and learning through Problem Based Learning (PBL)

Helen Askell-Williams, Rosalind Murray-Harvey and Michael Lawson, Flinders University

Student teachers develop robust mental models of teaching and learning during their years as students, such that teachers often teach as they were taught-possibly perpetuating practices that limit intellectual inquiry in classrooms. PBL was introduced to our B.Ed to challenge and extend students' mental models about teaching and learning.

The literature provided the basis to create a conceptual framework incorporating the professional, personal, and organisational aims of the B.Ed, and the PBL objectives of enhancing knowledge, critical thinking, theory-practice relationships, collaboration, and self-directed lifelong learning. We constructed questions to focus PBL students' written reflections upon these aims and objectives. One hundred and thirty students agreed to the use of their written reflections to form the data base of this study.

A literature search identified key-word descriptors of changing mental models in PBL environments. The descriptors were entered into NVivo to guide thematic coding and content analysis of students' written reflections.

Results provide evidence that students do report incorporating PBL concepts into their mental models of teaching and learning. For example, students perceive the value of (1) case studies for engaging with subject content, motivating learning and connecting theory with practice, (2) self-reflection and peer collaboration for cognitive growth, and (3) PBL processes for developing self-regulated learning practices.

Keywords: Pre-service Teacher Education

ATH05117
[PDF Paper]
Some issues with adult self-evaluations in education and training

James Athanasou, University of Technology, Sydney

This paper adopts a social-cognitive framework to categorise those factors that enhance self-evaluation. Technical issues with the accuracy of self-evaluations are outlined. These related to (a) the adequacy of the criterion, (b) the method of statistical comparison, (c) the quantitative or qualitative basis for self-evaluations and (d) the procedures used in obtaining self-evaluations. It is argued that self-evaluations are inherently economical, reliable and valuable especially when they are geared to idiographic, criterion-referenced and formative assessments of performance rather than ability.

Keywords: Assessment and Measurement

AUL05175   ®
[PDF Paper]
Factors to consider when planning to submit a digital thesis

Glenn Auld, Monash University

Emerging technologies offer new possibilities of text production. Consequently there are important implications for submitting a digitalised thesis. This paper reflects upon some of the issues associated with the digitalisation of the thesis entitled "The literacy practices of KunibĦdji children: Text, technology and transformation". This PhD thesis was submitted in a multimedia format on a DVD and reported on the literacy practices of a group of Indigenous Australian children who spoke a minority Indigenous Australian language. Factors to consider when digitalising a thesis include the social possibilities of emerging technologies. These are explored with reference to the purpose of research in changing times. The opportunities to integrate a number of texts in the submitted thesis are demonstrated. The use of multimodal texts to improve the validity of the research is discussed using examples of digital video and interactive texts in a minority Indigenous Australian language context. This paper concludes that the digitisation of a thesis should be guided by the possibilities for conceptualising and reporting new knowledge while upholding an ethic of respect for the participants.

B

BAR05352   ®
[PDF Paper]
The fallacy of laissez-faire leadership: A multilevel analysis of the influence of leadership avoidance behaviours on aspects of school learning environment

Alan Barnett, Herb Marsh and Rhonda Craven, University of Western Sydney

Effective schools literature has emphasised the leadership roles played by school principals in influencing a school's learning environment and teacher satisfaction outcomes. Moreover, transformational leadership theory has provided a new perspective from which to view these relations. Advocates of transformational and transactional leadership behaviour claim that leaders have the ability to effectively manipulate their environments to achieve their organisational objectives. However, a third type of leadership behaviour, laissez-faire leadership, has recently been demonstrated to have marked positive effects on a number of school learning environment constructs. This paper reports on an investigation of the relation between laissez faire leadership behaviours of school principals in NSW public secondary schools and seven dimensions of school learning environment. A survey was conducted across 52 secondary schools in NSW, Australia, involving 458 respondents. Data was gathered on the leadership style of school principals and seven school learning environment constructs. Multilevel modelling analysis was used to explore the relation between laissez-faire leadership behaviour and the school learning environment dimensions both at the teacher and the school level. Laissez-faire leadership behaviours demonstrated a differential impact on school learning environment, in some cases more influential than alternative types of leadership behaviour.

This paper will be presented as part of Symposium 25 JOH05346 New advances in self-concept research in educational settings: Making a real difference

Keywords: Motivation and Self-Concept

BAR05373   ®
[PDF Paper]
Direction of causality: Examining causal relations between motivational goals, academic self-concept and academic achievement

Katrina Barker, Martin Dowson and Dennis McInerney, University of Western Sydney

Research has been conducted on a) relations between academic self-concept and academic achievement, which is well established in the literature, however there remains disagreement about the causal ordering of these constructs b) relations between motivation and academic achievement which show moderate-to-strong correlations and c) relations between academic self-concept and motivational indicators which show strong correlations. Of the studies that combine self-concept and motivation, few examine motivation from a goal perspective. The generalised hypothesis attached to this investigation is that variables drawn from self-concept and goal theories taken together will provide a fuller explanation of academic achievement than is possible with either self-concept or motivational goal variables alone. Hence, the purpose of this study was to examine with a longitudinal perspective the relations between goal theory (mastery, performance and social), academic self-concept (maths and English) and academic achievement among seven-, eighth-, and ninth-grade students.

This paper will be presented as part of Symposium 26 JOH05370 Enhancing motivation, achievement and academic self-concept: Finding answers to the tough questions

Keywords: Motivation and Self-Concept

BAR05385   ®
[PDF Paper]
The first step toward examining the question: What do students' motivational goals and self-concept have to do with academic achievement?

Katrina Barker, Martin Dowson and Dennis McInerney, University of Western Sydney

We propose that student achievement can be more fully explained by examining the dynamic interaction among students' goals and academic self-concept. To unify these two motivational perspectives, it is necessary to examine the psychometric properties of both students' goals as defined by the General Achievement Goal Orientation Scale (GAGOS) and students' academic self-concept as defined by the Academic Self Description Questionnaire (ASDQ) to determine whether these measures (items and scales) remain independent and stable when combined in the one instrument. Hence, we test the ability of a hypothesised first-order measurement model, comprising goal orientation and academic self-concept, drawn from the GAGOS (McInerney, 1997) and ASDQ (Marsh, 1992), to fit three waves of data collected from 1 001 high school students.

This paper will be presented as part of Symposium 26 JOH05370 Enhancing motivation, achievement and academic self-concept: Finding answers to the tough questions

Keywords: Motivation and Self-Concept

BAR05419   ®
[PDF Paper]
What type of school leadership satisfies teachers? A mixed method approach to teachers' perceptions of satisfaction

Alan Barnett, Herb Marsh and Rhonda Craven, University of Western Sydney

Transformational leadership theory predicts a greater than anticipated commitment from followers as a result of certain prescribed leadership behaviours. This occurs as a result of motivating and elevating followers commitment with a compelling vision of the future that can only be obtained with their help. Further, the theory claims, there is a strong correlation between transformational leadership and the degree of teacher satisfaction achieved. This paper reports on a mixed method approach to evaluating the influence of transformational and transactional leadership behaviours on teachers' perceptions of satisfaction with their leader. A quantitative survey was conducted in 52 secondary schools, involving 458 respondents across NSW, and a multilevel modelling analysis was used to explore the relation between principal's leadership styles and teachers' perception of satisfaction with leadership. Three schools were then selected based on the results of the multilevel analysis, and a qualitative study using a semi-structured interview technique employed to investigate those specific principal leadership behaviours that influenced teachers' perceptions of satisfaction with leadership. Several findings emerged, including the importance of individualised consideration behaviours in accounting for variations in teachers' perceptions of satisfaction with leadership scores, and the utility of specific behaviours such as "an open door policy".

This paper will be presented as part of Symposium 30 JOH05417 Making a real difference in educational settings: Findings from new intervention research

Keywords: Motivation and Self-Concept

BAT05131
[PDF Paper]
Educational administration and social justice

Richard Bates, Deakin University

This paper argues that social justice is central to the pursuit of education and therefore should also be central to the practice of educational administration. Social justice in education, as elsewhere, demands both distributive justice (which remedies undeserved inequalities) and recognitional justice (which treats cultural differences with understanding and respect). But, given that cultures are always in the process of change, education is a key agency for negotiating cultural change through the exploration and negotiation of difference. Educational administration as a field can no longer escape the consideration of such issues as they are brought to the fore by the recognition of the failure of schools and school systems to ameliorate injustice in the distribution of resources and to recognise and celebrate difference as a means to social and cultural progress. We still need a model of educational administration centered around the problem of the justice and fairness of social and educational arrangements. Given the renewed interest in such issues, perhaps what was impossible twenty five years ago might now be achieved.

Keywords: Educational leadership

BER05533
[PDF Paper]
Functional significance of feedback in learning

Rita Berry, Hong Kong Institute of Education

This paper reports on, and presents the findings from, an investigation into feedback as a means of formative assessment. Feedback is important to learning because it gives us information about the results or consequences of what teachers do and what learners have achieved or have not achieved. It is as crucial in teaching and learning as in any other activity, forming part of the cycle of teaching and learning. However, general feedback such as 'Good work!' 'Effort shown!', or drawing a smiling face, though holding the acknowledgement effect, is not informative enough to help students advance their learning. This poses a question "What sort of feedback has functional significance in learning?"

The investigation collected data from school teachers through three different phases, namely, questionnaire survey, teacher interviews, and lesson observation. The first phase asked approximately one thousand school teachers to give their views on feedback in a questionnaire survey. Data analysis showed that four particular aspects about feedback were regarded as more significant than others. The second phase and the third phases, which involved a further 94 teachers and 27 teachers respectively, revealed that feedback could take many forms and the quality of feedback could vary tremendously.

Keywords: Assessment and measurement

BOA05639   ®
[PDF Paper]
Positive educational gains in kindergarten for full-day attendees

Margot Boardman, University of Tasmania

Nationally and internationally, there has been a heightened interest regarding the quality of educational provisions for young learners within kindergarten settings. To this end, in 2004 a study was undertaken to investigate the educational advantages for kindergarten children, associated with different attendance modes within Tasmanian schools. The multi-method study sourced quantitative data from results obtained from the PIPS (Performance Indicators of Primary Schools) testing procedure, mandated by the Tasmanian Department of Education for all children at the commencement of their year in Prep, the year after kindergarten. Prep teachers from thirty eight (38) Tasmanian state schools, both primary and district high, provided data, in response to a postal survey. Test scores, in the areas of early literacy and numeracy, were received for 884 Prep children. Results showed there were clear academic advantages for children, when commencing Prep, associated with attending full-day sessions of kindergarten the previous year. When the children's PIPS scores were analysed according to the mode of kindergarten attendance undertaken, full-day students' results were statistically significantly better in maths (p=.007), in reading (p=.045) and in their overall total scores, (when maths, reading and phonics scores were combined; p=.038), when compared to half-day attendees.

Keywords: Curriculum and specific curriculum areas - Literacy; Early childhood education

BOD05314   ®
[PDF Paper]
Construct validation of the Self-Description Questionnaire II (Short Version) for Indigenous Australian Secondary School Students

Gawaian Bodkin-Andrews, Rhonda Craven and Herb Marsh,University of Western Sydney

In adherence to recent calls for the development of culturally relevant and applicable quantitative instruments for research into the educational disadvantages suffered by Indigenous Australian students, this investigation will report on the validation of the Self-Description Questionnaire II (short version) (SDQII-S) as reformulated by Marsh, Ellis, Heubeck, Parada & Richards (2005) and a researcher-devised art self-concept scale. Drawing from data obtained from the Craven, Tucker, et al. (in press) study, reliability and confirmatory factor analysis will be used to assess the psychometric properties of the 11-facets of self-concept measured by the SDQII-S and the researcher-devised art self-concept scale for Indigenous students (N=530) in comparison to their non-Indigenous peers (N=1155) drawn from 3 Australian States. The results demonstrate that the SDQII-S is a psychometrically sound and robust measure of Indigenous students' self-concepts.

This paper will be presented as part of Symposium 21 JOH05311 New advances in Indigenous education self-concept research: Driving reform

Keywords: Motivation and Self-Concept

BOD05319   ®
[PDF Paper]
The re-assessment of the Australian Perceived Discrimination Scale: Confirmatory factor analysis testing and between scale comparisons

Gawaian Bodkin-Andrews, Rhonda Craven, Herb Martin and Herb Marsh, University of Western Sydney

With the recent formulation of a three factor Australian Perceived Discrimination Scale (APDS) by Bodkin-Andrews, Craven & Marsh (2004) revealing an unacceptably high correlation between individual and institutional discrimination factors, this paper will present a rationale for a new two factor understanding of perceived discrimination. Secondly a re-analysis of the APDS will be undertaken as a two factor scale measuring perceived discrimination at the individual (e.g. name calling) and macro (e.g. wider social attitudes) levels. Thirdly, by including the Personal/Group Discrimination Scale (PGDS) by Operario and Fiske (2001), an opportunity will be provided to examine the ADPS with another previously utilized discrimination measure. Finally the relation of perceived discrimination to multiple motivational constructs and academic resiliency, as captured by Martin's (2004) Student Motivation and Engagement Scale (SMES) will be undertaken. It is hoped that the re-development of this scale will provide a robust measure for future perceived discrimination research within the Australian educational setting.

BON05361
[PDF Paper]
Silk purses from sows' ears? Making measures from teacher judgements

Trevor Bond, Hong Kong Institute of Education and Martin Caust, James Cook University

The prospect of increased mandated achievement testing in Australian schools has the potential to relegate into insignificance the professional judgements of classroom teachers. This paper reports the first steps of a two-stage project to foreground teachers' judgements in the assessment process. Firstly, we investigate the extent to which teachers' assessments of their students satisfy the strict measurement requirements of the Rasch model. Secondly, we attempt to integrate the ability estimates derived from teacher judgements into the more typical quantitative results derived from standardized testing. Two data sets (from 1997 and 1998) record teacher assessments of the development of approximately 10,000 primary school students for each calendar year using the Australian National Profiles (reported by Rothman, AARE 1998). As a separate unrelated event all students in Years 3 and 5 were also assessed using a Literacy scale using the NSW Basic Skills test. With the recent approval and support of the SA school system, the 'intersect' of the two sets has been matched at Years 3 and 5, in English in 1997 and Mathematics in 1998. (1000 teacher assessments at each Year level matched with 12,000 test assessments). Files of approximately 700 students with both assessments have been created for the 4 data sets to explore (a) the development of a measurement scale of teacher assessments and (b) how well the two approaches to assessment of students match. Measurement error in the test is more readily and accurately estimated than for teacher judgements. Teachers vary considerably in their observational skills, their understanding of learning, their comfort with the ambiguous profile scales, their personal specific knowledge of the randomly selected students and their confidence that they can use criteria described scales. A few teachers' assessments correlate well with the test, some differ widely. The paper then speculates on how to improve the skill of teachers in using the latent scales established in test analysis as a support to measurement of growth in the classroom and more generally how to use criteria scales in formative assessment.

Keywords: Assessment and measurement

BOO05099
[PDF Paper]
Teachers' misconceptions of biological science concepts as revealed in science examination papers

Hong Kwen Boo, Nanyang Technological University

Assessment is an integral and vital part of teaching and learning, providing feedback on progress through the assessment period to both learners and teachers. However, if test items are flawed because of misconceptions held by the question setter, then such test items are invalid as assessment tools. Moreover, such flawed items are also likely to perpetuate the misconceptions among pupils. Research has shown that misconceptions among pupils are resistant to change, and that they persist even with formal science instruction. This paper highlights teachers' (or question setters') misconceptions concerning some key biological science concepts in the areas of plant and animal morphology, function and genetics. It is based on a scrutiny of numerous sets of primary science examination papers in Singapore Schools (first and second semestral assessment science papers, ie SA1 and SA2) in three different contexts:

1. vetting school examination papers with a view to helping schools improve the quality of their examination questions;
2. conducting school-based workshops on how to craft better examination questions;
3. conducting National Institute of Education in-service courses for primary school teachers.

Suggestions for addressing the problems highlighted are also discussed

Keywords: Curriculum and specific curriculum areas - sciences

BOO05235
[PDF Paper]
Using two tier reflective multiple choice questions to cater to creative thinking

Hong Kwen Boo, Nanyang Technological University and Kok Cheng Ang, CHIJ St Nicholas Girls' School

This paper reports on the results and implications of an exploratory study which arises from concerns that, whilst there have been many changes in the Singapore school curriculum over the past decade or more with teaching strategies specifically developed to encourage pupils to think more creatively and deeply both within and across subject domains, assessment methods and techniques have not always moved forward to address the new thinking skills that pupils have. A specific concern has been with the predominant use of traditional MCQs and, in particular, test items that might create a mis-match of perspectives between the question-setter and the test-taker. In such items, the creative test taker has no avenue to explain his/her reason for choosing a particular option as his/her choice of the answer key. The study involves the use of a modified test instrument (a "reflective" or "two-tier" MCQ) which comprises items from the traditional MCQ with an added second tier which is essentially an open-ended segment which requires pupils to explain the thinking behind their choice of the answer key. The study sample comprises two primary level classes, primary four and six.

Keywords: Curriculum and specific curriculum areas - Sciences

BOO05300   ®
[PDF Paper]
At risk adolescents: Their perception of parenting styles

Helen Boon, James Cook University

Much attention has been devoted to factors associated with academic underachievement. Student underachievement predicts dropping out of school and underachieving adolescents are at risk of a host of negative life outcomes.

This paper reports on a study conducted to explore at risk students' perceptions of their parenting and the relations those perceptions have with other factors connected with academic achievement.

Three urban state high schools in North Queensland, involving 1127 Year 8-10 students, participated in the study. The students completed a survey exploring their perceptions of: a) their parenting, b) their motivational goals, c) their coping strategies, d) their expectancy orientation and e) the quality of their school life. Sociodemographic variables and mid-semester English and math grades were also obtained through the survey.

Statistical analyses showed significant differences between typical and at risk students' coping strategies, motivational goals, expectancy orientation, perceptions of parenting and the quality of school life. However, the differences between student perceptions were more strongly linked to their perceived parenting style than to their classification as either at risk or typical student.

Keywords: Assessment and Measurement

BOW05286
[PDF Paper]
Teachers as professionals in the regulatory environment: Experiences in early childhood services

Kathryn Bown and Jennifer Sumsion, Macquarie University

In NSW, children's services must comply with the Children's Services Regulation 2004, in order to be granted an operating license. The Regulation ensures that minimum standards are present in children's services for the protection and safety of children. Yet anecdotal reports from practitioners in the field suggest that the Regulation is too directive in some areas, such as expectations for program content, while remaining too lax in other areas, such as supporting poor staff to child ratios. This paper will report findings from a small qualitative study that investigated early childhood teachers' perceptions of how the Regulation has impacted on their professional lives, integrity and decision-making, through in-depth interviews and photographic inquiry, informed by the work of Knowles and Thomas (2000), who draw on artist Marlene Creates' informational panels. The paper will present how the participants explained and represented their sense of 'place' as early childhood teacher professionals in the regulatory environment of children's services.

This paper will be presented as part of Symposium 19 SUM05284 Regulation and accountability in early childhood education

BOW05432    ®
[PDF Paper]
The getting of wisdom: Learning through others

Helen Bowers, Macquarie University

The students studying the subject Internal Control Procedures at New South Wales TAFE are doing so as part of the Accounting Advanced Diploma. It is a core unit in that program but is rated as a category D, meaning it is delivered and assessed by the teacher in the classroom. One of the challenges in teaching is the interpretation of the curriculum document and the use made of resources and teachers' guides. This paper is just the first section of a chapter in a doctoral research project that introduces four of the major categories that have emerged from the phenomenographic analysis of the different experiences of both teachers in teaching and students in learning. The overview begins with the first three categories; 'learning in the classroom'; 'trying to establish competence' and 'motivating and learning' which are logically related to one another, and represent the actions taken by teachers as they strive to teach this curriculum. The fourth category 'tuning to the same wavelength' in essence overlays the first three and represents the reality of teachers undertaking the often difficult task of tuning in to, or teaching on, the same level as their students. The experiences presented came from in-depth interviews with 11 teachers of this subject and portray the phenomena they experienced, perceived, apprehended, understood or conceptualised in their teaching and learning.

Keywords: Vocational Education and Training

BRA05251
[PDF Paper]
Does sun-safety make a Health program or a Health Promoting School?: A case study of climate, culture and barriers to best practice

Rosalind Brady, Judy Miller and Rafat Hussain, University of New England

The study of climate and culture of a school may reveal the relevant barriers to effective health education, health programs and implementation of the health promoting schools model. When a school adopts and includes specific aspects of the health education syllabus, or policies such as sun protection, does this message translate to the school being a Health Promoting one? To investigate these issues a small school, located in a higher socio-economic area of a rural city is the focus of this study. The school is viewed in terms of its climate of collegiality and support, in a context of a culture of high accountability from State Wide Testing in NSW. Pressures on the school community to prioritise time to a few of the six key learning areas may affect the teaching of the PDHPE curriculum, and compromise the focus on an holistic approach to health. Within the climate and culture, both external and internal factors lead to a school engaged in being Reactive rather than Proactive, for health related issues.

Keywords: Health and Physical Education

BRE05587
[PDF Paper]
Generations of social justice in Australian schools?

Marie Brennan, University of South Australia

Issues of equity and social justice continue to emerge as part of struggles over schooling, curriculum and pedagogy in Australia and elsewhere. This paper focuses on two strands: theoretical resources for understanding and furthering social justice agendas in poor communities, and different generations of South Australian teachers' views of 'teaching for social justice'. Drawing from extended teacher biography work as part of the ARC-funded Redesigning Pedagogies in the North project, this paper links broader educational events such as the 1973 Karmel report and major curriculum and policy shifts in state education, with teachers' own perspectives and critical incidents in their professional lives, enabling an analysis of both the theoretical resources drawn upon over thirty five years and the practical approaches by different generations of teachers over that period of time. The paper will further explore those theoretical resources which underpin different approaches to Equity-in-action and the ways in which teachers theorise their own approaches to school, community and classroom work. The paper will conclude with a critical examination of the ways in which contemporary theoretical, political and cultural resources are drawn upon by teachers and state policy efforts in redress of educational disadvantage in South Australia schooling.

This paper will be presented as part of Symposium 46 HAT05583 The pedagogical challenge: Rethinking relevance in the interests of social justice

Keywords: New Pedagogies

BRI05442   ®
[PDF Paper]
Values, interests and environmental preferences in the school context

Stephanie Brickman, University of Texas Pan American, Raymond Miller, University of Oklahoma and Dennis McInerney, University of Western Sydney

There is a burning desire to understand what shapes a students' pursuit of an education. There has been virtually no research on the values students hold that guide behavior. Miller and Brickman's (2004) theoretical model hypothesizes that a student's values develop in the sociocultural context of home and school. It is in the context of school that values are transformed into interests and goals to satisfy underlying needs (e.g., need of achievement). In this study we investigated how basic core values of students were related to the interests they reported and types of environments students preferred. Data was collected at a rural regional university in the U. S. 392 freshman students were administered the Profile Values Questionnaire (Schwartz, 1992) and the Holland Interest Inventory (Holland, 1996). These measures have strong validity evidence, plus the reliabilities for both of these measures were similar to those reported in previous studies. The mean rating of students' values and ranking was very similar to rankings found by Shalom Schwartz's (2001) studies. The correlations between values and interests indicated theoretically expected relationships between values and interests, and the types of environments, either, social or non-social, in which students likely prefer to complete their school tasks.

This paper will be presented as part of Symposium 32 JOH05440 New frontiers in self research: Implications for schooling

Keywords: Motivation and Self-Concept

BRO05411   ®
[PDF Paper]
The mediation of collaborative pedagogical activity: What happens when the teacher isn't there?

Raymond Brown, Elizabeth Hirst and Peter Renshaw, Griffith University

Pedagogies designed to enable collaborative learning, position students on a more equal footing with each other in a manner that facilitates the evaluation of the worth of competing ideas and the co-construction of understanding. However, teachers are often reluctant to implement these collaborative ways of knowing and doing in the classroom as they are deemed to be ineffective when the teacher is unable to participate in and/or supervise the group level process. This paper examines the interactions of four Year 7 students as they go about solving a novel problem-solving task, unrelated to the current work of the classroom, away from the direct supervision of the classroom teacher. Student interactions are analysed in terms of the 'speaking' positions that students take up within the group, the mediational means that they employ, and the quality of the product of their collaboration. Conclusions are drawn about the generalised benefits to student learning of sustained engagement in classroom collaborative learning.

Keywords: Learning and Teaching

BRO05422   ®
[PDF Paper]
The instructional features of an effective and practical intervention for significant improvements in reading comprehension

Gail Brown, Herb Marsh, Rhonda Craven and Mary Cassar, University of Western Sydney

This presentation outlines the instructional features of an effective instructional program in question-answering that has empirical support for statistically significant improvement in reading comprehension. The presentation overviews the features of effective instruction in terms of both lesson presentation and lesson content. Comparisons are made between the question-answering intervention and other programs used in classrooms and commercially available reading programs. The use of these instructional features increases the likelihood of successful learning by all students, including some students with special needs, within regular classrooms. More importantly, this instructional design increases the likelihood of errorless learning by many students. The potential effects of errorless learning on students' attitudes to learning and confidence are outlined. The presentation includes a workshop involving participants in experiencing the difference between effective and ineffective instruction. The application of this instructional design will be extended to a numeracy program and a range of syllabus areas.

This paper will be presented as part of Symposium 30 JOH05417 Making a real difference in educational settings: Findings from new intervention research

Keywords: Motivation and Self-Concept

BRO05424   ®
[PDF Paper]
Improving standardized reading comprehension: The role of question-answering

Gail Brown, Herb Marsh, Rhonda Craven and Mary Cassar, University of Western Sydney

This presentation provides empirical evidence that effective instruction in question-answering leads to statistically significant improvements in reading comprehension, when compared to regular classroom reading instruction. The presentation reports both the features of intervention materials and the differences in reading instruction between a treatment and control group that contributed to differences in posttest treatment group performance. The study involved a quasi-experimental, pretest-posttest design that targeted students enrolled in regular Year 5 classrooms across three schools. There were no statistically significant pretest differences between the treatment groups. Classroom teachers implemented the intervention with their classes over a ten week period. Comparisons were made between students who completed their regular classroom reading program and students who completed the intervention. Statistical analyses used multilevel modelling to ensure that adjustments were made for potential differences at the treatment group level and at the class level. Posttest comparisons on both a standardised reading comprehension measure and researcher-devised question-answering measures significantly favoured the intervention group. This presentation outlines the theoretical foundation and methodology for effective classroom instruction in question-answering. The potential future applications of this instructional technology to a range of complex cognitive skills are discussed.

This paper will be presented as part of Symposium 30 JOH05417 Making a real difference in educational settings: Findings from new intervention research

Keywords: Motivation and Self-Concept

C

CAI05518
[PDF Paper]
The Actuality Model of Engagement: A model derived from engaged students

Leonard Cairns and Michael Dyson, Monash University

This paper offers a model for the better understanding and potential generation of student engagement in school situations. The model was originally derived from research with a number of cohorts of year nine students who were observed as maximally engaged with their laptop computer usage and related school projects in a special leadership educational setting in the Victorian Alps.

The authors derived the original model based from student interview data and observations and suggested its strength lay in its derivation from the "other side of the engagement issue" as a way of reconceptualising student engagement, rather than the traditional approach of observing dis-engagement and attempting to find solutions to this perceived "problem".

Recent additional applications and trials of the model in pre-service teacher education courses, have led to additions and this paper suggests that whilst the model is readily applicable in ICT situations, it may have some general application to teaching and learning in all classrooms.

The model is presented as a work in progress which promises a possible basis for additional applied research in broader classroom applications.

Keywords: Learning and Teaching

CAM05609   ®
[PDF Paper]
Mixed-mode learning for students of school counselling

Marilyn Campbell, Denise Frost and Joanna Logan, Queensland University of Technology

In a core unit in the Queensland University of Technology's Education Masters degree, teachers training to become school counsellors are required to learn to assess children with learning and/or behavioural problems. Students enrol in the semester long unit in "block" mode, whereby face to face contact in the unit is limited to one block session of five days. After this period, they become distance learners, assessed by assignments due later in semester. This format poses pedagogical challenges. Deep learning, a desired student learning outcome, did not appear to be occurring. Furthermore, students felt isolated, in that they had lost the collegial support of the community of learners which they had formed during the intensive teaching block period. The goals therefore of this educational intervention, were to engage students in deep learning throughout the whole of the semester and to extend the collaboration and camaraderie of the intensive teaching mode. To overcome these challenges it was necessary to design an authentic assessment task that would enhance the students' learning as well as provide opportunities for collaboration. This was accomplished by conducting assessment on-line with an authentic, collaborative task using videos, discussion lists and chat rooms. A pre-post evaluative design was utilised.

This paper will be presented as part of Symposium 48 SIN05607 Pedagogic encounters in the Information Age

Keywords: New Pedagogies; Educational Change and Innovation; ICT; Learning and Teaching; Teacher Education - General

CAR05025   ®
[PDF Paper]
Teaching Mathematics in primary schools: Different type of teachers

Jean Carroll, Victoria University

Recent research into teacher effectiveness has identified marked differences in the effects different teachers can have on their students' achievement in mathematics. This paper investigates the relationship between primary school teachers' affective and cognitive factors with respect to their mathematics teaching and learning and examines the differences between teachers. Quantitative data was collected from 100 primary school teachers in Melbourne and qualitative data in the form of mathematical life histories was collected from five of these teachers in follow-up case studies. The larger scale quantitative data was used to develop a profile of eight different types of teachers, taking into account their cognitive and affective characteristics. The life histories were used to provide rich information about some of the teacher types.

Keywords: Teacher Education

CAS05485   ®
[PDF Paper]
Shifting space and cultural place: Southern Sudanese young people in Western Sydney high schools

Elizabeth Cassity and Greg Gow, University of Western Sydney

How are recently arrived refugee young people from Southern Sudan faring in Australian high schools? This paper documents a research project undertaken with 60 young people across three schools in the Western Sydney suburbs of Blacktown and Bankstown. We discuss the roles of schools as sites where Southern Sudanese young people experience and relate to the upheaval of forced migration and make transitions toward citizenship and belonging in multicultural Australia. Specifically, this paper will address how educational settings are responding to the needs of students, teachers, and communities.

Africa is currently the focus of Australia's refugee program and is likely to remain so in the years ahead. The growing numbers of African young people arriving in Australia impacts Sydney, Melbourne and various regional centres. While schools and youth specialists have successfully worked with refugee young people, the new African students present a range of unfamiliar cultural, linguistic and historical backgrounds.

The Southern Sudanese young people in our study call attention to the need for integrated approaches and constructive solutions toward settlement which focus not only upon experiences in educational settings, but also consider the longer term participation of refugee young people in their new society.

Keywords: Cultural Research

CAV05043   ®
[PDF Paper]
Enhancing teachers' knowledge of students' thinking: The case of graphics calculator graphs

Michael Cavanagh, Macquarie University

Graphics calculators are widely available in Australian schools, particularly as a tool for drawing and interpreting graphs in mathematics instruction. There is much research on pedagogical practices associated with graphics calculators, but relatively little on the design of professional development programs on the use of graphics calculators. What calculator knowledge do teachers need? And would informing teachers about how students interpret the graphics calculator display lead to better student outcomes?

This paper reports on a graphics calculator in-service program based on the principles of Cognitively Guided Instruction (CGI). A series of clinical interviews identified student misconceptions associated with interpreting straight-line graphs and parabolas on a graphics calculator. Interview results were reported to teachers during a two-day workshop. Teachers were subsequently observed using graphics calculators in the classroom and students from these classes were interviewed using the original protocols.

Results show that the CGI intervention was largely successful. Teachers reported greater confidence in using the technology in the classroom and dealt with a wide variety of examples that confronted student misconceptions. Students from the observed classes performed significantly better than the control group on tasks that required them to interpret graphical images on the graphics calculator screen.

Keywords: Curriculum and specific curriculum areas - Mathematics

CAV05080   ®
[PDF Paper]
Parent views of involvement in their child's education: A Rasch model analysis

Robert Cavanagh and Joseph Romanoski, Curtin University of Technology

The theoretical basis for the study was the assumption that parental involvement in a child's education is an important aspect of school culture and that school renewal efforts intended to change the prevailing culture need to take into account the role of parents. Data (N=1,672) from administration of a 40-item rating scale instrument designed to elicit parent views of their involvement in their child's education were analysed using the Rasch model. The analyses were used to test the construct validity of an hypothesised model of parental involvement and the capacity of the instrument to measure the hypothesised components. The components were: Child's view of the importance of schooling, desire to learn, and achievement and engagement; the school's focus on children, learning and on education generally; and provision of information from teachers, teachers' commitment to working with parents, and parent confidence in communicating with the teacher.

The instrument was shown to be eliciting data that did not fit the original theoretical model and in cognisance of the need for content validity and accurate measurement, the instrument was refined.

Data from the refined instrument were then analysed to produce measures of different aspects of parental involvement as perceived by the parent respondents.

This paper will be presented as part of Symposium 3 CAV05076 School renewal: Issues concerning teacher professional development, dialogical leadership, pedagogical leadership, and parental involvement

Keywords: School Renewal and Pedagogic Improvement

CAV05081   ®
[PDF Paper]
An illustrative example of the benefits of using a Rasch analysis in an experimental design investigation

Robert Cavanagh, David Kent and Joseph Romanoski, Curtin University of Technology

The study compared the consequences of choosing to use either parametric or probabilistic data analyses in an experimental investigation. The empirical research from which the data for these analyses was drawn applied computer assisted language learning (CALL) as the treatment in a one-group pretest-posttest design. The empirical investigation concerned the effect of CALL on Korean university students' ability to correctly identify the meaning of loanwords - native vernacular that originated in non-native languages and is now part of the native vernacular. The empirical investigation is explained and the design of experimental research and analysis of experimental research data are discussed. Stochastic and deterministic measurement models are then examined followed by the application of these models to analyse data from the empirical investigation. Data analyses included a paired sample t-test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and a Rasch Unidimensional Measurement Model (RUMM) analysis of differential item functioning (DIF). The analyses and their respective results are assayed in terms of capacity to inform hypothesis confirmation. Parametric tests using non-interval data (raw test scores) were shown to be less sensitive than the RUMM DIF analysis of Rasch Model transformed scores when estimating the differences between the pretest and posttest data.

Keywords: Assessment and Measurement

CAV05748   ®
[PDF Paper]
Measuring student perceptions of classroom assessment

Robert Cavanagh, Joseph Romanoski and Darrel Fisher, Curtin University of Technology, Bruce Waldrip, University of Southern Queensland and Jeffrey Dorman, Australian Catholic University

The investigation developed and applied an instrument to measure student perceptions of the assessment procedures applied to gauge their classroom learning. The rationale for the research centred on the paucity of research into students' involvement in decisions about assessment in light of the importance often assigned to teacher initiated and executed assessment of students' learning.

The study aimed to develop an interval-level scale to measure six aspects of student perceptions of classroom assessment: congruence with planned learning; diverse methods; authenticity; student consultation; transparency; and accommodation of student diversity.

Following item writing and piloting, data were obtained from 320 students responding to 30 items on a four point response scale (almost always, often, sometimes and almost never). The Rasch rating scale model was then applied to examine the fit of the data to the measurement model for the items. This revealed good data to model fit for the majority of the items when data were assigned to a three point response scale (collapsing of almost always and often categories).

The report describes the analytic techniques and results, how the instrument could be improved, and identifies common and uncommon student perceptions based on a post-hoc analysis.

Keywords: Assessment and Measurement

CHA05030
[PDF Paper]
In-service teachers' perceptions of teaching as a career - Motives and commitment in teaching

Kwok wai Chan, Hong Kong Institute of Education

A questionnaire survey was conducted with 106 in-service teacher education students of a university in Hong Kong to study their motives and commitment in teaching. Three motive factors were identified in their choice of teaching as a career, the most influential one is "intrinsic/altruistic motive", the next one is "extrinsic motive/job condition" and lastly "influence from others". Within the intrinsic/altruistic motive, around 80% to 95% teachers considered teaching is meaningful, they desired to teach the subjects they liked, they wished to help others and to work with children/teenagers. Four factors representing the areas or aspects of teaching which influenced the teachers' dedication and commitment were found, viz., "students' learning and school development", "demands on teaching and school practices", "teaching as a career choice", "teacher-pupils interaction and attitudes". Correlational analyses showed that intrinsic/altruistic motive was significantly related to the four commitment factors, suggesting that the motives held by the teachers in joining the teaching profession (in particular, intrinsic/altruistic motive) is influential upon teachers' commitment in teaching. Further analysis of the item responses highlights the elements affecting teachers' commitment in teaching involve school head, colleagues, students, parents and educational changes, which deserve the attention of the education authority to address with appropriate measures.

Keywords: Teacher Education - General

CHA05675   ®
[PDF Paper]
The application of the results of learning environments research to an innovative teacher-designed website

Vinesh Chandra, Mansfield State High School and Darrell Fisher, Curtin University of Technology

For more than 30 years, proven qualitative and quantitative research methods associated with learning environments research have yielded productive results for educators. A variety of learning environment instruments has been developed over the years to gather quantitative data. The Web-based Learning Environment Instrument (WEBLEI) (Chang & Fisher, 2003) was developed to evaluate online learning in higher education. In this research, a modified version of the WEBLEI was used for the first time to evaluate students' perceptions of their blended web-based learning environment in a high school setting. The feedback generated through the WEBLEI was used in the development of Getsmart - a teacher-designed website for students studying junior science and physics at a Queensland Secondary School. Qualitative data was also gathered through written surveys and emails. The research involved more than four hundred students over a two year period. This paper presents the perceptions of these students of their learning environment and how it influenced the development of the website. The paper also tracks the changes in the perceptions of a group of physics students during the course of the research.

Keywords: Educational Change and Innovation

CHE05303   ®
[PDF Paper]
Relationship dynamics and dimensions of support for figure skaters and significant others: Implications for schooling

Jacqueline Cheng, Herb Marsh, Martin Dowson and Andrew Martin, University of Western Sydney

Research pertaining to support given to figure skaters is sparse despite the gruelling and demanding nature of the sport in terms of performance, training, economic and familial pressures (Kestnbaum, 2003). This qualitative study explored perceptions of parents and coaches regarding the types of support they provide, and the perceptions of athletes (figure skaters) regarding the support they receive. A total of 10 figure skaters of international level, seven parents, and 10 coaches from ice centres across the United Kingdom participated. An interview schedule prompting athletes', parents' and coaches' responses about their perceptions of support was used. An important finding was the rate of attendance in school by elite skaters. Three out of the 10 interviewed had stopped attending school with 1 having no intention of returning. Conversations with other skaters revealed an additional 3 non-attendees in order to focus on their skating full-time. Furthermore, skaters who were in school were expected to take time off school during international and national competitions, receiving their homework assignments through "homework buddies". Coaches' and parents' opportunities to provide diverse information and advice to skaters appear to be valuable in developing self-determined and confident sport performers. However, discrepancies are apparent in the perceptions of parents and coaches as to the type of support and involvement they provide.

This paper will be presented as part of Symposium 20 JOH05305 Advances in physical self-concept research: Improving well-being, health, and performance

Keywords: Motivation and Self-Concept

CHE05309   ®
[PDF Paper]
Exploring the effect of relationship dynamics and dimensions of support on gymnasts' and figure skaters' self-concept, education and psychological resilience: A research proposal

Jacqueline Cheng, Herbert Marsh, Martin Dowson and Andrew Martin, University of Western Sydney

Gymnastics and figure skating are two sports which feature a predominantly young, female population (Ryan, 1990). This proposal will consider the question of how relationships between the athlete with their significant others affect the elite athlete's self-concept and psychological resilience as young female athletes are particularly vulnerable in a sport where body-image is important as part of their presentation. Self-concept, at the elite level, has been found to be unique when compared to the general population (Marsh, Perry & Roche, 1995). This is especially apparent in young athletes where support from their parents, coaches and other significant figures is extremely important. Previous literature has shown that it is one of the key components to their success and contributor to their enjoyment of the sport (Vanden Auweele, & Wylleman, 1993). However, support is not enough to guarantee these positive psychological outcomes. Psychological resilience, the ability to "bounce back" from stressful experiences quickly and effectively (Lazarus, 1993), has also been found to be a substantial contributor to recovery (Sheldon & Eccles, 2005). The question of how the athletes manage their time between education and their sport is also a pressing one as coaches demand increasing hours from their athletes when they advance through the ranks of the sport.

This paper will be presented as part of Symposium 20 JOH05305 Advances in physical self-concept research: Improving well-being, health, and performance.

Key Words: Motivation and Self-concept

CHO05348   ®
[PDF Paper]
Perfectionism, self-concept and self-evaluative emotions in Australian primary school students

Grace Choy and Valentina McInerney, University of Western Sydney

Perfectionism is defined as the striving for flawlessness (Flett & Hewitt, 2002), which has both adaptive and maladaptive components (Rice & Preusser, 2002). As the self-worth of perfectionists is contingent upon their performance (Burns, 1980) they constantly engage in self-evaluation and experience considerable variations in emotions (Tangney, 2002). To date most empirical studies on perfectionism have concentrated on the adult population (Frost, Marten, Lahart & Rosenblate, 1990), with little information available on children. This study examined the relationship of perfectionism, self-concept and self-evaluative emotions in Australian primary school students by using age-appropriate instruments. Over 200 students at Years 4, 5, and 6 completed the Child-Adolescent Perfectionism Scale (CAPS, Flett & Hewitt, 1990), the Adaptive/Maladaptive Perfectionism Scale (AMPS, Rice & Preusser, 2002), the Self-Description Questionnaire I (SDQ-I, Marsh, 1990), and the Test of Self-Conscious Affect for Children (TOSCA-C, Tangney, Wagner, Burggraf, Gramzow & Fletcher, 1990). It has been hypothesized that maladaptive perfectionism will be negatively correlated with students' academic, social and physical self-concept, and positively correlated with the self-evaluative emotions of shame and guilt. Preliminary results support these hypotheses. As developing children's self-worth and emotional well-being are important educational goals, the implications for teachers and school counsellors are discussed.

This paper will be presented as part of Symposium 25 JOH05346 New advances in self-concept research in educational settings: Making a real difference

Keywords: Motivation and Self-Concept

CLA05195
[PDF Paper]
From corridor to classroom: Lesson study, school improvement and IQEA

Paul Clarke, Improving the Quality of Education for All

This paper introduces the core principles of Improving the Quality of Education for All (IQEA) before drawing on the experience of one school engaged in the programme in England. This school has implemented a cross-school reflection and enquiry process (lesson study) to explore a number of fundamental questions:

1. How can we generate developments in teaching and learning?
2. How can schools be encouraged to lead from within?
3. What types of evidence move thinking and practice forward?
4. How can a collaborative focus on teaching and learning establish conditions for resource sharing?

The paper discusses the extent to which lesson study has contributed to the exploration of the above questions and how the insights gained from this methodology have fed into the improvement process. In conclusion, the paper argues that this school's involvement in IQEA has contributed to significant cultural and structural change within the school.

This paper will be presented as part of Symposium 2 CHA05062 Networking for educational improvement: International perspectives

Keywords: Educational Change and Innovation

CLA05507   ®
[PDF Paper]
Reconceptualising mentoring: A conceptual layered framework that supports and contributes to the professional learning of research colleagues

Maggie Clarke, University of Western Sydney

Previous research (Clarke, 2004) reported on the reconceptualisation of mentoring using a three layered model. The model provided a conceptual framework which viewed mentoring as developing through a series of overlapping layers. Within each layer of the model, characteristics and outcomes were identified which were indicative of each layer.

A key question identified as requiring further study in the previous research was how can managers in organizations assist in the development of mentoring relationships.

The identification of this question led to the mentoring model being implemented in the 'Green Wired Safe Australia' (GWS Aust.) Research Concentration at the University of Western Sydney in August 2004 and throughout 2005 as a way to assist in the development of mentoring relationships between the members. Not only was the model implemented in the concentration but the members of the concentration also became the research participants in the study. The model through its implementation in the concentration was able to be tested to confirm whether the 'layered' conceptualization of mentoring was in fact a true representation of how mentoring can develop.

This paper explains the process undertaken in the research concentration to develop understandings of mentoring and relates how an organizational structure at the University of Western Sydney assisted with the development of mentoring relationships. The discussion of the process reports on the strategies used to provide opportunities for mentoring relationships to occur with fellow research colleagues in the concentration as well as identify other opportunities which would further enhance and strengthen mentoring relationships between GWS Aust. researchers.

Keywords: Academic Professional Development

CLA05754
[PDF Paper]
Co-mentoring: A framework for enhancing research performance

Maggie Clarke, University of Western Sydney

How can organisations, in particular universities, develop the research capacity and leadership of its members? This paper will report on one specific research initiative which was undertaken at the University of Western Sydney to inform the 'Green Wired Safe' Australia research concentration. The theory and practice of co-mentoring is discussed as a framework for enhancing research performance in the concentration. Specifically, co-mentoring is discussed as a strategy that provides opportunities for individual and small group mentoring by building collaborative research networks and nurturing leadership density.

This paper will be presented as part of Symposium 60 CLA05752 The emerging Research Quality Framework and the re-generation of enhanced research performance .

Keywords: Research Quality Framework; Mentoring; Research Concentrations

COB05272   ®
[PDF Paper]
Young children enacting governance: Child's play?

Charlotte Cobb, Susan Danby and Ann Farrell, Queensland University of Technology

Schools, homes and communities are increasingly perceived as risky spaces for children. This concern is a driving force behind many forms of governance imposed upon Australian children by well-meaning adults. Children are more and more the subjects of both overt and covert regulation by teachers and other adults in school contexts. Are children, though, passive in this process of governance? It is this issue that is the focus of this paper. In order to respond to the question of how young children enact governance in their everyday lives, video-recorded episodes of naturally occurring interactions among children in a preparatory classroom were captured. These data were then transcribed and analysed using the methods of conversation analysis and membership categorisation analysis. This paper shows a number of strategies that the children used when enacting governance within their peer cultures in the classroom. These were: manipulating materials and places so as to regulate each other's actions in the interactive play space; developing or drawing on adult and child-formulated rules and social orders of the classroom in order to control and govern their peers' interactions; using verbal and non-verbal language to regulate the actions of those around them; and finally, creating membership categories to exclude or include others and thereby govern the behaviour of members in the area. This paper illustrates that children are not passive in enacting governance, but actively and competently enact governance through their peer cultures. These findings are significant for educators to consider, as they help to develop an understanding of the complex social orders that children are continually constructing in the early childhood classroom.

Key Words: Early Childhood Education

COC05503   ®
[PDF Paper]
Dangerous liaisons - home-business-school numeracy networks

Angela Coco, Southern Cross University, Merrilyn Goos, The University of Queensland and Alex Kostogriz, Monash University

Using data from an Australian study of home, school and community partnerships, we suggest that commercial tutoring agencies are a community resource which increasingly parents are choosing to supplement their children's numeracy education. Drawing on contemporary activity theory we argue that because home, school and salient community entities are overlapping spheres of influence in children's learning they can be conceived of as a network of activity systems that interact with each other in some significant ways. However, only when this mutual influence is recognised can we consider the network in terms of partnerships between home, school and community. We challenge the prevailing education ethos in Australia which marginalizes and ignores the growing proliferation of for-profit businesses. In a context where cultural diversity, changing demographics and democratic choice prevail, the value of for-profit agencies may lie in areas not well met by schools. Tutoring businesses are usually well-equipped, most using the latest information and communications technologies, and offer one-to-one, or small group attention to students thus improving confidence, a large factor in numeracy success. Parents typically report that they employ commercial services because their children have particular needs which they feel are not met adequately in classroom settings.

Keywords: Sociocultural and Activity Theory

COL05347   ®
[PDF Paper]
Reading achievement and reading self-concept in Year Three students

Nicole Rider, New South Wales Department of Education and Training and Susan Colmar, University of Sydney

A research study was completed using a sample of 80 Year three students attending schools in Western Sydney. The importance of the links between levels of reading success, measured as reading achievement, and reading self concept in Year Three students was confirmed with a strong relationship evident across all three aspects of reading achievement measured with the Neale Analysis (accuracy, comprehension and rate) (Neale, 1999), and the three components of reading self concept (difficulty, perceived competence and attitude) measured using Chapman and Tumner's Reading Self-Concept Scale (1999). The significance of these findings for educational contexts, in promoting motivation and confidence in learning to read, is explored.

This paper will be presented as part of Symposium 25 JOH05346 New advances in self-concept research in educational settings: Making a real difference

Keywords: Motivation and Self-Concept

COR05727
[PDF Paper]
We're practical people: Schooling and identity in a Canadian coastal community

Mike Corbett, Acadia University

Canadian coastal communities have a long history of capitalist underdevelopment mediated by powerful cultural traditions and place attachment. Today, these traditions are under siege as are the productive relations that sustained them. Using the work of Bauman, Giddens, and Bourdieu, I report on a three year study investigating the way youth identity is constructed and enacted in families in a coastal community in Atlantic Canada. I argue that the spatial and cultural dynamics of social class continue to shape orientations to education, work, outmigration, and the pragmatics of "getting ahead" managing risk, and becoming an adult. To accept the content of secondary schooling and university study, children in rural communities must do the difficult, potentially alienating and often dangerous identity work of developing an "impractical" self that embraces the abstractions and esoteric knowledges that serve as capital in university preparatory courses and in higher education. For most youth "born and bred" in the coastal community, formal education is imagined and valued in instrumental terms that support students in the process of acquiring known skills that are considered practical from the point of view of adults in the local context.

Keywords: Sociocultural and Activity Theory

COS05667
[PDF Paper]
Enhancing reporting of student performance data to increase school productivity

Ian Cosier, Queensland Studies Authority

This paper explores enhancements to the reporting function of the QSA to improve school system capacity and improve school productivity. A case study will explore an approach to build an effective partnership to provide improved reporting of performance data. The Alliance of Aboriginal Community Schools collectively agreed to share exemplar practice and build a professional learning community to enhance their schools as learning communities. This involved the Alliance schools sharing performance information and strategies to improve performance.

With increasing public pressure for greater disclosure of school performance information, the QSA has examined its data to identify patterns of performance. The QSA holds a rich resource of information about participation and performance in Queensland Schools. These data allow schools to develop a strong evidence base and to enhance their effectiveness and productivity.

This paper provides a case study of the collaboration between QSA and the Alliance of Indigenous schools. This research project involves the building of a professional learning community, where Year 3, 5 and 7 literacy and numeracy data and improvement strategies were shared to analyse exemplar practice and to transfer exemplar management and pedagogical practice between the schools.

Keywords: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education

CRA05044   ®
[PDF Paper]
Flight steward or co-pilot? An exploratory study of the roles of middle-level school leaders in the non-state sector

Neil Cranston, University of Queensland

The principalship in Australia and elsewhere has been the focus of considerable research in the past few decades. Less well researched have been those holding middle-level leadership and management positions in schools, such as deputy principals, heads of school and so on (Kaplan & Owings, 1999; NCSL, 2003). Recent work by Cranston, Tromans and Reugebrink (2004) suggested that those holding such middle-level leadership positions in schools, certainly in the state secondary sector, were struggling with what could be termed a reconceptualisation of their positions. One of the acknowledged limitations of this earlier study was that it was confined to state schools only, raising the question as to whether similar findings and struggles might be evident for those in non-state sectors of schooling in Australia. The research reported here is a first exploratory step in addressing this question as it reports data from middle-level school leaders in the non-state sector in Queensland and New South Wales. It suggests that many such leaders, like their counterparts in the state sector, are struggling with challenges to, and a reconceptualisation of, their roles. Of note, is that their potential leadership contribution to their schools is unrealised. Using an aircraft analogy, rather than working as co-pilots in their schools, they are actually working more like flight stewards. Recommendations for further research emerge from the findings.

Keywords: Educational Leadership

CRA05318   ®
[PDF Paper]
Turning points in Indigenous Education: New findings that can really make a difference and implications for the next generation of Indigenous Education research

Rhonda Craven, University of Western Sydney

Indigenous Australians have been recognised by all Australian governments as the most educationally disadvantaged Australians. As such, Australian education has failed to provide Indigenous Australians with commensurate educational outcomes as their non-Indigenous peers. In part this failure can be attributed to a dearth of quality Indigenous Education research. Recently three large-scale commissioned Department of Education, Science and Training studies have been undertaken (Craven, Tucker, Munns, Hinkley, Marsh, and Simpson, K.; in press; Craven, Halse, Marsh, Mooney, & Wilson-Miller, in press-a; in press-b). The findings of these studies offer some potentially powerful turning points for Indigenous Education. The first study critically analysed secondary Indigenous students' (N=517) self-concepts; aspirations; and perceptions of barriers to attain their aspirations in comparison to their non-Indigenous peers (N=1151) and important implications for reconceptualising educational strategies for Indigenous secondary students were identified. The remaining studies critically analysed the impact of undertaking an Aboriginal Studies teacher education course on pre-service and postgraduate primary teachers' abilities to teach Aboriginal Studies and Aboriginal students in comparison to control groups who had not undertaken such courses. Results demonstrate that Aboriginal Studies teacher education courses make a positive difference. These studies also have important implications for strengthening Indigenous Education research. The purpose of this paper is to present the: a) empirical results of these investigations; b) implications of the findings for Indigenous Education; and c) implications of this research for strengthening the next generation of Indigenous Education research.

This paper will be presented as part of Symposium 21 JOH05311 New advances in Indigenous education self-concept research: Driving reform

Keywords: Motivation and Self-Concept

CRA05335   ®
[PDF Paper]
What does it mean to be an Australian?: The perceptions of students, senior and prominent Australians

Rhonda Craven, University of Western Sydney and Nola Purdie, Australian Council for Educational Research

The question "What does it mean to be an Australian?" has significant implications for understanding factors contributing to social cohesion; explaining and promoting ourselves to others; imagining and shaping Australia's future; and shaping civics curriculum. The purpose of this study is to identify, and compare and contrast key components of Australian national and social identity of a sample of Australians (N = 486) comprised of primary (N=71); secondary (N=146), Technical and Further Education (TAFE) (N=59) and University (n=142) students, Senior Australians (n=21), and Prominent Australians (n= 47). Participants completed a written response to the question "What does it mean to be Australian?" Responses were analysed and coded by two coders using content analysis to identify key themes. Key themes identified were analysed separately for each category of participants and compared. Results indicated progressive and traditional notions of Australian national identity. Traditional themes include: Citizenship and Participation, Patriotism and Pride, Personal Attributes, Unique Aspects and lifestyle, Mateship, and the notion of a Fair Go for all. Progressive notions included themes such as Societal Characteristics, and Respect for Other Cultures suggesting that some aspects of national identity may be changing.

This paper will be presented as part of Symposium 23 JOH05327 New advances in cross-cultural research: Insights into motivation and achievement

Keywords: Motivation and Self-Concept

CRO05560   ®
[PDF Paper]
LOTE teachers' work: A socio-historic analysis of foreign language teacher practice

Russell Cross, Monash University

For sometime now, there has been a call to situate our study of foreign language teachers and their work in the sociocultural context that it occurs (Crookes, 1997). This paper draws on Vygotsky's sociocultural theory, with a particular focus on his socio-historic domain of genetic analysis, to examine the role of foreign language teachers in Australia. Beginning with an overview of Vygotsky's genetic domains to establish a framework, the paper then deals with how the activity of Japanese language teaching in Victoria has been shaped at the socio-historic level through policy. In addition to addressing the 'traditional' areas of language and language education, this paper also addresses reforms to the middle school that have had equally significant implications in defining the work of language teachers in Victorian high schools.

Keywords: Curriculum and specific curriculum areas - Language other than English

CUL05005
[PDF Paper]
Pupils' views of creativity and the curriculum

Cedric Cullingford, University of Huddersfield

Pupils are increasingly referred to as a useful source of research whose voices deserve listening to. The potential of not only listening but hearing what they say has not yet been fully realised. Given the right conditions, pupils are open and analytical, revealing and frank, and emerge with a very clear, and alternative, view of their experience of schooling.

Sometimes the views of children are eschewed because they undermine some of the cherished beliefs of researchers and, more to the point, the prevailing system of education. It is all very well to ask them about their views on the minor adjustments that could be made to the school day, to class size and teaching styles, but more attention could be paid to deeper issues, those which lie outside the set curriculum.

One example of a subject which interests children a great deal and on which they can give very useful insights is that of creativity. This, like Imagination, is a concept held dear and often defined by teachers. Creativity clearly stands for all that is good, the more so in what teachers perceive as the prevailing conditions of targets, skills and tests. But what do young people define as 'creative'? Is it rare, or a luxury? Are the conditions of school the best way to bring the concept to the fore? Can all children (or all teachers) be creative?

This research explores pupils' attitudes towards creativity from an early age, from the time when their experience is liable to be more significant than their definitions. The relationship of creativity to the prevailing curriculum is also explored. Issues of how we can glean information of this kind, from a wide sample including different ethnic and socio-economic groups, are also addressed, together with the question of how these views are analysed and made valid and reliable.

Keywords: Early Childhood

CUL05592   ®
[PDF Paper]
Troubling teacher talk: The challenge of changing classroom discourse patterns

Sarah Jane Culican, Deakin University

The middle years is a crucial stage of schooling where the gap in student achievement widens, and progress for some students slows significantly. Despite recent moves towards middle school reform and improved literacy standards, there remains a gap in literacy provision for young adolescent learners considered to be 'educationally disadvantaged' or 'at risk'. Many literacy intervention programs offered to underachieving adolescents fail to articulate to mainstream curriculum and assessment practices, or to scaffold students adequately in meeting the literacy demands of an increasingly abstract and specialised curriculum. Often underpinned by an individual deficit view of literacy failure, these programs lead to a differentiated curriculum which potentially compounds 'risk' and maintains stratified outcomes.

This paper is based on research into a literacy pedagogy which aims to scaffold students in accessing the literate discourses of schooling. Fundamental to this scaffolding approach, developed with Indigenous students, is rewriting traditional patterns of teacher-student interaction, or classroom pedagogic discourses, particularly those that take place around texts. In this paper, I explore issues surrounding the analysis of student and teacher talk, drawing on lesson transcripts and frameworks which allow particular attention to be paid to the challenges facing teachers in adopting new patterns of classroom talk.

Keywords: Literacy, Curriculum and specific curriculum areas

CUN05478   ®
[PDF Paper]
Challenges to student engagement and school effectiveness indicators

Everarda Cunningham, Wei Chun Wang and Nicole Bishop, Swinburne University of Technology

School systems are increasingly required to report on a range of pre-determined indicators designed to measure aspects of student engagement and school effectiveness. However the utility and validity of indicators that form part of the public accountability of schools is rarely questioned. In Victoria, Australia, student perceptions of school engagement (i.e., sense of connection to school, teachers and peers), motivation to learn, self-esteem, and student safety are part of a range of public accountability indicators. This study examined differences between two cohorts of Year 9 female students from socio-economically low (n1 = 99) and high (n2 = 97) resourced schools on a number of these accountability indicators. Contrary to expectations, no significant differences were found between low and high resourced schools on student engagement measures or measures of motivation to learn or self-esteem. The only significant finding was that females from the high-resourced school reported higher levels of student safety (i.e., fewer bullying behaviours) than females from the low-resourced school. The findings from this study raise questions about the suitability of these indicators as measures of student engagement and school effectiveness.

Keywords: Assessment and Measurement

D

DAK05775
[PDF Paper]
Teachers' ICT literacy in the contemporary primary classroom: Transposing the discourse

Eva Dakich, Victoria University

What should teachers know about teaching and learning with ICT? How can they effectively integrate ICT and their pedagogical practices in order to improve student learning and engagement?

This presentation provides insight into research findings of a survey study that validated a framework of ICT literacy for teaching and learning in the primary classroom. Developed by an international Delphi panel, the framework identifies four dimensions of teachers' ICT literacy: Operational Understanding and Application of ICT, ICT-Rich Pedagogies and Learning Environments, ICT for Professional Learning and Engagement, and The Social Ecology of Living and Learning with ICT.

Primary school teachers from a random sample of 350 Victorian state primary schools were invited to participate in the survey, and validate the findings of the Delphi process by rating the importance of each individual item introduced in the Framework of ICT Literacy for Primary School Teachers.

The presentation compares the findings emerging from the Delphi process and the survey study, and discusses similarities and differences of opinion between the expert group and a representative sample of the teacher community.

This paper will be presented as part of Symposium 65 SEN05771 Teacher learning in the ubiquitous ICT environment

Keywords: Information Communication Technology [ICT]

DAN05158   ®
[PDF Paper]
Creative dissent and constructive solutions: What contributions does Bakhtin make to our understanding of transnational education?

Patrick Danaher, Shirley O'Neill and Gillian Potter, University of Southern Queensland

Creative dissent takes many forms, including generative tensions arising from collaborations involved in dialogue and critical reflection on practice. From generative tensions arise constructive solutions that derive from, and build upon, multiple perspectives; they are expressed in socially constructive contexts that respect otherness and that strive to facilitate shared understandings.

The notion of dialogicality (Bakhtin, 1981, 1984, 1986) is pivotal to creative dissent and constructive solutions; it is fundamental to transformative education that has its aim as the mutual enrichment of learners, teachers and shared social contexts. Importantly, it takes Bourdieu's (1997) concept of cultural capital to new heights; the knowledge, wisdom and lived experiences of the participants in dialogue are respected and valued in the co-construction of new ideas, solutions and understandings.

This paper argues that heteroglossia, dialogism and creative understanding are fundamental to transnational education. The writers articulate the ways in which key elements of these concepts manifest themselves in the educational experiences offered to students at the University of Southern Queensland, a university committed to transnational education. The paper illustrates the shift from rhetoric to lived reality for students and teachers in an increasingly globalised world. Transnational education epitomises constructive solutions that arise from creative dissent.

Keywords: Transnational education; Higher education; Mikhail Bakhtin

DAS05377   ®
[PDF Paper]
Personal investment theory and Japanese university students' achievement on the Test of English as a Foreign Language

Dexter Da Silva and Dennis McInerney, University of Western Sydney

Researchers and theorists in the area of Second Language Acquisition (e.g., Ellis, 1994; Gass & Selinker, 1994; Larsen-Freeman & Long, 1991; Spolsky, 1989) consider there to be a wide variety of factors that contribute to language proficiency and achievement. These include motivation, language aptitude, the learning environment, learning styles and strategies, age, and personality factors. This paper focuses on motivational and sense-of-self characteristics, and their contribution to achievement on an academic English test. Data were collected from 500 female, Japanese, first-year university students using the Inventory of University Motivation, based on Maehr's multiple goal model of Personal Investment (Maehr, 1984; Maehr & Braskamp, 1986). Results from multiple regression analyses showed that half of the components of the scales were effective in predicting academic English proficiency as measured by Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) scores. Three scales, Sense of competence at English, Competition in English, and Social Concern in English, had the highest predictive utility.

This paper will be presented as part of Symposium 26 JOH05370 Enhancing motivation, achievement and academic self-concept: Finding answers to the tough questions

Keywords: Motivation and Self-Concept

DAS05381   ®
[PDF Paper]
Are Japanese university students really unmotivated?

Dexter Da Silva and Dennis McInerney, University of Western Sydney

Within Japan, teachers, academics, parents and students themselves consider Japanese university students to lack motivation to study, compared to their counterparts in other countries. (Sugimoto, 1997; McVeigh, (2002). This paper addresses this issue by using the Inventory of University Motivation, an adaptation and translation of McInerney's Inventory of School Motivation (McInerney & Sinclair, 1991; McInerney, Roche, McInerney, & Marsh, 1997), based on Maehr's multiple goal model of Personal Investment (Maehr, 1984; Maehr & Braskamp, 1986), which seeks to understand students' perceptions of the relevance and promise of the situation. Data were collected from 500 female Japanese first-year university students, on their motivation towards study at university in general as well as specifically towards the study of English as a Foreign Language. The resulting motivational profile contains characteristics that both support and contradict the stereotypical belief about the lack of motivation of Japanese university students. They also highlight the importance that the study of English in particular may hold for young Japanese women in the construction of their identities and their future opportunities.

This paper will be presented as part of Symposium 26 JOH05370 Enhancing motivation, achievement and academic self-concept: Finding answers to the tough questions

Keywords: Motivation and Self-Concept

DAV05011
[PDF Paper]
Learning to empathise: Students learning to understand disability through drama and theatre; implications for teacher professional development

John Davies and John Lee, University of the West of England

The inclusion of all students in mainstream schools is the policy objective for school systems in the developed world. It is argued that students who are not disabled benefit by learning to understand the nature of disability and come to understand that disabled persons rights and that they are persons in the same way as others. (Thomas and Vaughan 2004). This paper reports an evaluation of a theatre in education project aimed at promoting understanding of autism. The methodology adopted focused on "individual and group experiences" (Kushner 2000).

The uniqueness of the paper lies in the data sets. Individual and group interviews were conducted with autistic students who advised and directed and acted mainstream students and their teachers who watched the performance and subsequently undertook related classroom base work. The research raises the question of whether it is possible to teach empathy by using affective methods such as drama and theatre in a context where the policy and practice agenda is dominated by the rationale and the cognitive. An argument is advance that it is as important to deal with the affective domain as the effective domain if students are to develop as social and emotional beings.

Keywords: Secondary Schooling

DAV05368   ®
[PDF Paper]
System Dynamics As A Mindtool For Environmental Education

Kate Davison CoCo Research Centre, University of Sydney
Peter Reimann CoCo Research Centre, University of Sydney

Concern for the environment is increasing but understanding and factual knowledge of environmental problems and systems are both low. The challenge is for school students to learn the skills needed to interpret the complex, dynamic environmental systems that even university graduates have trouble understanding. System dynamics is a modelling approach that is often used in environmental management and decision-making in order to cope with the underlying complexities. The problem is that, even though system dynamics models reduce complexity, they are still too demanding for direct use in environmental education. In the educational literature, multiple representations and learning by modelling are two techniques that have been suggested to aid in learning about complex systems. System dynamics models comprise multiple representation describing complex interactions. Studies on multiple representations have had mixed results, but under the right circumstances, may provide an effective way to teach a complex subject such as environmental education. Studies about learning by modelling have also had mixed results. While learning by modelling provides an authentic learning task for science students, the time involved in teaching students the process in addition to the domain knowledge is often lengthy. Suggestions for further research and for the design of future work in these areas of system dynamics modelling and environmental education are derived..

Keywords: Curriculum and specific curriculum areas - Environmental Education

DEC05408
[PDF Paper]
Starting school in Germany: The relationship between education and social justice discussed in comparison with the situation in Australia

Heike Deckert-Peaceman, Pädagogische Hochschule Ludwigsburg

There is an ongoing and increasing debate worldwide over the best time to start formal education and on how to deal with the transition from a play-based learning to the foundation stage of a formal curriculum. Crucial aspects being discussed are: readiness for school, curriculum concepts, institutional differences between early childhood education and school, and the cultural understanding of what it means to be a child. Modern societies vary in their answers to these questions. International studies (OECD and others) comparing students' performance conceptualize this theme mainly from the perspective of later success or failure in school. In the case of Germany, they indicate a strong nexus between social heritage, understood as cultural capital (Bourdieu), and school performance. The German system is considered the most unjust of all countries compared. The paper, which is based on a beginning empirical research project, will discuss the crucial role of this nexus in respect to starting school from a broader perspective by comparing the situation in Germany with the one in Australia.

Keywords: Early Childhood Education

DEH05013
[PDF Paper]
Internet as an education aid in teaching foreign languages

Yavar Dehghani, Australian Defence Forces School of Languages

The importance of the Internet in teaching foreign languages in today's language teaching settings becomes more and more. The role of this media becomes more important by helping the students to practice their listening skills as well as becoming familiar with the culture of the language community, where there is no immediate access to the target language community.

This paper aims to present the different uses of the Internet in teaching foreign language to the Adult English speakers. The usefulness of this modern education aid is shown in a case study of Adult English speakers in the Australian Defence Force School of Languages, where they learn Persian as a foreign language in an intensive 46 weeks course to become a proficient linguist in the language. These students are exposed to the internet on a daily basis to get help with listening, speaking, reading and writing as well as cultural orientation. How the Internet is used for each macro skill is explained in the paper in detail.

Keywords: New Pedagogies

DEN05203
[PDF Paper]
Job satisfaction and occupational stress in Catholic primary schools

John De Nobile, Macquarie University and John McCormick, University of New South Wales

The associations between job satisfaction and occupational stress have long been established. A considerable amount of literature has emerged in the context of schools and, in particular, teachers. However, the extent of the associations has not been investigated comprehensively in the context of Australian Catholic primary schools and non-teaching staff members have not received much attention in previous literature.

The relationships between job satisfaction and occupational stress were investigated as part of a larger study. The participants were the staff members of primary schools selected through stratified sampling. Three hundred and fifty six staff members from 52 primary schools of six Catholic school systems in New South Wales, Australia were involved in this study. Data were collected using a survey.

Factor analysis was used to identify the underlying data structures. Nine job satisfaction and four occupational stress factors were identified. Correlation and multiple regression analyses were utilised to investigate the hypothesised relationships. Moderate to strong correlations existed between most of the job satisfaction and occupational stress variables. However, multiple regressions revealed occupational stress to be the best predictor of only two job satisfaction variables. Occupational stress did, nevertheless explain considerable variance in other facets of job satisfaction.

The results hold implications for school systems and school administrators.

Keywords: Educational Leadership

DIN05528
[PDF Paper]
Principal leadership for outstanding schooling outcomes in junior secondary education

Steve Dinham, University of Wollongong

This paper explores the role of principals' leadership in producing outstanding education outcomes in Years 7-10 in New South Wales government schools. The study sites were of two types: subject departments or faculties responsible for teaching certain subjects, and teams or groupings responsible for cross-school programs.

In the case of both subject departments and teams responsible for cross-school programs, leadership was found to be a key factor in the achievement of outstanding educational outcomes. Often, this leadership was exercised by the Principal, but additional key personnel included Head Teachers (heads of faculties/departments), Deputy Principals, and teachers playing leading roles in faculties and programs. In many cases, the outcomes under study were found to be significantly attributable to the appointment of a key person, although the 'seeds for success' may have been present or nascent. In other cases, antecedents for current success were attributable to a series of leaders, or groups of people, influential over time, with success building to the current level.

Analysis of data has revealed certain attributes and practices of the Principals of these schools, which are explored in the paper, central to which is a focus on students and their learning.

This paper will be presented as part of Symposium 38 PEG05523 Excellence in junior secondary schooling: Final report from the AESOP (An Exceptional Schooling Outcomes) Project

Keywords: Secondary Schooling

DIX05035   ®
[PDF Paper]
Teaching and learning partnerships in higher education: Using students' feedback to inform developments in teaching

Shelleyann Scott, Kathryn Dixon and Robert Dixon, Curtin University of Technology

University administrators are becoming aware of the importance of increasing the quality of teaching and learning across their study programs. Measuring and supporting quality teaching and learning is frequently liked with accountability to internal and external stakeholders. The increasing pressures on Australian universities to be more strategic with a view to enhancing market share in a competitive educational industry has put pressure on all key players in the process to investigate ways in which the quality of learning can be improved. The partners in learning within this research involve the students, lecturers, and the organisation. This research investigates the 'student feedback' data (UEQ) in a Business Division in an Australian University. Student feedback data indicates that the business school academics must engage with teaching and learning issues such as workload, increasing the quality of teaching and assessments, and clarifying expectations. The study identifies a number of key initiatives which serve as a model for facilitating a constructive response to the current political and economic pressures within the context of higher education in Australia.

Keywords: Learning and Teaching

DIX05036   ®
[PDF Paper]
Enhancing professional development in higher education: A student-focussed model aimed at improving organisational learning

Kathryn Dixon, Robert Dixon and Shelleyann Scott, Curtin University of Technology

This research proposes a "Partners in Learning" approach to improving the quality of learning and teaching in an Australian University. This partnership is three-way and encompasses the student, the lecturer and the organisation. The main theme of this paper is the exploration of the students' perspectives on what supports their learning and their suggestions for continuing improvements in unit design, materials and assessment practices in higher education. The student-focused model which is the focus of this paper encompasses systematic, in-context professional development, articulation into teaching qualifications; the sourcing of significant funding to facilitate curriculum review; and the integration and assessment of professional skills. Focus group data have been collected and analysed in order to investigate the initial impact of the model from the students' perspective. Two opposing ideological perspectives have emerged - firstly that Universities as highly commercialised enterprises are supposed to be delivering quality learning outcomes, a