AARE 1998 ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS

Compiler and Editor: Peter L. Jeffery.

Tap [Ctrl][F], or use your browser's EDIT, FIND IN PAGE feature to search for any word in an abstract. Then use the link to load the paper.

Some of the documents received by AARE Office on disk or by email, did not process into HTML correctly and hence cannot be included in the 1998 Collection until re-submitted. In some cases documents were received in a corrupt form, or in a little supported format. If you find a paper that does not have full content, or errors, please e-mail the author of that paper. Most presenters have included their e-mail addresses in the paper, and some are 'hot linked' to the internet, but in the cases where an e-mail address has not been included, readers may write by e-mail to the AARE office requesting the address of the presenter in question. The AARE e-mail address is: 100355.2247@compuserve.com

Some files were received in HTML format. Apart from the addition of a back-link to the abstracts these files were not altered.

AID98173

Early letter writing: Constructing bilingual and bi-cultural identity

Marina A. Aidman, University of Melbourne

Letter writing can be an important and effective means of children's written language development. Our study supports this argument made by Collerson (1983) and Robinson, et al. (1992) who analysed children's English mother tongue letter writing. In children of a LOTE background, writing letters in their home language acquires a particular significance, as a means of promoting their minority language competence as well as shaping their bilingual and bi-cultural identity (Taft, 1981; Norton, 1998). Our study demonstrates that this is so by examining a bilingual child's letters in her home language written over the first four years of primary schooling. Systemic Functional Grammar (Halliday, 1994) has been used for a detailed linguistic analysis.

AIN98054

The Role of Interest in Classroom Interaction.

Mary Ainley, Universiuty of Melbourne.

A paper presented as part of Symposium 4, Perspectives on meaning in mathematics and science classrooms.

AND98308

Teachers' problem solving beliefs and practices in K-6 mathematics classrooms

Judy Anderson, Australian Catholic University

This study aimed to explore primary school teachers' beliefs about the role of problem solving in learning mathematics and the extent to which they claim to incorporate a problem solving approach in their planning and teaching of mathematics. Survey research methods were used to gather data from teachers in metropolitan and country schools in NSW. The questionnaire revealed the diversity of beliefs held by teachers as well as the use of a range of problem solving tasks and teaching strategies.

AND98319

Nursing students' self-efficacy, self-regulated learning and academic performance in science

Sharon Andrew and Wilma Vialle, University of Wollongong

The study examined the relationships among self-efficacy, learning strategies and academic performance. Specifically, it reports a study of nursing students' self-efficacy for science, self-regulatory learning strategies and academic performance in first year science courses of undergraduate nursing programs. Students from several universities were surveyed by questionnaire and a sample of these students were interviewed by telephone. In addition to socio-demographic items, the questionnaire incorporated tworesearch instruments: the Self-Efficacy For Science (Andrew, 1998) and selected scales from the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (Pintrich et al 1991). The semi-structured telephone interviews included questions about students' interest and self-beliefs about science and learning strategies used for studying science. Preliminary results of these interviews and interrelationships among the research scales will be presented at the conference.

ANG98205

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

To-date, many studies have been conducted world-wide to examine pupils' conceptions about various aspects of electricity. While a small number of these studies had been conducted based on Asian samples, in the literature, there appeared to be no studies done based on Singaporean samples.

This paper reports on an exploratory study of the conceptions that a sample of primary four (P4) and primary five (P5) pupils hold about the topic of electricity. Implications for classroom teaching are also discussed.

The main data collection instrument is a paper-pencil questionnaire, which comprises five questions encompassing the sub-topics in the P4 syllabus on electricity, namely: - electric circuits, conductors and insulators, arrangement of batteries, bulbs and switches. The questionnaire was administered prior to formal instruction on the topic for the P4 pupils and post-instruction for the P5 pupils. A sample of the P4 pupils was interviewed on a one-to-one basis to validate interpretation of their views expressed in the questionnaire.

Results indicate a range of misconceptions held by both groups; the misconceptions held by the P5 pupils were a subset of those held by the P4 pupils. This suggests that with formal instruction some misconceptions were rectified; but the majority of the misconceptions were resistant to instruction.

ARB98130

Researching anti racism education: Negotiating the spaces 'in-between'

Ruth E Arber, Monash University

It is a quandary for narrative researchers of racism and anti racism that even as the other is encouraged to speak within the study, the researcher orchestrates their voices and is also positioned within the research. Researchers are cautioned that it is difficult, if not impossible, to write about others and reminded that a first task for understanding racism and therefore anti racism education needs to be to understand ourselves. Even as researchers divulge their positionality however, their positionality within the research remains undefined. Recent writings demonstrate that we are multipositioned, implicated in unequally empowered ways of understanding and doing; that people share positionings in common and yet are not simply defined by a set of binaries; black, white, working class, middle class, female, male. This paper seeks to understand the implications of this 'changing of the subject' on the way researchers understand their positionality within the research. In doing so it seeks to untangle Homi Bhabha's observation that subjects are formed in excess of the parts of difference, especially as they are usually defined as race, class and gender; and that communities share experiences but have understandings, values, meanings and priorities which are antagonistic, conflictural and incommensurable

ARC98268

Turning motivation into self regulation

JENNIFER ARCHER, University of Newcastle

In terms of achievement goal theory, links have been made between motivational orientations and students' regulation of their learning strategies. In practice, however, these links can appear somewhat tenuous. A motivational intention does not translate automatically into the necessary behaviours to realise the intention, or even the understanding that effective strategies are required. A student who wants to develop a deep understanding of a subject (a mastery achievement goal) does not always have the skill or the will to achieve her goal. However, her desire to understand should help her to persist, to expend effort, and to be alert for the sorts of strategies likely to help her to achieve her goal. What role then does the teacher have in these two related areas: encouraging students' adoption of a mastery achievement goal; and alerting students to the use of effective learning strategies?

The data for the present study are detailed interviews (one half to three quarters of an hour in length) with 54 undergraduate students in their first year, followed by 42 follow-up interviews in their second year. The students were questioned about their motivational orientations, their use of learning strategies, their attributions for success and failure, their confidence in their academic abilities, their emotional reactions to their academic work, and the role of their teachers (in high school) and lecturers (in university) in helping them to learn. A careful analysis of the transcripts will help to add light to the question of how motivational goals translate into self-regulated behaviour and successful performance.

ARN98146

Following a deep lead: Mining for research in education gold

Teresa Arnold, University of South Australia

Self employmnet in small and micro businesses is a major form of employment in Australia. Equally significant is the education of people in this sector. By and large however, this education is informed by practice in and literature from much larger business, it attends to expertise of existing businesses, traditionally with an emphasis on what is taught. Flowing on, little education research is tailored to small and micro business, less still on a purpose of the education: what is learned, and less again on learning to start a new small business, despite the total number of people in the sector and entry and exit numbers. This paper briefly looks at aspects of this paradox, before exploring some emerging images from the hitherto largely hidden world of people learning to start new micro businesses.

BAH98029

Pitch discrimination skill: A cognitive perspective

Nan Bahr, The University of Queensland

Pitch discrimination skills are important for general musicianship. The ability to name any musical note or produce orally any named note is called Absolute Pitch (AP) and is comparatively rare. AP has historically been regarded as being innately acquired. This paper will examine the notion that pitch discrimination skill is based on knowledge constructed through a suite of experiences. That is, it is learnt. In particular, it will be argued that early experiences promote the development of AP.

This paper will report a pilot study into the similarities and differences between the musical experiences of AP possessors and the manifestation of their AP skill. A selection of speed and accuracy profiles for pitch labelling will be used in conjunction with interview and questionnaire data for the development and proposal of a preliminary model for AP development.

The development of an effective model of the development of pitch discrimination skill is fundamental to the selection of appropriate curriculum design and pedagogy for aural training in school music programs. There are a variety of ad hoc approaches to aural training in schools which tend to be founded on popular opinion rather than research evidence. This paper should provide the foundation for a more effective approach to aural training in schools.

BAR98140

A case study of 'Other' education: The NRMA

Ray Barker and Allyson Holbrook, The University of Newcastle

For the past two years the authors have been engaged in an historical investigation of the provision of 'other' education 1900-1990 in the Hunter region. 'Other' education is defined as nonformal and informal education (with the exception of education taking place in the home) and for which there is evidence of conscious 'educational intent' by the provider. Previous papers have developed a typology of provider intent,and of practices and strategies of provision and have mapped the range of educational provision in the Hunter. This paper explores a particular provider', the NRMA. Institutions such as the NRMA have developed a suite of educational activities over time to train their own staff (occupational education) as well those that aim as expand the knowledge, skills and values of their members or client group (community education). The latter group of activities are the main subject of this paper. The findings exemplify the importance of recognising the multi-dimensional educational contribution of 'the other' providers in developing the individual, and the potential usefulness of devising a means to estimate the extent of this contribution, or at least accurately define, their activities.

BAR98317

Collaborative group work in mathematics: Power relationships and student roles

Mary Barnes, University of Sydney

This paper reports the first stage of an ethnographic study of students' experiences of collaborative learning in secondary mathematics classrooms. One aim of the study was to investigate the interaction of student gender and the social construction of mathematical competence in collaborative learning contexts. Students working in small groups on investigative activities were observed and videotaped, and key informants interviewed. One approach to analysing student-student interactions was to identify roles adopted spontaneously by the students when working in groups independently of the teacher, such as "organiser", "teacher" and "critic". Another was to look at the exercise of power within the group, and to try to relate that to the roles adopted and the outcome of the interaction.

BAR98360

School and community: An important partnership

Pamela A Bartholomaeus, Deakin University

A research project concerned with the acquisition of literacy by students and with gender issues in the school, has been conducted in a secondary school in rural South Australia. During this research, the nature of the relationship between the school and its community has emerged as one which influences the ways in which the school understands and is able to meet the needs of its students, including through appropriate pedagogies, and curriculum.

For many rural communities their schools are an important facility, and one which is well supported, and if necessary, to be fought for when there is the possibility of it disappearing, or its range of services being diminished. This paper will explore some of the ways in which this rural school and its community interact, and some of the implications for this school. In an era when the nature of communities appears to be undergoing some transformation, and when educators and their schools are facing frequent criticism, the issues surrounding the relationship between schools and their community are emerging as increasingly important.

BAT98116

Teacher Education and the EdNA Service Directory: a resource for educational researchers

Richard Bates, Deakin University

This session is an introduction to a new resource for teacher educators and their students. The Australian Council of Deans of Education has contracted with DEETYA to develop a series of mechanisms for teacher education which will a) familiarise teacher educators and their initial and post-initial teacher education students with the EdNA directory service and current developments in the area of information and communication technology and b) Facilitate and initiate input and links with the Directory by teacher educators and their organisations. This session demonstrates the various capabilities of the site for students, teacher educators, administrators and researchers including both introductory tours, specialised sites and customised searches. It also demonstrates how to link materials to the teacher education site and to EdNA itself. The project, conducted by Deakin University for the ACDE, will form the basis of a major information exchange for teacher education within Australia and a bridge to international sites in teacher education.

BAT98276

Memory and Schematisation: Learning in the University Context

Debra M Bath, The University of Queensland

Research into learning and the long-term retention of knowledge acquired through formal education has tended to centre around the issue of schematisation. However, suprisingly little is known about how knowledge gained in a specific episode (i.e. in a lecture) can, over the course of an extended period of learning, become a conceptual framework of knowledge relatively free of reference to the details of the specific learning episode. Recent research has linked the concepts of episodic/semantic memory and states of memory awareness, originally from cognitive psychology, to their study of the schematisation process in a 'real world' learning environment with interesting results. It proposes that when a new knowledge base is to be learned, memory is initially represented in a way that supports recollection of the specific learning episodes. As learning proceeds, the underlying memory representations may change so that they no longer primarily lead to recollective experiences but instead become so highly familiar that they are simply 'known'. Corresponding to this shift from knowledge that is episodic and literal to knowledge that is semantic and conceptual, should be a shift in memory awareness from 'remembering' to 'just knowing'. Therefore, as learning progresses, memory awareness should vary systematically with the degree of schematisation of knowledge. The purpose of the present research is to investiage the process of learning and schematisation in the university context in order to further examine the role of episodic and semantic memory and the changes in memory awareness. In conjunction with this, other variables which may impact on schematisation such as student motivation and learning style are examined.

Also, because of the importance placed on lectures in the univeristy learning environment, listening comprehension and its relationship to learning from lectures is investigated.

BAT98394

Fraction knowledge and progression on an integrated learning system

Annette R Baturo, Tom J Cooper and Cam J McRobbie, Queensland University of Technology

An integrated learning system is a computer-based tutoring program which provides students with learning experiences in many disciplines across many years of school. This paper reports on the fraction knowledge of a small group of Year 6 students using an integrated learning system which supplies electronic worksheets in random form for mathematics practice. The students were interviewed to ascertain their understanding of basic fraction concepts and to check understanding of the fraction activities undertaken with the intergrated learning system. The results showed that some students were able to progress (in terms of the systems' evaluation of their ability) with impoverished understanding of fractions. The paper discusses reasons for this and the propensity of systems of this type to focus on syntactical and instrumental understanding.

BEA98139

FComputer games: youth culture, resistant readers and consuming passions.

Catherine Beavis, Deakin University

Digital culture is presented as both seductive and pervasive, and as actively productive of identity and cultural relations. Young people (players) are positioned as uncritical consumers in a context of commodification and internationalisation of youth culture, in a set of debates that refer to broader processes of societal values and change, with computer texts seen as working along with other media and popular culture texts to mobilise specific images, discourses and positions, and to powerfully construct identity. At the same time, other debates point to a more subversive and resistant view of playing/reading. Audience work, for example, has focussed on young people's resiliance in relation to television violence and video nasties. A third set of debates explores connections between young people's in and out of school textual worlds, with a view to exploring ways in which the curriculum might both capitalise on developing skills and knowledge while also intervening in cultural production and strengthening capacities for critique.

BEC98295

The School Watch initiative on homophobia

Lori Beckett and Jacqui Griffin

This paper introduces the SchoolWatch committee from New South Wales, which is composed of representatives from the Department of Education and Training, the Board of Studies, Teachers Federation, P&C Federation, interested academics and university students, and members of the gay and lesbian lobby groups. The SchoolWatch committee takes an active and educative role in relation to anti-lesbian and homophobic prejudice and violence, construction of gender, and sexual identity. The committee's work includes policy advice on anti-homophobia education, professional development, monitoring legislative change, and lobbying to initiate and support system-wide and school projects like support groups for gay and lesbian students, teachers and parents.

BEC98362

Implications of research in implementation of HSC studies of religion in New South Wales

Margie Beck, Australian Catholic University

Research into the implementation of Studies of Religion, a HSC subject in New South Wales in religious schools, has made the potential for recommendations from the research to be taken up at Board of Studies level, as well as system level.

This paper is offered as a case study that responds postively to the conference theme: Reseach in Education: does it count? Using the findings of the research the paper will discuss the ways in which the Board of Studies and some Dioceses have already taken up recommendations and will offer further opportunities for consideration by religious schools that are either offering or may offer the course in the future. The ways in which the research has been used 'along the way' to completion of a PhD will be presented as well.

BEL98212

Students as Researchers: Breaking the Binds

James W Bell, Murdoch University and Annette Patterson, James Cook University

Education students in foundations units at Australian universities are in a double bind. Currently these students must understand a broad range of theoretical materials relating to issues of philosophy, sociology and social justice in macro and micro educational settings. This information is complex, often abstract and has sometimes been criticised by students as "interesting but irrelevant" to their future work as teachers.

Additionally the learning processes of these students are being constrained by increasingly limited teaching periods with increasing demands for the development of practical skills.

This paper explores the development and implementation of a number of undergraduate foundations units from two Australian universities which integrate the theoretical material of previous units with grounded research based assignment work. These units are informed by the view that teaching professionals are researching professionals. This paper investigates the challenges involved in developing research based units for undergraduate students and evaluates the effectiveness of these units in breaking this double bind.

BEL98369

Erica Bell, QLD Board of Senior Secondary School Studies

With some reference to Foucault, the paper will explore the relationship between applied educational research and educational change and development by taking several key research reports published by Queensland's Board of Senior Secondary School Studies and tracing the development and outcomes of these papers for quality and equity in senior secondary schooling: The first national guidelines for assessment quality and equity in assessment produced in Queensland for the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Certification Authorities (ACACA) as part of a DEETYA funded project. A key Queensland study of certification of the achievements of students with disabilities that provides an analysis of practices in eight Australian states and at least fourteen countries based on first hand information from systems as diverse as Fiji, Singapore, America, and Germany, as well as strategies for removing barriers to the certification of students with disabilities. A key study of how gender is represented in school developed assessment instruments that provides the results of a scan by 65 teachers of 118 randomly sampled sets of assessment instruments drawn from 95 schools and 10 subjects. The paper will identify specific techniques of applied research in these papers, raising key questions about whether and to what extent these can and have been techniques for achieving change and development at the national and Queensland state level.

BEN98333

Exploring biography: The educational journey towards becoming a special educator

Robyn Bentley-Williams, Charles Sturt University

This investigation explores how biography may enhance teacher role identity. Subjects were final year student teachers in the Bachelor of Education (Special Education) course. Individual biographies provided the text to examine developing teacher role identity and to examine the nature of the gap between the ideal and reality as it relates to curriculum in the special education context. The phases of the Biographical Transformational Model developed by Knowles(1992) were adopted in an attempt to link experiences of family, school, teachers, prior teaching experiences and training; and through interpretation of these experiences, to enhance understandings about role identity leading to a framework for reflection on action in the classroom. Perspectives were identified which related to notions of learners, teachers, teaching, learning, school, resources and knowledge (Smith,1995). The interaction between biography and school environment was analysed in the practicum context and the findings from this study highlight the importance of recognising that teacher education extends beyond the university training period. The transformational model was shown to have particular relevance to special education contexts where the ability to design programs to meet learner's individual needs is considered critical within a collaborative environment.

BLA98351

Mediating change: Self managing schools, the media and reform

Jill Blackmore, John Hodgens, Louise Laskey, Deakin University, and Stephen Thorpe, Flinders University

State schools within a performative market and state context have become implicated in a complex web in which their performance feeds from and into media representations, public perceptions and community understandings of their work.This paper sets the theoretical agenda for data derived from a one year ARC qualitative study on the media and self managing schools in Victoria which considered why and how particular issues became media issues, how schools and teachers responded to issues, and how the media was used by various stakeholders in education to shape policy debates. It draws upon critical discourse and cultural studies theory as well as recent North American and English studies on media and educational reform to map out some of the ways in which the media has 'mediated' educational change in schools, how its shapes schools responses to educational problems.

BLA98352

Jill Blackmore, Deakin University and Judyth Sachs, University of Sydney

Globalisation has led to the radical restructuring of education premised upon the assumption that education is like an industry. TAFE institutes, with their close industry links and overtly vocational emphasis have moved more rapidly towards entrepreneurship, opening up new opposrtunities in curriculum development and leadership areas. Some women, with strong communication, professional development, management and curriculum skills, have been situated favourably in this period of radical institutional change focusing upon flexible learning, quality assurance and client service. Women have also tended to be good corporate citizens in educational organisations, as well as citizens in the wider sense of community e.g community education. This paper discusses how women in leadership in TAFE, a highly underresearched area compared to schools and universities, have worked with discourses of restructuring and entrepreneurship. The paper, using the theoretical framework and data derived from a large ARC considering women and leadership in an era of educational restructuring in schools, TAFE and universities.While the larger project focuses upon the tensions performativity and social justice leanings of many women educators, this paper raises issues about who resists, who accommodates and who takes up change agentry within the specific institutional cultures of TAFE, exploring how women are re-positioned vis a vis traditional discourses of leadership, entrepreneurial discourses and their own understandings of corporate citizenship and social justice. It also draws upon recent Australian research on TAFE by Seddon, Angus and Brown in Victoria and and Kell et al in Queensland, where the case studies were undertaken.

BOO98244

Student Teachers' Perceptions of Teaching and Learning Conditions in Australia,Fiji and Maldives.

Edward Booth, Shamila Abdulla, Govinda Lingham, Lenore Armour and Michael Wilson, University of Wollongong

The purpose of this paper is to explore the perceptions of teaching and learning condition by a number of groups of primary student teachers. In an Australia context a sample of local and Canadian Graduate Diploma in Education and second year primary Bachelor of Education students were surveyed. In Fiji local second year Primary Certificate student teachers were surveyed along with a group of Australian students who had completed a three overseas Fiji practicum. The student teachers in the Maldives were from the second year English medium and the Dhivehi medium Primary Certificate program. The survey instrument was completed at the end or recently after a minimum of three weeks of practice teaching experience. Three open-ended questions asked students to: describe the environment of their classroom and any other learning spaces used during the prac; identify the 'things' in their learning environment that encouraged or facilitated the children's learning; and to describe the 'things' in the learning environment that discouraged or frustrated the children's learning. The data was analyzed thematically and will be presented by respondent group and country.

BOU98128

School Level Variables as Predictors of Individual Student Achievement

Sid Bourke and Ken Sinclair, University of Newcastle

It is generally recognised that the home background of students is important for their achievement and progress through school, however, obtaining accurate information is becoming increasingly difficult. Concerns about privacy of family structure, income and occupation with blended families and whether parents are working, and the difficulty of obtaining accurate data from students means that parents have to be approached for the information as well as approval. Low response rates from parents questioned about such matters are of concern.

School-level indicators of socioeconomic status, although coarse, may consist of more than the sum of family backgrounds of students attending the school. They add a "community" context, especially in the case of state primary schools which serve a defined local area. The usefulness of school-level data on poverty and ethnicity in predicting individual achievement of students in the Advanced Program was tested for a school district in South Carolina, USA. Although other school and individual indicators were considered, the major focus of this paper is the relationship of poverty of the total school, as measured by the proportion of students receiving free or reduced-price lunches, with the MAT7 basic skills reading and mathematics scores of 1394 students in Years 3 to 5.

BOU98135

School level variables as predictors of individual student achievement

Sid Bourke, University of Newcastle

It is generally recognised that the home background of students is important for their achievement and progress through school, however, obtaining accurate information is becoming increasingly difficult. Concerns about privacy of family structure, income and occupation with blended families and whether parents are working, and the difficulty of obtaining accurate data from students means that parents have to be approached for the information as well as approval. Low response rates from parents questioned about such matters are of concern. School-level indicators of socioeconomic status, although coarse, may consist of more than the sum of family backgrounds of students attending the school. They add a "community" context, especially in the case of state primary schools which serve a defined local area. The usefulness of school-level data on poverty and ethnicity in predicting individual achievement of students in the Advanced Program was tested for a school district in South Carolina, USA. Although other school and individual indicators were considered, the major focus of this paper is the relationship of poverty of the total school, as measured by the proportion of students receiving free or reduced-price lunches, with the MAT7 basic skills reading and mathematics scores of 1394 students in Years 3 to 5.

BRA98125

Assessment and Reporting in NSW Schools

Laurie Brady, University of Technology Sydney

The emphasis on outcomes, a feature of the introduction of the national curriculum in the early nineties, has had major implications for assessment and reporting, as teachers and educational administrators determine appropriate strategies for assessing and reporting within an outcomes framework. This study reports a survey from a stratified proportional sample of primary schools in NSW on how teachers are currently assessing and reporting within an outcomes framework. The analysis of data, using frequency distributions, tests of significance and multiple analysis of variance, identifies assessing and reporting strategies and the principles that underly such practice. Differences are examined according to age, gender, teaching experience, status and school type.

BRA98300

The link between the personal and professional-participant perceptions of teacher development programs in the Parramatta Diocese

Anthony Bracken, Australian Catholic University

Professional development programs directed toward the personal, spiritual and religious development of teachers have been provided since 1991 for education staff in Catholic schools in the Parramatta diocese. Drawing from a teacher development literature which acknowledges teacher development as personal development, the research explores the experiences and impact of the programs in the lives of teachers from their perspective using focus groups. The data emerging from this research gives insight into the impact of these programs in the day to day work of teachers and shows how personal development experiences can enhance the professional contribution of teachers in Catholic schools.

BRE98131

Putting Ruallity on the Agenda

Marie Brennan, Christine Woodrow, Ken Appleton and Barbara HartleyCenteral Queensland University

The PANEL aims to raise issues about how to foreground issues of rurality, a much neglected perspective in educational research.

It works from four different research projects :

An exploration of delivery of pre-school curriculum training (Woodrow, Robert and Moreton). A Japanese field placement for immersion teacher education LOTE students (Hartley and Chapman). A study of devolution of school management in country primary schools (Brennan and Bartlett). A first year science teachers' experience in central Queensland (Appleton and Kindt)

The data from these projects have been re-analysed in terms of rurality, using a multi-disciplinary conceptual framework drawn from globalisation/regionality, rural sociology, identity discourses, as well as education.

BRO98045

What workers learn about economic restructuring: case studies of informal economic learning

Tony Brown, University of Technology, Sydney

There is a growing body of literature on the impact of economic restructuring during the 1980s and 1990s in Australia, and on the intersection of restructuring and education and training. This literature is variously focused and includes for example analyses of the effects of restructuring on individual and neighbourhood income distribution (Harding, Saunders, Gregory & Hunter); changes in industrial relations and work organisation (Mathews, Ewer, Hampson, Bramble); the impact on women (Hall & Fruin, Margery, Probert, Pocock). Changes to education and training have been designed to underpin and support these changes and rest on a set of assumptions on the future of work and skill needs.

An area that has been little investigated is how workers have understood the dramatic changes that have occurred in the areas of work; industry and award restructuring; training reform and skill development; and wider issues of national economic policy. Workers voices are rarely found in the literature reviewing Australia's economic changes since 1983.

This paper, which builds on doctoral research in progress, examines issues of restructuring and training in two factories in the clothing and steel industries. It focuses on the informal and incidental learning of workers at those factories.

BRO98142

Transforming the University: Tensions and opportunities for academics in a time of change

Carolyn Broadbent, Australian Catholic University

Continuing governmental pressure on universities to improve competitiveness and economic efficiency has led to radical restructuring, staff redundancies, increased work loads and larger classes. Organisational changes in universities have impacted upon the health, well-being and productivity of staff. Transforming organisations in response to these new demands is complex and requires sound decision-making processes that are not arbitrary nor unmindful of the importance of the personal values, concerns and aspirations of individual staff. Successful organisations are those that encourage cultural change and improve organisational effectiveness through the development of a shared vision which is seen to emerge from the personal visions held by individuals within the organisation.

This paper explores the underlying assumptions held by academics across all campuses and faculties of the Australian Catholic University regarding their personal visions for the future development of the organisation. Through a qualitative analysis of interviews with 60 academics, the research found that academic staff differ significantly in their views regarding the changing role of the institution in society, the organisational problems it faces, and the management of cultural and developmental change. The paper argues that ongoing research is essential in order to better address the tensions and ambiguities that arise between the personal visions of individuals and the shared organisational vision for the future. Opportunities for academic staff to benefit are created through improved professionalism and leadership, more focused scholarship and incentives for research initiatives.

BRO98204

An investigation of core beliefs about knowing and peripheral beliefs about learning and teaching in pre-service graduate diploma teacher education students

Mrs J.M. Brownlee, Queensland University of Technology

Much research into effective teaching and learning has concentrated on the teacher behaviour-student outcome relationship (Fang, 1996). This strategic focus has not always been helpful in understanding learning outcomes in students. More recently, over the last decade or so, a focus on teacher thinking and teacher beliefs has provided interesting perspectives on the teaching-learning process (Fang, 1996; Richardson, Anders, Tidwell & Lloyd, 1991). In particular there is increasing interest in epistemological beliefs, beliefs about how we come to know and learn about reality, as a way of understanding how teaching and learning may be improved (Beers, 1984; Hofer, 1994; Hofer & Pintrich, 1997; Schommer, 1990, 1993a, 1993b).

Twenty-nine pre-service graduate teacher education students were interviewed at the beginning and end of their course in relation to their beliefs about knowing, learning and teaching. They were also asked to write a number of regular journal entries whereby they reflected on the nature of the course content in relation to their beliefs about knowing, learning and teaching. Students' responses, interpreted using a grounded theory approach, mostly reflected consistency between their core beliefs about knowing and peripheral beliefs related to learning and teaching. Furthermore, a trend emerged whereby students developed a stronger focus on relativistic epistemological beliefs over the course of the year. These findings have strong implications for how we facilitate constructivist learning environments in teacher education.

BRO98226

Teaching for game sense in a naturalistic setting: What do the students learn?

Ross Brooker, Queensland University of Technology, David Kirk and Sandy Braiuka, University of Queensland, Aarjon Bransgrove, Bremer High School

Traditional approaches to teaching and learning in physical education classes have concentrated on the development of so-called "fundamental sports skills" rather than accounting for the contextual nature of games in which those skills are to be employed (Bunker and Thorpe, 1982). Grehaigne and Godbout (1995) have observed that "current practices in teaching games shows a series of highly structured lessons. A first part dedicated to a warm-up with or without a ball. A second part is based on teaching techniques, and just at the end, the games are employed if the lesson as such is considered finished". In an attempt to overcome the shortcomings of the traditional approach, Bunker and Thorpe (1986) have proposed a way of teaching games which focuses on the development of game sense through the early immersion of students into a modified game situation. Such an approach attempts to integrate the cognitive and contextual dimensions of learning in the physical domain. This paper reports on the situated nature (Lave and Wenger, 1991) of the student learning that occurred in a study which attempted to translate a game sense approach into a naturalistic setting of a school physical education program. The paper explores both the hidden and formal curriculum which constituted the social context in which the learning took place, and which also shaped that learning.

BRO98227

Discourses in the implementation of a HPE key learning area at a school site

Ross Brooker, Queensland University of Technology, Doune Macdonald and Lisa Hunter, University of Queensland.

In the Queensland school context, there had been no change to the official HPE curriculum for the compulsory years of schooing (1-10), for a long period of time. For example, the most recent syllabus for years 8-10 was published in 1987. Following the national curriculum initiatives which lead to the development of statements and profiles for 8 key learning areas, a trial health and physical education (HPE) key learning area (KLA) syllabus was prepared and accepted for trial in the second half of 1997 in a limited number of schools. The KLA syllabus presented a different (from the previous syllabus) conception of HPE in terms of the knowledge base, the emphasis on outcomes, and the focus on the processes of learning. For schools (secondary in particular), the syllabus presented particular challenges in terms of how a syllabus which drew upon a number of traditional subject areas could be implemented into a subject-based structure. For strongly bounded subject departments in secondary schools with well established staff allegiances, the dilemma has been how to work with other departments on the one hand while protecting subject allegiances on the other. For teachers, the challenge has been to their existing conceptions of HPE, to their pedagogical practices, to their identity, and to their commitment to being a subject specialist. Drawing on a year long study in a secondary school, this paper illuminates the discourses that have characterised these challenges and dilemmas. Due to the national origins of key learning areas and their widespread integration into state-based curricula structures, the paper will be of central importance to the schooling sector throughout Australia.

BRO98380

The Study Circle. Participatory action research with and for the unemployed

Mark Brophy, Western Melbourne Institute of TAFE

The concept of study circles was developed in Sweden over a hundred years ago, and today over two million Swedes attend study circles every year. The popularity of study circles is reflected in their use all over the world including the USA, Canada, Africa, and recently in Australia in the form of a study circle focusing on the issue of Aboriginal Reconciliation.

Study circles are based on two principle ideas: firstly as a means of class struggle and social transformation, and secondly, studies are aimed at improving educational standards. The pedagogy of study circles is closely aligned with Freire's (1972) ideas, in that they are designed to empower members by encouraging the analysis of the causes of powerlessness, recognise oppressive forces, and work to change conditions both individually and collectively.

PhD research currently being undertaken by Mark Brophy through Victoria University of Technology, attempts to explore the opportunities of the study circle pedagogical approach to address the issue of unemployment, and in turn, empower the unemployed - the study circle members.

Much research has been conducted on the unemployed by behavioural psychologists and sociologists. Moreover, economists constantly debate the macro issues on what's 'best for the country', but very little effort is made to actually gain the 'voice' of the unemployed themselves. This research takes up this challenge by giving 'voice' to the unemployed, thus obtaining grass roots knowledge. It is time to listen to the experience of unemployment from the unemployed person's perspective.

Critical theory, emancipatory action research and standpoint theory are uncommon approaches used to address unemployment, but these methodological frameworks and techniques are utilised in this research in an attempt to shed new light on the crippling problem of unemployment.

BRO98389

Who needs teachers to organise games? A study into students taking responsibility for their own activity

Tom Browne, Edith Cowan University

This presentation will compare the impact of two teaching styles in physical education on students' skill levels, their attitude toward physical education and their ability to use appropriate strategies and tactics in game play. A traditional teacher directed, skill-drill model was compared and contrasted to a student centred, sport education model employing a problem solving game for an understanding approach. Two year eight classes were participants in this study. Both groups of boys were taught rugbu union over a period of 10 weeks during ten lessons/20 lessons of 1 hr 45 minutes. To reduce possible bias of teacher effect, the same teacher (an experienced physical educator and researcher) taught both groups. Three stages of the research design were observed. Prior to intervention, students completed a written knowledge test. During intervention all games were videotaped and the skills and tactics coded. Students, representing a range of skills were interviewed by the outside researcher. The purpose of this interview was to discover students' perceptions of the teaching method and ascertain their attitude toward the unit. After the 20 lesson unit was completed, the written knowledge test was re-issued and the students' journals (from the sport education group were analysed and the teacher/participant researcher interviewed. The results will be tabled and discussion on the implications of using a more student centred approach will follow.

BRO98390

Old wine in new skin? A consideration of authentic assessment practice as an alternative to current techniques

Tom Browne, Edith Cowan University

A model for sport education assessment, built on good practice and trialed by an experienced physical educator and researcher, teachers and students, was employed. Alternative (Authentic) assessment techniques such as self and peer assessment, profiling and portfolioing were developed. The orientation of the presentation is to consider the difficulties, problems and success of employing authentic assessment techniques whilst teaching in a secondary school. Consideration is given to the rationale of employing student outcome statements and developing resource material to enhance student learning and assessment. Data will be presented on the impact of sport education with particular emphasis on:

• Student motor skill learning in sport education.
• Affective learning in sport education.
• Teachers' ability to monitor student learning and subsequent effectiveness of alternative (authentic) assessment tools.

Assessment of specific outcomes of sport education were based on student completion of the roles of player, and other sport education roles e.g., coach, captain, referee amd non-motor skills which are essentially affective in nature. Amongst issues to be addressed are: In this area of accountability why do teachers not typically assess their students to any great extent ?; How might teachers assess the broader outcomes of physical education? and what assessment strategies might physical education teachers employ to provide useful accurate and reliable information related to student development across all learning domains?

BRY98057

Conceptions of generic skills and a workable method for assessing them at year 11/12 level

Jennifer Bryce and Doug McCurry, Australian Council for Educational Research

This paper will discuss a map of generic constructs developed from a study of various conceptions of generic skills such as the studies of cross-curricular competencies by the OECD, the 'capabilities' of the Victorian Student Profile and the Mayer Key Competencies. The paper will discuss the value of promoting these kinds of skills at senior secondary school level and the need to provide 'doable' and reliable assessment and reporting strategies. Concern about formally assessing less cognitive 'personal' skills has at times been put forward as a reason for not giving prominence to these areas.

A project which explored school-based assessment and reporting of the Mayer Key Competencies will be outlined. In 1996, a trial was undertaken in ten secondary schools across four states of Australia, focusing on Year 11. The project was based on two important assumptions: that teachers can make global judgements of their students' performance on conceptions such as the Key Competencies without setting special tasks, and that teachers' assessments of these competencies are general rather than subject specific. Significant findings were that teachers could make judgements on the basis of their knowledge of students without undertaking new or different tasks; levels of agreement between teachers were higher than expected and ranged well over an 8-point scale; teachers found the task easier than they had expected.

It will be suggested that the approach followed in the 1996 trial will serve as a useful model for assessing the kinds of generic skills recommended - in particular those of a less cognitive, 'personal' nature.

BUR98098

Classroom discipline: Is a desire to empower students a health hazard for teachers?

Ramon Lewis & Eva Burman, La Trobe University

Of all the activities which comprise the role of a teacher, classroom discipline is one of the most significant. It not only provides the opportunity for teachers to instruct students in their traditional school subjects, but it is also integrally related to the issue of inculcating a sense of responsibility in students. In selecting an approach to classroom discipline, some teachers experience, and have to deal with, tensions arising from their desire to utilise educationally justifiable models while effectively gaining and maintaining order in the classroom . Such order is perceived as essential to ensuring subject learning takes place in a non threatening classroom environment. This paper examines teachers' estimations of the stress that arises when they are unable to discipline students as they would ideally prefer. More importantly, the way teachers cope with any stress which does arise is documented using the Coping Scale for Adults. The results indicate that teachers who report more stress are those most interested in empowering their students in decision making processes. Associated with increased concern is a greater use of Worry, Selfblame, Tension reduction, Wishful thinking and Keep to self. The most concerned teachers also express a greater tendency to get sick as a result of the stress. These data suggest the need for professional development curriculum which addresses two goals. The first is to assist teachers to more effectively share power with students. The second is to encourage teachers to reflect upon a range of more productive coping strategies in an attempt to reduce their usage of dysfunctional responses.

BUR98313

Professional doctorates: Real life research discussion

Rob Walker, Owen Burgan, Graham Dodd and Janet McDowall, Deakin University

On this panel will be the leader of the Deakin University EdD team, Professor Rob Walker and students at different stages in the program. Members of the panel will briefly outline their research. The discussion will show why the Deakin EdD is so different in its content, approach and delivery to other professional doctorates and what it has to offer other research degrees.

The Deakin EdD is tailored to address problems of educational theory, policy and practice arising in students' own professional work and work places. Students in the program feel that the EdD is the practitioners' PhD and that their research does count because it will hopefully lead to an improvement in educational practice.

BUT98364

Making a difference through effective educational alliances

Jude Butcher, Australian Catholic University

Today we are part of an increasingly seamless education environment and a more global and interrelated world. Decisions, whether they be explicit or implicit, to approach education, research and professional development in an isolated and fragmented way is to at least deprive oneself and others of the rich opportunities available and at the most set oneself and others up for failure. Furthermore, an isolationist approach does not acknowledge the challenge of maximising benefits for all stakeholders within the context of decreasing resource allocations from commonwealth or state governments. This paper presents examples of how people from schools, universities and community groups or businesses are collaborating to address the educational challenges of today in ways which are beneficial to all concerned. The alliances studied are at different stages from planning through to implementation and evaluation.This paper presents different forms of alliances and their accompanying features and benefits. The different case studies of alliances are analysed as a basis for examining: - principles underlying the alliance;- qualities and competencies required of members; - role of research in the alliance; and- implementation issues.

CAM98149

Every day a 'Field Day': Research as a facet of teaching life

Marie Campbell, La Trobe University

The paper is focussed on the impact that research can make in the professional life of a teacher in terms of effecting policy, practice, theory, in promoting an understanding of children, and improving their learning and emotional outcomes. The research discussed is based on the teacher-as-researcher model which has grown out of action research and grounded theory. The paper supports this qualitative mode of inquiry through demonstrating its rigour. Through providing examples from daily practice, this paper aims to demonstrate that problems may be approached differently and work satisfaction increased through teachers incorporating an on going research facet into their regular practice. Further, when the students become partners in the reflection that is part of the research process, they have a greater command of their own learning and an awareness of the knowledge they already have. The theoretical framework which underpins this paper is informed by continental and post structuralist theory. There is an awareness that practices and discourses are easily overlooked because they have become 'naturalised'. The teacher-as-researcher perspective allows presuppositions and prejudices to be exposed and practice to be rethought, a process which has the potential to solve problems. This paper presents a classroom problem, shows the observation process which includes the writers reactions, and details the steps taken. In this case, language, metaphor and a constructivist approach gave rise to strategies to improve the classroom climate and with it learning and teaching.

CAM98219

Towards a collaborative teaching model for field experience

Carmel Maloney and Glenda Campbell-Evans, Edith Cowan University

Currently Australian universities are facing the harsh realities of economic rationalism and the call is to do more for less. With the central aim of producing competent practitioners and maintaining high quality programmes, educators are looking for ways of improving practice within the confines of restricted budget. Whilst field experience is recognised as a crucial element of initial teacher education courses it is a costly component of the programme to implement.

This paper reports the development, implementation and evaluation of a collaborative teaching and learning model for field experience within a context of financial contraint. A four week block practice, scheduled as a component of an early childhood teacher education program, was used to explore alternative strategies for improving the quality of teaching and learning for student teachers, classroom teachers and university teachers. This paper describes the strategies used to promote team teaching and collaborative skills and to assist classroom teachers assume a mentoring and facilitating role. Data were gathered through pre and post practice questionnaires and focus group meetings with student teachers, classroom teachers and university teachers. Recommendations were drawn for the development of future practice and policy.

CAN98009

Individual differences and secondary school students' feelings towards group work

Robert Cantwell and Beverly Andrews, University of Newcastle

290 secondary school students from Years 7, 9 and 11 completed questionnaires relating to motivational goals, metacognitive awareness, need for affiliation, social anxiety and feelings towards group work. Factor analysis revealed three attitudes towards participation in group work: a preference for group environments, a preference for individual work environments, and a sense of discomfort in group environments. Students reporting a preference for group work also indicated higher levels of sociability, lower levels of social anxiety, stronger mastery and performance goals and greater levels of metacognitive awareness. Students expressing a preference for individual work environments reported lower levels of sociability and higher levels of social anxiety, but were not differentiated on any of the cognitive measures. Students reporting discomfort in groups similarly reported enhanced levels of social anxiety combined with lower levels of sociability, but also indicated lower levels of metacognitive awareness. Results are discussed in the context of current theoretical and empirical work on group-based learning.

CAR98138

Primary teachers and Mathematics teaching: Some case studies

Jean Carroll, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology

This paper will report on research which was conducted with five primary school teachers using case study mathodology. The teachers were asked to write or speak about their mathematical histories, describing their school, teacher training and teaching experiences of mathematics and mathematics teaching. The teachers' responses were analysed to identify significant events, issues and people in their professional development. Their school experiences, teacher training, personal philosophies regarding mathematics teaching will be discussed in the paper.

CAS98281

The teachings of Don Juan: Investigating physical education pedagogy in late modernity

Tania Cassidy & Brendan Hoko, University of Otago

In this paper we discuss and illustrate some of the consequences for physical education pedagogy in higher education in the period of late modernity. The empirical data on which we draw comes from a study of off-campus, in-service physical education teacher education (PETE) students and curriculum developments in Maori physical education in higher education. Our discussion is framed by the work of Anthony Giddens (1990) who suggests that late modernity is imbued with three elements – the separation of time and space; the disembedding of social institutions; and institutional reflexivity. Additionally our discussion is framed by the assumption that in the period of late modernity the breakdown of Western hegemony provides educators from non-European backgrounds the opportunity to discuss and practice pedagogy compatible with their world views.

CHA98080

The Transition to School in Negara Brunei Darussalam

Rosalind Charleston, University Brunei Darussalam

This paper is a report of research currently being undertaken in Brunei. The research investigates programs for school beginners which focuses on the transition to school and the program in the first months of school. The intention is to provide a comprehensive overview of current school policy, practices and procedures for prasekolah, the first year of school.

The transition to school marks a significant change in the life of a young child. Commencing school is one of the few universal experiences of childhood. It is a rite of passage for both the child and the family and represents a demarcation between the influence of the family and the influence of society as a whole.

The paper explicates ways in which teachers and administrators prepare themselves, the program and the school to meet the needs of children and their families. The manner in which the program is implemented taking into account the prior life experience, and the developmental needs of the individual, is at the core of the research. The implications of the transition to school have long term significance in the social, emotional and cognitive development of the child. This study is based on the constructivist/developmentalist/interactionist perspective of Piaget, Vygotsky and Bruner.

An intention of the research is to shape educational discourse and influence the manner in which early childhood educators construct their own pedagogical base and mediate the curriculum. It is anticipated that the study will suggest means by which the transition can be developed to offer a culturally appropriate, child centred, family oriented process that will provide a stimulating and challenging learning environment.

CHA98127

Has the new industrial relations affected the teacher unions' role in educational reform?

Rod Chadbourne, Edith Cowan University

Teacher unions have been criticised in the past for placing the industrial interests of teachers ahead of the educational needs of students; that is, for focussing on improvements in teachers' working conditions and obstructing educational reforms. This paper explores the validity of those criticisms in relation to the role of the State School Teachers Union of Western Australian (SSTUWA) since the introduction of enterprise bargaining and workplace agreements over the past five years. The following types of data are used in the study: working documents produced by the Education Department and Teachers Unions during industrial negotiations; official industrial agreements registered through the Industrial Relations Commission; existing research on the history of the SSTUWA; and interviews with people who played a central role in industrial bargaining and system-wide educational innovations since 1993. In the paper, particular attention is devoted to examining the influence of ideological considerations, vested interests, and empirical data during the negotiation process. The paper concludes by ascertaining whether the new industrial relations has expedited or hampered attempts to increase the productivity of learning within the education industry.

CHA98367

Hong Kong preservice teachers' focus of concern and confidence to teach - A perspective of teacher development

Kwok-wai Chan, Man-tak Leung, Hong Kong Institute of Education

Preservice teachers' focus of concern and confidence to teach are often considered to be important elements of teachers' growth and development. Fuller's (1969) model of three concerns, viz. "self", "task" and "impact" have been widely referred to by researchers in the study of teacher professional development and covered in teacher education programmes. The author of this paper attempted to conduct a survey study of a course of preservice secondary teachers in the Hong Kong Institute of Education to examine their focus of concerns and confidence to teach as part of the investigated areas of teacher development. The purpose was to see whether there was any difference from that proposed by Fuller due to different cultural context. The obtained results supported Fuller's model of concerns in that the "self" concerns were prominent and dominating within the sample under study. In this respect, there is little difference between the western and Hong Kong sample of preservice teachers' focus of concern. Of the "self" concerns, class discipline, acceptance by students and teachers' mastery of subject knowledge and teaching skill were classified the most important ones by the Hong Kong preservice teachers. These concerns were also closely related to the important factors which they considered for successful teaching. The high level of confidence and optimism exhibited before teaching practice also supported Weinstein's (1989, 1990) findigns that preservice teachers, whether elementary or high school teache5rs were unrealistically optimistic about teaching. The similarity in findings between the Hong Kong and the western samples studied by Fuller and Weinstein suggest the plausibility of utilizing western principles and concepts in local context. Above this, the author would like to draw the attention of teacher educators and program planners to the underlying reasons given by preservice teachers about their changes in confidence , optimism and concerns before and after teaching practice in order to focus the areas for future development in teacher education.

CHA98382

Teachers identities in New Times

Clive Chappell, University of Technology Sydney

This paper reports on a recently completed study that investigated the effects of the contemporary policies and discourses of vocational education and training on the formation of teachers identities. It suggests that the dominant economic discourses of government are attempting to construct a new reality for teachers working in this sector of education and that the impact of these discourses on teachers understanding of who they are in education has not been adequately examined. Calls for teachers to change their pedagogical practices and educational roles to meet the challenges presented by this new discursive reality, can be seen as making an overly instrumental means-ends connection between teachers knowledge and skills and the professional practice of teaching and fails to appreciate that when teachers are asked to do things differently they are also being asked to become different teachers that is to change their professional identity. This paper outlines the ways in which teachers working in NSW TAFE speak of their professional identity and suggests that their understanding of who they are in the educational project is significantly different from the identity now promoted by the dominant policies and discourses of government.

CLA98132

Informing vocational education and training through studies of indigenous specific training projects

Terry Clark, Central Queensland University

In the first half of 1998 a series of five indigenous training projects were studied with a view to deriving common issues and models of best practice which could inform contemporary vocational education training in general, and New Apprenticeships and VET in schools in particular. The five projects were all DEETYA funded Australian Vocational Training System pilot programs. The research was commissioned by the Evaluation Branch of DEETYA and managed by the Research Institute for Professional and Vocational Education at Deakin University. Data gathering for each training project was undertaken by a pair of researchers, one of whom as Aboriginal. An overarching report was prepared by a team of researchers including the author of this paper. The outcomes of the research include:

• qualitative information on aspects of the AVTS pilots and their implementation with a focus on issues relevant to the implementation of New Apprenticeships for Indigenous Australians;
• quantitative data on the outcomes of each of the AVTS pilots studied;
• recommendations for the delivery of VET to Indigenous Australian communities addressing access and equity issues and community needs; and
• identification of innovative and best practice approaches to the delivery of VET in schools and New Apprenticeships generally.

This paper will discuss the research methodology and summarise its findings.

COL98089

School Retention and Post-compulsory Curriculum Policy: Comparing NSW, Queensland and Victoria

Cherry Collins, Australian Council for Educational Research, and Margaret Vickers, Technical Education Research Center, Cambridge, Mass

Careful statistical analysis by Margaret Vickers (Vickers, 1995) confirmed that there were three distinct patterns of retention among the mainland States of Australia during the 1980s. This conference paper will report on a follow-up study in which we have analysed historical material in three States (NSW, Queensland and Victoria), , one from each of the three patterns. We have attempted to trace and compare the historical development of the different post-compulsory educational cultures and practices which came to underpin the differing retention outcomes of the 80s. Curriculum and assessment in each State, after State level political struggles and 'settlements', became embedded in their own justificatory ideologies and political networks. These discursive frames (positioning of people, ideas and practices) each made a coherent, plausible and politically defensible story about the purposes of upper secondary school and thus became self-maintaining and self justifying.

This study shows that the politics of meaning matters. Over time that politics produced, at the level of the state community in Australia, discursive frames which fixed in place different hegemonic view of what schooling is for, what the educational rights of young people are, and what quality learning and assessment is. Different frames had real effects on students' learning and life chances.

COO98393

Factors influencing teacher endorsement of an intergrated learning system

Tom J Cooper, Annette R Baturo and Cam J McRobbie, Queensland University of Technology

An integrated learning system is a computer-based tutoring program which provides students with learning experiences in many disciplines across many years of school. This paper reports on the use of an integrated learning system within 23 schools in Queensland. The system studied was built around core literacy and numeracy courses which supplied electronic worksheets in random form to students, moving up the school Years as students were successful. Data was collected with respect to how the system operated in the school, the characteristics of the teachers and sudents who used the system, the beliefs and values of the teachers who used the system, problems with the operation of the system, and the extent the teachers endorsed the use of the system. This paper reports on the factors that appeared to be related to teacher endorsement. These were mainly based about the computer knowledge and experiences of the students, the pedagogical beliefs of the teachers, and the quality of supervision and the extent of integration of the system sessions.

COX98384

Research in Education:Does it Count?

Margaret Gearon and Maria Gindidis, Monash University

This paper examines the process and results of a multi-disciplinary approach to the professional development of new teachers of a language other than English in Victorian primary schools. The project which will be reported here enabled teachers in a country

area in Victoria to undertake a course in Indonesian or German, supported by an initial introduction to principles of second language acquisition. The study, based on journal entries by the teachers, examines the teachers' perceptions of their developing second language proficiency and its relationship to research into second language acquisition. It also describes the challenges the teachers faced, their frustrations, the influences of their own language learning experience on their teaching and on their understanding of their own students' progress in the second language and the ways in which they coped with these overlapping situations of concurrent status as a learner and a teacher. Such research enables us to be better prepared to present second language and second language methodology courses to adult learners by taking into account their learning preferences and strategies.

CRE98365

Shades, Shadows and Reality

Wendy Crebbin, National Institute for Educational Development, Namibia

As a person with strong allegances to critical inquiry and action research, in the past I have maintained a cynicism towards the value of 'objective', statistical approaches to research. And as a woman, in this decade I have been drawn to post-modern feminism as an approach to better understanding my social/political contexts. Yet now, working in a new country with great cultural and social diversity, social injustice and educational disadvantage, without the support of statistical data as well as qualitative analysis and critique, the complexity of the problems, and the new problems which are being created, would be easy to overlook in the reality of day-to-day experience.

This paper is an attempt to draw from the strengths of all of these different research perspectives to paint a picture of education in general, and teacher education in particular, in Namibia now, eight years after independence.

CRO98119

Religious education in a religiously pluralist society

Robert Crotty and Shirley Wurst, University of South Australia

One neglected area of research in education generally is religious education curriculum development. While multiculturalism and its implications for education has been widely perceived as worthy of extensive research, the associated issue of religious pluralism needs to be addressed at the educational level. In this context religious pluralism implies more than the recognition of a variety of religions within a geographical area. It refers to a program whereby all extant religious cultures are recognised as valid. The paper reports on the presenters' research on religious education reform within a pluralist society from which a design for religious education in Australian schools has been produced. It will also present a critical review of existing religious education curricula within Australia.

CRO98224

Vicki Crowley, University of South Australia

Ambivalence, affect and effect: Postcolonialism, pedagogy and feminism

Each of the terms postcolonialism, feminism, pedagogy have independently acted as significant sites of interruption to modernist approaches to schooling, teaching and education. In this panel we bring these terms into view as conceptual configurations that have increasing yet problematic currency in discourses of schooling, teaching and education. We explore the ways in which these terms impact on identity politics, indigenous education and notions of hybridity and diaspora in Australian educational and schooling contexts as we grapple with the ambivalence, affects and effects of these difficult times.

CRO98255

Early manifestations of the impact of poverty on education: The expectant parents' hopes and fears

Toni Cross and George Lewis, Macquarie University

While there is a considerable body of research which shows that children from socioeconomically disadvantaged families experience lack of success at school, there is presently little understanding of what the variables are that lead to children reared in poverty entering school without the characteristics required for educational success.. The present longitudinal study is based on the view that the effects of poverty on children's development are cumulative. It seeks to identify the effects on the development of children living in poverty of (a) parental expectations, (b) parent knowledge of child development, (c) child rearing practices, (d) nature of parental interaction from birth, and (e) parental relationships with children. The study contrasts the development during the first year of life of 35 children from socially disadvantaged families with 35 children from socially advantaged families. The families were selected from those attending the ante-natal clinic of two Sydney hospitals, one in Western Sydney and one on the North Shore on the basis of indicators of poverty or affluence. The parents were interviewed during the ante-natal period, followed by home visits at 6 months, and at 12 months to observe their babies development.The paper contrasts the data from the disadvantaged and the advantaged parents from the ante-natal interview about their plans and expectations for the care, education, and development of their babies.

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CRO98274

Same Approach, Different Contexts: Considering the International Impact of NetDay

Caitlin Cronin, University of Sydney

NetDay is a strategy to connect schools and classrooms to the Internet. It combines community voluntarism, corporate philanthropy and existing school leadership to reduce the costs of computer networking. NetDay was begun in Califnornia in 1995 with the support of the Clinton-Gore adminstration. By November 1996, over forty states had tried NetDay.

Now the NetDay strategy has been employed in Ireland, France, South Africa, China and Australia as well as other countries. This paper will explore how the basic NetDay approach was altered to suit local contexts. In particular I will explore Australian and the American case studies.

CRO98324

The hinge of history. Has the tertiary sector thought through the implications of education in a new age?

Marie Crotty and Judith Zollo, University of South Australia.

Caught up by the imperatives to fulfill a wide range of performance indicators, to teach smarter and to be ever more technologically literate, competent staff and students within the tertiary sector find themselves at the 'hinge of history', as it has been called, that point at which universities, while still connected with the past by tradition and living persons, are swinging in a diametrically new direction. For many within the tertiary sector it is a painful and costly experience. Rather than uncritically embracing the 'new order', consumers and providers of tertiary education are challenged, if not obliged, to seek answers to questions that should have been asked much sooner. It seems imperative that such questions be asked at least now and a Roundtable might be the best place to ask them: Whose voices have actually set the agenda for this style of education and the managerialism that underpins it? Have the issues been adequately debated in order to produce such clear-cut directives? Could it be that technology has been overvalued in the construction of a new cultural ethos for education? Will the new paradigm provide a better 'education' for the new millennium?

CRO98326

The pain of a paradigm shift: Mature female students entering tertiary education

Marie Crotty, University of South Australia

This paper is based on an ethnographic study of a group of mature women students who have recently transited to tertiary education. The study endeavours to interpret what happens to such students and to account for a perceived high level of academic discomfit and anxiety. In general, the outcome shows that women students, particularly if they are mature aged, have been formed by what I have termed a tertiary preparation paradigm. This can be designated as competitive, requiring the attainment of a vocabulary of technical jargon and based on progressive assessment. Once they have entered the tertiary system, they are confronted by what I term a technological paradigm. This is characterised by a stress on information technology, creativity, technical know-how and a new vocabulary of technical jargon. Previously this would have been accommodated by such students as a subset of the tertiary preparation paradigm. Now it confronts them as a full fledged and autonomous paradigm. The need for professional achievement impels students in the cohort under study to adopt the technological paradigm and this results in a number of possibilities. For some there is a complete paradigm shift, for others there is a partial adaption of their tertiary preparation paradigm, for others there is inability to adapt with consequent drop-out.

DAV98148

Explicit teaching in primary classrooms

Christina Davidson, University of New South Wales

Many current approaches to literacy and learning involve the use of explicit teaching. Considerations of explicit teaching in practice suggest that certain characteristics of classroom contexts strongly influence the degree to which it is possible to make things explicit. For example, the nature of student-teacher interaction is crucial and needs to be examined. In seeking to understand how explicitness is achieved, the intention is to present it as problematic. A related concern is to critique claims that pedagogical approaches involving explicit teaching necessarily lead to the empowerment of student. This paper will present the first stage of a wider study which involves the use of conversation analysis to examine the ways in which explicit teaching is accomplished in primary classsrooms.

DEE98277

Learning from Student Perceptions of Teacher Education Programs

Authors: Deer, C.E., Brady, L., Segal, G., Bamford, A.

This paper reports findings from a study conducted at the University of Technology, Sydney which involved evaluating the experiences of a cohort of teacher education students over either the duration or the first three years of their initial teacher education program. Extensive data were collected by questionnaire and interview on eight different occasions, and analysed using a grounded theory approach that yielded thematic constructs. This paper focuses on one of these thematic constructs - the nexus between theory and practice, and specifically on the extent to which students perceive that their academic program content prepares them for their field-based experience or practicum. The findings are reported in terms of the major sub-themes apparent from refining data categories, viz. the realism of teaching, behaviour management, lesson planning, practicum assignments, assessment and evaluation, relationships with teachers, and the role of the tertiary adviser. Such findings have implications for contemporary teacher education programs that seek to realise national standards and guidelines.

DEN98368

Critical theological reflection and Church authority as sources for educational transformation in Catholic Schools

Anthony Densley, University of South Australia

Through their immersion in the media, and by living in a multicultural environment, students in Australian Catholic schools are easily able to appreciate the great range of possible responses to religious values and teaching. In Guidelines and statements intended to give direction to education in, for and about religion in contemporary Catholic schools, there appears a preference for expressions of core content and overall aims that do not adequately address the possibilities for transformative education consonant with the needs of students. Critical contemporary theology is a necessary element in the education of teachers and in the development of religion programs. This paper argues that formal teaching of the Catholic Church, albeit reluctantly and inconsistently, moves towards this approach in ways that are not sufficiently recognized in the public media or in religious education guidelines published for use in Catholic schools.

DIN98063

Construction and Reconstruction of the Health & Physical Education Policy in Queensland

Maree Dinan-Thompson, St Monica's College & James Cook University, Cairns

Educational policy has become a tool with which to administer statements of dictatorial intent. Each policy document displays the obligatory 'allocation of values' (Ball, 1990). This paper gives an account of the political processes involved in the construction and reconstruction of the Health and Physical Education Key Learning Area syllabus-in-development documents, in Queensland. It will examine the textual differences between two draft documents. It will identify vested interests, and the macro and micropolitical machinations underpinning the changes, and also propose implications for teachers in the implementation phase.

DIN98147

Construction and Reconstruction of the Health & Physical Education Policy in Queensland

Maree Dinan-Thompson, St Monica's College and James Cook University

Educational policy has become a tool with which to administer statements of dictatorial intent. Each policy document displays the obligatory 'allocation of values' (Ball, 1990). This paper gives an account of the political processes involved in the construction and reconstruction of the Health and Physical Education Key Learning Area syllabus-in-development documents, in Queensland. It will examine the textual differences between two draft documents. It will identify vested interests, and the macro and micropolitical machinations underpinning the changes, and also propose implications for teachers in the implementation phase.

DOB98144

Practicum research: Is it making a difference?

Rosie Dobbins, University of South Australia

For many years now, change has been advocated for practicum programs in pre-service teacher education, both in Australia and overseas (Zeichner, 1990; Cochran-Smith, 1991; Groundwater-Smith, 1993). Changes have subsequently been made to how practicum programs are structured (ie redefining the rules, roles, responsibilities and relationships for student teachers and teacher educators involved in the practicum) and to the 'culture' of the practicum (ie the shared beliefs, customs, attitudes and expectations). Many of the changes have been based on the last decade of practicum research. It is timely to ask ourselves the question: Is the research making a difference? One of the ways of answering this question is to evaluate the changes made to practicum programs. This involves asking more questions: Are the changes worthwhile? How do we know? Who is benefiting from them?

This paper looks at these questions and argues that if the changes are to lead to 'deep change' (Gore, 1995) rather than superficial change, there must be a reciprocal relationship between 'restructuring' and 'reculturing'. That is, any changes to the way the practicum is structured must be accompanied by cultural change in schools' and universities' values, beliefs, habits, assumptions and ways of doing things. This is particularly challenging, as with new partnerships, new roles, new responsibilities and new expectations, comes many questions and dilemmas. This paper addresses some of these and in so doing, proposes a number of conditions considered necessary for effective practicum reform.

DOW98075

How do teachers talk about their learning?

Carol Hogan, Barry Down and Rod Chadbourne, Edith Cowan University

Managerial models of teacher development are predicated on a view of learning which is curiously at odds with the views of learning that most teachers subscribe to in their own classroom practice. While teachers approach their pedagogy from a perspective that is learner-centred, constructivist and developmental, many appear to accept that their own learning will be pre-packaged, quantified and directed by powerful others. Our study explores this phenomenon through narrative case studies of the ways in which teachers work through, around or against Performance Management in order to create spaces for their own authentic professional learning to occur. We use these teacher narratives as a starting point for considering some ways in which a more critical understanding of teachers' work might be developed.

DUN98003

Breaking New Ground: Emergent literacy skills of young aboriginal children

Myra Dunn, Charles Sturt University

Very little is known about the nature of the early literacy knowledge of Aboriginal children. This paper reports on a longitudinal literacy study conducted in a rural town in New South Wales. The study covers the literacy learning of a group of Aboriginal children from age four to ten - a period of 5 1/2 years. Requested by the Aboriginal community in the town, the study comprehensively surveyed the emergent literacy knowledge of the whole year intake of pre-school children at a local Aboriginal pre-school over a period of 18 months, following the children through to the end of their Kindergarten year at primary school. Four years later, the children's literacy knowledge was once again assessed and the predictive value of the pre-school and Kindergarten tasks was assessed. Of a range of literacy tasks used a number had strong predictive qualities which have implications for intervention processes for teachers and schools. The predictive qualities of these particular tasks also hold true for other international cross-cultural research adding to both teachers and theorists knowledge about cross-cultural aspects of literacy.

The study makes use of both qualitative and quantitative data. Rasch Analysis is used in analysing group information.Individual case studies of the emergent literacy learning of five children are also included. The design of the study is discussed in terms of the relative importance of both qualitative and quantitative methodology in illuminating various aspects of the data.

The results of this study highlight the importance for the classroom of having baseline data about the literacy learning of Aboriginal children in early childhood. The study also has implications for theorising about cross-cultural aspects of literacy learning.

EDM98318

Portia in cyberspace: Asking the right question/s

Sandra Edmonds, Swinburne University of Technology

The image of Shakeperian Portia epitomises the subtlety legal of reasoning. However, a different perspective of the law can also be argued from Skylock's position. It is this process of reasoning and counter-argument which is essential in legal discipline.

The brave new world of multi-media education poses a number of challenges. Delivery models premised on distance-delivery may be well-suited for motivated (full fee paying) students or those who are mature age and/or post-graduate. An Introduction to Commercial Law subject for business (i.e. non-law school) students does not have a student intake which fits these categories. On the contrary, for many students the "open-textured" nature of legal argument is both difficult and puzzling. A philosophy of multi-modal delivery applies at the campus where this subject is to incorporate "on-line" delivery intended to complement "face-to- face" teaching and learning.

While new methods to improve the teaching/learning process are to be welcomed, technology should not drive that process. Pedagogical issues are critical.

The first question is to examine the influence of standard delivery models, available technology and design-tools on law subject delivery "on-line". The second question involves a realistic assessment of both constraints and advantages in using "on-line" components for subject delivery. The third question must address how best to fulfil the learning objectives for a subject and the extent to which "skills-adding" can be achieved "on-line".

Research by the educator who puts these questions first will play a critical role in educational choices.

EDW98006

Tracking Re-visited: old measures for new times.

Brian Edwards, La Trobe University

The focus for this paper is on the use of suspension as a sanction for student misbehaviour. The data is drawn from a case study which examines seven years of a secondary school's use of suspension and compares it with the state-wide data for suspension. Allied to this is a thirteen year study of the school's development of a "Student Management System". The school's suspension rate is similar to the state-wide average.

Suspension operates as a hidden dimension of the school's operation - never publicised and rarely in print. Similarly the annual suspension data published by the Department of Education does not name schools. The school's operation of suspension is swift, documented and often lacks due process. Suspension strategies are known to the students and teachers but rarely others unless the parent(s) of the suspended child heads to the local newspaper for redress.

In the light of this silence it is instructive to reflect on the contribution of the school's discipline procedures to student misbehaviour, alienation, disaffection and marginalisation. The data suggests that tracking and streaming practices starting in Year 7 can result in the inevitable fulfilment of the prophesy made by teachers in Primary school, leading to student suspension and failure to complete secondary education. As a long-standing "insider" as a teacher in the school (20+ years),the author seeks to address through the role of insider/teacher/researcher,the issues related to particular aspects (the 'micro-politics) of the teachers role, ie,the hidden agendas,institutional assumptions, ideological "givens" behind the teachers' use of 'discipline' policy, segregation measures and suspension related to student discipline, which in this study was found to be often arbitrary, ad hoc and reactive.

Finally, it is suggested that student misbehaviour has its origins more in the inappropriate, lock-step curriculum practices of schools than in student/family pathology and that suspension is often a private act of failure by the school.

ELL98126

Should I stay or should I go? Factors affecting attrition and retention in teacher education

Alison Elliott, University of Western Sydney

Student attrition is a major problem in many teacher education programs. This paper reports on a project designed to increase retention rates amongst "vulnerable" students. Vulnerable students were defined as young students who entered a preservice teacher education program through "alternate" entry schemes, such as special schemes for disadvantaged students, or mature age students who entered though similar schemes and had a range of significant family responsibilities.

The results presented here are part of a longitudinal study tracing factors affecting student attrition and retention in teacher education programs. This paper reports on findings from interviews with students who left the program within the first year of study. These students' experiences are compared with those of students who remained in the program. Important in the discussion is an analysis of the effect of participation in support groups designed to provide additional assistance to students considered to be "at risk".

ESS98327

The production of gendered subjectivities in Australian adolescent girls: the case of fathers

Kathy Esson, University of Sydney

This paper presents interpretive material from a longitudinal study of Australian adolescent girls. Through a combination of phenomenological readings of girls' narratives concerning their relationships with their fathers and/or step-fathers, and an analysis of discourses within which these experiences can be situated, a range of gendered influences are proposed. Changes as girls progress through adolescence are also outlined, as are ways in which both fathers and daughters resist and exceed genderising influences.

This work is based on a three year study of adolescent girls in two schools - a private girls' school and a disadvantaged girls' high school. The study used semi-structured one-to-one interviews to explore girls' relationships, decision making, narratives of self, and views about growing up and the future. Small groups of girls were followed, the youngest initially in year six and the oldest in year eleven.

FAZ98117

Academic culture, attitudes and values of leaders, and students' satisfaction with academic culture in Australia's universities

Ahmad Fazaeli, University of Western Sydney

A conceptual framework, based upon attribution of the role of leadership in shaping an academic culture was developed in a research study involving a pilot followed by a comprehensive survey. Subjects were staff and postgraduate students in four disciplines (chemistry, history, mathematics, and psychology) sampled fromof Australia's universities. Multivariate statistical procedures were the principal means of analysis.to explore the relationship among staff's attitudes towards organisational culture, academic culture, and student satisfaction with that academic culture. A number of significant differences will be reported along with varitions for different categories of stsff and disciplines. That is, analysis of the study's data identified factors which distinguished staff reporting different combinations of person-orientred and task-oriented leadership and its relation to staff and student satisfaction with the current culture of the department/faculty. The results emphasise the importance of treating the construct of academic culture as multidimentional and staff as a heterogeneous group.

FEH98175

The Power of Internalised Reflective Knowledge: Influences on Teachers' Judgements of Students' Literacy Development

Heather Fehring, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology

The focus of this paper is a presentation of the results of a research study that investigated the influences on teachers' judgements of student's literacy development. The research design was based on a constructivist paradigm and used qualitative methods of data collection. The study revealed a surprising collection of influences on teachers' decision making considerations. One of the more important influences named by this research is 'Internalised Reflective Knowledge'. The current study identifies a number of components that constitute this concept and in so doing demystifies the concept tacit knowledge. The term 'Internalised Reflective Knowledge' is hypothesised as a more informative descriptor for this influence on teachers' judgement making ability. Understanding the integrated nature of this influence will assist educators, to clarify not only the issues involved in literacy assessment and reporting, but also, to improve the judgement making processes. The paper will give a brief overview of these influences exploring the ramifications for issues such as the preservice and post initial professional training at the tertiary institution, education system and school level. Informed teacher judgement is the key to effective assessment and reporting practices involving students. Literacy assessment is no exception. This important consideration seems all too easily bypassed in the political agenda of accountability.

FER98083

Technology in teacher education: Using multimedia to enhance their experience with technology education

Brian Ferry and Christine Brown, University of Wollongong

This paper reports on the use of a multimedia journal to enhance a subject in technology education. The original multimedia journal made use of a HyperCard¨ shell developed by the lecturers to record the progress made by students. As multimedia construction tools became more automated, the construction process was handed over to students, using HyperStudio¨. The first step in the transition from lecturer to student production was student monitoring of peer progress in a peer tutoring arrangement. The second step, taken this year, was student production of their own reflective electronic journal. Reflective journals have been an essential component of the design and make process. The transition from pen and paper to the multimedia environment could not occur until the cognitive load of the multimedia construction tool was low enough to allow students to focus on the content, rather than the tool. Reflective journals are now more creative records of student progress, which reflect the preservice teachers' experiences with the design, make and appraise processes more accurately. It is argued that multimedia used in this manner complements and extends the teaching program and becomes an integral part of the learning process. Examples of the more recent products by students are be presented and discussed.

FIS98024

The Internet Comes of Age: Effects of secondary science student internet usage on constructivist classroom environments

Darrell Fisher, Dan Churach, Curtin University of Technology

A classical dilemma faces any secondary science teacher: to teach to a standardised exam at the expense of student interest and exploration or to allow for individual discovery and creativity knowing full well that university entrance exam scores may suffer in the interim. The authors hypothesise that Internet usage and online connections in secondary science classroom could prove to have enormous positive impact on partially alleviating this dichotomy. The study included a sample of 431 students in five Hawaii Catholic high schools. These data were collected using a questionnaire, site observations, and student-teacher interviews. The questionnaire consists of an inventory of student Internet usage, a previously validated classroom environment questionnaire, the Constructivist Learning Environment Survey. Site observations were carried out periodically over an academic year, with a high degree of communication between the sample teachers and the primary investigator. Some three dozen students representing all five high schools were interviewed in depth in an attempt to qualitatively clarify the quantitative findings of the total sample. The paper will report on the associations found between student Internet usage, secondary science classroom environment with a special emphasis placed on qualitative findings revealed through observation and interview. One intriguing finding is the almost total acceptance by students of the Internet as an educational resource. Student interview data suggested that this new technology has moved past the innovative stage and into the mainstream of daily educational routine. The authors have found that student attitudes, as well as individual feelings of self-control and personal relevance seem to be enhanced by the use of the Internet, allowing students to construct unique meaning on a personal level.

FIS98267

The development, validation and application of a culturally sensitive learning environment questionnaire

Bruce G. Waldrip, Central Queensland University and Darrell L. Fisher,Curtin University of Technology

The purpose of this study was to develop, validate and use a questionnaire to assess culturally-sensitive factors of science students' learning environments. A measure of culturally-sensitive factors of the learning environment, namely the Cultural Learning Environment Questionnaire (CLEQ), was developed. The instrument, which was influenced by Hofstede's four dimensions of culture (Power-Distance, Uncertainty-Avoidance, Individualism, and Masculinity-Femininity) and past learning environment research, contained seven scales. With a sample of 3000 secondary science students, the reliability of the CLEQ scales ranged from 0.69 to 0.86 and showed acceptable discrimination between the scales as the mean correlation between scales ranged from 0.04 to 0.22. The construct validity of the questionnaire was confirmed through interviews with students which are reported in the paper. Associations between student perceptions of the classroom learning environment as measured by the scales of the CLEQ, attitude to class and achievement of enquiry skills were found. The most consistent predictors of students' attitudes and achievement were Equity, Competition, Deference, Modelling and Congruence.

FIS98269

Learning environments in mathematics classrooms and their associations with students' attitudes and learning

David Rawnsley, Prince Alfred College and Darrell Fisher, Curtin University of Technology

This paper reports links which have been found between particular classroom learning environments, and the development of students' attitudes towards their mathematics and the development of their mathematical knowledge at the Year 9 level. The perceptions of 490 Year 9 students about aspects of their Mathematics classroom learning environments were gathered using two instruments, the What is Happening in this Classroom (WHIC), and the Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction (QTI). Interviews with students were also conducted to gather qualitative data. It was found that students developed more positive attitudes towards their mathematics in classes where the teacher was perceived to be highly supportive, equitable, place a strong emphasis on understanding the work, were involved in investigations, showed leadership, helping-friendly behaviour and minimal admonishment of students. Students showed the greatest cognitive gains in classes where students perceived that the teacher emphasised understanding the work. The least cognitive gains occurred in classes where students perceived that the teacher was dissatisfied, gave them too much freedom and responsibility, and where they were involved in investigations.

FLA98253

Writing in post-graduate coursework - a case for a dynamic model

Rick Flavell, Monash University

Much of the research into student academic writing has centred on problems students encounter and on pedagogical solutions to these problems. This has especially been the case with L2 writers. This paper reports on a study of student writing taken in its social and institutional context. A Master of Business Administration class provided a mix of L2 and L1 writers and the study looked at the lecturer's reading of the students' essays as well as the students writing of the essays. The results suggested that the static model of student writing which is implicit in common perceptions is less generative than an understanding of the process as being dynamic for both lecturer and student.

FIL98304

Educational assessment: Students' perceptions of fairness

Nerilee Flint, University of South Australia

In this initial investigation, focus group interviews were conducted with first year tertiary students to begin to uncover what students' perceptions of fairness in educational assessment might be. This paper will report on the findings of the interviews and highlight a number of key issues that were raised. The issues may have important implications for teaching and student learning if we are to concern ourselves with the broader issue of equity and whether it really matters what our students think.

FOS98289

Gender, schooling achievement and post-school pathways: beyondstatistics and populist discourse

Victoria Foster, University of Wollongong

In a trend common to most western countries, Australia has in recent years experienced an apparent move towards sexual equality in schooling, offering the possibility of a significant change in girls' lived experiences of schooling. This potential, however, has not been realized because both Australian education policy and curriculum development have failed to address the public-private dialectic in social life and in schooling itself, and men's and women's different and asymmetrical relations with that dialectic. This paper develops the notion of the space-between: a heuristic device to analyse and explain girls' experiences of contemporary events in education. In particular, it explains the lack of change in post-school outcomes for girls, the insignificant degree of change in girls' participation in male-dominated curriculum areas, despite their successes in these areas, the endemic nature of sexual harassment and the inequitable use of school resources by girls. The paper also explores implications for the emerging field of civics and citizenship education.

The research being presented here is reported in two 1998 publications: Mackinnon, Prentice and Elgqvist-Saltzmann (Eds), Education into the 21st Century, UK: Falmer Press, which is being launched at the 1998 AARE Conference and Dinham and Scott (Eds), Teaching in Context, ACER.

FRE98168

Ethics in School Leadership: The ethical decision making of school principals

Neil Dempster, Mark Freakley and Lindsay Parry, Griffith University

This paper reports on the results of the first stage of a two year investigation of the ethical decision making of school principals. This stage of the project involved in-depth interviews with 27 school principals in order to explore the following matters: 1.the nature of the ethical problems or dilemmas that principals face; 2. the ways in which they understand these problems; 3. the way they attempt to address these problems; and 4. their thinking about what professional development could offer to help improve ethical decision making. Some comments will be made about how the results of stage 1 will inform the next stage of the project involving a survey of all non-teaching, government school principals in Queensland.

FRI98329

Indigenous primary school students developing English literacy skills.

Tracey Frigo and P Hughes, ACER

There is a need in all states and territories for programs and strategies which enhance the opportunities for English literacy development among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. This paper reports on the literacy programs and teaching strategies used in twelve primary schools where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students performed better on average than other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students on literacy tasks devised for a national literacy survey. Some of the features of their programs included: an appreciation of Aboriginal English as a language in its own right;an awareness of the ways in which Aboriginal students best learn; the adoption of strategies to deal with students who suffered hearing loss as a result of otitis media; the use of homework centres;strategies for dealing with the effect of absenteeism on literacy learning; and, the involvement of Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander Education Workers.

GAR98008

Advanced paper discussion proposal: Deconstruction, Research and Organisational Learning

John Garrick and Carl Rhodes, University of Technology, Sydney

In this paper, we make a case for the use of deconstruction to inform research into organisational learning. We offer a critique of existing methodological constructions of organisations as learning systems and challenge the knowledge assumptions on which the development and conceptualisation of learning organisations often rests. We also critique much of the research in organisational learning as it is frequently legitimated through the progress myth that learning will lead to commercial success, and that commercial success will lead to social progress.

We highlight a number of possible ways that the textual practice of deconstruction can contribute to a meta-theoretical framework for theorising and researching organisational learning. In doing so we stress that as an approach deconstruction is not reducible to a set of techniques that can be systematically applied. As such there are significant concerns that it will not count in contemporary research recognition frameworks (eg research quantums and funding formulae).

Our perspective on researching organisational learning is presented as a way of thinking about organisations. Our contention is that significant potential is being ignored (or shut down) in research into organisational learning by its neglect of hidden epistemological assumptions which are further obscured by managerialist research agendas which search for instrumental techniques to re-address people as knowledge workers. Knowledge generated through research at this postmodern moment appears to be prized in so far as it can generate a market advantage, and can be measured by observable competencies, and numerically and financially based performance indicators. We conclude by attempting to open up new and radical avenues for research through a deconstruction of deconstruction.

GAR98346

Movement, masculinity and physical education in the lives of professional male dancers

Michael Gard, Charles Sturt University

Recent research into the gendered nature of dominant physical education discourses and practices within schools and universities indicates that it is the talents and aspirations of female students that are most at risk of being silenced and marginalised. The privileging of movement experiences that conform to masculinised understandings of the body, sport and knowle