2002 again is shaping up to be an interesting if not difficult year for educational researchers. What seems to be central to a number of issues confronting educational researchers and organisations such as AARE is their role in a knowledge based society. On the one hand there is a proliferation of new knowledges, data bases, institutional formations, partnership based relationships and modes of communication that are now challenging the role of universities as the primary determiners of what counts as valued knowledge, and how it is produced, disseminated and legitimated.
Faculties of Education are questioning, as was evident at the conference Challenging Futures on teacher education at the University of New England in February, new teacher professionalism for a knowledge based economy. Most faculties are reviewing their teacher education programs which are now expanding, although not to the extent required to meet the demand for new teachers, with recognition that there is a need to attract larger and more diverse cohorts into the profession. At the same time, this expansion is often without a proportionate increase of teacher educators, again putting many education faculties in the forefront Australia wide in terms of ever rising teacher-student ratios (some as high as 1:35) both relative to other faculties within universities. This intensification of labour has significant implications for educational research as the balancing act between teaching and research is increasingly weighted towards teaching and not research.
As President, I attended the National Education Forum in Canberra in April. The NEF represents a wide range of professional organizations in education-including the subject associations, parent organisations, and research associations, such as AARE and the Australian Council of Deans.
Of interest to us as an association of educational researchers was the presentation by Tony Greer, the First Assistant Secretary, Schools Division of DEST. He presented us with a Charter from DEST and the new Head, Dr Peter Shergold, 'Open for Business' that stated:
'For DEST to function well it requires us to have an unambiguous relationship with key external stakeholders: with relevant advocacy bodies, professional associations, and community groups as well as organisations that deliver Government programmes under contract'. Amongst the commitments to achieve this end were to
Communication is possible to DEST through stakeholderviews@DEST.gov.au.
Such a Charter is highly welcome amongst educational researchers, particularly given the notion that we can inform the government's policy agenda through our research. The issue for us as educational researchers is the status given to educational research as one 'stakeholder view'.
The NEF is increasingly aware of its role as a peak educational organization representing a range of diverse views, and it has put this issue on the agenda for the next meeting in Sydney on 29 June. The NEF will be meeting with the Minister, Dr Brendan Nelson, at a dinner on the 28 June to discuss a range of factors impacting on teaching as a profession, including the trend to professional standards eg MCEETYA Working Party and what this means for a strong professional voice in policy around teaching and teacher education.
At the same time, the Minister of Education has launched a discussion paper 'Higher Education at the Crossroads' and invited submissions in a wide ranging consultative process. The paper is available at http://www.dest.gov.au/crossroads/pubs.htm#overview
It is the first of a number of discussion papers that will address the question of the role of universities in a knowledge based economy. Interestingly, while the issue is about the role of the university, the concerns foregrounded here are largely financial. The Minister in his preface raises a number of questions regarding specialisation by universities, intellectual property and commercialisation, the role of private sector investment in universities, and a concern about Australian universities not being amongst the top 50 universities globally. There was some small comfort in his comment that 'in considering reform, consideration must be given to the critical importance of humanities, social sciences, languages, fine arts, literature and philosophy. These areas do not find it easy to source non-government funding although they play a key role in moulding our values, beliefs, the way we relate to one another and see our place in the world'(pp v-vi). Education, a truly interdisciplinary and therefore one could argue a 'thoroughly postmodern field of research and practice central to a knowledge based society', is not mentioned in what is a traditional disciplinary based view of the world.
It is therefore timely, in the light of the above, for AARE to be proactive in informing policy about the future of educational research in Australia. The highly successful Research Leaders in Education Forum held in June 2001 is to be repeated on June 14 2002, again hosted by the Faculty of Education at the University of Canberra. While Dr Brendan Nelson was unable to attend, Dr Peter Shergold, the new Head of DEST will open the discussion, a key issue being the Higher Education Review. Dr Carol Nicoll, a member of the secretariat of the Higher Education Review will then run a workshop on the HER where issues can be raised by the participants. In the afternoon, Dr Doug McEachern, Manager of the ARC Panel on Social, Behavioural and Economic Sciences will present, again timely given that the latest rounds of Discovery grants are now out for review and the first round of Linkage applications submitted. Some of pertinent data arising out of the previous Research Leaders in Education Forum in 2001 for educators included :
We are hoping that this Forum will inform the AARE submission to the Higher Education Review to be submitted by 28 June and invite other educational organizations, faculties and researchers to submit to the Review. Current trends in research priority setting and research training funding are already highly unfavourable to many education faculties as argued in the previous newsletter.
For details of the Research Leaders in Education Forum, University of Canberra, 14 June, contact Deb Cunningham, AARE secretary at DebraC@btr.qld.edu.au.
Other matters of concern to AARE members arises out of the role of professional associations in knowledge based societies in terms of publication and intellectual property. One question raised in the last Australian Educational Researcher is about the future mode of publication of the journal-whether to go online fully, partially or not at all, and the implications of that for both the continuing strong membership base of the organization as well as for the wider dissemination and status of the journal. These are issues that are confronting all publishers, libraries and editors, as the tension between freedom of access to information has to be weighed up against the survival of individual organizations and the increased concentration of control over publication in the USA. We would like to have significant input from the membership as the decision will be made in December by the AARE membership at the AGM. Please access documents on the AARE website and be prepared to come informed for the Annual Conference. An associated issue under consideration that has arisen from the new DEST research regime that determines 'what counts' as a publication is the future of the RARE publications that have in the past produced the history of the association and the extremely popular ethics in educational research publication.
Finally, conference arrangements for the Brisbane conference are well underway, as are those for the Joint Conference with the New Zealand Association for Research In Education. Be prepared, as you may be asked to referee a paper to assist the conference organisers. Also, if you are wishing to start a new SIG, contact Jennifer Sumsion on the executive.
These are important issues that will direct the future of AARE in the next decade. We welcome any feedback to the executive and to myself
Jill Blackmore (Dr)
Associate Professor, Faculty of Education, Deakin University
President, Australian Association of Research in Education.
The Special Interest Groups (SIGS) are continuing to go from strength to strength. Below is a selection from SIG activities. If you'd like more information about the SIGS, please contact Jennifer Sumsion (jennifer.sumsion@mq.edu.au ).
As last year's AARE conference papers indicated, research in gender now extends well beyond issues of girls, women, equity and affirmative action in pedagogy, education and schooling. As it is currently theorised and researched gender reaches into questions of masculinities, femininities, sexualities, homophobia and heteronormativity while it maintains its research traditions in areas such as women in the higher education sector and social justice. While being crucial to the emerging and burgeoning interest IN and research into gender, it seemed that the Women's SIG no longer reflected the complex and diverse ways that gender, and increasingly sexualities, are part of educational research. In response to shifting understanding and emerging theory, a SIG meeting at AARE 2001 revamped the Women's SIG renaming it Gender and Sexualities.
The new Gender and Sexualities SIG is now actively seeking to develop a strand within the AARE conference that brings together the cutting edge research of AARE members and conference delegates. The SIG meeting included representatives from diverse disciplinary fields (psychology, sociology of education, ethnography, queer theory, cultural studies, religion) inside the primary, secondary and tertiary sector. The new SIG wants to promote this inter and multidisciplinary approach, to foster the fertilisation of ideas and emerging theory through energetic debates across fields, disciplines, sectors and theories. As part of this project, SIG members are preparing a symposium proposal for the 2002 conference entitled 'Performative possibilities: educational research in/and the promise of uncertainty' which will explore the contribution made to education research by the work of Judith Butler.
We are actively inviting any AARE member and conference delegate whose work includes gender and sexualities to consider registering their paper in a Gender & Sexualities strand. If you are interested in doing this, or would like to know more about the Performative Possibilities symposium, please email Deborah Youdell at Deborah.Youdell@mq.edu.au so that we can develop this idea further with the conference organisers.
Aims:
The Motivation and Learning SIG provides a forum for researchers in the area of educational psychology to discuss their research in an ongoing and informal manner, and to provide a focus for researchers in the educational psychology area, particularly in Australia.
There is a clear need for a 'focus' for researchers particularly in Australia interested in motivation and learning. AARE, being the foremost educational association in Australia, provides the structure for such an Australia-wide group. At present, motivation and learning focused researchers do not have a cohesive nor obvious presence within the organisation. This limits (a) networking possibilities among like-minded researchers, (b) a conference program structure highlighting these researchers' work, and (c) publicity for projects or events likely to be of interest to such a group.
Research interests:
Research on motivation and learning using a range of research methodologies (quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods).
| Focal motivation areas include: - self-concept - self-efficacy - interest - goal theory - attribution theory - anxiety - cooperative and collaborative learning |
Focal learning areas include: - situated cognition - metacognition - self-regulation - conceptual change - problem solving - creativity - critical thinking |
Also interrelationships between motivation and learning
Proposed Activities:
Immediate initiatives include an e-mail list and annual symposium at the AARE conference. Please email Judy MacCallum or Helen Watt if you wish to be included on our email contact list. Future goals target collaborative research projects and mini-conferences.
Convenors:
Judy MacCallum and Helen Watt
The SIG entitled "Distributed Learning Environments and Multicultural Issues" plans to hold a Symposium at the AARE2002 conference. Your submissions should be relevant to the theme of the SIG. Send your abstracts (200 words max) to Dr. Madhumita Bhattacharya ( mitab@nie.edu.sg ) by May 25, 2002. Abstract for fully refereed papers should indicate the same while submitting, please type "Abstract for full paper refereeing" at the top of the proposal if you wish to have the full paper refereed. AARE administrative fees for review of fully refereed paper applies.
At least six early childhood symposia are planned for the Brisbane conference. They cover an exciting and diverse range of research interests. As well, many individual papers are anticipated. In fact, the interest in research associated with early childhood has been so strong that the Conference Committee has agreed to hand over the programming of the early childhood strand of the conference to the SIG. If you have any thoughts about how you would like the early childhood strand to run, or if you would like to be added to the early childhood SIG email list, please contact
Jennifer Sumsion (jennifer.sumsion@mq.edu.au).
IMPORTANT NOTICE: ALL PRESENTATIONS WITHIN SYMPOSIA OR SIGS MUST BE NOTIFIED TO AARE OFFICE FOR INCLUSION IN THE CONFERENCE PROGRAM AND ABSTRACT BOOK.
Following my request for stories of encounters between researchers and ethics committees, I received an article from a member detailing some of the problems he had encountered in undertaking research about child protection education. After many months of discussion with the University ethics committee he was required to modify the proposed research methodology in line with the committee's recommendations. While the study did constitute an important evaluation of an educational intervention in a sensitive area, the researcher felt that his integrity as a researcher was potentially compromised. The fact that he had been required to apply modifications appeared to have affected the number of respondents, a feature which had evident implications for the quality of the research. The moral of this story is that ethical considerations can have a two way effect and that the line between the protection from harm for both researcher and participants is often not the shortest distance between two points.
Membership of University Ethics Committees is also a variable feast. Membership is not clearly specified on all University web sites and the following comment relates to the ones that are. Not all Universities have the same requirements and for several the non-academic members are more clearly specified than the academic members. At some for example it is required that there be at least one minister of religion and at least one medical practitioner, whereas the number of academic members is left non specific.
Following last Newsletter's question: No, an ethics committee cannot require the researcher to declare personal information about her/himself such as sexual preference, religious affiliation etc.
How can your association help you with issues around ethics clearances? I look forward to your thoughts!
Judith Gill
Associate professor in Education
University of South Australia
Judith.gill@unisa.edu.au
At the Annual Meeting in Brisbane the Postgraduate and Early Career Researcher Special Interest Group will hold it's first meeting. At this meeting we propose To improve the interaction between and amongst post-graduate students and early career researcher members of AARE --
Matters needing discussion and possible decision include postgraduate student travel awards, election of postgraduate student representation to AARE Executive and other matters raised by postgraduate and early career researcher student members. The Deakin Students Association has kindly donated $200 towards the cost of this meeting that will include a cocktail party.
We have posted a Draft Strategic Plan on the AARE web site. This Strategic Plan is an action plan for what we as postgraduate student representatives on AARE Executive hope to achieve during the year. Postgraduate and early career researchers wishing to become involved in any of these actions should contact.
Jan Edwards email: edwjk001@students.unisa.edu.au or John Cripps Clark email: jcc@deakin.edu.au
Should the AER go on-line?
We asked you this question in the Editorial of the April issue of the journal where we also mentioned the enormous amount of information and debate on the matter of scholarly publishing on line. We also raised the question about how to keep knowledge in the public domain. We think you will be particularly interested in the website we provide at the end of this brief statement. It is for the Public Knowledge Project, which is conducted at the University of British Columbia and is headed up by John Willinsky, Professor of Literacy Technology. This is a superb site which explains the Project's purposes and research programs, provides its publications and also offers demos and downloads, prototype websites and lists of related resources. This is an excellent place to start if you wish to become acquainted with the debates.
Jane Kenway and Pat Thomson, UniSA.
http://pkp.ubc.ca/about/index.html
Lately, I have given a lot of thought to the construction of research agendas in education, along with students, colleagues, and as 'one of the crowd' at Faculty and University seminars; the latter specifically organised to frame the agenda for a new university-wide research institute. In particular, I have mulled over the construction of robust research questions, what these look like from different theoretical and methodological perspectives and how they might help to deliver research outcomes that are worthwhile, however that might be defined. The questions seem endless and there is no doubt that there is an element of creativity in their construction.
For my part, I am happy enough with that. I do not subscribe to complete rationality in the formation of what needs to be researched, to add a further piece to 'the' picture of education. Others, however, seem less comfortable with knowledge production versus its discovery. As I do, they want to see conviction on what is worth doing and at least deserve explicit accounts by and on how others frame their research and what is on their agenda. The abstracts below are helpful material in thinking through these issues. Most authors are clear about what they wanted to research and how they went about doing it, and can also be read for the theoretical and methodological dispositions that informed these choices. In this sense they are useful sites, along with the abstracts appearing in previous editions, for exploring such issues.
But they should also be considered worthwhile with respect to their own intentions. Half of the theses highlighted in this number of AARE News advance our understandings in the field of early childhood education. Two of the six are concerned with students' literacy development, particularly that of second language learners. At least three are informed by socio-cultural understandings of education. And two are (more or less) concerned with schooling's 'structuration'. All authors make valuable contributions to education in these fields and I encourage them to pursue opportunities to publish their research widely.
A quick word about submissions to this column. Please continue to submit them to me at Trevor.Gale@education.monash.edu.au However, submissions can only be accepted if they meet the following conditions:
I continue to be contacted by people interested in the research highlighted in the column. This is a testament to the good research currently being undertaken by education researchers in Australia. Again, there is something for everyone to enjoy in this issue's collection.
Dr Anthony Chittenden (EdD), Griffith University, Perceptions of structural and organisational change in pastoral care in an Independent School in Queensland.
In an age of restructuring and change in schools, pastoral care is one of those intangible elements considered an integral part of a school's culture. In establishing discrete Middle and Senior Schools, schools are concerned with the development of a caring environment as a direct aid in improving a student's academic achievement. Decisions based on consultation and communication are clearly important to the relationship between pastoral care and the existence of ethical leadership. This case study of a secondary school's changing pastoral structures, organisation and process presents a brief overview of the current pastoral structure, its meaning and significance in the school's organisation. This is augmented with an analysis of Starratt's model of ethical leadership, pastoral care and change research. Qualitative and quantitative methods were employed to gather data by means of concept mapping, questionnaire and interviews. Perceptions of teachers, Middle and Senior Managers were sought as a consequence of an Independent school's structural change in pastoral care. The major learnings which may be helpful to other schools include information on the restructuring of roles, the rationale for pastoral care processes, accompanied by the clear determination and awareness of the multiplicity of meanings of pastoral care and the allocation of resources (time, money, people, professional development, remuneration, career paths, program). The division of secondary school pastoral care into Middle and Senior School structures punctuates the need for collaborative and ethical decision-making in which teachers, Middle and Senior Managers work co-operatively to embrace and implement the aims of a school. This highlights the significant need for a combination of top-down and bottom-up decision-making processes.
Dr Wendy Cumming-Potvin (PhD), The University of Queensland, A socio-cultural analysis of language learning and identity transformation during a teaching experiment with primary school students.
The thesis examined the literacy learning of three case study Year 4 students as they participated in a teaching experiment designed to introduce a Language Other Than English (LOTE) and to extend engagement in diverse cultural activities. Students' participation was analysed from a socio-cultural perspective (Bakhtin, 1981, 1984, 1986; Rogoff, 1990; Vygotsky, 1978, 1986), which was situated within a critical organisational framework (Allaire & Firsimoto, 1988; Cummins, 1996). Over a six-month period, the researcher alternated between the role of interventionist and observer to implement a Language and Culture Awareness Program that aimed to sensitise students to diversity in language and culture, and to relate LOTE learning to other content areas of the primary school curriculum. Whilst the program focused on teaching French as a LOTE language through bilingual shared story experiences, activities involving English, Danish and Dutch were also planned, to take advantage of the students' own heritage and resources. As a classroom observer, the researcher gathered data from multiple sources, such as direct observations, semi-structured interviews, questionnaires, and videotapes. To consider the complex interplay of factors, analysis of key policy documents was also conducted to provide an insight into the guiding cultural framework for LOTE in Australian schools. Results indicated that as case study students appropriated LOTE linguistic knowledge with diverse partners in a range of settings, they explored an emerging membership of diverse cultural and linguistic groups. This membership resulted in varying degrees of identity transformation, which is linked to a phenomenon that has been termed 'multi-tiered scaffolding' in the thesis. On a broader level, these results demonstrate the interplay between linguistic achievement in second language learning and students' development in a community organisation of culture. These findings support the necessity of actively encouraging socio-cultural and linguistic diversity through policies that integrate LOTE programs into the mainstream curriculum. This integration should consider the multiple levels of schools' culture, such as: perceptions held by actors, structural organization and values promoted through official policies.
Dr Helen Kowalski (PhD), University of Wollongong, Toddlers' Emerging Symbolic Play: The Influence of Peers in the Day-Care Context.
This research was to understand some of the influences, on the development of symbolic play in children aged from 18 to 30 months. It was hypothesised that toddlers who engaged in free play with older peers would exhibit symbolic-play activity more frequently and at enhanced levels than when engaged in free play with their same-age peers. Data collection comprised of three, ten-minute observations of the participant at play in: same-age outdoor free play, mixed-age outdoor free play with preschool-aged peers, and dyad free play. In the dyad condition, the participant was paired with a familiar and 'self-chosen' older peer. Video-taped segments were rated every 30 seconds for the frequency and level of symbolic play in each of the four dimensions ('decontextualisation', 'thematic content', 'organisation of themes', and self-other relationships') identified by Westby (1991). The parents of the toddler participants completed questionnaires providing information regarding: children's activities and interests; parental expectations of their child's developmental outcomes, and the socio-economic status of the family. Questionnaires completed by LDCCC staff members indicated the value they placed upon play and other components of the program; and the level of training and qualifications achieved in Early-Childhood Education by the respondent. Results showed that toddlers engaged in free play in the dyad condition (Condition Three) displayed symbolic play more frequently and at higher, more complex levels than when engaged in same-age play or mixed-age play. A sibling effect was also found: toddlers who were 'first-borns' engaged in symbolic play more frequently and at higher, more complex levels in mixed-age play (Condition Two) than in either of the other two conditions. It is suggested that older peers when engaged with younger toddler-aged children assume the role of the 'more-skilled other' (Vygotsky, 1987) providing 'guided participation' (Rogoff, 1990) for the toddler operating in their zone of proximal development.
Dr Timothy Loreman (PhD), Monash University, Secondary school inclusion for students with moderate to severe disabilities in Victoria, Australia.
Inclusion involves students with disabilities learning with their peers in regular schools that adapt and change the way they work in order to meet the needs of all students. This research set out to examine the practice of inclusion for students with moderate to severe disabilities attending regular secondary schools throughout Victoria. This mixed-methodology study involved six qualitative student case studies and a widely distributed quantitative teacher questionnaire. Eight themes were identified which included: parent involvement; academics and curriculum; social difficulties; funding and resources; school ethos and attitudes; teacher issues; aide issues; and student personality. Solutions to some of the identified problems, in part, pointed towards changing the role of school 'integration teachers' in order to facilitate better training for teachers in addressing the needs of students with moderate to severe disabilities within an inclusive school framework.
Dr Reesa Sorin (PhD), University of Wollongong, Responding to the Fears of Early Childhood: An investigation of perception and practice in emotion education.
The study investigated basic emotions, in particular the emotion of fear, as they are reported to be experienced by preschool children, and how fear is responded to by parents and caregivers. Qualitative in design, it used a variety of tools, including: Parents' Surveys, Caregivers' Surveys, Focal Group Interviews and observations and reflections by the researcher. Data were collected over a six-month period from four early childhood settings: a long day care centre, an independent preschool, a preschool attached to a school and a Multifunctional Aboriginal Children's Service. Total participants included forty-five children aged between 3 and 5 years old, forty-six parents and twenty-one caregivers. Eight basic emotions were reported as present in preschool children, however reports of fears varied greatly between parents, caregivers and the children themselves. Not all of the methods used by parents and caregivers to respond to fear were reported as effective: some even seemed to invalidate the emotion. A discrepancy between parents' reports of their own responses to fear and of caregivers' responses was noted, even though many parents reported similarities in parental and caregivers' approaches. While caregivers were often reported to be "extensions" of parents in their responses to fear, some caregivers reported implementing teaching and planning strategies in addressing fear. Most participants seemed to view fear as "negative" and in need of eradication. The literature, however, suggests that it is important to understand all emotions and to be able to express them in ways that are both individually and socially acceptable. This means a shift in social/pedagogical thinking to a more "emotion-based" curriculum, supportive of emotion understanding and expression.
Dr Jennifer Taylor (PhD), Macquarie University, Okaasan yometa! Literacy in two languages: A study of the literacy experiences of Japanese children in early childhood settings in Sydney.
This dissertation reports a study of the literacy experiences of ten Japanese children in their homes and early childhood classrooms (prior-to-school and first year of school) in Sydney, Australia. The specific purpose of this study was to investigate the types of literacy experiences made available to these children, whether these experiences were supportive of biliteracy development, and whether the Japanese children took up these experiences. Much previous research on children's literacy-related play has focused on English literacy development. Where ways to support literacy in languages other than English (LOTE) have been explored, researchers have often investigated bilingual programmes. In Australia, however, many early childhood programmes cater for children from a wide range of linguistic and cultural backgrounds, making bilingual programmes impractical. This study investigates how Japanese children's literacy development in both English and Japanese was (or was not) supported in mainstream classrooms in Australia. I have also explored alternative forms of representing the ontological and epistemological bases of research in this dissertation, and I have drawn on rational, as well as intuitive and somatic knowing in an attempt to approach the meaning-making process of research in a holistic manner. This holistic approach influenced both data generation and analysis. I see data not as material to be collected, but rather as being generated within the relationship between researcher and researched. I define data analysis in this study as a process of coming to know not only rationally, but also emotionally and somatically. The data in this study consist predominantly of video and audio tapes of children's literacy-related play, woven together with photographs of and artifacts from the children's play, field notes and reflective journal entries, and interviews with teachers and parents. I have grouped these materials into three broad categories: literacy in free play, in group story time, and at home. The findings of this study highlight the need for mainstream support of LOTE literacy. Teachers identified, however, three key factors that hindered their ability to support biliteracy: lack of time, funding and bilingual staff. The dissertation concludes with a discussion of some possible ways to address these issues.
AARE 2002 Conference has another exceptional education research conference building up. Proposals for presentations are increasing as the extended closing date for abstracts approaches. At the time of writing we have 300 abstracts [expect 600] with a higher than usual number opting for full paper refereeing. Several SIGs have been organized and eleven symposia are so far listed [expect 20]. Eight full papers have been sent for full paper refereeing so that process has started [expect 300]. Eight registrations have been paid as well as some refereeing fees [expect 700].
Current status information and details of the conference are published in the AARE BROADCAST messages. [To get on the list contact pjeff@aare.edu.au ] Also details of all aspects are documented on AARE website www.aare.edu.au See Frequently Asked Questions as well as the Conference 2002 section.
See insert with this AARE NEWS or contact Ozaccom +61 7 3854 1611
Now available at the discount early bird rate on-line. This is "as safe as a bank" for secure transactions.
Peter Renshaw (Convenor)
Tania Aspland (Ozaccom liaison)
Di Mayer (Teachers'Day)
Sue Grieshaber (Dinner and Welcome Reception)
Sue Thomas
Bill Atweh
Maree Dinan
Debra Cunningham (Sec/Treasurer)
Peter Jeffery
Sally Brown (UQ liaison)
The traditional conference dinner will be held on the Wednesday evening of the conference (4 December 2002). The venue is the very attractive Club House at the St Lucia Golf Links, not far from the University. The cost is $75 per head, which includes drinks and nibbles on arrival, 3 course meal (entree, main course, dessert), coffee and all drinks (juice, beer, wine), dancing and entertainment. Vegetarian options are available on all courses. Coach transport from the conference venue to the dinner venue will be provided.
The venue has a limited capacity, so be sure to book early.
Graced with classical colonial style and picturesque surroundings, The Club House offers an idyllic setting for any occasion. Beautifully restored, the charm of the 1920's club that it once was has been captured in the building, like the standing of time. It provides the elegant ambience of a country style homestead overlooking the rolling fairways and greens of Brisbane's best public golf course. White weatherboard walls, timber floors and expansive outdoor areas are perfectly matched to the simple elegance of the menus and service provided for any style of event.
In Fremantle [2001] we went to dinner in jail. What a contrast for Brisbane 2002! Colonial elegance with beautiful surroundings but supported by all modern facilities and cuisine. Book now using the on-line registration form for the conference.
Last year at Fremantle we had delegates from South Africa, Taiwan, China, Japan, New Zealand, Thailand, Singapore, USA, Canada, Brunei, United Arab Emirates, UK, Malaysia, Estonia, Indonesia, Finland, and Denmark. Total 157.
From Australia we had
| ACT | 6 |
| NSW | 118 |
| NT | 2 |
| VIC | 118 |
| QLD | 47 |
| SA | 40 |
| WA | 171 |
| TAS | 12 |
| Total | 514 |
Wednesday 4 December has been designated as Teachers' Day, a day when we aim to have sessions presented by, and of particular interest to, teachers in schools.
The conference organising committee is seeking the support of all members and all academics in publicising this day with teacher colleagues. Of course, teachers are invited for the whole conference but we aim to provide topics of particular interest for them on Wednesday. We are offering symposia and roundtables as well as paper presentations.
To this end, we invite:
The pre-conference workshop is free to participants but you must register on-line.
A light lunch and coffee will also be provided by the Association.
This workshop builds on the one on Writing for Publication conducted at the Fremantle conference in 2001. Over 100 Doctoral candidates and early career researchers attended and we look forward to a similarly strong attendance at this event also.
In next AARE NEWS the names of the presenters will be announced.
The following documents are available on a first come basis. Send an email with the subject FREEBIES to pjeff@aare.edu.au to ask for the one you want. Note: the books advised in the last issue this way went by the following afternoon. You must be quick to respond for these things. Quote the number on the left in the list below as well as title for fail-safe accuracy in the despatch department [me].
Deciding the length of a paper is an academic maturity test for intending presenters and is related inextricably with the topic being treated. The issue is how many words does it take to write "a" manageable chunk or piece of work. Precedence could be taken from the discipline imposed by journal articles, shorter rather than longer. A good rule of thumb is about 15 pages maybe 20 pages limit, including references, in 11 point type on A4 paper. THAT'S ABOUT 7000 WORDS. We can expect some longer or shorter papers because some research studies are larger than others and some people are "tight" writers and others rather more verbose. It is necessary for us to consider our readers as well as our subject and the media of presentation and documentation. For practical space consideration, in previous years we have had no word limit because basically, the Internet publishing method we use requires none. We also let individuals decide how much actual printed or photocopied paper they want to carry.
Nomination by authors at the abstract submission stage as to whether their abstract relates to a paper for full paper refereeing or not, is helpful to the organizers but it is not binding on an author. AARE Executive has ruled that if an author submits a paper for full paper refereeing and it fails in that process. [That is, the paper attracts two NO assessments out of 3 referees and another NO from a panel of review] then that paper may not be presented at the conference. An author who nominates at abstract stage to submit a paper for full paper refereeing but then fails to do so in time for the full paper refereeing process, may present the paper if it is acceptable on the basis of abstract in the abstract only refereeing process. There are two points at which authors can withdraw their papers without damaging the conference or their reputation - before publication of the abstracts on the WWW or before preparation of pages for publication in the printed Abstract Book.
Please hand your disk and 2 hard copies fully labelled with PAPERCODE & NAME to: Ruth Jeffery [or her representative] at AARE Office Services Desk or Conference Registration Desk. Please label your work with your PAPERCODE & NAME. The required file format for submission is a MS Word document with all diagrams and figures embedded.
30th May [previously 30 April] -Abstracts of all proposals due by email. Include all details required.
25th May - all papers for full refereeing due by attachment to email.
30th June - last date by which AARE Office will notify all acceptances.
16th July - last date for notification of refereed papers results [if completed by referees].
31st August - early-bird registration rate closes.
31st October - last day for withdrawals without penalty.
Free to members registered for that conference. Only $12 each including GST and postage for AARE members. Copies for your university library or friends and colleagues overseas only $25 each including GST and postage. Send orders to AARE Office, Box 71 Coldstream 3770, Victoria, Australia.
The Australian Association for Research in Education is convening a Forum for Research Leaders in Education in Canberra on Friday 14 June 2002. Deans, research directors, directors of postgraduate research and other interested educational researchers are invited to attend.
The previous Forum, held in 2001, was highly successful. Participants met with the new Higher Education Policy Director in DETYA, Dr Carol Nicoll, and the Manager of the ARC Panel for Social, Behavioural and Economic Sciences which looks after most education ARC applications, Professor Doug McEachern. Those who attended (over 25 education faculties were represented) found it informative and also a time when issues could be raised with policy makers and administrators of research. Participants in the conference suggested that it should be repeated. We have felt that this year with a new Minister and a Review of Higher Education it is important that we do so.
AARE is intending to submit to the Higher Education Review by the due date of June 28 and this Forum will inform that submission.
The Forum will be held at the University of Canberra, hosted by the Faculty of Education and Dr Joan Livermore. We will notify intending participants of exact details of the venue closer to the date.
The tentative program is as follows:
| 8.30-9.00 | Registration |
| 9.00-10.00 | Introductions and initial discussion |
| 10.00-10.45 | Presentation by Dr Peter Shergold, Head, Department of Education, Science and Training |
| 10.45-11.00 | Tea/coffee break |
| 11.00-12.30 | Workshop led by Dr Carol Nicoll, Executive Officer, Higher Education Review, DEST |
| 12.30-1.30 Lunch | |
| 1.30-3.00 | Presentation by Dr Doug McEachern, Australian Research Council |
| 3.00-5.00 | Workshop and plenary: 'The role of educational research in a knowledge-based society' |
This is an important opportunity and highly timely for these key policymakers to be informed of the position of educational researchers regarding the future of universities in Australia. The workshop will seek to both inform the debate and consolidate our own understandings as to the future of educational research in Australia.
We will book a restaurant for dinner on the Thursday for those who come in the previous evening. Travel and accommodation arrangements will be left up to individual participants.
RSVP: If planning to attend, please advise AARE Hon Secretary Debra Cunningham (ph 07 3377 4736, email DebraC@btr.qld.edu.au ) by Thursday 6 June of name, position and institution, and whether attending the dinner on Thursday night.