Changing relationships between children's moral reasoning for inclusion and epistemic beliefs in early years primary school classrooms. This project examines how children's beliefs about knowledge influence their reasoning about moral values and how these change as they progress through the early years of school. This study will generate new knowledge about how to promote effective moral education for promote cohesive, inclusive societies.
A cross-national study of the relative impact of an oral component on PhD examination quality, language and practice. High quality doctoral degrees call for the most effective forms of assessment. This project investigates the role of oral examination in PhD assessment, common internationally but not in Australia, and is the first to compare the relative impact of oral and 'no oral' models on examination quality, language and practice.
Research capacity-building: the development of Australian PhD programs in national and emerging global contexts. PhD programs in universities are the principal means by which new researchers are prepared for work in the knowledge economy. This project develops a comprehensive coded database of every PhD awarded in Australia since the first programs in the 1940s. It the will study fourteen different PhD programs that have developed during this period in four universities. The project focuses on ....Research capacity-building: the development of Australian PhD programs in national and emerging global contexts. PhD programs in universities are the principal means by which new researchers are prepared for work in the knowledge economy. This project develops a comprehensive coded database of every PhD awarded in Australia since the first programs in the 1940s. It the will study fourteen different PhD programs that have developed during this period in four universities. The project focuses on how these programs develop research capacity within disciplines and how these are related to the changing social, cultural and economic needs of Australia. The project will assist in planning future PhD programs and research capacity development.Read moreRead less
Assessing new learning spaces: learning, governance and outcomes. Supporting learning amongst 'at risk' individuals is an urgent global challenge, given changes in work and society. New learning spaces are emerging in response. They target the 30% of Australians not served by traditional education and training. New learning spaces are based in social partnerships. They offer distinctive learning relationships, and scope for localised governance and decision-making. They promise enhanced life cha ....Assessing new learning spaces: learning, governance and outcomes. Supporting learning amongst 'at risk' individuals is an urgent global challenge, given changes in work and society. New learning spaces are emerging in response. They target the 30% of Australians not served by traditional education and training. New learning spaces are based in social partnerships. They offer distinctive learning relationships, and scope for localised governance and decision-making. They promise enhanced life chances for individuals and improved community-building. This project will (1) build theory to understand new learning spaces; (2) document how they reshape learning relations and practices; and (3) assess claims that they improve learning, governance and outcomes.Read moreRead less
Examining play-based approaches to teaching and learning in early childhood education and care. Children's learning in pre-school settings is important to their current and later educational success. This project offers a significant opportunity to examine how teachers teach, and children learn, through different approaches to play. It is anticipated that the conceptually-sustaining approach to play will support children's learning outcomes more so than other forms of play. Knowing about this ap ....Examining play-based approaches to teaching and learning in early childhood education and care. Children's learning in pre-school settings is important to their current and later educational success. This project offers a significant opportunity to examine how teachers teach, and children learn, through different approaches to play. It is anticipated that the conceptually-sustaining approach to play will support children's learning outcomes more so than other forms of play. Knowing about this approach to play will help teachers better understand the relationship between teaching, play and learning, instead of focussing only on play and learning. This will also help the field interpret the forthcoming Australian Early Years' Learning Framework, which advocates for the role of play in early childhood education.Read moreRead less
New play pedagogies for teaching and learning in the early years. Traditional play-based learning in early childhood education cannot account for new play: very young children's everyday play with technologies, digital media and popular culture. This project uses a recently developed web-mapping tool to create a pedagogical approach to new play. The pedagogical approach to new play comprises teaching practices and learning outcomes that capitalise on the educational potential of children's every ....New play pedagogies for teaching and learning in the early years. Traditional play-based learning in early childhood education cannot account for new play: very young children's everyday play with technologies, digital media and popular culture. This project uses a recently developed web-mapping tool to create a pedagogical approach to new play. The pedagogical approach to new play comprises teaching practices and learning outcomes that capitalise on the educational potential of children's everyday play with technologies, digital media and popular culture. It aims to enable teachers to work from a theorised and empirically validated perspective for connecting young children's everyday play with technologies, digital media and popular culture artefacts to their 21st century learning needs.Read moreRead less
Emotional Transitions: Exploring Professional Transitions of Science Teachers. Research most needed to inform policy and practice for improving teacher education and the retention of new-science teachers is that which captures the experiences and development of the new teacher, particularly in the critical transition period from university to full-time work in schools. This period is fundamental to becoming a satisfied and effective teacher. Our study contributes significantly to national concer ....Emotional Transitions: Exploring Professional Transitions of Science Teachers. Research most needed to inform policy and practice for improving teacher education and the retention of new-science teachers is that which captures the experiences and development of the new teacher, particularly in the critical transition period from university to full-time work in schools. This period is fundamental to becoming a satisfied and effective teacher. Our study contributes significantly to national concerns for quality-teacher education by providing new insights into the emotions and identities of transitioning-science teachers in practice. The proposed study also models innovative procedures that can enrich subsequent longitudinal studies of teacher transitions and impact of teacher-education programs.Read moreRead less
National and global public goods in higher education. This project will compare case studies in Australia, the United Kingdom, central Europe and China to clarify the definition, measurement and creation of public (social and community) benefits in higher education, including global benefits. It will inform government policies and institutional and philanthropic strategies designed to maximise those public benefits.
Making a digital difference? An investigation of new technologies in secondary schools. This project addresses the long-standing question of why digital technologies have largely failed to have a consistent impact on the core processes of schools and schooling. The overarching aim of the project, therefore, is to identify the socio-technical adjustments that might be made within schools to facilitate ‘better’ uses of digital technology. Using an innovative combination of large-scale surveying, i ....Making a digital difference? An investigation of new technologies in secondary schools. This project addresses the long-standing question of why digital technologies have largely failed to have a consistent impact on the core processes of schools and schooling. The overarching aim of the project, therefore, is to identify the socio-technical adjustments that might be made within schools to facilitate ‘better’ uses of digital technology. Using an innovative combination of large-scale surveying, in-depth ethnographic study and critical participatory design, the project will: provide rich insights into why digital technologies are often not being used to their full potential in schools; and actively collaborate with school communities in experimenting and constructing alternatives.Read moreRead less
How art-based social enterprise helps marginalised young people. This project aims to analyse how art-based social enterprise organisations manage training and work transitions and develop the health and well-being of marginalised young people. After the Global Financial Crisis, young people were disproportionately affected by unemployment and precarious employment. The most marginalised young people make up more than 55% of those unemployed for more than a year. Social enterprises are a rapidly ....How art-based social enterprise helps marginalised young people. This project aims to analyse how art-based social enterprise organisations manage training and work transitions and develop the health and well-being of marginalised young people. After the Global Financial Crisis, young people were disproportionately affected by unemployment and precarious employment. The most marginalised young people make up more than 55% of those unemployed for more than a year. Social enterprises are a rapidly expanding sector of the Australian economy with 20,000 programmes in operation. Using a longitudinal, critical case methodology. the project intends to provide a strong evidence base to develop long-term strategy for policy and engagement practice in the sector.Read moreRead less