Mapping the psychology of accent-based discrimination. Accentism is commonplace, but our understanding of why people discriminate against certain accents is limited. This project will develop a Global Database for Accented English, an archive of piloted speech samples that dramatically reduces interpretational difficulties plaguing existing research. This resource enables the most robust test to date of what causes accent bias in schools and workplaces. Experiments will also examine the conditio ....Mapping the psychology of accent-based discrimination. Accentism is commonplace, but our understanding of why people discriminate against certain accents is limited. This project will develop a Global Database for Accented English, an archive of piloted speech samples that dramatically reduces interpretational difficulties plaguing existing research. This resource enables the most robust test to date of what causes accent bias in schools and workplaces. Experiments will also examine the conditions under which accent bias is most pronounced, and why its effects are particularly strong for women. Understanding mechanisms underpinning accent bias is a precondition for reducing a problem that threatens Australia’s status as a successful and economically vital multicultural society.Read moreRead less
Thinking about possibilities: Towards a unified cognitive framework. Thoughts about possibilities are fundamental to what makes us human. We routinely imagine what might happen in the future and reflect on how the past could have turned out differently. This psychology project aims to establish the circumstances in which children and non-human primates think about alternative possibilities, and to explain how they do it. The project expects to provide new knowledge of cognitive development and e ....Thinking about possibilities: Towards a unified cognitive framework. Thoughts about possibilities are fundamental to what makes us human. We routinely imagine what might happen in the future and reflect on how the past could have turned out differently. This psychology project aims to establish the circumstances in which children and non-human primates think about alternative possibilities, and to explain how they do it. The project expects to provide new knowledge of cognitive development and evolution, and to distinguish between simple and complex processes for thinking about possibilities. Expected benefits include progress towards a unified cognitive framework that may ultimately be leveraged to help people better reason about possibilities and bring them to fruition.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE230100687
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$463,976.00
Summary
Child sleep development in the context of family work lives. Sleep in early childhood is the single most critical activity for healthy brain development. Yet, a third of young children are identified by their parents as having a sleep problem. This study aims to test the hypothesis that social mechanisms underpin developing sleep patterns and problems. The study examines the change in sleep patterns as children enter non-parental care and the daily and weekly regularity of sleep as they transiti ....Child sleep development in the context of family work lives. Sleep in early childhood is the single most critical activity for healthy brain development. Yet, a third of young children are identified by their parents as having a sleep problem. This study aims to test the hypothesis that social mechanisms underpin developing sleep patterns and problems. The study examines the change in sleep patterns as children enter non-parental care and the daily and weekly regularity of sleep as they transition between home and their diverse care arrangements. Discovery of the ways family work lives influence child sleep presents the potential to offer new solutions to support healthy sleep development and avert sleep problems. The benefits are for caregivers, family well-being, and children’s development.Read moreRead less
Australian Laureate Fellowships - Grant ID: FL220100137
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$3,320,000.00
Summary
10,000 Hours: Time in early education and care for better life opportunity. An Australian child spends up to 10,000 hours in early care and education programs prior to school. These hours are a developmental opportunity. Their potential to improve life chances is well documented. Yet many programs do not deliver on this promise. Nearly 1 in 4 Australian children enter school developmentally vulnerable. This study aims to interrogate the meaning of quality in early education and care programs wit ....10,000 Hours: Time in early education and care for better life opportunity. An Australian child spends up to 10,000 hours in early care and education programs prior to school. These hours are a developmental opportunity. Their potential to improve life chances is well documented. Yet many programs do not deliver on this promise. Nearly 1 in 4 Australian children enter school developmentally vulnerable. This study aims to interrogate the meaning of quality in early education and care programs with focus in communities experiencing the greatest challenges. The expected result is understanding of the mechanisms that limit delivery of the highest quality learning opportunities and outcomes for children. The benefit will be for children attending early education and care programs, their families and the nation’s future.Read moreRead less
Australian Laureate Fellowships - Grant ID: FL220100061
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$3,147,256.00
Summary
Literacy in adolescence: The next major challenge in the science of reading. This project aims to address the pressing problem of why Australian secondary school children have been declining in literacy. To do so is crucial, since adolescence is a period when strong literacy is critical for knowledge acquisition and preparation for adult life. The project will use a range of theoretically-informed methods to scrutinise cognitive processes in adolescent reading, as well as identify interactions b ....Literacy in adolescence: The next major challenge in the science of reading. This project aims to address the pressing problem of why Australian secondary school children have been declining in literacy. To do so is crucial, since adolescence is a period when strong literacy is critical for knowledge acquisition and preparation for adult life. The project will use a range of theoretically-informed methods to scrutinise cognitive processes in adolescent reading, as well as identify interactions between reading progress and socio-emotional functioning and motivation. Expected outcomes will be the first comprehensive account of secondary school reading acquisition and new insights into how to optimise progress. These will inform research, policy, and reading instruction practice, to the benefit of Australia's children.Read moreRead less
Learning for Teaching in Disadvantaged Schools. This project focuses on what and how primary school teachers learn about improving classroom practices from co-inquiry interventions. The effective diagnosis of student learning difficulties and the design of educational interventions based on such diagnosis is a core component of quality teaching. Yet many teachers have not acquired the knowledge and skills to undertake such learning diagnostic and design work. The project plans to engage practiti ....Learning for Teaching in Disadvantaged Schools. This project focuses on what and how primary school teachers learn about improving classroom practices from co-inquiry interventions. The effective diagnosis of student learning difficulties and the design of educational interventions based on such diagnosis is a core component of quality teaching. Yet many teachers have not acquired the knowledge and skills to undertake such learning diagnostic and design work. The project plans to engage practitioners in co-inquiry through collaborative analysis of professional learning conversations and classroom practices across disadvantaged public schools in urban and regional locations across Queensland. It aims to examine the sustainability of co-inquiry models to improve student learning.Read moreRead less
Early career teacher induction: Supporting precarious teachers. This project aims to investigate the ways in which Australian induction policies support precariously employed early career teachers to effectively manage student classroom behaviour. This project expects to generate new knowledge of workforce development and induction experiences of early career teachers employed on casual and short-term contracts. Expected outcomes of this project include alternative policy and practice recommenda ....Early career teacher induction: Supporting precarious teachers. This project aims to investigate the ways in which Australian induction policies support precariously employed early career teachers to effectively manage student classroom behaviour. This project expects to generate new knowledge of workforce development and induction experiences of early career teachers employed on casual and short-term contracts. Expected outcomes of this project include alternative policy and practice recommendations to support the transition of insecure replacement teachers within the profession. The benefits of this research include, improving teachers’ classroom management practices; the retention of new teachers; improving teacher workforce development; and building a healthier education system. Read moreRead less
Quality teaching work and reducing educational inequalities. This project aims to investigate school-based teaching policies and practices using innovative design-based research, to collaboratively develop quality teaching that meets complex, contextual student needs in high poverty communities. Teachers' work in primary schools in high poverty areas is increasingly driven by standards and testing demands. High levels of teacher anxiety and fatigue are apparent in such schools. This project will ....Quality teaching work and reducing educational inequalities. This project aims to investigate school-based teaching policies and practices using innovative design-based research, to collaboratively develop quality teaching that meets complex, contextual student needs in high poverty communities. Teachers' work in primary schools in high poverty areas is increasingly driven by standards and testing demands. High levels of teacher anxiety and fatigue are apparent in such schools. This project will study teaching work in six educationally disadvantaged contexts and identify the different pedagogic approaches that produce sustained increases in student learning. The project intends to develop a collaborative knowledge model that will enhance teacher professionalism and student learning attainment, with highly valuable benefits for the Australian community and economy.Read moreRead less
Investigating the effectiveness of teacher education for early career teachers in diverse settings: a longitudinal study. This project investigates the effectiveness of teacher education programs in Victoria and Queensland in preparing teachers for the variety of school settings in which they begin their careers. The findings will inform state and national policy, as well as the work of professional regulation authorities and teacher education providers.
Naming the world: early years literacy and sustainability learning. The project seeks to produce knowledge about new forms of literacy emerging in sustainability education. For children born in the 21st century, the enmeshing of natural and human forces in the survival of the planet requires conceptual and practical innovation. Early childhood education can be a fundamental driver in this process. This project aims to integrate literacy and sustainability to produce powerful new learning for you ....Naming the world: early years literacy and sustainability learning. The project seeks to produce knowledge about new forms of literacy emerging in sustainability education. For children born in the 21st century, the enmeshing of natural and human forces in the survival of the planet requires conceptual and practical innovation. Early childhood education can be a fundamental driver in this process. This project aims to integrate literacy and sustainability to produce powerful new learning for young children. It plans to theorise new forms of literacy emerging in sustainability education, articulate innovative pedagogies, and inform national and international policy and practice to address 21st century learning imperatives.Read moreRead less