Comparative Analysis of Early Intervention Programs for Young Children with Autism. This project will contribute valuable information on how agencies and governments nationally and overseas can cater for a rapidly growing number of students identified with autism. Two early intervention programs - home-based and centre-based - for young children with autism and their families will be compared to each other and a control group. Through promoting strong family knowledge about autism, strategies fo ....Comparative Analysis of Early Intervention Programs for Young Children with Autism. This project will contribute valuable information on how agencies and governments nationally and overseas can cater for a rapidly growing number of students identified with autism. Two early intervention programs - home-based and centre-based - for young children with autism and their families will be compared to each other and a control group. Through promoting strong family knowledge about autism, strategies for managing a young child with autism (e.g., communication, social skills), plus fostering inter-family and community links, families will be empowered to promote healthy outcomes for their young child.Read moreRead less
Preschool children's constructions of cultural and 'racial' diversity. This project seeks to study how 60 preschool children understand cultural and 'racial' diversity. The preschool years are critical in forming cultural and 'racial' understandings and Australian data about children's understandings of diversity is scarce and poorly theorised. Given the national debate engendered by Australia's cultural and 'racial' diversity an urgent need exists to redress this and to improve understandings a ....Preschool children's constructions of cultural and 'racial' diversity. This project seeks to study how 60 preschool children understand cultural and 'racial' diversity. The preschool years are critical in forming cultural and 'racial' understandings and Australian data about children's understandings of diversity is scarce and poorly theorised. Given the national debate engendered by Australia's cultural and 'racial' diversity an urgent need exists to redress this and to improve understandings about achieving cultural and 'racially' inclusive curriculum in the crucially formative early years. This trailblazing study is uniquely placed to generate these improved understandings and to lead international thinking about effecting greater 'racial' and cultural justice through early education.
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Negotiating Staff-Parent Relations in Culturally Diverse Early Education Settings. The Australian federal government invests nearly $A1.25 billion annually in childcare and more than 1.6 million children attend some form of childcare. There is an international consensus that parental involvement in early childhood programs enhances their economic and social benefits, including improved educational outcomes, enhanced employment opportunities and increased social participation. This project increa ....Negotiating Staff-Parent Relations in Culturally Diverse Early Education Settings. The Australian federal government invests nearly $A1.25 billion annually in childcare and more than 1.6 million children attend some form of childcare. There is an international consensus that parental involvement in early childhood programs enhances their economic and social benefits, including improved educational outcomes, enhanced employment opportunities and increased social participation. This project increases the likelihood that an increasingly culturally diverse Australia wil.l attain those benefits by offering a radical approach to improving staff-parent relations in culturally diverse settings and helping to reduce the occupational stress often linked with those relations
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Reconceptualising early mathematics learning: The fundamental role of pattern and structure. The critical shortage of mathematicians, statisticians and scientists in Australia today can be traced in large part to inadequacies in early mathematics learning. Many students fail to achieve a basic understanding of mathematics, although the subject is crucial to participation in a technology-based society and the building of a knowledge culture. The innovative program for the first year of formal sc ....Reconceptualising early mathematics learning: The fundamental role of pattern and structure. The critical shortage of mathematicians, statisticians and scientists in Australia today can be traced in large part to inadequacies in early mathematics learning. Many students fail to achieve a basic understanding of mathematics, although the subject is crucial to participation in a technology-based society and the building of a knowledge culture. The innovative program for the first year of formal schooling, to be developed and tested in this study, will provide a much firmer foundation for later development. The project will enhance the achievement of national numeracy goals by enabling a high quality, effective mathematics education for all Australian children. Read moreRead less
Cost effective smart identification of early attentional problems associated with literacy and numeracy indicators in preschool children. The benefits of this project are improved early identification of children at-risk of failure, and initiation of a significant longitudinal Australian educational database. Identifying children with emergent learning problems will promote interventions to improve achievement leading to a more productive adult life. The development and administration of screeni ....Cost effective smart identification of early attentional problems associated with literacy and numeracy indicators in preschool children. The benefits of this project are improved early identification of children at-risk of failure, and initiation of a significant longitudinal Australian educational database. Identifying children with emergent learning problems will promote interventions to improve achievement leading to a more productive adult life. The development and administration of screening procedures with software distributed to schools and analysed with increasing power as the database expands, will enable the predictive validity of the process to be examined re-iteratively. The generated longitudinal student databases will have the potential to track both detection and intervention effectiveness, and become a national research asset.Read moreRead less
Restructuring Statistical Reasoning in the Early School Years: A Longitudinal Study of Data Modelling. Research Priority 2 (the goal, Strengthening Australia's Social and Economic Fabric) is targeted. By providing young learners with the foundations of data modelling, which has been ignored in early curricula, the study will sow the seeds for productive participation in a data-driven society and effective use of its increasingly complex economic and social systems. The foundational statistical i ....Restructuring Statistical Reasoning in the Early School Years: A Longitudinal Study of Data Modelling. Research Priority 2 (the goal, Strengthening Australia's Social and Economic Fabric) is targeted. By providing young learners with the foundations of data modelling, which has been ignored in early curricula, the study will sow the seeds for productive participation in a data-driven society and effective use of its increasingly complex economic and social systems. The foundational statistical ideas and processes to be developed will lay the groundwork for further studies in the key curriculum areas, 'chance and data,' 'probability and statistics,' 'science and society,' and 'life and living.' Professional gains include knowledge of ways to implement mathematical and scientific experiences that capitalise on young children's potential.Read moreRead less
Children of the new millennium: Using information and communication technologies for playing and learning in the information age. This research explores the development of young children's expertise with information and communication technologies from the preschool to the second year of school. It examines where young children in diverse socioeconomic areas use information and communication technologies, how many forms of it they use and to what extent technology relates to other forms of play ....Children of the new millennium: Using information and communication technologies for playing and learning in the information age. This research explores the development of young children's expertise with information and communication technologies from the preschool to the second year of school. It examines where young children in diverse socioeconomic areas use information and communication technologies, how many forms of it they use and to what extent technology relates to other forms of play and learning in literacy and numeracy. An assessment tool will be developed to explore how children's knowledge, understanding and use of technology changes over time. The research will inform policy and curriculum directions in the early years of education.Read moreRead less
Managing Risk in Primary Schools: Teachers' Professional Identity and Work Practices. This study seeks to investigate the ways that primary school teachers' identities and practices are being shaped in the context of differing State government mechanisms for risk management in relation to the care of children. The study will identify appropriate risk response conduct as it is understood by teachers from government and non-government schools in rural and urban locaions in Queensland and New South ....Managing Risk in Primary Schools: Teachers' Professional Identity and Work Practices. This study seeks to investigate the ways that primary school teachers' identities and practices are being shaped in the context of differing State government mechanisms for risk management in relation to the care of children. The study will identify appropriate risk response conduct as it is understood by teachers from government and non-government schools in rural and urban locaions in Queensland and New South Wales. It will then analyse these data to show how risk response practices are impacting on pedagogic work and professional identity,including any context-specific variations that may exist in such practices.Read moreRead less
Family literacy practices, pedagogy and achievement in year one: A quantitative sociological study. Who succeeds and fails in the first year of school literacy? Why and how? Standards and methods for teaching initial literacy are the topic of national policy debate. Yet the debate often is based upon generic and populist claims about the efficacy of instructional methods, relying upon small scale and overseas studies. This is the first large scale quantitative study of variable sociodemographic ....Family literacy practices, pedagogy and achievement in year one: A quantitative sociological study. Who succeeds and fails in the first year of school literacy? Why and how? Standards and methods for teaching initial literacy are the topic of national policy debate. Yet the debate often is based upon generic and populist claims about the efficacy of instructional methods, relying upon small scale and overseas studies. This is the first large scale quantitative study of variable sociodemographic factors, home experiences, instructional treatment and literacy achievement. It addresses policy debates on phonics, early intervention and standards. It will offer guidance for the development of early childhood curriculum strategies and programs.Read moreRead less
Engaging to learn: Increasing the engagement of children with autism in learning activities. This research addresses the ARC national research priority of promoting and maintaining good health and well being for all Australians by enabling children with autism and their families to lead more productive and fulfilling lives. Children with autism are amongst the most challenging of all students for educators. Improving educational outcomes by engaging these children in learning, the aim of this re ....Engaging to learn: Increasing the engagement of children with autism in learning activities. This research addresses the ARC national research priority of promoting and maintaining good health and well being for all Australians by enabling children with autism and their families to lead more productive and fulfilling lives. Children with autism are amongst the most challenging of all students for educators. Improving educational outcomes by engaging these children in learning, the aim of this research, is critical if these children are to achieve their full potential. This will benefit the Australian community by increasing independence, reducing barriers to inclusion, and improving the quality of life for children with autism and their families.Read moreRead less