Extending the capabilities of argumentative Chinese students: Enhancing Australia's pedagogical capacity for engaging China through internationalising research education. In 2007, 90,000 students from China were studying in Australia. This represents 23% of Australia's international students. This project will improve Australia's capacity for engaging China by producing an innovative framework for teaching mainland Chinese research students. It will explore the educational value of engaging thes ....Extending the capabilities of argumentative Chinese students: Enhancing Australia's pedagogical capacity for engaging China through internationalising research education. In 2007, 90,000 students from China were studying in Australia. This represents 23% of Australia's international students. This project will improve Australia's capacity for engaging China by producing an innovative framework for teaching mainland Chinese research students. It will explore the educational value of engaging these students' Chinese intellectual heritage; their communicative abilities in English and Chinese, and the knowledge they access via digital technologies. Australia's knowledge about the internationalisation of its research education and developmental, cooperative approaches to research will be increased. This will enhance Australia's capacity for research-based engagement with the educational culture of China. Read moreRead less
The influence of disciplinary cultures on approaches to undergraduate teaching and learning: extending higher education theory and practice. Improving the quality of teaching in higher education is an important priority for Australian universities. There has been rapid growth in the number of training programs for university teachers. This study will directly support these efforts. It will investigate the effectiveness of the diverse approaches to teaching and learning traditionally adopted with ....The influence of disciplinary cultures on approaches to undergraduate teaching and learning: extending higher education theory and practice. Improving the quality of teaching in higher education is an important priority for Australian universities. There has been rapid growth in the number of training programs for university teachers. This study will directly support these efforts. It will investigate the effectiveness of the diverse approaches to teaching and learning traditionally adopted within different fields of study?across the sciences, the arts, the humanities and the professions. The findings will be used to develop new training programs for university teachers that are tailored towards best practice in the particular areas of knowledge in which staff are teaching. Enhanced training of university teachers will lead to better teaching and better student outcomes.Read moreRead less
International student mobility and educational innovation: Chinese students and the internationalisation of Australian and American universities. Given China's entry into the WTO and building upon research into the uses of international education this project will investigate educational changes arising from Chinese students studying abroad. Its theoretical and empirical focus is the changes that the mobility of international students is effecting in the universities in which they are studying. ....International student mobility and educational innovation: Chinese students and the internationalisation of Australian and American universities. Given China's entry into the WTO and building upon research into the uses of international education this project will investigate educational changes arising from Chinese students studying abroad. Its theoretical and empirical focus is the changes that the mobility of international students is effecting in the universities in which they are studying. It will explore how Chinese students' identity formation, career trajectories and transnational relationships inform changes in Australian and American universities. The outcomes will be knowledge of the ways their presence impacts on the different historical trajectories of these university systems to produce varying possibilities for educational innovation.Read moreRead less
Challenging Pedagogies: Engaging ESL students in intellectual quality. This project will investigate the potential and meaning of intellectual challenge in the enacted curriculum of middle year classes with signficant numbers of English as a second language (ESL) students. It will build on outcomes of our previous research on scaffolding and on productive pedagogies to articulate the nature of linguistic and conceptual support necessary for ESL students to engage successfully with high challeng ....Challenging Pedagogies: Engaging ESL students in intellectual quality. This project will investigate the potential and meaning of intellectual challenge in the enacted curriculum of middle year classes with signficant numbers of English as a second language (ESL) students. It will build on outcomes of our previous research on scaffolding and on productive pedagogies to articulate the nature of linguistic and conceptual support necessary for ESL students to engage successfully with high challenge tasks. In doing so, it will address the priority area of quality teaching in public schools from a classroom prespective and from the perspective of ESL students. The project has implications for teacher education and professional development.Read moreRead less
Influences on students' learning goals and their capacity for self-regulation. There is an obvious connection between maximizing learning of young people and the nation's future. Currently many young people are missing opportunities for learning at school, and this not only reduces their own opportunities, thereby increasing their risk of long term dependence on government services, but also reduces overall social capital. The project will evaluate teaching strategies that have potential to enha ....Influences on students' learning goals and their capacity for self-regulation. There is an obvious connection between maximizing learning of young people and the nation's future. Currently many young people are missing opportunities for learning at school, and this not only reduces their own opportunities, thereby increasing their risk of long term dependence on government services, but also reduces overall social capital. The project will evaluate teaching strategies that have potential to enhance the participation of students in learning in the middle years.
The project will be of direct benefit to regional and rural communities since it is conducted in regional and rural schools with their particular challenges, including community pessimism, reduced vocational aspirations, and limited role models.
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International Students in the Australian Vocational Education and Training (VET) Sector: Study Purposes, Learning Practices and Institutional Responses. This research melds with the fundamental objectives of the Australian National Strategy for VET 2004-2010 which aims to increase vocational education and training exports and ensure Australian VET standards are more harmonized with international standards. The project will assist the development of policies and strategies that can address the co ....International Students in the Australian Vocational Education and Training (VET) Sector: Study Purposes, Learning Practices and Institutional Responses. This research melds with the fundamental objectives of the Australian National Strategy for VET 2004-2010 which aims to increase vocational education and training exports and ensure Australian VET standards are more harmonized with international standards. The project will assist the development of policies and strategies that can address the complex needs of the international student population and the capacity of the VET sector to internationalise the curriculum. The project will also identify qualities and factors that are important for optimizing the competition of the VET sector in the global education industry which has become Australia's leading services export sector.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
Growing up in networked spaces: Tech-savvy youth constructing identities and forming social relations in online and offline worlds. This study's focus on online and offline worlds raises significant issues that relate directly to youth's participation in Australia's global knowledge-based economy, particularly youth's engagement with online technologies, and their experiences as consumers and producers of cultural materials and practices. The project's concern with significant aspects of youth g ....Growing up in networked spaces: Tech-savvy youth constructing identities and forming social relations in online and offline worlds. This study's focus on online and offline worlds raises significant issues that relate directly to youth's participation in Australia's global knowledge-based economy, particularly youth's engagement with online technologies, and their experiences as consumers and producers of cultural materials and practices. The project's concern with significant aspects of youth growing up in a world characterised by change is highly relevant for its impact on their social wellbeing and identity formation. Schools, tertiary institutions and national youth agencies will benefit from the results of this study in terms of how they understand youth's changing identities in these new times and new spaces.Read moreRead less
Western Australian rural and remote schooling: The influence of learning environments on student participation and retention. By 2010 all Australian States and Territories will have raised the school leaving age from 15 to 17 years of age. As one of the first States to have undertaken this essential step toward re-engaging disaffected youth in education, training and/or employment options, it is important that a rigorous examination of the Western Australian experience is conducted. The proposed ....Western Australian rural and remote schooling: The influence of learning environments on student participation and retention. By 2010 all Australian States and Territories will have raised the school leaving age from 15 to 17 years of age. As one of the first States to have undertaken this essential step toward re-engaging disaffected youth in education, training and/or employment options, it is important that a rigorous examination of the Western Australian experience is conducted. The proposed research focuses on what is likely to be the most problematic area of the initiative for school communities - how and why the programs offered to students in rural and remote school and classroom learning environments impact upon student engagement and retention.Read moreRead less
Facilitating children's transition to school within families with complex support needs. This project aligns with National Research Priority 2: Promoting and Maintaining Good Health. Specifically, it links with the Priority Goals of promoting A healthy start to life and Strengthening Australia's social and economic fabric. A positive start to school promotes future academic and social success, as well as promoting general health and well-being. School failure and lack of engagement with school i ....Facilitating children's transition to school within families with complex support needs. This project aligns with National Research Priority 2: Promoting and Maintaining Good Health. Specifically, it links with the Priority Goals of promoting A healthy start to life and Strengthening Australia's social and economic fabric. A positive start to school promotes future academic and social success, as well as promoting general health and well-being. School failure and lack of engagement with school is related to poor long term outcomes and increased social and economic dependency. The project also relates to the key action areas identified in the National Agenda for Early Childhood and the Stronger Families and Communities Strategy.Read moreRead less