Compromised or competent? A longitudinal study of twin children's social competencies friendships and behavioural adjustment. Twins are a significant and increasing proportion of the school population. This study of twins, transition to school and friendship will advance knowledge in young children's social and emotional health, the national priority area Promoting and maintaining good health. It informs the early childhood education community (particularly policy makers, educators and parents) ....Compromised or competent? A longitudinal study of twin children's social competencies friendships and behavioural adjustment. Twins are a significant and increasing proportion of the school population. This study of twins, transition to school and friendship will advance knowledge in young children's social and emotional health, the national priority area Promoting and maintaining good health. It informs the early childhood education community (particularly policy makers, educators and parents) about twin children's transition to school with a particular focus on social competence. It will address many key outcomes, identified by Commonwealth Department of Family and Community Services, as priorities for the Early Years. The findings will have direct relevance for parents, educators, health professionals and policy-makers.Read moreRead less
Learning about social and moral values for active citizenship: Educational policy and practice in early education. It is economically sound to invest in quality early education programs to ensure productive engagement for individuals in society. In particular, the early years are considered to be a significant period for learning moral and social values necessary to ensure a tolerant and cohesive society. This study will provide an evidence base for how educational policy and practice, informed ....Learning about social and moral values for active citizenship: Educational policy and practice in early education. It is economically sound to invest in quality early education programs to ensure productive engagement for individuals in society. In particular, the early years are considered to be a significant period for learning moral and social values necessary to ensure a tolerant and cohesive society. This study will provide an evidence base for how educational policy and practice, informed by teacher beliefs, do (or do not) support children's moral and social learning about active citizenship.Read moreRead less
The development of causal induction. An ability to reason inductively is an essential prerequisite for effective learning and decision-making. Inductive thinking is also closely related to creativity and innovation. By acquiring a better understanding of how such reasoning develops we will contribute to the enhancement of techniques that help children to learn and refine inductive reasoning skills, and will provide a foundation for the development of programs to assist children who have partic ....The development of causal induction. An ability to reason inductively is an essential prerequisite for effective learning and decision-making. Inductive thinking is also closely related to creativity and innovation. By acquiring a better understanding of how such reasoning develops we will contribute to the enhancement of techniques that help children to learn and refine inductive reasoning skills, and will provide a foundation for the development of programs to assist children who have particular problems in inductive reasoning and generalisation (i.e. those with autism or an intellectual disability).Read moreRead less
Concept-procedure interactions in addition and subtraction development. The research explores the possibility of different pathways to mathematical knowledge by examining how key concepts and procedures interact in the course of development. Studies 1 and 2 address early addition and subtraction concepts and problem solving in the physical world, Studies 3 - 6 focus on the effects of problem-solving practice and concept-based training and Studies 7 and 8 address children's knowledge of conceptu ....Concept-procedure interactions in addition and subtraction development. The research explores the possibility of different pathways to mathematical knowledge by examining how key concepts and procedures interact in the course of development. Studies 1 and 2 address early addition and subtraction concepts and problem solving in the physical world, Studies 3 - 6 focus on the effects of problem-solving practice and concept-based training and Studies 7 and 8 address children's knowledge of conceptually advanced problem-solving procedures. The results are expected to show that addition and subtraction concepts and procedures influence each other in different ways among children, signifying different pathways of cognitive development.Read moreRead less
Thinking about the future: The nature and development of mental time travel. This project is one of the first systematic investigations into the development of the human capacity to consider future events. A variety of novel tasks will probe what children know about the future and how it relates to their ability to reason about past events. Comparisons between children and apes will further inform us about the nature of this crucial mental skill. The findings will provide valuable information fo ....Thinking about the future: The nature and development of mental time travel. This project is one of the first systematic investigations into the development of the human capacity to consider future events. A variety of novel tasks will probe what children know about the future and how it relates to their ability to reason about past events. Comparisons between children and apes will further inform us about the nature of this crucial mental skill. The findings will provide valuable information for developing appropriate educational approaches and for our understanding of abnormalities. As international leaders in this field, we are in an ideal position to conduct this research, offer unique opportunities for postgraduate training, and to continue in Australia's outstanding tradition of excellence in basic research.Read moreRead less
Longitudinal twin study of literacy, language and attention. The primary practical national benefit will be in the unrivalled picture that emerges about how genetic factors interact with aspects of the familial and educational environment to determine the course of children's development in literacy and language. Policy makers in preschool and school education will be able to use the information to guide curriculum refinement and to develop policies for the early identification of children at d ....Longitudinal twin study of literacy, language and attention. The primary practical national benefit will be in the unrivalled picture that emerges about how genetic factors interact with aspects of the familial and educational environment to determine the course of children's development in literacy and language. Policy makers in preschool and school education will be able to use the information to guide curriculum refinement and to develop policies for the early identification of children at developmental risk in these domains. As an international project, the research will also promote scientific cooperation between Australia, the USA, and Scandinavia in a cutting-edge branch of human psychology, the interaction of genes and environment in psychological development.Read moreRead less
Behaviour-genetic studies of literacy, language and attention. The primary national benefit will be the unrivalled picture that emerges about how genetic factors interact with aspects of the family and educational environment to determine the course of a child's progress in literacy and language. Policy makers will be able to use the information to guide curriculum refinement, and to develop policies for the identification and instruction of children at developmental risk in these domains. The p ....Behaviour-genetic studies of literacy, language and attention. The primary national benefit will be the unrivalled picture that emerges about how genetic factors interact with aspects of the family and educational environment to determine the course of a child's progress in literacy and language. Policy makers will be able to use the information to guide curriculum refinement, and to develop policies for the identification and instruction of children at developmental risk in these domains. The project will also strengthen Australia's position in the cutting-edge field of behavioural genetics through the postdoctoral support of a young scientist.Read moreRead less
Pathways to work engagement, wellbeing and positive teaching among mid-career teachers: The role of personal and workplace resources. Teaching is a highly demanding, yet rewarding career for many. It is also a decidedly stressful occupation associated with high burnout. By following a large sample of teachers recruited ten years earlier into their mid-career, this project investigates the coping and motivational resources that keep them engaged, allowing them to thrive personally and professiona ....Pathways to work engagement, wellbeing and positive teaching among mid-career teachers: The role of personal and workplace resources. Teaching is a highly demanding, yet rewarding career for many. It is also a decidedly stressful occupation associated with high burnout. By following a large sample of teachers recruited ten years earlier into their mid-career, this project investigates the coping and motivational resources that keep them engaged, allowing them to thrive personally and professionally in different kinds of school environments, versus pathways that predict to burnout, ill-being and negative teaching behaviours. Selected subgroups who were most at risk and most positively engaged earlier in their career will be the focus of longitudinal case studies to uncover more nuanced processes promoting positive and negative pathways.Read moreRead less
Using musical training to examine brain plasticity and cognitive skill development. Until recently, the brain was likened to a computer - hard-wired with minimal response to injury. Exciting new research is altering this view, showing that the brain can change in response to the environment. This study will use sophisticated brain scanning techniques with musicians who have rare, absolute pitch ability. This ability develops with exposure to early training during a critical time period. We will ....Using musical training to examine brain plasticity and cognitive skill development. Until recently, the brain was likened to a computer - hard-wired with minimal response to injury. Exciting new research is altering this view, showing that the brain can change in response to the environment. This study will use sophisticated brain scanning techniques with musicians who have rare, absolute pitch ability. This ability develops with exposure to early training during a critical time period. We will test the relationship between this exposure and changes in brain shape and function. The results will tell us about the interaction between genes and environment, and the way normal development can be enhanced by early experiences.Read moreRead less
Peer Rejection and the Maladaptive Social Behaviour of Children and Adolescents. Research indicates that peer rejection has serious negative effects on child and adolescent victims. However, little research has addressed the likelihood that peer rejection also has negative consequences for others in the social environment, through its instigation of maladaptive social behaviours such as bullying and ethnic prejudice. Given the incidence of the latter behaviours in primary and secondary schools, ....Peer Rejection and the Maladaptive Social Behaviour of Children and Adolescents. Research indicates that peer rejection has serious negative effects on child and adolescent victims. However, little research has addressed the likelihood that peer rejection also has negative consequences for others in the social environment, through its instigation of maladaptive social behaviours such as bullying and ethnic prejudice. Given the incidence of the latter behaviours in primary and secondary schools, the aim of this project is to conduct a program of research to test an integrative model of the impact of peer rejection on the maladaptive social behaviours of children and adolescents, with a particular focus on ethnic prejudice and bullying.Read moreRead less