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
Patterns of Distributed Leadership in Australian Schools. Using fieldwork methods, this project documents new forms of distributed leadership in Australian schools. It will account for the recent emergence of distributed leadership, distinguish typical distributed models and highlight the institutional and systemic implications of these formations. The research is significant because it provides a pioneering qualitative analysis of the evolving division of labour in management and leadership in ....Patterns of Distributed Leadership in Australian Schools. Using fieldwork methods, this project documents new forms of distributed leadership in Australian schools. It will account for the recent emergence of distributed leadership, distinguish typical distributed models and highlight the institutional and systemic implications of these formations. The research is significant because it provides a pioneering qualitative analysis of the evolving division of labour in management and leadership in self-managing schools. Its focus on collectively co-ordinated activities should also prompt a re-definition of senior level school responsibilities. Moreover, the research outcomes will account for recent career recruitment difficulties experienced by employers, and stimulate improved career profiling, recruitment and development.Read moreRead less
Re-engaging disadvantaged young people with learning. Having significant numbers of young people, especially those from contexts of socio-economic disadvantage, not experiencing a satisfying and worthwhile education, is a personal, social and economic loss the nation can ill-afford. This research will provide insights into the impediments confronting these young people, the circumstances in which they re-engage with formal learning, and the benefits of having done so. This will enable new policy ....Re-engaging disadvantaged young people with learning. Having significant numbers of young people, especially those from contexts of socio-economic disadvantage, not experiencing a satisfying and worthwhile education, is a personal, social and economic loss the nation can ill-afford. This research will provide insights into the impediments confronting these young people, the circumstances in which they re-engage with formal learning, and the benefits of having done so. This will enable new policy and practice responses in the direction of reducing economic costs while seeking to ameliorate personal, health and social consequences. Reducing educational inequalities is one of the most salient ways of strengthening Australia's social and economic fabric.Read moreRead less
Tertiary education and social capital in Victoria: the effects of the new economy courses in Business and IT. Over one third of tertiary students are enrolled in the fast-growing new economy disciplines in business studies and IT. In partnership with the Victorian government, this project studies the contribution of business and IT courses to social capital, the collaborative networks that underpin economic innovation and sustainable community. The research will survey and interview Victorian 15 ....Tertiary education and social capital in Victoria: the effects of the new economy courses in Business and IT. Over one third of tertiary students are enrolled in the fast-growing new economy disciplines in business studies and IT. In partnership with the Victorian government, this project studies the contribution of business and IT courses to social capital, the collaborative networks that underpin economic innovation and sustainable community. The research will survey and interview Victorian 1500 graduates from 12 higher education and VET institutions (6 rural); and survey and interview employers and community leaders. The research will inform Victoria's education policy and Growing Victoria Together strategy, and encourage tertiary institutions throughout Australia to strengthen their contribution to social capital.Read moreRead less
Knowledge/economy/society: a sociological study of an education policy discourse in Australia in globalising circumstances. Education policies that fuse knowledge, economy and society are globally influential. Such policies seek to promote economic and social enhancement. Yet critics claim that these policies have a narrow view of knowledge, society and the economy, and of current trends. This study adopts inventive methodologies to assess such critics' claims in the light of research by leading ....Knowledge/economy/society: a sociological study of an education policy discourse in Australia in globalising circumstances. Education policies that fuse knowledge, economy and society are globally influential. Such policies seek to promote economic and social enhancement. Yet critics claim that these policies have a narrow view of knowledge, society and the economy, and of current trends. This study adopts inventive methodologies to assess such critics' claims in the light of research by leading sociologists. It explores the ways that the knowledge/economy/society discourse is interpreted in national and supranational policy texts, by senior policy agents and in innovative educational programs in different educational settings. The research findings will enrich education policy research and benefit national education policy.Read moreRead less
Engaging students: Issues of difference, distribution and recognition in schools. The project will help to improve the quality of schooling provided to students currently marginalised within the education sector. It focuses on the achievement of diverse groups of students and on how schools and classrooms value and educationally 'work with' their differences. The engagement of marginalised students in the schooling process has been identified as a national priority by Federal and State Ministers ....Engaging students: Issues of difference, distribution and recognition in schools. The project will help to improve the quality of schooling provided to students currently marginalised within the education sector. It focuses on the achievement of diverse groups of students and on how schools and classrooms value and educationally 'work with' their differences. The engagement of marginalised students in the schooling process has been identified as a national priority by Federal and State Ministers of Education in the 2008 Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians. By addressing the engagement of students marginalised from mainstream schooling, the project will also address the promoting and maintaining good health.Read moreRead less
Moving Ideas: Mobile Policies, Researchers and Connections in the Social Sciences and Humanities - Australia in the global context. Leading Australian researchers who study culture, politics, society and human behaviour are increasingly on the move across national borders, taking their ideas in new directions and making new international connections. This is now seen less as a national brain drain and more as a chance for Australia to benefit from what researchers learn and the new relationships ....Moving Ideas: Mobile Policies, Researchers and Connections in the Social Sciences and Humanities - Australia in the global context. Leading Australian researchers who study culture, politics, society and human behaviour are increasingly on the move across national borders, taking their ideas in new directions and making new international connections. This is now seen less as a national brain drain and more as a chance for Australia to benefit from what researchers learn and the new relationships they develop as they travel. But what exactly are these benefits and what can Australia do to make sure that what looks like a loss becomes a gain? This research answers these questions. Read moreRead less
Vocational Education and Training in Schools: Cultural Resistance and the Academic Tradition. This study seeks to relate how well different models of VET in Schools delivery (in different settings) work towards achieving the objectives of improved participation, more effective transitions and engagement of reluctant learners. It also seeks to assess how effectively the different ways of delivering VET are meeting governments' objectives to build Australia's skills base and provide young people w ....Vocational Education and Training in Schools: Cultural Resistance and the Academic Tradition. This study seeks to relate how well different models of VET in Schools delivery (in different settings) work towards achieving the objectives of improved participation, more effective transitions and engagement of reluctant learners. It also seeks to assess how effectively the different ways of delivering VET are meeting governments' objectives to build Australia's skills base and provide young people with effective pathways. This study will provide education and training systems with valuable data on the effectiveness of this major policy innovation for different student groups. It will do so by analysing three major school leaver data-bases, followed up by qualitative studies in 12 schools in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland.Read moreRead less
Education and training and regional networks: the implications for outcomes and governance. The project will investigate local learning and employment networks (LLENs) that have been established in Victoria. It will analyse the effectiveness of networks in delivering education and training services and improving outcomes for young people. The inter- and intra-action of networks, and their relationships with government in policy formation will also be analysed. The project is located in a majo ....Education and training and regional networks: the implications for outcomes and governance. The project will investigate local learning and employment networks (LLENs) that have been established in Victoria. It will analyse the effectiveness of networks in delivering education and training services and improving outcomes for young people. The inter- and intra-action of networks, and their relationships with government in policy formation will also be analysed. The project is located in a major and unique innovation in education and training, and for the first time will apply meso level theory and methodology in this area of public policy. It will provide new findings on effectiveness of networks in education outcomes.Read moreRead less
The VCE: Social Access and Transition Effectiveness. Education authorities in Australia face difficulties in reforming school programs to make them both equitable and effective in terms of learning experiences and outcomes. This project examines the extent to which young people from different family backgrounds access different "locations" within the curriculum, the quality of their instructional experience, and the post-school destinations connected with the places they held in the curriculum. ....The VCE: Social Access and Transition Effectiveness. Education authorities in Australia face difficulties in reforming school programs to make them both equitable and effective in terms of learning experiences and outcomes. This project examines the extent to which young people from different family backgrounds access different "locations" within the curriculum, the quality of their instructional experience, and the post-school destinations connected with the places they held in the curriculum. The broad objective is to make the curriculum much more transparent with respect to its underlying social patterns and processes, and thus to make it more accessible to the remedial action of both teachers and curriculum and assessment authorities.Read moreRead less