Research capacity-building: the development of Australian PhD programs in national and emerging global contexts. PhD programs in universities are the principal means by which new researchers are prepared for work in the knowledge economy. This project develops a comprehensive coded database of every PhD awarded in Australia since the first programs in the 1940s. It the will study fourteen different PhD programs that have developed during this period in four universities. The project focuses on ....Research capacity-building: the development of Australian PhD programs in national and emerging global contexts. PhD programs in universities are the principal means by which new researchers are prepared for work in the knowledge economy. This project develops a comprehensive coded database of every PhD awarded in Australia since the first programs in the 1940s. It the will study fourteen different PhD programs that have developed during this period in four universities. The project focuses on how these programs develop research capacity within disciplines and how these are related to the changing social, cultural and economic needs of Australia. The project will assist in planning future PhD programs and research capacity development.Read moreRead less
Australian doctoral graduates' publication, professional and community outcomes. The project produces benefits to government, universities, Deans and Directors of Graduate Studies and those with a scholarly interest in doctoral education. It identifies, quantifies and explains the relationship between PhD graduates' thesis outcomes (especially, publications) and their professional and community outcomes up to ten years from graduation. The findings will be disseminated as universities, governmen ....Australian doctoral graduates' publication, professional and community outcomes. The project produces benefits to government, universities, Deans and Directors of Graduate Studies and those with a scholarly interest in doctoral education. It identifies, quantifies and explains the relationship between PhD graduates' thesis outcomes (especially, publications) and their professional and community outcomes up to ten years from graduation. The findings will be disseminated as universities, government and academies debate the RQF outcomes and whether the quality and impact of doctorates be included in the next RQF. The findings enable universities to enhance policy and practice to ensure worthwhile outcomes from doctoral programs and graduates. The project advances scholarship about doctorates and research education.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.
Read moreRead less
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
Read moreRead less
Young Australians' perspectives on religions and non-religious worldviews. This project aims to elicit diverse young people’s understandings about religion and belief to inform debate about how education assists or impedes intercultural understanding as well as enhancing wellbeing and social inclusion. Australian governments have invested in programs to promote respect for religious diversity and to counter violent extremism, yet there is no coherent, evidence-based understanding of young Austra ....Young Australians' perspectives on religions and non-religious worldviews. This project aims to elicit diverse young people’s understandings about religion and belief to inform debate about how education assists or impedes intercultural understanding as well as enhancing wellbeing and social inclusion. Australian governments have invested in programs to promote respect for religious diversity and to counter violent extremism, yet there is no coherent, evidence-based understanding of young Australians’ perspectives on religions and nonreligious worldviews. Knowing more about young people's perspectives and what influences them could facilitate development of appropriate educational responses equipping schools to help young Australians to live productively in their diverse society.Read moreRead less
Assessing new learning spaces: learning, governance and outcomes. Supporting learning amongst 'at risk' individuals is an urgent global challenge, given changes in work and society. New learning spaces are emerging in response. They target the 30% of Australians not served by traditional education and training. New learning spaces are based in social partnerships. They offer distinctive learning relationships, and scope for localised governance and decision-making. They promise enhanced life cha ....Assessing new learning spaces: learning, governance and outcomes. Supporting learning amongst 'at risk' individuals is an urgent global challenge, given changes in work and society. New learning spaces are emerging in response. They target the 30% of Australians not served by traditional education and training. New learning spaces are based in social partnerships. They offer distinctive learning relationships, and scope for localised governance and decision-making. They promise enhanced life chances for individuals and improved community-building. This project will (1) build theory to understand new learning spaces; (2) document how they reshape learning relations and practices; and (3) assess claims that they improve learning, governance and outcomes.Read moreRead less
An investigation of causal relations between complex classroom practices and science learning using high capacity new research technologies and multiple theory-testing. The strategic importance of science and the need for high-quality science teaching is being highlighted at national and state levels. A variety of science education initiatives have been funded by government to address this priority. Policy makers and curriculum developers rightly demand that the advocacy of educational innovatio ....An investigation of causal relations between complex classroom practices and science learning using high capacity new research technologies and multiple theory-testing. The strategic importance of science and the need for high-quality science teaching is being highlighted at national and state levels. A variety of science education initiatives have been funded by government to address this priority. Policy makers and curriculum developers rightly demand that the advocacy of educational innovations be supported by empirical evidence, which, to now, has been limited by available research methods. This study exploits recent advances in the sophistication of educational theories, research designs and available technology to generate much more compelling evidence of the effectiveness of specific classroom practices for improving student knowledge and understanding of science.Read moreRead less
Governing International Trade in Higher Education: A Comparative Study of International Education Policy Development. Australia is a major exporter of education, yet the cumulative social and economic impacts of large-scale commercial international education on our trading partners are not well researched. This project will assist in understanding the similarities and differences between Australian and other governments' objectives in relation to the growing international market in education, an ....Governing International Trade in Higher Education: A Comparative Study of International Education Policy Development. Australia is a major exporter of education, yet the cumulative social and economic impacts of large-scale commercial international education on our trading partners are not well researched. This project will assist in understanding the similarities and differences between Australian and other governments' objectives in relation to the growing international market in education, and the means governments use to regulate educational trade. This can help inform bilateral and multilateral relations between governments, educational institutions, educational peak bodies and other stakeholders.Read moreRead less
Enabling place pedagogies in rural and urban Australia. This project will tell us how children and adults learn about place in the local areas where they live and work. The findings will be applied in action research with teachers in early childhood, school, and adult education settings, and in the preparation of teachers. It will address two Research Priority areas, 1: An Environmentally Sustainable Australia and 2. Strengthening AustraliaÍs economic and social fabric, which we argue are insepa ....Enabling place pedagogies in rural and urban Australia. This project will tell us how children and adults learn about place in the local areas where they live and work. The findings will be applied in action research with teachers in early childhood, school, and adult education settings, and in the preparation of teachers. It will address two Research Priority areas, 1: An Environmentally Sustainable Australia and 2. Strengthening AustraliaÍs economic and social fabric, which we argue are inseparable. Incorporating the findings into the curricula of teacher education will ensure that the project will have sustained long term benefits as well as the immediate application built into the study.Read moreRead less
A comparative study of history education in Australia and Canada, examining the relationship between school history and broader historical debates. Debates on history and history teaching in both nations have oscillated back and forth in a way that has generated more heat than light, frequently placing undue and unprofessional curriculum pressure on teachers of history at all levels. This project will produce an exhaustive and research-based assessment of what kinds of histories are being taugh ....A comparative study of history education in Australia and Canada, examining the relationship between school history and broader historical debates. Debates on history and history teaching in both nations have oscillated back and forth in a way that has generated more heat than light, frequently placing undue and unprofessional curriculum pressure on teachers of history at all levels. This project will produce an exhaustive and research-based assessment of what kinds of histories are being taught in schools and how they are being taught at a time when good history teaching is regarded as a vital political and cultural asset. The results will be outlined in a way that will lead to informed discussion of the nature of this crucial discipline.Read moreRead less