Young people's narratives of socio-economic disadvantage and educational opportunities in contexts of place-based interventions. Society and individuals suffer when young people from disadvantaged areas become disengaged from school. This project will inform educational policy by generating knowledge from young people about the resources they use to make educational decisions.
A socio-cultural analysis of eating disorders among pre-teen boys and girls. This project tackles the tough question of why there has been a dramatic increase in eating disorders amongst very young boys and girls by examining the social conditions of children's lives in contemporary Australia. The findings will provide important information for policy makers, educators and clinicians working with children and families.
Rethinking higher education persistence. This project aims to address the issue of early departure from university. Many students leave higher education and disproportionate numbers are from educationally disadvantaged groups, including first-in-family learners. Too often, the individual learner is 'blamed' for this departure and perceived as deficit in necessary knowledge. This project extends previous research into how first-in-family students manage and engage with higher education. Expected ....Rethinking higher education persistence. This project aims to address the issue of early departure from university. Many students leave higher education and disproportionate numbers are from educationally disadvantaged groups, including first-in-family learners. Too often, the individual learner is 'blamed' for this departure and perceived as deficit in necessary knowledge. This project extends previous research into how first-in-family students manage and engage with higher education. Expected outcomes include knowledge about university persistence behaviours and a capabilities informed framework to design and implement future retention strategies.Read moreRead less
Parent involvement goes online: New ecologies of school-home relations. This project aims to: identify forms of digital exclusion and inclusion impacting on parents’ ability to support their children’s education; produce a new conceptual model of technologically mediated school-home relationships; and provide a comprehensive map of school-home connected digital tools and services. Combining a detailed survey of 500 school leaders with innovative networked case studies across three schools and 18 ....Parent involvement goes online: New ecologies of school-home relations. This project aims to: identify forms of digital exclusion and inclusion impacting on parents’ ability to support their children’s education; produce a new conceptual model of technologically mediated school-home relationships; and provide a comprehensive map of school-home connected digital tools and services. Combining a detailed survey of 500 school leaders with innovative networked case studies across three schools and 18 families, this will be the first national study to comprehensively describe and analyse home-school partnerships in the digital age. It will provide policy and educational leadership with a roadmap for addressing barriers to digital inclusion, as schools advance their integration of digital platforms. Read moreRead less
Schooling, Parenting & Ethnicity: Asian Migration & Australian Education. This project involves a comparative analysis of Asian- and Anglo- Australian families’ approaches to education. In the ‘Asian century’, there is a pressing need to understand the impact of migration and cultural diversity on Australian education and the factors underpinning the relations between parenting and schooling. The project will develop new ways of analysing education cultures beyond simplistic notions of ‘tiger pa ....Schooling, Parenting & Ethnicity: Asian Migration & Australian Education. This project involves a comparative analysis of Asian- and Anglo- Australian families’ approaches to education. In the ‘Asian century’, there is a pressing need to understand the impact of migration and cultural diversity on Australian education and the factors underpinning the relations between parenting and schooling. The project will develop new ways of analysing education cultures beyond simplistic notions of ‘tiger parenting’ that are pitted against more liberal ‘Western’ approaches. It will produce new knowledge enhancing education practitioners’ and community agencies' understandings of families’ engagement with education, providing an evidence base to inform public debate and social and education policy.Read moreRead less
Technologies of performance, technologies of governance: the bane, benefits, ethics and future of performance measurement in government. This study examines governments' increasing use of performance management and the complex ways this is transforming schools, universities, health and welfare services. It aims to improve service performance by identifying problems areas and engaging wider public perspectives.