The Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC) invites you to participate in a short survey about your
interaction with the ARDC and use of our national research infrastructure and services. The survey will take
approximately 5 minutes and is anonymous. It’s open to anyone who uses our digital research infrastructure
services including Reasearch Link Australia.
We will use the information you provide to improve the national research infrastructure and services we
deliver and to report on user satisfaction to the Australian Government’s National Collaborative Research
Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) program.
Please take a few minutes to provide your input. The survey closes COB Friday 29 May 2026.
Complete the 5 min survey now by clicking on the link below.
From high school to higher education: Gendered pathways in information, communication and computer technology education. Serious gender-based disparities exist in participation in the Information, Communication, and Computing Technologies (ICCT) field, in both higher education and industry, with a 2004 review of Australian university participation rates identifying women as an equity target group in this field. A multi-method, multi-stage project has been design to identify the processes that le ....From high school to higher education: Gendered pathways in information, communication and computer technology education. Serious gender-based disparities exist in participation in the Information, Communication, and Computing Technologies (ICCT) field, in both higher education and industry, with a 2004 review of Australian university participation rates identifying women as an equity target group in this field. A multi-method, multi-stage project has been design to identify the processes that lead to this gender gap. Specifically, the project will focus on students' experiences and decisions at secondary school in three states to ascertain why so few girls choose to enter university-level ICCT courses, and what strategies could be implemented in schools to remedy this problem. Read moreRead less
Intercultural Approaches to Teaching Chinese: A basis for pedagogical innovation. The nation in general will benefit by having a better prepared and more competent population of Chinese teachers, learners and professionals, whose exposure to Chinese language and culture will encompass the multiplicity of identities in a contemporary, multicultural society. This research will establish Australia as a major innovator in Chinese language pedagogy and will equip Australians to better understand our ....Intercultural Approaches to Teaching Chinese: A basis for pedagogical innovation. The nation in general will benefit by having a better prepared and more competent population of Chinese teachers, learners and professionals, whose exposure to Chinese language and culture will encompass the multiplicity of identities in a contemporary, multicultural society. This research will establish Australia as a major innovator in Chinese language pedagogy and will equip Australians to better understand our region and our world. A unique feature of the project is the provision for assessment of cultural awareness derived from study of language, ensuring that students who do not persevere with Chinese language will have a 'surrender value' declaration, recording competency in knowledge of Chinese culture.Read moreRead less
Girls, Empowerment, and Markets in Education: A History of The Mac.Robertsons Girls' High School. With its centenary approaching, the school wants to evaluate its past. In cooperation with RMIT, the writing of a school history can produce three important outcomes. As historian in residence, the doctoral scholar can provide focus for self reflection by the school community. As social history, the work can fill a significant gap in the understanding of publicly funded education in Australia. As co ....Girls, Empowerment, and Markets in Education: A History of The Mac.Robertsons Girls' High School. With its centenary approaching, the school wants to evaluate its past. In cooperation with RMIT, the writing of a school history can produce three important outcomes. As historian in residence, the doctoral scholar can provide focus for self reflection by the school community. As social history, the work can fill a significant gap in the understanding of publicly funded education in Australia. As contribution to policy, it can address two continuing debates: about the place of selective state schools in a national system of education, and about the dynamics of single sex schools, and the education of girls more generally.Read moreRead less
Enhancing Wellbeing and Learning in Middle Years Classrooms. Meaningful engagement in schooling promotes academic learning, social emotional wellbeing and healthy futures for young people. Achieving the positive engagement of all adolescent students in schooling is a significant educational challenge for Australia. This research project recognises that strong, caring and positive teacher-student relationships are critical to student engagement in Middle Years classrooms. The project will inve ....Enhancing Wellbeing and Learning in Middle Years Classrooms. Meaningful engagement in schooling promotes academic learning, social emotional wellbeing and healthy futures for young people. Achieving the positive engagement of all adolescent students in schooling is a significant educational challenge for Australia. This research project recognises that strong, caring and positive teacher-student relationships are critical to student engagement in Middle Years classrooms. The project will investigate the application of an evidence based framework of strategies and a professional learning model to support teachers in the promotion of positive learning relationships. The project will trial measures that could increase teacher capacity to promote learning and wellbeing through positive relationships.Read moreRead less
Understanding adolescent leadership for civic engagement in secondary schools and community groups. Using the 'research voice' of adolescents as an investigation technique, this project will develop new conceptual knowledge to inform youth-centric leadership interventions aimed at engaging young people in civic action in schools and community groups. The key benefit is the discovery of new understandings about youth leadership and its connection to enhanced civic engagement, both prerequisites f ....Understanding adolescent leadership for civic engagement in secondary schools and community groups. Using the 'research voice' of adolescents as an investigation technique, this project will develop new conceptual knowledge to inform youth-centric leadership interventions aimed at engaging young people in civic action in schools and community groups. The key benefit is the discovery of new understandings about youth leadership and its connection to enhanced civic engagement, both prerequisites for responsible citizenship in workplaces and the wider community.Read moreRead less
Improving middle years mathematics and science: The role of subject cultures in school and teacher change. Student disengagement with mathematics and science in the middle years of schooling, and the low retention rates into these areas in upper years, is of national concern. This project investigates the role of mathematics and science knowledge, and school subject cultures, in mediating change processes in the middle years. It builds on a highly successful change model developed for science te ....Improving middle years mathematics and science: The role of subject cultures in school and teacher change. Student disengagement with mathematics and science in the middle years of schooling, and the low retention rates into these areas in upper years, is of national concern. This project investigates the role of mathematics and science knowledge, and school subject cultures, in mediating change processes in the middle years. It builds on a highly successful change model developed for science teaching and learning in Victoria to investigate how generic conceptions of teacher pedagogy
and school change intersect with subject matter knowledge and traditions in the closely related areas of mathematics and science. The findings will inform future school change projects.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
Researching teachers' funds of knowledge and teaching repertoires in relation to student diversity. Diversity in the Australian community has been recognised as a valuable national asset. This project will provide insight into how classrooms can be formed to value diversity among students and provide learning opportunities for all students whatever their background or needs. Students' experiences within schools provide them with a blueprint of the way communities operate, particularly in terms o ....Researching teachers' funds of knowledge and teaching repertoires in relation to student diversity. Diversity in the Australian community has been recognised as a valuable national asset. This project will provide insight into how classrooms can be formed to value diversity among students and provide learning opportunities for all students whatever their background or needs. Students' experiences within schools provide them with a blueprint of the way communities operate, particularly in terms of how inclusion and exclusion are decided, how conflicts are dealt with, and how consensus between members of a group can be built. This project will help clarify how inclusive communities for students and teachers are formed and managed over time. Read moreRead less
The role of representation in learning science. School science is a core area for the future prosperity and health of Australia. Poor student attitudes to science and low involvement in post compulsory science are of national concern. This project, by taking a fresh perspective on key learning issues in middle years science, when student attitudes and future plans are being forged, has the potential to lay the groundwork for more successful learning, increased retention into post compulsory scie ....The role of representation in learning science. School science is a core area for the future prosperity and health of Australia. Poor student attitudes to science and low involvement in post compulsory science are of national concern. This project, by taking a fresh perspective on key learning issues in middle years science, when student attitudes and future plans are being forged, has the potential to lay the groundwork for more successful learning, increased retention into post compulsory science, and enhanced public science literacy. By focusing on effective and innovative pedagogies and assessment strategies the project has the capacity to enhance science students' capacity for innovation, potentially laying the groundwork for increased productivity in the longer term. Read moreRead less
The Australian middle class and school choice: A generational study of changing anxieties and aspirations. There have been major changes in the ways that the Australian middle class think and behave as a response to economic reforms from the 1970s. The significance of this study is to add a new element to the argument by examining changing attitudes toward public and private education and school choice - from the point of view of the urban middle class. The hypothesis is that family decisions ab ....The Australian middle class and school choice: A generational study of changing anxieties and aspirations. There have been major changes in the ways that the Australian middle class think and behave as a response to economic reforms from the 1970s. The significance of this study is to add a new element to the argument by examining changing attitudes toward public and private education and school choice - from the point of view of the urban middle class. The hypothesis is that family decisions about schooling are a major site for exploring the history of the middle class. The benefit of the study is a new analysis of the middle class from the 1950s through the changing patterns of its participation in public and private schooling. It also offers an opportunity for school choice and social equity policy makers to respond to its conclusions.Read moreRead less