Recruit to Retain: From Medical School to Rural Practitioner. In order to make use of assets and resources the Government is providing for medical training and to address the problem of inequitable distribution of GPs in Australia this project aims to develop a theoretical yet practical understanding of the personal attributes of medical students, residents, registrars and general practitioners that are directly applicable to their recruitment and retention into rural practice. Application of th ....Recruit to Retain: From Medical School to Rural Practitioner. In order to make use of assets and resources the Government is providing for medical training and to address the problem of inequitable distribution of GPs in Australia this project aims to develop a theoretical yet practical understanding of the personal attributes of medical students, residents, registrars and general practitioners that are directly applicable to their recruitment and retention into rural practice. Application of this theoretical perspective will inform and help modify existing training for medical professionals at all levels who have opted for a rural pathway in order to better equip and retain them for life in rural practice.Read moreRead less
Numeracy, Youth and Employment: A study of numeracy demands in contemporary workplaces in regional Queensland. In contemporary workplaces, the numeracy demands are varied, yet little is known about their form or skill requirements. In order for schools and other agencies to better prepare Australian youth for the demands of contemporary work, a clearer understanding of the intersection of numeracy and work is needed. This project seeks to identify the numeracy demands across a range of industr ....Numeracy, Youth and Employment: A study of numeracy demands in contemporary workplaces in regional Queensland. In contemporary workplaces, the numeracy demands are varied, yet little is known about their form or skill requirements. In order for schools and other agencies to better prepare Australian youth for the demands of contemporary work, a clearer understanding of the intersection of numeracy and work is needed. This project seeks to identify the numeracy demands across a range of industries in the Gold Coast region of Queensland. As well as examining the types of numeracy demands, the project identifies some of the best ways in which numeracy skills can be improved to meet the demands across those industries.Read moreRead less
Skilling Indigenous Australia: Effective numeracy learning for employment by regional and remote Indigenous students in vocational education and training courses. Increasing levels of Indigenous VET certification will enable Indigenous inclusion in local labour markets, which are currently experiencing skills shortages in education, health, construction and mining. This will reduce welfare dependence and the need for intervention programs, in turn improving Australia's economic activity. This pr ....Skilling Indigenous Australia: Effective numeracy learning for employment by regional and remote Indigenous students in vocational education and training courses. Increasing levels of Indigenous VET certification will enable Indigenous inclusion in local labour markets, which are currently experiencing skills shortages in education, health, construction and mining. This will reduce welfare dependence and the need for intervention programs, in turn improving Australia's economic activity. This project is a significant collaboration between schools, TAFEs and Industry representatives that service remote areas, which aims to develop a theory about effective numeracy instruction. This theoretical framework will provide strategies for VET teachers and supervisors to facilitate Indigenous student's numeracy learning in a manner that is culturally empowering, builds pride and sustains community linkages. Read moreRead less
Numeracy for access to traineeships and apprenticeships, vocational studies, empowerment and low-achieving post Year 10 students. On completion of Year 10,a significant proportion of students have insufficient numeracy to find gainful employment or to undertake a VET course. New government policy requires schools and TAFEs to provide numeracy learning opportunities to facilitate employment or formal qualification. This project studies vocational situations in which these students can acquire the ....Numeracy for access to traineeships and apprenticeships, vocational studies, empowerment and low-achieving post Year 10 students. On completion of Year 10,a significant proportion of students have insufficient numeracy to find gainful employment or to undertake a VET course. New government policy requires schools and TAFEs to provide numeracy learning opportunities to facilitate employment or formal qualification. This project studies vocational situations in which these students can acquire the functional and abstract numeracy essential for access to formal VET qualifications and constructs theories to explain what makes learning direct and distance learning materials effective. The Industry Partners will develop direct and distance instructional materials, and will disseminate these resources throughout Queensland, Australia, and Asia.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
The Development of Creative Thinking Ability in TAFE Design Students. The aim is to develop an instructional framework as a conceptual basis for instruction aimed at TAFE design student use of imagery in creative thinking. The research addresses the challenges of recent post-compulsory education initiatives, which include a more specific focus on the development of creative problem-solving skills, but provide little guidance on instructional strategies. The research will synthesise the framewo ....The Development of Creative Thinking Ability in TAFE Design Students. The aim is to develop an instructional framework as a conceptual basis for instruction aimed at TAFE design student use of imagery in creative thinking. The research addresses the challenges of recent post-compulsory education initiatives, which include a more specific focus on the development of creative problem-solving skills, but provide little guidance on instructional strategies. The research will synthesise the framework from theories about cognitive processes, creative problem-solving and the use of mental imagery; and the results of an imagery training program and creative problem-solving interventions. The outcome will be an instructional framework for guiding the development of student creative thinking in design-based courses in TAFE.Read moreRead less
School knowledge, working knowledge and the knowing subject: a review of state curriculum policies 1975-2005. Schooling is a central institution for forming the knowledge, workers and citizens of Australia's future, and this is a period of widespread curriculum change. This project's systematic review of state differences is an important resource for moves in a 'nationally consistent' direction. The project charts what is and is not being taken up in relation to new vocational agendas and new co ....School knowledge, working knowledge and the knowing subject: a review of state curriculum policies 1975-2005. Schooling is a central institution for forming the knowledge, workers and citizens of Australia's future, and this is a period of widespread curriculum change. This project's systematic review of state differences is an important resource for moves in a 'nationally consistent' direction. The project charts what is and is not being taken up in relation to new vocational agendas and new conceptions of knowledge. It provides a fresh perspective on Australian curriculum emphases, competing agendas, issues to be addressed and makes possible a more realistic appraisal of the conditions in which innovation and reform need to be developed.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
Sustaining older workers' competence: Informing policy and practice. Maintaining the effective working life of older Australian workers is central for sustaining the economic and social health of the nation and for their workplace efficacy and sense of self as productive members of the community. This project will identify and recommend practices and policies for both Australian workplaces and educational institutions to sustain and develop further the skills of Australia's growing number of ol ....Sustaining older workers' competence: Informing policy and practice. Maintaining the effective working life of older Australian workers is central for sustaining the economic and social health of the nation and for their workplace efficacy and sense of self as productive members of the community. This project will identify and recommend practices and policies for both Australian workplaces and educational institutions to sustain and develop further the skills of Australia's growing number of older workers and effectively manage their work transitions. These outcomes will also be used to inform processes and practices to develop the capacities of older Australians in maintaining personally and economically productive working lives.Read moreRead less
School to work transitions: A study of school-industry partnerships in small and medium enterprises in SouthEast Queensland. The transition from school to work in contemporary times is difficult due to changes in school, work and society. The Gold Coast region represents a unique region where there are above national and state average completions of traineeships. This project investigates the forms of school-to-work traineeships in the region in order to identify elements of best practice, and t ....School to work transitions: A study of school-industry partnerships in small and medium enterprises in SouthEast Queensland. The transition from school to work in contemporary times is difficult due to changes in school, work and society. The Gold Coast region represents a unique region where there are above national and state average completions of traineeships. This project investigates the forms of school-to-work traineeships in the region in order to identify elements of best practice, and to propose benefits and costs to key stakeholders including youth, employers and schools. The project's significance lies in its documentation of key industry and school partnerships in terms of cognitive, social and economic benefits for the long-term sustainability of youth and employment. Read moreRead less