The Shallow Teaching Syndrome in School Mathematics - towards practical ways that will engage students more deeply. Australian governments have made considerable investment in international comparative studies of student achievement in mathematics. One of the findings is that an average Australian lesson exhibits the 'shallow teaching syndrome', having relatively lower complexity, higher repetition and less mathematical reasoning than high-achieving countries. This project will interview cur ....The Shallow Teaching Syndrome in School Mathematics - towards practical ways that will engage students more deeply. Australian governments have made considerable investment in international comparative studies of student achievement in mathematics. One of the findings is that an average Australian lesson exhibits the 'shallow teaching syndrome', having relatively lower complexity, higher repetition and less mathematical reasoning than high-achieving countries. This project will interview curriculum leaders and textbook writers, and analyse both traditional textbook and innovative curriculum materials. This will help to understand the reasons for the syndrome and recommend practical ways in which lessons that engage students more deeply, can be encouraged.Read moreRead less
Academic Curriculum and School Setting : How school subjects live different lives in different schools. What is it about some schools that enables success to occur even in the most unlikely settings? This project will investigate differences in how the senior school subjects of mathematics, English and chemistry are 'delivered' in particular settings, despite curricula that are centrally determined and examined. It will explore the impact of factors such as school organisation, teaching and asse ....Academic Curriculum and School Setting : How school subjects live different lives in different schools. What is it about some schools that enables success to occur even in the most unlikely settings? This project will investigate differences in how the senior school subjects of mathematics, English and chemistry are 'delivered' in particular settings, despite curricula that are centrally determined and examined. It will explore the impact of factors such as school organisation, teaching and assessment methods, teaching resources and student background characteristics on students' experience of, and success in, these subjects. This project will identify the changes in curricula, school organisation and teaching needed for more students to successfully complete their senior secondary education.Read moreRead less
The International Baccalaureate in Australian schools: a sociological case study. The International Baccaluareate is being adopted by many Australian schools seeking an alternative to state curricula. In current debates over a national curriculum, there has been federal government and media support for the IB as a prototype for policy reform. This project will provide the first documentation on the spread of the IB, its target student/family cohorts, school implementation issues, student experie ....The International Baccalaureate in Australian schools: a sociological case study. The International Baccaluareate is being adopted by many Australian schools seeking an alternative to state curricula. In current debates over a national curriculum, there has been federal government and media support for the IB as a prototype for policy reform. This project will provide the first documentation on the spread of the IB, its target student/family cohorts, school implementation issues, student experiences and outcomes. It will evaluate its claims about the preparation of students for new economies, global citizenship and identity.
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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
The impact of attitudes and policies relating to obesity and related health issues on school policy and practices. Governments have made and are continuing to make substantial investments in policies, strategies and research to address the perceived risk of obesity and related health issues. Schools in particular have been targeted to address the issue. This research seeks to inform public policy and school practices by examining how the new health imperatives are being taken up by schools. It w ....The impact of attitudes and policies relating to obesity and related health issues on school policy and practices. Governments have made and are continuing to make substantial investments in policies, strategies and research to address the perceived risk of obesity and related health issues. Schools in particular have been targeted to address the issue. This research seeks to inform public policy and school practices by examining how the new health imperatives are being taken up by schools. It will examine how these imperatives are shaping schools' priorities and teaching about health, and how this, in turn, influences young people's attitudes and understandings of their own and others' health, in particular in relation to physical activity and food.Read moreRead less
A Tale of six cities: Explaining social inequality in secondary school systems: an international comparative study. Australia is frequently compared with other Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries as 'only average' in equity. But why? League tables don't explain this and commentators are vague. What good are comparisons if they don't improve student outcomes through better understanding and better policies? This study shows why inequality persists in six cou ....A Tale of six cities: Explaining social inequality in secondary school systems: an international comparative study. Australia is frequently compared with other Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries as 'only average' in equity. But why? League tables don't explain this and commentators are vague. What good are comparisons if they don't improve student outcomes through better understanding and better policies? This study shows why inequality persists in six countries. It highlights the role of curriculum as a vehicle for distinguishing between students in more or less sharp ways and of selective schooling as a vehicle for gaining access to the most discriminating paths in the curriculum. It points to ways in which schooling can operate more equitably without sacrificing quality.Read moreRead less
How is school socio-economic composition associated with student outcomes? A comparative study of seven countries. School socio-economic composition is strongly associated with educational outcomes for all Australian students. This association is problematic because it reduces educational equity and opportunity for students at low socio-economic schools, which in turn reduces Australia's ability to fully invest in its most valuable resource, its young people. The current Labor government is comm ....How is school socio-economic composition associated with student outcomes? A comparative study of seven countries. School socio-economic composition is strongly associated with educational outcomes for all Australian students. This association is problematic because it reduces educational equity and opportunity for students at low socio-economic schools, which in turn reduces Australia's ability to fully invest in its most valuable resource, its young people. The current Labor government is committed to investing in low socio-economic schools. This study will highlight ways to support low socio-economic schools by showing how they differ from more advantaged ones. Comparative analysis of educationally equitable and efficient countries will provide further evidence for ways to support low socio-economic schools in Australia.Read moreRead less
Facilitating Equitable Science Learning Environments for Multicultural Societies: A Cross-Cultural Study in Australia, Taiwan and South Africa. In our multicultural society, science teachers must be sensitive to the culturally-specific needs of students from different cultural backgrounds. This cross-cultural study in Australia, Taiwan and South Africa aims to assess culturally-sensitive aspects of science classroom learning environments using multiple research methods. This information will be ....Facilitating Equitable Science Learning Environments for Multicultural Societies: A Cross-Cultural Study in Australia, Taiwan and South Africa. In our multicultural society, science teachers must be sensitive to the culturally-specific needs of students from different cultural backgrounds. This cross-cultural study in Australia, Taiwan and South Africa aims to assess culturally-sensitive aspects of science classroom learning environments using multiple research methods. This information will be used to explore whether the size of discrepancies between actual and preferred learning environment (1) depends on students' cultural backgrounds and (2) is related to students' a) attitudes b) achievement and c) retention. Finally the study will examine the effectiveness of strategies for creating learning environments that are more suitable for minority students.Read moreRead less
Redesigning schools and school leadership: an Australian comparative case study. This project on school redesign addresses an urgent need identified in Government and OECD reports for schools and systems to redesign in order to be more responsive to multiple social and economic pressures while addressing significant disparities between schools. Longitudinal case studies with a focus on schools in particularly challenging circumstances will reconceptualize the relationship between sustainable sch ....Redesigning schools and school leadership: an Australian comparative case study. This project on school redesign addresses an urgent need identified in Government and OECD reports for schools and systems to redesign in order to be more responsive to multiple social and economic pressures while addressing significant disparities between schools. Longitudinal case studies with a focus on schools in particularly challenging circumstances will reconceptualize the relationship between sustainable school reform, leadership, student learning and school-community relationships. These are all policy priority areas. Communication strategies aim to inform policymakers, professional associations, the new National Institute for Quality Teaching and School Leadership, and schools about how to conceptualise and sustain reform.Read moreRead less