Search

Objective: In Australia, there is little evidence exploring why higher degrees by research (HDRs) are undertaken by surgeons. This study aims to describe the attitudes and experiences of surgical trainees and surgeons towards HDRs. Methods: A 23-question cross-sectional survey of surgical trainees and consultant surgeons from three Australian public hospitals was undertaken between August and December 2022. Data were analysed according to stage of career and HDR status and assessed using chi-squared test, with P < 0.05 considered significant. Results: Out of 270 participants, 72 (27%) completed the survey including 30 (42%) trainees and 42 (58%) consultants. Overall, 43 (60%) participants had completed or were undertaking a HDR, which was similar between trainees (n = 18) and consultants (N = 25; P = 0.968). A HDR was associated with more publications (P < 0.5). Respondents with a HDR were more likely to have a salaried academic position (50%) than those without (15%). There was no significant difference in academic appointments based on HDR attainment (P = 0.192). For surgical trainees, 93% rated the strengthening of resumes as the primary driver, compared with only 60% of consultants. For consultants, academic career aspirations and research interests were ranked the highest at 64% equally. Lack of time and competing nature of surgical training were equally ranked among all as the key barriers to completing a HDR. Conclusions: These results provide insight into the academic pursuits of surgeons with an understanding of the role HDRs play, including the different drivers for Masters and Doctorates. This is important for supporting future surgeons who seek to pursue research. What is known about the topic? The value of research is well-recognised as a crucial part of the surgical training pathway. Despite this, minimal contemporary evidence exists which explores the impact of higher degrees by research (HDR) on academic career pathways in the Australian context. What does this paper add? Contemporary evidence was obtained to understand why Australian surgeons undertake HDRs and how their completion impacts the surgical career pathway. What are the implications for practitioners? By understanding the role of HDRs in the surgical landscape, practitioners can ensure beneficial support for future academic surgeons is in place. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Australian governments' centrepiece Indigenous strategy, the 'Closing the Gap' framework, established in 2008 to address systemic Indigenous disadvantage, is underpinned by the concept of 'school readiness', which expects Indigenous families to bring their children to school ready to learn. The education system commonly blames Indigenous culture as a contributing factor in explaining the 'Gap'. In this paper, we reverse the mirror of 'school readiness', examining what is known about the readiness of the education system to meet the aspirations of Indigenous learners. Using a meta-synthesis methodological approach, this paper provides an overview of research about the issues and challenges facing Australian schools to be ready to respond to the educational needs of Indigenous children. Findings reveal that the lack of teacher, curriculum, pedagogical, school environment and culture readiness are the four key aspects to consider. We conclude by discussing the implications and gaps in the existing Indigenous education strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Driven by the focus on standardised assessment and performance-driven accountability, a considerable body of literature has documented differences in students' academic achievement across school sectors, both internationally and in Australia. However, few studies have to date explored the potential mechanisms underlying such differences, particularly through the lens of school climate and student engagement. And despite extensive literature on school climate and student engagement, including their relationships with achievement, the differences in these patterns across school sectors remain under-studied. In this paper, we leverage nationally representative data from a large-scale longitudinal survey in Australia with linked administrative data on student achievement to reveal different patterns of school climate and student engagement across government, Catholic and independent sectors. Employing multivariable regression analyses, we identify unique school climate and student engagement facets that are associated with improved achievement in each of these sectors, offering important pointers for educational policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

If feedback is to be conducted effectively, then there needs to be clarity about what is involved and what is necessary for teachers to be able to undertake it well. While much attention has recently been devoted to student feedback literacy, less has been given to what is required of teaching staff in their various roles in feedback processes. This paper seeks to elucidate teacher feedback literacy through an analysis of the accounts of those who do feedback well. An inductive analysis was undertaken of conversations about feedback with 62 university teachers from five Australian universities using a dataset of transcripts of interviews and focus groups from two earlier research studies. Through an iterative process a teacher feedback literacy competency framework was developed which represents the competencies required of university teachers able to design and enact effective feedback processes. The paper discusses the different competencies required of those with different levels of responsibility, from overall course design to commenting on students' work. It concludes by considering implications for the professional development of university teachers in the area of feedback. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A higher proportion of students are privately educated in Australia, compared with many other nations. In this paper, we tested the assumption that private schools offer better quality education than public schools. We examined differences in student achievement on the National Assessment Programme: Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) between public, independent, and catholic schools. Cross-sectional regressions using large samples of students (n = 1583–1810) at Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 showed few sector differences in NAPLAN scores in any domain. No differences were evident after controlling for socioeconomic status and prior NAPLAN achievement. Using longitudinal modelling, we also found no sector differences in the rate of growth for reading and numeracy between Year 3 and Year 9. Results indicate that already higher achieving students are more likely to attend private schools, but private school attendance does not alter academic trajectories, thus undermining conceptions of private schools adding value to student outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is incumbent upon universities to deliver quality degree programs that produce employable graduates with discipline-specific knowledge and a well-developed set of generic skills known as graduate attributes. To safeguard the achievement of these outcomes, this paper argues for a holistic, longitudinal approach to degree planning known as programmatic assessment. The status of this relatively new phenomenon in the Australian university landscape is examined through an analysis of assessment-related policies from twenty-two of Australia's top-performing universities. Discourse analysis was employed to determine how programmatic assessment is depicted in policy, how key players are positioned in this space, and the discursive practices used to imbue policy with hortatory intent. The results of this analysis are outlined and indicate that policy constructions of a program-level approach to assessment are inconsistent across different universities and very few policies have specific guidelines about how programmatic assessment should be implemented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Research suggests that some speech–language pathologists are uncomfortable treating people who stutter. Accessing quality clinical education experiences in stuttering is difficult given the ongoing rise in students enrolled in speech–language pathology programmes and the limited number of stuttering‐specific placements available. Simulation‐based learning is a viable option for providing speech–language pathology students with practical experience in a safe learning environment. Whilst research has found that simulation‐based learning experiences in stuttering assist in the development of students' clinical skills, students' perceptions of participating in stuttering simulation‐based learning are yet to be explored. Aims: To investigate speech–language pathology students' comfort, anxiety, knowledge and confidence in the management of stuttering at the commencement of an academic stuttering course and before and following participation in a stuttering simulation‐based learning programme. Methods & Procedures: This study used a cross‐sectional survey design. Participants were 105 undergraduate and graduate entry masters speech–language pathology students enrolled at an Australian university. Students engaged in a stuttering simulation‐based learning programme embedded within an existing academic course on the management of stuttering. A purposefully developed survey was administered at three time points: pre‐course (T1), pre‐simulation (T2) and post‐simulation (T3) in order to explore students' comfort and anxiety levels, and perceptions of their knowledge and confidence in stuttering management. Descriptive statistics were used to report the medians and range of students' responses. Changes across all time points and between each of the time points were determined using the Friedman test and the Wilcoxon signed rank test, respectively. Outcomes & Results: Statistically significant differences (p < 0.001) were observed on all matched survey items (n = 96) across all time points. Between each time point, a significant difference in students' perceived knowledge levels was found with small to large effect sizes. However, there was no difference in students' perceived comfort and anxiety levels between the time points of pre‐course and pre‐simulation. Open‐ended responses on the post‐simulation survey revealed that students valued learning about stuttering within a simulation‐based learning environment. Conclusions & Implications: Simulation‐based learning experience in stuttering management was valued by students. When accompanied by theoretical content, participation in a stuttering simulation‐based learning programme supported students to feel more comfortable and less anxious about working with people who stutter. This finding has implications for the development of clinical skills in the assessment and treatment of adults who stutter. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: What is already known on this subject: Simulation is a teaching approach used within speech–language pathology to support the development of students' clinical skills. Simulation provides a safe learning environment for students, an opportunity for repeated practice and is valued by students. What this paper adds to existing knowledge: This study explored students' perceptions of their comfort, anxiety, knowledge and confidence in working with people who stutter before and following participation in a simulation‐based learning programme. It describes a stuttering simulation‐based learning programme that can be embedded into speech–language pathology programme curricula. What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work?: The stuttering simulation‐based learning programme detailed in this study can be applied and embedded in speech–language pathology curricula. It can be used to support the development of students' confidence in the assessment and management of stuttering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Childhood speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) impose a significant burden on individuals, families and society. There are explicit costs related to increased health utilization and expenditure. Additionally, there may be indirect costs associated with a child's employment prospects in the long term because of the child's low literacy and numeracy, which in turn affects adult labour force participation (LFP). Several reviews have identified that there is paucity of published evidence on the costs of SLCN. Motivated by broad policy implications, and the lack of prior research in this area, this paper calculates the indirect costs and workplace productivity losses of children with SLCN. Aims: To estimate the indirect costs of SLCN associated with a child's reduced long‐term productivity. Methods & Procedures: Using 12 years of data from a longitudinal study of Australian children, we employed a panel fixed‐effects model to estimate academic achievement at 14–15 years of age. Using these estimates, we employed a human capital approach (HCA) to estimate the projected LFP for children with SLCN, measured by workforce participation and foregone wages. LFP is estimated by extrapolating a child's academic achievement at 14–15 years of age to adulthood outcomes. Outcomes & Results: The results showed that a 1 SD (standard deviation) decrease in SLCN is equivalent to 0.19 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.09, 0.30) SD decrease in academic achievement at 14–15 years, 0.79% (95% CI = 0.37, 1.21) decrease in work participation and A$453 (95% CI = A$207, A$674) per annum in lost wages. The average work participation penalty across all level of SLCN (–3, –2, –1) is A$628 (95% CI = A$236, A$894) per person per year. Based on the prevalence of 8.3% from our sample, this equates to lifetime costs of A$21.677 billion (US$14.28 billion, €13.08 billion, £11.66 billion) for children with SLCN in Australia. Speech pathology treatment appears to have a positive impact on work participation and wages. On average A$355 (95% CI = A$346, A$355) per person per year could be saved through treatment or identification (the difference in lost wages for children with and without speech pathology treatment at each SLCN level (–1, –2 ,–3) calculated as a weighted average). This equates to lifetime savings of A$5.22 billion (US$3.44 billion, €3.15 billion, £2.81 billion) for children with SLCN in Australia. Conclusions & Implications: Overall, the findings showed that SLCN are associated with increased indirect costs through reduced workforce participation. The evidence from this study can be used to inform policies on the societal costs of SLCN. What this paper addsWhat is already known on this subjectChildhood SLCN impose significant burden on individuals, families and society. There are explicit costs related to increased health utilization and expenditure. Additionally, there may be indirect costs associated with a child's employment prospects in the long term because of the child's low literacy and numeracy, which in turn affects adult LFP. Several reviews have identified that there is paucity of published evidence on the costs of SLCN. Motivated by broad policy implications, and the lack of prior research in this area, this paper calculates the indirect costs and workplace productivity losses of children with SLCN.What this paper adds to existing knowledgeThis study estimates the academic achievement and indirect costs of SLCN associated with a child's reduced long‐term productivity. Using 12 years of data from a longitudinal study of Australian children, we employed a panel fixed‐effects model to estimate academic achievement at 14–15 years of age. Using these estimates, we used a human capital approach to estimate the projected LFP for children with SLCN, measured by workforce participation and foregone wages. LFP is estimated by extrapolating a child's academic achievement at 14–15 years of age to adulthood outcomes.What are the potential or actual clinical implications of this work?SLCN are associated with increased indirect costs through reduced workforce participation. The evidence from this study provides one of the first indirect cost estimates of how SLCN impacts LFP through educational achievement. Early identification, intervention and screening for SLCN may be useful offsets to reduce the economic effects identified here. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Completion rates in vocational education are typically poor for Aboriginal students (<30%). A scholarship program was designed for Australian Aboriginal students using five enablers of success previously identified for Aboriginal preregistration tertiary nursing students. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the five enablers contributed to the success of Aboriginal students in vocational education and whether there were any other enablers. Methods: Semistructured interviews were conducted with two groups of Aboriginal students in Certificate III and IV Dental Assisting and Certificate IV in Allied Health Assistance, and their teaching and support staff. The data were initially coded inductively. Initial codes were then categorised according to the five enablers identified to contribute to the success of Bachelor of Nursing students. New categories were created for data not assigned to the enablers. Results: Twenty students (64.5% of the cohort) and six staff (75%) consented to participate. The five enablers were perceived to have contributed to the success of the scholarship recipients and two additional enablers were identified. A completion rate of 96.8% was achieved by the scholarship recipients (30 completions of 31 enrolments). Conclusions: In contrast with the state average, a completion rate of 96.8% was achieved using seven enablers in this study. To improve completion rates for Aboriginal students, vocational education programs need to be customised to cultural, family and community context. The seven enablers in this study should be subject to a larger study to inform policy, funding, design and delivery of vocational training for Aboriginal students. What is known about the topic?: It is well established in the literature that Aboriginal students have poorer educational outcomes than other students. What does this paper add?: This paper validates five previously identified enablers to improve outcomes for Aboriginal students and an additional two for vocational education. These enablers may also be applicable to other types of education. What are the implications for practitioners?: Practitioners can use the enablers in this study to design and implement vocational education programs and improve educational outcomes for Aboriginal students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The OSCE is a sociomaterial assemblage—a meshing together of human and material components producing multiple effects. Materials matter because they shape candidate performance, with potentially calamitous career consequences if materials influence performance unjustly. Although the OSCE literature refers to materials, few papers study the sociomateriality of OSCEs. Therefore, we explored OSCE stakeholders' talk about sociomaterial assemblages to better understand their importance for candidate performance. Methods: We conducted 15 focus groups with OSCE candidates (n = 42), examiners (n = 20) and simulated patients (n = 17) after an Australian postgraduate nursing OSCE. Sociomateriality informed our team‐based framework analysis of data. Results: Participants identified a multiplicity of OSCE materials (objects, technologies and spaces) thought to matter for candidate performance. Candidates' unfamiliarity with materials and missing or malfunctioning materials were reported to yield numerous negative impacts (eg cognitive overload, negative affect, time‐wasting), thereby adversely affecting candidate performance. Both examiners and candidates made micro‐adjustments to sociomaterial assemblages during the OSCE in order to make it work (eg candidates saying what they would do rather than doing it). Sometimes, such tinkering extended so far that sociomaterial assemblages were ruptured (eg examiners ignoring rubrics to help pass candidates), potentially influencing OSCE standardisation. Discussion: Our novel empirical study extends previous conceptual work by illustrating wide‐ranging sociomaterial assemblages influencing OSCE candidate performance. Further research is now needed employing sociomaterial approaches to further elucidate sociomaterial entanglements in diverse OSCEs. We encourage OSCE stakeholders to become more attuned to the productive nature of materials within all stages of OSCE design and implementation. The authors demonstrate the extent to which materials really matter in shaping candidate performance in OSCEs [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the extent to which the learning orientations identified by student self‐reports and the observation of their online learning events were related to each other and to their academic performance. The participants were 322 first‐year engineering undergraduates, who were enrolled in a blended course. Using students' self‐report on a questionnaire about their approaches to learning and perceptions of the blended learning environment, 'understanding' and 'reproducing' learning orientations were identified. Using observations of student activity online, a Hidden Markov Model (HMM) and agglomerative sequence clustering detected four qualitatively different patterns of online learning orientations. Cross‐tabulations showed significant and logical associations amongst the learning orientations derived by the self‐report and observational methods. Significant differences were also consistently found in the students' academic performance across the mid‐term and final assessments based on their learning orientations detected by both self‐report and observational methods, results which have important implications for learning research. Lay Description: What is currently known about the subject matter: Learning analytics research uses observational data to investigate learning.Students Approaches to Learning research uses self‐report data to examine learning experiences.Little research combines observational and self‐report data to investigate variations in learning outcomes. What this paper adds: This study uses both observational and self‐report data to investigate learning orientations.The learning orientations predicted mid‐ and final‐ assessment marks.Significant associations were found between learning orientations identified by observational and self‐report data. Implications for practitioners: Combining data sources enables teachers to better understand students' learning orientations.Interventions can be designed based on an understanding of different learning orientations to improve learning.The approach used in this study is transferrable to other similar research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores two Australian school education policy documents and the inputs they describe to boost student achievement. The paper suggests that current reform efforts in schooling like others previously configure student achievement in input-output terms confining school education policy to predictable inputs that sideline broader influences on educational output including, for instance, school funding. The national policy documents that are the subject of the case study in this paper are the National Plan for School Improvement and the current Students First. Student achievement is explored as an object of study that can be worked on by policy, including for across-theboard national 'non-educational' purposes. The analysis, critical in outlook, suggests that current school education policy trades on a predictable set of evidence-based inputs as correctives to declining levels of student achievement without weaving into the student learning equation the complex mix of relations that frame the educational system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The academic success of Asian–Australian students has become increasingly visible over the last decade. They are over-represented in high-performing schools, gifted and talented programmes and prestigious university courses. These achievements have generated both admiration and anxiety. Congratulatory voices depict Asian–Australians as a model minority, whose work ethic promises to enhance Australian schooling and propel the nation’s meritocracy forward. Anxious voices worry about the escalation of a competitive culture, symbolised by excessive coaching and the ‘tiger parenting’ of Asian migrants. This paper examines the divided public attitudes on Asian–Australian education cultures through a discourse analysis of several hundred online comments posted in response to newspaper stories on ‘Asian success’ over the last five years. It identifies two competing discourses underlying these opinions: firstly, a pro-meritocratic, neo-liberal discourse, in which Asian–Australians embody the competitive spirit and aspiration required in a globalised economy, and secondly, a discourse of Asian–Australians as inauthentic learners whose excessive focus on schooling threatens the traditionally relaxed Australian approach to childhood and education. While these two discourses differ in their evaluation of Asian–Australian students, both share a culturally essentialist framework that explains educational outcomes in terms of ‘culture’. The paper analyses the racial politics of this cultural essentialism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary purpose of this paper is to illustrate how a critical realist approach can add to our understanding of professional recognition of educators in a pre-school setting. Recognition is a function of personal achievement and social arrangement, and is understood through examining those subjective conditions and objective structures as observed in the field of practice or as articulated by the actors involved. Through in-depth interviews, we provoked early childhood educators to deliberate on their lived experiences of professional recognition vis-à-vis policy expectations and institutional practices. In doing so, we identified interactive forces that influence professional recognition in a pre-school context. We argue that a stratified view of reality and epistemic relativism espoused by critical realists offers valuable theoretical insights for exploring teacher professional recognition. Finally, drawing on our empirical data and latest literature, we outline four points of reflection regarding the analytical advantages of critical realism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concerns with the readiness of beginning teachers has resulted in significant changes to ITE programs in Australia. Declining student performance in domestic and international assessments is being seen as a policy problem that can be addressed through policy solutions intended to lift the quality of teachers. While quality and performance measures are linked in this policy agenda, it is not clear how quality teacher and teaching are being defined. In this special issue exploring what teacher educators "should" know, it is reasonable for teacher educators to know more about the ideals of teacher and teaching quality against which they are held to account. Exploring the literature pertaining to the quality teacher discourse informing initial teacher education (ITE) programs, this paper is a thematic literature review relating to the discourses of teacher and teaching quality. Understanding how these discourses of quality interrelate and shape teacher education is an important and necessary consideration in the development of ITE programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Australia has been very successful in recruiting international students. The Australian government regularly reports students' high levels of satisfaction with their educational experiences; however, there is also evidence of some dissatisfaction with regard to social and educational experiences. This paper explores the extent to which universities are meeting the social and educational needs of international students by analysing their experiences through the two dominate rationales in international education, namely neoliberal and cosmopolitan rationales. It discusses findings from a project examining the perceptions and experiences of international students at a large metropolitan Australian university. The study was conducted in two phases: an online questionnaire, followed by focus group interviews. The findings indicate that while international students might rate their overall satisfaction as high on questionnaires, deeper analysis through focus groups highlights the lack of social integration and belongingness that international students perceive. These results challenge universities to innovate their practices in order to develop and integrate cosmopolitan experiences that not only may benefit students but also assist in sustaining the neoliberal rationale of the sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The issue of culturally diverse parenting has taken on increasing importance in Australia. While many studies have been conducted to explore parenting experiences of ethnic minority communities, how ethnic minority communities perceive parenting in mainstream families remains relatively underexplored, with researchers readily attributing the term 'culturally diverse parenting' to 'cultural minority parenting'. In order to get more diverse perspectives, it is time to reconceptualise culturally diverse parenting that includes the mainstream cultural group. This paper reports on the perspectives of ethnic minority communities on parenting of preschool children in Anglo-Australian families and on the differences of parenting between their own communities and the Anglo-Australian families. Central tenets of parenting and parenting differences as perceived by the participants are indicated by five aspects: children's life routines, play, education, independence and parenting authority. The study provokes an awareness of the complex conceptualization of culturally diverse parenting, suggesting new understandings not only of parenting as a cultural and contextual product but as a learning and reflective experience on the part of parents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Explored gender gaps in school students' reading, writing, spelling, and grammar and punctuation NAPLAN test results. • Boys were outperformed by girls in all NAPLAN literacy assessments from 2008 to 2021. • The largest literacy gender gap was writing while the smallest was reading. • The developmental trajectories of the literacy gender gaps were different. • The transition from primary to secondary school was a problematic time for boys' literacy outcomes. There is general agreement in primary education that boys as a group face greater challenges becoming literate than girls. Studies have found gender to be a strong predictor of student achievement on standardised literacy tests, fuelling arguments that boys are being failed by contemporary schooling. Australia's large-scale standardised assessment—NAPLAN—has tested students' literacy skills annually since 2008. Little research has investigated NAPLAN results with the aim of making visible patterns underlying literacy gender gaps in the Australian context. This paper analyses NAPLAN language conventions results between 2008 and 2021 and complements this with results from the NAPLAN reading and writing tests to determine which aspects of literacy cause boys most difficulty, and how boys fall behind girls at particular stages of schooling. We offer possible explanations and suggest where policymakers and schools should direct their attention to close the literacy gender gaps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Covid-19 pandemic has had a major impact on the various facets of higher education globally. With the migration to online teaching happening at an unprecedented rate, educators are challenged in transforming the way they create opportunities for students' learning. Specifically, in Australia, education providers have increasingly offered their courses in a dual-mode setting, making them available for both online and face-to-face students. This paper presents the design of a specific type of dual-mode teaching, referred to as mixed-mode teaching used in an introductory economics course at X University. The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of the mixed-mode teaching in creating an equitable learning experience for the online and face-to-face groups of students enroled in the course. Such an approach should then translate into there being no significant difference found in the academic performance of the two cohorts. In this study, we used the non-parametric Wilcoxon test and Kruskal-Wallis test to verify if a significant difference exists in learning satisfaction. Further, we utilised regression with dummies, and four different approaches of propensity score matching estimation in excluding self-selection bias, to evaluate differences in academic performance. Our results suggest no statistically significant differences in both the learning experiences and academic performances of our two groups of students. At a time when higher education is facing ongoing challenges presented by the pandemic, these findings offer useful insights for economics educators as well as those in higher education about how to enhance students' academic performance and learning experience through more equitable, consistent course design. • Mixed-mode teaching which emphasises in creating an equitable learning experience. • Differences in learning experience and academic performance were examined. • No differences were found between on-campus and online cohorts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While past literature has explored school engagement in older students, there is less research for younger children specifically, and very little which engages children themselves in the research process. This paper provides insight into school engagement for academically at-risk students in the second year of school through a participatory research project. Specifically, the paper reports on a project which examined three groups of students within the Catholic Education system in Australia, namely, those not considered at-risk academically, those considered at-risk but receiving one-on-one support, and those considered to be at-risk but not receiving support. Students participated in focus groups and a photo elicitation project, with questions adapted from The School Engagement Questionnaire forming the basis of data collection. In relation to behavioural engagement, the thematic analysis demonstrated that students in each group valued social interaction, while at-risk students spoke about experiences of punishment at school and students in the group receiving support spoke about rewards. In relation to cognitive engagement, themes of boredom were evident across all groups, while students in the non at-risk group were more likely to speak about the value of learning. At-risk students also displayed some anxiety in relation to school which was not displayed by students who were receiving support. Free time, favourite lessons and technology were all identified as prominent themes in all groups in relation to affective engagement. While the study has some limitations due to restricted timeframe and sample size, it provides an insight into the utility of considering school engagement in developing an understanding of the school experience of at-risk students in primary school. Future studies in this area should examine broader, more representative samples and also consider students with multiple risk factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- The purpose of this paper is to examine the dynamics of the Doctorate of Business Administration (DBA) in Australia through the lens of a changing higher education landscape. The paper reflects on issues raised in a previous analysis of DBA programmes undertaken a decade ago, and highlights persistent challenges and emerging opportunities for professional Doctorate programmes in the Australian context. Design/methodology/approach -- Interviews were undertaken with higher degree research directors, deans of graduate schools, and DBA programme directors from all 18 Australian institutions offering the DBA in 2013. Quantitative data on enrolments, accreditation requirements, course structures; and demographics are contextualised within a qualitative view of programme purposes, student and institutional motivations, rationales and concerns. Particular focus is given to perceptions of the difference between traditional research doctorates (PhDs) and professional doctorates, especially the DBA. Findings -- In the decade from 2003 to 2013 DBA enrolments are down but enquiries are up, indicating unmet demand. There is a shift in the players, with some smaller, regional universities dramatically increasing their enrolments, and larger, traditional institutions exiting the space altogether. Significant changes in accreditation criteria have generated a perceptual shift: where DBAs previously suffered from "academic snobbery" regarding their legitimacy, this perception is being challenged by standards which require DBA equivalence with a PhD. This shift in standards has also created some confusion amongst supervisors and candidates. Originality/value -- There is limited research into the DBA award or its candidates, and academic literature is generally silent on DBA supervision. This piece of research, one of very few that specifically examine the DBA, reflects on the past decade, analyses the present context and identifies emerging issues for the delivery of DBA programmes in Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports a 40-year follow-up of 57 graduates from the initial intake to an Australian medical school who were selected on the basis of either academic criteria alone or desirable personal qualities as assessed by non-cognitive tests and an interview (with a third small group satisfying both criteria). Both students and teaching staff have remained blind to the basis for selection until the present day. Analysis of their under- and post-graduate careers indicates that 'academic' entrants were more likely to complete an intercalated BMedSci degree and to become specialists, while 'personal qualities' entrants were more likely to graduate with honours, become GPs, and win higher degrees after graduation. However, gender more significantly predicted these outcomes, with female results similar to 'personal qualities' entrants and males' similar to 'academic.' The results are interpreted with reference to the aims and structure of the Newcastle medicine curriculum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Achieving increased participation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia’s health workforce, particularly nursing, is federal government policy imperative. However, the uptake of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students into nursing has stalled and their attrition from tertiary nursing courses is considerably higher than for other students. Aim: To alert the profession to issues impacting enrolled nursing education for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. Design: Discussion paper. Results: Studies of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students mainly focus on tertiary education for registered nurses whereas vocational education and training (VET) for enrolled nurses is usually overlooked. It is generally assumed that the issues influencing the recruitment, attrition, and retention of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in higher education universities and other institutions similarly impact enrolled nursing students in the VET sector. Conclusion: Research that contributes robust evidence-based knowledge specifically on strategies addressing issues in enrolled nursing education for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and their employment uptake is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper documents the self-positioning of a segment of middle class parents, whom we call ‘community-minded’, as they distinguish themselves from pedagogies and parenting practices for education often associated with ‘tiger parenting’ and ‘Asian’ practices in Australia. Increased public interest has scrutinised the growth of high achieving Asian-Australian students and commonly depicts ‘Asian success’ as being about ethnicity and/or race. As academics argue, such essentialism validates existing capitals among middle-class parents and feeds into a politics of racial hostility. Building on this literature, we focus on this site of tension as one of a struggle between ‘old’ and ‘new’ middle classes. Drawing on a small study in Sydney NSW, we deal with a fraction of the middle classes for whom particular educational strategies are disavowed as part of their self-positioning as moral, ‘community-minded’ citizens. This is analysed as a response to broader changes across education, the economy and migration trajectories which have emerged alongside what Watkins and Noble call the ‘ethnicisation’ of academic achievement. These tensions provide insight into how ‘old’ and ‘new’ middle classes are attempting to co-exist in Australian schools, as global political and economic transformations are negotiated within the micropolitics of parenting and cultural constructions of childhood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the source of the gender gap in third-grade numeracy and reading. We adopt an Oaxaca-Blinder approach and decompose the gender gap in educational achievement into endowment and response components. Our estimation relies on unusually rich panel data from the Longitudinal Survey of Australian Children in which information on child development reported by parents and teachers is linked to each child's results on a national, standardized achievement test. We find that girls in low- and middle-socio-economic-status (SES) families have an advantage in reading, while boys in high-SES families have an advantage in numeracy. Girls score higher on their third-grade reading tests in large part because they were more ready for school at age 4 and had better teacher-assessed literacy skills in kindergarten. Boys' advantage in numeracy occurs because they achieve higher numeracy test scores than girls with the same education-related characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teacher effectiveness research now informs the rationale of much Australian education policy aimed at redressing student under-achievement. The approach draws a 'straight line' between teacher practice and student outcomes, 'controlling' for and ultimately dismissive of other possible influences. The paper calls into question this conception of teaching-learning relations, particularly the extent to which teaching practice can be reasonably quantified and improvements in students' academic achievement can be solely attributed to and/or sole responsibility placed on the pedagogic strategies employed by teachers. Drawing on the theoretical resources of Foucault and Bourdieu, the paper argues further that teacher effectiveness research is flawed in both means and ends. It concludes that in its ranking of student and teacher performance, such research actually works against the purposes of education; specifically, authentic teaching and learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Significant variations in educational outcomes across both the spatial and socioeconomic spectra in Australia have been widely debated by policymakers in recent years. This paper examines these variations and decomposes educational outcomes into 3 major input factors: availability of school resources, socioeconomic background, and a latent factor that links to the specificities of the local education system such as efficiencies. The proposed method respects the multi-dimensional nature of educational outcomes by estimating structural parameters of an extended education production function with multiple outcome measures. The results indicate that all factors contribute to the variations. Nevertheless, socioeconomic factors dominate non-school-based measures such as the tertiary education enrolment rate. The study also reveals significant differences in education system efficiencies across areas, suggesting compounding factors are often responsible for poor educational performance. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Somewhat surprisingly, an explicit knowledge about language has been often absent from English curricula. The new Australian Curriculum: English (ACARA, 2012) has taken a fairly radical step in placing knowledge about language at the core of classroom practice, thereby raising the issue of an appropriate model of language to inform the Language Strand of the Curriculum. This paper will outline the rationale behind the Language Strand, and will then make explicit its underlying model of language. The paper thus provides a context for the ensuing articles in this Special Focus Issue of AJLL, which take up various concerns in relation to implementation of the Curriculum and especially of the Language strand of the English Curriculum. The paper concludes by canvassing a number of issues relevant to the development and implementation of the Curriculum: student outcomes, terminology, and pedagogy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many young Indigenous Australian students continue to underachieve in Western mathematics. National test results indicate that they are two years behind their peers. Success in mathematics is important to Indigenous students as it leads to employment opportunities and can assist in identifying power differences among socio-economic classes (Gustein, 2003). The focus of this paper is the preparatory year. One-on-one interviews were conducted with 48 students (average age 4 years and 11 months) at the commencement and completion of the preparatory year. Pre- and post-intervention test results of BOEHM (an oral language test), School Entry Number Assessment (SENA) and patterning ability were collected. The pre- and post-intervention test results indicated that, although Australian Indigenous students scored significantly lower on the pre-intervention test with regard to their understanding of number, an intervention focusing, first, on the language of mathematics and, secondly, on representations that support mathematical thinking assisted these students to begin to bridge the gaps in their learning. This paper begins to tease out classroom actions that supported their engagement with and understanding of Western mathematics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

THIS PAPER CONSIDERS from an Australian perspective the tensions for Christian schooling in the notion of educational excellence and whether, ultimately, it is possible for a Christian school to promote itself as a centre for educational excellence and remain authentically Christian. The language of excellence is prevalent in Western society, and the language of educational excellence is certainly prevalent in Australia. Educational excellence appears to be the ambition and purpose of every "worthy" educational program and institution. This paper addresses the responses of Christian schooling in Australia, particularly Christian Parent Controlled (CPCS) schooling, to the concept of educational excellence. The vehicles for this exploration are an examination of the core values of CPCS schools, a consideration of the attitudes of a number of key CPCS educators and a case study of a particular CPCS school. The concept of educational excellence is critiqued in this context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Academic development has played a significant role in creating university 'learning and teaching' as an object of policy scrutiny and intervention. While academic development is a new field, its practices have been productive of new learning and teaching regimes in both the global 'north' and 'south'. This paper explores the emergence of academic development as a practice and the agentic understandings of its actors in creating the academic development project in the face of global unevenness. The paper offers a critical account of the emergence of academic development practice in both the global 'north', drawing on the intertwined histories of the UK and Australia, and in the global 'south', drawing on the example of South Africa. In looking at the ongoing debates about academic development the paper argues that in constituting teaching and learning as its object, other more radical, feminist and critical pedagogies, which are capable of dealing with the power and curricula, were marginalised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There have been 101 government inquiries of one sort or another into Australian teacher education since 1979. Most have presumed or documented concerns about the performance of teacher education. There has, however, been surprisingly little impact from the reports of these many inquiries. They have not - so far - increased the relatively low level of consequential regulation on Australian teacher education; nor have they arrested the long run of declining government funding. This paper argues that in the absence of compelling evidence of differential effects of well- or poorly-organised programmes, or well- or poorly-funded programmes, there is no likely end to the stream of reports and no reasonable hope of restoration of adequate funding. Compelling evidence, the paper argues, would need to disaggregate the impact of student intake, teacher education programme and school context characteristics on subsequent teacher performance and student achievement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses a gender perspective to problematise the connection between high educational achievement and a fulfilling professional career. Drawing data from an Australian study of women working as professional engineers in a range of locations, the paper investigates the ways in which the identities produced in the women's educational experiences require further negotiation in dealing with the realities of their divergent workplaces. Through a deconstruction of the power relationships that form a key feature of the women's reported workplace experience, the women are shown to engage in a range of tactics in the effort to achieve a degree of workplace acceptance and some professional recognition. The paper concludes by urging renewed attention to changing engineering education and workplace culture if the profession is to attract and retain able women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to evaluate the impact of internationalisation on academic work within a department of management in a large Australian university. It has been argued elsewhere that internationalisation strategies have transformed the nature and demands of academic work through the massification and commodification of educational curricula. Drawing on one of our university's projects to develop and deliver internationalised common curricula to students in Asia, South Africa and Australia we contend that internationalisation strategies have contributed to what we identify as the "Taylorisation" of teaching and learning. Frederick Taylor's principles of scientific management, exemplified by the growing trend towards standardisation of delivery and curricula, are readily identified in the pedagogical processes and expected academic practice in higher education. This paper draws on the work of others who highlight the complexity of internationalisation issues in the development and delivery of curricula and suggests a comprehensive programme of internationalisation that more effectively addresses the economic and social demands of the current global competitive environment. We argue for a programme of internationalisation that is counter-hegemonic, ongoing, comprehensive, multifaceted and integrated and we offer some practical suggestions to redefine the principles and practices of internationalisation within an Australian university. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces and analyses three broad discourses of academic achievement and failure, specifically those that speak of students' deficits, disadvantages and differences. It draws on interview data collected from teachers working in Australian primary (elementary) and secondary (high) schools and on academic literature that speaks to the field. The paper argues that 'deficit', 'disadvantage' and 'difference' represent discourses of considerable influence in determining how teachers, students and parents define what constitutes success or failure in schools, which respective approaches educators employ, and the beliefs we hold about students who fail and those who succeed. In this respect, the paper is concerned with matters of inclusion and exclusion in schooling. In particular, we seek to tease out the stories that these discourses tell about student diversity, as a way of unmasking how students are differently represented and how these representations serve to include some and exclude others from the benefits of schooling and society more broadly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper situates the current educational focus on boys in the wider context of a workplace culture of performativity and enterprise. The authors argue that the present focus on reclaiming boys' emotions parallels important shifts in the corporate sector to privilege the 'soft skills' of service and social interaction over the hard skills of boss management. However, in a departure from an earlier generation of correspondence theorists, the authors do not understand the 'correspondence' of schooling and industry needs as merely repressive. The new work culture is a service culture, and boys are being expected to have the requisite skills (of social service) in order to have jobs in the future. The first part of the paper provides a critique of the new essentialism that appears to underpin many of the social and educational intervention programs being conducted on behalf of Australian boys. The second part of the paper explains how such programs work as part of a larger logic about the sort of skills necessary to the 'globalised' workplace. The argument is made here that, for better and worse, this work which teachers are being asked to do allows boys to be redeemed as victims of their biology rather than 'behavioural problems'. In being re-formed from villain to victim, boys can be become 'better' and more productive at the same time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The number of international higher degree research students has grown at a significant rate in recent years, with Australia becoming a hub for attracting such students from around the world. However, research has identified that international higher degree research students often encounter a wide range of academic and socio-cultural challenges in adapting to their new environment, which can have a significant bearing on their levels of satisfaction with their studies. This paper outlines the findings of a mixed method study exploring the experiences and perceptions of international higher degree research students from five different countries in Australia. Findings revealed that the most important issues in terms of satisfaction were not directly related to academic studies. Instead, factors such as integration into the community, interacting with other students, relationships with supervisors, and the provision of adequate desk space were often given the greatest weight. Implications for how university policy can better support international doctoral students are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we consider whether certain countries are particularly adept (or particularly poor) at getting children from disadvantaged homes to study for a bachelor's degree. A series of university access models are estimated for four English-speaking countries (England, Canada, Australia and the USA), which include controls for comparable measures of academic achievement at age 15. Our results suggest that socioeconomic differences in university access are more pronounced in England and Canada than Australia and the USA and that cross-national variation in the socioeconomic gap remains even once we take account of differences in academic achievement. We discuss the implications of our findings for the creation of more socially mobile societies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In spite of a high investment in out-of-home care services across Australia, the educational attainment of children in care remains an issue of concern. This paper discusses findings from a study designed to identify the factors that promoted educational attainment of children in care based on 18 university-educated women with a care background. The narratives of these women from primary schooling through to graduating from a university were collected and analysed using narrative inquiry. The women's narratives strongly suggested that the educational needs of children in care vary according to individual care circumstances and individual characteristics, and can be identified in five groups: Destined, Decision, Determined, Denied, and Delayed. It was concluded that the promotion of educational attainment for children in care requires carefully tailored support and resources following assessment based on this information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A small group of high-performing East Asian economies dominate the top of the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) rankings. This has caught the attention of Western policymakers, who want to know why East Asian children obtain such high PISA scores, and what can be done to replicate their success. In this paper I investigate whether children of East Asian descent, who were born and raised in a Western country (Australia), also score highly on the PISA test. I then explore whether their superior performance (relative to children of Australian heritage) can be explained by reasons often given for East Asian students’ extraordinary educational achievements. My results suggest that second-generation East Asian immigrants outperform their native Australian peers by approximately 100 test points. Moreover, the magnitude of this achievement gap has increased substantially over the last ten years. Yet there is no ‘silver bullet’ that can explain why East Asian children obtain such high levels of academic achievement. Rather a combination of factors, each making their own independent contribution, seem to be at play. Consequently, I warn Western policymakers that it may only be possible to catch the leading East Asian economies in the PISA rankings with widespread cultural change. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Recent education policy places a heavy emphasis on parents in relation to students' success at school. This paper explores how parents and teachers account for school success. Using membership categorisation analysis, it interrogates data collected in different interview situations across sites over a period of 20 years. The analysis shows how parents and teachers use talk as moral work to conversationally constitute particular agreed versions of the category ‘parent’. This category is interactively assembled through the use of category-bound attributes that construct deficit discourses of parents that explain student achievement. The analysis demonstrates that parents are complicit with teachers in producing versions of being a good parent wherein they are held responsible for their children's school success and that minimises the responsibility of the school. These findings raise questions both about who is responsible for schooling and about current contradictory policy emphases on parent and teacher responsibility for school success. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The restructuring of the Australian labour market decreased demand for low-skilled workers and increased demand for highly skilled workers and professionals further strengthening the relationship between educational and occupational attainment. To satisfy the demand for highly educated workers, the government reorganised the higher education sector increasing the number of universities and trebling the number of places for domestic undergraduate students. Analysing data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia survey, this paper examines the association between parents' education and the likelihood of graduating from university for six birth cohorts of Australians. Overall, the findings suggest that although the expansion of the higher education sector in Australia provided alternative pathways into university, differences in educational attainment, on both quantitative and qualitative dimensions, persist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2010, the Australian government established the Higher Education Participation and Partnerships Programme – a funding agenda to promote programmes that respond to the under-representation in higher education of people from low socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds. Many government-funded programmes and projects have since emerged that respond to theproblemof low SES under-representation, based on partnerships between higher education providers and other organisations. The arguments made in this paper draw on one such project: a mentoring programme implemented from 2011 to 2013 that targeted theaspirationsof Year 9 regional secondary students. We discuss data and documentation that provide insights into the conception and design of the mentoring programme, and the strategies used to evaluate it, in order to discuss how funding and policy contexts influence the possiblesolutionsthat might be implemented in response to the under-representation in higher education of people from low SES backgrounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of increased demands for excellence in all areas, academic promotion and tenure is now directly linked to achievement of measurable outputs in all areas of performance. In a work environment characterised by high workloads, competing expectations and reduced resources, academics must increasingly demonstrate active engagement with the scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL). For many, this may mean adopting new cultures, methodologies, theories, languages and modes of enquiry outside their home or cognate discipline. In the context of performance management, academics must reconceptualise and articulate notions of 'good academic practice', often in parallel with the practical requirement to continue to teach in the culture and practices of their cognate discipline. We need to better understand the implications, for institutions and individuals, of approaching SoTL through the lens of performance evaluation. This paper reports the key themes from a pilot study examining how academics at an Australian university are responding to the emergence of SoTL in the performance management context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Much research has been conducted on children's self-talk and its use to regulate thinking and behaviour, but research has typically been conducted on audible self-talk when undertaking specific tasks designed by researchers and in laboratory situations. Addressing the need to study self-talk in the classroom and by students of an age when self-talk is largely internalised, this study investigated the association of self-talk with children's self-regulatory behaviour and academic performance. The findings reported in this paper are based on the data from self-report questionnaires on self-talk completed by eight-to-nine-year-olds, national mathematics achievement test results, and a teacher-completed behaviour rating scale. Based on the previous research, results were somewhat unexpected, including that self-talk may not have a very strong role in children's behavioural self-regulation and calling into question an effect of self-talk on children's learning in the classroom. Possible reasons are provided and the need for future research is acknowledged. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objective. A major challenge for medical schools is the provision of clinical skills training for increasing student numbers. This case study describes the expansion of the clinical school network at The University of Queensland (UQ). The purpose of the study was to investigate consistency in medical education standards across a regional clinical teaching network, as measured by academic performance. Methods. A retrospective analysis of academic records for UQ medical students (n =1514) completing clinical rotations (2009-2012) was performed using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) for comparisons between clinical school cohorts and linear mixed-effects modelling (LEM) to assess predictors of academic performance. Results. In all, 13 036 individual clinical rotations were completed between 2009 and 2012. ANCOVA found no significant differences in rotation grades between the clinical schools except that Rural Clinical School (RCS) cohorts achieved marginally higher results than non-RCSs in the general practice rotation (5.22 vs 5.10-5.18; P = 0.03) and on the final clinical examination (objective structured clinical examination; 5.27 vs 5.01-5.09; P< 0.01). LEM indicated that the strongest predictor of academic performance on clinical rotations was academic performance in the preclinical years of medical school (b = 0.38; 95% confidence interval 0.35-0.41; P< 0.001). Conclusions. The decentralised UQ clinical schools deliver a consistent standard of clinical training for medical students in all core clinical rotations across a range of urban, regional and rural clinical settings. Further research is required to monitor the costs versus benefits of regionalised clinical schools for students, local communities and regional healthcare services. What is known about the topic? To help meet the demand of increasing numbers of students, Australian medical schools locate clinical training outside the traditional tertiary hospitals. However the viability of maintaining teaching standards across regional and rural locations is uncertain. What does this paper add? Maintaining teaching standards outside established urban teaching hospitals and across a diverse range of urban, regional and rural clinical settings is viable. What are the implications for practitioners? Decentralised clinical teaching networks provide consistent quality of clinical placements while diversifying exposure to different patient populations and clinical environments. These important outcomes may not only alleviate the strain on clinical teaching resources, but also help address the maldistribution of doctors in Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines student and school influences on reaching Year 12, the final year of schooling in Victoria, Australia. It analyses data from the population of students who were in Year 9 in 2008. Male, English-speaking background, government school, and especially Indigenous students were less likely to reach Year 12 than comparison groups. Performance in the Year 9 in national standardized tests was the strongest influence. There were only limited school effects in reaching Year 12, when taking into account individual student characteristics. Less than a quarter of schools had significant net effects on reaching Year 12. School differences are sizable only when comparing schools towards each end of the school effects continuum. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper reports on a qualitative study exploring the role and functionality of emotions in feedback. In-depth interview data from students and lecturers at an Australian university are analysed using cognitive appraisal and prototype theory. Results suggest that students experience a range of positive and negative emotions in feedback contexts which function to address both achievement and relational concerns. Practical implications are identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper critically examines shifts in emphasis in Australian education from expectations and belief that teachers not only make a difference to student achievement, but they are the difference. In moving from social class relations accounts to self-managing school accounts, latest shifts (teacher effectiveness accounts) over-emphasize teacher effect(s), distorting issues of student under-achievement. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Indigenous nurses have the potential to improve access to health services for Indigenous people by ensuring that services are culturally safe and respectful of Indigenous peoples' needs. Therefore, developing a well-educated Indigenous nursing workforce is one way to improve the poor health outcomes of Indigenous Australians. A mixed methods study was undertaken to determine the current rates of enrollment, progression and completion of Indigenous nursing students in Australia and to explore student and staff perceptions of barriers to completion and strategies for success. The results indicate that the national average completion rates are 36.3% for Indigenous nursing students and 64.6% for non-Indigenous nursing students - an average difference of 28.3%. Indigenous nursing students and academics identified barriers to completion, which were similar to those identified in previous research. Success strategies, however, revealed the importance of individual student characteristics; academics' knowledge, awareness, and understanding; relationships, connections, and partnerships; institutional structures, systems, and processes; and, family and community knowledge, awareness, and understanding. This paper offers an overview of the integration and interpretation process that makes up the final phase of a mixed methods study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]