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Increasingly, there are expectations internationally that schools will use research to inform their improvement initiatives. Within this context, this paper brings together findings from two large-scale Australian studies – the Monash Q Project and the University of Newcastle's Quality Teaching Rounds Project – to explore educators' patterns of engagement with research. The combination of these studies provides data from a larger and more diverse sample (n = 774) than other recent Australian studies, and integrates insights from direct and indirect approaches to investigating educators' research engagement. The analysis highlights several common themes associated with educators' research use including: the perceived credibility of different sources; the relevance and usability of research; and affordances of access to research and time to use it well in practice. Newer and more nuanced insights include: the interrelationships between collaborative and directed research use; the need for research to be convenient in terms of access and usability; the role of trusted colleagues in helping to bridge gaps between research and practice; and educators' distrust of research itself. The paper argues that these insights provide important cues as to how systems and school leaders can help educators to increase and improve their use of research in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasingly, there are expectations internationally that schools will use research to inform their improvement initiatives. Within this context, this paper brings together findings from two large-scale Australian studies - the Monash Q Project and the University of Newcastle's Quality Teaching Rounds Project - to explore educators' patterns of engagement with research. The combination of these studies provides data from a larger and more diverse sample (n = 774) than other recent Australian studies, and integrates insights from direct and indirect approaches to investigating educators' research engagement. The analysis highlights several common themes associated with educators' research use including: the perceived credibility of different sources; the relevance and usability of research; and affordances of access to research and time to use it well in practice. Newer and more nuanced insights include: the interrelationships between collaborative and directed research use; the need for research to be convenient in terms of access and usability; the role of trusted colleagues in helping to bridge gaps between research and practice; and educators' distrust of research itself. The paper argues that these insights provide important cues as to how systems and school leaders can help educators to increase and improve their use of research in practice.

Politics and pragmatics are central and inseparable features of curriculum reform. In a federated system like Australia, many individuals and organisations are invested in reform at the national and jurisdictional level. This paper focuses on the policy work and roles of key actors positioned at the interface of national and state-based curriculum development, and at the juncture of curriculum policy and pedagogic practice. These were individuals formally identified as 'curriculum leaders' in the enactment of the Australian Curriculum in Health and Physical Education (ACHPE). The paper centres on data collected from eight (n = 8) curriculum leaders via semi-structured interviews. All were prospectively influential figures in shaping the path of the ACHPE. Our research explored the nature of their enactment work and how they were variously positioned and positioned themselves in relation to key ACHPE discourses. Analysis uses the policy actor/policy work framework as a starting point for deeper, Foucauldian informed analysis which provides insights into the complex nature of curriculum leadership by considering the additional (in)formal work and roles of these high-ranking policy actors. Data and discussion extends understanding of curriculum enactment as a process that spans policy networks and reveals the nuanced nature of curriculum leadership associated with curriculum reform.

Digital fabrication and '3D Making' are prominent recent additions to school curricula, hastened by the increased affordability of Computer Assisted Design software and devices such as 3D printers. It is increasingly argued that classroom use of these technologies can re-orientate schools towards forms of skills and knowledge appropriate for contemporary industry, STEM education and 'Maker culture'. Amidst such rhetoric, questions are raised about how these technologies are being used in schools, and the extent to which this represents 'new' and/or 'innovative' forms of education. This paper presents an ethnographic investigation of a 3D printing course enacted in an Australian high school. These curricular activities are considered from three different perspectives: (i) the artefacts and devices involved in the project; (ii) the surrounding social and educational contexts; and (iii) the activities and practices implicit in the implementation of the project. These different levels of analysis highlight the complexities of technology-based schooling -- not least the ways in which possible technical and/or pedagogical 'innovations' associated with 3D printing are shaped by the situational constraints of school contexts. The paper concludes by considering the likely future(s) of 3D printing and other forms of digital fabrication within the institutional confines of school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving the academic and social outcomes of boys -- specifically boys from low-SES backgrounds -- remains of international importance. With this in mind, research continues to document the ways in which relational learning is integral for the well-being of students, specifically those students in disadvantaged school contexts. This paper focuses on relational learning as an important resource that marginalised young men draw upon, informing their future orientation towards higher education beyond their compulsory schooling. Within studies of men and masculinities, the affective turn has recently played a significant role in how we understand men as relational. Focusing upon a cohort of boys from some of the poorest urban regions in Australia, the paper addresses how their affective relationships with teachers contribute not only to their conception of themselves as learners but also their general well-being, confidence and aspirations. Through highlighting two trends in the data -- "Teacher as Persistent Nurturer" and "Teacher as Supporter" -- the research presented extends two lines of inquiry. First, understanding student-teacher relationships in disadvantaged educational contexts and, second, the importance of positive student-teacher relationships for working-class boys who have historically disengaged from their education.

Schools now face considerable pressure to be using educational data to inform decision-making and become more efficient. Key to this rise of the 'data-driven' school is the increased use of digital technologies -- with computer-based data processing fuelling hopes for the technology-driven 'smart schooling' and a general 'datafication' of education. Against this background, the present paper explores the realities how data-work is taking place within individual schools with the aid of digital technologies. In particular, it draws on empirical data generated from in-depth ethnographic studies of digital data practices within three secondary schools in the Australian state of Victoria. Using concepts from the sociology of numbers, the paper takers these empirical findings to develop productive and relational accounts of the predominant ways that data work was being carried out within these schools. In contrast to the idea of 'Big Data', schools were most often found to be engaging in small-scale, improvised forms of spreadsheet work. The paper considers the social, cultural and political reasons underpinning schools' reliance on such forms of 'small data' -- particularly in contrast to the more sophisticated, automated and continuous forms of data analysis that are now available.

This paper is a critical systematic literature review of empirical work on creative pedagogies from 1990 to 2018. It responds to the increased international attention being afforded creativity and creative pedagogies in research, policy and practice and examines the evidence regarding creative pedagogical practices and the potential impact of these on students' creativity. The methodology encompassed four stages. Firstly, an educational database keyword search was undertaken and 801 papers identified, manual searches added 12 further papers. Secondly, through applying inclusion/exclusion criteria, 89 papers were identified for closer scrutiny; these papers focused on students aged 0-18 years in formal educational settings and were peer-reviewed reports of empirical work. Thirdly, these papers were subjected to in-depth review and rating, this reduced the included selection to 35 papers. Finally, these papers were subject to further analysis and synthesis. The findings reveal that seven interrelated features characterise creative pedagogical practice, namely generating and exploring ideas; encouraging autonomy and agency; playfulness; problem-solving; risk-taking; co-constructing and collaborating; and teacher creativity. The paper also reveals that the evidence for the impact of these pedagogical practices on students' creativity is inconclusive. It highlights the complexities and challenges of documenting creative pedagogies in the years of formal schooling and concludes with key recommendations and implications for research, policy and practice.

Many secondary schools sort students into 'ability'-based classes, but research shows that streaming students by ability is inequitable and does not improve student academic results. There has been little qualitative research that considers students' experiences of streaming, with none that compares students' experiences in classes that are streamed against the same students' experiences in other classes that are mixed-ability. The research in this paper explains student experiences of differences between their streamed and mixed-ability classrooms, including the perceived influence on their educational outcomes. The study is unique because the results project the voices of 25 Grade 10 secondary school students from three Western Australian public schools, 19 of whom had recently experienced transitions between streamed and mixed-ability grouping contexts. The findings offer new knowledge that begins to explain how different class grouping strategies are experienced differently by students. Contrasts made by the students in their teachers' provision of learning opportunities, learning aspirations, and learning environments between streamed and mixed-ability classes are discussed. The findings highlight how educational outcomes were shaped by the schools' grouping choices and the associated differences in teachers' expectations and provision of opportunities to learn. The results are of interest to educators making decisions about ability-grouping practices.

Despite the importance of writing skills to school and life success, there is scant research into the enabling and constraining conditions that shape elementary students' views about their writing practices. This paper examines students' views about writing through the lens of reflexivity theory. Applying an explanatory sequential model of mixed-method design, it first describes the development of a self-report questionnaire to investigate the views of 570 elementary students about themselves as writers. Second, it draws on semi-structured interviews with 46 students across Years 3 to 6. The results show that the majority of students see themselves as autonomous and meta-reflexive writers. In addition, results indicate time, teacher pedagogy and the place to practice writing as contextual conditions experienced by learners and place an emphasis on the personal conditions such as students' lack of confidence, persistence and ideas. We discuss implications for further practice in elementary schools.

The strong link between teacher quality and student learning outcomes calls for effective systems of teacher accountability. School systems in all Australian states have established policies and practices to raise levels of teacher accountability, but it remains doubtful whether they have the capacity to deliver on teacher quality assurance or improvement in teachers' practice. This paper reports some of the recent findings of an ARC funded project that mapped teacher evaluation practices across all Australian states and territories. After providing a brief historical overview of teacher evaluation in Australia, it discusses three recent initiatives at the 'accomplished teacher' level; namely evaluations for the Victorian Experienced Teacher With Responsibility (ETWR); the Western Australian Level 3 Classroom Teacher position (L3); the UK 'Threshold' classification; and recent state developments in evaluation for teacher registration. The paper uses 'loose coupling' theory to interpret the limitations of these schemes. It argues that the two main purposes of teacher evaluation, assuring teacher quality and facilitating improvement in teachers' work, will best be achieved when teachers and their organizations claim the responsibility for developing and implementing methods for assessing teacher performance that respect the complexity and depth of their professional knowledge and practice. The paper concludes with an overview of the recent moves in Australia to establish a profession-run certification system to provide recognition and incentives for evidence of professional development, based on methods that do justice to the nature of teachers' work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital fabrication and "3D Making" are prominent recent additions to school curricula, hastened by the increased affordability of Computer Assisted Design software and devices such as 3D printers. It is increasingly argued that classroom use of these technologies can re-orientate schools towards forms of skills and knowledge appropriate for contemporary industry, STEM education and "Maker culture". Amidst such rhetoric, questions are raised about how these technologies are being used in schools, and the extent to which this represents "new" and/or "innovative" forms of education. This paper presents an ethnographic investigation of a 3D printing course enacted in an Australian high school. These curricular activities are considered from three different perspectives: (i) the artefacts and devices involved in the project; (ii) the surrounding social and educational contexts; and (iii) the activities and practices implicit in the implementation of the project. These different levels of analysis highlight the complexities of technology-based schooling--not least the ways in which possible technical and/or pedagogical "innovations" associated with 3D printing are shaped by the situational constraints of school contexts. The paper concludes by considering the likely future(s) of 3D printing and other forms of digital fabrication within the institutional confines of school.

The purpose of this review study was to conduct a thematic exploration of prior studies related to the transition between primary and secondary school. The aim of the paper was to discover (1) the extent of earlier research, (2) how earlier research thematises social and emotional issues, and (3) suggestions of those studies concerning how to improve schools. Searches were conducted across four international databases of peer-reviewed research to identify articles published in the last decade on the topic 'transition between primary and secondary school'. Articles related to social and emotional issues were further selected, and thematic analysis was conducted on the selected 29 articles to identify the topical focus. This review study draws attention to the importance of understanding challenges related to the transition between primary and secondary school. Overall, the analysed studies indicate that this is an important focus for educational research. Key issues related to support and wellbeing/bullying have emerged, which clarify the importance of further research in this field. The present study may also contribute to increasing awareness among policy makers and school leaders of the challenges related to the transition between primary and secondary school.

This paper presents a review of the literature relating to hard-to-reach families which has been published over the last 12 years in the UK, USA, Canada and Australia. The purpose of the review was twofold: to gain insights to understandings of the term ‘hard-to-reach’ within these services – education, health and social – which might be aiming to access such families in order to help them improve their life chances and to explore the ways in which services have been successful in engaging the families. A consistent message to emerge from the review is that complex issues need complex solutions which in turn need time to implement. Additionally, it is clear that services need to develop diversity of support provision in order to meet the varying needs of families and that services need to develop a shared script for working with them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we adopt Bernstein's notion of the pedagogic device to serve as a framework for explaining conflict and change in the field of literacy education across the past few decades, particularly in England, the USA and Australia. Following an overview of the pedagogic device and related constructs, we examine the relationship between the field of knowledge production and how this has been recontextualised into curriculum policy, firstly in the period when 'progressivist' pedagogy was in the ascendant, exemplified by the whole language movement, and then when a more 'skills' orientation took sway, with phonics as its touchstone. We argue that the pedagogic device provides a useful context for exploring how ideology operates both within fields and at the interfaces between fields. In particular, the sets of binary oppositions proposed by Bernstein can be used in crude form to describe the entrenched polarisations experienced in the field of literacy education - or they can be used in a more nuanced way to open up new possibilities for change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent controversy regarding the nature, organization and impact of educational research in the UK (Hargreaves, 1996; 1997; 1999; Hammersley, 1997; Tooley, 1998; Hillage et al., 2000; Ball, 2001) seems to devote little attention to research on the impact of educational research. This paper examines a recent Australian report (The Impact of Educational Research, DETYA, 2000) in terms of both its conclusions and its methodologies. It suggests that the impact of educational research on both policy and practice is often complex and indirect rather than linear and straightforward and that the methodologies employed in assessing such impact need to be similarly complex. Moreover, it would appear that this particular research supports Atkinson's (2000) contention that the ways m which educational research is typically produced and utilized is as part ora complex conversation about a diversity of purposes, effects and judgements rather than a more technically oriented implementation of 'what works'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper brings together the findings of a series of studies that explored the impact of curricular changes on students' approaches to learning. The findings, which were initially surprising, are confirmed by the identification of similar patterns across four different medical educational programmes within Australia and Sri Lanka. The four studies reported in this paper utilised similar methods to examine how students' approaches to learning change in response to "deep-approach-enhancing" educational programmes. The studies used the R-SPQ-2F questionnaire to measure students' approaches to learning scores before and after students had experienced "deep-approach-enhancing" educational programmes. Students were asked to use a unique identifier, which allowed comparison of each individual student's approach scores before and after the relevant educational programme. Cluster analysis was performed on the data, and this revealed four patterns of change of deep approach scores. The patterns were similar (although not identical) across the four studies. A significant finding was that while a proportion of students responded by changing to deeper approaches (as expected), a similar proportion of students responded by changing to more surface approaches. The finding that a significant proportion of students adopted surface approaches in response to a "deep-enhancing" context is of some concern. This paper focuses on this subgroup of students, and explores possible factors that might relate to this unexpected response. From a theoretical perspective, the findings provide a new insight into the current theory of students' approaches to learning by demonstrating a complex pattern of student response. The findings that a subgroup of students respond in ways contrary to that suggested by current educational theory, and the identification of features that characterise this subgroup are significant contributions to the literature. From a practical perspective, the findings have significant implications for designers of educational programmes who are aiming to foster deep approaches in their students. (Contains 6 tables.)

In this paper, we draw on conversations with two English teachers in an Australian government speciality arts focused school to investigate possibilities for envisaging trans-affirmative and queer pedagogies in the classroom. It draws from two studies that are concerned to investigate how gender and sexually diverse students are being supported in the education system. Our study employs queer and trans-informed epistemological insights into the pedagogical limits of heternormativity and cisgenderism in high schools. The data involved engaging with teachers who responded to a range of multi-literacy resources that addressed the politics of queer and trans representation, recognition and visibility in their classrooms. We tease out several themes which pertain to the institutionalisation of heteronormativity and cisgenderism, and how it is entwined with neoliberal governance in one particular case study school. Our purpose is to illustrate how this gender and sexuality politics works in tandem with a particular manifestation of neoliberal governance in the public education system, and plays into a specific policy discourse with particular consequences for schools, students and teachers in terms of impression management and its calculative and performative effects.

Across the world, numerous students are being bullied at school. Bullying is often caused by a power imbalance between students. Therefore, identifying potential sources of such a power imbalance can prevent school bullying from happening. Based on the labelling theory, we expect that grade retention can lead to such a power imbalance and, therefore, increase the likelihood of being bullied at school. Hence, this study examines the association between grade retention and self-reported victimisation. We also expect that retainees will be less likely to become a victim of school bullying in schools and countries with a high number of other retainees. If true, this would signal a moderating effect of both school- and country retention composition on the association between grade retention and victimisation. The contextualised impact of grade retention upon victimisation is assessed by cross-national multilevel analyses on PISA2018 data (25 countries; 8,039 schools; 159,412 students). Overall, our findings indicate that being retained in primary and/or secondary education is associated with higher levels of victimisation, while retainees suffer from more victimisation in countries with a low number of other retainees. In contrast to our expectations, however, we did not find such a moderation effect of school retention composition.

The possibilities and challenges of digital technologies for young children are widely documented. However, parental guidelines place greater emphasis upon potential harms, advocating that parents limit their children's screen time, or advise that parents simply read digital texts as they would a printed text. Our study investigated 22 Australian parents' perspectives of their 2-3-year-old child's experiences with digital devices and their views of reading digital storybooks to understand whether parents were cognisant of or engaged in practices that appeared to limit their child's screen time, and whether parents noted any differences when shared reading printed and digital texts with their child. Results showed that many parents (1) limit screen time and therefore do not engage in shared digital text reading, consigning children's screen time to unsupervised use; and (2) were aware that the reading of digital texts often is, and at times should differ to the reading of printed texts. These findings suggest that advising parents to limit screen time may result in parents avoiding the use of digital texts when shared reading with their child. Furthermore, recommending that parents read digital texts as they would printed texts may encourage parents to have unrealistic and/or frustrating expectations.

The strong link between teacher quality and student learning outcomes calls for effective systems of teacher accountability. School systems in all Australian states have established policies and practices to raise levels of teacher accountability, but it remains doubtful whether they have the capacity to deliver on teacher quality assurance or improvement in teachers' practice. This paper reports some of the recent findings of an ARC funded project that mapped teacher evaluation practices across all Australian states and territories. After providing a brief historical overview of teacher evaluation in Australia, it discusses three recent initiatives at the "accomplished teacher" level; namely evaluations for the Victorian Experienced Teacher With Responsibility (ETWR); the Western Australian Level 3 Classroom Teacher position (L3); the UK "Threshold" classification; and recent state developments in evaluation for teacher registration. The paper uses "loose coupling" theory to interpret the limitations of these schemes. It argues that the two main purposes of teacher evaluation, assuring teacher quality and facilitating improvement in teachers' work, will best be achieved when teachers and their organizations claim the responsibility for developing and implementing methods for assessing teacher performance that respect the complexity and depth of their professional knowledge and practice. The paper concludes with an overview of the recent moves in Australia to establish a profession-run certification system to provide recognition and incentives for evidence of professional development, based on methods that do justice to the nature of teachers' work.

The fields of science and literacy education continue to be shaped by pervasive gender inequality. Previous research has documented how the formation of a 'science identity' is contingent on access to science capital while research in literacy education continues to highlight how boys struggle in their literacy acquisition. Despite a robust scholarship on gendered literacy practices and gender in STEM subjects, to date, there has been little investigation of the relationships between boys' science identity/ies and their literacy practices. We draw on a case study of 24 middle school boys living and learning in two different regions (e.g. metropolitan, rural) where we focus on how boys conceive of themselves as learners in two curriculum areas: science and literacy. Bridging multiple areas of scholarship (e.g., science literacy, science identity, boys in schooling), we concentrate on the participants' "self-belief in science" and "self-belief as readers" and consider the way they inform each other in reference to place. The implications of our study concern how the "science literate boy" comes to be in reference to the construction of discursive performances of science masculinities and how they are maintained alongside literate identities.

The aim of the current study was to examine how decisions are made and who is involved in decision-making regarding provision of adjustments for students with special educational needs in Australian mainstream schools. A total of 107 stakeholders were interviewed across 22 schools. Participation in decision-making varied, with students the least likely to be involved. There was variation in the degree and nature of collaboration and the degree to which decisions were subject to review. The focus of decision-making processes also varied, with some schools focusing on funding and resource allocation and others on broader support considerations. Schools used a range of formal and informal levels of decision-making but the degree to which they agreed on factors that underpinned decisions (values, legal considerations, etc.) was variable and sometimes limited. Possible explanations for the observed patterns of decision-making are offered, practical implications considered and directions for future research outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deriving from the authors' respective ethnographic fieldwork (around two decades in each context), this position paper considers experiences of education across two communities: Gypsy/Roma in the UK and Indigenous in Australia. The article brings together understandings across these traditionally nomadic communities, with no shared history or cultural connections other than nomadism, but with common experiences of exclusion, inequity, alienation and disrupted patterns of participation in formal education systems. Drawing on initiatives in recent years involving various Indigenous and nomadic groups, the authors suggest core notions that might underpin a culturally appropriate curriculum and pedagogy. They also propose amended conceptions of nomadism, allowing for recognition of challenges that persist even when nomadism is no longer integral to lifestyle. Rejecting policy positions that view inclusion as a solution, they outline the difficulties for youngsters, in each context, in seeking to inhabit two worlds with conflicting value-systems, and with contrasting beliefs about the ways in which children should be educated. The article identifies several cultural, socio-political and economic obstacles that are mirrored across each context, and argues for negotiated settlements between the state and such minority/marginal communities so as to enable an inclusive curriculum to be established that respects the cultures and aspirations of all communities.

This article addresses the issue of university teachers’ emotions generated through teaching and interacting with students. While research on school teachers’ emotions is on the increase, interest in the significance of university teachers’ emotions is still limited. In light of the growing attention given to the quality of university teaching around the world, and evidence of the impact of emotions on school teachers’ well-being and teaching practice, a better understanding of the origin and nature of emotions experienced by university teachers is needed. This article presents the findings of a small longitudinal study with 15 university teachers from two public Australian universities. Two in-depth interviews with each teacher generated rich accounts, examples and reflections on their emotional experiences during teaching. The qualitative analysis revealed the range of positive and negative emotions triggered in specific teaching–learning situations. Three major themes related to the emergence of emotions were identified: first, the importance of the intrinsic value and social nature of the professional practice of teaching; second, the criticality of the degree to which expectations of students’ engagement were fulfilled or not; and third, the realisation that the professional practice of teaching was only partly controllable. The findings are discussed with reference to previous research, limitations are addressed, and directions for future research are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper explores cultural inclusion--the extent to which schools accommodate the needs and experiences of minority cultural groups to make the schools equally welcoming--and optimal learning places for all children, specifically through the curricular and pedagogical practices which contributed to the secondary school experiences of Ethiopian-Australian students in Melbourne, Australia. The study utilised a qualitative methodology, using interviews as a major data collection tool, and employed secondary school students, their teachers and parents as informants for the study. A total of 59 participants were interviewed. After the transcription and coding of the interview data, thematic analysis was used. Findings within the Australian context were compared with Ethiopian educational histories and practices to explain how students, parents and teachers felt the Ethio-Australian students were being culturally acknowledged and included within school practices where cultural acknowledgement referred to understanding and appreciating cultural diversity. The findings indicated that on a general policy level, schools were acknowledging students' cultural backgrounds; however, at the classroom level, it was very much dependent upon the individual teacher. Participants believed that the curriculum failed to consider the students' home culture at all levels. Mismatches between Ethiopian students' expectations and excepted pedagogical practices within their new learning contexts were also evident. Most students were found to be more comfortable copying lessons down from the board, reading comprehension questions, working independently, in pair or in small groups, and wanted to get comments as a correction response for their work. However, the majority of the students were not comfortable with large group and whole-class discussions, conversation and speaking in front of class. The findings indicated a need for greater curriculum and pedagogical consideration for immigrant students such as these at the classroom level. (Contains 1 table.)

This paper presents a review of the literature relating to hard-to-reach families which has been published over the last 12 years in the UK, USA, Canada and Australia. The purpose of the review was twofold: to gain insights to understandings of the term "hard-to-reach" within these services--education, health and social--which might be aiming to access such families in order to help them improve their life chances and to explore the ways in which services have been successful in engaging the families. A consistent message to emerge from the review is that complex issues need complex solutions which in turn need time to implement. Additionally, it is clear that services need to develop diversity of support provision in order to meet the varying needs of families and that services need to develop a shared script for working with them. (Contains 1 table and 5 figures.)

In this paper, we adopt Bernstein's notion of the pedagogic device to serve as a framework for explaining conflict and change in the field of literacy education across the past few decades, particularly in England, the USA and Australia. Following an overview of the pedagogic device and related constructs, we examine the relationship between the field of knowledge production and how this has been recontextualised into curriculum policy, firstly in the period when "progressivist" pedagogy was in the ascendant, exemplified by the whole language movement, and then when a more "skills" orientation took sway, with phonics as its touchstone. We argue that the pedagogic device provides a useful context for exploring how ideology operates both within fields and at the interfaces between fields. In particular, the sets of binary oppositions proposed by Bernstein can be used in crude form to describe the entrenched polarisations experienced in the field of literacy education--or they can be used in a more nuanced way to open up new possibilities for change. (Contains 1 table and 5 figures.)

Critics of education research in the recent years have pointed the finger at what they saw as its low quality, impact, and "value for money." In the context of the Research Assessment Exercise, particular concerns have been raised about applied and practice-based educational research and how best to assess its quality. This contribution refines the ideas originally developed as part of a project commissioned by the ESRC in 2004 and completed in 2005. It argues that quality in applied and practice-based research cannot be reduced to narrow definitions of "scientificity," "impact," or economic efficiency. It proposes an account of quality in applied and practice-based educational research which encompasses methodological and theoretical solidity, use and impact, but also dialogue, deliberation, participation, ethics and personal growth. Drawing on Aristotelian distinctions between forms of rational activity and their expressions of excellence or virtue, our account emphasizes the synergy between three domains of excellence in applied and practice-based research: theoretical ("episteme"); technical ("techne"); and practical ("phronesis"). The thrust of the contribution is not to set any standards of good research practice, but simply to make progress towards recapturing a cultural and philosophical dimension of research assessment that had been lost in recent official discourses. (Contains 2 figures and 6 notes.)

This contribution is set in the context of the burgeoning of practitioner inquiry in Australia, taking account also of various European and North American initiatives, against the background of the notion of action research as an emancipatory project. Practitioner inquiry, under these conditions, requires that the work move beyond a utilitarian function, important as that may be in terms of enhancing practice, and that it develops a greater capacity to critique underlying policies. It will argue that if those engaged in practitioner inquiry, in particular in education, and those who support and sponsor them, are to move beyond a celebratory mode, then it is critical that a set of criteria are developed that may be used to govern quality; both in terms of the quality of the research and the quality of the policies at the local and state levels. The case will be made for developing such a platform founded upon principles of ethicality in the interests of all stakeholders, including consequential stakeholders, that is the students themselves, and will clearly have implications for policy and practice. For us, however, the matter of ethicality transcends stakeholder interests and is a central validation issue. Thus, the contribution will draw attention to the ways in which quality is not only determined by sound research practices but also must be such that ethical principles are manifested in the structures and processes of practitioner inquiry. In this sense ethical research practice is of a substantive rather than procedural kind. (Contains 1 note.)

This paper reports on research into how schools, parents and local communities work together to support students' learning during the transition from primary to secondary schools in what is referred to as the middle years of schooling. The research was conducted in four Australian schools within one urban school district. These schools were located in low-income communities and had high numbers of bilingual students. We mapped existing school-community links that support student learning by identifying key participants and describing how they perceive these links--particularly in relation to improving students' engagement in learning. Our approach was qualitative in nature, utilizing interviews and focus groups. We found that students, families and teachers commonly expressed the view that learning is limited to schooling; that contacts between schools and communities about learning are difficult to negotiate and are heavily mediated by school principals; and we describe a lack of consensus about the nature of communities and the potential of school community links to contribute to enhancing student learning outcomes.

Article 24 of the "Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities," along with "General Comment 4," explicitly outlines the right of every person to an inclusive education at every level. And yet, even amongst supporters of inclusive education, it is not uncommon for some students to be considered 'too disabled' to be included. In this research I draw on the views and lived experiences of 10 parents, living in Australia, who identify their children as having been labelled with 'severe and multiple' or 'profound' impairments. I ask what inclusion means to these parents and their families, and whether inclusion and inclusive education is important to them. Drawing on these parent perspectives, is the notion of inclusive education for "everyone" realistic and desirable, or only idealistic? Should inclusion be inclusive or is it ultimately conditional? The perspectives of the research participants hold implications for the realisation of the right to inclusive education.

In the context of the equity/widening participation policy landscape in Australia, scholarly exploration of alternative pathways into higher education is becoming increasingly important to inform innovative pedagogies, answer complex questions, and improve outcomes and experiences for students. This article focuses on one alternative pathway, 'enabling' education, which has a 45-year history in Australia but has, for a variety of reasons, remained on the periphery of mainstream discourses about higher education. In this article, we offer a meta-scoping study of a selection of 88 journal articles and research reports focusing on Australian Enabling education. Through an analysis of who is writing, what is written and how it is written, we attempt to unite enabling education scholars in a conversation about our field and suggest ways forward to better connect with broader conversations about higher education in Australia and move enabling programs, practitioners and the students they serve into the centre stage of Australia's equity in higher education agenda.

The aim of the current study was to examine how decisions are made and who is involved in decision-making regarding provision of adjustments for students with special educational needs in Australian mainstream schools. A total of 107 stakeholders were interviewed across 22 schools. Participation in decision-making varied, with students the least likely to be involved. There was variation in the degree and nature of collaboration and the degree to which decisions were subject to review. The focus of decision-making processes also varied, with some schools focusing on funding and resource allocation and others on broader support considerations. Schools used a range of formal and informal levels of decision-making but the degree to which they agreed on factors that underpinned decisions (values, legal considerations, etc.) was variable and sometimes limited. Possible explanations for the observed patterns of decision-making are offered, practical implications considered and directions for future research outlined.

The global pandemic of 2020 has changed the ways that university academics do their work and manage their time, including teaching, engaging with graduate students, conducting research, and working with colleagues. The mode of delivery of higher education has substantially moved to the digital, and workspaces have shifted to home. Having to work from home has placed unique demands on academics, including adapting to working entirely on a screen and adjusting their work/life balance. Despite much anecdotal evidence that the well-being of academics is being adversely affected during this global pandemic, there is currently little published research about this issue. As five academics who work in an education faculty at an Australian university, we present our collaborative autoethnographic reflections of this time. We share these experiences of being academics in 2020 through curated narrative vignettes, with analysis of the meaning of these vignettes. Employing a phenomenological approach, we craft understandings of our experiences and explore the immediate world of these experiences, constituted in our practices as academics and our personal lives in this challenging time of unexpected change. We note the phenomenon of feeling unsettled, distracted, overwhelmed and lacking focus, and being conflicted between various roles.

Although journeys into and through higher education can be challenging for all learners, students from refugee backgrounds (SfRBs) face particular difficulties due to their culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds, and pre-settlement experiences of instability, insecurity, likely trauma and interrupted education. Drawing on a longitudinal, ethnographic exploration of the educational trajectories of a group adult SfRBs living in a regional Australian city, this article questions how 'traditional' understandings of transition -- as linear, ritualised and predictable -- can account for the complex lived experiences of SfRBs trying to access and participate in higher education studies in a resettlement context. Working with the anthropological notion of liminality (Turner 1969; Van Gennep 1960) and the notion of 'stuck places' (Lather 1998), we offer a more nuanced understanding of how 'messy' educational transitions are experienced, and how normative notions of what transition 'should be' act to mask these experiences, leaving SfRBs 'stuck' in the liminal space of becoming a student in higher education.

The purpose of this research was to explore gender differences and cultural differences in school motivation among students from eight culturally diverse groups from Western and non-Western societies. The selected groups come from Hong Kong, the Philippines, Singapore, Australia, the Netherlands, and Qatar. More than 10,000 secondary school students reported their mastery, performance, social, and extrinsic motivation. Results showed (very) small to moderately large gender differences, which were largely in line with prior research in Western societies. Moreover, significant differences in school motivation across the eight cultural groups were found, however, only the Qatari sample strongly deviated from the other samples. In all cultural groups, females had slightly higher scores on mastery motivation and social motivation (except for Qatari students), and in several Western and non-Western samples, males had slightly higher scores on performance motivation. Gender differences in extrinsic motivation were less straightforward.

Early language ability is a strong predictor of later language and reading outcomes. Whilst young children with home languages that differ from the dominant language spoken in their country of residence may lag behind their peers in literacy and academic achievement, effective supports for young dual-language users may be overlooked in mainstream learning contexts. We used data from the Australian E4Kids longitudinal study to test how N = 343 bilingual children’s development of verbal abilities was associated with the overall attendance of early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings with varying quality (kindergarten/preschool and other formal ECEC programmes) and with environmental room quality (ECERS-R) and quality of teacher-child interactions (CLASS). Bilinguals’ English language development was followed during the two years prior to school entry and during their first year of school. A comparison of formal ECEC settings revealed programmes of significantly higher quality in kindergarten settings and the development of bilingual children’s verbal abilities in the three-year period was significantly predicted by the total hours spent in kindergarten programmes, but not by total hours spent in all types of ECEC setting. No additional effect on the children’s verbal ability was found for ECEC programme quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early language ability is a strong predictor of later language and reading outcomes. Whilst young children with home languages that differ from the dominant language spoken in their country of residence may lag behind their peers in literacy and academic achievement, effective supports for young dual-language users may be overlooked in mainstream learning contexts. We used data from the Australian E4Kids longitudinal study to test how N = 343 bilingual children's development of verbal abilities was associated with the overall attendance of early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings with varying quality (kindergarten/preschool and other formal ECEC programmes) and with environmental room quality (ECERS-R) and quality of teacher-child interactions (CLASS). Bilinguals' English language development was followed during the two years prior to school entry and during their first year of school. A comparison of formal ECEC settings revealed programmes of significantly higher quality in kindergarten settings and the development of bilingual children's verbal abilities in the three-year period was significantly predicted by the total hours spent in kindergarten programmes, but not by total hours spent in all types of ECEC setting. No additional effect on the children's verbal ability was found for ECEC programme quality.

This integrative literature review examines educational research that focuses on quantitative measurement of the construct of personal responsibility, in studies which included participants from middle childhood to young adulthood. National policies in education are increasingly concerned with values and skills that students develop through their education to take personal responsibility for their choices and actions. There were 11 studies that met selection criteria for the review. The review explored the definitions of personal responsibility used and the nature and quality of the measures developed to measure the construct. There are three key findings. First, there are strong commonalities in the definitions of personal responsibility, with self-control of behavioural choices identified as a key component of the construct in all studies. Second, there is a lack of agreement as to whether personal responsibility is a uni- or multidimensional construct. Third, there is a strong need for robust scale development, so reliable and valid measures of personal responsibility can be applied in studies exploring the development of personal responsibility from middle childhood to early adulthood and for use in intervention studies. Understanding the ways in which educational researchers have defined, conceptualised and measured personal responsibility provide directions for future research.

The inclusion of the Knowledge about Language strand in the recently introduced Australian Curriculum: English (AC:E) is both promising and challenging. For the first time, students across primary and secondary years of schooling are expected to develop ‘a coherent, dynamic, and evolving body of knowledge about the English language and how it works’ (ACARA 2009). Yet, it has been documented that teachers are not well equipped with their linguistic and pedagogic knowledge to translate that knowledge into productive pedagogic practices (Hammond and Macken-Horarik 2001; Jones and Chen 2012). This challenge is confounded by the debate regarding what constitutes an appropriate pedagogy for contemporary grammar teaching. Grammar teaching bears the weight of its own history of practices that were often decidedly ‘undialogic’. Unless new ways of fostering the development of students’ knowledge about language are developed, the potential of the innovative English Curriculum risks being undermined. In this study, we consider what dialogic teaching principles (Alexander 2008) might offer an engaging, productive pedagogy for grammar teaching. We offer a linguistic account of the dialogic principles as they are enacted in this classroom. Thus providing insights into the complexities of the principles in action. We also argue for knowledge of classroom talk as a resource for engaging learners with grammar and for fostering the metalinguistic understandings imagined in this curriculum reform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inclusion of the Knowledge about Language strand in the recently introduced Australian Curriculum: English (AC:E) is both promising and challenging. For the first time, students across primary and secondary years of schooling are expected to develop "a coherent, dynamic, and evolving body of knowledge about the English language and how it works" (ACARA 2009). Yet, it has been documented that teachers are not well equipped with their linguistic and pedagogic knowledge to translate that knowledge into productive pedagogic practices (Hammond and Macken-Horarik 2001; Jones and Chen 2012). This challenge is confounded by the debate regarding what constitutes an appropriate pedagogy for contemporary grammar teaching. Grammar teaching bears the weight of its own history of practices that were often decidedly "undialogic". Unless new ways of fostering the development of students' knowledge about language are developed, the potential of the innovative English Curriculum risks being undermined. In this study, we consider what dialogic teaching principles (Alexander 2008) might offer an engaging, productive pedagogy for grammar teaching. We offer a linguistic account of the dialogic principles as they are enacted in this classroom. Thus providing insights into the complexities of the principles in action. We also argue for knowledge of classroom talk as a resource for engaging learners with grammar and for fostering the metalinguistic understandings imagined in this curriculum reform.

This study examines the impact of dialogic teaching as core pedagogy in the higher education context. It investigates how instructional design informed by Alexander's dialogic principles and educational linguistics encouraged pre-service teachers and in-service teachers to develop professional capabilities to first recognise and then harness the power of talk for reflective learning. A discussion-based pedagogic strategy called Literature Circles was used to help reframe critical understanding of literary texts and prompt meta-awareness of dialogic teaching. One group of participants in the study was a final year cohort of pre-service teachers in a Bachelor of Education (Primary) degree at an urban university in Australia. Another group of participants were teachers in a primary school who were reviewing their use of Literature Circles. The third group of participants the school students who took part in the Literature Circles. Qualitative data from video interviews and/or focus group discussions with the three groups of participants were triangulated. Coding of data was achieved by content analysis, cross-correlating close linguistic analysis with an analytic framework based on Alexander's five principles to create categories for the identification of perceptions about dialogic teaching. Findings from the study show that the linguistic lens provided new insights to dialogic teaching at all levels of education.

The aim of this article is to foster dialogue between proponents of Alexander's notion of dialogic teaching and those working with educational linguistics--in particular those working with systemic functional theory. To this end, the article begins by highlighting important points of alignment between dialogic teaching and systemic theory: their shared emphasis on learning as a social and cultural construct; the priority they accord to language in education and its role in mediating learning; and their shared emphasis on the nature of positive educational interventions. Major sections of the article, however, address two issues identified by Alexander as posing particular challenges in the implementation of dialogic teaching: the difficulty of achieving a "perfect marriage" between pedagogical form and content; and the need for students to have opportunities to talk to learn as well as learn to talk. Discussion of these issues draws on recent research into the needs of English as an Additional Language students, and the nature of pedagogical practices designed to address those needs, to explore the possible contribution of systemic theory. While the article is written from the perspective of someone more familiar with systemic theory than dialogic teaching, it highlights points of similarity and difference between the two perspectives in their approaches to education and suggests an ongoing dialogue which is likely to be mutually beneficial.

This article synthesises findings from two systematic reviews that examined evidence of the link between large-scale assessments (LSAs) and education policy in economically developing countries and in countries of the Asia-Pacific. Analyses summarise evidence of assessment characteristics and policy goals of LSAs that influence education policy, when LSAs are used in the policy-making cycle and types of education policies impacted, and factors that influence the use of LSAs in policy-making. Results show national assessments conducted at both primary and secondary school levels to have an impact on education policy. LSAs are used more often for monitoring education quality and equity purposes followed by accountability purposes. International assessments are more often used to leverage policy priorities than other assessment types. LSAs feature mainly at the monitoring and evaluation stage of the policy cycle. The education policies impacted by LSAs relate considerably more to curricular reforms and performance standards as well as assessment bodies and activities and far less to resource allocation and teaching and learning policies. Finally, whereas the quality of assessment programmes facilitate impact, financial constraints and uncertainty as well as weak assessment bodies hinder the impact of LSAs on education policy.

This contribution is set in the context of the burgeoning of practitioner inquiry in Australia, taking account also of various European and North American initiatives, against the background of the notion of action research as an emancipatory project. Practitioner inquiry, under these conditions, requires that the work move beyond a utilitarian function, important as that may be in terms of enhancing practice, and that it develops a greater capacity to critique underlying policies. It will argue that if those engaged in practitioner inquiry, in particular in education, and those who support and sponsor them, are to move beyond a celebratory mode, then it is critical that a set of criteria are developed that may be used to govern quality; both in terms of the quality of the research and the quality of the policies at the local and state levels. The case will be made for developing such a platform founded upon principles of ethicality in the interests of all stakeholders, including consequential stakeholders, that is the students themselves, and will clearly have implications for policy and practice. For us, however, the matter of ethicality transcends stakeholder interests and is a central validation issue. Thus, the contribution will draw attention to the ways in which quality is not only determined by sound research practices but also must be such that ethical principles are manifested in the structures and processes of practitioner inquiry. In this sense ethical research practice is of a substantive rather than procedural kind. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article addresses the issue of university teachers' emotions generated through teaching and interacting with students. While research on school teachers' emotions is on the increase, interest in the significance of university teachers' emotions is still limited. In light of the growing attention given to the quality of university teaching around the world, and evidence of the impact of emotions on school teachers' well-being and teaching practice, a better understanding of the origin and nature of emotions experienced by university teachers is needed. This article presents the findings of a small longitudinal study with 15 university teachers from two public Australian universities. Two in-depth interviews with each teacher generated rich accounts, examples and reflections on their emotional experiences during teaching. The qualitative analysis revealed the range of positive and negative emotions triggered in specific teaching-learning situations. Three major themes related to the emergence of emotions were identified: first, the importance of the intrinsic value and social nature of the professional practice of teaching; second, the criticality of the degree to which expectations of students' engagement were fulfilled or not; and third, the realisation that the professional practice of teaching was only partly controllable. The findings are discussed with reference to previous research, limitations are addressed, and directions for future research are proposed.

For a number of reasons, increasing reliance is being placed on teacher assessment in high-stakes contexts in many countries around the world. Simultaneously, countries that have for some time relied to greater or lesser degrees on teacher assessment for high-stakes purposes are in the process of questioning the validity of that reliance. In principle, teacher assessment has an important role to play in increasing assessment validity by complementing testing to cover subject domains more comprehensively than otherwise would be possible. But what is the evidence regarding the reliability of teacher assessment in high-stakes contexts? The answer is that the evidence is limited and often ambiguous. Research has revealed that teachers can be influenced by a number of construct-irrelevant factors as they work towards their judgements, factors such as gender, socio-economic background, effort and behaviour, that risk biasing their assessments. And when considering construct-relevant achievement evidence teachers are often expected to use verbal or semi-verbal sets of criteria, such as level descriptions, which typically require a degree of subjective interpretation in application and so are themselves a source of unwanted variation in judging standards. Arguably the most effective strategy for addressing these issues is participation in consensus moderation. Yet there have been few attempts to provide evidence of the effectiveness of moderation in practice. The potential value of, and the growing reliance upon, teacher assessment in high-stakes applications demand that evaluation of consensus moderation become a built-in part of the process. (Contains 2 notes.)

This article rejects the notion that schools have become excessively feminised spaces that are failing to adequately provide for the educational needs of boys. This construction of schools as feminised has provided the impetus for the development of what have become known as "boy-friendly" pedagogies. Unfortunately such pedagogies work with essentialist assumptions about masculinity and as such have the potential to reinscribe and valorise those forms of masculinity that are oppressive to others and, in some instances, result in self-harm. The authors thus contend that boy-friendly approaches to schooling often work against the interests of more gender-just practices in schools, and beyond. Drawing on one set of data from a broader study, they highlight the masculinised spaces operating in one all-boys' school. They suggest that a boy-friendly pedagogy here would be highly inappropriate in terms of promoting gender justice. They therefore foreground the philosophies and practices of one group of teachers who are concerned with implementing a transformational pedagogy in their classrooms and suggest that whilst, in this instance, such pedagogies are not without their problems, they offer insights into how such masculinised spaces can be disrupted.

Using an ethnographic-interpretive research strategy, a study of teacher-student interaction displayed in a secondary physics class suggests student-centered instructional strategies create an environment that enhances self-esteem, responsibility, behavior and academic performance. Examples of study guides, activity sheets and topic overviews are provided. (IAH)