Search

Research Findings: This study aims to extend our knowledge regarding contributions of educator--child interactions to child language outcomes by examining the extent to which specific dimensions of the CLASS observational tool of educator-child interactions are associated with child language abilities, utilizing data from an Australian longitudinal study of over 2,000 children attending formal Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC). The analysis included a novel measurement model fitted to the data to allow each CLASS dimension to be modeled separately. Results showed that each CLASS dimension was associated with initial average language abilities. Small, negative effects of Emotional Support dimensions on growth of children's average Understanding Directions score were found, but there were no associations between any of the dimensions and average growth in Verbal Ability. None of the Instructional Support dimensions (which are language focused) predicted growth in language abilities. These null findings are addressed in the discussion. Practice or Policy: Findings from this study illustrate that, typically, ECEC programs rate low on dimensions of quality developed to capture language-promoting educator-child interactions. Findings also suggest a selection effect related to equity of access to classroom quality with children with the highest initial language abilities in the highest quality classrooms.

The promotion of equity, diversity and inclusion initiatives has become routine within Anglophone universities in the Global North. However, critical race scholars have demonstrated that these well-intentioned policies are often formulated in ways that transact empty performatives, where discussions of racism are deemed too challenging. Moreover, the dynamics of social class are often missing from university diversity regimes. Using autoethnography as methodology, we suggest that the practices of "border crossings" of intersectional academics can help track the multidirectional impacts of institutional diversity and inclusion discourses within Australian universities. As class and race intermix, we operate in a metaphorical "shadowland"; our border criss-crossings and places of dwelling highlight the blurriness of privileged and marginalised identities, with some minoritised statuses seemingly too visible while others are obscured. Despite this, and albeit brought into being through largely unrewarded emotional labour, our emphasis is on demonstrating how intersectional subjects' dialoguing in academe is a form of quiet resistance, offering hope for creating new becomings.

Student sense of belonging is a current challenge to higher education providers, with consistently declining ratings in national surveys. For universities globally, this is a concern linked to student attrition, student satisfaction, and student success. Importantly, low sense of belonging is typically associated with non-traditional learners, and building strategies to solve this challenge is essential for institutions to build equitable learning environments. This study seeks to understand the causal factors that predict when a student will belong using longitudinal data. Using the Australian national student experience survey data (n = 1,159,768 undergraduate and postgraduate students between 2013 and 2019), this study examines the predictors of a sense of belonging testing the accuracy of four machine learning models. The findings indicate overall educational experience, connection to students outside of class, and support to settle were key predictors, with skill development and curriculum supports a lesser predictor of a sense of belonging. Interestingly, identity and individual differences ratings seemed to have less importance than student experience factors. Implications for higher education policy developers and curriculum writers are considered.

This paper presents the research and findings of how some Australian teachers of Drama engage with masks in the classroom. It is part of a larger research project looking at the potential impacts for masks and education in the Australian curriculum. With masks both synonymous with Drama, and multiple resources available for teachers to engage with masks in the classroom, there was no empirical data on if and how teachers in Australia engaged with masks in the classroom. This research asked teachers to self-report on both their skill level in mask usage and to the extent that they engaged with masks in the teaching of Drama in the classroom. Findings note that whilst the majority of teachers did engage with masks; some quite extensively; many staff indicated their own limitations in training and in foundational theory. In addition, many staff used their own time and resources to upskill themselves, placing an importance of the potential for mask usage with children. This has implications for university education courses, as well opportunities for systems and professional development providers in supporting teachers of Drama in their skill base.

In recent years, chemistry educators are increasingly adopting immersive virtual reality (IVR) technology to help learners visualise molecular interactions. However, educational studies on IVR mostly investigated its usability and user perceptions leaving out its impact on improving conceptual understanding. If they evaluated students' knowledge gains, they tended to use information recall tests to assess knowledge gains. Employing interviews and diagram-drawing tasks, this study explored how students' conceptual understanding of the nature of hydrogen bonds and the shape of snowflakes changed through a collaborative IVR experience on snowflakes. Participants were 68 undergraduate chemistry students. Videos of pre-/post-interviews and student-generated diagrams were analysed. The results indicated a marked improvement in students' conceptual understanding of the nature of hydrogen bonds among water molecules in snowflakes. After IVR, 57 students provided scientifically acceptable explanations of the nature of hydrogen bonds. Improvements in students' understanding were related to the intermolecular nature of hydrogen bonds, the role of lone pairs of electrons in forming hydrogen bonds, and molecular interactions in 3D space. This study suggests that collaborative IVR could be a powerful way for students to visualise molecular interactions, examine their alternative conceptions, and build more coherent understanding. Implications for the design and implementation of IVR activities for science learning are discussed.

Recent studies have reported a growing trend of using student-generated diagrams for assessment in science teaching and research. However, many educators tend to use diagrams to explore students' perceptions of scientists and their work rather than explore conceptual understanding of abstract concepts. In this study, we used diagrams to investigate students' conceptual understanding of the nature of hydrogen bonds among water molecules in snowflakes. Participants were 70 first- and second-year university students. Following a sequence of interview prompts, the students drew diagrams to illustrate the interactions amongst water molecules in snowflakes. Sixty students' diagrams were analyzed inductively using a constant comparison method. Most diagrams showed that the students did not have major challenges drawing the water molecule structure, recognizing polarity of a water molecule, or recognizing the intermolecular nature of hydrogen bonds. However, the diagrams revealed varied ways in which students conceptualized the formation of hydrogen bonds. A third of the diagrams revealed students' alternative conceptions about the role of lone pairs of electrons in the formation of hydrogen bonds. Most diagrams which showed a good understanding of the nature of a hydrogen bond revealed students' difficulties in recognizing molecular interactions in a 3D space. Our findings suggest that student-generated diagrams can provide a powerful way to understand students' conceptions of abstract science concepts.

"To learn about X, observe what happens to the system when X is removed." What happens to the higher education student experience when, during a pandemic, so many of the avenues for building a sense of belonging are radically and fundamentally disrupted? How should we respond as individuals, a collective and a sector, to redress this? The national student survey data in Australia has highlighted a significant drop in learner engagement and their sense of belonging as a result of the pandemic. Indeed, the pandemic has been a significant point of anxiety for students, educators, and universities globally. We see the pandemic as a unique opportunity to critically examine belongingness among university students in a climate where their normal avenues to feel they belong need to establish a new kind of normal. In this article, we seek to articulate what can be learned from the pandemic experience about student belongingness and what instructors can do to improve it, even under difficult circumstances. We found opportunities to strengthen a students' sense of belonging in online environments, when necessary, and how responses within the constraints of lockdown and emergency remote teaching can still support student success.

This paper is based on personal narratives of three transnational women academics of colour, within education faculties in Australian universities. As postcolonial subjects we focus, on providing spaces for future educators, to find multiple ways of knowing, being, and relating. Reflecting upon our pedagogic practices, we analyse the empowerment afforded by our individual positionings in facilitating a deeper understanding of social justice and inclusion in our classrooms. Using collaborative autoethnography, we outline our endeavours to raise critical queries through Freire's notion of "conscientizacao." We unpack our own pedagogic frailties while enacting 'pedagogy of discomfort', as we subvert the proliferation of educational hegemonies considering it may lead to erasures of certain epistemologies. This paper conclusively highlights our efforts to ensure the creation of "conscientizacao," in ourselves and our students, while concomitantly abnegating 'pedagogy of rupture' and being mindful of our individual positionings and our students' varied contexts.

Purpose: This paper emerged from the challenges encountered by both authors as academics during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Based on their subsequent reflections on inclusion in education for minoritised academics in pandemic-affected institutional contexts, they argue that beyond student-centred foci for inclusion, equity in the field, is equally significant for diverse teachers. Working as tempered radicals, they contend that anything less is exclusionary. Design/methodology/approach: Using a reciprocal interview method and drawing on Freirean ideals of dialogue and education as freedom from oppression, the authors offer dual perspectives from specific positionings as a non-tenured woman academic of colour and a tenured staff member with a disability. Findings: In framing this work dialogically and through Freirean ideals of conscientização, the authors' collective discussions politicise personal experiences of marginalisation in the teaching and researching of inclusion in education for preservice teachers, or more pointedly, in demonstrating the responsibility of all to orientate towards context-dependent inclusive practices. They assert that to enable educators to develop inclusion-oriented practice, the contextual frameworks need to ensure that they question their own experiences of inclusion as potentially precarious to enable meaningful teaching practice. Research limitations/implications: It offers perspectives drawing on race, dis/ability and gender drawing on two voices. The bivocal perspective is in itself limitation. It is also located within a very Australian context. However, it does have the scope to be applied globally and there is opportunity to further develop the argument using more intersectional variables. Practical implications: The paper clearly highlights that universities require a sharper understanding of diversity, and minoritised staff's quotidian negotiations of marginalisations. Concomitantly inclusion and valuing of the epistemologies of minoritised groups facilitate meaningful participation of these groups in higher education contexts. Social implications: This article calls for a more nuanced, empathetic and critical understanding of issues related to race and disability within Australian and global academe. This is much required given rapidly shifting demographics within Australian and other higher education contexts, as well as the global migration trajectories. Originality/value: This is an original research submission which contributes to debates around race and disability in HE. It has the potential to provoke further conversations and incorporates both hope and realism while stressing collaboration within the academic ecosystem to build metaphorical spaces of inclusion for the minoritised.

In the current context of COVID-19 restrictions, the perceived infection risk in healthcare facilities has resulted in limited opportunities for clinical placements. This paper aims to demonstrate how virtual WIL clinics (virtual simulated general practice clinics), provide an authentic clinical experience and to ascertain whether these virtual clinics allow the practice of generic WIL competencies. The clinics provide students with WIL experience without the face-to-face contact of a physical clinic via telehealth. The practice of WIL through virtual WIL clinics at James Cook University, Australia, is assessed using the Work Skill Development (WSD) framework via GoSoapBox surveys. Students surveyed (N=66) expressed a high level of motivation to engage, reflect and learn through this medium. The survey also highlighted some possible areas of improvement in time management and communication. Virtual WIL clinics are a suitable substitution for WIL clinical activity and ideally suited to the COVID-19 context.

Among the many impacts of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, one of the most dramatic was the immediate closure of in-person schooling in March/April 2020 when parents were faced with much greater responsibility in supporting their children's learning. Despite this, few studies have examined parents' own perspectives of this experience. The aims of this preliminary study were to: (1) identify challenges, benefits, and useful strategies related to remote learning; and (2) examine differences in findings across two countries, between parents of youth with and without attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and between parents of children and adolescents. To address these aims, parent responses to open-ended questions on the Home Adjustment to COVID-19 Scale (HACS; Becker, Breaux, et al., 2020) were examined across three studies conducted in the United States and Australia (N = 606, children: 68.5% male, ages 6-17 years). The challenges most frequently expressed by parents included the child's difficulty staying on task (23.8% of parents), lack of motivation (18.3%), remote learning factors (17.8%), and lack of social interaction (14.4%). The most frequently expressed strategy related to using routines and schedules (58.2%) and the biggest benefit was more family time (20.3%). Findings were largely consistent across countries, ADHD status, and age, with a few notable group differences. Given that the most common challenges involved child- (e.g., difficulties with staying on task and motivation), parent- (e.g., balancing remote learning with work responsibilities), and school- (e.g., remote instruction difficulties) related factors, there is a need for improved support across these systems going forward.

Purpose: This research is situated at a metropolitan university in Melbourne (Australia) where the authors work in initial teacher education programs within the same faculty. The purpose of this study is to raise awareness that collegial, collaborative and "co-caring" environments can foster an improved sense of belonging, acceptance and inclusion in the academy. They also argue that communities of practice may foster an improved sense of belonging that enhances empowerment and harmony among all staff in academia in pandemic times and beyond. Design/methodology/approach: The authors draw on case study methodology as a qualitative approach to understand and illuminate the phenomena under study. Case study methodology provides an in-depth understanding of their trifocal voices, as it allows them to voice their stories through collaborative autoethnography. The authors use self-narratives to unpack their sense of belonging in academic spaces. Collaborative autoethnography (CAE) enabled them to work together as a team of women and as a community of researchers. Findings: The findings foreground the responsibilities of casual staff while concomitantly articulating the challenges faced by both permanent and casual staff to create a "sense of belonging" in the academy. The authors found that social connection engenders a sense of belonging and inclusion within a space that is often beset by neoliberal ideologies of competitiveness and individual achievement. They articulate their stress, pressure and uncertainty as permanent and as casual academics working supportively to develop and maintain identity in very difficult circumstances. They share how they developed professional relationships which bring unforeseen benefits and personal friendship at a time of especially restrictive practices. Research limitations/implications: The paper includes three voices, a limitation in itself, thus generalisations cannot be made to other academics or institutions. Employing CAE offers the possibility of delving more deeply into the emotional complexities inherent within this method for further research. They recommend a sense of "co-caring" as a form of pastoral care in the "induction program" for all academics including casual staff. While this may not "strategically" fit in with many because of power imbalances, the journey of co-caring and sharing and building friendships within the academy has a limited presence in the literature and calls for further investigation. Practical implications: The authors draw attention to the need for higher education institutes to recognise the role permanent staff play when working with casual academics. Social implications: The authors draw attention to the need to be inclusive and collaborative as a way to improve the divide and strengthen connections between permanent and casual academics at university worksites. This is imperative given the shifting demographics within Australia and its workforce. They also highlight issues of race in the academy. Originality/value: This is an original work carried out by the authors. It raises concerns about a sense of belonging in the academy, job certainty and the place of people of colour as these issues may also be experienced by other full-time and casual academics.

The purpose of this systematic literature review is to examine global perspectives on the role of parental involvement and social/emotional skills in school-age children's academic success. A multistage filtering analysis process provides relevant information in relation to key issues on the topic of parental involvement in different countries and reveals distinctive characteristics of parental involvement as well as contextual differences from one culture to another. A discussion of the concepts is presented, and recommendations are drawn from the analysis.

Geographically unequal distribution of opportunities for participation in post-school education particularly affects young people in rural and regional areas of Australia. This study contends that the perception of opportunities by young people from low socio-economic status backgrounds should be considered alongside the distribution of opportunities, in order to understand how place and social mobility are intertwined in the reproduction of inequality. Drawing on data about post-school transitions in peri-urban and rural areas of Australia, our study shows that understandings of a sense of belonging to a rural place of origin and the attraction of nature and the outdoors are intrinsic to understanding young people's educational mobilities. Despite a growing interest in the more emotional aspects of mobility, including the concept of 'emotional topographies' and issues of dislocation and belonging, the spatial contingency of student identities and their effects on participation are only just beginning to be manifested in an ontological shift in scholarship. Educational mobilities and the sense of place have been tested by the impact of the 2020 global pandemic. By deepening understanding of how students from rural areas frame their educational choices, this study offers a progression in thinking about dislocation and belonging in the interactions of post-school transitions. Arguably, a broader emotional geographical sense of belonging is needed to understand the experiences of rural students and their mobility or immobility. This broader conceptualisation may indicate new research directions for urban research.

In Australia, student under-participation and disengagement in secondary mathematics classes are persistent problems. Academic help seeking is a unique self-regulated behaviour that is important for engagement in mathematics classes and yet many students avoid seeking help from teachers and peers as they progress through secondary school. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between students' perceptions of the social climate of their classrooms and their avoidance of help seeking in secondary mathematics classes. Students' perceptions of classroom social climate, along with perceptions of their own academic and social self-efficacy, self-theories of intelligence, and help-seeking goals and intentions, were assessed for a sample of 551 Australian students in 47 classes from eight secondary schools and two vocational institutes. The measurement model for social climate was reduced to four factors (Task Orientation, Teacher Support, Cooperation and Investigation) and a mediated structural equation model, informed by theory and previous empirical studies, was assessed using Mplus. Bootstrap confidence intervals were used to assess the direct and indirect effects of social climate on help-seeking avoidance. Findings indicated that Task Orientation and Cooperation had a negative effect on help-seeking avoidance, while Investigation had a positive effect. Teacher Support was not associated with help-seeking avoidance. Implications for practice are discussed.

Scholarly studies of international student mobility programs have increased during the last two decades, particularly following the Bologna Declaration. Nevertheless, a systematic review of international student mobility programs and the outcomes and benefits derived from participation in such programs has not been undertaken. This paper provides a comprehensive review of studies examining the various outcomes of student participation in short-term international mobility programs and identifies under-researched areas such as employment and career outcomes. A future research agenda based on the review is outlined, along with recommendations for improving research designs in order to increase our understanding of the short- and long-term outcomes of international student mobility programs.

Australia has a National Technology Statement (Curriculum Corporation, 1994) that specifies the content and process of technology studies in schools. However, as in the United States, the implementation of curricula is a state responsibility. In the state of Queensland the implementation has been a very gradual process with schools having the option of adopting new curricula on a school-by-school basis or waiting until implementation becomes mandatory in 2007. To a large extent, technology teachers have adopted a wait and see approach (INTAD, 2001), and are expecting a systemic curriculum direction, professional development, and the provision of resources (Warner, 2001). Failure to implement the new curriculum may jeopardize the future viability of the subject area, as there is no statutory obligation for schools to offer specialized technology subjects. Against this general trend, a core group of approximately 40 progressive teachers, from a total cohort of about 1150 (Warner, 2001), have chosen to implement a school-based technology curriculum. These teachers have modified the existing shop-based syllabi and pre-empted the new technology curriculum mandate (Warner, 2001). This situation poses a question that has formed the basis of this research. What factors have influenced these junior secondary school traditional technology teachers to implement a new technology education curriculum? This study focused on identifying factors that influenced a small group of Queensland teachers to implement a new technology curriculum voluntarily. Narrative interviews were conducted and a qualitative analysis followed which emphasized the importance of the subjective experience of the individuals. This project was unique on two accounts. Firstly, limited research has been undertaken into changing curriculum practice in technology education and secondly, due to the school-based management framework in Queensland, the changes have been implemented in a non-systemic curriculum environment. The methodology, findings, conclusions and recommendations of this study are described herein.

Objective: To translate and evaluate the psychometric properties of an Arabic-language version of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS). Method: The items were translated, back translated, refined, and tested in an Australian immigrant sample (N = 220). Results: Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the Arabic DASS discriminates between depression, anxiety, and stress but to a lesser degree than the English DASS. The factor loadings for all 42 items were comparable to those of the English DASS, indicating that the items had been appropriately translated and adapted. Analysis of exploratory items suggested by Arabic-speaking mental health professionals failed to reveal any new items that were both psychometrically adequate and theoretically coherent. Analysis of a bilingual sample (N = 24) indicated that the English norms was appropriate for the Arabic DASS. Conclusion: The results support the universality of depression, anxiety, and stress across cultures and provide initial support for the psychometric properties of the Arabic DASS.

Many overseas trained teachers migrate to Australia in search of different lifestyles. In their endeavour to find suitable teaching positions in public secondary schools, overseas trained teachers often confront multiple challenges. This study explored the different issues that 12 overseas trained teachers experienced before obtaining a teaching position in a public secondary school in either Western Australia or South Australia. Data were collected through using twelve in-depth semi-structured interviews and researcher generated field notes. The results indicate that participants experienced the following challenges: apparent lack of information on post immigration life in Australia; danger of misinformation; registration delays; inconsistency in English language requirements; fixed term offers for teaching positions; difficult living conditions in the country areas; and a perceived lack of consistency in the teacher orientation programs provided by the Education Departments of Western Australia and South Australia.

A multi-institution collaborative team of Australian chemistry education researchers, teaching a total of over 3000 first year chemistry students annually, has explored a tool for diagnosing students' prior conceptions as they enter tertiary chemistry courses. Five core topics were selected and clusters of diagnostic items were assembled linking related concepts in each topic together. An ordered multiple choice assessment strategy was adopted to enable provision of formative feedback to students through combination of the specific distractors that they chose. Concept items were either sourced from existing research instruments or developed by the project team. The outcome is a diagnostic tool consisting of five topic clusters of five concept items that has been delivered in large introductory chemistry classes at five Australian institutions. Statistical analysis of data has enabled exploration of the composition and validity of the instrument including a comparison between delivery of the complete 25 item instrument with subsets of five items, clustered by topic. This analysis revealed that most items retained their validity when delivered in small clusters. Tensions between the assembly, validation and delivery of diagnostic instruments for the purposes of acquiring robust psychometric research data versus their pragmatic use are considered in this study.

Vocational Education and Training (VET) in a policy and institutional sense plays an important role in the migration experiences of people who settle in Australia. This article draws on qualitative empirical work using narrative accounts from VET practitioners along with a cross section of ethnically diverse migrants to reveal how race and ethnicity are central to and constitutive of the experiences of both humanitarian and skilled migrants in Australian VET. The article employs critical race theory (CRT) building on research developed by others in the Journal of VET to analyse these experiences and the role of VET and labour markets in this process of (dis)placing migrants' skills. The article argues firstly, that skilled migrants are not absent in VET, but are rather rendered invisible in a policy sense. Secondly, CRT provides a theoretical resource for coming to grips with how, in a marketised Australian VET context where institutional responses to skilled migration can either be beneficial or exploitative, practices privilege advantaged groups and are always at once culturally loaded.

Today, levels of mistreatment of children are internationally reported as having reached epidemic proportions. Throughout recorded history babies and young children have suffered acts of violence by parents, care providers and others. However, "some believe that, for the first time in history, we are beginning to face the true prevalence and significance of child abuse" (Hopper, J. (2010). "Child abuse. Statistics, research and resources." Retrieved December 10, 2011, from http://www.jimhopper.com). In this review of the literature, we will use ECVAN (early childhood violence, abuse and neglect) to refer to violence, abuse and neglect of children, birth to eight years, in harmony with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989). The review has been undertaken using a comprehensive series of data bases across all major disciplines which have regard to the heath, well-being and development of young children from birth to 8 years--and beyond wherever appropriate. The paper is guided by a socio-ecological model of contexts, participants and interactional complexity. There is no simple explanation for the abuse of young children--sometimes systemic in particular cultures--as there is no simple mechanism for the early identification of possible abusers and hence preventative practice. A wide range of contemporary research literature has enabled us to draw out significant issues related to abuse and abuse prevention. Central to all this we suggest is community engagement with the issue of child health, the establishment or refinement of public health policies and practices which through routine surveillance, parent support, education and multisectoral actions bring best practice to the fore within and on behalf of families and communities.

Purpose -- The purpose of this paper is to undertake a survey of the external and internal forces changing the nature of business schools and business education. It aims to investigate how management education responds to increasing productivity, innovation and capability challenges, examine how MBA programs currently meet these demands, and how these courses might redefine their identity and delivery and finally explore how to deepen engagement between business schools and business stakeholders, and to balance the imperatives of relevance and quality. Design/methodology/approach -- This is a survey of business schools and business education in the context of evolving educational and industry policy in Australia in response to an increasingly international and competitive economy. The different potential roles and strategies of business schools are examined, and future strategies identified. Findings -- The paper finds that management education is facing insistent pressure to change internationally, and that business schools need to become more dynamic, innovative and responsive to succeed. Research limitations/implications -- This survey considers the implications of recent policy on business education and relates this to emerging practice. Further research is required on how innovative pedagogical approaches will deliver more integrated and relevant business education. Practical implications -- The paper defines key business school strategies, and outlines significant new approaches to making business education more innovative, responsive, integrated and engaged. Social implications -- The paper considers means to more active stakeholder engagement for business schools. Originality/value -- The paper highlights the weaknesses of traditional business education strategy, and reveals the potential for significant change. (Contains 4 figures.)

Industrial wind turbines (IWTs) are a new source of community noise to which relatively few people have yet been exposed. IWTs are being erected at a rapid pace in proximity to human habitation. Some people report experiencing adverse health effects as a result of living in the environs of IWTs. In order to address public concerns and assess the plausibility of reported adverse health effects, a number of literature reviews have been commissioned by various organizations. This article explores some of the recent literature reviews on IWTs and adverse health effects. It considers the completeness, accuracy, and objectivity of their contents and conclusions. While some of the literature reviews provide a balanced assessment and draw reasonable scientific conclusions, others should not be relied on to make informed decisions. The article concludes that human health research is required to develop authoritative guidelines for the siting of IWTs in order to protect the health and welfare of exposed individuals.

This paper argues the need for the providers of ecotourism and other free-choice environmental learning experiences to promote the adoption of environmentally sustainable actions beyond their own sites, when visitors return to their home environments. Previous research indicates that although visitors often leave such experiences with a heightened awareness of conservation issues and intentions to adopt environmentally responsible behaviours, only a minority translate these intentions into real actions. Building on research and theory in relation to visitor experiences in free-choice learning environments, the paper identifies three different stages in the educational process and proposes a strategy for facilitating the translation of visitors' behavioural intentions into the adoption of sustainable actions through the provision of post-visit action resources. (Contains 3 figures.)

Wildlife tourism experiences are often promoted for their ability to enhance visitors' conservation knowledge, attitudes and behaviour; yet, studies exploring the long-term influence of such experiences are rare. This research explores the impact of a wildlife tourism experience and post-visit support on families' adoption of conservation practices following their visit. In Stage 1, barriers and benefits associated with six conservation practices were identified and incorporated into the design of post-visit action resources. Two hundred Australian families visiting Mon Repos turtle rookery in Queensland, Australia, were assigned to either a treatment group (given post-visit support) or a control group (no support). Three months after their visit, families in the treatment group were significantly more likely to report changes in their conservation knowledge; their attitudes towards protecting wildlife and the natural environment; and the frequency with which they picked up litter. Treatment families also adopted significantly more conservation practices than the control group. Implications for wildlife interpretive practice and visitor management at wildlife tourism sites are discussed. (Contains 4 tables and 1 figure.)

The research sets out to identify the learning processes adopted by older workers in the hospitality and visitor attraction industry in Scotland, with a view to determining how employers may better support their education and training within enterprises. The study was undertaken as part of the ESRC project on "Sustaining the employability of older workers in the hospitality sector: personal learning strategies and cultures of learning". The data collection period was from 2008-2010 and focused on six case studies; three in hospitality and three visitor attraction centres. The conceptual framework of the research is based upon the simple yet important notion of "experience" and how this enhances the learning lives of older employees. It will be argued that the learning processes used by older employees are primarily recognisable as "social practices", based upon the utilisation of existing knowledge and skills. The analysis suggests that organisations should be encouraged to avoid using a "one size fits all" approach to education and training and, in the case of older workers, to make more use of their past work and life experiences in order to facilitate their own and others' learning. (Contains 2 tables.)

Although the important role of providing fieldwork experiences for students in the natural environment is now well-established within environmental education literature, there is still little research evidence to guide teachers in their choice of effective teaching strategies. This paper presents findings from an interpretive case study designed to investigate the value of combining experience-based fieldwork in a mangrove and coastal environment with reflective and metacognitive activities. Analysis of video recordings, researcher observation notes and interviews of a class of Year 11 biology students who participated in the activities resulted in the emergence of five themes. These themes together provided evidence of enhanced student environmental learning, and included student appreciation for various learning contexts, self-awareness of group learning processes, and awareness of the integration of cross-curriculum knowledge. The study supports and illustrates the contention that the most effective environmental learning experiences are likely to be those that integrate learning in the natural environment "with" classroom learning strategies.

Educators have identified four categories of "productive pedagogies" that are considered to lead to authentic student engagement and learning in the classroom. This study was designed to explore and extend these pedagogies in the context of learning in natural environments, in particular, through the programmes of Queensland environmental education centres. In-depth interview and observation data were collected from students, classroom teachers and centre teachers who had participated in 12 environmental education programmes across Queensland, in order to identify the strategies that are most effective in facilitating learning in the natural environment. A fifth productive pedagogy category, "experience-based learning", is proposed. Experience-based learning is particularly important in addressing students' environmental attitudes and actions. The implications for the delivery of environmental education programmes both within and outside the classroom are discussed. (Contains 3 notes, 9 tables and 2 figures.)

Through an analysis of the results of a survey of Australian employers of Library and Information Studies (LIS) graduates, this paper explores the current demand and future need for undergraduate LIS education in Australia. In the context of recent calls for adopting a purely postgraduate level of entry to the profession, the overwhelming majority of respondents to the survey clearly believe that the education provided in LIS programs in Australia does equip graduates with the attributes required of professional librarians in their organisation, and that this does not depend on the level of the qualification. Some further discussion of graduate attributes and curriculum issues indicates that there is a need for reform of LIS education--as well as a requirement to build the number of available graduates as the profession seeks to renew itself. (Contains 15 tables.)

Although environmental and heritage interpretation aims to connect humans with their natural and cultural heritage, and has the potential to contribute to a vision of sustainable living, it often falls short of engaging and inspiring its audiences. Some interpreters advocate the use of artistic approaches to create more affective (imaginary-emotional-sensory-aesthetic) experiences. One approach considered compatible is drama. Powerful dramatic experiences can embed interpretive stories in the emotions and leave enduring impressions. Drama is accepted as an interpretive tool overseas, yet it is under-utilised in Australia. How can it be used to strengthen interpretation in this country? This paper presents the outcomes of research investigating the perceptions of ten Queensland practitioners of dramatised interpretation regarding drama's strengths, limitations and value as a tool in interpretation. The authors contend that drama has much to offer interpretation, although further evaluative studies are clearly needed. (Contains 2 figures and 1 table.)

Charles Sturt University School of Information Studies undertook a graduate destination survey of students who had completed library and information management courses, both undergraduate and postgraduate, in 2003-2004. One hundred and twenty-three responses (from a total of 256 sent out--48 per cent) were received and from these it was found that 87 per cent of graduates were in either full-time work or part-time work by choice. Less than 5 per cent were unemployed and looking for work. Nearly 75 per cent of those working were in "library" jobs with only a small percentage in other information-related work. Three quarters of graduates had prior library experience with 65 per cent working in libraries during their study. Eighty-two per cent of graduates reported that their course of study had been useful or very useful in providing skills relevant to their current position. While generally, the results of the survey were very positive both for the individuals and for the profession as a whole, there was anecdotal evidence that suggested that inexperienced and/or older graduates found difficulty in gaining suitable employment. (Contains 10 tables.)

Outdoor and Environmental Education Centres provide programs that are designed to address a range of environmental education aims, and contribute broadly to student learning for sustainability. This paper examines the roles such Centres can play, and how they might contribute to the Australian Government's initiative in relation to sustainable schools. Interviews with the principals of 23 such Centres in Queensland revealed three roles or models under which they operate: the destination model; the expert/advisor model; and the partnership model. Principals' understandings of these roles are discussed and the factors that support or hinder their implementation are identified. It is concluded that while the provision of programs "in" the environment is still a vital role of outdoor and environmental education centres, these can also be seen as a point of entry to long-term partnerships with whole school communities. (Contains 1 endnote.)

Despite the increasing importance of, and interest in, documenting the impact of environmental education programs on students' learning for sustainability, few tools are currently available to measure young students' environmental learning across all the dimensions of knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviours. This paper reports on the development of such a tool, using an iterative action research process with 134 students, aged six to eleven, attending programs at an Environmental Education Centre in Queensland, Australia. The resulting instrument, the Environmental Learning Outcomes Survey (ELOS) incorporates observations of students' engagement in learning processes as well as measuring learning outcomes, and allows both of these aspects to be linked to particular components of the environmental education program. Test data using the instrument are reported to illustrate its potential usefulness. It is envisaged that the refined instrument (appended) will enable researchers to measure student environmental learning in the field, investigate environmental education program impacts and identify aspects of programs that are most effective in facilitating student learning. (Contains 3 tables.)

Explores the effectiveness of environmental education programs in terms of both student learning outcomes and the intergenerational influence that results when students discuss their learning experiences with their parents and other community members. Interviews n=284 students in Queensland schools from Grades 5-12 and their parents regarding their perceptions about the program and its influences. Includes 21 references. (Author/YDS)

Reviews the definition of standards in general, and proposes a definition of standards and global minimum essential requirements for use in medical education. Aims to serve as a tool for the improvement of quality and international comparisons of basic medical programs. Explains the IIME (Institute for International Medical Education) project established by the China Medical Board. Includes 12 references. (Author/YDS)

Extended the application of student evaluations of college faculty by using them as the basis for staff development. Staff and student surveys examined each group's priorities for academic and course development. Significant differences were found between the two groups' perceptions. Collaborative student-staff groups developed booklets using these needs to help staff improve their teaching in response to student evaluations. (SM)

In the past decade, heritage and environmental interpretation shifted from technical emphasis to social perspective, reflected in five international trends: growing concern with theory, increasing ecotourism and consequent changes in environmental interpretation, reactions to globalization (homogeneity versus uniqueness), interpretation of controversial issues, and grassroots planning approaches. Implications for Australian interpreters are discussed. (Contains 63 references.) (Author/SV)