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Teacher workload is a growing problem internationally. In this article, we analyse an attempt by the state education bureaucracy of New South Wales (NSW), Australia, to address this through the 'Quality Time Program'. Drawing on labour process theory and Carol Bacchi's framework of 'What's the problem represented to be?', we analyse how the Quality Time policy documents conceptualise and aim to address a particular kind of teacher 'workload problem'. We argue the policy defines the 'problem' as one of efficiency. At the same time, through use of the category of 'administration' the policy proposes the reduction of 'core' work, such as lesson planning, representing a potential deskilling of teachers. We argue that policies such as the Quality Time Program reflect the way in which teachers' work is emerging as a site of contestation in the context of workload reduction efforts, requiring ongoing monitoring and analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Local Schools, Local Decisions (LSLD) was a package of school autonomy reforms operating in the state of New South Wales, Australia from 2012 to 2020. The set of reforms centred on the devolution of additional powers and responsibilities to school principals, namely enhanced capacity to manage staffing and financial functions in response to local conditions. Using a conceptual lens of policy enactment, we analyse interview data gathered from 31 teachers and school leaders on how these reform areas were understood and enacted at the school level. Our findings highlight the tensions in enacting devolutionary reform in schools. While the centrality of the school principal's role was emphasised, including in relation to contested levels of principal discretion, the enactment of devolved powers and responsibilities also produced a fracturing of staff relationships within schools, notably between principals and teaching staff. This finding is understood within a context of heightened workload and unclear expectations which attended the policy's introduction. We contribute to the school autonomy literature through: (a) the inclusion of teachers' voices, a stakeholder perspective often missing in the autonomy literature, enabling the impact of the reforms on interpersonal, relational dynamics to come to the fore; and (b) exploring implications for future reform suggested by the fate of LSLD. In doing so, this article deepens knowledge on the enactment of autonomy reforms in schools, drawing implications for understanding school autonomy reform around the globe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has put unprecedented pressure on teachers around the world, raising significant concerns about their workload and wellbeing. Our comparison of 2019 (pre-pandemic) and 2020 (first year of the pandemic) survey data (n = 362) from teachers in New South Wales, Australia, demonstrates that their morale and efficacy declined significantly during COVID-19, even with the relatively short period of school closure (8 weeks) during 2020. Interviews with teachers and school leaders (n = 18) reinforced these findings and highlighted the depth to which teachers felt dispensable and unappreciated, despite working incredibly hard for their students. The pressure to adapt to online teaching and learning, in trying circumstances, also challenged their confidence in their teaching. We argue that practical and emotional support for teachers both during periods of remote learning and upon students' return to the classroom is essential to support teacher's wellbeing and a robust teaching workforce into the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Concerns regarding high rates of teacher stress and burnout are present globally. Yet there is limited current data regarding the severity of stress, or the role of intrapersonal and environmental factors in relation to teacher stress and burnout within the Australian context. The present study, conducted over an 18-month period, prior to the COVID pandemic, surveyed 749 Australian teachers to explore their experience of work-related stress and burnout; differences in stress and burnout across different demographic groups within the profession; as well as the contributing role of intrapersonal and environmental factors, particularly, emotion regulation, subjective well-being, and workload. Results showed over half of the sample reported being very or extremely stressed and were considering leaving the profession, with early career teachers, primary teachers, and teachers working in rural and remote areas reporting the highest stress and burnout levels. Conditional process analyses highlighted the importance of emotion regulation, workload and subjective well-being in the development of teacher stress and some forms of burnout. Implications for educational practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parents and teachers have a major influence in the formation of primary school children's eating behaviours. Although the cooperation of parents and teachers has frequently been recommended in the promotion of healthy eating habits among primary school children, little is known about the communication between these two groups regarding food- and nutrition-related issues. This paper reports findings from semi-structured interviews with primary school parents (n = 19) and primary teachers (n = 17), as well as findings from a survey of 787 parents in Australia. Audio-recorded interviews were analysed using NVivo and descriptive statistics were calculated for the survey questions. The results indicated that their communications involved various topics, including allergies, lunchbox content, and supervision requests, through diverse communication channels. The risk of offending each other and time scarcity were reported as communication barriers. Parents mainly expected teachers to ensure that their children were given enough time to eat their lunch, teach healthy eating, and be good role models of healthy eating. This study highlights the need to overcome communication barriers between parents and teachers and support teachers in their multifaceted professional roles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Internationally, professional bodies are increasingly recognizing a role for speech-language therapists (SLTs) in identifying and supporting students who struggle with literacy. Although some guidelines have been developed to support this work, little is understood about the overlapping, but distinctive knowledge bases claimed by SLTs and teachers with respect to reading instruction and provision of additional support to struggling readers. In this article, we report on a qualitative exploration of the experiences and perspectives of 25 professionals in Australia who are dually qualified as teachers and SLTs. The aim of this study was to understand the views from both professional perspectives about pre-service training and barriers and facilitators pertaining to literacy instruction and intervention. Paradigm differences in conceptualizing reading instruction and support, bi-directional knowledge of scope of practice, and employment barriers and enablers emerged as themes and are discussed with reference to implications for pre-service training and interprofessional practice in school settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inclusive education workforce capability is the ability of the education workforce to meet individual student learning needs, regardless of educational context. In this study, we investigated the perceptions of 12 principals in Australian education settings on their views about roles and responsibilities related to the workforce's preparedness for inclusive education. We used thematic analysis to identify 9 major themes and 3 subthemes across the 3 roles about which participants were asked: the principal's role, the system's role, and the teacher registration boards' role. The findings indicated a number of areas of concern for these principals about ensuring the capability of the education workforce in the context of extensive student diversity. In summary, results indicated that principals, systems, and teacher registration boards each have a role in building inclusive education workforce capability, with a coordinated effort more likely to bring Australia closer to its pledge of inclusive education for all students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent decades, the field of language teaching has been increasingly recognised as having an important role in developing not only linguistic proficiency, but also a kind of 'interculturality' among students. Despite this 'intercultural turn' being evident in academic and policy documents, language teachers are at varying stages in their adaptation to such an approach. This paper draws on empirical data from a small-scale study conducted with teachers of Indonesian in Australian schools, to elucidate teachers' understandings of their role as 'intercultural' educators. In particular, the notion of 'culture' is examined, and the ways it is deployed around ideas of 'intercultural understanding' and language teaching pedagogy. This paper argues that despite the prevalence of 'interculturality' in educational policy, and a prevailing 'intercultural ethos' amongst teachers, confusion persists around the foundational idea of 'culture', which may affect teaching philosophy and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the growing prominence and importance of the field of teacher dispositions for addressing selection criteria and assessment in educational research, there is an absence of psychometrically evaluated instruments to facilitate investigations. Furthermore, research thus far has not explored the relationship between teacher dispositions and better student outcomes. To address this paucity, key dispositional factors conducive to successful teaching and learning were identified through interviewing high performing teachers. Based on the interview, data a 24-item Teacher Disposition Scale (TDS) was constructed consisting of five dimensions: Motivation to teach; Teacher efficacy; Willingness to learn; Conscientiousness; and Interpersonal and communication skill. The scale was psychometrically tested on 179 pre-service undergraduate students at an Australian university. Both factor analysis and Rasch measurement modelling indicated evidence of a reliable and valid multi-dimensional scale. The article concludes with a discussion on the implications of the scale for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Australian school teachers have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Teachers have had to face relentless and challenging working conditions, take on new roles and responsibilities, and embrace new ways of working. We searched reports and the available research literature on teacher mental health between September 2020 and October 2020. In our perspective piece, we summarise this literature and draw attention to the struggles of Australian school teachers and how Covid-19 has impacted their mental health. Conclusions: To date, there has been a lack of research focusing on teacher mental health both internationally and in Australia. That which is available indicates that teacher mental health is likely to have deteriorated substantially during the pandemic. We position teachers as the forgotten frontline of Covid-19 and make recommendations to facilitate improvements into the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study (1) investigated similarities and differences in feedback perceptions among teachers and students and (2) explored the association between individual student characteristics and students' feedback perceptions. Survey data were collected from 59 teachers and 186 students in secondary English and mathematics classes in five Australian schools. Feedback quality was perceived more positively by teachers than students, and English teachers reported higher levels of facilitation of feedback use than students. Student self-reported levels of self-efficacy, intrinsic values and self-regulation predicted students' perceptions of feedback quality. These individual student characteristics mediated the relationship between student achievement levels and feedback quality perceptions. • Investigated teacher and student feedback perceptions in secondary English and mathematics using surveys. • Overall, feedback quality was perceived more positively by teachers than students. • Teachers were significantly more positive about facilitation of feedback use than students in English. • Students' self-reported self-efficacy, intrinsic values and self-regulation predicted their perceptions of feedback quality. • Self-efficacy, intrinsic values + self-regulation mediated the impact of achievement level on feedback quality perceptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Australia, there is increasing scrutiny of teacher education processes in learning to teach primary mathematics. In this study, mixed methods, including linear regression, are used to examine the entry mathematical content knowledge of third-year Bachelor of Education Pre-service Students and to relate this to their graduating level of content and a measure of pedagogical content knowledge based upon capacity to describe student errors and provide learning support. The data indicate low levels of mathematical content knowledge at the beginning of the course, prompting questioning of the focus of earlier mathematics curriculum courses. Over the life of the study, there was improvement in some domains, which is to be expected where knowledge of mathematics was an intended outcome. Mathematical content knowledge at the start, but particularly at the end of the study, was highly predictive of expressions of mathematical pedagogical content knowledge. The stronger predictive value of mathematical content knowledge at the end of the study for mathematical pedagogical content knowledge suggests merit in developing the two aspects of teacher knowledge in tandem, rather than in different courses. The relevance of the data to teacher preparation in the institution and more broadly is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enthusiasm is a quality of efficient teachers, but teacher enthusiasm can be influenced by the way students respond. Teacher enthusiasm might therefore be difficult to maintain in compulsory courses, in which students sometimes have negative dispositions towards the content. This study focused on a science course in an elementary teacher education degree in Australia. Data were collected during and after the course, by open-ended questionnaire (569 responses) and interview (25 students and one teacher). It was concluded that teacher enthusiasm can still be maintained at an effectual level even when students are not necessarily positively predisposed to the subject. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Educational change is dependent on the practices and perceptions of educators. Yet efforts to sustain teacher's adoption and implementation of reform packages often deteriorate over time. Monitoring educators' engagement across the reform process, and making adaptions to reflect key findings, is central to successful implementation. This cultural-historical study explored trends in early childhood educators' perceptions of an Australian nation-wide educational reform, making recommendations based on the findings. Results from the Baseline Evaluations of the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) represented the initiation phase, whilst an online questionnaire explored educators' attitudes and concerns four years on. Data analysis included a thematic and content analysis where the dialects of everyday concepts and scientific concepts helped give meaning to the clusters found. Whilst findings show an overall positive orientation towards the EYLF, concerns are evident at both moments in time. Although this initially suggests educators have not progressed in their implementation of the framework, a theorisation of the results suggests educators are seeking effective means of transforming professional concepts of the EYLF into practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anxiety disorders currently affect 6.9 percent of the paediatric population in Australia. While the school setting is a unique context in which early intervention and treatment of children with anxiety disorders can occur, existing research has mainly focused on simply determining the actual capabilities of teachers in identifying and referring students with anxiety disorders. In past research, teachers have been consulted about this topic only in a very limited manner, and qualitative reasons for disparity in teacher capability or perceived barriers have not been researched indepth. Therefore, this study examined the perceptions and subjective experiences of teachers to answer the research questions: a) what are the perceptions and subjective experiences of primary school teachers in relation to the roles they play in supporting school-based approaches for children with anxiety disorders? and b) what barriers, if any, do primary school teachers perceive to exist that would inhibit their ability or prevent them from being able to support school-based approaches for children with anxiety disorders? Aligned with phenomenological methods of data collection and analysis, six teacher participants from the Sydney Metropolitan region were interviewed. In addition, three school psychologists were also interviewed to help provide additional insights into anxiety disorders in children. The main themes to emerge from the data revealing the roles teachers believe they play in supporting school-based approaches for children with anxiety disorders included: a) identification and behaviour tracking, b) communication with parents, c) referral, and d) implementing strategies and accommodations for children with anxiety disorders. The findings also provided rich insights into the barriers perceived by teachers as preventing or inhibiting them from being able to support school-based approaches for children with anxiety disorders, including: a) parents, b) lack of training, and c) lack of resources. Recommendations for improving their school-based support roles include increasing the amount of preparatory teacher training at the tertiary-level; increasing the number of school counsellors available, including within the state or public system; and provision of ongoing education of parents to help reduce stigma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vocational education and training (VET) in Australia has been subject to a range of major policy reforms aimed at making it more effective and competitive in response to global pressures. Those reforms have raised significant ethical challenges for teachers in the sector. A recent study of ethical dilemmas faced by vocational trainers in Australia investigated the experiences of Australian vocational education teachers working registered training organizations (RTOs) using qualitative research. The author drew primarily on discursive interviews with 18 VET teachers in South-East Queensland, from which she identified four different dilemmas: responding flexibly to heightened student diversity; limiting educational engagement; constraining teacher responsiveness; manipulating learning assessment. The impacts of these dilemmas were identified as disappointment, confusion, anxiety, discomfort, and distress. While this study focuses on the ethical impact on VET teaching, the dilemmas themselves could be seen as a basis for positive change and a stimulus to improve teaching practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teacher attrition is a salient issue across the Western world. Whilst this has been widely discussed in the literature, what is missing in the discourse, is a gendered focus. This narrative inquiry into the experiences of Australian women who resumed teaching after becoming parents offers insight into how parenthood can complement and enhance teachers' pedagogy and relationships with students. Narrative portraits also reveal how the intersection of normalised performative expectations of performing arts teachers and inflexible leadership is not conducive to emotional or financial wellbeing. Findings show how leadership and culture marginalise these teachers leading to burnout, guilt, and attrition. • Expectations of performing arts teachers is not conducive to emotional or financial wellbeing of teacher-mothers. • School leadership and culture marginalise teacher-mothers, leading to burnout, guilt, and teacher attrition. • Narrative portraits reveal the challenges and generative aspects of the teacher-mother identity. • Teacher-mothers have increased empathy towards students and their parents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study examines how white teachers talked to children about national identity and cultural diversity by drawing on qualitative research with eight- to 12-year-old students and their teachers from four Australian primary schools with different racial, ethnic and cultural demographics. Despite a range of explicit and implicit approaches that fostered different levels of critique among students, teachers often communicated Australian national identity as commensurate to white racial and Anglo-Australian cultural identity. We identified three main approaches teachers used to talk about national identity and cultural diversity: cultural essentialism, race elision and a quasi-critical approach. We conclude that the wider education system needs to develop a more formal curriculum structure that guides teachers in developing a better awareness of the power of white normativity, and to critically and explicitly counter discourse and practice that centres whiteness as foundational to dominant conceptualisations of national identity. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Children with autism spectrum conditions (ASC) increasingly participate in inclusive education. The present study reviewed studies of children with ASC for parents’ perceptions of aspects they believed contributed to inclusive mainstream school settings. Understanding the parental perspective on the facilitators for inclusion of their child with ASC in mainstream schools is likely to improve inclusive practice. Twenty-eight empirical articles revealed that parents perceived teachers as playing a vital role in the inclusion of their children with ASC. The school was considered important in creating an environment that enabled inclusion, particularly through positive peer relations, prevention of bullying and help from support staff. At the societal level, funding and legislative policies were considered important. By understanding these aspects, policy-makers, teachers, school administrators and therapists may better be able to address parents’ inclusion concerns and thereby develop strategies to improve inclusion in mainstream schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the links between anxiety during oral activities in the Spanish language classroom and the teacher's role, as well as the strategies students use to cope with their anxiety. Most of the studies on language anxiety have focused on beginner groups; however, such anxiety is not limited to just that group. As this study has found, second-year students learning Spanish also experience a certain level of anxiety, many times caused by different factors from those that might have caused them anxiety in their first year of learning. This study uses different methodologies to investigate those factors, including a journal and a semi-structured interview. Based on the results, this study shows some strategies that students use to overcome anxiety, and ways for teachers to effectively support students in their learning process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an evaluation of an instrument to measure teachers' attitudes toward reporting child sexual abuse and discusses the instrument's merit for research into reporting practice. Based on responses from 444 Australian teachers, the Teachers' Reporting Attitude Scale for Child Sexual Abuse was evaluated using exploratory factor analysis. The scale isolated three dimensions: commitment to the reporting role, confidence in the system's response to reports, and concerns about reporting. These three factors accounted for 37.5% of the variance in the 14-item measure. Alpha coefficients for the subscales were 0.769 (commitment), 0.617 (confidence), and 0.661 (concerns). The findings provide insights into the complexity of studying teachers' attitudes toward reporting of child sexual abuse and have implications for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper presents research on the effects of a cognitive acceleration intervention in science lessons on low socioeconomic students in a government high school in regional Western Australia. Thinking Science Australia is a programme currently being implemented in Australian junior high school classes. The research was conducted for over two years as a case study in one school with students as they entered high school in Year 8 (n = 71). Findings show that significant cognitive gains were made, with concomitant improvement in the state-wide testing in science when participating students were in Year 9, aged 13 and 14. Teachers reported changes to the ways they teach and described the challenges in implementing the intervention programme. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The purpose of this paper was to profile the extent and accuracy of teacher identification of speech and language impairment within a kindergarten student population in Tasmania, Australia, using the Kindergarten Development Check (KDC). A total of 286 kindergarten students (aged 4-5 years and in their first year of formal schooling) were screened by teachers with the KDC on two separate occasions over their kindergarten year. In the following academic year, each of the same 286 students were assessed by a speech-language pathologist, and diagnosed with either typically developing or impaired speech and/or language skills. Review of KDC data determined the number of students identified by teachers with speech and language impairment at each occasion during their kindergarten year. Comparison of data from the later KDC administration and speech-language pathology assessment then determined the correspondence between identification of speech and language impairment by teachers and speech-language pathologists. Upon initial administration of the KDC, 51 (17.8%) students were identified by teachers with language impairment and 47 (16.4%) students with speech impairment. Following the second administration of the KDC 3 months later, 20 (7.0%) students continued to be identified with language impairment, and 39 (13.6%) with speech impairment. Comparison of speech-language pathology testing results and KDC data from the second administration found the overall validity of teacher identification was 86.4% and 71% for speech and language impairment respectively. Specificity rates were high, with 93% and 97% of students with typically developing speech and language skills respectively, correctly classified on the KDC. However, the sensitivity was only 50% for speech impairment and 15% for language impairment, indicating that 50% of students presenting with speech impairment and 85% of students with language impairment in their subsequent academic year were not recorded by teachers as having such a difficulty on the later KDC administration during their kindergarten year. The KDC appears to be ineffective in supporting kindergarten teachers to identify students with ongoing speech and to a greater extent, language impairment. Measures to improve the sensitivity of the KDC in particular need to be considered by speech-language pathologists and educational professionals in Tasmania. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prevalence data are of interest to health professionals and educators to assist in the planning of service delivery, allow for the calculation of the level of impact of intervention, and allow for the consideration of the boundaries between typical development and impairment. Aims: To determine the prevalence of children with communication disorders and other learning needs as identified by their teachers within all primary and secondary schools in an Australian school district over a 3-year period. Methods & Procedures: Children with learning needs were identified from 14 514 students in the first year (wave 1) and the 14 533 students 2 years later (wave 2). Children were identified via a four-phased data-collection process designed to reduce selection and misclassification bias. Identification included teacher training, teacher referral, confirmation by documentation from relevant professionals including speech and language therapists, audiologists, psychologists and doctors, and verification by the school district learning needs advisors. Outcomes & Results: Overall 5309 students were identified as having some area of learning need in the first year and 4845 students were identified 2 years later. In order of prevalence, the areas of learning need were: specific learning difficulty (17. 93% in wave 1; 19. 10% in wave 2), communication disorder (13. 04%; 12. 40%), English as a second or other language (9. 16%; 5. 80%), behavioural/emotional difficulty (8. 16%; 6. 10%), early achiever/advanced learner (7. 30%; 5. 50%), physical/medical disability (1. 52%; 1. 40%), intellectual disability (1. 38%; 1. 20%), hearing impairment (0. 96%; 0. 80%), and visual impairment (0. 16%; 0. 30%). The male:female ratio for all children was 1. 57:1 (wave 1) and 1. 66:1 (wave 2) and was the highest for the categories of behavioural/emotional difficulty, communication disorders. There were significant differences between learning need and socio-economic status quantile for all areas except early achievers/advanced learners and physical/medical disability. There was a higher prevalence of behavioural/emotional difficulty, and intellectual disability, in the lower socio-economic status quantiles and a higher prevalence of communication disorders in the mid-to-high socio-economic status quantiles. More children were identified as having an additional learning need in grades 1-3 (5-9 years of age). The children who were perceived as requiring the highest level of teacher support were those with an intellectual disability. Conclusions: This study provides comparative prevalence data for children with additional learning needs. There was a high prevalence of children typically seen in the caseloads of speech and language therapists, and teachers identified that many of these children required high levels of support within the classroom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While many states and territories in Australia were initially a little slow to develop a strong momentum towards inclusive educational practices, this has been addressed quite dramatically in the past ten years. Acknowledging that each jurisdiction in Australia has its own department of education and determines its own educational directions this paper will focus on broad developments across all jurisdictions in order to provide an overall analysis of how inclusive education has evolved. This discussion paper will focus on systemic changes since the Salamanca Statement (UNESCO, 1994), involving the education of students with diverse learning needs. A review of Australian research identifies the implications for specialist peripatetic support staff, the personal beliefs and values of teachers and the need for more structured pre- and in-service training for teachers to enable them to meet the educational, social and emotional needs of all children engaged in inclusive experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Digital prevention programs that are delivered in a school environment can inoculate young people against depression. However, little is known about the school-based factors that help and hinder the implementation of these programs. Staff members are integral for supporting mental health programs in schools and are likely to have a wealth of expertise and knowledge about the factors that affect implementation.Objective: The primary objective of this study was to explore the barriers and facilitators to implementing a digital depression prevention program in Australian secondary schools with teachers, counselors, and principals. The secondary objective was to explore variations in these factors across different school contexts, including the school type (government or nongovernment), location (capital city, regional/or rural areas), and socioeconomic status (SES) (low, medium, high).Methods: This quantitative cross-sectional survey study assessed the barriers and facilitators to implementing a hypothetical digital prevention program in Australian schools. The survey was taken by 97 teachers (average age 38.3 years), 93 counselors (average age 39.5 years), and 11 principals (average age 50.9 years) across Australia between November 2017 and July 2018.Results: A range of barriers and facilitators relating to logistics and resources, staff support, and program factors were endorsed by the surveyed staff. Consistent with prior research, common barriers included a lack of time and resources (ie, staff and rooms). These barriers were particularly evident in government, rural/regional, and low socioeconomic schools. Other barriers were specific to digital delivery, including privacy issues and a lack of clarity around staff roles and responsibilities. Facilitators included upskilling staff through training, embedding the program into the curriculum, and other program factors including universal delivery, screening of students' mental health, and clear referral pathways. Knowledge about the program efficacy was also perceived as important by a large proportion of the respondents.Conclusions: The digital depression prevention program was perceived as suitable for use within different schools in Australia, although certain factors need to be considered to enable effective implementation. Logistics and resources, support, and program factors were identified as particularly important for school-based implementation. To maximize the effectiveness in delivering digital programs, implementation may need to be tailored to the staff roles and school types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relative keratinocyte skin cancer risks attributable to lifetime occupational and casual sunlight exposures of working school teachers are assessed across the state of Queensland for 1578 schools. Relative risk modeling utilizing annual ultraviolet exposure assessments of teachers working in different geographic locations and exposed during periods of measured daily playground duty times for each school were made for local administrative education districts by considering traditional school opening and closing hours, and playground lunchtime schedules. State-wide, basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) relative risk estimates varied by 24% for BCC and 45% for SCC. The highest relative risk was calculated for the state's north (sunshine) coast education district which showed that risk could increase by as much as 32% for BCC and 64% for SCC due to differences in teacher duty schedules. These results highlight the importance of playground duty scheduling as a significant risk factor contributing to the overall burden of preventable keratinocyte skin cancers in Queensland., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Background: Bullying is a serious public issue, which mainly occurs in school with negative consequences for the students involved as victims. Very few teacher-delivered interventions have shown positive changes in the victims. The present study aimed at implementing the P.E.A.C.E. (Preparation, Education. Action, Coping, Evaluation) pack program, developed in Australia, in Italian high schools. Method: The effectiveness of the program was analyzed through an observational study (pre/post-intervention), involving 551 Italian high school students who completed a questionnaire on bullying victimization, self-efficacy, and bystander behavior. The students were divided into three groups (not involved students, occasional and severe victims) according to their self-reported victimization in the pre-intervention. Results: After the intervention, severe victims (victimized once/week or more often) showed a significant decrease in victimization and higher scores in self-efficacy, while an increase in victimization was observed in the not involved students. As reported by all the groups after the intervention, classmates were perceived more likely to intervene when a bullying episode occurred. By contrast, occasional and severe victims perceived their teachers as less likely to intervene. Conclusions: The P.E.A.C.E. pack is a promising program confirming in Italian schools the effectiveness already shown in other countries. This program is very useful for severe victims, supporting their self-confidence with a decrease in the frequency of aggressive episodes.

Objective: Quality physical education (PE) is the cornerstone of comprehensive school physical activity (PA) promotion programmes. We tested the efficacy of a teacher professional learning intervention, delivered partially via the internet, designed to maximise opportunities for students to be active during PE lessons and enhance adolescents' motivation towards PE and PA., Methods: A two-arm cluster randomised controlled trial with teachers and Grade 8 students from secondary schools in low socioeconomic areas of Western Sydney, Australia. The Activity and Motivation in Physical Education (AMPED) intervention for secondary school PE teachers included workshops, online learning, implementation tasks and mentoring sessions. The primary outcome was the proportion of PE lesson time that students spent in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), measured by accelerometers at baseline, postintervention (7-8 months after baseline) and maintenance (14-15 months). Secondary outcomes included observed PE teachers' behaviour during lessons, students' leisure-time PA and students' motivation., Results: Students (n=1421) from 14 schools completed baseline assessments and were included in linear mixed model analyses. The intervention had positive effects on students' MVPA during lessons. At postintervention, the adjusted mean difference in the proportion of lesson time spent in MVPA was 5.58% (p<0.001, approximately 4 min/lesson). During the maintenance phase, this effect was 2.64% (p<0.001, approximately 2 min/lesson). The intervention had positive effects on teachers' behaviour, but did not impact students' motivation., Conclusions: AMPED produced modest improvements in MVPA and compares favourably with previous interventions delivered exclusively face-to-face. Online teacher training could help facilitate widespread dissemination of professional learning interventions., Trial Registration Number: ACTRN12614000184673., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2019. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.)