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PurposeAdult student identities within EAL (English as an Additional Language) classrooms have often been positioned as static, homogenised and exoticised within scholarly literature. Within such positioning, teachers have embraced pedagogical practices which classify students by country of origin and represent student identities within binaries of Self and the Other, limiting these students' identity positionings for adoption within the EAL classroom. As a result, students are often rendered voiceless by essentialist discourses on culture and identity in the classroom that serve to replicate and reinforce dominant societal discourses and strengthen existing institutional power structures.Design/methodology/approachBy drawing on a postcolonial theoretical framework comprising theories of race, identity, power, representation, synecdoche and Third Space, this paper interrogates current literature to understand the complex multidimensional and dynamic cultural identities of adult EAL students.FindingsThis paper reveals that adult EAL students are still being oversimplified within the classroom, not just disadvantaging students and institutions, but also hindering multicultural pedagogies.Originality/valueThis paper suggests that teachers require opportunities for critical reflection incorporated within a critical pedagogy in decolonised classrooms that can not only build respectful and equitable awareness of their students' cultural identities and educational and historical backgrounds but provide important implications for effective pedagogical practices.

Childhood trauma is a significant concern in Australia and internationally. Professionals working in the early childhood education sector (i.e., providing early childhood education and care to infants, toddlers, and children from birth to age eight) are positioned to provide valuable support for children affected by trauma. However, there is less research on early childhood professionals’ perspectives and experiences of supporting trauma-exposed children compared to other education professionals (e.g., primary and secondary school teachers). This study explored early childhood professionals’ perspectives and experiences in relation to supporting children exposed to trauma. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 early childhood professionals in Victoria, Australia, and data were analysed using thematic analysis. The findings illustrate that while educators develop valuable skills and experience growth from supporting trauma-exposed children and their families, they also experience emotional distress and challenges. Educators noted that there are limited professional development opportunities to learn about childhood trauma, and limited access to qualified and knowledgeable staff who can help them when supporting these learners. Implications from this study emphasise the importance of designing and delivering trauma-based professional learning opportunities and policies for early childhood educators.

Early childhood education and care (ECEC) educators’ well-being and emotional demands during COVID require careful attention. This article explores the emotional demands experienced by ECEC educators in Australia during ongoing periods of lockdown. A survey was designed to gather quantitative and qualitative data and participants were asked to participate in in-depth interviews. Thirty participants were interviewed to explore personal experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic; of these, a selected sample of six participants is presented, drawing on Honneth (1995) as an analytical framework. The findings show ECEC educators struggle for recognition and how solidarity amongst educators emerged as a key response. Implications provide impetus for the active recognition of the early childhood profession. Solidarity as a new concept in ECEC includes the recognition of the early childhood profession at a societal level, recognising the significant professional work early childhood educators accomplish, and their struggle during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

Australian schools have positioned themselves as places where young people are able to develop cultural and social capital as well as develop their sense of belonging. By exploring Australia’s fede...

Equality and equity have become dominant discourses within educational policy documents during the last decade. Colombia, for example, has introduced a language policy initiative that purports to p...

There is increasing pressure on Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) settings to align their practices and values to that of schools, with the notion that a quality education in ECEC consists ...

Teacher effectiveness has been a matter for extensive research and public debate, anchored around the need to capture its essence. While the complexity of teacher effectiveness in higher education ...

There has been increasing attention given to the notion that international education consists of non-linear and multi-directional transmissive exchanges between existing institutional academic cond...

Language learners often require appropriate scaffolding to engage in digital multimodal composing to maximise its potential for learning. This illuminates the need for pre-service teachers to be re...

Mass media provides a public space for its readers to enter the discussion on education, as they consume and interpret key messages, which are often shaped by key educational policies. With a suite...

While the prevalence of group work in higher education in Australia can be construed as a cultural or institutional practice, it has become a site of struggle for many international students who must negotiate the normative practices embedded in group work. This paper aims to investigate how six Japanese international students at Australian universities explore, negotiate and respond to the normative practices of group work through group projects. The findings reveal that students actively sought and negotiated hidden and implied normative practices of group work. Their responses to the norms were underpinned by the norms being inculcated into their dispositions or, namely, habitus, in the form of beliefs and values, which enabled them to critically examine their group practices. Additionally, when they identified a mismatch between their perceived norms and the responses of their peers, which is realised through Bourdieu’s concept of ‘hysteresis’, they were found to take leadership opportunities. We contend in this paper that when their practices or group practices are at odds with the perceived or identified norms, it induces their hysteresis encounters, which represent initiation of alternative actions and capacity to embrace learning opportunities. We also argue that the investigation into this phenomenon is vital in identifying practices that reproduce fallacies and missed opportunities or prevent students from embracing true virtues of group work.

Mounting criticism suggests that the recent introduction of a ‘gatekeeping’ test to improve the quality of teachers in Australia—the Literacy and Numeracy Test for Initial Teacher Education (LANTIT...

To alleviate overpopulation in Australia’s metropolitan areas and counter population decline in regional areas, regional settlement of newly arrived migrants and refugees has emerged in recent poli...

Review Title: Receipt of medications for opioid use disorder among minoritized racial and ethnic groups in the United States: A systematic review and meta-analysis Anticipated or actual start date: 1 February 2022. Anticipated completion date: 15 December 2022. Stage of the review at time of this submission. a. The review has not yet started: No b. Preliminary searches: Yes c. Piloting of the study selection process: No d. Formal screening of search results against eligibility criteria: No e. Data extraction: No f. Risk of bias (quality assessment): No g. Data analysis: No h. Provide any other relevant information about the stage of the review here: We have examined preliminary searches, search terms, ways to find gray literature within our topic, consulted with a librarian about our proposed methodology/search, and identified a screening tool for biases (JBI Tool). The review seeks to answer the following questions: i. What is the range of prevalence of MOUD receipt and retention among minoritized racial and ethnic groups in the U.S.? ii. Are there inequitable outcomes in the availability/delivery/receipt of or retention in MOUD between minoritized groups and non-Hispanic Whites in the U.S? 1. If so, then what are the magnitudes of the inequities for different racialized and ethnic groups and different medication types? iii. How do contextual factors influence receipt of MOUD among minoritized populations and inequities? Searches a. Sources: PubMed (includes all of MEDLINE), EMBASE, PsycINFO, and CINAHL Complete. b. Grey Literature: We will use Web of Science to search for grey literature (e.g., organizational health equity reports, theses/dissertations, conference abstracts, and other unpublished evidence). We will reach out to researchers through listservs for SUD, multicultural, and health equity research (call for evidence sharing). We will hand-search included articles and their references to look for mentions of unpublished datasets. c. Search dates: February – March 2022. d. Restrictions: Exclusion criteria will include: (a) non-U.S. setting, (b) data do not report race or ethnicity or do not include people of color, or include people of color and White patients but do not report by race and ethnicity, (c) non-English language study, (d), not related to opioid use disorder, (e) non-human study, (f) includes children. URL to search strategy; Search strategy added as a supplementary PDF file. Will not be made publicly available until the review is complete. Condition or domain being studied: Opioid use disorder (OUD). Opioids include both synthetic and natural chemicals that reduce the sensation of pain. Some opioids are commonly prescribed to relieve pain after particular procedures or in the context of certain medical conditions. Opioid use disorder occurs when an individual has a problematic pattern of use for 12 months. For example, problematic use may include craving, problems completing day-to-day responsibilities, using in dangerous scenarios, and experiencing tolerance, to name a few (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Drug overdoses are linked to approximately 92,000 deaths each year, with the number of deaths linked to opioids increasing dramatically each year. Of note, opioid use was named a nationwide crisis in October 2017 (American Psychiatric Association, 2018). Participants/population. a. Inclusion criteria includes: (a) adults (ages 18 and older), (b) populations with opioid use disorder (OUD) or at risk of OUD, and (c) persons residing in the U.S. Exclusion criteria includes (a) individuals not living in the U.S., (b) persons that do not have their racial and/or ethnic background specified, and (c) minors (17 years old and younger). Intervention(s), exposure(s): Exposure to racism is the exposure of interest. Therefore, the project centers on individuals identifying as part of a racial or ethnic group in the U.S. at risk for experiencing racism or ethnic discrimination (e.g., Black/African American, Latinx/Hispanic American, American Indian/Native American/Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, Asian/Asian-American). Comparator(s)/control: When data are available, comparisons will be made between minoritized racial/ethnic groups and the dominant racial group in the U.S. that is not at risk for experiencing racism (non-Hispanic White). Types of studies to be included: The types of studies that we will include are: empirical journal articles, including longitudinal/cohort, retrospective, prospective, and cross-sectional observational studies as well as clinical trials. Context. a. There are no other inclusion or exclusion criteria other than what is listed above. b. We will also be extracting information on various contextual factors beyond the exposure & comparator, such as study characteristics (e.g., time period, data source), treatment setting, etc. Main outcome(s): Availability, delivery, and receipt of medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) and retention in MOUD. MOUD includes first-line opioid agonist (buprenorphine or methadone) and second-line injectable naltrexone. Measures of effect: Measures of frequency and/or association: ex., counts, proportions, rates, odds ratios Additional outcome(s): When available, we will also extract data on MOUD clinical outcomes (e.g., abstinence, overdose, mortality) to examine associations with receipt of care and retention to further contextualize the impact of racism on patients with OUD. The primary goal is not to evaluate the efficacy of MOUD. Measures of effect: ex., rates, days, survival probabilities, relative risk, odds ratios Data extraction (selection and coding). a. Study selection i. We will conduct a preliminary study audit and abstract review (N=20) to confirm the validity of the search strategy and PICOTS/ inclusion and exclusion specification. ii. All search results will be imported into systematic review software, such as Covidence, for de-duplication and review. Two reviewers (JC, FMG, or MB) will independently screen titles and abstracts against the eligibility criteria. Full-text articles will be reviewed for all records that potentially meet the inclusion criteria, and final inclusion will be determined by full-text review. Researchers will be not see each other’s decisions prior to screening. When there are discrepancies, they will be resolved by mutual discussion and/or discussion with a third reviewer. There will also be ongoing group consultation. b. Data extraction i. Extracted data will include the study purpose, characteristics, and sample characteristics and size; main findings; and outcome measures relevant to availability/delivery/receipt of or retention in MOUD. Other data that may be extracted include: other treatment characteristics (e.g., different buprenorphine formulations), other patient characteristics (e.g., gender, age) ii. Two people will independently extract data. Risk of bias (quality assessment): Reviewers (JC, FMG, and MB) will use the critical appraisal tools provided by Joanna Briggs Institute. Strategy for data synthesis: A systematic review will be performed using a systematic review software (Covidence). If enough studies are available that include the relevant outcomes reported by race/ethnicity and include the relevant comparator group (minimum k=4), then we will conduct a meta-analysis on measures of effect (e.g., odds ratios) and calculate pooled effect sizes with 95% confidence intervals. Analysis of subgroups or subsets. Planned subgroup analyses include comparisons of minoritized racial groups (both individually and as a single group) vs. non-Hispanic White. Another planned subgroup analysis is to examine results by medication type (buprenorphine vs. methadone). Exploratory analyses may include how study characteristics, community characteristics, treatment setting, and patient characteristics influence the associations of interest. Type and method of review: Meta-analysis, Systematic review Health areas: alcohol/substance misuse/abuse; health inequalities/health equity; mental health and behavioural conditions; service delivery Language: English Country: United States of America Dissemination plans. Do you intend to publish the review on completion? Yes. Keywords: Systematic review; meta analysis; opioid use disorder; opioid use disorder treatment; racial disparities Details of any existing review of the same topic by the same authors: N/A Current review status: Ongoing

This article investigates children's everyday manifestations of grief and grieving situations. Medical and psychological approaches to grief and grieving usually focus on the death of loved ones. It is argued that everyday grief and grieving in early childhood education and care (ECEC) is present in social situations where loneliness and withdrawal are experienced by children. A cultural-historical approach was used to examine everyday grief and grieving in the preschool setting. Video observations were made of Mayra, a 5-year-old girl living in a rural Mexican community. The findings show that grief and grieving are affected by children's social situations, the material conditions of the location and the adult's role in compassionate approach in alleviating grief. Implications from this study highlight the need to examine everyday situations where children experience loneliness and withdrawal when relating to peers as a part of children's larger frame of grief.

There has been increasing attention on mainstream teacher beliefs on English as an Additional Language (EAL) students in their classrooms, particularly in regards to how these beliefs impact on teacher expectations and actions. With many teachers holding deficit beliefs towards EAL students, many have argued that professional development is one way to counter these beliefs. However, with a push for the regional settlement of migrants in Australia, there is limited understanding of mainstream teachers’ beliefs about EAL students in regional contexts. Drawing on Bourdieu’s concepts of habitus and field, this study investigates the beliefs of teachers and principals in two regional secondary schools in Victoria, Australia. The findings suggest that while many teachers hold common misconceptions regarding EAL students, their views regarding the inclusion of these students are generally positive and both the teachers and principals are open to additional training and support. However, the prevailing issue regarding supporting EAL students is time and/or timing—a commodity that both teachers and students do not have. This paper argues that EAL support in a regional context needs to be further interrogated, identifying a variety of approaches, such as professional development for mainstream teachers, additional EAL specialist support, and after-school programs, to better meet the needs of EAL students in regional areas.

There is increasing interest in how educational technologies can be used to promote and create meaningful learning opportunities, and more specifically, how social media tools can be harnessed to encourage language learning through online interactions. Educational social media tools, however, thrust student learning from a private space to a public one and raise ethical concerns regarding digital surveillance. Drawing from Norton’s (2013) conceptualisation of language investment and identity and Bourdieu’s thinking tools of habitus and field, this paper explores the attitudes and experiences of 30 Japanese exchange students, studying at a high school in Australia, as they engage with the educational social media platform, Edmodo. This action research study aimed to encourage language investment by providing an online space for students to develop their English language identities in and amongt their Japanese peers. However, this study found that many of the participating students resisted and/or disliked using Edmodo due to feeling restricted by the platform, highlighting the need for students to have a sense of autonomy in the midst of teacher control and surveillance. Additionally, this study reveals that the students who engaged regularly, and without the prompting of the teacher, were students who were academically stronger, suggesting that students’ self-efficacy is closely linked to language investment and the willingness to develop their language identity.

The message of physical education (PE) has been one of a ‘contested ground’ with regular debate around its purpose, alongside conceptual confusions. A major channel of communication that strongly influences public perceptions is through mainstream media, yet how media platforms have reported on the PE profession has received a scarcity of research attention. The aim of this research was to investigate international media reporting of PE over a five-year period. To generate key concepts and themes emerging from the international PE media (English speaking), researchers conducted a Leximancer text mining analysis of media articles published via the Google News function between January 2013 and March 2018. A PE for health discourse was evident from across the international media reporting of PE with regular concepts and themes focused upon the ‘physical’ including activity, health, obesity, physical activity and exercise. It was also evident that there were clear links between the concept of ‘physical education’ with regulatory concepts such as ‘requirements, reporting and law’. Notable thematic absences related to how PE goals can be met through teaching, learning and programming. Unpacking conceptual and thematic insight into how the PE profession has been reported into the public sphere sheds light on key trends, discourses and influences that are being communicated to the public across global contexts.

Amid this global landscape for education and policy, this paper focuses on the subject of teacher quality through the lens of teacher education reform and one particular Australian policy initiativ...

There is growing awareness of the impacts of COVID-19 on children, families, and more recently, early childhood educators. This study aimed to add to this research and explore Australian early childhood educators' psychological distress and wellbeing in relation to COVID-19. Accordingly, 205 educators (117 early childhood educators, 86 leaders and 2 others) completed the Impact of Event Scale-Revised, measuring levels of post-traumatic distress, and an open-ended question on wellbeing, both in relation to COVID-19. Educators' responses to the open-ended question were matched to those who scored high, medium, and low on the Impact of Events Scale-Revised. Results demonstrated 66.8% of educators scored in the low range for post-traumatic distress, 11.7% scored in the moderate range, and 21.5% scored in the high range for post-traumatic distress on the Impact of Events Scale-Revised. Participants scoring in the low range on the Impact of Events Scale-Revised provided fewer comments regarding the emotional impacts of COVID-19. There were no differences between the groups in terms of fear of COVID-19 infection, challenges related to increased workload during the pandemic, and frustration with the Australian government response to COVID-19. Educators and early childhood leaders reported comparable wellbeing challenges during the pandemic. This research has implications for the types of support provided to educators during future pandemics.

Utilizing data sets from multiple domains is a common procedure in scientific research. For example, research on the performance of buildings may require data from multiple sources that lack a singular standard for data reporting. The Building Management System might report data at regular 5minute intervals, whereas an air-quality sensor might capture values only when there has been significant change from the previous value. Many systems exist to help integrate multiple data sources into a single system or interface. However, such systems do not necessarily make it easy to modify an integration plan, for example, to accommodate data exploration, new and changing data sets or shifts in the questions of interest. We propose an agile data-integration system to enable quick and adaptive analysis across many data sets, concentrating initially on the data alignment step: combining data values from multiple time-series based data sets whose time schedules. To this end, we adopt a Domain Specific Language approach where we construct a domain model for alignment, provide a specification language for describing alignments in the model and implement an interpreter for specification in that language. Our implementation exploits a rank-based join in SQL that produces faster alignment times than the commonly suggested method of aligning data sets in a database. We present experiments to demonstrate the advantage of our method and exploit data properties for optimization.

For international students undertaking higher education in English-speaking countries, often social and academic competencies are at odds with the expectations of the classroom discourse communitie...