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Universities worldwide are developing peer mentoring programs to assist first year students' transition into university life. Awareness of the mentees' experiences in the mentoring program – the successes and challenges – contributes to ongoing planning for successful transition for first-year students. Also, understanding the mentors' experiences can contribute to the success of the program and, more importantly, can lead to strong self efficacy for the mentors. This qualitative study appraises a mentoring program for first-year undergraduate students from the mentors' perspective. The mentors’ experiences, both positive and negative, are discussed and a relational model of mentoring is presented. The results of this inquiry have implications for the development of future mentoring programs, particularly in terms of mentor recruitment and preparation, if first-year students are to be effectively oriented and supported in their transition to university study.

Mixed Methodology is a new star in the social science sky. More and more researchers are discontent with mono-method concepts for their research projects. They are trying new ways in combining or integrating different methods and methodological approaches. There are two debates in this field: the qualitative * quantitative controversy and the one-method * multi-method discourse. This book discusses those controversies and tries to give some reasons and examples for overcoming mono-method research in psychology. We think the discussion of methodological topics should not be divided from specific research projects. Only in the context of a concrete research question it makes sense to consider adequate research methods. So the volume presents examples of mixed methodologies from different fields in psychology and education, from psychiatry to organisational psychology, from learning studies to media analysis. The studies are grouped into four sections: combining qualitative methods, combining qualitative and quantitative methods, access to individual experience by mixed methods and deeper understanding of findings by mixing methods The book is adressed to all students, researchers and methodological interested people in social sciences and especially in psychology.

Lifelong learning has developed enormously as a distinct area of study within education in recent years not least because numerous governments and educational strategists have become very vocal supporters of new ways of learning throughout all stages of life. This up-to-the-minute guide to the topic brings together new writing from some of the leading thinkers in the field to offer a broad ranging and detailed snapshot of the position to date. The book provides a critical summary of current developments in understanding adult learning and the social context in which they are located. This provides a background for the framing of issues and the problems that emerge in institutional and non-formal contexts of lifelong learning. Students undertaking courses of study in this area as well as a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate students in a variety of professional areas will find the material essential reading.

This chapter is contextualised in globalisation, new capitalism, knowledge and change in the workplace. There is a great deal of current literature describing globalisation and the new capitalism. It is asserted that economic competitiveness in the workplace now depends on new skills, knowledge and technological change. This has implications for workers in terms of constant learning and adapting to change. In this chapter, we describe conceptions of learning and work and the experience of change through the voices of workers. The conceptions of learning and work are based on a study in two workplaces of older and younger workers. The perspectives of change, adaptations to it and descriptions of learning paths are also derived from the interviews. The implications of the findings for the provision by universities of opportunities for further learning are also considered.

Background: This project was conducted to investigate whether the concerns that researchers have about including terminally ill patients in research were shared by a sample of terminally ill patients.----- Methods: Twenty-two patients admitted to a hospice participated in semistructured interviews; 18 patients had advanced malignant disease and 13 were women; their ages ranged from 28 to 93 years. The interview transcripts were analysed for common themes and particular attention was paid to the reasons patients gave for their views.----- Results: All the patients wanted to participate in research. Patients advanced one or more of several reasons for participation, the commonest being altruism, enhancement of a sense of personal value, the assertion of persisting autonomy and the value they placed on a commitment by doctors to optimising care by research. They rejected the view that their consent might be non-autonomous and put forward consistent views about what they considered relevant to consent.----- Conclusions: Our patients did not share the concerns of ethicists about the difficulties and hazards of research with the terminally ill. These patients’ views are not reflected in the professional consensus.

Background: Terminally ill patients frequently express concerns about what dying will be like: how their bodies may change as disease progresses, how medication may alter the effect of these changes and whether and how their preferences will be respected as they become more ill.----- Methods: Thirty-six patients admitted to a hospice were interviewed and 18 carers of patients of the Palliative Care service,whohad died participated in focus groups. Thirty-three patients had advanced malignant disease, 13 were women; their mean age was 68 years (range 44–92 years).----- Results: The areas of concern consistently identified by patients were (i) privacy and autonomy, principally in regard to families, (ii) a lack of information about physical changes and medication use as death approached and (iii) the desire to shorten life, which was expressed by all patients. Carers recalled problems accessing services and support and had needed more help with practical issues such as medication timing and dose. They believed that not enough information about the patients’ illnesses had been given to them and they were insistent that carers should have information against the wishes of patients.----- Conclusion: Some of the patients’ and carers’ concerns can be readily addressed. Others, particularly access to confidential information, cannot be addressed without a realignment of professional ethical standards and community expectations. The patients’ discussions of their desire to shorten life may have implications for the debate on euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide.

Traditionally, the teaching role has been one of nurturing and developing students’ potential. However, teachers’ work today comprises a complex mix of various factors that include teaching; learning new information and skills; keeping abreast of technological innovations and dealing with students, parents and the community. These are demanding roles and there are growing concerns about teacher well-being and competence. In particular, teachers are experiencing increasing levels of attrition, stress and burnout. This study investigated the relationship between burnout and competence for a sample of mid-career teachers in primary and secondary schools in Queensland. The results break new ground in reporting a negative association between the MBI subscale Depersonalization and competence that may be attributed to a distancing mechanism in difficult human interactions. Overall, the findings of this study hold implications for teacher training courses and the well-being and competence of teachers.

Conceptions of learning and strategies used by 15 Indigenous students in three Australian universities were studied longitudinally over three years. Their academic achievements were good, but at a high cost in terms of time and effort. In spite of the fact that almost half of the students expressed higher-order (qualitative) conceptions of learning in the first year and more in the second and third years, all of the students reported using highly repetitive strategies to learn. That is, they did not vary their way of learning, reading or writing in the beginning of their studies and less than half of them did so at the end of the three years. It is argued that encountering variation in ways of learning is a prerequisite for the development of powerful ways of learning and studying.

Industry today is driven by information, global competition and knowledge. These factors have led to continual changes in workplaces as organisations strive to remain viable. This study examined the nature of changes that occurred in two distinct organisations in Australia over two years. It also examined how workers are adapting to those changes in terms of learning, and considered what implications there are for higher education. The participants constituted 18 workers from a medical service industry and 19 workers from an engineering organization. The data were analysed qualitatively and results indicated several categories of change. It was also apparent that while much learning was occurring in the workplace, there was very little direct association between workplace learning and higher education for the workers in this study although several have degrees or have organised their own further study. Suggestions are made regarding the current practices in universities and workplace learning and for better collaboration. For example, universities need to develop closer ties with industry and curriculum models that prepare workers for ongoing changes in the workplace should be developed.

This paper reports on a phenomenographic investigation into conceptions of learning for 15 Indigenous Australian university students over the three years of their degree courses. The ways in which they went about learning were also investigated along with the relationship between individual students’ ‘core’ conceptions of learning and the ways in which they learnt. Results indicated that their conceptions and ways of learning were similar in some respects to those found for other university students. However some students went about learning in ways that were incongruent with the core conception of learning they held. This can be regarded as dissonance between strategies and conceptions of learning. The implications of this for Indigenous Australian university students are discussed.

There is substantial literature on new work practices and the associated skills required of workers in the 'new capitalism' but very few consider workers’ perspectives on the advocacies. The study reported here involved 39 participants aged 40 plus who were interviewed to obtain data in relation to their conceptions of work and learning at work. This was conducted with consideration given to the changing work practices occurring around them. The participants were from a medical service and an engineering organization. The data were analyzed qualitatively and results indicated four and five hierarchical conceptions of work, and learning at work, respectively. It became apparent that a significantly large number of older workers conceived of work and learning at work in quantitative terms and as separate entities. The data were further analysed to ascertain how the conceptions mapped with the participants’ AQF levels. This analysis indicated some dissonance between AQF levels and conceptions. The findings of this study provide baseline data to understand older workers’ behaviours in light of the current changes in work practices.

Thirty nine participants aged over 40 and 16 participants aged under 40, from a medical organization and a transport organization, were interviewed to obtain data regarding their conceptions of work and learning at work amidst changing workplace practices. A phenomenographic approach was adopted to analyse the data. Frequency distributions of conceptions and a comparative analysis between the two age groups were also carried out. In addition, an analysis of the implications of these conceptions was conducted to understand workers’ behaviours in light of current changes in work practices and to assess the potential implications for knowledge creation and use. The results indicated that there were four and five hierarchical conceptions for work and learning at work respectively and that these were spread across Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) levels and workplaces. There were also differences between the two age groups and their distribution across the conceptions.

Health is considered to be a fundamental human right and developing a better understanding of health is assumed to be a global social goal (Bloom, 1987). Yet many third-world countries and some sub-populations within developed countries do not enjoy a healthy existence. The research reported in this paper examined the conceptions of health and conceptions of illness for a group of Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, and Papua New Guinea university students studying health science courses. Results found three conceptions of health and three conceptions of illness that indicated these students held a mix of traditional/cultural and Western beliefs. These findings may contribute to overcoming the dissonance between traditional and Western beliefs about health and the development of health care courses that are more specific to how these students understand health. This may also serve to improve the educational status of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and potentially improve the health status within these communities.

This paper describes an investigation of conceptions of learning held by 22 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students from three universities in Queensland, Australia. Other areas investigated were students' experiences of informal learning, their reasons for studying and the strategies they used to learn. Research into conceptions of learning is gaining impetus and current beliefs include the premise that approaches to learning adopted by university students, and hence learning outcomes, are closely related to their conceptions of learning. There is substantial research focused on Aboriginal learning styles in early childhood and primary school which indicates that Aboriginal children prefer to learn in a practical way as well as through observation and imitation and trial and error. Very little research has focused specifically on Aboriginal university students' conceptions of learning. Results of this study found that these students view and approach formal university learning in much the same way as other university students and most hold quantitative conceptions of learning. The most interesting result was the difference between students' conceptions of formal learning and their experiences of informal learning. Many students' experiences of informal learning were grounded in practical activities or exhibited a cultural focus, however, most formal learning is not dependent upon practical or cultural knowledge. It is proposed that formal learning for Indigenous students recognise and include an Indigenous perspective such as integrating, where appropriate, practical strategies for learning. We also suggest that Indigenous students be helped to develop conceptions that will enable them to learn formal, theoretical material successfully.

Research suggests that students' approaches to learning and hence learning outcomes are closely related to their conceptions of learning. This paper describes an investigation into conceptions of formal learning held by 22 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students from three Australian universities in Queensland; categories of informal learning, reasons for studying and strategies used to learn were also investigated. The attrition rate for these students in tertiary education is higher than that of any other group of students. The main aim of this study was to determine their conceptions of learning in order to provide information that might facilitate instruction more suited to their needs in order to address the high attrition rate. Results showed that these students view and approach university learning in much the same way as other university students. It was also apparent that, for the most part, the strategies these students used did not match the conceptions of learning they held. An interesting result was the difference between the conceptions of formal learning and perceptions of informal learning.

Research suggests that students’ approaches to learning and learning outcomes are closely related to their conceptions of learning. This paper describes a phenomenographically inspired investigation into conceptions of formal learning held by 22 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students from three Australian universities in Queensland; experiences of informal learning, reasons for studying and strategies used to learn were also investigated. The attrition rate for these students in tertiary education is higher than that of any other group of students. It was hoped that information gained may delineate factors that contribute to high attrition rates and therefore inform courses of action that may lead to improved teaching and learning practices for these students. Additionally, success in tertiary education for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students may increase their involvement in mainstream society. Results showed that they view and approach university learning in much the same way as other university students. It was also apparent that, generally, the strategies these students used did not match the conceptions of learning they held. An interesting result was the difference between the conceptions of formal learning and explanations of informal learning

Contemporary research has indicated that students enjoy playing computer games. As a consequence, recreational computer games are becoming an increasingly significant part of student's lives. At the same time, use of educational software in schools is increasing. It has been proposed that playing recreational computer games may facilitate cognitive processes such as forming complex mental representations and making inferences. In this study, a qualitative approach was adopted to determine the cognitive processes students engaged in while playing recreational computer games. This was conducted with a view to determining the validity of incorporating computer game features into educationa software. Twenty-one high school students participated. Results indicated that players practiced complex cognitive processes such as interpreting explicit and implicit information, inductive reasoning, metacognitive analysis, and problem solving.

Learning to operate algebraically is a complex process that is dependent upon extending arithmetic knowledge to the more complex concepts of algebra. Current research has shown a gap between arithmetic and algebraic knowledge and suggests a pre-algebraic level as a step between the two knowledge types. This paper examines arithmetic and algebraic knowledge from a cognitive perspective in an effort to determine what constitutes a pre-algebraic level of understanding. Results of a longitudinal study designed to investigate students' readiness for algebra are presented. Thirty-three students in Grades 7, 8, and 9 participated. A model for the transition from arithmetic to pre-algebra to algebra is proposed and students' understanding of relevant knowledge is discussed.