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“Learner voice”: Who speaks? Who listens?

- Angus, Lawrence, Golding, Barry, Lavender, Peter, Foley, Annette

Authors: Angus, Lawrence , Golding, Barry , Lavender, Peter , Foley, Annette
Date: 2012
Type: Text , Conference paper
Relation: ECER 2012, The Need for Educational Research to Champion Freedom, Education and Development for All
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Description: The paper will report on an ongoing research project being conducted by the authors, on behalf of the Australian National VET Equity Advisory Council (NVEAC), in which we are required to conduct “a review and analysis of effective models and underpinning principles for gathering and responding to feedback from learners, particularly disadvantaged learners”. The term “learner voice” is used throughout the NVEAC documentation to describe engagement with students of vocational education and training. But the “voice” that has unashamedly dominated the policy discourse in vocational and adult education and training in recent decades has been that of business and industry. Recently, however, particularly in England during the final term of the New Labour administration, and increasingly is some Scandinavian and European countries, a renewed emphasis on policies of social inclusion has introduced the notion of “learner voice” into policy considerations. Especially important are the voices of learners who are perceived to be disadvantaged or marginalised. In Australia, too, discourses of both inclusion and human capital have led to policies of involving students, their interests and their views in some way in the education project. The engagement of students with the tertiary education sector and institutions has come to be regarded as a way of promoting students’ learning by making their education and training more relevant to, and inclusive of, their “needs” while simultaneously contributing to the more efficient utilisation of human capital in an increasingly competitive national economy. Such inclusiveness, therefore, is promoted as facilitating the twin virtues of equity and efficiency, and is seen by some as having the potential to empower learners and transform their learning experience, and also to transform and expand Vocational Education and Training (VET) and Adult and Community Education (ACE). The paper will critically examine the dynamics of the vet policy framework and the range current practice in relation to learner voice. It will particularly emphasise contradictions in both practice and policy in relation to who speaks and with what authority, and who listens to what effect.

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Forced retirement transition : a narrative case study of an elite Australian Rules football player

- Demetriou, Andreas, Jago, Andrew, Gill, Peter, Mesagno, Christopher, Ali, Lutfiye

Authors: Demetriou, Andreas , Jago, Andrew , Gill, Peter , Mesagno, Christopher , Ali, Lutfiye
Date: 2020
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology Vol. 18, no. 3 (2020), p. 321-335
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Description: Retirement from elite sport is a complex and often-problematic process. The current study explores a negative case study of an athlete recently retired from a team sport (Australian Rules Football) in order to generate knowledge on how to improve the retirement process. Three semi-structured interviews were undertaken less than 5 years post retirement, and archival career records were gathered from online sources. Data were coded to construct a narrative account of the participant’s career and retirement. Narrative analysis also revealed that the retirement transition from elite sports for this athlete was problematic and caused considerable personal distress. We suggest that the means of improving retirement transition and reducing harm to players include fostering alternative life narratives and increasing self-complexity, utilising norm appropriate communication strategies, and recognising retirement as a potential grieving period for loss of community. © 2018, © 2018 International Society of Sport Psychology.

Mushin : learning in technique-intensive sports as a process of uniting mind and body through complex learning theory

- Light, Richard, Kentel, Jeanne

Authors: Light, Richard , Kentel, Jeanne
Date: 2015
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy Vol. 20, no. 4 (2015), p. 381-396
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Description: Background: Interest in the use of learning theory to inform sport and physical-education pedagogy over the past decade beyond games and team sports has been limited. Purpose: Following on from recent interest within the literature in Eastern philosophic traditions, this article draws on the Japanese concept of mushin and complex learning theory (CLT) to propose a CLT-informed pedagogy for coaching the 'technique-intensive' sports of track running and swimming. Method: This article grounds theoretical discussion about learning in specific examples of practice to establish a dialectic relationship between theory and practice. The suggestions we make draw on first hand teaching/coaching experiences and CLT as a broad theoretical framework within which we draw on Eastern concepts of learning expressed in the Japanese concept of mushin as a state in which mind and body are united. Conclusion: The pedagogy we suggest challenges a dualistic view of theory and teaching and the mind/body binary that has long dominated physical education teaching and sport coaching. It offers a means of recognizing and accounting for the body in learning and of offering positive pedagogy for teaching technique-intensive sports. © 2013 Association for Physical Education.

A review of cloud application assessment practices at the University of Ballarat

- Wilmott, Deirdre, Knox, Ian

Authors: Wilmott, Deirdre , Knox, Ian
Date: 2012
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Education for Information Vol. 29, no. 3-4 (2012), p. 229-242
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Description: It has been suggested that traditional assessment practices in tertiary institutions tend not to equip students well for the processes of effective learning in a learning society [1]. This paper reviews alternative Internet based assessment practices used in Library, Business and Education courses at the University of Ballarat, Victoria, Australia in 2011. © 2012 - IOS Press and the authors. All rights reserved. © 2012 - IOS Press and the authors. All rights reserved.

Puberty, health and sexual education in Australian regional primary schools : Year 5 and 6 teacher perceptions

- Duffy, Bernadette, Fotinatos, Nina, Smith, Amanda, Burke, Jenene

Authors: Duffy, Bernadette , Fotinatos, Nina , Smith, Amanda , Burke, Jenene
Date: 2013
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Sex Education Vol. 13, no. 2 (2013), p. 186-203
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Description: The research reported in this paper investigates why teachers in regional primary schools in the Ballarat region of Victoria, Australia, are choosing to outsource the teaching of sexuality education. A survey was conducted of 29 Year 5 and Year 6 teachers from local primary schools. The teachers provided information about: their confidence in delivering sexuality-related topics; their perceptions of the relevance of given sexuality topics to their students; the teachers' own professional development preferences; and what they saw as their personal limitations in teaching sexuality education. Teachers tended to report low confidence in teaching topics that are considered 'sensitive', such as menstruation, wet dreams and sexual intercourse. Furthermore, they indicated a need for professional development in teaching sexuality education. The greatest hurdle identified lies in identifying how to motivate, engage and support teachers to take a professional interest in teaching sexuality education. © 2013 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.
Description: 2003009651

Racetrack mapping : Engaging students in mathematics and geography

- Tromp, Calvin, Davis, Robert

Authors: Tromp, Calvin , Davis, Robert
Date: 2007
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Australian Primary Mathematics Classroom Vol. 12, no. 3 (2007), p. 4-7
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Description: Calvin Tromp and Rob Davis lead us through a mapping task that engages students in significant learning in the final weeks of the year: this paper reports on a classroom investigation of a sequence of cross-disciplinary mapping lessons undertaken by Grade Five students at Black Hill Primary, a Victorian State Primary School in Ballarat
Description: C1
Description: 2003005033

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Providing a flexible learning environment: are on-line lectures the answer?

- Panther, Barbara, Wright, Wendy, Mosse, Jennifer

Authors: Panther, Barbara , Wright, Wendy , Mosse, Jennifer
Date: 2012
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: International Journal of Innovation in Science and Mathematics Education in participatory sensing systems Vol. 20, no. 1 (2012), p. 71-82
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Description: As universities embrace new technologies to enhance students’ learning experiences and increase flexibility for student learning, tertiary students are increasingly presented with a wider range of learning resources to support their studies. This study investigates ways in which a diverse group of undergraduate science students use the resources that are provided to them. The majority of these students favoured face-to-face lectures due to the ability to interact with lecturers and other students and the ability to ask questions in real time. Recorded lectures were seen to be useful for clarification and revision, largely because they can be paused and rewound, facilitating review of difficult material. Text-based resources such as study guides remain highly valued and highly used, especially for students working in off-campus mode. On-line discussion forums are not seen as a substitute for face to face interaction; a need for active facilitation of such forums is highlighted.

Chinese teachers' views of teaching culturally related knowledge in school science

- Ma, Hongming

Authors: Ma, Hongming
Date: 2011
Type: Text , Book chapter
Relation: The Professional Knowledge Base of Science Teaching p. 153-171
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Description: Cultural studies in science education have been gaining more attention in recent years. One much-debated theme in this area is teaching culturally related knowledge in modern school science. Within the context of science education, “culturally related knowledge” refers to the knowledge that can be treated as science, but has different cultural origins from that of Western Modern Science (WMS) or Euro-centric science (Aikenhead and Ogawa 2007). Different points of view about the nature of science and the relationship between science education and culture have a direct influence on people’s opinions of the content and pedagogy of science teaching in school. "From introduction"

Transforming the teaching of report writing in science and engineering through an integrated online learning environment, WRiSE (Write Reports in Science and Engineering)

- Drury, Helen, Jones, Janet

Authors: Drury, Helen , Jones, Janet
Date: 2010
Type: Text , Conference proceedings
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Description: This paper describes an ALTC (Australian Learning and Teaching Council) funded project, which addresses the development of students‟ report writing skills in science and engineering across the undergraduate years. The WRiSE project grew out of concerns about student performance in written assessments, as well as the need to improve graduate writing emphasised by employers and government. The project approach involved a collaborative team across two institutions. The team comprised language and learning specialists and discipline staff who developed learning materials and technical and eLearning specialists who converted these into online materials. Development followed a feedback spiral, which also involved student users. WRiSE is an integrated, freely available, student centred, online learning environment for report writing in nine discipline areas within science and engineering. In each discipline area, interactive learning materials have been developed to address both the product and process of report writing, as well as the concepts and content behind the reports students have to write. WRiSE is designed to meet the needs of students from diverse backgrounds who have had varying writing experiences as it can be accessed according to student needs. Evaluation of WRiSE has been positive in the areas of user friendliness and improved understanding and confidence in report writing. Those students who used WRiSE have attained significantly higher grades in their reports than students who did not use WRiSE.

Leading the development of new models of schooling: Community-based Christian schools in Australia

- Fisher, John

Authors: Fisher, John
Date: 2012
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Religious Education Journal of Australia Vol. 28, no. 2 (2012), p. 36-42
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Description: Parent-controlled and community based Christian schools are a relatively new phenomenon in Australia. Nearly two-thirds of all students in Australia attend State, or public, schools. Around twenty percent attend Catholic schools, with the remainder attending other non-government or independent schools (Schools Australia, 2010). Most of the independent schools are tied to particular religious affiliations, such as Anglican, Baptist, Greek Orthodox, Islamic, Jewish, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Seventh Day Adventist. Approximately forty per cent of these independent schools, roughly five percent of the total Australian student population, comprise other new Christian schools. This paper explores leadership issues in new Christian schools that foster religious education as an integral part of the total formation of the individual.

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Teaching linear functions in context with graphics calculators : Students' responses and the impact of the approach on their use of algebraic symbols

- Bardini, Caroline, Pierce, Robyn, Stacey, Kaye

Authors: Bardini, Caroline , Pierce, Robyn , Stacey, Kaye
Date: 2004
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: The International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education Vol. 2, no. 3 (2004), p. 353-376
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Description: This study analyses some of the consequences of adopting a functional/modelling approach to the teaching of algebra. The teaching of one class of 17 students was observed over five weeks, with 15 students undertaking both pre- and post-tests and 6 students and the teacher being interviewed individually. Use of graphics calculators made the predominantly graphical approach feasible. Students made considerable progress in describing linear relationships algebraically. They commented favourably on several aspects of learning concepts through problems in real contexts and were able to set up equations to solve contextualised problems. Three features of the program exerted a triple influence on students use and understanding of algebraic symbols. Students concern to express features of the context was evident in some responses, as was the influence of particular contexts selected. Use of graphics calculators affected some students choice of letters. The functional approach was evident in the meanings ascribed to letters and rules. Students were very positively disposed to the calculators, and interesting differences were observed between the confidence with which they asked questions about the technology and the diffidence with which they asked mathematical questions.
Description: 2003000925

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Telomere length maintenance and cardio-metabolic disease prevention through exercise training

- Denham, Joshua, O'Brien, Brendan, Charchar, Fadi

Authors: Denham, Joshua , O'Brien, Brendan , Charchar, Fadi
Date: 2016
Type: Text , Journal article , Review
Relation: Sports Medicine Vol. 46, no. 9 (2016), p. 1213-1237
Relation: http://purl.org/au-research/grants/nhmrc/1009490
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Description: Telomeres are tandem repeat DNA sequences located at distal ends of chromosomes that protect against genomic DNA degradation and chromosomal instability. Excessive telomere shortening leads to cellular senescence and for this reason telomere length is a marker of biological age. Abnormally short telomeres may culminate in the manifestation of a number of cardio-metabolic diseases. Age-related cardio-metabolic diseases attributable to an inactive lifestyle, such as obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease, are associated with short leukocyte telomeres. Exercise training prevents and manages the symptoms of many cardio-metabolic diseases whilst concurrently maintaining telomere length. The positive relationship between exercise training, physical fitness and telomere length raises the possibility of a mediating role of telomeres in chronic disease prevention via exercise. Further elucidation of the underpinning molecular mechanisms of how exercise maintains telomere length should provide crucial information on how physical activity can be best structured to combat the chronic disease epidemic and improve the human health span. Here, we synthesise and discuss the current evidence on the impact of physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness on telomere dynamics. We provide the molecular mechanisms with a known role in exercise-induced telomere length maintenance and highlight unexplored, alternative pathways ripe for future investigations.

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Academic and clinical performance among nursing students : what's grit go to do with it?

- Terry, Daniel, Peck, Blake

Authors: Terry, Daniel , Peck, Blake
Date: 2020
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Nurse Education Today Vol. 88, no. (2020), p.
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Description: Background: Nursing is both a science and an art and requires students to develop sound scientific foundations for artful application. The at times binary nature of how the way in which the knowledge and skills of nursing are delivered in higher education can be difficult for students to comprehend initially and synchronise for practice and can lead to feelings of being overwhelmed, withdrawal or failure. Understanding what influences student performance in bachelor level nursing studies is imperative so educators can develop programs that straddle the art and science conundrum and lead to graduate success. Grit is a non-cognitive trait, a drive that keeps an individual on task through difficult circumstances for sustained periods of time. Grit might well represent a key factor in our understanding of why one student succeeds while another withdraws. Objectives: To examine measures of grit in the context of demographic characteristics of nursing students and their impact on student self-perceived academic and clinical performance. Design: A cross-sectional design. Setting: A single School of Nursing at a multi-campus, regional, peri-urban Australian University. Participants: All nursing students (n = 2349) studying a three-year bachelor of nursing degree were invited to participate. Methods: Data were collected using a questionnaire that included several demographic items, questions relating to the student's perceived level of academic and clinical performance, and the eight-item Short Grit Scale (Grit-S) used to measure trait-level perseverance and passion for long-term goals. Results: Students, regardless of their year of study or any other demographic factor, showed grit was the only significant predictor of clinical and academic performance. Conclusions: The strength between grit and perceived performance both academically and clinically, makes grit a valuable factor for development in students as a vehicle for success in nursing programs of study. This paper culminates in suggestions for creative approaches to grit development. © 2020 Elsevier Ltd

Assessment of decision-making performance and in-game physical exertion of Australian football umpires

- Larkin, Paul, O'Brien, Brendan, Mesagno, Christopher, Berry, Jason, Harvey, Jack, Spittle, Michael

Authors: Larkin, Paul , O'Brien, Brendan , Mesagno, Christopher , Berry, Jason , Harvey, Jack , Spittle, Michael
Date: 2014
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Journal of Sports Sciences Vol. 32, no. 15 (2014), p. 1446-1453
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Description: The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of in-game physical exertion on decision-making performance of Australian football umpires. Fifteen Australian football umpires (Mage = 36, s = 13.5 years; Mgames umpired = 235.2, s = 151.3) volunteered to participate in the study. During five competitive Australian football pre-season games, measures of in-game physical exertion (blood lactate levels, global positioning system [GPS]) and decision-making performance (video-based test) were obtained. There were no significant correlations between physical exertion in a particular quarter and decision-making performance in either the same quarter or any other quarter. Video-based decision-making performance was effected by time in game Ï‡2(3) = 24.24, P = 0.001, with Quarter 4 performance significantly better than both Quarter 2 and Quarter 3. In-game physical exertion (blood lactate) significantly decreased over the course of the game Ï‡2(3) = 11.58, P = 0.009. Results indicate no definable link between in-game physical exertion and decision-making performance. It is, however, presumed that decision-making performance may be affected by the time or context of the game. Future research is warranted to explore the relationship between physical exertion and decision-making performance to potentially inform Australian football umpire training programmes that replicate in-game physical and decision-making demands.

Burnt at the Student Evaluation Stake – the penalty for failing students

- Backer, Elisa

Authors: Backer, Elisa
Date: 2012
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: e-Journal of Business Education & Scholarship of Teaching Vol. 6, no. 1 (2012), p. 1-13
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Description: Student Evaluations of Teaching (SET) are a common device for assessing units and teaching ability in higher education. Despite the wealth of research in the area of SETs, little has been done to examine student and academic perceptions of SETs. This research examined student (n=235) and academic (n=49) perceptions concerning SETs at one Australian regional university. Almost one-third of respondents felt that some students punish academics for failing their work by giving the lecturer low scores on the SET form. Thus, academics can essentially be burnt at the student evaluation stake as punishment for failing students.
Description: C1

Epidemiology of injuries in women playing competitive team bat-or-stick sports : A systematic review and a meta-analysis

- Panagodage Perera, Nirmala, Joseph, Corey, Kemp, Joanne, Finch, Caroline

Authors: Panagodage Perera, Nirmala , Joseph, Corey , Kemp, Joanne , Finch, Caroline
Date: 2018
Type: Text , Journal article , Review
Relation: Sports Medicine Vol. 48, no. 3 (2018), p. 617-640
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Description: Background: Team bat-or-stick sports, including cricket, softball and hockey, are popular among women. However, little is known about the injury profile in this population. Objective: The aim was to describe the incidence, nature and anatomical location of injuries in bat-or-stick sports played by women in a competitive league. Methods: This review was prospectively registered (PROSPERO CRD42015026715). CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, PubMed, SPORTDiscus were systematically searched from January 2000 to September 2016, inclusive. Peer-reviewed original research articles reporting the incidence, nature and anatomical location of injuries sustained by women aged 18 + years in competitive bat-or-stick sports were included. Two meta-analyses based on injury incidence proportions (injury IP) and injury rates per 1000 person-days of athletic exposure (AE) were performed. Results: A total of 37 studies satisfied the inclusion criteria, and five had low risk of bias. The weighted injury IP was 0.42 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.39–0.45]. The weighted injury rate was 6.12 (95% CI 6.05–6.18) overall, and greater in games [15.79 (95% CI 15.65–15.93)] than in practice [3.07 (95% CI 2.99–3.15)]. The ankle was the most commonly injured anatomical location, followed by the hand (including wrist and fingers), knee and head. Soft tissue and ligament injuries were most common types of injuries. Conclusion: Injury prevention in women’s sports is a novel and emerging field of research interest. This review highlights that injury incidence is high among female bat-or-stick players, but little information is known about direct causal mechanisms. This review clearly establishes the need for enhancements to injury data collection. Without this information, it will not be possible to develop evidence-based injury prevention interventions. © 2017, Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature.

Reframing primary curriculum through concepts of place

- Power, Kerith, Green, Monica

Authors: Power, Kerith , Green, Monica
Date: 2014
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education Vol. 42, no. 2 (2014), p. 105-118
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Description: Australian curricula name "sustainability" as a key priority area with implications for preparing pre-service teachers. In the research that generated this paper, we asked: How can framing teaching through space and place inform pre-service teachers' pedagogical thinking and practice? In new third year Bachelor of Education (primary) subject Understanding Space and Place, Australian teacher education students shared online responses to focus questions and readings framing education through place, designed and taught a unit of study "beyond the classroom" to children in their professional placements and reflected on changes in their theoretical, philosophical, and curriculum goals. Data from these forum posts were analysed through Somerville's three "enabling place pedagogy" categories of embodiment, storylines, and cultural contact zones. Many students came to re-imagine their teaching roles and understand how a place pedagogy framework can operate to expand the possibilities of teaching and learning sustainability through creative and embodied place-making experiences in local places. © 2014 © 2014 Australian Teacher Education Association.

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Narrative pedagogies in Science, Mathematics and Technology

- Hobbs, Linda, Davis, Robert

Authors: Hobbs, Linda , Davis, Robert
Date: 2012
Type: Text , Journal article
Relation: Research in Science Education Vol. , no. (2012), p. 1-17
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Description: Despite years of research, there remains serious concern regarding the engagement of students in science, mathematics and technology education. In this paper, the authors explore how narrative pedagogies are used in science, mathematics and technology in order to make the subjects meaningful. The paper focuses specifically on the role and aesthetic nature of narrative as a pedagogical approach in these school subjects and between school sectors. Case study methodology was used to compare the findings of two independent studies investigating the role of narrative-based pedagogies in mathematics and science (first author) and technology (second author). Based on this comparison, this paper proposes two perspectives on narrative-based pedagogies that deal with the connection of students with the subject: inward-looking that situated the learner within the story generated around artefact creation, and outward-looking that situated the stories of the content into students' lifeworlds. The use of this comparative lens enabled a higher level of analysis that could not have been achieved by each research programme, generating a broader narrative that provided deeper insight into the teaching and learning experience. © 2012 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

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