Description:
This study evaluated the effectiveness of an 8-week gymnastics curriculum on children's movement competence and their physical self-concept. There were 113 children (46% girls, 49% intervention) with a mean age of 9.4 years (SD = 1.8) that participated. Intervention children underwent 8 weeks of gymnastics and the comparison group continued with their standard curriculum. Age was a significant co-variate, a separate analysis was conducted on the lower (grades 2 and 4) and upper (grade 6) groups. The lower age group showed significant improvement in favor of the gymnastic group in fundamental movement skills. The upper age group showed a significant improvement for the control group in general body coordination and fundamental movement skills. For all grades, the physical self-concept showed a significant main effect in favor of the gymnastics group. The gymnastics intervention was found to be of particular benefit for developing children's movement competence and physical self-concept in younger children.
Description:
The Principals as STEM Leaders (PASL) project was an Australian Government-funded national research and professional learning programme for principals, aimed at building STEM leadership capacity. The project involved cluster-based delivery of six learning modules and generation of case studies outlining schools' different approaches to STEM education and STEM leadership. This article analyses factors contributing to the development of four contrasting schools' STEM profiles, identifying the unique approaches and leadership strategies each adopted in designing STEM curriculum for meeting the learning needs of their diverse students. It positions these schools' endeavours within the broader PASL professional learning programme, adding to the limited body of empirical work detailing different approaches schools take to the
Description:
The Principals as STEM Leaders (PASL) project was an Australian Government-funded national research and professional learning programme for principals, aimed at building STEM leadership capacity. The project involved cluster-based delivery of six learning modules and generation of case studies outlining schools' different approaches to STEM education and STEM leadership. This article analyses factors contributing to the development of four contrasting schools' STEM profiles, identifying the unique approaches and leadership strategies each adopted in designing STEM curriculum for meeting the learning needs of their diverse students. It positions these schools' endeavours within the broader PASL professional learning programme, adding to the limited body of empirical work detailing different approaches schools take to the
Description:
Improving the health of Traveller Communities is an international public health concern but there is little evidence on effective interventions. This study aimed to explain how, for whom and in what circumstances outreach works in Traveller Communities. A realist synthesis was undertaken. Systematic literature searches were conducted between August and November 2011. Grey literature was sought and key stakeholders were involved throughout the review process. Iterative steps of data extraction, analysis and synthesis, followed by additional searches were undertaken. An explanatory framework details how, why and in what circumstances participation, behaviour change or social capital development happened. The trust status of outreach workers is an important context of outreach interventions, in conjunction with their ability to negotiate the intervention focus. The higher the outreach worker's trust status, the lower the imperative that they negotiate the intervention focus. A 'menu' of reasoning mechanisms is presented, leading to key engagement outcomes. Adopting a realist analysis, this study offers a framework with explanatory purchase as to the potential of outreach to improve health in marginalized groups.
Description:
There are multiple systemic structural barriers that result in health and wellbeing inequities experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples (hereafter referred to as Indigenous). The recent Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage 2020 report highlights some of these barriers, emphasising the importance of addressing the social determinants and cultural determinants of health by delivering evidence-based and culturally responsive health programs and initiatives.1 While is it estimated that $5.9 billion (AUS) is spent annually on Indigenous health programs and services in Australia, there is scant evidence to illustrate what works (or does not work), for who and why. A mapping exercise of Indigenous-specific programs in Australia reported that of 1082 programs delivered, over 90% were not evaluated to assess whether programs achieved their goals and objectives. Also, it is reported that only a few evaluations used culturally appropriate methods for assessing program effectiveness. Recently, there have been a growing number of robust evaluations that are culturally responsive, from which we can learn. These have important implications that can guide the commissioning of future evaluations.
Description:
There are multiple systemic structural barriers that result in health and wellbeing inequities experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples (hereafter referred to as Indigenous). The recent Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage 2020 report highlights some of these barriers, emphasising the importance of addressing the social determinants and cultural determinants of health by delivering evidence-based and culturally responsive health programs and initiatives.1 While is it estimated that $5.9 billion (AUS) is spent annually on Indigenous health programs and services in Australia, there is scant evidence to illustrate what works (or does not work), for who and why.2, 3 A mapping exercise of Indigenous-specific programs in Australia reported that of 1082 programs delivered, over 90% were not evaluated to assess whether programs achieved their goals and objectives.3 Also, it is reported that only a few evaluations used culturally appropriate methods for assessing program effectiveness.3 Recently, there have been a growing number of robust evaluations that are culturally responsive, from which we can learn. These have important implications that can guide the commissioning of future evaluations.
Description:
Benchmarking is a formalised evaluation process by which a university can measure the standard of their policies, processes, programmes or strategies through comparison with other universities. Currently, there is a paucity of research that focuses on the documentation associated with external benchmarking undertaken by Australian universities. Given that Australia's higher education regulatory body requires universities to reflect the purposes of external benchmarking within policy frameworks and for external referencing to be overseen by peak academic governance bodies such limited research is of significance. This paper contributes to the literature by investigating whether documented structures, policies and guidelines are in place to inform learning and teaching external referencing processes. Using a qualitative documentary thematic analysis, policies, procedures and guidelines found on university governance websites were investigated and analysed. The findings indicate that many Australian universities are at risk of not meeting mandatory regulatory requirements.