Search

Copyright of Journal of Medical Imaging & Radiation Sciences is the property of Elsevier B.V. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The Australian citizen science research programs, VegeSafe and DustSafe, are novel and wide-reaching. Together, they capture the largest number of community-generated domestic garden soil and indoor house dust samples and associated trace metal analysis of any similar programme globally, totalling 26,500 samples from 7,200 homes in Australia alone. All citizen science research programs need to balance often conflicting expectations and imperatives of the researchers and the participants. This paper assesses VegeSafe and DustSafe participant and researcher outcomes against common goals of citizen science programs, including participant engagement, accessibility, motivations and learning in order to evaluate the programs' impact and usefulness. Questionnaire data from 522 questionnaires were analysed which showed that VegeSafe and DustSafe have: enhanced participants' involvement in science (76%), understanding of science (62%); addressed specific community concerns (91%); and were considered useful (93%). The success of the VegeSafe and DustSafe programs can be measured by the number of samples received, households engaged and its geographic footprint across Australia's most populated cities. The participant questionnaire provided deeper insight into positive participant outcomes, including participant autonomy in the scientific process and changes in attitudes and behaviours towards science. Many participants adopted interventions to mitigate potential toxic trace metal exposure in their domestic spaces after receiving their results. The VegeSafe and DustSafe programs provide valuable examples of how to establish programs to meet community needs effectively, educate the community and bring about positive change to ultimately improve community health. [Display omitted] • 522 citizen scientists were surveyed about participation outcomes. • VegeSafe and DustSafe increased scientific understanding and involvement. • Participants reported ownership, changed attitudes and behaviours. • Participants prefer simplicity in presentation of results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted education provision worldwide. In Australia, the government took a proactive stance to reduce the impact of the pandemic, temporarily banning higher education students from attending university campuses. With a lockdown in place, educational institutions required a rapid shift in approaches to teaching and learning by both educators and students. Educators throughout Australia were asked to work from home and quickly transition their face-to-face (synchronous) classes into bichronous, fully online offerings. This paper reports on the experiences of 25 educators in an enabling course in a regional Australian university who were required to make this shift. These educators not only had to navigate this complex time personally, but they also had to work in their professional role with the additional responsibility of ensuring a particularly vulnerable cohort of non-traditional students felt a sense of belonging within this new educational space. Results showed that while the educators encountered a number of challenges in their transition, they also found ways to promote student belonging in the new teaching and learning environment. With a Pedagogy of Care being central to the educators' practice, they developed strategies to create a sense of emotional engagement among students to help them feel genuinely cared for. Additionally, they were able to construct a 'we mentality' discourse to establish a sense of shared understanding with students around the situation they were in. This study shows that enabling educators are capable of responding creatively to a complex and unpredictable environment, finding ways to replicate their proven pedagogies of care in unfamiliar contexts and thus foster a crucial sense of belonging among enabling students. The implications of a discussion about 'care' and 'belonging' within the field of enabling education are critical at the intrapandemic and post-pandemic times, when traditional teaching methodologies are in flux. Practitioner Notes 1. Educators faced a range of personal and professional challenges during the COVID-19 lockdown with the shift to bichronous online education. Despite the differences between face-to-face and online classroom methods of socialisation, educators found ways to promote belonging in the online classroom. 2. Using the Pedagogy of Care framework, the notion of a caring pedagogy was evident in the educator's praxis and is instrumental in cultivating a sense of belonging within the higher education space. 3. Care as recognition - Student's need to be 'seen' as individuals with unique characteristics. Through educators sharing vicarious experiences (which may require educator vulnerability), it helps the students to identify with the lecturer and build trust in them. In an online environment, it is important to use their name and ask how they are going so they feel recognised amidst the sea of faces as it cultivates social identity. 4. Care as dialogic relationality - Through collegial conversations and allowing students to freely converse, educators build relationships between themselves and their students. This cultivates a 'we' mentality which implies acceptance and underpins a sense of safety, trust, and further emotional risk-taking. 5. Care as affective and embodied praxis - This is cultivated through emotional engagement by way of empathy, warmth, respect and fairness which promotes trust and cohesiveness within the classroom environment. Through promoting a sense of emotional safety, the classroom is a supportive space where students feel at ease to take risks with revealing aspects of self. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Access to secondary education for very remote Northern Territory Indigenous students is limited. Although many students attend distant boarding schools, very few stay to complete Year 12 (the final year of secondary school in Australia). Few families and communities are fully engaged in the whole transition process. This paper describes a case study of one very remote Indigenous community and its partnership with an interstate boarding College. The partnership is attributed with students from community staying to complete Year 12 and then seeking local employment pathways afterward. The study on which this paper is based, investigated how the elements within this partnership function. Using a qualitative methodology with a phenomenological design, two adults from the remote Indigenous Community and six staff from a partner boarding College were interviewed. Interviews were transcribed verbatim, thematically coded and participants were deidentified. Limitations included small sample size not completely representative of the students, families, Elders and staff from either the community or the college. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim is to present outcome and engagement data from the initial years of the implementation of a new teaching approach in entry to practice nursing and midwifery education. The Block Model (TBM) is a teaching approach that involves studying one unit of study at a time over a four-week period, as opposed to the traditional semester model. This paper presents data revealing the impact of TBM on student engagement and overall experience in entry to practice Bachelor of Nursing and Midwifery programs. The evaluation retrospectively compared key indicators pre- Block Model implementation with outcomes for nursing and midwifery students using TBM approach using standard data sets and external comparators such as the Student Experience Survey and National Employability Survey. The study presents a comparative analysis of key indicators and graduate outcomes for students. We use reportable data and two external comparators, the Student Experience Survey and the National Employability Survey, to gauge student learning and graduate employability. The evaluation was conducted in a tertiary institution in Australia with for nursing and midwifery students who completed their studies using TBM approach at the university. The implementation of TBM in nursing and midwifery programs resulted in improvements in learner engagement, retention rates and pass rates. Improvements were also noted graduate outcomes, with an increase in full-time graduate employment. The results suggest the Block Model is a promising new teaching approach in nursing and midwifery education, with potential benefits for learner engagement, retention and pass rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract School refusal (SR) can result in decreased academic achievement, impaired social connections, and family stress. Current interventions for SR include behavioral and cognitive-behavioral treatments that are not always effective. Incorporating multidisciplinary work that includes therapeutic and educational interventions may enhance outcomes for youth displaying SR. The In2School program fosters a working partnership between mental health clinicians and teachers. It was designed to meet the needs of young people missing more than 50% of school in the previous 6 weeks due to mental health disorders, including anxiety or depression. This paper reports on an action research study in which the In2School program was piloted. Over a 14-week period, therapeutic and educational interventions were integrated into the learning environment via a transitional classroom to support youths' return to school. Outcomes of this program are reported for the first cohort of 7 youth. Of these youth, 6 returned to mainstream schooling with attendance levels being maintained for 6 months after completing the intervention. Progress was observed in mental health recovery, quality of life reports, increased social interactions with peers, and positive experiences at school. The preliminary results presented in this paper suggest that a multidisciplinary, home-school-clinic intervention holds promise for helping school-refusing youth to return to school. Highlights • School refusal is a complex issue which requires multidisciplinary approaches. • Wraparound models of care may address the complex range of factors linked to school refusal. • In2School is a wraparound model involving mental health and education staff in a 'transitional' classroom. • Improved school attendance, mental health and quality of life suggest In2School is a promising model of care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Design thinking – as a problem-solving approach – has been taught in informal and formal education settings across various disciplines globally (within both academia and industry), yet little research has focused on what level of design expertise facilitators require to educate non-design students. This paper analyses two informal immersive learning experience case studies from Australia and the Netherlands to explore the role of the facilitator in the teaching of design thinking to non-designers. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to explore the level of design expertise of the facilitator, as well as the complexity of the problem being addressed and how these impact the value of the learning experience of design thinking for a non-design audience. Fifteen (15) student group projects were observed across the two international case studies i) Brisbane, Australia ( Morehen, Wright, & Wrigley, 2013 ) and ii) Utrecht, The Netherlands ( Dijksterhuis, 2016 ) with some variances of learning experiences as well as some notable similarities. The results show in addition to design expertise levels, problem complexity impacts the facilitation of informal design thinking workshops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the implication of language and education policies for the indigenous minority populations in two contrasting multicultural and multilingual post-colonial nations, Australia and Malaysia. By comparing and contrasting ethnolinguistic and educational policies in these two diverse nations, this paper explores how indigenous minorities have been positioned within each nation's quest for meeting the challenges of becoming multilingual and multicultural nations. The authors argue that although both countries promote multicultural ideals, they fall short in their acknowledgement of the dignity of difference for their indigenous communities. The authors assert that educational and language policies for indigenous peoples must acknowledge the importance of difference and therefore include indigenous cultural ways of knowing, being, and doing to achieve successful educational outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports how ‘invented tradition’ [Hobsbawm, E. (2012), Introduction: Inventing traditions. In E. Hobsbawm & T. Ranger (Eds.),The invention of tradition(pp. 1–14). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press] as a long-term process has contributed to Indigenous students experiencing physical education (PE) within Eurocentric curricula that largely ignores their own culture. The study was undertaken at three high schools within the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) which come under the remit of the ACT Education and Training Directorate. Documentary evidence was the main data source and figurational sociology was used to inform the study and analyse the data. Central to figurational sociology is the notion of the figuration which refers to how individuals are located interdependently in social structures characterised by relationships of power. Historical and contemporary documents were analysed using content and thematic analysis according to the premise that the document writers are themselves included in figurations and their inclusion or presence has to be taken into account [Dolan, P. (2009), Using documents: A figurational approach. In J. Hogan, P. Dolan, & P. Donnelly (Eds.),Approaches to qualitative research: Theory and its practical application(pp. 185–208). Cork: Oak Trees Press]. The paper identifies key events and long-term processes mainly linked to Australia’s colonial past that have shaped contemporary PE curricula. Despite intent within historical PE curricula to include Indigenous perspectives in PE these have largely not translated to actual teaching. The final part of the paper suggests additional research to find ways to embed these perspectives. This is important because current curriculum requirements at a national level emphasise these perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our research investigates the developing academic identity of engineering academics within the Australasian Association for Engineering Education (AAEE) community. This paper draws on data from interviews with nine 'emerging' authors with a first degree in engineering, from three types of Australian universities where they discuss their 2012 AAEE conference paper and the peer reviews of their paper. Identity-trajectory was used to analyse interview transcripts by focussing on the various elements of this framework of academic identity development. The findings and discussion focus on those aspects of the reviews and the authors' circumstances that appear to either enable or constrain their development as engineering education researchers. The study finds that authors belonging to a discipline-based educational research group made substantial changes to their papers before final submission and we argue that these research groups support these authors in developing their academic identity as an engineering education researcher. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper utilises the national Survey of Disability Ageing and Carers to summarise the educational disadvantages and vocational inequalities for those with disabilities in Australia. Amongst persons with a disability, there is a decidedly lower rate of school completion. Distinctly fewer persons with a disability obtain degrees. Income is markedly reduced. Labour force participation is significantly lower, and the unemployment rate in 2015 was twice that of those without a disability. Alternate duties were provided in only 2% of cases and workplace accommodation made in 4% of instances. Supported employment was available in only 2.2% of cases. A disconcerting conclusion is that, over the past decade, the unemployment rate for those with a disability has been consistently higher. Suggestions are made for career development professionals to reverse some of the disadvantages reported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we report the results of a survey of financial literacy levels among Australian secondary school students. While key issues concerning financial literacy among adolescents are fairly well known, and governments see the urgency of addressing low levels of such literacy among a vulnerable cohort, less is understood about the variation of knowledge levels among young people. In this paper we identify the gap between urban and rural survey participants in respect of their financial literacy, and locate the contrasting knowledge levels in a setting that includes socio-economic status and language background. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schools in Australia are sometimes described, categorised and defined by their locations. These statistical geographical categorisations help to determine how funding is allocated. They help to determine the types of teachers that are recruited, what kinds of teachers are attracted, how they much they are paid. Geographical categories can create perceptions that sometimes end up as stereotypes in the minds of parents and students. At times remote geographical locations are associated with disadvantage. These kinds of categorisations tend to treat schools in binary terms, or on a linear continuum, which may also be associated with value judgements that can be misleading. For example, rural schools are often thought of as disadvantaged, while city schools are therefore advantaged. In this paper the authors argue that the categorisations described above are unhelpful, limiting, misrepresent and are often unwarranted. In this paper they draw from the descriptions offered by schools for the public that are presented on the My School website. They draw a line that starts in the Adelaide suburb of Paradise and runs through to the far north of South Australia. Along the line there is a mix of metropolitan, provincial and remote schools. In analysing this data from My School, they challenge the binaries and continuums associated with geographical labels and propose instead, based on geographical concepts associated with space and place, that schools could be better described in terms of socio-cultural and geographic diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper overviews the decline and revival of music education in New South Wales schools from 1920 to 1956. Commencing with a focus on vocal music during the period up to 1932, a time of decline in music teaching, the paper examines initiatives introduced in 1933 to address shortcomings in music education, and the subsequent changes in curriculum and teaching during the 1930s. Evidence of a variable revival lies in the school choral music movement of 1939 to 1956, and in how music education diversified beyond its vocal heritage from the late 1930s and early 1940s, with new emphasis on music appreciation, percussion, flutes, and recorders. By the mid 1950s, involvement in, and quality of, school instrumental music was continuously improving. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The number of Indigenous people enrolling in and completing higher education courses in the Northern Territory slowly continues to climb. Since the first policies supporting the Australian Government's self-determination policy that encompassed training of Indigenous teachers in the Northern Territory, Charles Darwin University and Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education have played vital roles in increasing opportunities for Indigenous people to participate and succeed in higher education across all industries. From a policy perspective, these institutions are responsible for implementing Indigenous higher education policies at the local level in order to ensure that practice is guided by policy. Yet, there are other factors at play when considering policy implementation. This paper will provide a historical narrative around the institutional responses to national Indigenous higher education policies and summarise how implementation has often been constrained by parallel economic and socio-political forces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current international research suggests universities providing nursing education should focus on shifting students' attitudes towards valuing clinical learning derived from aged care settings, offering support and education for aged care facility staff supervising nursing students’ learning in the aged care setting, and encouraging nursing graduates to consider pursuing careers in gerontology nursing. Against this international backdrop, one Australian School of Nursing designed a structured clinical learning experience to offer final year nursing students an opportunity to further their knowledge and understanding of the complexities of the role of the gerontology registered nurse. Additionally, this clinical learning experience included provision for nursing academics to offer support and expertise to the aged care facility staff around the role of supervising and assessing final year nursing students’ clinical learning. The aim of this paper is to present fifteen final year nursing students' and nine registered nurse supervisors’ evaluations of the gerontology clinical learning experience and the success of the learning experience towards meeting the project aims. Mostly participants reported positive experiences and agreed the experience illuminated the role of the gerontology registered nurse. Participants in this study also provided suggestions about the benefits and barriers of the clinical learning experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper begins by outlining the 'education revolution' policy direction of the Australian federal government, and the ways in which it envisages meeting its goal of having a 40% of the population between 25 and 34 with a Bachelor's degree by 2025, and ensuring that 20% of tertiary students come form LSES backgrounds. This is contrasted with the achievements of the UK government's 'Widening Participation' strategy. It then discusses the institutional and policy challenges which broad social inclusion goals generate for secondary and tertiary sectors - challenges which are likely to fundamentally reshape both sectors whilst also forcing them to become partners in a national educational mission. The article then examines a framework from the OECD designed to strengthen schools in disadvantaged areas, with disadvantaged students in order that they complete secondary schooling and proceed to tertiary education. In response to the OECD's recommendations, the paper then focuses on one example of a program in which both sectors are collaborating - for mutual benefit - to increase the numbers of LSES students aspiring to and accessing tertiary education and achieving success in tertiary studies, and makes predictions about its future success. This US initiative (AVID) has had significant success for over thirty years and is currently being trialed in a number of Australian schools and universities. It concludes by advocating that schools and universities partner more closely, and that AVID may well be a useful means of achieving this, whilst also enriching schools' cultures and facilitating greater academic success at both university and school, for disadvantaged students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although social networking sites (SNS) are increasingly popular among students, their academic application is unfolding on trial basis and best practices for integration into mainstream teaching are yet to be fully realised. More importantly, is the need to understand how these sites shape academic relations and participation of heterogeneous students, particularly in resource-constrained African environments. The speculation about meaningful educational uses of SNS possibly rests on the complexity of grasping the multiple horizontal and vertical interactions that unfold via these sites. This study examines academic relations on Facebook with a view to generating a nuanced account of how power is reinforced or disrupted in interactions mediated by Facebook. The paper analyses the Facebook wall and forum postings of 165 first year Information Systems students and employs Anderson's model of six types of interactions to explore student experiences of the enactments of social power in Facebook engagements. Issues relating to power that emerged from Facebook interactions concerned asymmetrical engagements based on gender, breaching of hierarchical boundaries, compulsive academic use of Facebook, perceptions of vertical surveillance, lecturer and student projection of themselves and impression management. The paper recommends that learning with and from Facebook demands identification of leverage points in various stages of Facebook interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The discourse of remote education is often characterised by a rhetoric of disadvantage. This is reflected in statistics that on the surface seem unambiguous in their demonstration of poor outcomes for remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. A range of data support this view, including National Assessment Program--Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) achievement data, school attendance data, Australian Bureau of Statistics Census data and other compilations such as the Productivity Commission's biennial Overcoming Disadvantage Report. These data, briefly summarised in this paper, paint a bleak picture of the state of education in remote Australia and are at least in part responsible for a number of government initiatives (state, territory and Commonwealth) designed to 'close the gap'. However, for all the rhetoric about disadvantage and the emphasis in strategic policy terms about activities designed to 'close the gap', the results of the numerous programs seem to suggest that the progress, as measured in the data, is too slow to make any significant difference to the apparent disparity between remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander schools and those in the broader community. We are left with a discourse that is replete with illustrations of poor outcomes and failures and does little to acknowledge the richness, diversity and achievement of those living in remote Australia. This paper critiques the binaries of 'disadvantage' and 'advantage' as they are articulated in policy and consequently reported in data. Its purpose is to propose alternative ways of thinking about remote educational disadvantage, based on data from a five year Cooperative Research Centre for Remote Economic Participation project. It asks, how might 'relative advantage' be defined if the ontologies, axiologies, epistemologies and cosmologies of remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families were more fully taken into account in the education system's discourse within/of remote schooling. Based on what we have termed 'red dirt thinking' it goes on to propose alternative measures of success that could be applied in remote contexts where ways of knowing, being, doing, believing and valuing often differ considerably from what the educational system imposes on it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Speech pathology assessment within cross-cultural contexts, where the assessor and client differ in their cultural backgrounds, can create many challenges for assessment usage and implementation. With Australia being home to people from many cultures, this is a particular challenge for speech pathologists working in this country. This paper outlines the development of an assessment specifically for Aboriginal children living in a discrete region of the Kimberley in Western Australia. This assessment was developed in collaboration with local language experts as well as speech pathologists experienced in the area of assessment with Indigenous children. Nearly all parts of the assessment were administered by a local co-worker in the children's first language, Kimberley or Fitzroy Valley Kriol. The paper outlines the specific components of the assessment as well as the approaches taken to ensure fair and accurate assessment of children's communication skills. It highlights the benefits of collaborating with local co-workers and provides those working with Indigenous children in Australia with practical activities to consider. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intercultural understanding is one of the seven General Capabilities identified by the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority in the national curricular development currently underway. Conceiving languages education as 'an endeavour focused on the development of intercultural understanding' (Liddicoat & Kohler, 2012, p. 73) requires teachers to identify and challenge their own beliefs and conceptualisations of the nature of their task as educators. This paper presents the outcomes of a small-scale professional development program designed to help languages teachers engage with this re-envisioned task. The program aimed to provide an opportunity for teachers - in primary and secondary language classrooms - to critically explore the links between language and culture and how these can be translated into classroom practices to foster learners' intercultural understanding within an action research methodological framework. This paper examines the data-driven insights yielded by this program, in particular, examples of good practice as well as teachers' personal reflections, and considers them in relation to the field of languages education and teachers' professional learning. In addition, the paper identifies emerging implications for current policies supporting the development of intercultural understanding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper draws on concepts from contemporary education policy sociology to explore the prospective interpretation, contextualisation and enactment of Health and Physical Education in the Australian Curriculum. Analysis examines the dynamic between characteristics of official texts and the contexts in which responses will be made. The paper identifies the consultation draft curriculum as highly flexible, such that multiple aspects of past and current policy contexts can be expected to strongly frame its reading and enactment. Exploration of contexts points to the critical role that policy actors, agencies and artefacts will all play in determining the ways in which the new curriculum will be expressed and experienced in schools across Australia. Discussion raises issues for Health and Physical Education teachers, teacher educators and members of professional associations to consider in looking forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increasing risk of mass casualty incidents from extreme climate events, global terrorism, pandemics and nuclear incidents, it's important to prepare nurses with skills and knowledge necessary to manage such incidents. There are very few documented accounts of the inclusion of mass casualty education within undergraduate nursing programs. This paper is the first to describe undergraduate mass casualty nursing education in Australia. A final year Bachelor of Nursing undergraduate subject was developed. The subject focused on initial treatment and stabilisation of casualties predominantly within pre-hospital environments, and included a capstone inter-professional mass casualty simulation. Students experience of the subject was evaluated using the Satisfaction with Simulation Experience Scale (Levett-Jones et al., 2011) and a subject evaluation survey. Student satisfaction and evaluations were extremely positive. As a tool for developing clinical skills, 93% (n = 43) agreed that the simulation developed their clinical reasoning and decision making skills. In particular, the simulation enabled students to apply what they had learned (77%, n = 35, strongly agree). Due to the frequency of mass casualty events worldwide, there is a need for educational exposure in undergraduate nursing curricula. We believe that this mass casualty education could be used as a template for development in nursing curricula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nurse Practitioners (NPs) receive core clinical training at master’s level, with their employer providing the opportunity to upskill in clinical and procedural competencies. It is increasingly recognised that this generic education requires supplementary training for operating effectively within a specific clinical environment. In this paper we describe a pilot program designed to train Australian NP Candidates to work effectively within the Emergency Department Fast Track model of care. The training program consisted of a 12-month period: four hours in-house training per week over two semesters, running concurrently with the NP candidate’s University semesters, and 3 months’ clinical practice to consolidate. The training team defined milestones for Semesters one and two, and developed a case review form to assess application of the candidate’s knowledge in new clinical situations, as well as check for gaps in understanding. A clinical skills guide was developed for the candidate to work toward, and a comprehensive assessment was carried out at two time points in the training program. Feedback was obtained from the mentors and the candidate at the end point of the training program, and has been used to refine the program for 2017. This in-house training program provided specialised, evidence-based training for the emergency department environment, resulting in development of the nurse practitioner candidate as a high functioning team member. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preparing a person-centred nursing workforce to work in diverse settings is a global health priority. Nursing students' first placement experience is a key transitional moment that shapes professional understanding and motivation to become a nurse. This paper reports the outcomes of combining flipped and simulated learning to enhance nursing students' understanding of person-centred care, the professional nursing role and preparation for placement. The study design was exploratory, the setting, an undergraduate nursing program in an Australian University. Participants included first year nursing students, academic tutors and clinical facilitators. Data collected via survey, semistructured interviews and focus group discussion were analysed descriptively and thematically. Over 90% of students surveyed considered the unit structure, content and resources prepared them well for placement. Pre-class preparation and simulated tutorial activities facilitated student engagement and knowledge translation. Students, tutors and clinical facilitators valued the person-centred approach. Tutors considered the unit materials and focus enhanced students' professional understanding. Clinical facilitators deemed students well-prepared for placement. These results from multiple perspectives, though limited, support combining the flipped classroom and person-centred simulation in nursing education as a strategy to prepare students for clinical placement, translate person-centred values into practice and promote professional understanding and role socialisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A quality education is a basic societal right. Yet for many Aboriginal students that right is not yet a reality. This paper focuses on the situation of Aboriginal/palawa school students in Tasmania and employs a quantitative methodology to examine the comparative educational achievements of Aboriginal school students. State level Grade 3, 5, 7 and 9 numeracy and reading test results from the National Assessment Program of Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) 2008 - 2016 support the analysis. Results indicate that Aboriginal students remain more likely to be at or below minimum literacy and numeracy standards than their non-Aboriginal counterparts. It is also found that Aboriginal students' academic achievement declines as they move through the schooling system. Further, Aboriginal students are less likely to partake in NAPLAN due to higher absenteeism on test days. These results are discussed in the context of education policy and the broader national and international literature on factors influencing academic achievement for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander school students. Despite an increasing awareness and the development of strategic policies to address Aboriginal educational inequality, it is evident that little has changed between 2008 and 2016. It is strongly argued that Aboriginal students' underachievement is more likely tied to schooling and policy environments that do not adequately meet their needs, rather than the students themselves. As such, policies and interventions that create long term, embedded improvement of Aboriginal students' schooling experiences and the engagement of their families and communities are a prerequisite for improving Aboriginal student outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper discusses qualitative findings from an in-depth study of the school choices of 65 parents living in rural and remote areas of Tasmania and their views about the need for their children to move out of the area to pursue education at secondary and post-secondary level. A constructivist analysis of open-ended survey questions and focus group discussions formed part of a broader mixed-methods approach and probed the affective 'subtext' of instrumental survey responses. Findings contribute to our understanding of the interaction of affective, instrumental and structural factors influencing rural parents' educational decision-making in the neo-liberal policy context, especially with regard to decisions perceived by parents as 'risky' with respect to their own future employment and financial expectations. External threats to rural livelihoods, such as economic downturns and natural disasters create parents' feelings of anxiety about children's educational futures and are experienced differently by those living on farming properties or in small rural towns. Parents' perceptions of local and urban school availability, access and quality differ by locality and region. Educational outcomes reflect multidimensional structural, socio-economic and cultural constraints shaping school choice. Membership of voluntary associations, which provides supportive informational networks and develops shared social capital, appears to help parents to overcome socio-economic inequalities and improve their children's prospects of educational success. The interplay of social class, gender and place attachment is examined with reference to Bourdieu's concepts of habitus and disposition, as well as the processes by which parents try to transmit intergenerational advantage through educational choices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Government agencies worldwide continue their commitment to providing open data in order to increase transparency of education, healthcare and other public services. Focusing on open government information systems (IS) that provide performance-related data, this paper explores the ongoing tension between government’s goal of transparency and the resulting largely opaque datification effects. Our research insights are derived from an empirical longitudinal study of a controversial open government IS called My School, currently providing performance data on almost 10,000 schools in Australia. We investigate the tension between transparency intended with schools’ open performance data and datification effects they create within the education system and a broader society, through the theoretical lens of Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS). Our study reveals how the tension emerges due to unpredictable use, propagation and reinterpretation of open data by more and more users. Consequently, the original meaning of data gets distorted, as these users continue to reconstruct and reinterpret ‘data’ in their own contexts and adapt their behavior in pursuit of their strategic goals. We also identify and theorize seven datification patterns underlying the tension and the ways they produce various social consequences. Based on these research contributions we discuss important strategic implications for government decision makers and identify new opportunities for future research on open government IS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the interest content of all 1016 Australian occupations. These were classified according to vocational interests (i.e. outdoor, practical, scientific, creative, business, office, people contact, health, community, and computing), educational qualifications, and skill level, as well as in terms of the six Holland (RIASEC) types. Just over half of all occupations in Australia involve a practical interest. Creative interest was the least common occupational interest (9.2% of occupations). Some 80% of occupations covered more than one interest content, and in four instances, as many as six interests. Practical and people contact interests were negatively correlated (r = −.50). Occupational interest categories were consistent with the Holland types except that outdoor and practical interests in Australia did not correlate meaningfully with realistic. Occupational interests were related to educational requirements and skill levels. Outdoor and practical occupations were focused at the lower skill levels. Scientific and computing included the highest skill levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bullying in health workplaces has a negative impact on nurses, their families, multidisciplinary teams, patient care and the profession. This paper compares the experiences of Australian and UK baccalaureate nursing students in relation to bullying and harassment during clinical placement. A secondary analysis was conducted on two primary cross-sectional studies of bullying experiences of Australian and UK nursing students. Data were collected using the Student Experience of Bullying during Clinical Placement (SEBDCP) questionnaire and analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The total sample was 833 Australian and 561 UK students. Australian nursing students experienced a higher rate of bullying (50.1%) than UK students (35.5%). Students identified other nurses as the main perpetrators (Aust 53%, UK 68%), although patients were the main source of physical acts of bullying. Few bullied students chose to report the episode/s. The main reason for non-reporting was fear of being victimised. Sadly, some students felt bullying and harassment was ‘part of the job’. A culture of bullying in nursing persists internationally. Nursing students are vulnerable and can question their future in the ‘caring’ profession of nursing after experiencing and/or witnessing bullying during clinical placement. Bullying requires a zero tolerance approach. Education providers must develop clearer policies and implement procedures to protect students - the future nursing workforce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hindi, a less commonly taught language in Australian higher education, was catapulted Into the list of four strategically significant languages in the Commonwealth Government's 2012 White Paper, Australia in the Asian Century. Hindi's inclusion is, perhaps, predictable in view of the Commonwealth Government's economic and trade agendas, though the White Paper itself provides no explicit rationale for its list of 'priority Asian languages'- Chinese (Mandarin), Hindi, Indonesian and Japanese (Australia, 2012, pp. 15-16, 170). In particular, it makes no comment about the disappearance from the list of Korean, which had been thus classified under both the National Asian Languages and Studies in Australian Schools (NALSAS) Strategy and the National Asian Languages and Studies in School Program (NALSSP). The prioritisation of Hindi raises issues of ensuring the availability of a range of less commonly taught languages to meet national strategic and scholarly needs. This study reports on the availability of less commonly taught languages (LCTLs) in Australian higher education. The data for 2011 are compared with earlier surveys and we review the literature on language programs in Australia that comments on LCTLs. The strategies predominantly adopted to try and ensure the survival of endangered small candidature languages in the linguistic ecology of Australian higher education -utilising computer assisted language learning resources, online delivery and collaborative programs between institutions - are discussed, followed by a brief update on their success or lack of it. The issues relating to less commonly taught languages have not changed, yet there is merit in again raising the question of teaching them because of their importance in Australia [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on the achievement of rural and remote students in science and mathematics is located within a context of falling levels of participation in physical science and mathematics courses in Australian schools, and underrepresentation of rural students in higher education. International studies such as the Programme of International Student Assessment (PISA), have reported lower levels of mathematical and scientific literacy in Australian students from rural and remote schools (Thomson et al, 2011). The SiMERR national survey of science, mathematics and ICT education in rural and regional Australia (Lyons et al, 2006) identified factors affecting student achievement in rural and remote schools. Many of the issues faced by rural and remote students in their schools are likely to have implications on their university enrolments in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) courses. For example, rural and remote students are less likely to attend university in general than their city counterparts and higher university attrition rates have been reported for remote students nationally. This paper examines the responses of a sample of rural/remote Australian first year STEM students at Australian universities to two questions. These related to their intentions to complete the course; and whether -and if so, why- they had ever considered withdrawing from their course. Results indicated that rural students who were still in their course by the end of first year were no more or less likely to consider withdrawing than were their peers from more populous centres. However, almost 20% of the rural cohort had considered withdrawing at some stage in their course, and their explanations provide insights into the reasoning of those who may not persist with their courses at university. These results, in the context of the greater attrition rate of remote students from university, point to the need to identify factors that positively impact on rural and remote students' interest and achievement in science and mathematics. It also highlights a need for future research into the particular issues remote students may face in deciding whether or not to do science at the two key transition points of senior school and university/TAFE studies, and whether or not to persist in their tertiary studies. This paper is positioned at the intersection of two problems in Australian education. The first is a context of falling levels of participation in physical science and mathematics courses in Australian universities. The second is persistent inequitable access to, and retention in, tertiary education for students from rural and remote areas. Despite considerable research attention to both of these areas over recent years these problems have thus far proved to be intractable. This paper therefore aims to briefly review the relevant Australian literature pertaining to these issues; that is, declining STEM enrolments, and the underrepresentation and retention of rural/remote students in higher education. Given the related problems in these two overlapping domains, we then explore the views of first year rural students enrolled in STEM courses, in relation to their intentions of withdrawing (or not) and the associated reasons for their views. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teachers in rural schools are often caught in a binary between a curriculum and 'official' pedagogies that value cosmopolitan ways of being and their own situated concerns for the interests of the students they teach and the communities in which they live. In this paper I draw on the example of two categories of (history) teachers, those who locate their practice in place and those who value a more bureaucratic approach to their work, in order to explore the question of an authentic rural curriculum (and pedagogy). The paper draws upon a series of semi-structured in-depth interviews with newly appointed teachers in rural school, experienced rural teachers and experts with systemic responsibilities or experience related to quality education in general. On a number of key issues of curriculum and pedagogy the data gathered grouped around two distinct views; that rural schools are different and that teachers need to be prepared for this difference and recognize it in their curriculum, or that all schools are the same regardless of location and what matters is the quality of the teaching. As a result of this study I suggest that teachers who reinterpret the curriculum and situate their pedagogy in the places they work are better placed to meet the educational needs of their students and their own professional goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monash University (Gippsland campus) is situated in Churchill, Latrobe Valley, located in central Gippsland, eastern Victoria. A large percentage of the Gippsland region comprises of a socio-economically disadvantaged population (Figure 1). In Semester One, 2011 as part of the Bachelor of Primary Education course at Monash, it was decided that a pathway be created to achieve these national ideals and goals through the implementation of swimming and water safety education in Primary schools. Swimming and water safety education represents the specific curriculum to be implemented in rural schools, it is representative of any aspect of the curriculum to be delivered. This paper comprises a narrative memoir by the author of his involvement in the pathway and subsequently the paper sheds light on the barriers, benefits and strategies for implementing such policies in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the pedagogical beliefs of practicing teachers in two countries--Indonesia and Australia. It investigates what teachers deem to be important in planning and implementing teaching for effective student experiences in the classroom. Pedagogical beliefs are directly related to teachers' decision-making in planning and implementing their teaching; thus, they are directly relevant to attempts to understand and reform practice. In this study, pedagogical beliefs are constructed along the dimensions of Productive Pedagogy, a teaching framework developed in Australia and is increasingly used as research and professional development tool in a variety of educational settings. This paper argues that the main benefit of this type of research is not the measurement of teachers' beliefs but the potential of leading to action to improve teaching. It is hoped that further research might not only look at measuring beliefs but understanding of the contextual factors that give rise to these and to conduct interventions to change these towards improving practice. This study points to the observation that a universal program that is designed to reform teachers' beliefs and actions in teaching cannot be one-size-fits-all. It has to take local conditions into account. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research indicates that enrolments in separate special educational settings for students with disruptive behaviour have increased in a number of educational jurisdictions internationally. Recent analysis of school enrolment data has identified a similar increase in the New South Wales (NSW) government school sector; however, questions have been raised as to their use and effectiveness. To situate the NSW experiment with behaviour schools in a broader context, the paper begins with a review of the international research literature. This is followed by a discussion of the NSW experience with the aim of identifying parallels and gaps in the research. The paper concludes by outlining important questions and directions for research to better understand and improve the educational experiences and outcomes of disruptive disaffected students in Australia's largest school system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper I use a story to introduce the idea of stories in adult educational practice. Telling stories seems to be as old as human culture. MacIntyre referred to humans as 'story-telling animals' (1981: 201). The secret is the ways in which this storytelling capacity can be used in a holistic humanistic pedagogy. Education, the process of assisting others to learn, can be pursued by seeking to pass on information (propositional pedagogy); by showing how to do something (skilling pedagogy) and by inviting learners to become different (transformative pedagogy). Many actual educational exchanges involve learners in more than one kind of learning where the educational event has elements of information and skills transfer, often combined at least tacitly with an invitation to become different. In this paper I suggest that the telling of stories that capture the imagination and move the heart is a powerful pedagogy in inviting learning not so much to do with gaining new information, although this can often happen, nor transferring skills, which again can also occur, but with a deeper transformative form of learning, which is really more about learners changing their identity, their way of seeing and acting upon the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers the experience of a small group of young adults who were born in Africa, entered Australia under the humanitarian entry program, and are enrolled in tertiary education. It investigates the expectations and experiences of these students and the associated teaching staff at a South Australian university. This body of students comprises a diverse group of individuals, and their educational success is equally varied. In focus groups many of the students revealed a range of pressures such as challenges adapting to new educational contexts, high community expectations, and difficult home environments for study. Students recounted a mixed educational experience with staff as they interfaced with practical issues of seeking academic support, accessing study materials, and studying in another language. Perhaps reflecting the determination and self-reliance that has brought them to this point, they primarily speak of academic success as their own responsibility, as well as their best support being other students from the same background. An awareness of, and a response to, these issues may help to ease refugee students This paper considers the experience of a small group of young adults who were born in Africa, entered Australia under the humanitarian entry program, and are enrolled in tertiary education. It investigates the expectations and experiences of these students and the associated teaching staff at a South Australian university. This body of students comprises a diverse group of individuals, and their educational success is equally varied. In focus groups many of the students revealed a range of pressures such as challenges adapting to new educational contexts, high community expectations, and difficult home environments for study. Students recounted a mixed educational experience with staff as they interfaced with practical issues of seeking academic support, accessing study materials, and studying in another language. Perhaps reflecting the determination and self-reliance that has brought them to this point, they primarily speak of academic success as their own responsibility, as well as their best support being other students from the same background. An awareness of, and a response to, these issues may help to ease refugee students' transition to tertiary study. transition to tertiary study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The overarching aim of this paper is to 'talk up' learning in the Australian neighbourhood centre sector, realising this aim is premised on a need to understand neighbourhood centres themselves. Hence, the paper tentatively offers a mapping of the sector by first asking: 'What is a neighbourhood centre?'. Next, the paper provides an introductory scoping of learning in centres in an effort to invite further consideration. Two important conclusions are made. The first is that centres' capacity for continual re-shaping, while retaining some very particular values, marks them in ways that differ from organisations for which adult education is the primary purpose. The second is that the range of learning possibilities in centres is far-reaching, and makes significant and valuable contributions to individuals and communities, and ultimately to the Australian nation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a 'just-in-time' engagement framework for a high quality first year experience ('FYE'). The concept 'just-in-time' refers to a student-centered timeline for a managed learning environment based on the week-to-week experiences faced by a first year student in an Australian University semester. The engagement framework detailed in this paper consists of a series of teaching strategies embedded as part of a designed, integrated and co-ordinated first year program, expanding on the transition blueprint of Nelson, Kift, Humphreys & Harper (2006), working within a transition pedagogy (Kift, 2008) and implementing an institutional-wide program of collaborative engagement. This paper discusses the application of this framework to a first year foundational unit in the Bachelor of Laws degree at Deakin University, Victoria, Australia, implemented as part of an embedded institutional-wide transition program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conduct of fieldwork and preparation of a written report for school-based assessment will become compulsory in the upcoming Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education examination in Geography from 2014 onwards. It is hoped that students will in due course become more independent and inquiry-oriented learners and that the validity of assessment can be enhanced by grading against prescribed criteria. The types of fieldwork commonly used in teaching the subject, their merits and shortcomings, and the adequacy of the assessment measures for the achievement of intended objectives, are analysed first in this light. Implementation problems are examined next together with suggestions for improving the assessment and learning process. Noting the value of assessing student performance in fieldwork and developing effective criteria for this purpose, the conclusion is that a global approach of enhancing teacher reconceptualisation of teaching and learning and student participation in decision-making should be adopted if this major curriculum change is to succeed as planned. The use of school-based assessments (SBA) in public examinations is an increasingly popular development worldwide. The Diploma Programme examination of the International Baccalaureate Organisation (2004) for instance has been allocating 20% to 50% of the marks to SBA in all subjects since 1968. External examinations in Australia are widely accompanied by teacher assessments; in Queensland and the Australian Capital Territory they have even been completely replaced by SBA (Baumgart and Low, 1990). In England and Wales, SBA, under the name of teacher assessment was introduced to the General Certificate of Secondary Education examination (Gipps and Stobart, 1997) which was first implemented in 1986. Hong Kong, a former British colony returned to Chinese sovereignty in 1997, is following these examples by incorporating SBA into all subjects (except Mathematics) in the new Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE) examination, which is to be taken by students from 2012 onwards after three years of junior secondary and three years of New Senior Secondary (NSS) studies, replacing the long-established five-year secondary and two-year Advanced Level system. The express purpose is to enhance the validity and reliability of assessment and redress the problems brought by the concentration of public examination papers on the more measurable and concrete cognitive objectives of academic subjects at the expense of authentic abilities and other less tangible learning outcomes (Education and Manpower Bureau, 2005).School-based assessments for DSE Geography, to be compulsory from 2014, will be based entirely on the reports completed by students after conducting their own independent field inquiry. A teacher survey (Hong Kong Geographical Association, 2004) and the related consultations revealed concerns about the fairness, manageability and impact of the arrangements. This paper attempts to examine the nature of fieldwork inquiry and its usefulness as SBA. Problems are discussed in view of teacher concerns, and improvements are suggested for assessment changes so that students can benefit from their inquiries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper offers a descriptive account of the development, operation and management of the youth media program YouthWorx Media that engages disadvantaged young people in media creation. Through the combined perspectives of the project manager and researcher working on the project, we reflect on the actual, on-the-ground practices. A provision of intermediary pathways for reconnection with education and employment via media training for Melbourne 'youth at risk' is the key objective of the project, against which the project's 'real world' social outcomes are being documented and measured. However, we recognise also the 'messiness' of the program's delivery process, and its uneasy documentation through ethnographic research. The implementation of projects like YouthWorx involves a series of calculated strategic decisions informed by a set of shared values and underlying philosophies (e.g., a pedagogy of working with 'youth at risk' via media presented here), but also--and equally important-- numerous ad hoc responses to 'real' situations at hand. This paper emphasises then an inherent process of translation of the project's original conceptions or ideas, constantly tested and re-visited, into on-the-ground educational and media activities. It underscores a value of exploring connections between theory/philosophies and practice, social work and academic research, hoping to contribute to a wider discussion of the role of community media/arts initiatives in stimulating positive social change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Higher Education Contribution Scheme (HECS) has been advanced as having many desirable properties. These have been discussed largely from the theoretical perspective, and with the individual rather than the family as the reference point. This paper explores whether HECS is working the way it was intended. Is it having undesirable or unanticipated consequences? The paper also canvasses the informational requirements for a more fully informed debate on the economic and social impacts of HECS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper revisits a successful short-course in academic literacy that was conducted for 50 "disadvantaged" students enrolled in the first year of an education degree at an Australian regional university (see Hirst, Henderson, Allan, Bode & Kocatepe, 2004). Based on a sociocultural approach to learning and drawing on a conceptualisation of tertiary literacy as a social practice, the short-course disrupted deficit views of individual students and worked to help students expand their literate repertoires. However, recent discussions about learning have helped to problematise academic literacy and its place within an increasingly plural, multicultural, multilingual and textually multimodal society (Gee, 2003, 2004; Kalantzis & Cope, 2004; The New London Group, 1996). Rather than accepting academic literacy as the metaphoric opening of a "significant gate to economic success and sociopolitical power" (Gee, 2004, p. 91), recent views suggest that a homogenisation is at work and that courses in academic literacy serve to enculturate students into particular -- and possibly outdated -- social and literacy practices. Gee (2004), for example, argues that academic language represents a family of "old literacies" and that the take-up of language "once thought to be central to what counted as a 'schooled' and 'intelligent' person is now at best a necessary, but not sufficient condition for success in society" (p. 94). Drawing on Gee's (2003, 2004, 2005) discussions of learning principles in multi-mediated contexts, and his preference for the notion of affinity spaces over communities of practice, this paper reframes academic literacy, then considers whether the short-course described above -- which was judged as successful -- has the potential to work with the increasing diversity of tertiary students' learning and life experiences as well as to prepare them for successful participation in tertiary education contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The issue of quality surfaced recently with increasing reports of Australian offshore education programs compromising quality to chase the international student dollar. This paper highlights the complexities involved in the study of quality assurance (QA) in a growing offshore market and the importance of investigating the dynamics of QA from a perspective that includes the offshore partners and their implementation processes. Establishing sound QA mechanisms safeguards the quality of programs delivered offshore. This is vital to improving Australia's position as a major exporter of education in this global market. The purpose of this paper is to examine the complexities of quality, QA and the vast number of stakeholders in offshore education, specifically when programs are offered through partnership with a private institution. This paper proposes three new theoretical frameworks to assist in the systematic study of this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the use of several quantitative analytic methods, including Rasch analysis, to re-examine teacher responses to questionnaire items probing opinions related to the compulsory numeracy tests conducted in Years 3, 5, and 7 in Queensland, Australia. Nisbet and Grimbeek (2004) previously reported an interpretable and statistically acceptable 6-factor exploratory factor solution. The present paper improved on this outcome by utilising Rasch analysis to identify items with orderly sequences of scores across response categories, and to subject these to fresh exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. The resulting 3-factor scale proved acceptable in terms of exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis as well as in terms of Rasch item analysis. The paper briefly discusses the implications of these outcomes in relation to the refined instrument's capacity to gather information about how teachers view the Queensland numeracy reporting system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For some time, popular and academic debate has existed in Australia as to the extent to which the nation should engage with the countries of Asia. Various State, Territory and Federal governments have established programs and funding support systems to facilitate engagement with Asia by providing related education to students. Several Australian universities conduct preservice and inservice programs for teachers, to support the delivery of studies of Asia in schools. This paper reports on one such initiative at a university in Sydney. Students are selected on a competitive basis and sponsored by the New South Wales Department of Education and Training. A condition of acceptance into the program is demonstration of engagement with studies of Asia at the candidate's school. Several criteria are used in this determination, such as previous participation in an AEF in-country study tour, attendance at professional development sessions, conferences and the like. The course is designed to enhance students' knowledge and understandings of Asia, examine and challenge their values, and develop their skills both in the delivery of teaching studies of Asia, and in being effective change agents in their schools. This paper reports on outcomes in two schools, one suburban and one rural, whose principals completed the course. The findings have implications for all Asia educators, and many of the outcomes may be applicable to other curricular reforms. While positive outcomes were achieved in both schools, it may be that the Graduate Certificate course adopted a one-size-fits-all approach, with insufficient regard for the needs of rural and isolated schools. The purpose of this paper is to stimulate debate on the provision of appropriate inservicing in Asia education, especially for teachers outside capital cities. The word itadakimasu in the title is a transliteration of a Japanese term inviting someone to eat, similar to the French borrowing bon appétit used in English, the assertion being that some people have greater access to the banquet than others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The training of teachers of gifted students is necessary for students to be afforded the most suitable forms of education in both mainstream and specialist classes. This paper examines the training of teachers in gifted education in Australia in light of the political structure of the country which impacts upon the options for learning for gifted students. Within the Commonwealth of Australia there are three levels of government which all have different responsibilities for the training of teachers and the education of students. The tertiary sector is governed by the Federal Government whilst the primary and secondary sectors are governed by the State/Territory Governments. This structure creates difficulties for the training of teachers of gifted students in particular that the state and territory teachers are not required to have formal qualifications in gifted education to be a teacher of gifted students despite gifted education being an educational priority. This paper examines the limited number of courses available to teachers on gifted education and the level they are taught. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

University students engaging in study abroad experiences represent a significant and increasing population that has a large impact on the economies of destination universities and countries. This paper assesses the extent to which these students engage in sightseeing as a travel behaviour during their international studies and positions this behaviour within a broad leisure context. The paper is based on a study of the leisure behaviour of Asian students enrolled at The University of queensland, Australia. The data was collected via a questionnaire that was distributed via a hybrid convenience and snowball sampling framework to 171 international students during September/October, 2002. The results of this study show that sightseeing is an important component of the study abroad experiences of Asian international students in Australia. The results suggest that within university campuses the tourism industry could benefit by moving away from primarily catering to the international travel needs of domestic students to also serves the domestic travel desires of international students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Throughout Australia and North America gifted indigenous/minority students are under-represented in gifted programs. There is a paucity of research in this area, particularly in Australia. What research has been conducted confirms that globally, attitudes towards the identification of Indigenous and minority students need to be further challenged. Overall a more concerted effort is required by all educational systems in having practitioners understand the needs of the gifted and the identification and significant features of culturally inclusive provision. A Churchill Fellowship study, undertaken by the author of this paper, has revealed that a transformative agenda for meeting the needs of the gifted indigenous student is required. Some successful practice both in America and Australia provide a foundation for this transformative agenda. The Moorditji Kulungar ('bright children') program in Western Australia, which is outlined in this paper, is a start. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]