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This paper explores international students' engagement with educational technology for self-regulated English learning at an Australian university. Despite the increased use of automated feedback systems (AFSs) for language assessment, students' critical engagement with them for independent learning remains under-researched. The study primarily employed a qualitative approach to understand the students' preferred AFS tools and critical engagement throughout their personalised learning journeys but it also included a small-scale quantitative component. Data were gathered from seven students' e-portfolios, focus group interviews as well as a survey among 32 participants. Results highlight positive perceptions and successful use of AFSs, with students leveraging these tools to identify improvement areas, track progress and gain confidence. The study emphasises the importance of course structure, teacher guidance and a combination of human and automated feedback, in fostering learner autonomy and emotional self-regulation. The paper underscores the potential for sustained use of AFSs beyond the cours, and the significance of guiding learners to critically use these tools for ongoing learning and growth rather than dependence. These findings have significant implications, as readily available artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT hold great pedagogical potential for self-regulated learning within and beyond the language learning field.

Understanding young children's attitudes towards mathematics provides insights into their lived mathematical experiences. It has long been recognized that attitudes towards mathematics have a profound influence on mathematical achievement. Despite the considerable amount of research into students' attitudes toward mathematics, limited research has been conducted into "young children's" attitudes toward mathematics. Using the modified Three-dimensional Model of Attitude affords the opportunity to describe children's attitudes more comprehensively, moving beyond the emotional dichotomy. This paper reports research conducted with Australian children aged between seven and eight years of age (N=106) using children's drawings, written descriptions, and interview responses. The three data sources resulted in rich narratives providing young children with multiple opportunities to voice what is important to them and their learning. Analysis indicated a range of attitudes, including negative attitudes towards mathematics. Further, a child who has a narrow vision of mathematics impacts their overall Attitude towards the subject.

Purpose: Globally, countries with both developed and developing economies are struggling to secure sufficient participation in vocational education to generate the range and quantum of skills required for their communities and realising national social and economic goals. In an era of high aspiration, vocational education and the occupations it serves are increasingly seen as being a less than desirable outcome by young people and their parents. Hence, there is a need to identify means by which to inform and engage young people in considering vocational education and the occupations it serves. The case study discussed in this paper is contextualised within the Australian state of Queensland, which, like many other countries is struggling to have a workforce sufficient to meet communities' healthcare needs as its population both grows and ages. Methods: The study data were collected from 1) interviews with healthcare-related stakeholders including health industry representatives, teachers or practitioners, and healthcare providers, 2) focus groups with senior secondary students, and 3) surveys with these participant groups. It provides a descriptive analysis of efforts to secure greater participation by young people in allied health roles, and, in particular, young Australian Indigenous people. Findings: The study participants included those from regional and metropolitan centres and from state and independent schools, and in all of which the focus on engagement was central. Findings indicated that engagement was necessary to advise young people about these occupations, the effective preparation for them, and likely retention in the workforce. Conclusion: This study highlights the need for intentional strategies to engage young people, their parents/guardians and with those efforts likely needing to be organised and enacted at the local level. This requires collaboration and engagement from education, industry, and local communities. Essentially, a systemic approach is required, specifying roles for government, employers, educational systems, and teachers and parents who engage directly with young people. In all, engagement, advice and opportunities locally are all emphasised in the study reported here.

Chinese students studying abroad have been increasing rapidly in the past decades and become a significant financial contribution to receiving countries. Accordingly, understanding their enrollment choice is essential to facilitate college marketing and admission strategies. Though the decision process is believed to be different from domestic students, empirical analysis of Chinese students' enrollment choices is still lacking. This paper fills the void by examining the influential factors of Chinese students' enrollment choice with novel student-level data. We find that in addition to factors domestic students typically consider, such as financial aid and academic quality, Chinese students particularly emphasize college ranking, reputation, and location in their decision process. Furthermore, unlike domestic students who usually prefer colleges with proximity to home, Chinese students' location preference is linked to job prosperity. We also find that the impact of the factors varies for students from different regions of China, which can be attributable to uneven economic development within the country.

The Partners in Literacy and Numeracy Western Australia (PLaN WA) program was implemented within a School of Education to complement initial teacher education offerings. In forming a mutually beneficial service-learning program, schools received support from pre-service teachers to assist both primary and secondary students with their literacy and or numeracy. This paper presents findings from two focus group interviews and pre- (n = 130) and post-surveys (n =54) continuously since the program's instigation in 2019. The pre-service teachers benefited from the low stakes, voluntary, non-assessed experiences. They claimed they moved towards being more confident in achieving the graduate career stage of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. While we anticipated pre-service teachers would gain more confidence in their own literacy and/or numeracy and in teaching aspects of these, instead, pre-service teachers gained overall confidence to teach from program participation.

Relationships between students and external partners in work-integrated learning can vary and power dynamics, hierarchies and student agency have been under explored in research to date. Integrated research involving workintegrated learning, students as partners and transdisciplinarity presents an opportunity to enrich each of these fields. This paper presents the results of a case study of transdisciplinary project-based work-integrated learning in Australia. Our results highlight that reciprocity and the valuing of student knowledge are key elements in breaking down traditional power dynamics and enabling student agency, in line with the transdisciplinary principle of mutual learning. Participants who valued these elements in their relationship were less likely to frame the relationship in hierarchical terms and were more open to learning from one another. By empowering students to draw on their expertise and reframe challenges while also preparing partners for this kind of relationship, all parties can be positioned as learners within work-integrated learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study utilised students' online engagement, digital technology attitude, digital literacy, and self-efficacy theories to develop and test a model connecting these factors within a regional university in Australia. A field survey collected data from 110 first-year students. AMOS 28 was employed for measurement and structural model path analysis. The study initially examined the impact of students' attitudes and digital literacy on their self-efficacy. Subsequently, the effects of self-efficacy on five dimensions of online engagement were assessed: social, collaborative, cognitive, behavioural, and emotional. The findings indicated that positive student attitudes and digital literacy significantly contributed to self-efficacy, which, in turn, positively affected the engagement dimensions. This suggests that when designing and facilitating online, blended, or technology-enhanced courses in higher education, educators should pay attention to various elements of engagement. The study highlights the importance of considering students' attitudes and digital literacy in fostering self-efficacy and enhancing online learning engagements. Further research and implications for future studies are also recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The work readiness of property graduates is the subject of global discourse and is an increasingly critical gap as employers demand professionals with competencies in their fundamental roles and digital technologies. Although these issues have been explored from the perspectives of students, graduates, and employers, the insights of property academics remain unexplored. As such, this study delved into the challenges encountered by property academics in Australia concerning the training of property graduates for the digital age, as well as the efficacy of strategies used to achieve this. The opinions of 22 property academics were gathered through an online questionnaire survey and analysed through mean scores, relative importance index (RII), and exploratory factor analysis (EFA). The profile of respondents suggests that approximately half of them have no more than five years of industry experience, and only 54.5% currently engage with the industry. The most significant challenges include limited funding to procure bespoke software and insufficient time to achieve digital competency. Furthermore, academics cited limited support from the universities as a key challenge, but rated curriculum rigidity as non-pertinent. Regarding strategies, retraining academics for digital proficiency, increased technical support from universities, adopting active learning, and revising curricula to incorporate digital technology are critical. Collaboration with industry partners and increased funding for software procurement also emerged as key external factors. Variations in these perceptions also suggest that older academics are less receptive towards retraining, academics with more industry experience believe that a restructuring of the curricula is required, and smaller institutions require more funding and industry support. The core themes of the proposed strategies also indicate that holistic curricula integration is required to incorporate the perspectives of all stakeholders. Practically, these findings underscore the pivotal role of academics in bridging the skills gap and the interconnected roles of graduates, universities, and industry partners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Work-integrated learning experiences of LGBTQIA+ students are rarely considered, with no specific consideration of paramedic students in this context. Students’ perceptions of WIL and the challenges associated with navigating the off-campus clinical setting have highlighted the need for a sense of belongingness, safety and security, and a healthy self-concept. The present study piloted a 37-question online survey with participants from six paramedic programs from metropolitan and regional Australian universities in 2021. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 participants from three universities, with participants selected from both metropolitan and regional universities. A mixed method approach was used to guide the data collection and analysis. Data were interpreted to suggest that paramedic students are unlikely to be open about their gender identity and/or sexual orientation with WIL staff for fear of discrimination. Study limitations and directions for future research are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Work-integrated learning (WIL) placements seek to improve employability for all, but increasing evidence suggests equity groups see significant barriers in accessing WIL, in part due to existing barriers to work and study. This project sought to investigate the experiences of students with disabilities in engineering and IT WIL through a participatory research approach. Students with disabilities were invited to join a series of workshops to investigate WIL experiences through shared reflection and critique. The group was led through a Design Thinking process using numerous tools including empathy mapping, journey mapping, and yarning, to help elicit and frame the experiences. Participants identified significant discrimination and a lack of connection, community, and support as key issues. To address these, participants recommended developing community and connection among students, providing workshops on employment tailored for disability, greater support from universities, and greater training for university and industry staff on accessibility, inclusion, and legal requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inclusive work-integrated learning (WIL) requires collaboration between universities, host organizations and students, particularly, when designing and delivering WIL for students with disabilities. Host organizations, however, are not often included in the collaborations. This study explored host organization knowledge, capacity and challenges to providing WIL experiences for students with disability. A case study multi-method approach comprising an online survey and focus groups was undertaken. Host organizations, represented by supervisors, providing WIL to students enrolled in health courses at two Australian higher education institutions participated. The perceived need for student disclosure, office building limitations, and host organization limited knowledge of WIL expectations, training and student needs impeded the development and provision of optimal WIL experiences for students with disability. A strengths-based approach is proposed to improve the inclusion of host organizations in stakeholder collaborations, their capacity and confidence to support students with disability on WIL and to provide relatable student WIL experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]