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Using the qualitative research method known as folknography, the authors led a research team to the heart of Illinois farm country to ask the question "What are the perceptions of the people of the Midwest concerning math and math education?" A review of the literature includes Canadian and Australian references on the topic, as well as information from the United States, and the targeted geography and population is described. Research followed the pattern of a similar study conducted in Appalachia in 2004. A preliminary survey was planned to gather benchmarking statistical data and to open respondents up to the possibilities of a folknographic interview. Folknographers entered the field in May 2006 to perform focused and intensive field research. Findings include: (1) belief that young people can not perform simple math; (2) perception that too much technology has a significant and negative impact on developing minds of students; (3) connection between acquiring math knowledge and achieving a dynamic career; (4) recollections of tyrannical or cruel math teachers; (5) desire for a school or school system that makes learning math an exciting and motivating experience. Folknographic narratives are included to illustrate each finding. Bibliography is included. Four appendixes conclude the document: (1) Perceptions of Math in the Mid-West Interview Questions: Adults (18-55); (2) Perceptions of Math in the Mid-West Interview Questions: Seniors (55-Over); (3) Perceptions of Math in the Mid-West Interview Questions: Youth (Ages 10-17); and (4) Perceptions of Math Survey Mid-West. (Contains 4 charts.)

A case study in a rural Australian township attempted to determine indicators verifying the existence of social capital. Social capital is provisionally defined as the networks, norms, and trust that constitute the capacity of individuals, workplaces, groups, organizations, and communities to strive for sustainable futures in a changing socioeconomic environment. Participants in the study were chosen based on recommendations of community members on who provides them with help, advice, or information. Analysis of interviews, tape-recorded community meetings and interactions, and personal diaries identified three categories of resources that people draw on as they interact with each other: 1) knowledge resources, or the shared knowledge of community, personal, individual, and collective information; 2) identity resources, or the shared understandings of personal, individual, and collective identities; and 3) consolidated resources, the common understanding and familiarity with community assets used reciprocally for mutual benefit. A set of indicators of these resources used in "community interactive productivity" was then developed. Interactive productivity is viewed as the community learning processes by which social capital is created. The terms "community learning" and "capacity building," and the possible causal link between social capital and economic well-being are discussed. (Contains 56 references.) (TD)

This position paper discusses the role of open access research data within mathematics education, a relatively new initiative across the wider research community. International and national policy documents are explored and examples from both the scientific and social science paradigms of mathematical sciences and mathematics education respectively are provided. Within these examples, some of the more well-known concerns associated with making data open and accessible are acknowledged and debated.

Primary school teachers are the group who must alter their pedagogy to improve the literacy performance of Australian children. Statistics suggest that 70% of Australian primary school teachers are female and that 41% are 45 or older and therefore likely to retire within the next decade. This paper seeks to document histories of women primary school teachers with regards to literacy curriculum. And the paper examines the nature of the mentoring relationship between young teachers and mentors. It explains that the historical interview techniques which were developed invited teachers to historicize their literacy curriculum and teaching within the wider conditions of their labor as women teachers during different phases of their teaching careers; four extended interviews were conducted in South Australia. The paper adds that the cross generational interview techniques were conducted in Melbourne by inviting four early career literacy teachers to access stories of older literacy teachers' work. The paper aims to give a sense of the data and themes emerging from the study at this point, but it mostly focuses on questions of method--on the experimentation with and analysis of two different methods of interviewing to examine their effectiveness--the work they accomplished and the quality of the data elicited. Includes 30 interview texts. Contains 11 references. (NKA)

In 1993 in Australia, a 7-year qualitative, longitudinal study called the 12 to 18 Project was begun to study young people and the development of their gendered identity, as well as schooling's contribution to social inequalities. This paper considers in what sense "class" is a useful concept in pursuing the questions the study started with, and in the design, methodology, interpretation, and reporting of such a study. The paper presents a historical overview of the idea of "social class," describes the 12 to 18 Project, and delineates some of the interviews with the Project's participants. It suggests some of the questions the researchers found interesting both about young people in school today and what is happening to them, and about literature on class and where its contribution and problems lie. (Contains 6 notes and 20 references.) (BT)

This paper examines young peoples' ideas and their dreams of the future. It is part of a longitudinal study in which students at four schools in Australia were interviewed twice a year during their time in secondary school. The paper claims that this long-term engagement with individuals heightened specificity of the dreams, though it was difficult to interpret this specificity in interactions with more general processes. The study draws attention to the types of questions researchers ask and self-reflectively questions how the research affects the students in the study, and whether the young people were making reflexive judgments about themselves and about the researchers. The first section of the report considers three male students of non-English backgrounds and illustrates the problem with "data-base" type representations of ethnicity as a single construct of advantage or disadvantage, as well as some issues relating to how the study may affect the students in it. The second section explores girls' aspirations and discusses findings from the study. The article examines the different influences of ethnicity among the students and the ways in which cultural change, educational reform, and gendered psychology may be producing certain orientations to the future in early adolescent middle-class girls. Contains 21 references. (RJM)

This paper evaluates the effects of using the NUDIST (Non-numerical, Unstructured Data Indexing, Searching and Theorising) computer program to organize coded, qualitative data. The use of the software is discussed within the context of the study for which it was used: an Australian study that aimed to develop a theoretical understanding of the challenge that students who fail to learn pose for neophyte teachers' images of effectiveness. The potential for interacting with the data during the process of creating and collapsing categories into more over-arching theoretical constructs is considered as it relates to NUDIST's procedural and structural influence on eventual analytical outcomes. Topics covered in the paper include: (1) the aims and processes of qualitative analysis; (2) the computer as a tool in qualitative analysis; (3) NUDIST in qualitative analysis; and (4) examples of using NUDIST to theorize in the self-image study. A description of NUDIST and a description of the study for which it was used are appended. (Contains 14 references.) (KRN)

This paper reports on a case study that was undertaken to discover not only the belief and intent behind the everyday opportunities that four exemplary teachers offered their high performing students but what activities they incorporated into their everyday lessons in an attempt to make sense of how aesthetic experiences may enhance learning. The paper explores the importance of understanding the effects of practical aesthetic experiences on learning as identified by pragmatist philosopher and educator John Dewey. It is assumed here that every classroom experience is an aesthetic experience that may be positive (i.e. educative), negative (i.e. miseducative) or benign; it will affect the students in some way. This recognition is crucial to avoid unintended miseducative practices and alternatively embrace positive aesthetic learning practices and rituals. Adopting an aesthetic pedagogy in the classroom does imply taking the "scenic route" of learning but it does not necessarily compromise or work against the current dominant practice of high-stakes testing and measured outcomes. It alternatively claims to positively enhance these compulsory and measured outcomes for students in that they can critically engage with these practices.

Web 2.0 technologies create opportunities for distance learning with particular promise for students while they are on international exchange. The current generation of students departing for study abroad is electronically literate or "digital natives", who have thoroughly integrated internet and communication technologies into their daily lives. But their modes of interacting may not be adequate to really gain all that they might learn through study abroad. Many international exchange programs, at the same time, have not kept pace and are missing significant opportunities to reinforce intercultural learning while students are sojourning abroad. This paper reports on qualitative and strategic findings from the project "Bringing the Learning Home," an Australian Learning and Teaching Council-funded pilot project to develop reflection-based curriculum for improving study abroad outcomes. In particular, we discuss qualitative findings from in-country blogging and reentry workshops using photo elicitation, reflection-based learning, and meta-cognitive teaching strategies, with intercultural skills and professionalization as primary goals. Perhaps most importantly, we found that online tools and visual literacy, with adept instruction and practice, could produce a virtual "third space" where students could better reflect on cultural differences, sharpen their own intercultural skills, and gain the metacognitive skills necessary to become life-long learners from experience. (Contains 1 footnote.)

There has been an increased emphasis on training and recruiting appropriately qualified teachers of science and mathematics (ACDS, 2002; MCEETYA, 2004; Harris, Jensz & Baldwin, 2005). There has also been concern over the age profile of the current teaching force which is generally older in comparison to other professionals and the implication that many will soon retire and the separation rates of new teachers (MCEETYA, 2004). In South Australia, this is being addressed partially through recruitment schemes for Mathematics/Science graduates particularly targeting rural and isolated schools (DECS, 2009). However at present in South Australia, there is very little research data to inform employers or teacher education institutions about the preparedness and support of early career teachers. There is also very little information available to allow tracking of graduates with respect to the contexts in which they begin their teaching career. This paper reports on a small scale project that collected data on graduate employment and the experiences of early career mathematics and science teachers (and early career teachers who are teaching in these subject areas). The lack of background research in the area meant that a mixed methods approach was used. Data was collected in two forms, via an online survey and through focus group interviews. The survey was used to collect general background information about their early teaching careers while the interviews were used to ascertain what the main issues were for them as early career teachers. The survey was made available online and advertised via the South Australian Secondary Principals email list. The target population was teachers of Science and Mathematics with less than 5 years teaching experience. This group included both teachers trained in the teaching of mathematics and science and those teachers who are not trained in these areas but still teaching them. It was important to sample both groups as there is evidence to suggest that teachers who are not specifically trained in these subjects often teach them in schools. The survey gathered important data about employment of graduates, in particular where they are employed, on what basis (temporary, part-time etc), what influenced their decision to take particular jobs, what influences their decisions to stay in the jobs or move and how are they supported. Four focus groups were conducted three with teachers who predominantly taught science and one with teachers who predominantly taught mathematics. The focus group teachers were participants of professional development activities that were run for teachers, funding was made available for country teachers to attend some of these activities in order to ensure a spread of geographic locations of the teachers. The results of the survey indicated that almost all of the respondents considered teaching as a long term (at least 10 years) if not life time career. That there was a wide range of initial support experienced by the teachers, including none, mentors, time release for professional development and smaller teaching load. Most of the teachers indicated teaching was as they expected but commented that they were not prepared for the administrative load. The focus groups raised a number of issues including teaching science and mathematics to students with low English literacy levels (in particular new arrivals), accessing of professional development (particularly country teachers), and confidence in running practical activities in particular those involving chemicals. (Contains 5 tables.) [This study was undertaken with support from SiMERR SA with funding support from the Australian Government.]

This paper reports on a qualitative research study exploring the socialisation experiences of immigrant secondary mathematics teachers practising in Australia. Teacher perception of differences in the ways their respective home and the Australian (host) cultures value aspects of mathematics teaching and learning was observed to lead to dissonance. Their negotiation about these differences highlighted the role played by personally-held values. Although each teacher participant adopts different approaches to mediate the different perceived value differences, the inclusive approaches of amalgamation and appropriation were most widely adopted. Implications towards optimising mathematics pedagogy, and towards meaningful professional support for mathematics teachers in transition, are suggested. (Contains 1 table.) [For complete proceedings, see ED496851.]

This paper aims to show how its author/researchers were brought to reconsider some of the assumptions behind a small arc project that was being conducted on the professional development of student teachers in Australia. A small group of English Method students were invited to participate in three focus group interviews: before their first teaching round; after their first round; and then after their second (and final) round. Although the composition of the group changed slightly over the year, a smaller number of students, all in the same tutorial group, attended every interview. The intention was to interview some of the supervising teachers with whom the student teachers had worked in the course of the year, but the author/researchers were unable to fully implement this plan. Later in the year, a small focus group discussion on supervision was set up, involving leading members of the Victorian Association for the Teaching of English (VATE), to compare their perspective on supervision with that of the student teachers. This small qualitative study is firmly grounded in the author/educators' work as teacher educators. By focusing on the ways in which they have been obliged to reconceptualize their research, they hope to achieve a critical perspective on their professional practice. The original research proposal is appended. (Contains 12 references.) (NKA)

Recent theory and research on motivation has shifted in its focus from a study of more general characteristics of individuals such as personal motivational goals, to an examination of the motivation of individuals within specific domains or contexts. This change in focus has led to a broadening of the methodologies used to examine motivation. Many studies now use mixed methods. Rather than relying almost exclusively on quantitative measures such as questionnaires, researchers are incorporating qualitative measures to capture the dynamic and rich nature of learning and motivation in context. This presentation will illustrate the above trend. The presenter's work in progress will be used to discuss how insights into motivation in context might be obtained using qualitative research methodologies. Participants from the domains of sport and music have been interviewed using a range of specially designed stimulus materials and tasks to gain an understanding of their experiences within these contexts. This approach elicited participants stories of their development and the people involved, as well as their perceptions of the different settings in which they play sport or music. Participants were asked to consider both positive and negative influences on motivation. Contains 40 references, and 3 tables and 5 figures of data. (Author/RS)

This paper reports the results of a 3-year study of children's use of computers in their homes and examines the implications of such use for educators. Subjects were over 400 children between ages 5 and 12 who came from a variety of social, economic, and cultural backgrounds in urban Sydney (Australia). The study aimed to develop knowledge and understanding about the reciprocal relationship that develops between the child and the computer within the socio-cultural context of the home, and it aimed to inform the work of educators who are seeking to develop programs using computing technologies within schools. Social discourses surrounding children's use of home computers are explored in ways that elucidate the relationship between discourse and affordances. Children's conceptions of computers as a playable tool are highlighted. Considered is the co-agency of the relationship between the child and the computer for educators who want to incorporate children's ways of learning and achieve effective integration of computing technologies in the curriculum. Contains 24 references. (Author/MES)

A cross-national study of learning environments in Taiwan and Australia is one example of research that employs both qualitative and quantitative methods. This paper describes the part of that study related to the development and validation of an instrument called the Teacher Student Interaction (TSI) which assess student perceptions of teacher behavior. After using the questionnaire with groups of students, the data were quantitatively analyzed, the questionnaire validated, and quantitative descriptions of teacher behavior obtained. To further validate the questionnaire and understand the teacher interactions according to the perceptions of students, a qualitative approach was used. Students were interviewed and the researchers visited and observed in science classrooms. (DDR)

Students' goals (motives) for their schooling have been the focus of much recent research and have been shown to significantly influence important aspects of their cognitive engagement and academic achievement. This paper presents the results of a qualitative investigation into the nature and characteristics of students' social and academic goals, reporting the results of a series of structured, semistructured, and conversational interviews with students and teachers in primary and secondary schools in New South Wales, Australia. Interviews were designed to determine what goals students have and how the goals relate to each other, as well as various aspects of their cognitive engagement and academic achievement. Participants were 86 students, aged 12 to 15 years (63% Anglo-Australian), and 12 teachers from 8 schools in the Sydney metropolitan region. Results confirm that students in this sample have academic and social goals congruent with those identified in other contexts and other studies. These goals, as the literature has indicated, are salient correlates of students' motivation, cognitive engagement, and academic performance. The study further confirms that students can and do hold multiple social and academic goals in academic context, supporting the validity of a multiple goal, or interactionist, approach to goal studies. The study also supports academic and social goals as two distinct classes of goals, and it confirms the distinction between maladaptive and adaptive goals. An appendix charts students' goal descriptions and associated behaviors, affective reactions, and interview statements. (Contains 87 references.) (SLD)

This paper relates experiences in implementing a peer-assisted study program in a teacher education course. A class of 124 students in their first year of a Bachelor of Education (Early Childhood Program) undertaking a core course in basic science were the subjects of the study. They were mentored in a peer-assisted learning program by eight third year students, who themselves, had done the same core course in their first year. Firstly the study examined the impact of the initiative on the students in the core course in terms of their achievement grades and their changes in attitudes toward science and science teaching. Their performance in a subsequent Science Education course was then monitored. The study further explored tutors' reasons for becoming involved in the initiative, their experiences, and the consequences of tutors' involvement in the program. The quantitative findings indicate that those first year students who participated in the peer-assisted learning program achieved higher grades than those who did not. The qualitative data reveal that students develop confidence and improved attitudes toward learning and science. In addition, substantial benefits in terms of confidence, facilitation skills, and insight into adult education were accrued by the mentors. (Contains 28 references.) (Author/SLD)

This paper describes a study of links between school environment and classroom environment in Catholic high schools in Australia. A sample of 893 students in 40 grade-9 and grade-12 religious education classes and 80 teachers of religious education in Catholic high schools was used to assess 4 dimensions of school environment (Empowerment, Student Support, Affiliation, and Mission Consensus) and 3 dimensions of classroom environment in high schools (Student Affiliation, Interactions, and Cooperation). Associations between these dimensions of school and classroom environment were investigated using simple, multiple, and canonical correlation analyses. In general, results indicated weak relationships between school and classroom environment, and they reinforced the view that characteristics of school environment were not transmitted automatically into religion classrooms. An appendix contains the school and classroom environment questionnaires. (Contains 4 tables and 31 references.) (Author/SLD)

This paper reports learning environment research conducted in Australian Catholic high schools. A two-stage methodology involving quantitative and qualitative data-collection methods was employed. In the first stage, a sample of 1,719 students and 160 teachers responded to a specially developed classroom-environment questionnaire. Results indicated that Catholic girls' schools had more positive classroom environments than Catholic coeducational and boys' schools. The environments of religion and science classes were remarkably similar. Stage 2 of the study used interview techniques in 2 schools to establish 3 assertions; interviews of 2 administrators, 3 teachers, 2 parents, and 12 students from each of 2 schools were conducted. Three findings stand out: First, commitment to a set of values is important to generating positive learning environments. Second, formal pastoral care does not guarantee positive learning environments. Third, religion teachers utilize strategies found successful in other curriculum areas. The methodology of the study demonstrated the usefulness of employing quantitative and qualitative methods in one learning environment study. (Contains 1 figure, 6 tables, and 42 references.) (Author/SLD)

This paper reports on a small-scale introductory study of Australian mothers' experiences of infant day care. Ten employed, middle- and lower-socioeconomic status women with an infant in center-based day care were interviewed. Brief narrative examples from the mothers' accounts are presented. Discussion then concentrates on a new approach to qualitative data analysis that involves three stages: (1) Interview transcripts are used to develop individual case studies; (2) Line-by-line analysis of the transcripts is used to develop coding categories in the grounded theory approach of Strauss; and (3) A detailed indexing system is developed for full coding and analysis of the data by computer. The researchers have completed the first two stages of analysis and are currently engaged in the third stage using the software package NUDIST (Non-Numerical Unstructured Data Indexing Searching and Theorising). The potential of the preliminary results for use in focusing further research, and the ways in which work with NUDIST is facilitating more complex analyses than have previously been possible, are considered. It is concluded that the type of qualitative research discussed will in time provide essential complements to the insights gained from quantitative approaches. Nine references are provided. (GLR)

This paper examines the development of the mini-conference, a method for collecting qualitative data while promoting collegiality among participants. The mini-conference was developed for the purpose of obtaining the views of information and communication technology (ICT) educators from across Australia's universities as part of the ICT-Ed Project. The ICT-Ed Project is an investigation into innovation in the delivery of ICT education in Australian universities. The field of ICT education is diverse, encompassing a range of disciplines, including both those traditionally classified as IT (e.g., information systems, computer system engineering and computer science) and newer disciplines that cross over a number of educational domains (e.g., business systems, World Wide Web development and design, e-commerce). In this paper, the stages in the development of the mini-conference are outlined, including: factors driving the development of the program; the considerations underlying the format; the recruitment of participants into the project; and the perceptions of participants about the usefulness of the format. Preliminary findings regarding the usefulness of the mini-conference as a data collection method in the ICT education sector are discussed. (Contains 12 references.) (Author/MES)

This paper describes a study which compared teachers' actual and ideal perceptions of principals' interpersonal behavior. The instrument developed, the Principal Interaction Questionnaire (PIQ), for the study was based on the Questionnaire on Teacher Interaction, which was first devised in the Netherlands and contains eight scales that measure different facets of interpersonal behavior. The questionnaire was sent to 56 schools throughout Australia where it was completed by the principal and a random sample of 20 teachers in each school. In addition to rigorous analysis of the data, the study also used interviews to expand the qualitative aspect in an attempt to find out more about the schools involved and to draw a broader picture. This is also in keeping with current approaches to learning environment research. This paper reports on interviews at three of these schools. Results indicate that the PIQ was able to describe, fairly accurately, the interpersonal behavior of the principal as perceived by teachers in the school. (Contains 18 figures and 14 references.) (SLD)