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This paper presents elementary parents' perspectives on gender and sexual diversity (GSD) in relationships and sexuality education (RSE). We have extracted data from a broader qualitative study focused on parents' perspectives on RSE in elementary schools in Queensland, Australia. Focusing on data related to GSD is important because some of the interviewees expressed an expectation that GSD should be normalized within elementary RSE, contrary to commonly held socio-cultural-political beliefs. While the study is small, it adds to growing evidence that parents expect to see the normalization of GSD in RSE in elementary school contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is almost 50 years since the so-called ending of the 'Great Australian Silence' on the history of the brutal colonisation of Indigenous Australians. This history was omitted from school text books and typically from Australian history units at university, despite it being written about by a minority of Australian academics from the 1960s. Approaches to attempting to end the 'silence' and educate the population about this past most recently have included making the history compulsory at some universities and in some State school systems. Yet still the silence and lack of acceptance persists. The paper discusses the formative constructed Australian identity and its ongoing role in limiting the penetration and acceptance of this history of colonisation. The paper does this by identifying and discussing a 'hidden national curriculum' that operates in schools and the media around the formative national white Australian identity. A premise of the paper is that ignorance of the past is more likely to foster racism rather than understanding and so limit social justice for Indigenous Australians; so it is important the past is known and accepted in order to move forward with understanding. Thus the paper concludes its analysis of the silence and lack of acceptance of the past by suggesting a way forward to foster a sense of mutual national belonging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on the results of research into the trends and nature of coverage of climate change issues in the Australian print media over the past ten years. Studies were undertaken at national, state and local levels, with a focus on Queensland (state) and the Townsville region (local) in northeastern Australia. At a national level there has been an almost exponential increase in coverage, with a decrease in the past year. Issues which have caused media coverage levels to surge are identified, showing a shift from international events/meetings to domestic policy issues as triggers. Interviews were conducted with decision-makers in print media to explore publication mechanisms. This is part of a wider study examining media coverage, public perception, and political/policy activities to inform judgement as to the likelihood of sustained levels of discussion and action on climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper commences with a brief review of environmental issues in Australia, and then turns to the origins and development of socio-economic accounting incorporating environmental accounting. The attempts of accountants, economists and others are identified and, in particular, the work of Linowes (1968) and others at that time is identified as the point of departure for this paper. Linowes argues the case for the incorporation, within the traditional balance sheet of environmental, social and financial data. Since the time of Linowes however, this thread within the literature of accounting and environmental accounting seems to have been lost. This paper seeks to redress this apparent gap in the literature. Following a theoretical examination of the suitability of traditional accounting for extension, a model is developed closely modelled upon the Linowes 1968 paper together with the contribution of others writing at that time which are identified within the literature review. The measurement model proposed is then applied to a preliminary case study of Central Highlands Water (CHW), a regional water authority in Victoria, Australia. The paper concludes by noting further research issues identified within this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Australia, early childhood education is framed by federal and state policies which advocate cultural, racial and social differences through different approaches to pedagogy. Cultural competencies of early childhood teachers, their critical dispositions, and understanding of policies and practices in partnership with parents indicate multiple barriers. This paper uses a multiple case study: first to understand how twelve teachers across six kindergartens in Melbourne understand and implement in particular cultural policies and secondly how they work in partnership with Indian parents to engage young children. Findings show a disparity in cultural understanding amongst teachers in ways they engage and collaborate with culturally and linguistically diverse Indian parents. Teachers often face communication problems that affect collaboration in creating more inclusive learning communities with Indian immigrant parents and their children. Similarly, parents expressed difficulties and anxiety in approaching teachers in regards to the transition and integration of their children into the kindergarten community. The discussion highlights a lack of communication and a greater need for an understanding of cultural policies and partnerships at the practice level. The paper calls for more flexibility in identifying strategies for better engagement of Indian immigrant children and their parents within early childhood settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is based on experiences gained from working in a collaborative project, between researchers from a university in Sweden and a university in Australia. The overall aim of the paper is to illuminate and discuss learning experiences of working in an international research project in a global context. The key research questions explored in the paper are: (i) which bridges and barriers are identified as critical aspects for collaboration? (ii) how can our experiences be understood in the light of theories on learning? In order to answer the posed research questions, members of the research team have conducted written reflections, which provide the empirical foundation for this paper. We use Wenger's theory of communities of practice as a theoretical point of department. The analysis of the empirical materials, the written reflections, resulted in four themes; Choice of partner(s), The meaning of personal encounters, Encounter between different academic cultures, and the issue of languages. As conclusions, we want to emphasis that boundary-breaking encounters that take place in a research project like this are challenging, but at the same time, they provide opportunities for new and rich understandings of research. We have found that to create a community of practice in which new and rich understandings of research can be accomplished is challenging, much due to the issue of geographical, cultural, and linguistic distance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Art education in Australia sits at a crossroads of uncertainty. While our low student-to-teacher ratios are important for providing one-on-one advice in the studio, we are sometimes accused of being indulgent and nonprogressive. So how can we respond to these issues and survive in an increasingly hostile environment? This paper provides a reflective account from a small group of art educators and an educational designer from The University of Newcastle tasked with teaching traditional drawing skills online while endeavouring to provide a learning atmosphere similar to the conventional face-to-face studio classes. Developing and delivering the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) "Drawing Nature, Science and Culture: Natural History Illustration 101" was full of challenges, as it was one of the first practice-based short online courses designed for a high number of students. The results were positive and proved that alternative teaching methods could be successful in engaging a diverse group of learners. Although the online course was never intended to replace the on-campus classes, it demonstrated that teaching specialised skills-based techniques online was possible, and blended learning might be a viable option for art education in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Australia is a nation of immigrants. Immigration brings much needed skills and labour to Australia. It helps creating a strong economy, drives prosperity and builds Australia's future. Diverse cultural expression enriches all Australians and makes the multicultural nation more vibrant and creative. Immigrants, including refugees, from non-English speaking backgrounds (NESB) are vulnerable as they often have higher unemployment rates or are at an earnings disadvantage that may lead to disaffection and community unrest in the long run. Government agencies are facing complicated issues surrounding the design and implementation of strategies that facilitate the settlement of new arrivals in Australia. This paper critically reviews the literature and argues that social enterprises and social entrepreneurship can help to facilitate life satisfaction and self-reliance for NESB immigrants in Australia. In addition, the paper provides a better understanding of what research method may best suit to examine the role of social enterprises in NESB immigrant settlement experiences and how social enterprises may help to integrate the immigrants into a culturally diverse socially cohesive nation. Discussion of benefits of the proposed research method will also be provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on the use of a practitioner-research approach to evaluate writing groups as a way of helping academics become scholarly writers about their teaching experiences. Practitioner-research uses cycles of planning (to write), acting (writing), observing (reading) the texts produced and critically reflecting on the texts produced (self and feedback to others) and the process of writing itself. The practice of writing groups can be theorized as peer learning and engaging in a 'community of practice'. Creating this community is helping one group of university academics learn how to write about their teaching practice, meet the pressure of external deadlines and, very importantly in the current political climate, meet the employment demands to research and publish. This paper describes the work over a nine month period of this writing group organized to help the academics in an Australian university increase their scholarly activity. The research documents efforts to organize the writing group, reviews research on writing groups, and identifies the benefits and the pitfalls of participation in a writing group and concludes with the success of creating a community of practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our starting point in this paper is the notion of the 'contact zone' first elaborated by Mary Louise Pratt (1992) to reconceptualise colonialism as a space of cross-cultural interaction and agency rather than as a static picture of domination and incorporation. The paper draws upon our research on refugee settlement in Australia to explore the hypothesis that the concept of the 'contact zone' expresses the contemporary global border between developed and developing societies, structuring and framing the people flows of refugees and labour that characterise the contemporary moment. Our attention is on how the settlement process deals with difference. By difference we mean a range of possibilities: racialised difference, cultural difference, and the difference of development and modernity. The border also has its uses in conceptualizing the character of this contact zone. Somerville and Perkins (2003) develop a model of the contact zone as a range of specific kinds of 'border work' undertaken by actors: sometimes maintaining, sometimes crossing, borders of difference. Newly arrived refugees in Australia enter a complex settlement program through which they receive support from government agencies and NGOs. Settlement case workers provide individual and community support on a range of needs such as housing, household formation, assistance with school enrolments, advice and referrals to services such as counselling, health employment and education. Within this workforce are former refugees, often having experienced careers entirely different to that of the welfare industry. These workers act as cultural brokers liaising, communicating and interpreting between service providers and their ethnic communities (Whitehead 1983). This paper considers the extent to which community member, employee, ethnic representative and refugee form aspects of their multifaceted identity. In so doing, this paper suggests that movement within a hierarchy of identities according to need, operates as a coping mechanism, allowing the cultural broker to shift between refugee, case worker, community member and employee in the process accomplishing the 'border work' of the contact zone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes an innovative study being undertaken in Australia, as a result of large government funding, which explores a re-usable learning design construct (learner tasks, resources and supports). The paper explores an exploration of a new pedagogical framework which describes the nature of teaching and learning. The study is applying a generic learning design to support learning outcomes associated with visual. information, media and technology literacy. Critical literacy levels of multi-literacy, including strategies to facilitate critical understanding, will form the basis of the analysis framework for the study and will be explored in detail in the paper. What is unique to this study is the constructivist tenants embedded in the pedagogical framework through a technology enhanced learning environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main focus of this paper is to discuss advancements in concrete technology, particularly in the use of Geo- Polymer Concrete (GPC) for the purpose of construction in Australia. Geo-Polymer Concrete is environmentally friendly but yet strong enough for major construction projects. This includes the utilization of GPC for selected structural components such as load-bearing walls. In addition, this paper explores the future of GPC in the Australian construction industry. The paper investigates the benefits or otherwise of the successful utilization of GPC in the Australian construction and engineering industry. Furthermore, the Australian construction industry has the potential to gain a valuable insight into the benefits of GPC as an alternative to other materials. Therefore, the main areas which will contribute to the successful implementation of GPC in the Australian market will be identified and supported. These include areas such as the environmental advantages and mechanical properties (strength and durability) that will benefit the Australian construction industry, as well as obstacles which may influence GPC's future. Finally, this paper reports the successful implementation of GPC in the Australian construction industry as influenced by a variety of technical issues such as environmental and commercial factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For centuries, the Aboriginal Peoples of Australia have been confronted with major ecological, geological, and climate events, and had to adapt home shelters and settlements to seasonal variations. Many of these changes have been captured in the cultural traditions of the indigenous people of Australia reflecting a harsh coastal environment. Weather patterns and climate change phenomena were gauged by the occurrence of landscape changes and recurring weather events by the acknowledgement of six seasons. Community settlements were established and relocated to adapt to the patterns of nature. This paper investigates if this ancient knowledge can provide answers for adaptation of coastal settlements to a changing climate now and in the future. Drawing upon recent published literature on predicted coastal climate change impacts in the different regions of Australia, and the review of Indigenous knowledge on settlement planning according to a six season cycle, the author explores traditional knowledge as input to a potential Climate Change Adaptation Model that considers a proposed framework, for integrating indigenous knowledge into the contemporary climate change adaptation practice and discourse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the changing context, from an Australian perspective, for quality teaching in higher education and to examine the drivers for change and implications for the role of academics and managers. The paper uses a review and synthesis of the literature to consider the competitive context within which universities now operate, and which has consequences for the role of academics and managers. The many changes in Australian higher education are a direct reflection of the international trend for increased accountability in higher education and the widely held view of politicians and the public that higher education is critical to nations and individuals alike. While this viewpoint is well understood by many staff in universities, there is little consensus among the academic community as to how the individual contributes to the "business" and is recognised for that contribution. The altered dynamic of a university and student relationship becoming one of a business selling a product to a client has presented both challenges and opportunities. With this shift, universities have been required to undergo extensive reform and change as they provide systematic evidence of effectiveness and efficiency in a much more business-oriented climate. The overt impact on higher education staff engaged in teaching in the corporatised university has fundamentally changed the way they are able to engage in decision making and collegial activity to the point that academics may be described by some as subordinated to the mission of marketing and strategizing developments of the institution and its leaders. The paper concludes that, operationally, the way academics perceive their work is critical; and the failure to understand this is likely to lead to a widening gap between the rhetoric and reality of quality in teaching and learning, which will ultimately impact negatively on the quality of teaching provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Responding to John Urry's call (in Climate Change and Society, 2011) to think about the implications of consumption and travel in the design of low carbon societies, this paper considers how the challenge to devise more localized forms of vacationing will impact Australian beach and beach cultures. Australian society is spatially concentrated on the coastal margins (75% live within 40kms of the coast and 25% live within 3kms), and yet, currently it is one of the highest consumers of vacationing based on flights to international locations, often to beach resorts. Current research on climate change and the beach is dominated by adaptation research, which models likely changes to geomorphology and built environments based on sea level rise. This has predicted an overall human retreat from the coast as a likely response; yet, this has not taken into account other important adaptations to climate change such as the localization of leisure and tourism. This paper argues that since Australians are unlikely to turn to their arid and agricultural interiors, it will be the coast that becomes a new and more intensive vacationing zone. Based on what we know of the previous era of mass beach consumption in the mid-twentieth century and what we know about contemporary Australian tourism and tourists, this paper identifies the likely dimensions and practices of beach cultures for a low-carbon Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The notion of global citizenship appears to be a commonly featured element in graduate attributes outcomes at Australian universities. Global citizens are expected to be able to successfully function in diverse environments within multi-cultural teams, and thus make a positive contribution to the communities in which they work and serve. Intercultural competency is, therefore, an essential element of being a global citizen and an issue of relevance in a modern society with globalised economies and increasing labour mobility opportunities. This paper argues that intercultural competency is best acquired 'in the field', that is, through first hand experience gained by being on location in a foreign land. Whilst student exchange programs provide this opportunity, this is not possible for every individual, due to personal matters, work commitments and financial issues. An alternative approach is offered through an international study tour that provides students with a short term cultural immersion experience. This paper reports on the results of such an experience that was shared within both business and social contexts, for a small cohort of business studies students enrolled at an Australian university. These students participated in a two week international study tour to Malaysia during the later part of 2010. Based on data from voluntary surveys, the paper concludes that that the study tour experience improved aspects of the students' intercultural competency, such as dissimilarity openness, self-monitoring and intercultural communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper argues that visual and performing arts practice is in itself a research method, drawing on the recently approved criteria for creative arts practice as research recently approved by the University as a case study, and in addition the Government of Australia's launch of the Committee of Humanities, Arts, and Social Science paper on the commercialisation of the arts. An introduction to research as practice and more importantly practice as research begins with the proposition ‘Design is a way of inquiry, a way of providing knowing and knowledge, this means it is a way of researching.’ (Downton, 2003). I argue support for increasing cross-disciplinary and trans-disciplinary debate as central to progress in understanding another's language. A mathematician can take part in a discourse via the language of numbers, signs and symbols, similarly architectural and design drawings cross language and cultural borders. Downton argues: ‘research as understood in sciences is not the only source of reliable knowledge’ and that its examination is inherently difficult for anyone but the initiated. I would argue that the design process is in need of articulation to broaden the base of evaluation to enable a cross-disciplinary critique between the arts and science. I propose that ‘place’, ‘performance’ and ‘visual production’ tell stories which are contextualised within present and past conditions, and it is in the inquiry of the design and the performance that arts and science similarly locate and propose the future. There is an inherent reluctance in Universities to accept alternative pattern making, alternative language of evaluation and critique and Charles Sturt University's acceptance of alternatives (Goodlass, 2004) outlining practice as research placing it within its knowledge domain has my support fir its significance for that domain as ‘an utterly appropriate requirement.’ (Gardner, H.1999.) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a growing body of evidence, theory and policy which supports broad participation in arts and cultural activity as an integral element in meaningful, well-lived lives within a socially just society. The contexts in which this participation might occur are being expanded through partnerships between the arts and other fields including education and health promotion. This paper begins with a snapshot of some of the developments in this field within Australia, with an overview of several arts, education and health promotion approaches within schools and communities where children and young people are at increased risk of mental health issues. The paper argues that intersectoral approaches demand particular skills and knowledge from interdisciplinary teams, and that new forms of training and professional development are required for artists and other collaborating professionals. A recent successful example of a capacity developing approach addressing this need was the innovative Artists Training Program. Originating from within the Festival for Healthy Living, a mental health promotion program of the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne, the Artists Training Program identified artists' needs and their preferred modes of learning in order to promote more effective interdisciplinary team work focussed on the wellbeing of children and young people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the premises of vocational education (VET) is a practically-based curriculum approach that aims to teach students contemporary work practices so that they are better prepared to enter the workforce. It stands to reason that if students need to be educated about contemporary work processes, then the teacher also needs to have an understanding of such processes for teaching and learning practice. Teacher currency, therefore, becomes an issue of high importance, particularly as economic and social globalisation contribute to the continuing transformation of workplaces. One way to achieve such currency may be through voluntary teacher industry placements, where the teacher is seconded to industry for a period of time. Based on data gathered through semi-structured interviews, the paper discusses the experiences of VET business teachers in Australia who have undertaken an industry placement and considers issues such as: negotiating self through changing work, the work of identity formation, and organisational learning. The paper concludes that changing teaching and learning practises post an industry placement problem and are difficult to achieve due to various environmental factors including organisational barriers and regulatory constraints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Australian households are throwing out more than $5 billion worth of food each year, with over 40% of household food wasted. This non-consumed food constitutes a waste of resources and energy that needlessly contribute to Australia's ecological and carbon footprints. To further complicate matters, the management, transport, and disposal of this non-consumed food is a problem that does not have a comprehensive federally legislated and governed solution. Instead, the collection and processing of municipal food waste is organised by local area councils with support and additional funding from state and federal governments. This has resulted in conflicting waste practices across Australia. This paper investigates the development of waste practices in South Australia, with the objective to understand how this particular state has developed a high level of political commitment to positive environmental action while other Australian states have taken a more conservative position. Opening with a broad discussion upon contemporary food waste policy in Australia, this paper will then delve into a historical discussion on the development of South Australia's municipal waste system in conjunction with an evaluation of the present municipal food waste disposal options that are available within South Australian homes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most Australians have their ancestry in another country and thus deal directly or indirectly with the issue of dual cultural identity. Geoffrey Stokes argues in 'The Politics of Identity in Australia' that, 'discourses of identity are generally dynamic and reworked and reconstructed according to the political needs of the time' (1997,8). Thus, this paper will add a personel history from an Italian perspective to the recent dialogues about cultural belonging and dislocation that has moulded and created the richly multicultural society that is contemporary Australia. It will reinforce the significance of other cultural values for the Australian way of life and highlight the nuances associated with displacement, racism, reconnection and assimilation. These concepts have been investigated in my art practice and will form the basis of the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the measures of teaching and learning achievement used in Australian universities is Student Feedback on Teaching (SFTs) evaluation forms. Generically, these evaluations are known as the Course Experience Questionnaire (CEQ). These are instruments, according to Ramsden, that, if appropriately constructed, provide invaluable feedback for teacher reflection and are the only way to actually determine the 'quality of the student learning experience'. This paper looks at the policy in the use of SFTs in higher education in Australia. The paper reviews the literature and publicly available data from Australian universities. The aim of the article is to highlight the similarities and differences in policy between Australian universities in their use of SFTs as an appraisal tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scenario Art (visual representations of a future scenario, used to enhance decision-making processes) is offered as a new tool to facilitate a transition to sustainable futures. The paper acknowledges recent evaluations of current futures methods (methods for long-term decision making and strategy development that involve consideration of multiple future circumstances), which have found that the futures field is not having the transformative influence expected. It is argued that to have a transformative influence, world views need to be drawn out and examined. An analysis of the results of a workshop (Vision 2040) that tested the application of Scenario Art, alongside art and neurological theory, is used to explore the relationship between Scenario Art, neurological processes, and the implications of these neurological processes in the context of decision-making processes. Vision 2040 utilized a deliberative process and aimed to establish a shared vision and strategy for the future of the mining and minerals industry in Australia. The workshop involved a range of futures methods which provided an opportunity for mining stakeholders to explore how the mining and minerals industry in Australia can deliver long-term national benefit. This paper focuses on the results of applying Scenario Art at this workshop which support that Scenario Art increases a person's level of empathy, creativity, responsiveness to risk, imagination and willingness to consider alternative perspectives. In the context of developing a shared vision, it was found that this increased a person's ability to recognise strategies and actions that would benefit multiple stakeholders and to recognise shared and conflicting ideas, values and perspectives for a preferred future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to examine the value of learning through 'Reflective Journal Assessment' in IS6 and ITS6 Postgraduate units at an Australian University. This assessment goes beyond traditional teaching delving into the higher faculties of students' mental abilities. This is achieved by providing them with the opportunity to critically analyze, and creatively form opinions on issues related to the topics being taught either through the analysis of peer-reviewed journal articles, or chapters from text books. This assessment is coupled with the students' reflection on their understanding, abilities, and how such an exercise developed their thoughts and comprehension and cognitive abilities. Furthermore, this assessment is designed to allow students' self-awareness and self-knowledge in respect to the contents, thus improving their writing, research, and analytical skills. This paper provides empirical evidence based on quantitative and qualitative data derived from two sources. The first is the anonymous informal feedback collected during the semester, while the second (the formal) is the other anonymous online system for gathering and reporting students' perceptions of their learning experiences at the university 'eValuate' of 53 students' evaluations and perspectives toward the IS6 and ITS6 units. The students' comments reflect their satisfaction of the opportunity to be involved in such thought-provoking exercise appraising the reflective learning exercise at postgraduate level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to participate in the ongoing discussions relating to the control modes being adhered to at Australian Universities. This paper intends to somehow enhance the literature relating to the 'Unit Controller/Coordinator' duties, demands, responsibilities and required capabilities. Depending on the unit size, which is judged by the number of students and number of campuses where the unit (course) is run, an academic would become responsible either on mere controlling/coordinating, or controlling/coordinating that might be coupled or decoupled with teaching/lecturing and research. At an Australian University, a mix of these modes is considered and employed. This paper, which is the base for future research, provides a brief account of two lecturers' experience with unit controlling/ coordinating, aiming at the engagement in discussion in relation to the control modes and academics workload being applied in Australia. These two lecturers were either given the responsibility to develop unit material or provided with unit material with lecturing and controlling/coordinating responsibility, which is in most cases coupled with demands for conducting research. Following an overview of the literature, this paper provides a perspective on these modes and their impact on the academic workload, suggesting a methodology for the future research, concluding with the provision of an idea about the limitations, significance, and implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The World Universities Forum has been created in the belief that there is an urgent need for academe to connect more directly and boldly with the large questions of our time' (http://ontheuniversity. com/ideas/; accessed 20100914). In this paper, we examine the core educational function of the university in the light of this conception of the university's role in society. The question at issue is this: what are the curriculum and teaching implications of a university's commitment to addressing the fundamental challenges of the twenty-first century? This paper draws from, reflects on and shares some of the ideas crystallising out of the first author's PhD research on challenges of educational design in the twenty-first century university. We focus on the concepts of human aspiration and education for personal agency. We develop our case by reporting on two case studies -- the first author's PhD theorising and Charles Sturt University (Australia's) institutional renewal project. We are in the process of ascertaining whether our emergent curriculum of becoming theory or mindspace could provide universities with an alternative approach to curriculum design -- one that not only places students' individual and shared meaning making centre-stage, but also one that enables universities to engage in the challenges of the twenty-first century as 'participants in the travail' rather than as arms-length knowledge brokers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents part of the findings from a Master of Education thesis at the University of Western Australia aimed at addressing the paucity of empirical research in the area of migrant Muslim parenting in a Western context. This paper focuses on the perspective of success held by orthodox/ moderate migrant Muslim parents in Perth in bringing up their second generation children in Australia through living Islamic values. Using community focus groups and case studies, participants of this qualitative study defined outcomes of success to include internalisation of faith; confidence in one's Muslim identity; educational achievement; respectful engagement with others and fair representation of Islam. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the Australian context of a significant expansion of early childhood education and the lead up to the Copenhagen Climate Summit, a story alleging environmental indoctrination in an Australian preschool was featured in two Australian newspapers. The story elicited considerable online responses. This paper uses Appraisal Theory (Martin & White, 2007) to examine the lexico-grammatical construction of the indoctrination debate in the newspaper article and the subsequent online responses. The paper then situates the debate within the broader the broader context of environmental values education theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers the changing relationship between economic prosperity and Australian suburbs, noting that what has been termed "the first suburban nation" in experiencing an intensification of suburban growth in the 2000s, in the context of economic globalization. The paper reports on a three-year Australian Research Council funded project into "Creative Suburbia", identifying the significant percentage of the creative industries workforce who live in suburban areas. Drawing on case studies from suburbs in the Australian cities of Brisbane and Melbourne, it notes the contrasts between the experience of these workers, who are generally positive towards suburban life, and the underlying assumptions of "creative cities" policy discourse that such workers prefer to be concentrated in highdensity inner urban creative clusters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australian women contemporary artists made an important contribution to the foundational impacts and ongoing significance of feminism and the 1970s Women's Art Movement on all that has followed in international contemporary art. Whereas distance from Eurocentric culture was once lamented by Australian settlers as a tyranny, critical distance from colonial power discourses has functioned as a strength for women artists who use their art to gaze back not only at colonial oppression of Indigeneity, but also at western art's historical hegemonic male representation of women in the public cultural domain. Women artists do this by representing themselves. Fiona Foley, one of Australia's foremost artists and a curator, academic and writer, has since the 1980s in her art confronted political issues of Indigeneity and identity as a woman in a cultural history of trauma and dispossession- bearing witness to her cultural heritage as a descendent of the Badtjala people, who were forcibly removed from K'gari or Thoorgine (Fraser Island) in the early twentieth century. The paper applies an innovative multimodal fugal critical analysis - drawing on psychological and musical meanings of fugue - to discuss Foley's work; the paper draws on an interview the author conducted with Fiona Foley at Sydney's Museum of Contemporary Art, including photographs of the artist and images of her work. The analysis focuses on Foley's site specific installation at Cockatoo Island at the Sydney Biennale 2010, and her recent survey show at the MCA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Migration of humans across countries and continents is not a new phenomenon. Migration often occurs as a result of economic circumstances, where persons not satisfied with their current economic situation, seek a better life in another country. These people have been commonly referred to as economic migrants, and Australia has experienced much of its twentieth century immigration for these reasons. In the context of post World War II migration, Italians immigrated to Australia en masse between 1950 and 1971, in search of a better economic conditions and employment, as Italy was still suffering the aftermath of that war. An agreement between the Italian and Australian governments, in 1951, facilitated the migration of Italians by offering subsidies passage, either by sea or air. The majority of migrants originated from the comparatively less skilled south of Italy, with higher skilled migrants typically originating from the north. This paper discusses some of the experiences, obtained through personal interviews with migrants from Emilia-Romagna, one of the northern regions in Italy. Although Emilia-Romagna did not contribute high numbers of emigrants to Australia, the personal accounts of this small group provides some interesting and unique insights into migration experiences. This paper firstly provides a background to the economic climate in Italy of the 1950s and 1960's. This is followed by the demographic description of the persons interviewed and a discussion of their migration experiences. The paper concludes that cultural differences, language communication problems, strange food, and the failure to have their qualifications recognised meant that for this group of people, at least, the initial experience and exposure in Australia fell quite short of their expectations. However, in hindsight the general opinion is that the move to Australia was good in the long run. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Much of the theorisation regarding radical adult education in Australia has concentrated on activists' pedagogy in the context of critical learning. Learning in social action is largely seen as taking place informally; it is tacit and implied and not always identified or articulated as knowledge or learning. This paper argues how activists' learning is embodied; the whole person is central to how meaning is made. A person's learning is embedded in significant identity change as they 'learn to be and become an activist'. Activists use their emotions, cognition and their physical body to make meaning. The symbolic use of the body is particularly important in the processes of direct action. Activists' learning is mainly informal, social and situated in practice, and they learn from one another by socialisation in a community of practice. Central to the paper is there is much to be learned from the important pedagogy of these activists, I argue that learning in radical adult education should be more prominent in the current discourses of lifelong learning and adult education in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effective Knowledge Management (KM) has been known to offer identifiable benefits to organisations, though improved efficiencies and competitive advantage. As part of a project examining the phases of KM as they apply to information technology projects, Urwin and Burgess (2009) proposed a conceptual model that documented the stages of knowledge management from conversion of tacit to explicit knowledge, storage of this knowledge, its subsequent retrieval and absorption by recipients and their eventual application of the knowledge in (practical) action. Preliminary results from a study of project managers suggested that knowledge management often 'fell at the first hurdle' through ineffective storage and subsequent ability to access especially complex knowledge. This paper examines concepts related to knowledge management and how they can be applied to community based organisations (CBOs), specifically in relation to how they set up and maintain their websites. This occurs by applying the KM conceptual model to all phases of the use of websites by small Community Based Organisations (CBOs), which are non profit, non government organisations that serve local community needs. As with many similar sized organisations, many small CBOs are restricted by a lack of resources and relevant expertise when setting up their websites. Interviews with small CBOs in Australia, New Zealand and the UK suggested that even the most basic knowledge related to website operations is being lost in the organisations and that the cause of this is the failure of the CBOs to store the knowledge effectively. The paper also examines the reasons for these losses and the strategies adopted by the CBOs to overcome these problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More than a decade ago, the Australian Commonwealth Government introduced and funded a system of Cooperative Research Centres (CRC's) to bring scientists from universities, CSIRO, other government institutions, industry and private sector organizations from throughout Australia together. These CRC's were to work on specific research and development projects that would benefit from the critical mass of effort. In 2002 there were 65 CRC's in diverse fields but by 2009 there were 49 listed on their dedicated web page, each with its specific R&D focus. For this paper, each of these CRC's (and each of two university-based centres with a sustainability focus) was contacted to determine: its participants; its basic and applied research output; whether it is involved in biotechnology projects; whether clustering is used to enhance knowledge transfer through geographical proximity; and whether it is involved in regional and/or sustainable development. The response rate was 37% and the aggregated results are discussed. An additional questionnaire with open-ended questions was distributed to senior members of local industries, NGO's, government officials, and a local university in Gippsland, Victoria to further investigate collaboration for regional and sustainable development on a local basis. This questionnaire served the additional purpose of testing two previously published models on knowledge flows between such organizations for basic and applied research in Australia. The responses to both of these questionnaires are collated in this paper to depict the drivers and level of innovation in Australia as a whole and one regional area as an example. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides an Australian perspective on teaching and learning using virtual communities, mainly 'e.g. group discussions'. Understanding the increased importance of technology, Curtin Business School (CBS) has undertaken to improve and enhance teaching and learning facilities aimed at students enrolled for degrees via various modes i.e. internal, external and fully online. Currently, CBS uses the Blackboard Course Management Software (Blackboard) to provide course materials to students, which allows the development of virtual communities 'e.g. group discussions'. Using this software, the aim is to enhance students' teaching and learning abilities. This is principally achieved through either replacing traditional teaching amenities at CBS by technologically advanced medium, or allowing both media to work side by side aiming at the enhancement of students' learning experience. The Blackboard software has various approaches in assisting students interacting and sharing their knowledge and ideas with students, and simultaneously with teaching staff through virtual communities 'e.g. group discussions.' Group Discussions forums have provided various benefits to students and lectures providing teaching staff the chance to examine their students' work using this interface. Students' online work includes their interactions (i.e. student/student) and provides the teaching staff the opportunity to monitor students' progress. This paper outlines the benefits, challenges, impacts and implications of using group discussions from two teaching staff at two different schools at CBS of Curtin University. The university uses this approach in their undergraduate and postgraduate courses, both internal, external, and fully online providing ideas that might be applied to further enhance the strength of this medium. However , this paper focuses mainly on undergraduate discussion boards, with one concentrating on a mixed approach (i.e. face-to-face and virtual), while the other (being external mode) was only through the use of Blackboard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 2006, staff members within the Faculty of Education at the University of Wollongong have been designing and implementing an electronic portfolio. The ePortfolio has been designed as an online tool for undergraduate students to use for the duration of their coursework and thereafter in order to enhance the learning process whilst assisting students with the transition from university to graduate employment. This paper presents the findings of a recent 2009 evaluation that explored the ePortfolio's usefulness to students and staff, ascertaining the extent of its current use. Areas were identified for improvement via professional development, technical support, accessibility and improved functionality of the ePortfolio's features. This paper will not only present the rationale for the web-based ePortfolio, but will discuss the complexities, challenges and successes of implementing a non-commercial ePortfolio product. The varied results of an online student survey and explorative interviews with academic staff will be shared to highlight current practice and future areas for development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As part of a larger study using Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's definition of creativity as the complex interaction between an individual, a domain of knowledge and a field of experts, this paper explores the role readers play in the creativity of Australian fiction writers. Once they have passed initial judgement by agents, the publishing industry and critics, writers and their work are subject to further appraisal by readers. Based on interviews with over 40 Australian fiction writers and publishing industry professionals, this paper examines the extent of readers' potential to influence writers and the production and reception of fiction works. It is hoped that understanding the complex interactions of individual writers and their readers will reveal new avenues for fostering creativity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on pilot studies of adolescents who have been studying Italian as a second language (L2), for at least one year, post-elementary (primary school). The study was conducted in Canada and Australia. The study focuses on the use if the Italian language abroad as a social dialect spoken by high school students, in certain social contexts in Canada and Australia. Students pursuing Italian courses as a second language (L2) in high schools in Canada and Australia were asked to complete a voluntary written survey. The data collected, once analysed, revealed a framework of patterns of adolescent communication, consisting of connotative and clique-coded language discourses. This framework was utilised to undertake a cross-cultural comparison on Italian adolescent discourse. The paper points out that it is essential for a teacher of Italian, as a second language (L2), to incorporate adolescent learning interest in considering the design of a specific learning syllabus. The paper concludes by acknowledging that Italian-Canadian and Italian-Australian adolescent speech reflects the types of observations suggested in the literature by researchers in North America, such as Danesi (2003a, 2003b) and Clivio and Danesi (2000), who are among the very few who have carried out cross-cultural comparisons. In Europe, too, researchers such as Cortelazzo (1994), De Paoli (1998) and Marcato (1994, 1997) all report similarities in a distinct and recongisable speech code developed by adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper will discuss the similarities between the core values identified in the "National Framework for Values Education in Australian Schools" (2005) and the key tenets of Confucian philosophy with a view to promote an intercultural dialogue. Since the colonial and post colonial era, Australia's response to migrants not originating from the British Isles has developed through several phases. 'Assimilation' was the endorsed ideology to uphold the Anglo-centric values until the 1970s, when 'Multiculturalism' was adopted as government policy where origins of other ethnicity were positively recognised. Over time, this has developed towards acceptance within much of the Australian population of 'pluralism' where the acceptance and flourishing of other cultures is encouraged. What are the educational implications of this history for children of Asian background? The aims of this paper are twofold. First, the paper will demonstrate the congruence between traditional Asian values as expressed through Confucian philosophy and the core values articulated in The Framework for Values such as Care and Compassion; Fair Go; Honesty and Trustworthiness; Integrity; Respect; Responsibility; Understanding, Tolerance and Inclusion. Second, the paper will extrapolate to suggest a new goal for Australia and for education, that of 'inclusive appreciation' whereby the goal is not assimilation, nor merely the tolerance of multicultural differences, nor even the fostering of parallel development as in pluralism, but rather, the development of an appreciation of how the different elements of culture, such as the philosophy underpinning values, because of their similarities, can work harmoniously to achieve a better Australian society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A state's management of workplace safety is one indicator of its integrity. This paper uses historical evidence to demonstrate the past and current resonance of this position. It examines workplace risk and abuse in Australia, and considers the impact of legislation targeting occupational health and safety, including laws effectively protecting vested interests rather than social justice at work. Such interests included capital rather than labour, and male workers rather than female. Historical scenarios suggest how a risk management approach to worker health and safety became embedded in corporate and political culture. Challenging this culture, twentieth century deaths from silicosis and from lead poisoning, and from employment-related asbestosis, illustrate the consequence of employer refusal to eliminate known dangerous materials and processes from the workplace. Drawing on labour and government manuscripts, this analysis identifies OHS risk and abuse, focusing on Australia for the first half of the twentieth century, and with reference to findings and legislation in the UK that informed parties negotiating OHS in Australia. The paper argues that acknowledgement of past abuses, and an understanding of failures to repair abuse, is essential if the state is to properly address current workplace safety crimes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Policy making and practice for gender equity in schools is undergoing substantial change as the focus has shifted in recent years from girls to boys. It has been argued that social policy makers need evidence from a variety of sources to make informed decisions about social policy and program implementation. There should be ways of characterising, comparing and contrasting differing perspectives from the public, the media, research and practitioners so that their similarities and differences can be laid open for inspection and therefore provide broad, deep and useful information to policy makers and practitioners. New approaches to reviewing and synthesising literature have both been claimed to have the potential to provide more useful information to social policy makers about 'what works' than traditional methods of reviewing literature. One is an 'argument catalogue' developed by the Canadian Network for Knowledge Utilisation. This paper outlines an attempt to synthesise literature from a variety of sources, including views from parent bodies, teacher unions, practitioners, the media, government departments, and research and theoretical perspectives on gender in schools. The paper offers the findings from utilising this approach as one possible way of dealing with the complexities facing research on policy and practice in this highly contested field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Australia accepts approximately 13000 refugees per annum through its immigration program, with priority given to those in highest needs. This paper presents and discusses the findings of an Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage project (in collaboration with Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) and Tasmania Police) exploring particular challenges for regional Australia in the settlement of new and emerging refugee communities. Regional Australia provides a very different context for police-refugee relations than large metropolitan centres. The focus of this research is primarily law enforcement and its intersections of difference and points of intensity with an examination of refugee-police relations and police refugee-relations in order to develop a best practice model for community policing in the context of refugee settlement in regional Australia. The qualitative data was collected in 2006/07 through focus groups and interviews with refugee communities, as well as participatory observation. The key findings address issues such as youth justice, family violence, driving offences, substance use and mental illness. The paper will argue that an understanding of 'experiential difference' by refugees, police and other service providers is crucial for enhancing the settlement experiences of refugees in new and emerging communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers issues of diversity and community in Australian higher education as it becomes increasingly globalised and internationalised. As globalisation transforms higher education through market competition, universities worldwide are responding through internationalising all facets of their research and education. The development by many universities of export-oriented 'transnational' programmes, where students are located in a different country to the institution providing their course, is part of this response. Within this context, learning communities are becoming more diverse as different populations of students in different locations experience different modes of programme delivery. This paper draws on research into student experiences of transnational programmes offered by Australian universities in Southeast Asia. The focus of the paper is on how these students negotiate difference and diversity in their learning communities. In particular, strategies for constructing an international identity, gaining membership of the learning community, 'fitting in' to a diverse ethnic and cultural student cohort, and negotiating the competing roles of family, work and study are identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ambrose Bierce once described the freshman as a 'student acquainted with grief'. First year students are, indeed, subject to a series of rude shocks in their first weeks at University, chief among them the results of the first assessment. This is particularly the case in those disciplines that require students to produce a piece of sophisticated research writing (essay, research report, literature survey) within weeks of setting foot on campus. Such assessments require that students exhibit a complex synthesis of research and writing skills they are assumed to know, but may not have been explicitly or effectively taught. The panic over this process and the 'shock' felt by students when their results are not as they predicted play a large role in attrition, a problem experienced widely in universities across Australia and internationally. This paper considers the demanding array of expectations placed on first-years writing in Humanities subjects, where discursive analysis is not just about 'writing' but about research, critical analysis, dialogue and collaboration and self-direction. The paper reviews and synthesises key insights from pedagogic literature about the first-year experience, about the effect first assessment experiences have on students' integration into tertiary learning environments, and about the implications of those insights for designing new approaches to helping students succeed. The paper outlines the theoretical basis for an experiment that is to be trialled in two Australian universities in 2008. The experiment's design synthesises online learning, peer learning and incremental research skill development activities to put the emphasis on preparing students for research-based assessment before the fact. This reverses the typical approach of providing feedback afterwards (which, research demonstrates, is often ineffective). The paper outlines an innovative and systematic method for intervening in student skills development in a timely, explicit, and, hopefully, more effective way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the implications of population ageing for skill in Australia. First, the paper discusses the concepts of skill and skill obsolescence. This is followed by an empirical assessment of the situation, based on the labour market data available from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Three issues are examined: (1) the professional and occupational profile of older workers, (2) older workers' participation in education and training, and (3) the future of skill. The analysis demonstrates that older workers are traditionally concentrated in non-service industries, have less access to education and training opportunities, and remain under-utilised in the labour market. The paper argues for - and identifies some key dimensions of - a fresh policy intervention to deal with these issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teachers may change their pedagogical approach in order to engage male students in the upper years of primary school, such as the use of group work, outdoor or hands-on strategies and negotiated curriculum. Such action is based on an assumption that disengaging students have the capacity to respond positively - to move from a pattern of resistance to a new 'negotiated' role of engagement. This paper presents case study research from two Grade 5/6 classes in regional Australia. Teachers used pedagogy that allowed students to make choices about what and how they learn. Teachers and students were observed and interviewed. Students also used an online recording space where they could make reflective journal entries, post work samples and comment on their perceived behavioural, emotional and cognitive engagement. The paper reports how students characterised making choices about their learning against the background of past patterns of educational disengagement; choices the students made; and the impact of these choices on the norms of school life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The policy of national reconciliation between Indigenous and non Indigenous peoples has been on the social and political agenda for decades, yet progress on this issue of Australian's ‘unfinished business’, seems to have stalled in the last few years. This paper seeks to map the various interpretations and meanings of ‘reconciliation’ in the Australian sociopolitical context, from the creation of the Council of Aboriginal Reconciliation in 1991, to the controversies emerging from the ‘cultural wars’ history debates of the last few years. It provides an framework for the various discourses of Reconciliation, by exploring and analysing the accrued meanings to such terms such as ‘genuine’ or ‘true’ reconciliation ‘symbolic’ reconciliation and ‘practical Reconciliation’ a term used extensively under the Prime Ministership of John Howard. In the current political context in Australia is reconciliation no more than a normative discourse — a symbolic gesture by mainstream Australia to maintain the status quo and divert our eyes from the more searching questions of the ‘unfinished business’ of ‘substantive’ reconciliation such as the issue of a treaty and just compensations for past injustices for Aboriginal people. This paper suggests that the journey towards reconciliation between black and white Australians is convoluted and complex. It is mired with political and social agendas which are inextricably linked with the national consciousness, with Australia's sense of self, the various views and interpretations of its history, and its multiple national identities. In reality, given the lack of national will to address the substantive issues of reconciliation, the journey still has many a path to tread. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indigenous Australian peoples have been shaped and constructed through the lens of postcolonial understandings of deficit in relation to academic abilities, behaviours and personal status in the educational system by mainstream Australian society. These deficit explanations of Indigenous peoples run deep within Australian culture and popular understandings. Literature charts colonial and postcolonial legacies, which influence the discourses around Indigneity, their relationship with identity and how these may impact on contemporary Australian schooling. These deficit models have influenced the current fact that Indigenous peoples are grossly underrepresented in the leadership positions of Australian educational systems. In this paper I undertake a critical discourse analysis of one state primary school principal's merging of dominant educational discourses in Australia with colonially derived representations of schooling and Indigenous cultural and spiritual discourses as her way to forge a new ‘course’ for Torres Strait Islander peoples. This paper suggests the imperative to examine some of the central myths surrounding deficit representations of Indigneity. The principal addresses these deficit representations through the discourses she employs in her leadership enactment to ensure her students are ‘two-way strong’ as a way to take their rightful place in the ‘global’ society of today. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on Herbst's (1998, 2001) theorising on public opinion, this paper argues that local discussion of public issues is an important site of public opinion formation and expression that has been ignored in the measurement and modelling of public opinion. Talk in local terrains - local talk - is entwined with, but conceptually and epistemologically independent of, mobilised opinion, mediated discourses and polled opinion. The narratives used in everyday conversation to understand and explain Indigenous issues draw on combinations of media frames, local experience and wider cultural knowledge. Significantly, at the local level, Australians illustrate reflexivity about the role that policy-makers, the media,and talk itself play in the construction of public opinion about Indigenous issues. Throughout the talk of Australians about wider Indigenous issues examined for this research, Redfern emerged as an important site for the multiple and contested understandings of Indigenous issues. This paper uses Redfern as a case study of both media representations and local talk about Indigenous issues, to examine how local talk can provide a powerful resource for understanding public opinion on Indigenous issues in Australia, and to illustrate the grounded study of local talk as a model for the exploration and elaboration of public opinion on other social issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent education reforms in Australia and elsewhere are calling for innovative ways to increase school retention and tertiary participation of students deemed educationally ‘at risk’. The Student Action Research for University Access (SARUA) project in Brisbane, Australia, offers a model with the potential to address some of the issues identified in the school reform programs. In a SARUA project, the high school students research barriers to higher education that exist within their own communities and plan consequent activities. In doing so, they not only increase their skills and knowledge, but they are presented with a forum for their voices to be heard and for their own ideas on school reform to be taken up by their schools. There are certain risks for the students in undertaking this work and in critiquing their own schools. Encouraging and respecting student voice, however, also involves attendant risks for those working with the students in the research process — not only must schools be willing to accept student views on their shortcomings, but teachers and the project's facilitators must also be prepared to learn from the student researchers. Using students' views gleaned from their research reports and focus groups, this paper firstly examines the learning that has ensued from participation in the project for the students in terms of overcoming some of their own educational disadvantage and increasing their confidence as learners and researchers. Secondly, it explores the learning that the project facilitators and the schools have gained from the students. The paper concludes by considering the advantages of this model for more general use in teaching and learning with relevance to at risk students, with particular regard to recent school reforms and the introduction in Queensland of ‘productive pedagogies’. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]