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The COVID-19 pandemic precipitated a global shift to fully remote learning via learning management systems (LMS). Despite this significant shift, there has been a paucity of research exploring how students of varying academic performance engage with online learning resources. This study investigates the utilization of LMS among students with different academic performances at an Australian public research university. Utilizing a dataset of 129,567 activity logs from 313 students, we examined their interactions with the course files, discussion forums, grade book, and online quizzes, underpinned by self-regulated learning theory and connectivism theory. Our methodology entailed a granular analysis of LMS log data to identify engagement patterns, using the Kruskal-Wallis H Test to detect variations in resource utilization across performance levels--above-credit, credit, and below-credit. The findings revealed significant disparities in the frequency of engagement with course files and online quizzes and participation in forums between students of varying academic standings, with higher engagement associated with superior academic performance. In addition, our results suggest no significant difference in gradebook views. These insights have profound implications for the design and implementation of online learning strategies. They suggest the necessity of fostering active engagement with learning materials and collaborative platforms for improved educational outcomes. In addition, these findings improve our understanding of online learning engagement during an unprecedented educational disruption and lay the groundwork for future inquiries into the intricate dynamics of student interaction with digital learning tools post-pandemic. The limitations of our study are also discussed.

Many former university students on the autism spectrum have poor employment outcomes despite strengths, qualifications, and ability. This article presents findings from a qualitative study of 11 former university students on the spectrum (self-identified: 2 males, 7 females, 2 non-binary, 18-50+ years), and five significant others (2 mothers, 3 spouses), from Australia and New Zealand. We identified issues associated with better and poorer transition to employment experiences (poor mental health, lack of support, poor interview skills). The former students also indicated a belief that it was not the role of a university education to prepare students for employment. This belief may have influenced their discipline choices and attitude towards using career supports and university employability components. The participants who studied non-vocationally specific qualifications described more difficulty with conceptualising their transition to employment, developing an employment goal, and finding work. It was suggested that universities may need to provide comprehensive transition to employment programs that develop the 'soft skills' required for employment and offer work placements for both vocationally and non-vocationally oriented courses to help students build skills that increase their employability.

Background: Little is known about the health literacy of children living with long-term conditions. This study aimed to gain insight into the life of children with a long-term condition in the context of health literacy, specifically their understanding of their health and the barriers and facilitators to sharing information about their condition with others. Design: Child-centred qualitative arts-based approach with children aged 6-12 years. Setting: Children participating in the study came from three countries -- the UK, Australia and New Zealand. Method: A participatory arts-based qualitative child-centred approach prompted children to draw, label and use stickers, body-outlines and collage to describe elements central to health literacy. This encompassed their long-term condition, their understanding of their condition, its management and decision-making associated with sharing information about their condition with others. The sessions were audio-recorded, and reflexive thematic analysis was undertaken. Results: Four central themes related to key elements of child health literacy: (1) pragmatic understanding -- what it feels like and what happens in my body; (2) management regime -- what do I have to do to keep on going; (3) information sharing -- I don't tell random people; and (4) benefits of sharing -- they've got my back. Conclusion: Children indicated a pragmatic or process type understanding of their condition and its management. Children were discerning about who they shared information about their condition with, but tended to establish a network of well-informed peers capable of providing support if needed. Despite gaps in children's health literacy, parents and families have an important role to play in checking children's understandings and developing critical health literacy.

Students' prior knowledge may affect their learning of content in a compulsory Indigenous Studies course. Notably, non-Indigenous pre-service teachers' prior knowledge may bring conceptions and misconceptions to their formal Indigenous Studies education, potentially influencing their engagement with and/or resistance to concepts affecting their manifestation in their future classroom practices. Indeed, learning, unlearning, and relearning often occur in Indigenous Studies courses. Accordingly, this research aimed to understand what formal and informal knowledge students bring with them to their university studies to improve pedagogy. The survey data were collected from 357 pre-service teachers commencing a compulsory Indigenous Studies university course over four semesters. This analysis revealed two distinct clusters -- those who valued their formal schooling knowledge ("Formal" cluster) and those who valued their personal experience-based knowledge ("Informal" cluster). Unlike the "Formal" cluster, the "Informal" cluster held extreme views of social media as a source of knowledge and were more likely to disagree that their prior knowledge is limited/incomplete. Interestingly, institutional and individual factors such as gender, as well as exposure to enduring discourses, were also important but need further research. We argue that university and school educators need expertise in identifying prior 'troubling' knowledge of students and integrating knowledge sources to more skilfully 'trouble' and transform student knowledge.

There are various models for supporting students with disability and their teachers in mainstream schools. In New South Wales, each school has a learning and support teacher allocation and the New South Wales Department of Education recommends each school have a learning support team. This paper draws on in-depth interviews with school staff from 22 schools, including 16 learning and support teachers, 20 class teachers, 25 school executives and other stakeholders. We report here on the role of learning and support teachers and learning support teams in planning, implementing and evaluating adjustments and on the operation of learning support teams. Qualitative analysis of the interview transcripts revealed two kinds of learning support teams: those that focus on a particular student and those that oversee the education and resource provision for all students with disability in a school. Some teams had more of a focus on administration and resourcing, while others dealt more with educational adjustments. Similarly, some learning and support teachers were more involved in administrative and liaison roles, while others were more active in supporting teachers and providing services directly to students. The most detailed descriptions of support were provided by learning and support teachers with special education qualifications.

Parents whose autistic child's needs are not met within mainstream schooling may seek alternative modes of education, such as home or distance education. There is a paucity of research on the delivery of home or distance education programs for autistic students. This study reports on the experiences of parents, students and teachers in the inaugural year of Australia's first hybrid distance education program (distance education with parent/carers as supervisors) specifically designed for autistic students. Interviews with eight parents, four students and two teachers gathered their perceptions of the program's benefits, challenges and suggestions for improvements. All parents, students and teachers reported positive overall perceptions of and experiences in the program, and a range of outcomes for students and parents. Flexibility was identified as a key benefit of the program. Challenges identified included a lack of opportunities for students' social interactions and the effort required of parents to support their child's participation. Additional longitudinal research is needed to determine the long-term impact of programs of this type and to evaluate strategies for increasing student independence.

Public education is not just a way to organise and fund education. It is also the expression of a particular ideal about education and of a particular way to conceive of the relationship between education and society. The ideal of public education sees education as an important dimension of the common good and as an important institution in securing the common good. The common good is never what individuals or particular groups want or desire, but always reaches beyond such particular desires towards that which societies as a whole should consider as desirable. This does, of course, put the common good in tension with the desires of individuals and groups. Neo-liberal modes of governance have, over the past decades, put this particular educational set up under pressure and have, according to some, eroded the very idea of the common good. This set of contributions reflects on this state of affairs, partly through an exploration of the idea of publicness itself -- how it can be rearticulated and regained -- and partly through reflections on the current state of education in the 'north' and the 'south.'

Resilience is a much-needed capability for both university staff and students in this volatile time. However, conceptualisations of resilience vary widely, with many viewing this as a fixed attribute each individual either has or doesn't have, and the impact of context on resilience is often neglected. This research explores the outcomes of a staff leadership program focused on participants' conceptualisation of resilience and how they can influence student resilience through curricula and/or co-curricula innovation. The program, informed by social cognition and political leadership theory, was delivered to 58 staff from a range of disciplines across three Australian universities. Several program attendees participated in a pre (N = 13) and/or post (N = 10) interview that examined their understanding of resilience and self-identified changes in their teaching practice in relation to resilience. The importance of the social cognition process of sensemaking (establishing a shared, contemporary view of resilience as a dynamic process through an ecological lens) appeared critical. The program's political leadership strategies promoted changes to participants' teaching practices.

Introduction: Enabling education programs, otherwise known as Foundation Studies or Preparatory programs, provide pathways for students typically under-represented in higher education. Students in Enabling programs often face distinct challenges in their induction to academic culture which can implicate them in cases of misconduct. This case study addresses a gap in the enabling literature reporting on how a culture of academic integrity can be developed for students and staff in these programs through an educative approach. Case description: This paper outlines how an educative approach to academic integrity is implemented within the Enabling programs of two Australian universities. Discussion and reflection: This case study reflects upon an approach which makes specific reference to the key elements of 'support', 'approach' and 'responsibility' as highlighted in Bretag and Mahmud's seminal paper. The paper reports a reduction in misconduct cases at the two institutions suggesting a positive correlation between the interventions and students' understanding of ethical academic practice. This study reflects upon practitioner experiences with academic integrity investigations to evaluate the effectiveness of this approach. Conclusions: The authors show that it is possible to ensure academic integrity practices and values are upheld within a supportive learning environment appropriate to a students' level of study.

This paper details a cross-cultural study of inclusive leadership practices within a basic education context in each of the following countries: Australia, Canada, and Colombia. Each school was selected after district educational leaders identified the school as being inclusive of students with diverse learning needs over an extended period of time. The researchers were particularly interested in the norms and assumptions that were evident within conversations because these were viewed as indicators of the nature of the embedded school culture within each context. School leaders and teachers were interviewed to determine the link between rhetoric and reality, and what inclusion 'looked like', 'felt like', and 'sounded like' at each site, and whether any discernible differences could be attributed to societal culture. A refractive phenomenological case study approach was used to capture the messages within each context and the lived experiences of the participants as they sought to cater for the needs of students. Data were collected from semi-structured interviews with school leaders and teaching staff. Each researcher conducted environmental observations, documenting the impressions and insights gained from the more implicit messages communicated verbally, non-verbally, and experientially from school structures, visuals, and school ground interactions. Themes were collated from the various narratives that were recounted. Both similarities and distinct socio-cultural differences emerged.

Objectives: To gain insight into children's health-related knowledge and understanding of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2) and COVID-19, and measures adopted to mitigate transmission. Design: A child-centred qualitative creative element embedded in an online mixed-methods survey of children aged 7-12years. Setting: Children participated in the study in six countries -- the UK, Australia, Sweden, Brazil, Spain and Canada. Method: A qualitative creative component, embedded in an online survey, prompted children to draw and label a picture. Children were recruited via their parents using the researchers' professional social media accounts, through known contacts, media and websites from health organisations within each country. Analysis of the form and content of the children's pictures took place. Results: A total of 128 children (mean age 9.2 years) submitted either a hand-drawn (n = 111) or digitally created (n = 17) picture. Four main themes were identified which related to children's health-related knowledge of (1) COVID-19 and how it is transmitted; (2) measures and actions to mitigate transmission; (3) places of safety during the pandemic; and (4) children's role in mitigating COVID-19 transmission. Conclusion: Children's pictures indicated a good understanding of the virus, how it spreads and how to mitigate transmission. Children depicted their actions during the pandemic as protecting themselves, their families and wider society.

Australian higher education policy espouses the need to expose students to Indigenous knowledges, cultures and pedagogies by embedding appropriate content into the curriculum. One way to overcome the challenges of guest speakers, lack of capacity and a crowded curriculum is to use digital materials regularly during lectures and tutorials. Videos have been shown to create empathy and emotional connection between students and the storyteller. The "Voices" project consisted of 12 semi-structured conversations with local Indigenous people covering a range of topics, each of which was edited for particular topics and courses to avoid student resistance to difficult material and avoid homogenous representations of Indigenous peoples. The edited video clips were shown in class and evaluated. This research reports on formal anonymous student feedback on teaching, questionnaire responses from 115 students and 10 in-depth interviews. Findings include the authenticity, emotional connection and empathy the storytellers provide, and the need for cultural courage to reflect on one's own positionality and privilege. We argue that digital storytelling is an effective pedagogy that also engages the community and helps further the higher education agenda for culturally inclusive knowledges and perspectives.

The inclusion of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is increasing, but there have been no longitudinal studies of included students in Australia. Interview data reported in this study concern primary school children with ASD enrolled in mainstream classes in South Australia and New South Wales, Australia. In order to examine perceived facilitators and barriers to inclusion, parents, teachers, and principals were asked to comment on the facilitators and barriers to inclusion relevant to each child. Data are reported about 60 students, comprising a total of 305 parent interviews, 208 teacher interviews, and 227 principal interviews collected at 6-monthly intervals over 3.5 years. The most commonly mentioned facilitator was teacher practices. The most commonly mentioned barrier was intrinsic student factors. Other factors not directly controllable by school staff, such as resource limitations, were also commonly identified by principals and teachers. Parents were more likely to mention school- or teacher-related barriers. Many of the current findings were consistent with previous studies but some differences were noted, including limited reporting of sensory issues and bullying as barriers. There was little change in the pattern of facilitators and barriers identified by respondents over time. A number of implications for practice and directions for future research are discussed.

Although the use of data is important for informing inclusive practice, research into Australian early childhood educators' data practice is limited. Types of data collected in early childhood settings and the use of these data were investigated. Surveys completed by 105 early childhood educators across Australia indicated that anecdotal written records, photos, and children's work samples were the predominant data collection strategies used for both children with and without additional needs. More educators reported that they collected counted or timed behaviour data for children with additional needs than for those without additional needs. One third of educators did not indicate that they collect this type of data. The majority of educators indicated that they value the use of data in their practice, reported that they use data for progress monitoring and modification of activities to meet the needs of individuals with additional needs, and perceived that they were confident in using the data collection strategies that they nominated. The data that these Australian early childhood educators used were predominantly qualitative, suggesting that training is needed for educators to collect and utilise both qualitative and quantitative data to assist with instructional decision-making.

This ethnographic study analyses the diverse emotions emerging within one teacher professional development workshop that engaged teachers as creative writers. Participating teachers revealed a vibrant range of positive and negative emotions as they worked within institutional discourses that conflicted with their intrinsic beliefs about effective teaching. They revealed their emotional investment in their roles and their desires for meaningful practice in spite of pressures to abide by managerial practices. Researchers documented high levels of vulnerability, engagement and hope as participants engaged in writing as "praxis" to experience their beliefs about effective pedagogy firsthand. These findings suggest that since teaching and learning is inherently an emotional experience, professional development needs to acknowledge a teacher's complex emotional identity and to cultivate positive emotional growth. This study is relevant to teacher educators, preservice and practising teachers as it explores meaningful learning opportunities as a basis for effective teaching practice.

Career change student teachers enter teacher education programmes with different needs, capabilities and aspirations from those of their school-leaver counterparts. These differences come into stark contrast during professional experience, when student teachers spend extensive periods in schools as part of their teacher education programme. This article reports on the findings of an Australia-wide survey of 508 career change student teachers from 29 Australian universities. The respondents commented in particular on the struggles of juggling financial, family-related and study demands during their professional experience and raised some particular concerns for women. The article proposes recommendations for schools, supervising teachers and teacher education institutions that might improve this cohort's school experiences.

Indigenous Australian identities are enmeshed in racializing discourses that often occlude diversity, hybridity, and intersectionality. Australians who self-identify as Aboriginal are often disbelieved by both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people, or confront hierarchies of authenticity. Critical analysis of focus groups with undergraduate Aboriginal students suggests that while there are opportunities to find and reinforce their identities in Australian universities, those identities are also denied. Using counterstories and critical race theory, this study exposes dominant misrepresentations of Aboriginality in Australian higher education that can affect academic success and attrition. Universities need to abandon rigid, culturalist constructions of Aboriginal students' identities, and expectations that these can be codified and regulated. Academic and administrative staff require sustained education in the histories of defining Aboriginality, and knowledge of Aboriginal identity politics, stereotypes, and the diversity of contemporary Indigenous peoples so they can respond in culturally safe and flexible ways to Aboriginal students.

Little research addresses graduate transition issues faced by transnational education (TNE) stakeholders. This paper's conceptual framework situates alumni as central stakeholders and potential partners in developing crucial insights into TNE graduate transitions. We interviewed alumni of an Australian university campus in Vietnam (AUV) about their TNE education experience and how students might be successfully supported to transition to local careers. Alumni were satisfied with the AUV's role in developing skills, English ability, and confidence. They noted the value of work integrated learning (WIL) internships. However, they highlighted aspects of their experience where the university could provide greater employability support and cultural relevance. Moreover, they expressed a desire for greater ongoing connection with the university as their careers progressed. The findings ground the paper's proposals for institutional transnational campus graduate transition support at three stages of the transnational student experience: enrolled student, transitioning student and graduate alumnus.

Background: A dramatic decline in mental health of people worldwide in the early COVID-19 pandemic years has not recovered. In rural and remote Australia, access to appropriate and timely mental health services has been identified as a major barrier to people seeking help for mental ill-health. From 2020 to 2021 a care navigation model, Navicare, was co-designed with rural and remote communities in the Greater Whitsunday Region of Central Queensland in Australia. The Exploration, Preparation, Implementation and Sustainment (EPIS) framework was used to design and guide multiple aspects of a multisite study, The Bridging Study, to evaluate the implementation of Navicare in Australia. Methods: A community-engaged hybrid effectiveness-implementation study design will focus on the tailored implementation of Navicare at three new sites as well as monitoring implementation at an existing site established since 2021. Study outcomes assessed will include sustained access as the co-primary outcome (measured using access to Navicare mental health referral services) and Proctor's Implementation Outcomes of feasibility, acceptability, appropriateness, adoption, fidelity, implementation cost, and sustainability. Data collection for the implementation evaluation will include service usage data, community consultations, interviews, and workshops; analysed using mixed methods and guided by EPIS and other implementation frameworks. Pre-post effectiveness and cost-consequence study components are embedded in the implementation and sustainment phases, with comparison to pre-implementation data and value assessed for each EPIS phase using hospital, service, and resource allocation data. A scaling up strategy will be co-developed using a national roundtable forum in the final year of the study. Qualitative exploration of other aspects of the study (e.g., mechanisms of action and stakeholder engagement) will be conducted. Discussion: Our study will use tailoring to local sites and a community-engaged approach to drive implementation of a mental health care navigation service in rural and remote Australia, with expected benefits to mental healthcare access. This approach is consistent with policy recommendations nationally and internationally as building blocks for rural health including the World Health Organization Framework for Action on Strengthening Health Systems to Improve Health Outcomes. Trial registration: Prospectively registered on April 2, 2024, on the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, no. ACTRN12624000382572. https://anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=386665&isReview=true. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Play as a learning practice increasingly is under challenge as a valued component of early childhood education. Views held in parallel include confirmation of the place of play in early childhood education and, at the same time, a denigration of the role of play in favor for more teacher-structured and formal activities. As a consequence, pedagogical approaches towards play, the curriculum activities that constitute play, and the appropriateness of play in educational settings, have come under scrutiny in recent years. In this context, this study investigates children's perspectives of play and how they understand the role of play and learning in their everyday activities. This article reports on an Australian study where teacher-researchers investigated child-led insights into what counts as play in their everyday classroom activities. Children (aged 3-4 years) described play as an activity that involved their active participation in "doing" something, being with peers, and having agency and ownership of ideas. Children did not always characterize their activities as "play", and not all activities in the preschool program were described as play. The article highlights that play and learning are complex concepts that may be easily dismissed as separate, when rather they are deeply intertwined. The findings of this study generate opportunities for educators and academics to consider what counts as "play" for children, and to prompt further consideration of the role of play as an antidote to adult centric views of play.

The aims of this research were threefold: (1) explore the perceptions of paramedic educators regarding information literacy education (ILE); (2) reveal the information literacy (IL) abilities of paramedic science students; and (3) develop an integrated IL framework for paramedicine. Two key findings arose from this research. First, paramedic educators need to include higher functions of synthesis and creative thinking in ILE. Second, ILE needs to be mapped and scaffolded to incrementally develop these skills across each year of the program. The results informed the development of a programwide ILE framework implemented in 2019 and to be evaluated in 2021.

The university experience of students with ASD was explored through a qualitative study of 11 former university students and six significant others from Australia and New Zealand. A range of key issues were identified including difficulties encountered when studying, reasons for completion and non-completion, supports used, and coping strategies used by the participants. Many switched to part-time to manage their poor mental health and/or executive function and most had slow rates of progress. Also, some felt they had made poor discipline choices. The participants offered suggestions for future students and for making universities more autism friendly, and the possible need for transition and more structured study supports was identified.

An on-line survey of 102 (51 females; undergraduate and graduate) university students with ASD across Australia and New Zealand examined student characteristics and satisfaction with academic and non-academic supports. A broad range of disciplines were studied, and the participants' reported strengths included a passion for learning, strong technology skills, and creative thoughts. The participants' greatest concerns were academic requirements and mental health, including high rates of self-harm and suicidal ideation. Despite support satisfaction ratings being high, support usage was low, possibly indicating a mismatch of supports and needs, lack of awareness of available supports, and/or poor advocacy skills.

The satellite city of Elizabeth, located 30 km north of South Australia's capital Adelaide, was established in the 1950s as an experiment in urban sociological planning, populated with new arrivals and hailed as the 'City of Tomorrow'. By the 1970s, it had declined into one of the most disadvantaged communities in South Australia, with intergenerational unemployment, poverty and social dysfunction leading to disengagement and disenfranchisement of the current generation of young people living there. In 2007 the local council developed a community facility to attract young people into creative learning and expression through music and the performing arts. This was the council's response to its shared responsibility for caring for the young people in its community and their personal, social and educational wellbeing. 'Northern Sound System' offers programs and resources for contemporary music composing, recording and performance. This article reports on the affordances of applying a youth participatory inquiry approach in a study in Elizabeth, to establish young people's views on music and the creative arts in relation to their lifeworlds, in particular their interests, personal wellbeing and social interactions. Most young people reported music played a large part in maintaining a positive outlook. However, there were differences in how young men and women talked about the creative arts in their lives, which may have implications for the provision of programs and safe spaces for young people to 'hang out' and engage in creative pursuits.

Extant research addressing implicit factors related to intervention decisions made by parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is limited and findings have been inconsistent. In the present study, 74 parents of preschoolers with ASD were surveyed regarding intervention use. The possible relationships between implicit parent factors (education level, age, causal beliefs about ASD, complementary and alternative medicine [CAM] use, and family income) and child factors (time since diagnosis, and perceived severity of ASD), and the number and type of interventions used were examined. Consistent with previous research, only a small number of significant relationships were found, including that family income, parent use of CAM, mother's education, parent belief in an unknown aetiology of ASD, and time since child's diagnosis were all related to the number of interventions used. Some specific findings of previous research were not replicated in the present study (e.g., neither beliefs in environmental aetiology of ASD nor parent education levels were related to the use of specific CAM interventions), indicating that factors affecting decision-making may not be consistent across samples. Nevertheless, future research including an expanded range of possible implicit factors with more diverse samples may provide a more accurate predictive model of parent decision-making.

Though universities are eager to leverage the potential of mobile learning to provide learning flexibly, most balk at the cost of providing students with mobile hardware. The practice of "bring your own device" (BYOD) is often mooted as a cost-effective alternative. This paper provides a snapshot of student ownership of mobile devices at a regional Australian university. Our research shows that students do have access to and use a wide range of devices. However, the delivery of learning is challenged when students try to access materials and activities using these devices. Course materials are rarely optimised for use on smartphones, navigating websites and learning management systems becomes a scrolling nightmare, and interacting with other students is often impractical using prescribed systems. Most concerning is that none of the students surveyed were participating in educator-led mobile learning initiatives. The paper concludes with the proposal of some practical, low-cost tactics that educators could potentially employ to begin engaging with mobile learning, leveraging what students already do.

Although teacher aides are often employed in schools to provide support for students with disabilities and special education needs, there is limited Australian research on their work and employer expectations. This article provides an analysis of advertisements for teacher aide positions, and compares the content of advertisements with role statements and teacher aide reports of their work. Employment for teacher aides is likely to be casual and short-term and qualifications are rarely required. A very wide range of criteria was identified and the most frequently mentioned criterion was generic, such as the ability to work in a team. Criteria relating to the actual work aides report they perform or to education department role statements were less frequent. Concern is expressed about the effects of generally poorly defined roles, the lack of required qualifications and the precarious nature of many positions on the education of students with special education needs.

Wellbeing is an emerging priority that poses a "wicked" problem. Current directives from policy makers are that schools address student wellbeing. However, the lack of a clear definition, simple solution or process for ensuring wellbeing creates a difficult task for schools. This article seeks to add to the current understanding of wellbeing in schools by drawing on the findings of a systematic literature review to investigate the characteristics and outcomes of school-based wellbeing interventions. Four databases were searched to identify relevant peer-reviewed articles published in English. The background discussion is set in the Australian context; however, the geographic scope of the literature review is international. Findings of the study align with previous research that views definitions of wellbeing as problematic. The broad range of wellbeing interventions found in the literature highlights a lack of consensus around best practice for wellbeing in schools. Despite evidence showing the benefits of a whole school approach, the majority of articles describe programmes and strategies targeted at small groups of students. The outcomes of the interventions are difficult to compare because they do not necessarily relate directly to wellbeing. This article raises questions about the evidence base to support the validity and trustworthiness of the interventions. Further research is necessary to consolidate understandings of wellbeing and to provide solid research evidence to inform further development of school wellbeing practices.

This study provides an in-depth examination of the understanding and implementation of cognitive-- behavioural approaches (CBA) by Australian teachers of students with both autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability. Semistructured interviews were completed with 13 New South Wales teachers and several themes emerged. Interviewed teachers appeared to have limited knowledge about CBA; their description of the application of CBA and their reported practices included few features specifc and unique to CBA. They primarily perceived CBA as a tool for behaviour management; addressing emotion was a theme but addressing cognition was not a salient feature of their practice. Most teachers seemed unaware of the potential of CBA in fostering generalisation or maintenance, and important student characteristics appeared to be seldom considered in teacher planning of their CBA programs. Directions for enhancing teacher knowledge and supporting their practice of CBA are suggested.

Self-regulation and executive functioning impairments are common in children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. Given the high rates of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder identified amongst children living in the remote Fitzroy Valley region of Western Australia, the Alert Program® was identified as a culturally safe intervention for use in local primary schools. Researchers collaborated with Aboriginal Elders, community members, and staff from a Fitzroy Valley primary school to trial the Alert Program®. Teachers were trained to deliver eight Alert Program® lessons to children in class. Self-regulation and executive functioning were measured using teacher and parent/caregiver questionnaires three times. Data were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA. Teacher-led delivery of the Alert Program® was feasible in a region with high fetal alcohol spectrum disorder rates. As measured by teacher and parent/caregiver ratings, this curriculum may improve the self-regulation and executive functioning of children for some outcomes and provide sustained effects for some children. This community partnered pilot research, evaluated a school-based program to reduce the behavioral impact of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, and informed design of a larger trial across eight Aboriginal community schools.

This paper reports on selected findings from a research study with 211 secondary school English teachers in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. A questionnaire was utilised to gather evidence of teachers' perspectives on teaching, including the continued salience of their initial motivations for entering the teaching profession and their career intentions. The relationship between the durability of initial intrinsic and altruistic motivations to teach and teachers' commitment to the profession over time has been implicated in career foreclosure and teacher turnover. This research investigated the relationship between teacher motivation, levels of satisfaction with teaching and career intentions for 'invested teachers' (Glazer, 2017) with ten or more years of service. The findings confirmed the predominance of altruistic and intrinsic motivations in the initial decision to become a teacher. One third of experienced teachers had not maintained their original motivations. More than one third were 'unsure', 'dissatisfied' or 'very dissatisfied' with teaching. Twenty per cent reported that they would only be teaching for another one to five years. The findings identify a range of extrinsic factors influencing declining teacher motivation, wellbeing, perceived self-efficacy, job satisfaction and early exit career intentions. The data point to flagging levels of motivation as risk indicators for teachers' decision-making about their future in the profession.

In this paper, we examine the ways in which the conceptualisation of literature and literary study encoded in the inaugural secondary school English syllabus in New South Wales (NSW), Australia can be seen to anticipate the conceptualisation so fervently enunciated in "The Teaching of English in England" -- the Newbolt Report of 1921. Through a comparative analysis of the two historical documents, the paper sheds light on the philosophical, ideological and discursive resonances between them, underlining the extraordinary trans-cultural and trans-temporal influence of the New Education movement on the formation of English during the early twentieth century in Australia and Britain. We contend that the Newbolt Report served to vindicate and lend additional authority to the ideas and values embedded in the 1911 NSW English syllabus that were in turn carried forward in successive iterations of the secondary English syllabus in NSW for more than a century.

The health, wellbeing and employability of university students are key considerations within higher education. In response, interest in student resilience is on the rise. Reviews of contemporary resilience literature highlight both conceptual and methodological weaknesses, issues which hamper attempts to design effective resilience interventions. To inform the design of a student resilience program, to be piloted at three Australian universities, a scoping review of resilience specific to the higher education context was undertaken. Searches of three electronic databases (PsychINFO, CINAHL and ProQuest) were conducted. Seventy-two peer-reviewed articles published between 2007 and 2017 were included in the review. While the review reaffirms the conceptual and methodological issues found in previous resilience research, it provides a useful critique of key issues in relation to university student resilience and interventions to enhance students' resilience. Recommendations for educators and researchers are provided.

Introduction: Strong patient interest in the use of medicinal cannabis to treat various clinical indications has sparked global legislative changes. Practitioners are vital in implementing regulatory changes and facilitating patient access to medicinal cannabis, however, little is currently known about the factors influencing practitioners' uptake. Recent rapid increases in practitioner applications to prescribe medicinal cannabis in Australia provides a unique backdrop to examine the current factors influencing prescribing behaviours. This qualitative study examined Australian practitioners' perspectives on prescribing medicinal cannabis to provide a comprehensive exploration of the potential factors influencing uptake in clinical practice. Methods: Seventeen semi‐structured interviews were conducted with Australian health‐care practitioners. Transcripts were analysed using the Framework approach to thematic analysis and cross‐mapped to appropriate domains of the Theoretical Domains Framework. Results: We identified four themes related to the barriers and facilitators to prescribing medicinal cannabis: (i) clinical capabilities needed to prescribe; (ii) prescribing an unapproved therapeutic good; (iii) negative attitudes towards prescribers in the medical community; and (iv) divergent beliefs about clinical utility. Discussion and Conclusions: Practitioners face multiple pervasive barriers to prescribing medicinal cannabis. Beliefs about clinical utility appear to be highly influential in shaping prescribing behaviours. Moreover, our findings suggest that a medicinal cannabis 'specialisation' has emerged within the Australian medical community. Findings demonstrate that a range of complex and multifaceted factors influence practitioners' medicinal cannabis prescribing behaviours. We highlight several considerations for policy and practice to support safe and appropriate patient access to medicinal cannabis in this emerging area of clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper draws together critical learnings from diverse qualitative health research projects in Australia that sought to shift power and focus on the strengths and expertise of people with lived experience who are involved as co-researchers. These projects have included exploring and challenging identities, understanding experiences in treatment programs, critiquing and designing/re-designing services, and sharing experiences with the wider community in novel and innovative ways. Lived experiences included alcohol and other drug dependency, mental health, domestic, family or sexual violence, and living with HIV. This paper provides important learnings and actions about partnering with co-researchers with lived experience. In this paper we draw on a process of reflective discussions that occurred over six months with fortnightly online meetings between co-researchers, including co-authors with lived experience external to academia and university-based researchers, some of whom also have lived-experience that intersects with their research. From this, we distilled key learnings across seven themes: (1) the ethics of ethics, which highlights a need for constant reflection on the ethical issues in co-research; (2) recruiting co-researchers, which focuses on ensuring and integrating a diversity of voices; (3) creating safety for all, which must be a priority of engagement and support self-determination; (4) supporting different ways of partnering, which emphasises the need for diverse roles and ways to contribute on research teams; (5) capacity building and training, which requires ongoing evaluation of needs and tailored responses; (6) positioning, which highlights the need to transition from the idea of vulnerability to a strengths-based perspective of lived experience; and (7) power plays, reflecting the need to disrupt the dynamics and established hierarchies of privileging certain forms of knowledge and expertise. The paper includes recommendations for action against these seven themes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this clinical audit is to evaluate the characteristics of dental infections requiring hospitalisations, which may help improve preventative and management policies. This study retrospectively evaluated the records of patients admitted to the Nepean hospital, Kingswood, New South Wales, Australia, due to dental infections between 2018 and 2019. A total of 102 patients, mostly in their thirties with equal gender distribution, were admitted with dental infections, presenting with pain (100%), swelling (99%), trismus (40.2%), dysphagia (27.4%), fever (21%) [>37 °C], tachycardia (24.8%) and tachypnoea (9.3%). Most patients (68%) presented on weekends, outside regular working hours, and public holidays. A total of 52.5% of patients had taken prior antibiotics. Dental caries, smoking, mental health issues, and illicit drug use were featured strongly. The majority of patients (56.4%) underwent treatment under local anaesthesia. The total length of hospital stay was 271 days (mean 2.7, SD 1.6). Augmentin was the most prescribed antibiotic. Complications were reported in 8.8% of the patients, primarily due to airway compromise. Dental infections leading to hospitalisations continue to be a burden on the healthcare system. A notable finding was that the presentations were primarily on weekends, outside regular working hours, and public holidays, and the majority required dental interventions under local anaesthesia. The provision of on-call emergency dental services may reduce potentially preventable hospitalisations and the length of hospital stay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With increasing expectations that preservice teachers will be prepared to teach students with special needs in regular classrooms, it is timely to review relevant units in teacher education courses. Units relevant to special education/inclusion in primary undergraduate teacher preparation courses in Australian tertiary institutions, delivered in 2009, were examined. Information was gathered through a series of Google searches, and available information was very limited for some units. Sixty-one units in 34 courses met criteria for inclusion. Units typically ran for one semester with 30-40 hours of instruction. Just under half the instructors for whom relevant information was available had an active interest in special education/inclusion of students with disabilities. The most commonly included content was on instructional strategies, with few units aimed at promoting positive attitudes to people with disabilities and only 10% stating that the content was evidence or research-based. (Contains 4 tables.)

Anger related behaviours such as aggression are known to be an area of difficulty for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). A national internet forum for parents of children with ASD was selected out of other similar forums from six English speaking countries. Information about the angry episodes of 121 children with ASD as described by 120 parents on this forum was analysed. From the parents' perspective, children with ASD were angry frequently with aggressive behaviours, their anger was target and context specific, and they could not control their own behaviours during their angry episodes but some were apologetic afterward. These behaviours impacted on the whole family, their parents, their siblings and the children with ASD. These episodes were influenced by their being physically or emotionally unwell, and antecedents included inaccessibility to preferred items, and changes in routines/environments. There might be improvement over time and possible gender difference in these behaviours. (Contains 5 tables.)