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University governing bodies, especially academic boards, play a crucial role in policy formation. However, due to the predominance of managerial values over academic values in the policy-making process, a persistent divide exists between policy formulation and implementation. This divide results from the marginalisation of academics and the dominance of managerial authority figures within these bodies. Our study investigates the latter to determine the precise Foucauldian apparatus used by authority figures to influence policy-making meetings. Using an innovative arts-based method, we analyse ethnographic vignettes through a Foucauldian lens and transform them into collages depicting the apparatus used by authority figures: Strategic Managerial Monumentalism, Managerial Historical Revisionism, Managerial Discursive Dominance, Managerial Panoptic Surveillance, and Managerial Normalisation. We contend that only a well-defined separation of governance powers can effectively counter the encroachment of managerialism and uphold the democratic representation of academic values in university policies to bridge the policy-practice divide.

This paper presents data derived from a larger study related to the expectations and experiences of international students from the People's Republic of China with regard to studying in Australian secondary schools. The study involved 116 international students, and data were collected in two phases using questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Findings suggest that English language experiences are a key concern and students do not always develop English language skills as expected during their period of study in Australia. To reduce dissonance between expectations and experiences of English language learning in Australia, it is recommended that substantial, ongoing English language support is embedded within the core curriculum for international students in Australian secondary schools.

University institutional policy is poorly understood. While policy is required by law for universities to accept funding and is revered for articulating values, mitigating risk, and guiding practice, policy is frequently considered absurd and resisted in practice. This is the policy-practice divide. To gain a better understanding of this divide and the nature of the resistance, we asked policy actors to describe their experiences with policy development, implementation, enactment, and review. We asked: "If policy is absurd, what is the nature of the relationship between policy and university management, and how do those who enact policy deal with this absurdity?" We discovered that university management has an infinitely regressive self-fulfilling relationship with policy because they intentionally exclude the workforce from policy-making and see themselves as solely responsible for policy interpretation and implementation. However, when Kierkegaard's concepts of absurdity, faith, hope, and doubt are applied to policy actors' experiences, we see that resistance can be characterised positively as a "leap of faith," where those who enact policy overcome their doubts and reinterpret it to achieve some semblance of good. This is an unintended consequence for managerialism, as deliberately creating a policy-practice divide solicits resistive "good" practices from policy actors.

International students in the secondary school sector are a particularly vulnerable group due to their age and status as unaccompanied minors. The establishment of friendships is an important component of the adjustment for these students as they transition into their new school environments. This paper presents issues related to friendships, investigated as part of a larger study examining the motivations, expectations and experiences of international students from the People's Republic of China studying in Australian secondary schools. Data were collected in two phases from 116 international students and 10 teachers using questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, and descriptive analyses employed. Because there is a paucity of information about the experiences of international secondary school students, this was an exploratory study that has contributed understanding of the lived experiences of a small group of international students from mainland China. The study identified that expectations regarding the establishment of friendships are not being met, and that international students from China are seeking more opportunities to form relationships with Australian peers. To reduce dissonance between expectations and experiences of studying in Australia, it is recommended that Australian schools work with both international and domestic students to provide authentic opportunities to build peer relationships.

Children are born into a rich technological environment and by the time they attend preschool they already have accumulated a wide variety of technological experiences, skills and knowledge. This paper reports on part of a project undertaken in Melbourne, Australia, which had as a primary aim to explore the existence or not of a relationship between computer use and young (4-6 year old) children's self-esteem. Observing children's interactions with computers was one of the data collection methods utilised in this study. The twofold analysis of the observations, the findings related to self-esteem and children's interactions with computers are the focus of this paper and are considered to be interesting and useful for the early childhood educators.

This paper presents data derived from a larger study related to the expectations and experiences of international students from the People's Republic of China with regard to studying in Australian secondary schools. The study involved 116 international students, and data were collected in two phases using questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Findings suggest that English language experiences are a key concern and students do not always develop English language skills as expected during their period of study in Australia. To reduce dissonance between expectations and experiences of English language learning in Australia, it is recommended that substantial, ongoing English language support is embedded within the core curriculum for international students in Australian secondary schools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This comparative study investigated the perspectives of preschool teachers in Australia, Denmark, Estonia, German, Greece and Sweden about learning and participation in preschool. A structured survey questionnaire investigated four main questions: What situations can be characterised as learning? What activities are important for learning? What are the best conditions for children's learning? How do preschool teachers understand participation in relation to children's learning in preschool? Results suggest that play, interactions with other children and adults, the provision of different activities and teacher support are important for children's learning. While similarities were noted, results indicate some disparity between countries and a further in-depth interview-style study is recommended to provide a deeper understanding of teachers' perspectives and practices around children's learning.

Children frequently encounter computers in many aspects of daily life. It is important to consider the consequences not only on children's cognitive development but on their emotional and self-development. This paper reports on research undertaken in Australia with 52 children aged between 44 and 79 months to explore the existence or not of a relationship between computer use and computer self-esteem. The development and use of tools to identify computer self-esteem is also described. Findings suggest that computer use enhances computer self-esteem, especially for children with access to computers both at home and in preschool and the first year of schooling. Suggestions for further research and serious implications for early childhood are also noted. (Contains 3 tables and 1 figure.)

Researchers have made convincing arguments for the benefits of a smooth transition to school. The passage through this significant social change may have a lasting influence on children's progress. For example, social, emotional and academic difficulties in the early years of schooling have been shown to persist through school and into adolescence. This paper reports a longitudinal study undertaken in Melbourne, Australia, which explored the relationship between children's early school adjustment and their development after six years of primary schooling (end of Grade 5), using the same social, behavioural and academic measures. The influence of children's adjustment in the early weeks of schooling on adjustment at the end of Grade 5 after allowing for a range of personal characteristics, family demographics and school factors is also reported. Adjustment in Grade 5 was predicted by family socioeconomic status as determined by government financial support for families and attendance at before-school-hours care in the early weeks of schooling, and some early measures of adjustment. (Contains 11 tables.)

The importance of carefully planned transition programs for children commencing school has been advocated in the literature. These programs should be based on sound principles of transition and reflect the voices of parents, preschool and school staff, and children. A variety of practices exists, and children's participation in transition programs also varies. This paper reports a study about the participation of children and their parents in different transition activities, differences in this participation by child gender and family demographics, and the relationship between participation in different numbers of these activities and children's adjustment to the first year of school. Results indicate significant benefits of participation in high numbers of transition activities for teacher-rated social and academic competence for children. Children's adjustment to school also appeared to differ for particular cohorts of the population. The challenge is to take these findings and translate them into the public good to maximise benefits to all children rather than those already experiencing sociocultural privilege. (Contains 7 tables.)

The first three years of life are critical for children's development and well-being. The care of these very young children is highly specialised and challenging work. Challenges in meeting the unique and varied needs of infants and toddlers in group care are compounded by the generally poor conditions of employment experienced by staff. When staff are emotionally stressed the stress can be transferred to their work and to the children, and can result in rigid routines and practices. In meeting the needs of infants and toddlers and easing the stresses for staff, this paper recognises the importance of responsive caregiving and will promote a primary-caregiver approach. This approach individualises and personalises the care of children in groups, supports relationships with families, and empowers staff.

The transition to the first year of schooling has been perceived as one of the major challenges children have to face in their early childhood years. This transition can be a critical factor for children's adjustment to the demands of the school environment and in determining future school success. When children experience social difficulties in the early years of school they are more likely to continue experiencing these problems throughout their schooling. An understanding of the social skills that predict children's adjustment to the first year of schooling can assist early childhood staff to identify children at risk of maladjustment and to implement appropriate intervention strategies. This paper will identify social skills that contribute to the constructs of co-operation, assertion and self control. Strategies that early childhood staff can use in promoting adjustment to school will be addressed. (Contains 3 tables and 1 figure.)

This study examined factors influencing the adjustment of children to the first year of school at four elementary schools in Australia. Statistically significant associations with children's adjustment were found for several factors, including personal and background factors, transition activities conducted by schools, children's preschool and early school experiences, and the absence or presence of a friend. Findings pose implications for promoting student adjustment to school. (Author/KB)

Aims. This study aimed to examine the attitudes and beliefs towards gestational diabetes of a multiethnic sample of pregnant women with gestational diabetes. Background. Women from non-Caucasian background are disproportionately represented in gestational diabetes statistics. This is of particular importance in multicultural Australia, where increasing numbers of non-Caucasian women give birth. Design. Cross-sectional survey. Methods. The Diabetes Attitude Scale, version 3 was administered to 200 women with gestational diabetes from Vietnamese, Indian, Filipino and Caucasian backgrounds. Results. A total of 143 questionnaires were returned indicating a response rate of 71·5%. There were significant between group differences in terms of educational level ( p = 0·001) and English fluency ( p = 0·001). Lower educational level, though not English language fluency, was associated with poorer appreciation of gestational diabetes as a serious condition and also with a lower valuing of tight glucose control. This effect was seen irrespective of ethnic group. Indian and Vietnamese women indicated a lower valuing of patient autonomy and also reported less negative psychological effects than Caucasian and Filipino women. Conclusions. Women from non-Caucasian ethnicities may be at risk of poorer self-management of gestational diabetes related to lower education, lower health literacy and a lower appreciation of gestational diabetes as a serious condition. Relevance to clinical practice. Nurses and midwives provide information and advice to women with gestational diabetes. Knowledge about factors that impact on attitude towards gestational diabetes among multiethnic populations is important for developing educational programmes to address their needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The initial emergence of e-governance appeared to be part of a more general government modernization process with the major focus concerning the potential for service delivery online and saving resources. Governments in Australia (and internationally) quickly raced towards grand e-government strategies. However, subsequent implementation has proved more problematic. e-Government has also raised wider questions about government policy making, structures of decision making and the perennial question of joined-up government. Drawing on empirical material from a seven-nation study (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Japan, US, UK and The Netherlands), this article explores some of these themes in the Australian context and also seeks to place Australian initiatives in a comparative international context.| [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the deregulation of Australia's dairy industry in order to reveal the means by which the corporate focus was embedded in the National Competition Policy (NCP). The policy was an important part of the Hawke-Keating federal Labor Government's free-trade oriented regulatory reforms which led to dairy market deregulation. NCP was the vehicle by which corporate organizations, government sectors and some dairy leaders sought to achieve their combined free-trade, free-market agenda.