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Although developing the 21st century skills of Communication, Collaboration, Critical Thinking, and Creativity have been seen as an important foundation of 21st century teaching and learning, there have been difficulties identified in 4Cs implementation in schools. Primarily, issues associated with an overcrowded and disjointed curriculum, a continued focus on teacher-centered teaching, and lack of encouragement of independent student inquiry have been identified. However, initial studies have identified Global Project-Based Learning (Global PBL) in extracurricular activities (ECA) as a promising approach to incorporating the 4Cs in an authentic and sustainable manner. It is also consistent with the core competencies of Global Citizenship. This investigation of a Global PBL approach in Indonesia, linking with educators in an African country as part of the 2013 Indonesian curriculum, clarifies some key teaching focuses within the 4Cs teaching strategies to enhance teacher planning. Additionally, it identifies teacher and student perspectives on key functions of Global PBL in augmenting the 4Cs. Working closely together in pursuing a successful Global PBL project, teachers and students had different views of their level of attainment of the skills of the 4Cs. However, it was evident that learner-centered, constructivist, and reflective approaches to teaching and learning did promote all the 4Cs in one project. An understanding of the challenges and opportunities based on the findings of this research can serve as a guide for educators who wish to transfer Global PBL activities to classroom activities.

In light of widening participation initiatives internationally, including those in Australia, much has been written about equity policies in education. There is a growing body of research related to the outcomes of such policies and the experiences of non-traditional students, including those from low socio-economic status (LSES) backgrounds and students who are First Generation and/or First in Family, as well as other equity groups. This paper presents data related to a less researched effect of widening participation: the experiences of and impact on academic staff and those providing support services to students. We focus particularly on students from LSES backgrounds. Qualitative data were collected through focus groups with academic and student support staff in a large regional Australian university, with several themes emerging. In this paper, we investigate staff experiences related to diversity in student cohorts, drawing on Bourdieu's concept of capital. Results show that the academics are supportive of LSES students and sensitive to the range of student backgrounds in their courses, including differences in cultural capital and students experiencing extreme hardship, but the support provided is affected by staff gender. It is evident that staff endeavour pedagogically and pastorally to support students, often at personal cost. There are workload and welfare implications evident for staff, institutions and funding.

Cultural competence is an important skill for 21st century teaching and learning, and as such, it features in various international teacher standards and accreditation documents. Teachers must be culturally competent so they can cater for diversity in their classrooms and prepare their students to live and work in a global economy/environment. Preparing preservice teachers for this role is not a particularly easy task, made more difficult given that diversity among teachers does not always match diversity of students in schools; furthermore, cultural competence is a contested concept. In this paper, we consider issues in the assessment of cultural competence from the research literature and focus on findings from one survey with preservice teachers at a regional university in Australia. Comparing these data with findings from an earlier study of American preservice teachers, we discuss significant differences from the two cohorts in responses to some survey items. Some findings raise issues around the suitability of cultural competence instruments across different contexts.

Twenty-first-century teaching prepares students for a globalized existence. The long-established goal of schooling to prepare a responsible citizenry who strive for the benefit of the community must now be extended, assisting students to become global citizens, equipped to deal with global issues. This article investigates how civics and citizenship education is addressed in curricula; in particular, to what extent the ongoing issue of supporting a critical citizenry, locally and globally, is addressed. Using Australia as a case study, we present an analysis of selected Australian primary school (ages 5-12) curriculum documents to determine the extent of commitment to educating for global citizenship specifically. While intentions are good, work is needed to ensure that these are enacted within schools.

The need for researcher reflexivity in qualitative research, especially where data are gathered through interview, is well documented. Studies employing a range of theoretical frameworks and methodologies are similarly affected, with researchers needing to consider specific contextual factors related to the design nuances of each project. This paper focuses on the need for reflexivity, including ethical concerns, in a longitudinal study using narrative inquiry and a Bourdieuian framework. The study included multiple interviews with thirteen students from 'non-traditional' backgrounds over a four-year period to examine their experiences of studying at a regional Australian university. Issues around interviewer/interviewee relationships are outlined, along with possible mis/re/interpretations of data. Results demonstrate the critical nature of skilled and ethical interviewing techniques, emphasizing the importance of designing questions which do not pre-empt findings or skew results. Overall, the benefits for both researchers and interviewees of longitudinal studies allowing substantial time lapses facilitating reflexivity between interviews are made evident.

The present study explored the interactive effect of age and gender in predicting surface and deep learning approaches. It also investigated how these variables related to degree satisfaction. Participants were 983 undergraduate students at a large public Australian university. They completed a research survey either online or on paper. Consistent with previous research, age was a positive predictor of both surface and deep learning. However, gender moderated this age effect in the case of deep learning: Age predicted deep learning more strongly among women and not among men. Furthermore, age positively predicted degree satisfaction among women but not among men, and deep learning mediated this moderation effect. Hence, older female students showed the greatest deep learning in the present sample, and this effect explained their greater satisfaction with their degree. The implications of these findings for pedagogical practices and institutional policy are considered.

Despite widespread support for integrated approaches to teaching, classroom practice reveals a lack of implementation. This paper explores challenges and opportunities in teaching an integrated curriculum, and connects this with the contemporary notion of a twenty-first century curriculum and pedagogy. A case study of Global Education (GE) is used to delineate the complexity of issues when teachers attempt to move beyond disciplinary-based teaching approaches. We examine curriculum documents, advice for teachers on curriculum implementation, preservice teachers' experiences in schools during Professional Experiences and national guidelines for Professional Experience. Through these data, a broad picture emerges of influences on integrating curricula in classrooms. Opportunities to integrate curriculum incorporating twenty-first century pedagogies were limited by pressures on teachers with preservice teachers rarely exposed to authentic integration. Teachers' professional standing requires clear guidelines, which allow them to pursue important twenty-first century content and skills, for young citizens and this must begin in preservice education.

In an era of international multimedia exposure and a global economy, there is no question that global education (GE) must be part of the school curriculum. Effective delivery of GE is reliant on adequate teacher preparation. A group of teacher educators at one University sought to raise the profile of GE with pre-service teachers through the integration of global perspectives in various courses. This paper explores pre-service teacher perceptions of the importance of GE and their learning as a result of this emphasis. Additionally, pre-service teacher preferences for further learning about GE are examined. It is apparent that pre-service teachers are interested in GE, especially in terms of how they can incorporate it in their teaching and, with exposure over a number of semesters student understandings develop, creating better prepared teachers of GE. Not surprisingly, these students were primarily focused on their future classroom practices rather than their role in the world more generally. Additionally, it was clearly evident that unique GE approaches were linked to specific teaching disciplines, an indication that GE continues to be a difficult concept to incorporate without explicit guidance for integration, something not always easy in a university setting.

The inequity of streaming as a method of organising classes was established by research conducted in the 1960s and 1970s. While the practice produces small advantages for limited groups of students, it hinders the academic and social advancement of the majority. Although streaming has declined, new forms of achievement grouping have emerged, with the intention of being more equitable. Recent research in the UK suggests, however, that these grouping methods have similar equity issues to streaming. Drawing on research in Australian primary schools, this article examines the practice of regrouping primary students in some schools into separate classes according to achievement levels for literacy and mathematics lessons. Results from a mixed method study collated through interviews with principals and teachers, student surveys, state-wide academic test results and classroom observations are examined in relation to equity. The findings suggest that the regrouping practice is no more equitable than streaming, albeit more politically palatable. (Contains 7 tables)

Grouping students by academic achievement level has been practised in a wide variety of forms and contexts for over a century. Despite a general consensus in the research that between-class achievement grouping provides no overall benefit for students, the practice has persisted in various guises. Between-class achievement grouping is common in high schools, and is also practised in a number of primary schools in various countries. While the affective outcomes of such practices have been investigated recently, academic outcomes at primary level have not been studied in recent decades. This paper examines the academic outcomes of between-class achievement grouping in literacy and numeracy classes in Australian primary schools. Results from standardised tests are compared between two groups of schools--one regroups students for these areas, and one maintains mixed-achievement classes. It is argued that the current regrouping practice closely resembles streaming and provides no apparent academic advantage for students.

A considerable number of primary schools in Australia and overseas organise their students into achievement-based classes for literacy (and/or numeracy): a practice often seen in high school settings. Why school systems do this will be examined elsewhere, though it is safe to say that concern for ongoing student achievement is a consideration. Whilst much of the early research on achievement grouping focussed on academic outcomes, with a general consensus that there are no overall advantages for students, more recent overseas studies have investigated affective outcomes for students. No relevant research in the Australian primary context has been identified. This paper examines the attitudes of participating teachers towards this practice, as evidenced through interviews with eight teachers across three schools. It discusses how teacher beliefs related to the strategy impact on their classroom practice in literacy lessons. The conclusion reached is that teaching practices are negatively impacted by the regrouping strategy, and that this is ultimately detrimental to student learning.

In light of widening participation initiatives internationally, including those in Australia, much has been written about equity policies in education. There is a growing body of research related to the outcomes of such policies and the experiences of non-traditional students, including those from low socio-economic status (LSES) backgrounds and students who are First Generation and/or First in Family, as well as other equity groups. This paper presents data related to a less researched effect of widening participation: the experiences of and impact on academic staff and those providing support services to students. We focus particularly on students from LSES backgrounds. Qualitative data were collected through focus groups with academic and student support staff in a large regional Australian university, with several themes emerging. In this paper, we investigate staff experiences related to diversity in student cohorts, drawing on Bourdieu's concept of capital. Results show that the academics are supportive of LSES students and sensitive to the range of student backgrounds in their courses, including differences in cultural capital and students experiencing extreme hardship, but the support provided is affected by staff gender. It is evident that staff endeavour pedagogically and pastorally to support students, often at personal cost. There are workload and welfare implications evident for staff, institutions and funding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The need for researcher reflexivity in qualitative research, especially where data are gathered through interview, is well documented. Studies employing a range of theoretical frameworks and methodologies are similarly affected, with researchers needing to consider specific contextual factors related to the design nuances of each project. This paper focuses on the need for reflexivity, including ethical concerns, in a longitudinal study using narrative inquiry and a Bourdieuian framework. The study included multiple interviews with thirteen students from 'non-traditional' backgrounds over a four-year period to examine their experiences of studying at a regional Australian university. Issues around interviewer/interviewee relationships are outlined, along with possible mis/re/interpretations of data. Results demonstrate the critical nature of skilled and ethical interviewing techniques, emphasizing the importance of designing questions which do not pre-empt findings or skew results. Overall, the benefits for both researchers and interviewees of longitudinal studies allowing substantial time lapses facilitating reflexivity between interviews are made evident. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]