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1
Allen, Kelly-Ann, Margaret L. Kern, Dianne Vella-Brodrick, and Lea Waters. "Understanding the Priorities of Australian Secondary Schools Through an Analysis of Their Mission and Vision Statements." Educational Administration Quarterly 54, no. 2 (February 20, 2018): 249–74. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0013161x18758655.
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Purpose: The vision or mission statement of a school outlines the school’s purpose and defines the context, goals, and aspirations that govern the institution. Using vision and mission statements, the present descriptive research study investigated trends in Australian secondary schools’ priorities. Research Methods: A stratified sample of secondary school vision and mission statements across 308 schools from government, independent, and Catholic sectors in Victoria, Australia, was analyzed using qualitative and quantitative approaches. Findings: Academic achievement was the most common theme, with school belonging and mental health promotion themes cited by over half of the schools. School belonging was emphasized more often by Catholic schools compared with independent and government schools, and by rural schools compared with urban schools. Implications: Australian schools are seemingly adopting a dual purpose: to be academic institutions and well-being enhancing institutions. Understanding the priorities of schools using vision and mission statements may guide researchers, administrators, and teachers about how to better meet the academic and psychological needs of the students. The priorities of schools also have implications for how research in this area is communicated to schools, and this study provides a method for capturing these priorities.
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Playford, Denese E., and Edwina Cheong. "Rural Undergraduate Support and Coordination, Rural Clinical School, and Rural Australian Medical Undergraduate Scholarship: rural undergraduate initiatives and subsequent rural medical workforce." Australian Health Review 36, no. 3 (2012): 301. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ah11072.
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Background. This study examined postgraduate work after an undergraduate clinical year spent in the Rural Clinical School of Western Australia (RCSWA), compared with 6 weeks Rural Undergraduate Support and Coordination (RUSC)-funded rural experience in a 6-year undergraduate medical course. Rural background, sex and Rural Australian Medical Undergraduate Scholarship (RAMUS)-holding were taken into account. Methods. University of Western Australia undergraduate data were linked by hand with postgraduate placements to provide a comprehensive dataset on the rural exposure history of junior medical practitioners working in Western Australia between 2004 and 2007. Results. Participation in the RCSWA program was associated with significantly more postgraduate year one rural work than RUSC placement alone (OR = 1.5, CI 0.97–2.38). The RCSWA workforce effect increased at postgraduate year two (OR = 3.0, CI 1.6484 to 5.5935 relative to RUSC). Rural-origin practitioners who chose the RCSWA program were more likely than other rural-origin practitioners to take rural rotations in both postgraduate years. RAMUS holders’ choice in relation to the RCSWA program predicted later rural work. There were no effects of sex. Conclusions. Rural initiatives, in particular the Rural Clinical School program, are associated with postgraduate rural choices. The real impact of these data rely on the translation of early postgraduate choices into long-term work commitments. What is known about the topic? Specific training of rural graduates is strongly related to subsequent rural workforce. In addition, rural educational placements affect medical students’ intentions to practise rurally. Retrospective data from rural relative to urban general practitioners link rural background, rural undergraduate experience and rural postgraduate experience with rural work. What does this paper add? Much of the Australian prospective outcomes research has looked at workforce intentions of graduates, or the workforce outcomes of small graduate cohorts of Rural Clinical Schools. This paper followed nearly 500 graduates by name through to their PGY1 and PGY2 workforce decisions. As this cohort comprised 80% of three completely graduated MBBS years, these data validly represent the outcome of a medical school which is comparable to all Australian medical schools in its RUSC, Rural Clinical School and RAMUS recipients. The paper provides the first peer-reviewed outcomes data for the RAMUS scholarship program. What are the implications for practitioners? Rural supervision of medical students is an effective way to recruit new workforce. The longer students are supervised in rural settings, the better. But undergraduate programs need to be linked with postgraduate initiatives that take graduates of medical student initiatives into vocational programs able to deliver a trained rural workforce.
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White, Simone, Graeme Lock, Wendy Hastings, Maxine Cooper, Jo-Anne Reid, and Bill Green. "Investing in Sustainable and Resilient Rural Social Space: Lessons for Teacher Education." Australian and International Journal of Rural Education 31, no. 2 (July 24, 2021): 46–55. http://dx.doi.org/10.47381/aijre.v31i2.310.
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Attracting and retaining effective education leaders and teaching staff for regional, rural and remote schools in Australia is a major sustainability and quality issue facing every State and Territory. It is also a major concern in pre-service teacher education, particularly for those universities which have a commitment to rural and regional areas. There is a strategic link between teacher education and the sustainability of rural communities with earlier suggestions (White & Reid, 2008, p. 1) highlighting that ―healthy rural communities may be supported via reform of the ways in which teacher education prepares graduates for teaching in rural schools. Likewise, the proposition is made in this paper that the relationship is importantly reciprocal and that, in turn, healthy rural communities and “successful rural schools†can inform and help reform teacher education and professional learning through the insights gathered into the ways in which rural education leaders and teaching staff work closely with their school communities. In this paper we draw specifically from the research findings of a three-year Australian Research Council funded project (2008-2010) of schools and communities where sustainable practices around staff recruitment and retention were identified to explore this reciprocal relationship. The paper will firstly discuss the context of the study, its method and conceptual framework, and then focus in particular on the emerging themes from the twenty case-studies across Australia. Themes discussed include the important linking between rural school leadership and community renewal; the possibilities of developing school-university partnerships to sustain the rural workforce; and the need for social and creative enterprise to be acknowledged as important work of rural teachers and leaders. The paper concludes with the implications of these themes in terms of better preparing a future rural teacher workforce.
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Roberts, Philip, Natalie Downes, and Jo-Anne Reid. "Teacher Education for a Rural-Ready Teaching Force: Swings, Roundabouts, and Slippery Slides?" Australian Journal of Teacher Education 47, no. 3 (March 2022): 94–111. http://dx.doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2022v47n3.6.
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The preparation of teachers for rural schools has been a significant focus of research for many decades. In this paper we update previous reports of the extent of Initial Teacher Education courses that prepare teachers for rural schools in Australia. We found that despite significant and continued calls for rural teacher education, there are still very few rural-teaching units offered in teacher education courses, and there are no courses at all that seek this as an explicit outcome. As the Australian Professional Standards for Teaching claim the importance of teachers understanding students and their contexts, we argue that effective teacher education must not only focus on understanding rurality, and developing awareness of the affordances of place, but must also address the pedagogical requirements for present day rural teaching. We argue that the lack of teacher preparation for locational, geographic forms of social difference works to produce and sustain educational disadvantage when these intersect with economic and cultural difference. On this basis we call for government to address this major failing in the provision of education for Australian children through policy change to teaching standards.
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Davies, James Robert, and John Halsey. "Principals as Protagonists: Practices Beneficent for Indigenous Education in Rural Schools." Australian and International Journal of Rural Education 29, no. 1 (April 20, 2022): 101–18. http://dx.doi.org/10.47381/aijre.v29i1.190.
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The participation and performance of Indigenous students in Australia's schools is below that of other students and is a matter of national concern. Evidence suggests that the impact on student learning of school principals' leadership is significant. What then, can school principals do to improve schooling outcomes for Indigenous students? Herein, we discuss research that investigated school principals' professional practices associated with their leadership of Indigenous education in rural, regional and remote (RRR) schools. Qqualitative research was undertaken using interpretive methodologies and document analysis techniques. Data collected in the period 2012-2014 through evaluations of Indigenous education in thirty one Australian primary, secondary and combined schools, from diverse RRR locations, was used for the research. Principals' professional practices described in the 'Australian Professional Standard for Principals' provided the overall framing for analysis of the data (AITSL, 2014). Principals' extant practices that shape the ecology of education for Indigenous students in rural schools were identified. Educational leadership that authentically values the culture, agency and beliefs of Indigenous people; that places Indigenous students' physical, mental, cultural and spiritual wellbeing at the centre of the schools' activities; that actively develops collaborative relationships and networks based on reciprocity, trust, cooperation and civility; that is guided and sustained by humanistic endeavour, makes a significant contribution towards the participation and achievements of Indigenous students. The article concludes with a framework for leadership of Indigenous education in RRR schools which locates the principal in the role of 'protagonist', building bridging social capital around the practices that contribute holistically to the education of Indigenous students.
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Guenther, John, and Serena Davie. "Editorial: School Communities and Partnerships." Australian and International Journal of Rural Education 32, no. 3 (November 18, 2022): i—iii. http://dx.doi.org/10.47381/aijre.v32i3.357.
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In this issue of the Australian and International Journal of Rural Education, our authors explore the impact of partnerships on education in rural communities. Schools are expected to prepare students for an unknown and uncertain future. Partnerships between schools and industry, higher education providers and the wider community can achieve greater outcomes for students than schools working in isolation.
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Downes, Natalie, and Philip Roberts. "Revisiting the schoolhouse: A literature review on staffing rural, remote and isolated schools in Australia 2004-2016." Australian and International Journal of Rural Education 28, no. 1 (August 20, 2017): 31–54. http://dx.doi.org/10.47381/aijre.v28i1.112.
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The staffing of rural, remote and isolated schools remains a significant issue of concern in Australian education. In this paper we provide a comprehensive account of the Australian research related to the staffing of rural schools post 2004. The review identifies the overarching themes of the opportunities and challenges of staffing rural schools, pre-service teacher preparation, and leadership. Within these there are numerous sub categories such as the policy setting, incentives, understanding place, mentoring, professional development, and teacher education. Overall the review identifies that the issues explored in the research literature between 2004 and 2016 are similar in character to those examined prior to 2004. As such we raise the question of, if we have such a well-developed knowledge of matters related to rural school staffing, why does it remain an ongoing issue? While this review does not seek to answer this question, it provides an opening for discussion by identifying and describing the research on issues, and approaches, in the staffing of rural, remote, and isolated schools to date.
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Clarke, Simon, and Elizabeth Stevens. "Sustainable leadership in small rural schools: Selected Australian vignettes." Journal of Educational Change 10, no. 4 (May 26, 2008): 277–93. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10833-008-9076-8.
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McGrail, Matthew R., Belinda G. O’Sullivan, and Deborah J. Russell. "Rural Work and Specialty Choices of International Students Graduating from Australian Medical Schools: Implications for Policy." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 16, no. 24 (December 11, 2019): 5056. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16245056.
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Almost 500 international students graduate from Australian medical schools annually, with around 70% commencing medical work in Australia. If these Foreign Graduates of Accredited Medical Schools (FGAMS) wish to access Medicare benefits, they must initially work in Distribution Priority Areas (mainly rural). This study describes and compares the geographic and specialty distribution of FGAMS. Participants were 18,093 doctors responding to Medicine in Australia: Balancing Employment and Life national annual surveys, 2012–2017. Multiple logistic regression models explored location and specialty outcomes for three training groups (FGAMS; other Australian-trained (domestic) medical graduates (DMGs); and overseas-trained doctors (OTDs)). Only 19% of FGAMS worked rurally, whereas 29% of Australia’s population lives rurally. FGAMS had similar odds of working rurally as DMGs (OR 0.93, 0.77–1.13) and about half the odds of OTDs (OR 0.48, 0.39–0.59). FGAMS were more likely than DMGs to work as general practitioners (GPs) (OR 1.27, 1.03–1.57), but less likely than OTDs (OR 0.74, 0.59–0.92). The distribution of FGAMS, particularly geographically, is sub-optimal for improving Australia’s national medical workforce goals of adequate rural and generalist distribution. Opportunities remain for policy makers to expand current policies and develop a more comprehensive set of levers to promote rural and GP distribution from this group.
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Stevens, Ken. "Perceptions of Teaching in two Types of Isolated Australian Secondary Schools." Australian and International Journal of Rural Education 2, no. 2 (July 1, 1992): 15–24. http://dx.doi.org/10.47381/aijre.v2i2.364.
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The concept "rural" in Australia is capable of different meanings according to the state (e.g. Tasmania versus Queensland) and in terms of location in relation to major centres of population. In a study in two rural Queensland secondary schools different perceptions ofteaching were found: rural school A is located in the western interior of the state while rural school B is in the hinterland of two large coastal cities. Four dimensions of rural education are explored - in terms of teacher perceptions of: (i) relationships between themselves and their students together with the local communities; (ii) the state department of education; (iii) the (largely urban) teaching profession and (iv) professional satisfaction. It is argued that perceptions of teaching in isolated communities are determined by such rural-urban relationships and that the quality of education in rural communities is shaped by such considerations.
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Jayarathne, Y. G. Shamalee Wasana, Riitta Partanen, and Jules Bennet. "Objective Simulated Bush Engagement Experience (OSBEE): A novel approach to promote rural clinical workforce." Asia Pacific Scholar 6, no. 2 (May 4, 2021): 94–96. http://dx.doi.org/10.29060/taps.2021-6-2/cs2449.
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The mal-distributed Australian medical workforce continues to result in rural medical workforce shortages. In an attempt to increase rural medical workforce, the Australian Government has invested in the Rural Health Multidisciplinary Training (RHMT) program, involving 21 medical schools (RHMT program, 2020). This funding requires participating universities to ensure at least 25% of domestic students attend a year-long rural placement during their clinical years and 50% of domestic students experience a short-term rural clinical placement for at least four weeks.
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Herbert, Alice. "Contextualising Policy Enactment in Regional, Rural and Remote Australian Schools: A Review of the Literature." Australian and International Journal of Rural Education 30, no. 1 (April 7, 2020): 64–81. http://dx.doi.org/10.47381/aijre.v30i1.272.
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Education policies are enacted differently according to school contexts and geographies. This is particularly the case in large countries such as Australia where context and geographies for schooling differ greatly. Within regional, rural and remote Australia, schools are witnessing a trend in geographic disadvantage in that as distance from urban centres increase, nationally benchmarked scores tend to decrease. Overcoming this geographic disadvantage has become a national goal for policy makers; however, policies fail to fully consider regional, rural and remote context. This study aims to review literature regarding the contextual factors that affect policy enactment in regional, rural and remote Australian schools. 54 journal articles, national reviews, books and policy documents were identified, read and reviewed. The literature confirms that context is an important consideration in policy enactment. Findings reveal that educational policy enactment is impacted by four major contextual factors: (1) situational context, (2) professional context, (3) material context and (4) external context. These factors have been used as a thematic organiser in this review to understand policy enactment in RRR schools specifically. This literature review concludes that context needs to be at the forefront of policy enactment in RRR areas. Policies need to be enacted within place, using community participation to be effective. This research is a fruitful endeavour as there is a need to contextualise not only policies, but also pedagogy and practice.
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McSwan, David, and Ken Stevens. "Post Secondary School Educational and Vocational Issues Facing Families in Rural North Queensland." Australian and International Journal of Rural Education 5, no. 1 (March 1, 1995): 45–49. http://dx.doi.org/10.47381/aijre.v5i1.394.
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Vocational choice has been a critical issue for rural Queensland families for many years although it remains a little documented aspect of the lives of secondary school students and their parents who live in the outback. While rural education has received official recognition as an area of disadvantage in the Australian education system for almost two decades (Schools Commission, 1975; Commission of Inquiry into Poverty in Australia, 1976) vocational choice in outback schools, which is central to the relationships between both school and work and school and tertiary education, has not been prominent in the research literature in spite of several recent reports (Boomer, 1988; Australian Education Council Review Committee, 1991; National Board of Employment, Education and Training, 1991). This research project has been designed to investigate the processes of post secondary school education and vocational choices for families in a representative community and to consider the implications of this issue for schools and policy makers. The research project was initiated by Dr David McSwan of James Cook University's Rural Education Research and Development Centre and Dr Ken Stevens of the Faculty of Education at Victoria University in Wellington in New Zealand. Specifically, the research will investigate how families with year ten, eleven and twelve students in a selected North Queensland community make choices about post secondary school education and careers.
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Barton, Peter J. M., Andrew A. Beveridge, and Kay M. Jones. "Preparation for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation in Medical Schools in Australia: A Survey of Current Practice." ISRN Critical Care 2013 (March 27, 2013): 1–5. http://dx.doi.org/10.5402/2013/789601.
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Introduction. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is acknowledged worldwide as a stressful clinical activity for all young doctors. The extent of standardisation of preparation for CPR within Australian curricula is unknown. Recent trends in the UK suggest the emergence of a common endpoint, Immediate Life Support (ILS) certification. The support for a similar shared endpoint in Australia is unknown. Methodology. A telephone questionnaire survey about the preparation for teaching CPR to medical students was undertaken in all Australian medical schools in early 2012; 88% of schools replied. Results. The majority favoured early basic CPR training. There was marked variation in how schools taught advanced CPR and how CPR competence was assessed. Only one school considered their graduates to be less than well prepared for CPR and all schools agreed that a common endpoint was desirable. Discussion. There is broad support for Immediate Life Support as a common end in resuscitation competence. Medical schools where students are prepared for a rural placement on graduation may still require a higher standard of competence.
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Biggs, John S. G., and Robert W. Wells. "The social mission of Australian medical schools in a time of expansion." Australian Health Review 35, no. 4 (2011): 424. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ah10970.
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The social mission, or accepted social responsibility of Australian medical schools, was assessed at a time of rapid expansion and resulting pressure on staff and facilities. Nine new schools have been established in 2005–10 and there has been particular concern about adequacy of clinical training places. Discussions with most of the deans revealed their strong social commitments. We consider two of these in depth – raising the status and thus the involvement of students in general and especially rural practice; and increasing the numbers of Indigenous students and the knowledge of Indigenous health and culture among all students. We examine a system by which medical schools in the USA have been ranked for social mission achievements and suggest this approach might be used in Australia to measure the response of medical schools to Government initiatives and policies. What is known about this topic? The rapid expansion of medical schools and student numbers has given rise to much concern. Encouragement of training for general practice is well described. Many medical schools have worked to increase intake of Indigenous students. Data on medical graduates are being gathered. What does this paper add? The social mission and responsibility of medical schools is new to Australia; information was obtained by interview of medical deans and review of the international literature. Matters of special note are rural healthcare, developments in general practice and expansion of support for Indigenous students. Recent studies of graduate output in the USA are considered. What are the implications for practitioners? Expansion of medical student numbers has brought increased demand for general practitioner involvement in training of students and graduates, which affects practice resources. The need for workforce planning to match training paths and places with future national needs means medical schools have new responsibilities for career guidance of students.
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Hardwick-Franco, Kathryn Gay. "Music Education In Remote Rural South Australian Schools: Does A Partnership With A Non-Government Organisation Work?" Australian and International Journal of Rural Education 28, no. 1 (December 9, 2017): 104–20. http://dx.doi.org/10.47381/aijre.v28i1.161.
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Schools in rural South Australia are remote from opportunities for students and teachers to engage in music learning and professional development. This aim of this research project was to investigate the degree to which partnerships between rural schools and non-government organisations (NGOs) can be effective and meet this need. Anderson and White (2011) note that partnerships in education, both in Australia and elsewhere, continue to be a prominent policy feature, as a preferred way of working to deal with key challenges for schools. This project employed a participant-observation methodology that incorporated methods of survey and invitational semi-structured interviews. It explored the ways in which schools benefited from partnering with a non-for-profit organisation in music education. Project results indicate that the quality of partnerships between an NGO (Musica Viva) and rural schools (government and non-government) have a positive impact on: student and teacher learning of music; the advancement of teachers’ music pedagogy and; student, teacher and community wellbeing. Importantly, this positive impact occurred in rural and remote schools with significant numbers of vulnerable, disadvantaged and disengaged students. Conclusions may be used to inform the development and strengthening of school-NGO partnerships to improve the quality of music education in rural schools. The project also offers itself as an example of how future investigations of school-NGO partnerships more generally might be pursued.
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Martin, Jan. "Staffing Issues in Remote Rural Schools - What Can New Zealand Learn from the Australian Experience?" Australian and International Journal of Rural Education 4, no. 2 (July 1, 1994): 29–30. http://dx.doi.org/10.47381/aijre.v4i2.389.
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Isolated rural schools in New Zealand have always had difficulty attracting and retaining appropriate staff but under the "Tomorrow's School's" regime, the situation has become much worse. Schools in New Zealand are governed by a Board of Trustees, comprising members of the local community and these Boards are charged with the responsibility of employing staff and monitoring their performance. There are few incentives to attract and retain teachers in remote areas and so the fields of applicants are often small and finding a suitable applicant can be a real problem. Appointing suitable applicants is difficult but retaining them in rural areas is even more of a problem and monitoring performance is almost impossible for a Board of Trustees with little or no expertise in the area of performance appraisal. The Education Review Office carries out school reviews every two to three years and reports to the Minister of Education on the performance of the Board of Trustees.
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Watson, Jane, Suzie Wright, Jeanne Maree Allen, Ian Hay, Neil Cranston, and Kim Beswick. "Increasing Students' Social Capital through Community Involvement in Rural and Regional Education." Australian and International Journal of Rural Education 27, no. 3 (July 24, 2022): 142–57. http://dx.doi.org/10.47381/aijre.v27i3.128.
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School and community interaction is an important topic in education, as evidence suggests that communities that value their local schools engender more positive long-term outcomes and a strengthening of the social capital for the students from those schools. Although school and community interaction has been explored from the school's perspective, less research has occurred from the perspective of the key stakeholders and leaders of a community, particularly in rural, regional, and disadvantaged areas. The context for this exploration is the Australian state of Tasmania, and the research findings may have implications for policy makers, school leaders, and teachers both nationally and internationally. Eighty-six community leaders and community members from rural, regional, and disadvantaged areas of the state responded to a survey, which included indicating the level and type of involvement they and their organisations had with local schools. The evidence from their comments suggests that community, business, and social leaders can play an important role in building social capital and as advocates for their local schools, as well as being a source of information, advice, and service to schools. In particular, this paper provides a foundation for future research with community members on their involvement in schooling and the impact of this involvement on students' social capital.
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Watson, Jane, Suzie Wright, Kim Beswick, Jeanne Maree Allen, Ian Hay, and Neil Cranston. "Community Beliefs about Rural and Regional Education and Students' School Completion." Australian and International Journal of Rural Education 27, no. 3 (July 24, 2022): 55–72. http://dx.doi.org/10.47381/aijre.v27i3.185.
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School completion to the end of Year 12 in rural, regional, and disadvantaged communities is an acknowledged challenge in Australia and internationally. This research reports the beliefs of 86 rural and regional community leaders in the Australian state of Tasmania. A survey on issues associated with students' school completion was designed specifically for community members, and responded to by the study participants. Findings that emerged from the data analysis included that participants were on average quite positive about the capability of students in the community and the potential for business/organisation links with schools. Some concern was expressed, however, about bullying in schools and students having well-formed plans for their futures after finishing school. This study provides a benchmark for future research with community members on their beliefs about issues related to students' educational aspirations and students' continuation in school. It has implications for policy makers, school leaders, and teachers at a national and international level.
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Worsley, Anthony, Wei Wang, and Stacey Ridley. "Australian adults’ knowledge of Australian agriculture." British Food Journal 117, no. 1 (January 5, 2015): 400–411. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/bfj-07-2013-0175.
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Purpose – Agriculture is a major generator of wealth and employment in Australia. However, it faces a range of economic and environmental challenges which require substantial community support. The purpose of this paper is to examine Australian adults’ Australian knowledge of, and attitudes towards, Australian agriculture. Design/methodology/approach – Online questionnaire survey of 1,026 adults conducted nationwide during August 2012. Findings – Most respondents had little knowledge of even the basic aspects of the industry but they approved of farmers’ performance of their roles. Latent class analysis showed that there are two groups of consumers with low and lower levels of knowledge. The respondents’ age, rural residence and universalist values were positive predictors of agricultural knowledge. Research limitations/implications – This was a cross-sectional, quota-based survey which examined only some aspects of agriculture. However, the findings suggest that more communication with the general public about the industry is required in order to build on the positive sentiment that exists within the community. Practical implications – More education about agriculture in schools and higher education is indicated. Social implications – The poor state of knowledge of agriculture threatens the social contract upon which agricultural communities depend for survival. Originality/value – The study highlights the poor state of general knowledge about agriculture in Australia. The findings could be used as a baseline against which the efficacy of future education programmes could be assessed.
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Trotman, Janina. "Women Teachers in Western Australian “Bush” Schools, 1900-1939: Passive Victims of Oppressive Structures?" History of Education Quarterly 46, no. 2 (2006): 248–73. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1748-5959.2006.tb00067.x.
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Demography, distance, and die expansion of settlements created problems for the State Department of Education in Western Australia and other Australian states in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Educational administration in Canada and parts of the United States faced similar issues with regard to the provision of schools. A common response was the establishment of one-teacher rural schools, frequently run by young, and sometimes unclassified, female teachers. In the United States locally elected school boards were the primary source of regulation, but in late nineteenth-century Western Australia such local boards had been stripped of their powers and were answerable to the newly established, highly centralized Education Department. Formal regulated teachers. The masculinized system of the Department and its inspectorate. All the same, however, the local community still exerted informal controls over the lives of teachers working and living in small settlements.
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Fraser, Sharon, Kim Beswick, and Suzanne Crowley. "Responding to the Demands of the STEM Education Agenda: The Experiences of Primary and Secondary Teachers from Rural, Regional and Remote Australia." Journal of Research in STEM Education 5, no. 1 (July 1, 2019): 40–59. http://dx.doi.org/10.51355/jstem.2019.62.
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In recent years STEM education has been the focus of Australian government funding initiatives, policy and curriculum development at the national and state levels and a key driver of school innovation. Principals, teachers and students have been called upon to develop their capability and interest in the individual STEM discipline subjects or to engage in interdisciplinary STEM activities. Much of the focus on STEM has been driven by a national agenda informed by the needs of industry, and research that indicates that the students graduating from schools and universities today with STEM qualifications will not be sufficient for society’s needs. While the agenda encompasses more than individual teachers or schools, it is teachers who are at the forefront of its implementation in classrooms. In this paper we report on the perceptions of teachers about issues impacting on the effective teaching of STEM in rural, regional and remote Australia, and strategies they use to overcome issues/barriers and building the confidence and capacity of STEM teachers. Based on these, the paper reports some potential solutions to the issues faced by schools in rural, regional and remote Australia addressing the demands of the STEM Education focus.
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Sharplin, Elaine. "Bringing Them in: The Experiences of Imported and Overseas-Qualified Teachers." Australian Journal of Education 53, no. 2 (August 2009): 192–206. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/000494410905300207.
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This qualitative multiple-site case study explores the experiences of imported and overseas-qualified teachers appointed to fill ‘difficult-to-staff’ Western Australian rural schools. In a climate of global teacher shortages, investigation of the strategies adopted to solve this problem requires empirical examination. The study of six imported and overseas-qualified teachers found that they experienced difficulties with the employment application process, were not adequately inducted into the system and experienced difficulties with cultural adaptation related to pedagogy, behaviour management and language. These teachers still remained in schools for lengths of time comparable to their Australian-born counterparts. Transitions into schools could be assisted with improved appointment processes, induction and school-based support. A research agenda for further investigation of this field is recommended.
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Roberts, Philip. "A curriculum for whom? Rereading ‘Implementing the Australian Curriculum in Rural, Regional, Remote and Distance-Education Schools’ from a rural standpoint." Australian and International Journal of Rural Education 27, no. 1 (April 25, 2017): 43–61. http://dx.doi.org/10.47381/aijre.v27i1.108.
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This paper builds upon the evolving methodological perspective of a rural standpoint (Roberts, 2014b), and its related method of strategic eclecticism (Roberts & Green, 2013), to reanalyse existing data behind a previously published paper by Drummond, Halsey and van Breda (2012). It does this through an examination of the role of the rural in the Australian curriculum, drawing upon work that raises the lack of recognition of rurality in the curriculum as an important social justice issue (Roberts, 2014a; Roberts, 2015; Roberts & Downes, 2016). Through the reanalysis the paper illustrates that the rural educators who responded to the initial study had a concern for local places, and a perspective that an Australian Curriculum has the potential to marginalise local knowledges, and rural and remote schools more generally. Furthermore the re-analysis shows that age, time teaching in a rural or remote setting, distance from a major centre and jurisdiction of the school all influence respondents’ views in distinct ways. Consequently this paper illustrates the utility of re-analysing previous research reports, the use of a rural standpoint in research, and that rural educators have specific rural-related concerns regarding the Australian Curriculum that are largely unaddressed.
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Su, Zhixin, Huixian Xia, Jian Wang, Dan Mao, and Zili Wang. "Reforming Schools: A Comparison of Chinese Urban vs. Rural School Principals’ Values, Views & Visions." Beijing International Review of Education 3, no. 2 (August 18, 2021): 268–95. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/25902539-03020007.
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Abstract Principal as the key to school reform has been a frequently discussed topic in the research literature. However, few studies have investigated principals’ own values, views and visions and how these may affect reform in their schools. The study reported in this paper intends to fill this void. It is a joint effort by American and Chinese education scholars to explore and examine the profiles, preparation and perspectives of urban and rural principals in China, based on the conceptual framework and research methodology of the American national Study of the Education of Educators and the earlier comparative study of Chinese, American and Australian school principals. A comprehensive principal survey was administered to several hundred urban and rural school principals in China and interviews were conducted with selected principals. Our study findings reveal both similarities and differences in values, views and visions between urban and rural school principals, and a huge gap in the quality and equality of education between urban and rural schools. Although Chinese principals are in general progressive and liberal in their fundamental beliefs and values, they perceive great difficulties in realizing their visions for ideal schools and recognize major obstacles to reform because of the existing school conditions, the national examination system, and certain policy restrictions on their autonomy and decision-making power in schools. Findings from this study provide special insight to policy makers and education reformers and urge them to create necessary policies, improve conditions, and increase autonomy and decision-making power for principals to manage and effect changes in their schools, especially those in rural and minority areas.
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Beames, Joanne R., Lara Johnston, Bridianne O'Dea, Michelle Torok, Helen Christensen, Katherine M. Boydell, and Aliza Werner-Seidler. "Factors That Help and Hinder the Implementation of Digital Depression Prevention Programs: School-Based Cross-sectional Study." Journal of Medical Internet Research 23, no. 8 (August 27, 2021): e26223. http://dx.doi.org/10.2196/26223.
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Background Digital prevention programs that are delivered in a school environment can inoculate young people against depression. However, little is known about the school-based factors that help and hinder the implementation of these programs. Staff members are integral for supporting mental health programs in schools and are likely to have a wealth of expertise and knowledge about the factors that affect implementation. Objective The primary objective of this study was to explore the barriers and facilitators to implementing a digital depression prevention program in Australian secondary schools with teachers, counselors, and principals. The secondary objective was to explore variations in these factors across different school contexts, including the school type (government or nongovernment), location (capital city, regional/or rural areas), and socioeconomic status (SES) (low, medium, high). Methods This quantitative cross-sectional survey study assessed the barriers and facilitators to implementing a hypothetical digital prevention program in Australian schools. The survey was taken by 97 teachers (average age 38.3 years), 93 counselors (average age 39.5 years), and 11 principals (average age 50.9 years) across Australia between November 2017 and July 2018. Results A range of barriers and facilitators relating to logistics and resources, staff support, and program factors were endorsed by the surveyed staff. Consistent with prior research, common barriers included a lack of time and resources (ie, staff and rooms). These barriers were particularly evident in government, rural/regional, and low socioeconomic schools. Other barriers were specific to digital delivery, including privacy issues and a lack of clarity around staff roles and responsibilities. Facilitators included upskilling staff through training, embedding the program into the curriculum, and other program factors including universal delivery, screening of students’ mental health, and clear referral pathways. Knowledge about the program efficacy was also perceived as important by a large proportion of the respondents. Conclusions The digital depression prevention program was perceived as suitable for use within different schools in Australia, although certain factors need to be considered to enable effective implementation. Logistics and resources, support, and program factors were identified as particularly important for school-based implementation. To maximize the effectiveness in delivering digital programs, implementation may need to be tailored to the staff roles and school types.
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Hogarth, Melitta Dorn. "Racism, Cultural Taxation and the Role of an Indigenous Teacher in Rural Schools." Australian and International Journal of Rural Education 29, no. 1 (February 22, 2019): 45–57. http://dx.doi.org/10.47381/aijre.v29i1.194.
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The underrepresentation of Indigenous teachers within Australian schools was made evident in the most recent More Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Teachers Initiative (MATSITI) project (Johnson, Cherednichenko, & Rose, 2016). The shortfall of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander teachers had been initially identified back in 1975 with the Schools Commission Report (Schools Commission, 1975). The challenge was set by Hughes and Willmot in 1982 to have 1000 trained Indigenous teachers by 1990 within the schooling sector (Hughes & Willmot, 1982). The lack of representation of Indigenous teachers is just one part of the story. In this paper, I share my lived experiences as an Aboriginal classroom teacher in rural schools throughout Queensland. Using an ethnographic narrative approach, I give insight to the realities of the Indigenous classroom teacher in rural schools. In turn, I address some of the inherent institutionalised racism apparent, the assumptions held by others, and the consequential demands placed on the Indigenous teacher. The stories shared are my own and do not insinuate that all other Indigenous teachers have had the same experience. However, by sharing my story, the purpose of this paper is to open dialogue about the role of Indigenous teachers in rural schools and to make schools aware of how they position these rare commodities they have on staff.
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Cuervo, Hernán. "A social justice approach to rural school staffing: The need for a politics of distribution and recognition to solve a perennial problem." Journal of Pedagogy 11, no. 1 (June 1, 2020): 127–46. http://dx.doi.org/10.2478/jped-2020-0007.
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AbstractThe last Australian government review on rural education reveals that staffing schools continues to be a challenge. To examine this problem, the paper draws on data from semi-structured interviews with pre-service teachers undertaking rural school placement. The aim is to address rural school staffing through a bi-dimensional social justice approach by drawing on a politics of distribution and recognition. While distributive justice has always been at the centre of the problem, it is argued that a solution might also encompass a politics of recognition that puts “place” as a significant category to understand the complexities of rural staffing.
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Young, Deidra J. "A comparison of student performance in western Australian schools: Rural and urban differences." Australian Educational Researcher 21, no. 2 (August 1994): 87–105. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/bf03219569.
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Rossiter, Rachel Cathrine, Deborah K. Clarke, and Linda Shields. "Supporting Young People's Emotional Wellbeing During The Transition To Secondary School In Regional Australia." Australian and International Journal of Rural Education 28, no. 1 (July 24, 2022): 73–86. http://dx.doi.org/10.47381/aijre.v28i1.170.
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Extensive international literature is available on aspects and impacts associated with students' transition from primary to secondary school. However, in regional and rural Australia, it is challenging for educators and healthcare professionals to ensure that interventions supporting the emotional wellbeing of students transitioning to secondary school are informed by context-specific evidence. This paper presents a narrative review of research published since 2010 investigating students' emotional wellbeing and psychological impacts of the transition to secondary school, with a focus on programs implemented to support young people during this transition. Research specific to students in regional and rural areas of Australia was lacking, with a marked absence of studies in regional and rural settings outside Western Australia and Tasmania. Similarly, research evaluating programs to support the psychological wellbeing of students transitioning to secondary school was lacking. However, this review provides a comprehensive overview of factors influencing the transition to secondary school from the perspectives of young people, their parents and teachers. These Australian data capture particular concerns and features that may inform development and implementation of interventions specific to the needs of young people in regional and rural communities across Australia. In schools where no specific intervention is planned, this review provides general guidance regarding challenges faced by transitioning students and possible ways students can be supported. In particular, this review highlights the need for educators and researchers to work together to develop and evaluate programs to support young people as they transition from primary to secondary school.
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Martin, Karen, Michael Rosenberg, Iain Stephen Pratt, Margaret Miller, Gavin McCormack, Billie Giles-Corti, Anthea Magarey, Fiona Bull, and Amanda Devine. "Prevalence of overweight, obesity and underweight in Western Australian school-aged children; 2008 compared with 2003." Public Health Nutrition 17, no. 12 (November 20, 2013): 2687–91. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s136898001300311x.
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AbstractObjectiveDue to rising rates of obesity globally, the present study aimed to examine differences in overweight and underweight prevalence in Western Australian schoolchildren in 2008 compared with 2003.DesignCross-sectional study at two time points; using two-stage stratified sampling, primary and secondary schools in both metropolitan and non-metropolitan Western Australia; sample selected was representative of the State's population figures.SettingsSeventeen primary and thirteen secondary (2008) and nineteen primary and seventeen secondary (2003) schools. Government and non-government funded schools in metropolitan and non-metropolitan (regional/rural) Western Australia were recruited.SubjectsHeight and weight were measured for 1708 (961 primary and 747 secondary) students in 2008 and 1694 (876 primary and 817 secondary) students in 2003.ResultsOverweight and obesity prevalence in primary students was similar in 2008 (22·9 %) to 2003 (23·2 %; P > 0·05). In secondary girls overweight and obesity prevalence dropped from 23·1 % (2003) to 15·9 % (2008; P = 0·002). Secondary boys showed a slight decrease in overweight and obesity prevalence; however, this was not statistically significant (P = 0·102). Higher proportions of underweight in primary girls were observed in 2008 (9·9 %) compared with 2003 (4·2 %; P < 0·001) and in secondary girls in 2008 (9·4 %) compared with 2003 (5·5 %; P < 0·001).ConclusionsPrevalence of overweight and obesity in Western Australian primary students was stable; however, it declined in secondary students. Both primary and secondary girls showed an increase in underweight prevalence. Public health interventions are needed for the high percentage of youth still overweight, whereas the observed increase in underweight girls warrants attention and further investigation.
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McMahon, Mary, and Kylie Rixon. "The Career Development of Rural Queensland Children." Australian Journal of Career Development 16, no. 2 (July 2007): 39–50. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/103841620701600207.
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The present study examined the occupational aspirations and career development influences of children attending Years 6 and 7 at a sample of rural and remote primary schools in the central western region of Queensland. Data was collected by means of the Revised Career Awareness Survey (McMahon & Patton, 2001). Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) codes were used to analyse the participants' occupational aspirations and the Systems Theory Framework categories were used to analyse the influences on their career development. The children's occupational aspirations were compared with state and regional labour market information. Recommendations related to career development interventions in the context of the school, family and community and future research are made.
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Paynter, Ann-Maree, and Elizabeth Taylor. "Attracting teachers to rural and remote Queensland: A case study." Australian and International Journal of Rural Education 29, no. 3 (November 6, 2019): 105–9. http://dx.doi.org/10.47381/aijre.v29i3.226.
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For many years the supply of graduate teachers, including specialist secondary teachers for Queensland state schools, has largely met demand. In recent years however, attracting and retaining specialist teachers in some Queensland locations and curriculum areas has become more challenging. Reflective of wider Australian and international trends, balancing the supply of specialist teachers to meet current and future demands requires planning and early action. Taking a traditional approach to recruiting teachers (as vacancies arise) can result in shortfalls when unplanned absences, retirements and promotions occur unexpectedly. Subjects that are already hard to fill such as senior mathematics and science, English, languages, industrial technology and design (manual arts) are even more elusive in the middle of a school term. Many schools located in low socio-economic, regional, rural and remote communities are also experiencing challenges in recruiting teachers for the breadth of learning phases and curriculum areas.
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Casey, Mavourneen G., Michael David, and Diann Eley. "Diversity and consistency: a case study of regionalised clinical placements for medical students." Australian Health Review 39, no. 1 (2015): 95. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/ah14033.
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Objective A major challenge for medical schools is the provision of clinical skills training for increasing student numbers. This case study describes the expansion of the clinical school network at The University of Queensland (UQ). The purpose of the study was to investigate consistency in medical education standards across a regional clinical teaching network, as measured by academic performance. Methods A retrospective analysis of academic records for UQ medical students (n = 1514) completing clinical rotations (2009–2012) was performed using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) for comparisons between clinical school cohorts and linear mixed-effects modelling (LEM) to assess predictors of academic performance. Results In all, 13 036 individual clinical rotations were completed between 2009 and 2012. ANCOVA found no significant differences in rotation grades between the clinical schools except that Rural Clinical School (RCS) cohorts achieved marginally higher results than non-RCSs in the general practice rotation (5.22 vs 5.10–5.18; P = 0.03) and on the final clinical examination (objective structured clinical examination; 5.27 vs 5.01–5.09; P < 0.01). LEM indicated that the strongest predictor of academic performance on clinical rotations was academic performance in the preclinical years of medical school (β = 0.38; 95% confidence interval 0.35–0.41; P < 0.001). Conclusions The decentralised UQ clinical schools deliver a consistent standard of clinical training for medical students in all core clinical rotations across a range of urban, regional and rural clinical settings. Further research is required to monitor the costs versus benefits of regionalised clinical schools for students, local communities and regional healthcare services. What is known about the topic? To help meet the demand of increasing numbers of students, Australian medical schools locate clinical training outside the traditional tertiary hospitals. However the viability of maintaining teaching standards across regional and rural locations is uncertain. What does this paper add? Maintaining teaching standards outside established urban teaching hospitals and across a diverse range of urban, regional and rural clinical settings is viable. What are the implications for practitioners? Decentralised clinical teaching networks provide consistent quality of clinical placements while diversifying exposure to different patient populations and clinical environments. These important outcomes may not only alleviate the strain on clinical teaching resources, but also help address the maldistribution of doctors in Australia.
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Silagy, C. A., and L. Piterman. "Attitudes of senior medical students from two Australian schools towards rural training and practice." Academic Medicine 66, no. 7 (July 1991): 417–9. http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/00001888-199107000-00011.
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Baker, Robert, and John Andrews. "Parental reasons for sending children to a rural day and boarding school." Australian and International Journal of Rural Education 1, no. 1 (March 5, 2019): 21–25. http://dx.doi.org/10.47381/aijre.v1i1.243.
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This article reports results from a survey conducted in 1990 on parental views of various aspects of education in a small independent day and boarding school. While the principal focus of the research was on attitudes towards specific areas of the curriculum, this article presents data on two inter-related questions:
The main reasons for sending a child to the school.
The importance of various possible influences and sources of information in choosing the school.
Most previous Australian research on parental reasons for choosing independent schools has focussed on schools located in metropolitan areas with exclusively or primarily day student enrolment. Data from the present study are drawn from a school located in a rural area. Unlike previous research, comparisons can be made between information provided by parents of three groups of children: day students; boarders who could attend a local school; boarders who do not have access to a local school.
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Ianno, Damian James, Kelly Mirowska-Allen, Stephen Anthony Kunz, and Richard O’Brien. "Journal clubs in Australian medical schools: prevalence, application, and educators’ opinions." Journal of Educational Evaluation for Health Professions 17 (February 26, 2020): 9. http://dx.doi.org/10.3352/jeehp.2020.17.9.
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Purpose: Medically-focused journal clubs have been used as an educational tool for over 100 years, with research indicating that they improve knowledge, reading behaviour, and critical appraisal skills. However, it is unknown how widespread they are in Australian medical schools, nor the opinions of medical education leaders as to their value.Methods: A nationwide cross-sectional study was performed among academic leaders from every Australian medical school. Individuals were asked to complete a survey detailing their attitudes towards journal clubs using single- or multiple-answer questions, Likert scales, and ranked data. They were asked whether students at their institutions were able to partake in journal clubs, and if so, provided details on their implementation.Results: At least 1 response was collected from 18 of 19 Australian medical schools. The response rate was 40.8% (60 of 147), and 36 responses (60.0%) were from heads of clinical schools. Respondents from 15 of 18 institutions (83.3%) stated that their institution had a journal club. Of these, 23 (65.7%) were metropolitan institutions and 12 (34.3%) were rural institutions. Eighteen (51.4%) journal clubs were clinician-led, 13 (37.1%) were run through specific hospital departments, and 23 (65.7%) occurred during clinical years. Most respondents (20 [57.1%]) stated that the primary aim of the journal club was to develop critical appraisal skills.Conclusion: Journal clubs are a highly regarded educational tool in the armoury of medical school educators, with significant heterogeneity in their structure, geographic prevalence, and intended purpose. Further studies of their efficacy in teaching evidence-based medicine is warranted.
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Young, Deidra J., Barry J. Fraser, and Brian E. Woolnough. "Factors affecting student career choice in science: An Australian study of rural and urban schools." Research in Science Education 27, no. 2 (June 1997): 195–214. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/bf02461316.
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Woodroffe, Jessica, Sue Kilpatrick, Brett Williams, and Matthew Jago. "Preparing Rural And Regional Students For The Future World Of Work: Developing Authentic Career Focussed Curriculum Through A Collaborative Partnership Model." Australian and International Journal of Rural Education 27, no. 3 (December 9, 2017): 158–73. http://dx.doi.org/10.47381/aijre.v27i3.143.
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Small places are not devoid of opportunities nor of successful programs to equip them for the future, despite perception to the contrary (West, 2013). This paper considers career education in the context of rural places in the modern globalised world.  The paper introduces the Pathways to Success project, involving more than eighty initiatives mapped to the Australian curriculum showcasing further education, training and careers in local industries to more than 8000 learners and their schools and teachers in Tasmania. It outlines how a partnership model among schools, industry, technical and vocational, and higher education sectors can be used to move from a sole dependency model to a partnership model of career education. Drawing on the project’s mixed method evaluation results, the paper considers the key opportunities and challenges for preparing rural and regional Tasmanian students for the future world of work. It focuses on how collaborative partnerships can better equip educators with information and networks they need to positively impact on how young rural and regional Tasmanian students consider education pathways and career options to get to ‘what’s next’ in their lives. It showcases how rural and regional communities and resources can be used to develop new and innovative place based career and curriculum learning.
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Retallick, John, Doug Hill, and Colin Boylan. "Workplace Learning and the use of Curriculum Statements and Profiles by Teachers of Educationally Disadvantaged Students." Australian and International Journal of Rural Education 5, no. 1 (March 1, 1995): 25–33. http://dx.doi.org/10.47381/aijre.v5i1.393.
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The development of Australian National Curriculum Statements and Profiles has significant implications for teacher professional development at the present time. In March 1994, the Commonwealth Department of Employment, Education and Training (D.E.E.T.) initiated the National Professional Development Program (NPDP) with an element for teachers of educationally disadvantaged students. In this element submissions were sought to implement the National Curriculum Statements and use student Profiles as a means of improving learning outcomes of students effected by some form of educational disadvantage. This issue has particular significance for rural schools because one of their main concerns is accessing relevant and meaningful professional development which is cost effective in terms of travel and time out of school. In this context, the Centre for Professional Development in Education at Charles Sturt University (CSU) was awarded an NPDP grant to trial a particular approach to professional development with schools in the Riverina region of the New South Wales Department of School Education and the Canberra-Goulburn Archdiocese Catholic Education Office. The approach known as 'workplace learning' was thought to have benefits for rural schools in addressing the problems of travel and cost of teacher release.
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Heffernan, Amanda, Roderick Fogarty, and Elaine Sharplin. "G'aim'ing to be a rural teacher?: Improving pre-service teachers' learning experiences in an online rural and remote teacher preparation course." Australian and International Journal of Rural Education 26, no. 2 (November 15, 2016): 49–62. http://dx.doi.org/10.47381/aijre.v26i2.67.
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Many Australian teachers will spend part of their careers working in small rural schools and communities, yet specific preparation for rural and remote teaching contexts during pre-service teacher education remains limited. While government reports recommend the use of innovative and engaging approaches to enhance pre-service teachers’ classroom readiness, the use of such approaches to the contextualised preparation of rural and remote teachers has not been specifically addressed.In a teacher education program, an innovative place-based pedagogy has been utilised to redesign an online rural education course. A gamified, case-based approach was applied to increase student engagement and motivation. Preservice teachers are immersed in an online, simulated rural context, where they navigate the experience of appointment to a rural school. This paper describes the rationale for the course redevelopment and outlines the design process. Student course feedback pre- and post-development was analysed to evaluate the outcomes achieved from the course redevelopment. The findings indicate that student engagement rose after the redevelopment, and critical reflection from the course team indicated that students were more effectively able to connect with course themes and project themselves into the position of a beginning teacher in a rural or remote location. While the development of the course is a work in progress, the initial gamification work has enabled preservice teachers to improve their classroom and community readiness for appointment to rural and remote schools, while exposing them to modelling of effective and contemporary use of technology and pedagogy which can be applied to their future classroom contexts.
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Guenther, John. "Are We Making Education Count in Remote Australian Communities or Just Counting Education?" Australian Journal of Indigenous Education 42, no. 2 (December 2013): 157–70. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/jie.2013.23.
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For quite some time the achievements of students in remote Australian schools have been lamented. There is not necessarily anything new about the relative difference between the results of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in remote communities and their counterparts in urban, regional and rural schools across Australia. However, in the last decade a number of changes in the education system have led to the difference being highlighted — to such an extent that what had been an ‘othering’ of remote students (and their families) has turned into marginalisation that is described in terms of disadvantage, deficit and failure. One of the primary instruments used to reinforce this discourse has been the National Assessment Program — Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) testing. This instrument has also been used as part of the justification for a policy response that sees governments attempting to close the educational gap, sometimes through punitive measures, and sometimes with incentives. At a strategic level, this is reflected in a focus on attendance, responding to the perceived disadvantage, and demanding higher standards of performance (of students, teachers and schools more generally). Accountability has resulted in lots of counting in education — counts of attendance, enrolments, dollars spent and test scores. These measures lead one to conclude that remote education is failing, that teachers need to improve their professional standards and that students need to perform better. But in the process, have we who are part of the system lost sight of the need to make education count? And if it is to count, what should it count for in remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities? These are questions that the Cooperative Research Centre for Remote Economic Participation is attempting to find answers to as part of its Remote Education Systems project. This article questions the assumptions behind the policy responses using publicly available NAPLAN data from very remote schools. It argues that the assumptions about what works in schools generally do not work in very remote schools with high proportions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. It therefore questions whether we in the system are counting the right things (for example attendance, enrolments and measures of disadvantage).
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Liew, Sarah, Josephine Gwynn, Janice Smith, Natalie A. Johnson, Ronald Plotnikoff, Erica L. James, and Nicole Turner. "The Barriers and Facilitators of Sport and Physical Activity Participation for Aboriginal Children in Rural New South Wales, Australia: A Photovoice Project." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 19, no. 4 (February 10, 2022): 1986. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19041986.
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Participating in physical activity is beneficial for health. Whilst Aboriginal children possess high levels of physical activity, this declines rapidly by early adolescence. Low physical activity participation is a behavioral risk factor for chronic disease, which is present at much higher rates in Australian Aboriginal communities compared to non-Aboriginal communities. Through photos and ‘yarning’, the Australian Aboriginal cultural form of conversation, this photovoice study explored the barriers and facilitators of sport and physical activity participation perceived by Aboriginal children (n = 17) in New South Wales rural communities in Australia for the first time and extended the limited research undertaken nationally. Seven key themes emerged from thematic analysis. Four themes described physical activity barriers, which largely exist at the community and interpersonal level of children’s social and cultural context: the physical environment, high costs related to sport and transport, and reliance on parents, along with individual risk factors such as unhealthy eating. Three themes identified physical activity facilitators that exist at the personal, interpersonal, and institutional level: enjoyment from being active, supportive social and family connections, and schools. Findings highlight the need for ongoing maintenance of community facilities to enable physical activity opportunities and ensure safety. Children held strong aspirations for improved and accessible facilities. The strength of friendships and the family unit should be utilized in co-designed and Aboriginal community-led campaigns.
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Evans, Melissa, Leanne Lester, Richard Midford, Helen Walker Cahill, David Foxcroft, Robyn Waghorne, and Lynne Venning. "The impact of gender, socioeconomic status and locality on the development of student patterns of alcohol consumption and harm." Health Education 119, no. 4 (June 3, 2019): 309–18. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/he-08-2018-0037.
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Purpose The consequences of problematic alcohol consumption fall heavily on Australian adolescents, with this population at increased risk of death, serious injury and other harm. Research regarding whether gender, socioeconomic status (SES) or locality play a role in young people’s alcohol consumption and related harm is limited in Australia. The purpose of this paper is to determine whether Victorian students’ patterns of alcohol uptake, consumption and related harm differed between gender, SES and locality. Design/methodology/approach The study involved secondary analysis of student data from the Drug Education in Victorian Schools harm minimisation drug education programme, undertaken in 21 Victorian government schools over three years The initial cohort of 1,752 students was followed during Years 8, 9 and 10, when their average age would have, respectively, been 13, 14 and 15 years. Findings There were no gender differences in drinking uptake, consumption or harm. Students with low SES were more likely to have consumed a full drink of alcohol and also experienced more alcohol-related harm. Students living in a regional/rural area were more likely to have engaged in high alcohol consumption. Originality/value The findings of this study highlighted that different student demographics have an impact on patterns of alcohol consumption, vulnerability and harm. Students with low SES, living in a regional/rural area, are more at risk than students with higher SES living in a fringe metro/major regional or metro area. Future school harm minimisation drug education programmes should consider the needs of students with demographics that make them more susceptible to higher consumption and harm.
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Reupert, Andrea, Joanne M. Deppeler, and Umesh Sharma. "Enablers for Inclusion: The Perspectives of Parents of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder." Australasian Journal of Special Education 39, no. 1 (December 18, 2014): 85–96. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/jse.2014.17.
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Although home–school collaborations are important for inclusive education, most studies have identified the problems experienced by parents whose children have additional special needs. The aim of this study was to present the views of Australian parents, with children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, regarding what they considered to be the enablers for inclusion, within the context of their experiences of a program of support in inclusive schools (a Victorian State Government initiative called the Inclusion Support Program). Four focus group interviews were conducted, within a phenomenological, qualitative paradigm, with 14 mothers, in rural and urban primary and secondary public schools. Parents identified various innovations including the provision of a safe space, structured school and free time, flexibility around timetable, curriculum and staffing and the provision of socially attractive activities. Another theme was the potential for schools to be a ‘catalyst point’ to bring together parents, teachers and community agencies. The importance of eliciting parental expertise is highlighted here.
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Houghton, Stephen, John Hattie, Annemaree Carroll, Lisa Wood, and Bernard Baffour. "It Hurts To Be Lonely! Loneliness and Positive Mental Wellbeing in Australian Rural and Urban Adolescents." Journal of Psychologists and Counsellors in Schools 26, no. 1 (February 4, 2016): 52–67. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/jgc.2016.1.
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This study examined associations between loneliness, a construct associated with serious adverse mental health outcomes, and positive mental wellbeing. Validated measures of loneliness (represented by friendship-related loneliness, isolation, positive attitude to solitude, and negative attitude to solitude) and positive mental wellbeing were administered to 1,143 adolescents from urban and rural schools. Confirmatory factor analyses revealed satisfactory model fit for both measures. A structural equation model confirmed significant positive associations between positive mental wellbeing and friendship-related loneliness and positive attitude to solitude; a significant negative association was found for isolation. Regression analyses provided support for significant differences in these associations according to gender, age, and geographical location (although only marginally). The implications of these findings during adolescence are reviewed.
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Freeman, Ashley Thomas. "Bushrangers, itinerant teachers and constructing educational policy in 1860s New South Wales." History of Education Review 48, no. 1 (June 3, 2019): 15–30. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/her-12-2017-0027.
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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine how rural outlaws, known in the Australian context as bushrangers, impacted on the introduction of itinerant teaching in sparsely settled areas under the Council of Education in the colony of New South Wales. In July 1867 the evolving process for establishing half-time schools was suddenly disrupted when itinerant teaching diverged down an unexpected and uncharted path. As a result the first two itinerant teachers were appointed and taught in an irregular manner that differed significantly from regulation and convention. The catalyst was a series of events arising from bushranging that was prevalent in the Braidwood area in the mid-1860s. Design/methodology/approach The paper draws on archival sources, particularly sources within State Archives and Records NSW, further contemporary sources such as reports and newspapers; and on secondary sources. Findings The paper reveals the circumstances which led to the implementation of an unanticipated form of itinerant teaching in the “Jingeras”; the impact of rural banditry or bushranging, on the nature and conduct of these early half-time schools; and the processes of policy formation involved. Originality/value This study is the first to explore the causes behind the marked deviation from the intended form and conduct of half-time schools that occurred in the Braidwood area of 1860s New South Wales. It provides a detailed account of how schooling was employed to counter rural banditry, or bushranging, in the Jingeras and provided significant insight into the education policy formation processes of the time.
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Allen, Jenny. "Meeting the Needs of Australian Rural Gifted Children: the Use of a Curriculum Enrichment Project (CEPPS) for Primary Schools in Western Australia." Gifted Education International 8, no. 1 (January 1992): 23–31. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/026142949200800106.
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This paper discusses the issues of: Who should develop curriculum materials? What form should enrichment materials take? Which theoretical frameworks are appropriate? How should the content be selected? Gifted children's use of the CEPPS package in the Expressive Arts (interdisciplinary learning) is documented through outcomes related to the objectives of the learning materials. Future predictions indicate there is a need for independent learning packages to be developed for gifted children. (All illustrations are by pupils of 7–11 years of age).
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McDonald, Susan, Elizabeth Warren, and Eva DeVries. "Refocusing on Oral Language and Rich Representations to Develop the Early Mathematical Understandings of Indigenous Students." Australian Journal of Indigenous Education 40 (2011): 9–17. http://dx.doi.org/10.1375/ajie.40.9.
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This article examines the nature of oral language and representations used by teachers as they instruct young Indigenous Australian students at the beginning of formal schooling during play-based activities in mathematics. In particular, the use of Standard Australian English (SAE), the mathematical register used, and the interplay with mathematical representations during classroom instruction are analysed based upon the teachers' selfreported practices. The data are drawn from structured telephone interviews with 40 teachers in 15 schools from rural and remote or multicultural settings in Queensland at the initial stage of a large, longitudinal study. The specific aim of the study was the identification of effective pedagogical practices that may assist young Australian students from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds to negotiate western mathematical understanding. The findings indicate that despite experience in these settings and focused professional learning sessions, the majority of these teachers report practices which reflect a strong emphasis on literacy acquisition rather than mathematical understanding. It is the contention of the researchers that the use of oral language with a rich selection of mathematical representations strongly supports mathematical understanding.
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Eley, Diann S., and Peter G. Baker. "Will Australian rural clinical schools be an effective workforce strategy? Early indications of their positive effect on intern choice and rural career interest." Medical Journal of Australia 187, no. 3 (August 2007): 166–67. http://dx.doi.org/10.5694/j.1326-5377.2007.tb01177.x.
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