bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Platelet function testing and prediction of procedural bleeding risk
Authors: Grove Erik L. , Hossain Rashed , Storey Robert F.
Published: March 2013

The essential role of platelets in haemostasis underlies the relationship between platelet function and spontaneous or procedure-related bleeding, which has important prognostic implications. Although not routinely undertaken, platelet function testing offers the potential to tailor antiplatelet therapy for individual patients. However, uncertainties remain about how well platelet function testing may predict haemostasis and guide management of bleeding risk. Studies of aspirin, P2Y12 inhibitors and other antiplatelet drugs clearly demonstrate how inhibition of platelet function increases bleeding risk. More potent antiplatelet drugs are associated with higher bleeding rates, consistent with the levels of platelet inhibition achieved by these drugs. Studies of patients treated with clopidogrel, which is associated with wide inter-individual variation in antiplatelet effect, suggest that platelet function testing may predict bleeding risk related to coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery and potentially guide the timing of surgery following discontinuation of clopidogrel. Similarly, some studies have demonstrated a relationship between clopidogrel response and bleeding in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), although other studies have not supported this. Carriage of the *17 allele of cytochrome P450 2C19, which is associated with gain of function and enhanced response to clopidogrel, seems to be associated with increased bleeding risk, although studies showing lack of apparent effect of loss-of-function alleles provide contradictory evidence. Further large studies are needed to guide best practice in the application of platelet function testing in the clinical management of patients treated with antiplatelet drugs in order to optimise individual care.
Prodeath Signaling of G Protein–Coupled Receptor Kinase 2 in Cardiac Myocytes After Ischemic Stress Occurs Via Extracellular Signal–Regulated Kinase-Dependent Heat Shock Protein 90–Mediated Mitochondrial Targeting
Authors: Chen Mai , Sato Priscila Y. , Chuprun J. Kurt , Peroutka Raymond J. , Otis Nicholas J. , Ibetti Jessica , Pan Shi , Sheu Shey-Shing , Gao Erhe , Koch Walter J.
Published: March 2013

Rationale:

G protein–coupled receptor kinase 2 (GRK2) is abundantly expressed in the heart, and its expression and activity are increased in injured or stressed myocardium. This upregulation has been shown to be pathological. GRK2 can promote cell death in ischemic myocytes, and its inhibition by a peptide comprising the last 194 amino acids of GRK2 (known as carboxyl-terminus of β-adrenergic receptor kinase [bARKct]) is cardioprotective.

Objective:

The aim of this study was to elucidate the signaling mechanism that accounts for the prodeath signaling seen in the presence of elevated GRK2 and the cardioprotection afforded by the carboxyl-terminus of β-adrenergic receptor kinase.

Methods and Results:

Using in vivo mouse models of ischemic injury and also cultured myocytes, we found that GRK2 localizes to mitochondria, providing novel insight into GRK2-dependent pathophysiological signaling mechanisms. Mitochondrial localization of GRK2 in cardiomyocytes was enhanced after ischemic and oxidative stress, events that induced prodeath signaling. Localization of GRK2 to mitochondria was dependent on phosphorylation at residue Ser670 within its extreme carboxyl-terminus by extracellular signal–regulated kinases, resulting in enhanced GRK2 binding to heat shock protein 90, which chaperoned GRK2 to mitochondria. Mechanistic studies in vivo and in vitro showed that extracellular signal–regulated kinase regulation of the C-tail of GRK2 was an absolute requirement for stress-induced, mitochondrial-dependent prodeath signaling, and blocking this led to cardioprotection. Elevated mitochondrial GRK2 also caused increased Ca
2+
-induced opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore, a key step in cellular injury.

Conclusions:

We identify GRK2 as a prodeath kinase in the heart, acting in a novel manner through mitochondrial localization via extracellular signal–regulated kinase regulation.
The Impact of Neurodegeneration on Network Connectivity: A Study of Change Detection in Frontotemporal Dementia
Authors: Hughes Laura E. , Rowe James B.
Published: March 2013

The neural response to unpredictable auditory events is suggested to depend on frontotemporal interactions. We used magnetoencephalography in patients with behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia to study change detection and to examine the impact of disease on macroscopic network connectivity underlying this core cognitive function. In patients, the amplitudes of auditory cortical responses to predictable standard tones were normal but were reduced for unpredictable deviant tones. Network connectivity, in terms of coherence among frontal, temporal, and parietal sources, was also abnormal in patients. In the beta frequency range, left frontotemporal coherence was reduced. In the gamma frequency range, frontal interhemispheric coherence was reduced whereas parietal interhemispheric coherence was enhanced. These results suggest impaired change detection resulting from dysfunctional frontotemporal interactions. They also provide evidence of a rostro-caudal reorganization of brain networks in disease. The sensitivity of magnetoencephalography to cortical network changes in behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia enriches the understanding of neurocognitive systems as well as showing potential for studies of experimental therapies for neurodegenerative disease.
Precipitation Extremes in CMIP5 Simulations on Different Time Scales
Authors: Zhang Huan , Fraedrich Klaus , Blender Richard , Zhu Xiuhua
Published: March 2013

Precipitation maxima in global climate model (GCM) simulations are compared with observations in terms of resolution dependence and climate change. The analysis shows the following results: (i) the observed scaling law relating precipitation maxima to duration is basically reproduced but exhibits resolution dependence, (ii) the intensity of precipitation extremes is up to one order of magnitude smaller in the model data, and (iii) the increase of precipitation maxima on short time scales in the warmer climate simulations [representative concentration pathway 8.5 (RCP8.5)] vanishes for monthly time scales.
Exploring the Benefits of Using CryoSat-2's Cross-Track Interferometry to Improve the Resolution of Multisatellite Mesoscale Fields
Authors: Dibarboure G. , Le Traon P. Y. , Galin N.
Published: March 2013

Sea surface height (SSH) measurements provided by pulse-limited radar altimeters are one-dimensional profiles along the satellite's nadir track, with no information whatsoever in the cross-track direction. The anisotropy of resulting SSH profiles is the most limiting factor of mesoscale SSH maps that merge the 1D profiles.

This paper explores the potential of the cross-track slope derived from the Cryosphere Satellite-2 (CryoSat-2)'s synthetic aperture radar interferometry (SARin) mode to increase the resolution of mesoscale fields in the cross-track direction. Through idealized 1D simulations, this study shows that it is possible to exploit the dual SARin measurement (cross-track slope and SSH profile) in order to constrain mesoscale mapping in the cross-track direction.

An error-free SSH slope allows a single SARin instrument to recover almost as much SSH variance as two coordinated altimeters. Noise-corrupted slopes can also be exploited to improve the mapping, and a breakthrough is observed for SARin errors ranging from 1 to 5 μrad for 150-km-radius features in strong currents, and 0.1–0.5 μrad for global mesoscale.

Although only limited experiments might be possible with the error level of current CryoSat-2 data, this paper shows the potential of the SAR interferometry technology to reduce the anisotropy of altimeter measurements if the SARin error is significantly reduced in the future, and in particular in the context of a prospective SARin demonstrator optimized for oceanography.
Error Characteristics of Two Grid Refinement Approaches in Aquaplanet Simulations: MPAS-A and WRF
Authors: Hagos Samson , Leung Ruby , Rauscher Sara A. , Ringler Todd
Published: March 2013

This study compares the error characteristics associated with two grid refinement approaches including global variable resolution and nesting for high-resolution regional climate modeling. The global variable-resolution model, Model for Prediction Across Scales-Atmosphere (MPAS-A), and the limited-area model, Weather Research and Forecasting Model (WRF), are compared in an idealized aquaplanet context. For MPAS-A, simulations have been performed with a quasi-uniform-resolution global domain at coarse (1°) and high (0.25°) resolution, and a variable-resolution domain with a high-resolution region at 0.25° configured inside a coarse-resolution global domain at 1° resolution. Similarly, WRF has been configured to run on a coarse (1°) and high (0.25°) tropical channel domain as well as a nested domain with a high-resolution region at 0.25° nested two-way inside the coarse-resolution (1°) tropical channel. The variable-resolution or nested simulations are compared against the high-resolution simulations. Both models respond to increased resolution with enhanced precipitation and significant reduction in the ratio of convective to nonconvective precipitation. The limited-area grid refinement induces zonal asymmetry in precipitation (heating), accompanied by zonal anomalous Walker-like circulations and standing Rossby wave signals. Within the high-resolution limited area, the zonal distribution of precipitation is affected by advection in MPAS-A and by the nesting strategy in WRF. In both models, the propagation characteristics of equatorial waves are not significantly affected by the variations in resolution.
Leadership Dilemmas of Hong Kong Principals: Sources, Perceptions and Outcomes
Authors: Walker Allan , Dimmock Clive
Published: March 2013

With restructuring characterising many school systems throughout the world, and major change leaving few schools untouched, school leaders are facing major challenges. This study focuses on a group of Hong Kong principals who conceptualise some of their challenges as dilemmas. The paper draws on previous literature to highlight the importance of articulating principals' perceptions of dilemmas in their daily lives, and identifies typologies and categories of dilemmas. It notes that dilemma research to date is grounded in Western examples and cultural settings, and that dilemmas faced by principals in non-Western settings have been ignored. Analysing dilemma situations recounted by Hong Kong principals, we identify the sources, coping mechanisms and outcomes of their dilemmas and examine the relationships between these phenomena. Among our findings are that dilemmas are multifaceted and irresolvable situations, and that principals tend to rely on a narrow range of deeply embedded Chinese cultural values as coping strategies.
Personal Development, Health and Physical Education in Context: Muslim and Catholic Perspectives
Authors: McInerney Dennis M. , Davidson Neil , Suliman Rosemary , Tremayne Bob
Published: March 2013

This research examines potential barriers to learning Personal Development, Health and Physical Education in schools characterised by religious diversity. Year 9 students at four high schools were surveyed. Participants completed a self report instrument designed to reflect key components of the PDHPE curriculum. Although most respondents valued the PDHPE program, there were a number of important differences in attitudes between the Muslim and the Catholic groups. More of the Muslim group were concerned that cultural values made it difficult to engage in PDHPE related activities than the Catholic group. Up to 40 per cent of Muslim students have problems with issues such as dress, public display, independence and cultural values and the PDHPE program. Fewer Muslim students were in favour of mixed-sex activities and fewer Muslim students appeared to value and like the PDHPE program. These differences may act as barriers to the successful teaching and learning of PDHPE in these schools.
Asymmetric Information, Public Goods and Central Control: A Critique of the West Review's Education Policy
Authors: Clarke Harry
Published: March 2013

The ‘West Review’ argues that the determination of tertiary sector education program offerings should be decentralised by basing funding on student preferences. Research activities should be centrally prioritised with access to training being also dependent on such preferences. These views are questionable. Informational asymmetries imply that student sovereignty is a poor basis for designing programs and allocating research funds. Central prioritising cannot provide the benefits achievable in liberal structures which promote diversity. The Review's endorsement of centralised university management will realise measured cost savings but at the expense of quality.
Trends in Indigenous Educational Participation and Attainment, 1986–96
Authors: Gray M. C. , Hunter B. , Schwab R. G.
Published: March 2013

This paper provides a summary and overview of indigenous people within the Australian education system. A cohort analysis of changes in educational participation and the level and type of educational qualification over the last three censuses for the indigenous and non-indigenous populations is presented. The main finding is that although there have been some absolute improvements in indigenous educational outcomes over the period 1986 to 1996, relative to the non-indigenous there have been little if any real gains. The lack of improvement relative to the non-indigenous population occurs not only in the proportion of the population with post-secondary qualifications, but also in the proportion of indigenous teenagers staying at school. By any measure, the indigenous population remains severely disadvantaged. Another finding is that, for younger age groups, the non-indigenous population has a higher participation rate in post-secondary education than the indigenous population. This situation is reversed for older age groups.
Standards for Standards: The Development of Australian Professional Standards for Teaching
Authors: Louden William
Published: March 2013

Professional standards for teaching have been developed in many countries during the 1990s. In Australia, the first wave of standards development has been dominated by the large state government school systems, and influenced by competency-based conceptions of standards. This paper provides a review of the first wave standards, concluding that these standards are characterised by long lists of duties, opaque language, generic skills, decontextualised performances, an expanded range of duties and weak assessments. As a second wave of standards development begins, led by teachers professional associations and deeply influenced by the methods of the American National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, the paper proposes a set of standards for development of professional standards in Australia. Standards, it is argued, should be brief, transparent, specialised, contextualised, focused on teaching and learning, and matched by strong assessments.
The Politics of Quality Assurance: The Australian Quality Assurance Program for Higher Education, 1993–1995
Authors: Harman Grant
Published: March 2013

Using interest group theory and the idea of public policy development and application following sequential stages, this paper explores how key decisions were made about the establishment and implementation of the controversial national quality assurance program for higher education that operated in Australia from 1993 to 1995. The paper explains how Australia came to introduce a quality assurance program that differed substantially from those established in other OECD countries.
Quality of Student Experiences at University: A Rasch Measurement Model Analysis
Authors: Waugh Russell F.
Published: March 2013

The Community College Student Experiences Questionnaire from the United States of America (Friedlander, Pace, & Lehman, 1990) was revised and rewritten for Australian university students. The Australian Quality of Student Experiences Scale comprises 60 items relating to student expectations and, in direct correspondence, 60 items relating to their experiences. The items are based on a model involving academic, personal and group experiences for eight areas: My Course, The Library, My Lecturers, Student Acquaintances, The Arts, Writing, The Sciences and Vocations. The convenience sample was 305 first year students and the data were analysed with a Rasch measurement model. Fifty-eight items did not fit the model and were discarded. Most of these items came from the sub-scales: The Arts, The Sciences and Writing. The final scale of 62 items had excellent psychometric properties. Expectations are easier than experiences, as conceptualised, and the conceptual design of the scale is confirmed.
From Silos to Seamlessness: Towards a Cross-Sectoral Funding Model for Postcompulsory Education and Training
Authors: Watson Louise , Wheelahan Leesa , Chapman Bruce
Published: March 2013

Student demand for seamless education and lifelong learning is leading to increased levels of cross-sectoral provision by publicly funded education and training institutions. However the sectoral divisions that characterise Australia's education funding frameworks make it difficult for institutions to provide cross-sectoral courses and inhibit the development of ‘student-centred’ learning programs. Where cross-sectoral programs are implemented, the sector-based funding arrangements lead to anomalies and inequities for both institutions and students. This paper argues that public funding for postcompulsory education and training should be distributed according to principles that are consistently applied, regardless of the sector in which studies are undertaken.
Do Men Still Manage While Women Teach? Using Four Reports on Middle Schooling to Portray Continuities and Changes in Teachers' Work in the 1990s
Authors: Whitehead Kay
Published: March 2013

This article examines the ways in which primary, secondary and middle school teachers are represented in four Australian reports on middle schooling in the 1990s. All reports argue for changes in school culture in the middle years but portrayals of each group of teachers reinforce the gender order in contemporary schools. Although there are continuities in the ways teachers are discussed across the reports, a focus on action research and the discourse of teacher as researcher appears in the two most recent documents. The final section of the article considers the potential of this discourse to reconstruct teachers' work and challenge the gender order of the occupation. It concludes that if the positive potential of teachers as researchers is to be realised, then primary, secondary and middle school teachers, men and women, must be participants in all types of research which inform middle schooling.
Motivation and Academic Resilience: Developing a Model for Student Enhancement
Authors: Martin Andrew
Published: March 2013

This paper explores a model of motivation and introduces the concept of academic resilience. Although motivation is critical to academic success, academic gains that students make can be lost if they are not resilient to setback, study pressure, and stress in the school setting. It is therefore important that students are motivated and resilient to academic pressures. A problem with motivation theory and research, however, is that it has not been formulated in a way that provides educators and students with a common language with which to develop motivation and academic resilience in the classroom. This paper draws together seminal motivation theory, posits clear constructs that represent these theories, and then repackages them into a model that can be used by educators and understood by students. Such a model also holds direct implications in the classroom and counselling contexts, and the strategies for enhancing motivation and academic resilience are discussed.
Classroom and School Factors Affecting Mathematics Achievement: A Comparative Study of Australia and the United States Using TIMSS
Authors: Lamb Stephen , Fullarton Sue
Published: March 2013

Recent work on differences in mathematics achievement has highlighted the importance of classroom, teacher and school factors. The present study used data from the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) to look at student, classroom and school factors influencing mathematics achievement in Australia and the United States (US). It found that classroom differences account for about one-third of the variation in student achievement in the US and over one-quarter in Australia. Most of the classroom variation in both countries was due to compositional and organisational factors, very little of it due to differences between teachers. This has important implications for policy regarding the improvement of mathematics achievement. It suggests that school systems may gain little by targeting teachers only, and need to give consideration to the role of pupil grouping practices and the effects of tracking and streaming on classroom learning environments.
Increasing Equity through Qualifications: The Case of the Victorian Qualifications Authority
Authors: Praetz Helen
Published: March 2013

Using qualifications as policy instruments to increase participation in education and training and to reduce unemployment, especially youth unemployment, appears to be growing in Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries. This paper considers the case of one authority, the Victorian Qualifications Authority (VQA), established by the Victorian Government in 2001 and responsible for determining and strengthening the range of post-compulsory qualifications for schools and vocational education and training. In establishing its cross-sectoral role, the VQA moved rapidly to introduce a new qualification directed towards those young people who seek applied and practical studies and who leave school before completing Year 12 or its equivalent. The paper outlines the nature of the changes proposed and the approaches taken to its development. These recognise that pedagogy is critical to increasing participation and that students who engage in learning at school are more likely to become lifelong learners.
Educational Access for Australia's Rural Young People: A Case of Social Exclusion
Authors: Alston Margaret M. , Kent Jenny
Published: March 2013

The social and economic effects of globalisation in rural communities is well documented. Ageing populations, loss of services and employment opportunities are typical of rural areas in many western industrialised countries. Focusing on declining access to tertiary education, this paper argues that a lack of adequate policy is creating socially excluded young people in country towns. In particular, drawing on research conducted in the Centre for Rural Social Research at Charles Sturt University, it argues that the financial cost of education is creating a huge barrier for many rural families. If rural areas are to benefit from globalisation, a skilled workforce is critical. Declining rural access to tertiary education exacerbates power differentials resulting from globalisation and therefore restrains access to the opportunities of globalisation and hinders rural revitalisation.
Quality Assurance and the Quality of University Teaching
Authors: Guest Ross , Duhs Alan
Published: March 2013

The quality of university teaching is increasingly the subject of political rhetoric, but doubt remains about both actual performance outcomes and the role and relevance of the Australian Universities Quality Agency (AUQA). Present quality procedures are found to be inadequate, and scepticism about AUQA's capacity to achieve its aims is well justified for two reasons: the almost complete lack of recognition of the importance of incentives to motivate teachers to allocate effort towards teaching at the expense of research; and the inadequate attention to the need for more accurate indicators of teaching performance. This paper suggests ways of improving the effectiveness of AUQA in raising the quality of university teaching. Two key reforms suggested are: (a) the wide reporting of more accurate teaching performance indicators; (b) a revised university funding model in which university income is based on teaching performance indicators in the same way that research income is based on research performance indicators.
Self-Reported Work and Family Stress of Female Primary Teachers
Authors: Thomas Narelle , Clarke Valerie , Lavery Judy
Published: March 2013

Stress arising in the domain of work and family can have a cumulative effect, and can spill over across the domains. The work-family interface has received little attention in teacher stress research, therefore the present study aimed to investigate work and family stress among teachers. Self-report questionnaires were distributed to 102 female, primary teachers from government schools in the Geelong area. Responses were used to: (a) identify the major work and family stressors; (b) identify the contributions of perceived work and family stress to perceived global stress; and (c) explore the impact that work and family stress have on each other. Overall the teachers reported moderate levels of global, work and family stress. Time and workload pressure was the major work stressor, and responsibility for child rearing the major family stressor. Work stress and home stress both impacted on each other. The implications of the findings were discussed.
A High School Teacher's Experience of Local School Management: A Case of the ‘System Behaving Badly towards Teachers’
Authors: Smyth John
Published: March 2013

The move to local school management (LSM) in its various formations is one of the most significant educational policy moves to occur in recent times in western countries. Although something is known about the effects on governance, budgeting and resource decision making, relatively little is known about the rhetorical and actual ways teachers' work is affected. Even the proponents admit this, albeit in terms of the little known relay effect on student learning. Drawing on the narrative biography of a single high school teacher, as part of a larger multi-sited ethnography, this study revealed the level of policy incoherence to be such that most of the worst excesses of accountability and marketisation accompanying LSM were minimised. Emerging from a deeply held set of pedagogical values and convictions, this instance confirmed a robust view of teacher identity as lying beyond those of victim construction.
Roundtable Reflections: (Re) Defining the Role of the Teacher Educator and the Preservice Teacher as ‘Co-Learners’
Authors: Brandenburg Robyn
Published: March 2013

This paper is an account of one aspect of a self-study—the ‘roundtable reflections’—conducted over two semesters with two cohorts of Bachelor of Education preservice teachers at the University of Ballarat. An innovative approach to learning and teaching mathematics based on negotiation, ‘commuting’ teaching experience, and systematic reflection was introduced with each cohort and roundtable sessions provided the reflective space for the systematic ‘unpacking’ of the learning. Analysis of these roundtable sessions has developed understandings of the impact and effectiveness of this approach in redefining the role of both the pre-service teacher and the teacher educator as ‘co-learners’. The implications for those involved in teacher education are explored as a means of further understanding the nature of teaching and learning about teaching.
Australian Students' Knowledge and Understanding of Asia: A National Study
Authors: Griffin Patrick , Woods Kerry , Dulhunty Mark
Published: March 2013

This paper examines Australian students' knowledge of Asia, and reports on a national survey of Year 5 and 8 students. Knowledge was measured by using a combined set of subtests tailored to each state and territory curriculum and reported in terms of a standards referenced framework. The survey collected data from more than 7000 students in over 300 schools covering all states and territories. It showed that, at the primary level, student knowledge of Asia was related to school policy-related commitment and to the frequency of the teachers' use of resources. In secondary schools, the development of knowledge and understanding of Asia was related to the range of teaching resources drawn upon, as well as the frequency of their use. Commitment to studies of Asia was important and influential, but it seemed not to matter whether this commitment was at a teacher or school level.
Internationalisation, Indigenisation and Educational Research in China
Authors: Yang Rui
Published: March 2013

Intimations of globality are challenging old ways of doing things in the social sciences. The new phase of reflexive thinking has seen many turning their thoughts to indigenous thinking. Within today's world of knowledge, one pressing task is to capture as many voices as possible to reaffirm a moral universe that respects the plurality of perspectives and paths to truth in order to avoid the homogenising monoculture of the mind. This article investigates how Chinese educational researchers respond to this momentous challenge. It finds that, at their maximum, they are emulating their more prestigious western counterparts, and are thus losing their opportunity to contribute more substantially to nurturing an international knowledge order that reflects and supports the rich diversity, although they are well positioned by their wealth of unique cultural heritage.
Commodification, Corporatisation and Children's Spaces
Authors: Press Frances , Woodrow Christine
Published: March 2013

For increasing numbers of Australian children, childcare is part of their everyday experiences. The marketisation and corporatisation of education have been under discussion for some time, particularly in relation to schooling. There has been comparatively little public scrutiny of how this trend might impact on, and shape Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC). This article explores the existing and potential impacts of privatisation and corporatisation of ECEC in terms of how these constrain and are reshaping the vision and the practice of what is done for children in the prior-to-school sector.
Memory and Marginalisation—Aboriginality and Education in the Assimilation Era
Authors: Morgan George
Published: March 2013

In the mid-twentieth century many Aboriginal Australians moved to live in Australian cities in search of life opportunities that were not available to them in rural areas. This article explores the life history narratives of three Indigenous people who were brought to live in Sydney as children during this period. It considers the processes by which, in spite of the dominant policy position of assimilation at the time, they were alienated from the school education system and failed to make the most of their talents. None of them could recognise themselves in the meritocratic narratives held up to them. In addition, each experienced obligations to family and/or to home country that were incompatible with the rhythms of life associated with school education.
Accommodating Students Excluded from Regular Schools in Schools of Isolated and Distance Education
Authors: Forlin Chris , Tierney Gay
Published: March 2013

In Western Australia there is a relatively small number of students whose behaviour is so severe that they are precluded from participating in regular schools. One alternative education placement for these students has been to enrol them in the Schools of Isolated and Distance Education (SIDE) program. This research reviews the enrolment of excluded students at SIDE as perceived by the personnel who provide this service. A number of key issues emerge that pertain specifically to student learning, communication, attitude and the lack of availability of appropriate alternative programs for these students.
The Impact of Sound-Field Amplification in Mainstream Cross-Cultural Classrooms: Part 1 Educational Outcomes
Authors: Massie Robyn , Dillon Harvey
Published: March 2013

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of sound-field amplification intervention on the acquisition of specific educational goals for children in mainstream cross-cultural classrooms. Twelve classes of Year 2 children participated in the project. For classes 1 to 8, the listening environments were alternated between amplified and unamplified conditions, each condition being for two terms (one semester) of the school year. Beneficial effects of amplification were obtained in all three skill areas of reading, writing and numeracy. The beneficial effects occurred irrespective of whether the children had English as a native language or as a second language. Classes 9 to 12 were alternated between single-channel and dual-channel transmission options, each condition being for one semester of the school year. The results indicated that using different numbers of microphones did not affect the rate of acquisition of educational outcomes.
Lifelong Learning in a Market Economy: Education, Training and the Citizen-Consumer
Authors: Axford Beverley , Seddon Terry
Published: March 2013

Australian public policy adopted the concept of lifelong learning in the 1980s and harnessed it to human capital theory to articulate a new policy emphasis on ‘up-skilling’ the Australian labour force. This paper addresses the question of how this conception of lifelong learning has fared in practice as Australian Commonwealth government policies, including those related to education and training, have shifted to embrace strong market orientations and priorities. Have the policy objectives of a more highly trained labour force been met or has the concept of lifelong learning become increasingly uncoupled from links with the nation-building exercise of preparing Australia for the ‘information age’?
Reforming the Labour Market for Australian Teachers
Authors: Webster Elizabeth , Wooden Mark , Marks Gary
Published: March 2013

Although there is a general consensus that teachers are important for student learning, there is little discussion of the process by which teachers are employed by schools: the teacher labour market. We argue, based on a mix of a priori and inductive reasoning, that inflexible attitudes about comparative wages have contributed toward chronic shortages of qualified teachers in specialised teacher labour markets and poor incentives for excellent teachers to remain teaching. Overseas studies indicate that chronic shortages occur because fewer science and mathematics graduates, compared to humanities and social science graduates, are attracted to teaching. Higher wage rates for teachers with scarce skills will alleviate shortages and reduce attrition of the most able teachers.
Moving Schools: Antecedents, Impact on Students and Interventions
Authors: Sorin Reesa , Iloste Rosemary
Published: March 2013

Mobility in education can be caused by families moving from city to city or state to state as employment and housing changes for them; however, it can also be the result of families moving their children from one school to another within the same area, for other, more personal reasons. As the student mobility rate rises, concerns about its impact on the young learner increase (Wright, 1999).

This research investigated student mobility in a regional area in northern Queensland where the mobility rate increases each year. Through interviews with school personnel and some parents, a number of issues surrounding student mobility were examined. These included antecedents to mobility, perceived impact of mobility on students and strategies to address issues of mobility.
Standards-Referenced Assessment for Vocational Education and Training in Schools
Authors: Griffin Patrick , Gillis Shelley , Calvitto Leanne
Published: March 2013

This study examined a model of assessment that could be applied nationally for Year Twelve Vocational Education and Training (VET) subjects and which could yield both a differentiating score and recognition of competence. More than fifty colleges across all states and territories of Australia field-tested the approach over one school year. Results showed that the model allowed for a standards-referenced model to be used: that the approach was compatible with the diverse range of senior secondary assessment systems in use throughout Australia and that there were considerable cost benefits to be had in adopting the logic of item response modelling for the development of rubrics for scoring performances on units of competence from National Training Packages. A change in the logic of competency assessment was proposed, in that the performance indicators were not rated using a dichotomy but with a series of quality ordered criteria to indicate how well students performed specified tasks in the workplace or its simulation. The study validated the method of assessment development, demonstrated the method's consistency, and showed how the method could address the issue of consistency across states. The study also proposed a set of principles for a joint assessment of both quality and competence.
Standards-Based Assessment: A Tool and Means to the Development of Human Capital and Capacity Building in Education
Authors: Tognolini Jim , Stanley Gordon
Published: March 2013

This paper outlines a model for giving meaning to student achievement by referencing assessment to student learning or standards. This effectively shifts the focus in assessment from notions of rank ordering students (comparing their performance purely to each other) to those of monitoring growth or progress and measurement. More specifically it introduces standards-based assessment: the concept and theory. It considers how such systems operate and provides some possible strategies for implementation. Finally it shows how such systems can significantly impact upon human capital and capacity building in education.
Institutional Categories at Work: A Consideration of How Labelling Can Slow down Rates of Learning in a Rural Primary School
Authors: Funnell Robert , Lee Irene Han
Published: March 2013

In this paper we show that poor student performance in a rural school is influenced by the classifications used for student learning and behaviour. We propose that the institution's organisation is conveyed via a classification schema that permeates and informs judgments about student progress and holds sway over teacher cognition. Category boundaries are set and differentiate between compliant and non-compliant students in the school in question. Conformity to expectations by compliant students can be mistaken for academic security. Rectifying disruptive and off-task behaviours can replace teaching of the non-compliant students. Institutional categories used to judge and label performances remain difficult to counter in that they are part of the reality of everyday interaction and given credence in departmental policy and professional discourse.
Conceptualising and Evaluating Teacher Quality: Substantive and Methodological Issues
Authors: Ingvarson Lawrence , Rowe Ken
Published: March 2013

Whereas findings from recent research highlight the importance of teacher quality in improving students' academic performances and experiences of schooling, substantive and methodological issues surrounding the conceptualisation and evaluation of teacher quality are not well understood. Such deficiencies are particularly evident in claims for ‘findings’ derived from econometric research—especially from those studies that merely employ conceptualisations and proxy ‘measures’ of quality in terms of teachers' qualifications, experience, and students' academic outcomes. Moreover, the econometric models fitted to the available, mostly aggregated data, typically fail to conceptualise and ‘measure’ teacher quality in terms of what teachers should know (subject-matter knowledge) and be able to do (pedagogical skill). Nor do such models account for the measurement, distributional and structural properties of the data for response and explanatory variables—failings that all too frequently yield misleading interpretations of findings for both policy and practice.

After brief introductory comments related to current contexts, the paper focuses on two approaches towards the resolution current deficiencies—both of which have important implications for conceptualising and evaluating teacher quality: (1) capacity building in teacher professionalism grounded in evidence-based pre-service teacher education content and subsequent in-service professional development and (2) the specification and evaluation of teaching standards. The paper concludes by arguing that, since the most valuable resource available to any school are its teachers, there is a crucial need for both a substantive and methodological refocus of the prevailing economic teacher-quality/student-performance/merit-pay research and policy agenda to one that focuses on the need for capacity building in teacher professionalism (and its evaluation) in terms of teaching standards related to what teachers should know and be able to do.
Consistency and Inconsistency in PhD Thesis Examination
Authors: Holbrook Allyson , Bourke Sid , Lovat Terry , Fairbairn Hedy
Published: March 2013

This is a mixed methods investigation of consistency in PhD examination. At its core is the quantification of the content and conceptual analysis of examiner reports for 804 Australian theses. First, the level of consistency between what examiners say in their reports and the recommendation they provide for a thesis is explored, followed by an examination of the degree of discrepancy between examiner recommendations and university committee decisions on the theses. Two groups of discrepant recommendations are identified and analysed in depth. Finally the main sources of inconsistency are identified. It was found that the comments of a small minority of examiners were inconsistent with each other or with the committee decision in a significant way. Much more commonly the texts of examiner reports were highly consistent and were closely reflected in the final committee decision.
The Teacher's Role in the Research-Policy-Praxis Nexus
Authors: Ohi Sarah
Published: March 2013

What kinds of relationships exist between educational policy, research and the professional knowledge of the teachers that implement these policies in practice? This article reports research that examined the role of teachers working in an environment formed by links between research, policy and practice. By adopting a contextual focus upon the Victorian Early Years Literacy Program, its research and teachers who implement the program, the study analysed how early years reading is being constructed. Critical issues are identified about the impact of policy and research upon the teaching profession and the links that are present in the research—policy—praxis nexus.
Educational Achievement in Maori: The Roles of Cultural Identity and Social Disadvantage
Authors: Marie Dannette , Fergusson David M. , Boden Joseph M.
Published: March 2013

The present study investigates the roles of Maori cultural identity and socio-economic status in educational outcomes in a New Zealand birth cohort studied from birth to the age of 25. There were statistically significant (all p values < .01) associations between cultural identity and educational outcomes, with those of Maori ethnic identification having generally lower levels of educational achievement outcomes when compared to non-Maori. In addition, those of Maori ethnic identification were exposed to significantly ( p < .05) greater levels of socio-economic disadvantage in childhood. Control for socio-economic factors largely reduced the associations between cultural identity and educational outcomes to statistical non-significance. The findings suggest that educational underachievement amongst Maori can be largely explained by disparities in socio-economic status during childhood.
Are Young Muslims Adopting Australian Values?
Authors: Kabir Nahid Afrose
Published: March 2013

Recently politicians in Australia have raised concerns that some Muslims are not adopting Australian values to a sufficient extent. In this paper I explore the notion of Australian values with respect to immigrant youth. By analysing interviews with 32 Muslim students who are 15-18 years of age and of diverse backgrounds in two state schools in Sydney, I focus on the extent to which these young people seem to be adopting Australian values. I discuss the factors that hinder the adoption of Australian values, and whether such hindrance can lead to a possible jihadi threat. This paper relies on oral testimonies and secondary sources, including international literature.
Transnational Higher Education in China: Contexts, Characteristics and Concerns
Authors: Yang Rui
Published: March 2013

Transnational higher education is a rapidly growing phenomenon that is under-researched and often even misunderstood. As the world's most promising market, China has the potential to dwarf all traditional offshore markets. Little research has been done to seriously analyse the fast growth in China. A sound understanding of the Chinese situation facilitates improvement of future provision of higher education by Australian universities, presently the most dominant force in China. This article incorporates Chinese and English literature, reviews the latest Chinese government documents, and delineates a comprehensive picture of transnational education provision in China. It locates the development in a wider social and policy context in China, examines the basic features of Chinese—foreign partnerships, and reveals some major issues of concern. It argues that China needs to form effective regulatory frameworks to govern this new development in higher education, especially in terms of quality assurance to ensure cultural appropriateness of the joint programs.
Increasing Competition for University and the Challenge of Access for Government School Students—A Case Study
Authors: Edwards Daniel
Published: March 2013

There is a wide variety of universities, university campuses and university courses in Australia available to those interested in pursuing a higher education degree. This paper examines the impact of increasing competition for entrance to university on the educational outcomes for students from the government school sector. Using Melbourne as a case study, the research shows that, over a four-year period of increased competition, entry to some of the more academically accessible university campuses in the city became more difficult and this disproportionately affected the opportunities for university entrance among some groups. Despite the fact that there was no noticeable change in the academic standards achieved by government school completers, the rate at which government school students gained access to these universities declined noticeably during this time. These findings show how changes in supply of university places from year to year can have a profound effect on the opportunities of secondary-school completers—particularly those in more educationally disadvantaged settings.
Students' Perceptions of Schooling in a Senior Secondary Education System
Authors: Hay Peter J.
Published: March 2013

Through the voices of students and teachers at an elite coeducational private school and a school situated in a low socio-economic area, this paper explores the potential consequences for students of school alignment or misalignment with the structural imperatives of the broader Queensland senior secondary education system. Although the schools are situated within the same system, the achievement expectations and practices of the two schools were vastly different. Moreover, the structuring features of the private school ‘field’ aligned more closely with the official processes and expectations of the Queensland assessment regime than did those at the other school. School differences in the students' understandings of and investments in their education were observed in relation to differences in school practice.