Australian Schools Research Articles

‘Something serious’: biopedagogies of young people, sex and drugs in Australian drug education

ABSTRACT Despite being ostensibly focussed on alcohol and other drugs, drug education often directly addresses sex – a focus subject to scant analysis. This article examines how the relationship between young people, sex and alcohol and other drugs is addressed in a dataset of 23 ‘evidence-based’ drug education texts currently recommended for use in Australian secondary schools. Approaching drug education as a ‘biopedagogy’, I argue that drug education operates as a form of governance that seeks to constitute young subjects with specific orientations not only to alcohol and other drugs but sex and health more broadly. First, I argue that drug education constitutes appropriate sex as sober, planned and with a regular romantic partner. Second, I argue that in lessons about sexual violence, drug education works with an account of consent that constitutes the targets of violence as responsible for addressing it. My analysis suggests that drug education operates as a biopolitical strategy that constitutes sex in the context of alcohol and other drug consumption as not only dangerous but wrong. Overall, this approach struggles to offer understandings and skills that may contribute to ethical sexual conduct where alcohol and other drugs are involved.

Should we be concerned? A qualitative study of educators’ perceptions of medical student wellbeing in domestic violence training

Introduction Domestic violence (DV) is common in the Australian community so it is likely that there will be medical students who are affected personally by DV. Some of these students may find DV training confronting or even re-traumatising. A trauma-informed medical education (TIME) framework utilising trauma-informed care principles may minimise this risk to students. We aimed to explore educators’ perceptions of student well-being in Australian medical school DV training. Method This descriptive qualitative study interviewed 13 educators with experience teaching DV in Australian medical schools using an interpretivist methodology and a TIME framework. Interview data was thematically analysed to identify themes. Results Four key themes included (1) educators thrown in at the deep end; (2) keeping students emotionally safe; (3) a trauma-informed learning environment and; (4) challenges of student DV disclosures. Few of the participants had received training in DV. Educators used methods such as trigger warnings and ground rules to improve student’s emotional safety. Experienced educators dealt with disclosures of DV by students which led to role confusion. Discussion There is a need for increased training of medical educators that includes awareness and implementation of TIME principles when training medical students in DV as well as increased supports and resources for educators.

Educating students about volatile substance use in Australian schools: Is the current approach evidence-based, and how should we do it?

Australian national, state and territory school-based drug education policies advise that volatile substance use (VSU) should be excluded from general drug education curriculum for fear of alerting young people to the intoxicating properties of substances such as petrol, sprays and glues. We review evidence from the United States and United Kingdom on the effects of including volatile substances in school-based drug education, to argue that these policies are due for reconsideration. Nitrous oxide and nitrites are classified as volatile substances along with solvents such as those listed above, although their patterns of use, effects and harms are different. In an era of widespread social media access, more young people than in the past are likely to have heard about VSU. But because VSU is often short-term, parents and teachers may be unaware when young people in their care consume volatile substances. The general silence about VSU in schools, difficulty in detecting use and the varying sets of risks associated with inhaling different substances mean that young people may be unaware of toxicity or harm reduction strategies when they consume volatiles as drugs. We consider some implementation challenges to be negotiated if VSU education were introduced in Australian schools.

Perspectives of women as they navigate their path to principalship in Australian secondary schools

In most countries around the world, teaching is a highly feminized profession. However, despite the higher percentage of female teachers in secondary schools, women continue to be under-represented in secondary principal roles. Similar to the United Kingdom, in Australia more than 60% of all teachers in secondary schools are female, and 40% of the principals in secondary schools are female. Furthermore, on average it takes female teachers 2.7 years longer to attain a principal role and consequently have a shorter career as a principal. Therefore, it is important to understand the pathway of female principals as they progress through middle leadership roles to senior leadership. This article investigates and reports on the career pathways of 14 female principals in Australian secondary schools. Each individual pathway to principalship was mapped out to specifically identify the types of middle leadership roles undertaken over each principal's career. The mapping of the pathways identifies the types of roles which were more commonly held by the female principals prior to senior leadership. Interviews with the principals enabled the identification of a range of shared challenges and affordances on their pathway to principalship.

Personal agency among students from low socio-economic backgrounds: An examination of student profiles, perceived teaching support, and achievement

Personal academic agency—the thoughts, actions, and emotions that impact individual functioning at school—is central for academic success. On average, students from low socio-economic status (low-SES) backgrounds report lower levels of personal academic agency than their more advantaged peers, but there are also many who achieve academic success. Identifying different personal academic agency profiles among students from low-SES backgrounds may assist in targeting efforts to boost these factors within that population—and to identify students who are faring well, as well as those who might require additional support. This study examined five factors of personal academic agency (perceived competence, school belonging, perseverance, academic buoyancy, and conduct problems) among 20,125 secondary school students from low-SES backgrounds at 421 Australian schools. We identified profiles of students that vary in patterns of personal academic agency, and examined teaching support predictors and achievement differences associated with profile membership. Latent profile analysis revealed five student profiles: Vulnerable (9% of sample), Resigned (27%), Precarious (28%), Average (32%), and Flourishing (14%) profiles. Students’ perceptions of teaching support predicted membership in more adaptive profiles (i.e., Average and Flourishing profiles)—with the most consistent teaching support predictors being emotional support, classroom management, and instructional relevance. In addition, the Flourishing profile displayed the highest achievement.

From fragmentation to coherence: student experience of assessment for learning

Student experience of Assessment for Learning (AfL) pedagogies ideally provides multiple entry points for students to take past learning forward into future learning. In practice, points of disconnection may confound the accessibility of AfL’s repertoire of practices. This paper investigates the AfL experiences of students with likely language and attentional difficulties and their peers in three Australian secondary schools. Ninety-two students shared their insights in interviews and focus groups, with data analysed abductively through a conceptual frame of six dimensions. Common practical effects for students included recognition and value of a range of teacher practices. Students with language and attentional difficulties indicated more uneven recall of processes, especially when teacher practice of AfL was fragmented and classroom routines prioritised summative assessment. Fragmentation in turn compromised the emotional and evaluative dimensions of experience that catalyse continuity in learning. Critical insights from students about how they searched for and secured cohesive experiences points to how AfL offers agentic possibilities for learning beyond the immediate activities of the classroom.

A comparison of rural and regional work locations and speciality choices between graduates from the University of Wollongong and all Australian medical schools using the Medical Schools Outcomes Database.

The shortfall in medical workers in rural and remote Australia has led to health discrepancies in these regions. The University of Wollongong's medical program was designed to encourage graduates to work in these regions to address this shortfall. To compare rural and regional locations of work and choices of speciality between University of Wollongong's graduates and graduates from all Australian universities. We conducted a longitudinal analysis on data available from the Medical Schools Outcome database, with graduate exit surveys linked to registrations of location and speciality. Rural and remote locations were identified as MM2-7 regions using the Modified Monash Model. In total, 716 graduates from the University of Wollongong and 26 915 graduates from all Australian medical schools completed the MSOD exit survey in 2010-2021 and registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency in 2022. The main outcome was the relative likelihood (relative risk) of cohorts working in rural and regional areas and of cohorts choosing general practice as their speciality. University of Wollongong's medical graduates were 1.51 times or 51% more likely to work in regional or rural areas (RR 1.51, 95% CI 1.34 to 1.71, p < 0.0001). Respondents who were 10 or more years post graduation were 1.57 times or 57% more likely to specialise in general practice than all other Australian medical graduates (RR 1.57 95% CI: 1.40 to 1.79, p < 0.0001). The University of Wollongong's medical school is producing graduates to meet Australia's rural health workforce needs. This may be due to a higher intake of rural students, and a higher percentage of students taking rural placements. Rural health workforce needs can be addressed through rural-focussed education strategies.

The problem of anti-feminist ‘manfluencer’ Andrew Tate in Australian schools: women teachers’ experiences of resurgent male supremacy

ABSTRACT There is growing visibility of online ‘manfluencers’ who espouse extreme masculine ideals and share them with their audiences of boys and young men. Taking this phenomenon as a launch-pad, we join the tradition of research that exposes sexism in schools and theorizes girls and women’s experiences of working within and against masculine hegemony. Drawing on qualitative interviews with 30 women teachers in Australia, we suggest the sexism identified in early research endures in schools today, resurrected in part by the ubiquity and influence of one specific misogynist ‘manfluencer’, Andrew Tate. Employing Connell’s hegemonic masculinity, we suggest boys’ sexist practices towards their teachers and girl peers forms part of a strategy of gender inequality legitimization, stabilizing and reinvigorating a regressive ‘male supremacy’. These behaviours represent a backlash from boys and men who perceive a loss of gendered power in the post-#metoo era and have implications for girls and women in schools.

The Schweitzer effect: The fundamental relationship between experience and medical students’ opinions on professional behaviours

Purpose We examined whether medical students’ opinions on the acceptability of a behaviour were influenced by previously encountering a similar professionally challenging situation, assessed the magnitude of effect of ‘experience’ compared to other demographic factors which influence medical students’ opinions, and evaluated whether opinions regarding some situations/behaviours were more susceptible to ‘experience’ bias? Methods Confidential, on-line survey for medical students distributed to Australian and New Zealand (AUS/NZ) medical schools. Students submitted de-identified demographic information, provided opinions on the acceptability of a wide range of student behaviours in professionally challenging situations, and whether they had encountered similar situations. Results 3171 students participated from all 21 Aus/NZ medical schools (16% of registered students). Medical students reported encountering many of the professionally challenging situations, with varying opinions on what was acceptable behaviour. The most significant factor influencing acceptability towards a behaviour was whether the student reported encountering a similar situation. The professional dilemmas most significantly influenced by previous experience typically related to behaviours that students could witness in clinical environments, and often involved breaches of trust. Conclusions Our results demonstrate the relationship between experience and medical students’ opinions on professional behaviour- the ‘Schweitzer effect’. When students encounter poor examples of professional behaviour, especially concerning trust breaches, it significantly influences their perception of the behaviour. These results highlight the importance of placing students in healthcare settings with positive professional role modelling/work cultures.

Reflexive empathy as social relation: the case for contextualised professional learning

ABSTRACT This article conceptualises studies in professional learning through the novel lens of ‘reflexive empathy’. Reflexive empathy draws on Margaret Archer’s theory of reflexivity, and positions it as an enabler of empathy to support researchers’ approaches to providing contextualised, supportive professional learning for teachers who are involved in research studies. To argue this, we reflect on the results of a funded project, informed by Archerian reflexivity, which focused on improving writing in Australian primary schools. This article argues for the need to resist neoliberal approaches to professional learning by providing agentic, contextualised programs that value teachers’ individual emotional, social, and cognitive responses to their participation in research informed co-designed professional learning.

Trauma-informed programs in Australian schools: A systematic review of design, implementation and efficacy

There is growing awareness in Australia of the need for trauma-informed programs and the role schools can play in addressing trauma. However, Australian best-practice guidelines informing the development and implementation of trauma-informed programs are currently lacking. This systematic review aims to provide an overview of studies depicting and evaluating trauma-informed programs implemented in Australian schools, with particular focus on the programs’ theoretical foundations, design, implementation and efficacy. Four peer-reviewed articles published between 2014 and 2022 were identified. The overall quality of all studies was found to be adequate through the use of the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. All studies reported positive effects of the implemented trauma-informed programs. Contrary to prior research, this systematic review found similarities in the theoretical foundations, design, and implementation, indicating the use of a unified framework. Differences in the focus of staff training and program implementation were also found; however, variances in evaluation methods and lack of reported outcomes specific to design and implementation elements hindered comparisons and evaluations of program elements. While findings support the continued implementation of trauma-informed programs, a deeper understanding of program elements and how they may impact the efficacy of trauma-informed programs could lead to improved trauma-informed care in Australian schools.

Technology everywhere! But who’s got the time? The influence of time pressures on technology integration in Australian secondary mathematics

Over the past 30 years, teachers have been urged to increase their use of digital technology in the classroom. However, mathematics teachers have been slow to integrate ICT, even though mathematics is naturally aligned with technology. While researchers have documented a variety of time and other related factors that contribute to this resistance, there has been little in-depth analysis of teacher reasoning that inhibits technology integration in mathematics. This article presents four case studies of secondary mathematics teachers employed in Australian schools that investigates the adverse effects of time pressures in not only inhibiting a teacher’s desire to use technology but removing as an option altogether. Data was collected in the form of interviews, lesson planning documentation and notes from observation lessons. Thematic analysis was used to determine how time pressures inhibited participants ability to use technology in their pedagogy. Three time-related obstacles were identified. The first was a lack of time to prepare lessons, the second was content-laden syllabuses and finally, the need to prepare students for traditional assessments. Participants claimed that these obstacles often proved too great to overcome, causing them to abandon any use of technology. This article argues that when the obstacles to technology integration are perceived as too difficult to overcome, it is not enough to provide poorly targeted professional learning or encouragement to work harder to integrate technology. Rather, existing time pressures must be alleviated in terms of workload and syllabus demands if we want to remove the inhibitors to technology integration in mathematics.

The mental health of leaders in Australian government schools: Stress and burnout over a decade (2011–2020)

There is growing evidence that the complex and demanding nature of school leadership subjects many professionals in leadership positions to work-related strain and risk of mental health problems. This study analyses 16,460 survey responses from Government School leaders in general education settings, completed between 2011–2020, from the Australian Principal Occupational Health, Safety and Wellbeing survey. Over the 10-year period, almost one-third of Australian school leaders frequently experienced symptoms of burnout, and almost one in eight frequently experienced stress. Logistic regression indicated that female school leaders are at higher risk of burnout, while males are more likely to experience higher levels of stress. It was also determined that elementary school leaders were more likely to experience frequent stress or burnout than secondary school leaders, and early career leaders were more likely to experience higher levels of stress and burnout than leaders with more than 5 years’ experience. The analysis demonstrates that a large proportion of Australian school leaders are at risk of suffering from mental health problems and that urgent action is required to provide adequate support, reduce work-related risks, and promote healthy, sustainable work roles.

Staff perceptions of support for early menarche in Australian primary schools: a qualitative study

ABSTRACT The age of the onset of menstruation, termed menarche, has been declining for decades worldwide. Approximately 12% of Australian girls reach menarche between eight to 11 years of age. Current health and physical education subject guidelines from the Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority state that puberty education should be introduced to students between year levels five to six (ages 10–12) when many have already begun puberty. To explore how girls experiencing early menarche are currently supported in Australian primary schools, semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with 15 primary school staff from separate schools, including teachers, principals, a school services officer, and a school counsellor. Thematic analysis identified three main themes, (1) the prevalence of deficit models of early menarche and children’s capacity to know; (2) gendered gatekeeping of menstruation knowledge; and (3) systemic barriers and inconsistencies in menstruation education. Our analysis complements but extends recent calls for improvements to menstruation education in Australian schools. Affirmative menstrual support practices and facilities are needed in primary schools to normalise and encourage conversations with students about menarche and menstruation irrespective of age, gender, class or culture.

Short communication: Where is women's cardiovascular health taught in Australian and New Zealand medical schools?

Cardiovascular disease is a major cause of mortality in women and is the leading cause of pregnancy-related mortality in Australia. This study aims to discover the extent of teaching regarding women's cardiovascular health in Australian and New Zealand medical schools. All 22 medical schools in Australia and New Zealand were approached for participation in completing this survey. Seven medical schools (32%) completed the survey and demonstrated that within our sample population, findings suggest that while women's cardiovascular health is present in medical curricula, there is a large variability in the rigour and depth as to which it is taught, as well as possible lack of explicit teaching and examination regarding this topic.

Experiences of women in middle leadership – barriers and enablers

ABSTRACT This article reports on research regarding the leadership experience of women middle leaders in secondary schools. Previous research has focused on women in senior leadership in schools. Internationally, the teaching profession tends to be dominated by women, and yet in most countries, women do not occupy a commensurate proportion of senior leadership roles. Therefore, given middle leadership is a steppingstone to senior leadership, we need to further identify and understand the barriers and enablers for women navigating this layer of leadership. This qualitative study answers the following questions: Are there barriers for women to access middle leadership? If so, what? What enables women to access middle leadership? The data for this study was collected through 65 interviews with leaders undertaken in 33 non-government Australian secondary schools. A thematic analysis of the transcripts of interviews, revealed several barriers and enablers for women accessing middle leadership. The identified barriers included family and caring responsibilities, informal networking that excluded women and assumptions made by others. Enablers included structural and strategic actions by senior leaders to promote women, mentoring and relevant leadership programmes.

A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial on the Effectiveness of the Building Educators’ Skills in Adolescent Mental Health (BEAM) Program for Improving Secondary School Educators’ Confidence, Behavior, Knowledge, and Attitudes Toward Student Mental Health

Secondary school educators are well placed to recognize and respond to mental illness in adolescents; however, many report low confidence and skills in doing so. A confirmatory cluster randomized controlled trial involving 295 educators (Mean age: 40.10 years, SD: 10.47; 76.6% female, 2.7% Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander) from 73 Australian secondary schools (22 in rural-regional locations) evaluated the effectiveness of a new professional development training program that aimed to improve secondary school educators’ confidence, behavior, knowledge, and attitudes toward student mental health. Relative to the control, training participants reported significantly greater levels of confidence in recognizing and responding to student mental health issues, perceived mental health knowledge and mental health awareness, and mental health literacy, at post-intervention (10-weeks post-baseline; d = 0.26–0.35) and at 3-month follow-up ( d = −0.21 to 0.41). Findings indicate that the Building Educators’ skills in Adolescent Mental health (BEAM) program improves important training outcomes for educators in the domain of student mental health.

Adolescent social media use: cultivating and constraining competence

ABSTRACT According to self-determination theory competence is a basic psychological need that is crucial for wellbeing. Social contexts strongly influence whether competence is supported or thwarted. Given that social media is a pervasive social context within adolescents’ lives, it can play a crucial role in competence development. Three qualitative methods were used to investigate mid-adolescents’ perspectives of how their social media use impacts competence. Participants included 36 students aged 15 years from four Australian schools. All participants completed a rich picture mapping activity and focus group discussions. A sub-sample of 11 students participated in follow-up interviews. Reflexive thematic analysis generated two overarching themes. The first theme cultivating competence includes sub-themes; enhancing social competencies, mastery experiences and goal accomplishment, and social media expertise. The second theme constraining competence includes sub-themes; ineffectance within the social media environment, interfering with sleep, and hindering learning. Findings demonstrated that social media contributes to today’s adolescents encountering unique experiences with regards to competence development. Furthermore, adolescents’ interactions on social media have broad implications for competence within online and offline realms. This study identifies aspects of social media use that can be targeted to help adolescents engage with social media in ways that cultivate rather than constrain competence.

Supporting adolescents’ participation in muscle-strengthening physical activity: protocol for the ‘Resistance Training for Teens’ (RT4T) hybrid type III implementation–effectiveness trial

IntroductionIn Australia, only 22% of male and 8% of female adolescents meet the muscle-strengthening physical activity guidelines, and few school-based interventions support participation in resistance training (RT). After promising findings...

Undergraduate nursing students challenge misconceptions towards men in nursing: A mixed-method study.

To examine misconceptions towards men in nursing from the perspective of undergraduate nursing students. Specifically, this study sought to explore contributing factors of misconceptions and attributions of the success of men in nursing. A convergent parallel mixed-method study. A national survey was conducted (July-September 2021). The quantitative data included demographics and responses to the Gender Misconceptions of Men in Nursing (GEMINI) scale. The qualitative data included responses to a provocative statement related to characteristics of men and their career in nursing. The GRAMMS guideline was used in reporting. Undergraduate nursing students (n = 1245) from 16 Australian schools of nursing responded to the survey. Quantitative analysis demonstrated that most students (96%) did not have misconceptions about men in nursing. Those who did were more likely to be men, born overseas, not in health-related employment and did not have nursing as their first choice. Four broad overarching main themes were generated in response to the statement that suggested men do not have the right attributes for nursing: (1) 'This is a very misandristic viewpoint'; (2) 'Compassion and intelligence are distributed in men and women equally'; (3) 'Men bring a different quality to nursing' (4) 'Anyone can be whatever they want to be'. Overall, nursing students did not have misconceptions about men in nursing, despite experiencing ongoing social stigma regarding archaic gender norms. The findings from this study indicate that the next-generation nurses were championing to challenge the gender stereotype and support the needs of a gender diverse society. Attitudes and misconceptions that elicit gender inequalities must be addressed with comprehensive strategies and de-gendered language and imagery within the profession, schools, workplaces and the media. Shifting culture and attitudes towards inclusion, values the diversity in the workforce and supports healthy workplace environments. No patient or public contribution.