Education In Australia Research Articles

(Re)countering multilingualism and refugee-background students in Australian compulsory education

Compared with nations around the world, Australia has one of the highest rates of refugee resettlement per capita. Approximately 40 per cent of newly arrived refugees in Australia in 2018–19 were under the age of 18 and close to 90 per cent spoke a language other than English. Given that education is compulsory until the age of 16 in most states and territories of Australia, young people labelled as refugee-background students (RBSs) are tasked with navigating the English-only education system, in which their multilingualism is often viewed as a barrier; however, there are increasing calls for research to focus on the positive, affirmative practices of RBSs through a strengths-based approach in education, to counter a ‘damage-centred’ and deficit discourse. Thus, this article presents a systematic literature review of studies conducted in Australia with RBSs between 2010 and 2022. Specifically, this review explores the strengths-based multilingual practices of RBSs in compulsory education in Australia. Inspired by RefugeeCrit theory, we seek to highlight strengths-based examples of RBSs multilingual practices as examples of counter-narratives to the prevailing deficit discourse, while remaining attentive to issues of trauma, agency and multilingualism.

Redefining Successful Teaching and Learning in Australia’s Education System

This paper proposes a redefinition of successful teaching and learning within Australia’s evolving educational system, framed by the context of global economic, societal, and environmental changes. It highlights the interconnectedness of these shifts with the Australian education system and introduces six essential habits of practice that can effectively prepare learners to navigate and shape their futures. To ensure the success of education in Australia, it is critical not only to respond to current challenges but also to equip students with the ability to make contributions to society, the economy, and the environment. The paper emphasises the importance of embedding these six habits into educational practices, which are critical for fostering the necessary skills, knowledge, and values in students. Furthermore, it discusses how the economic, social, and environmental contexts of Australia will demand specific capabilities from individuals, which can be nurtured through targeted educational practices.

Build it and they will come: responses to the provision of online science of language and reading professional learning

ABSTRACT Coverage of reading and reading instruction in initial teacher education is highly contested, with the “reading wars” representing decades of debate concerning approaches that should be promoted to teachers-in-training. Empirical evidence strongly endorses explicit and systematic teaching of code-based skills as a starting point, together with strong coverage of vocabulary, syntax, fluency, comprehension, and background knowledge. However, most faculties of education in Australia and other English-speaking industrialised nations have persisted in promoting “balanced literacy” and postmodern constructs, such as “multiple literacies”. We describe the development, delivery, and evaluation of three online short-course programmes for primary and secondary teachers on the science of language and reading and report on feedback from a sample of 945 participants. Quantitative and qualitative data show that participants (the largest subgroup being teachers) attach a high value to this knowledge and its practical applications. Implications for initial teacher education, education policy-makers, and school leaders are considered.

Vocational and University Paramedicine Education

This paper highlights key research areas within paramedicine education in Australia. Firstly, it discusses the need for a comparative analysis of accreditation standards, focusing on the recent shift towards a pre-employment model and its impact on program content, particularly the balance between theoretical and practical components. Secondly, it addresses the importance of exploring the influence of ethics education on paramedic practice, investigating how a robust ethical foundation acquired during education translates into ethical practices in real-world scenarios. Additionally, it suggests conducting a comparative study of international models to understand different education approaches, emphasising the importance of identifying best practices to enhance paramedic education in Australia. Lastly, it emphasises the significance of assessing the impact of accreditation changes in 2018, specifically the shift in accreditation responsibilities from the Council of Ambulance Authorities to the Paramedicine Board of Australia, aiming to understand its implications on the quality and consistency of paramedicine education across various institutions. Overall, this paper highlight the critical research gaps and areas of investigation essential for advancing paramedicine education and improving the quality of paramedic training in Australia.

Psychological Distress at a Regional Australian Law School: Reporting on Law Students’ Experiences of Depression, Anxiety, and Stress

Legal education in Australia is constantly evolving to meet the needs of law students and to prepare many of them for roles in the legal profession. Examples include changes to law degree structures, optional elective units, and subjects aimed at preparing law students to be ‘workplace ready’. Law students face challenging academic requirements and law school culture that can result in greater levels of psychological distress compared to the general population. Promoting law student wellbeing and responding to high student levels of psychological distress is a key area of focus for Australian Law Schools. This article explores existing law student wellbeing studies in Australia and reports findings from an empirical exploratory study investigating the levels of depression, anxiety, and stress (DASS) using the DASS21 survey instrument in law students at a regional Australian university, James Cook University. The results from this study support earlier studies at Australian universities that show law students experience higher levels of psychological distress symptoms compared to the general population, and it is an area of concern that requires ongoing attention. Results include an exploration of the impact of factors including type of degree being studied, campus location, year of study, gender, and time spent at law school.

Comparative Analysis of Online Assessment Methods and their Impact on Student Satisfaction in Higher Education in Australia

Purpose: The aim of the study was to investigate the accessibility and inclusivity in online education: a comparative study of policies and practices in Australia. Methodology: This study adopted a desk methodology. A desk study research design is commonly known as secondary data collection. This is basically collecting data from existing resources preferably because of its low cost advantage as compared to a field research. Our current study looked into already published studies and reports as the data was easily accessed through online journals and libraries. Findings: The study compared Australian policies and practices in online education accessibility and inclusivity, revealing notable gaps in implementation despite progress. It emphasized the necessity of comprehensive policies and ongoing educator training to address diverse student needs effectively. Overall, it highlighted the importance of continual improvement to ensure equitable access for all students in online education. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: Social model of disability, universal design for learning (UDL) & critical pedagogy may be used to anchor future studies on the accessibility and inclusivity in online education: a comparative study of policies and practices in Australia. Develop guidelines and best practices for inclusive course design and delivery in online education, tailored to the Australian context. Advocate for the integration of accessibility and inclusivity mandates into national and institutional policies governing online education in Australia.

History of Islam in Australia: Muslim Migration and the Evolution of Islamic Education

This study describes the history of Islam in Australia, highlighting the influx of Muslims and depicting the development of Islam in the country. This research employs the historical method, comprising four stages: heuristics for source collection, source verification or criticism, interpretation or analysis, and historiography for historical writing. The results of this study demonstrate that Islam began to spread to Australia in the early 17th century, primarily due to the regular presence of Makassar fishermen and traders searching for tripang. The next wave of Muslims who came and settled in Australia were Afghan Muslims, Malay Muslims, Indians, Albanians, Lebanese, Indonesians, and so on. The presence of Islam encourages Islamic education in the country, starting with non-formal Islamic education centered in mosques, homes, or offices of Islamic organizations. Various Muslim communities conduct studies and seminars on weekends, commonly known as 'Saturday or Sunday School.' The 1970s saw the establishment of formal Islamic schools in response to the growing Muslim population. The development of Islamic education in Australia gained momentum in the mid-1990s. Privately run Islamic schools adopt the entire local education system, with an additional six hours per week for religious content. As Islamic schools have developed, they have expanded to various states in Australia. The attitude of tolerance and openness that Islamic schools in Australia cultivate supports this

Escape from education fever?: Impact of migration on child education practice

AbstractAn extraordinary interest in education has a historical and cultural foundation in Korea, but its harmful nature has created education emigration of Korean parents. This study sought to track if and how the culturally embedded education fever changed over migration generations. To this end, this study compared three different parent groups: staying‐put parents in the origin country (Korean parents in Korea), first‐generation migrant parents (Korean–Australian parents with no school‐age education in Australia) and next‐generation migrant parents (Korean–Australian parents who were born or fully educated in Australia). Continuity and discontinuity in child education practice in the context of migration were explored and the education fever was seen to be persistent as part of a strategy for social inclusion. Despite a high level of aspiration for academic success of children, migrant parents were seen to take an acculturated or modified form of parenting with a recognition of diversified paths of success.

Young adult perspectives on sexuality education in Australia: implications for sexual violence primary prevention

ABSTRACT Over the past decade, global awareness of the extent, impacts and underlying drivers of sexual violence has grown. While sexual violence can affect anyone, research indicates that young people are disproportionately affected as both victims/survivors and as perpetrators. Comprehensive sexuality education is one key strategy to prevent sexual violence among young people. However, research has revealed significant shortcomings of Australian sexuality education. A reflexive thematic analysis was conducted to qualitatively investigate 20 young adults’ (aged 18–30) experiences and perceptions of Australian sexuality education. The findings indicated that while the participants learned about sexual health topics during their school years, these subjects were significantly focused on fear-based messaging and risk-reduction. Knowledge and skills-building on sexual wellbeing and ethical sexual experiences were lacking. In the absence of comprehensive sexuality education, participants described learning about sex through various alternative methods. The insights drawn from interviews with young adults illuminate how sexuality education both shaped and restricted their perceptions of sex and sexual health. This research calls for the need to incorporate knowledge and skills-building around consent, pleasure, intimacy, ethics, and safety within sexuality education. Implications for an evidence-based comprehensive sexuality education and the primary prevention of sexual violence are discussed.

Enablers and constraints to teacher educator wellbeing amidst institutional accountability cultures: a PERMA perspective

AbstractThe work of contemporary teacher educators in university contexts is under increasing political and public scrutiny as the focus on Initial Teacher Education (ITE) reform intensifies. Consequently, there are growing concerns for teacher educators’ wellbeing amidst escalating expectations and pressures. While research has explored the wellbeing of university academics more generally, less is understood about teacher educators more specifically. This paper aims to deepen understanding of the perceived enablers and constraints influencing how teacher educators experience wellbeing within their everyday work as academics in higher education contexts. Using metalogue as method, nine teacher educators from two Australian universities collectively reflected on their wellbeing during an online focus group session guided by an arts-based activity. Framed by the key constructs of the PERMA wellbeing framework, the ensuing metalogue was analysed thematically. Findings highlighted the particular importance they place on feeling a sense of value, purpose, and meaning in their work as educators for their wellbeing. Findings further showed how the impact of current external reform-driven accountabilities on their work and that of educators in the profession more broadly constrain their wellbeing. These findings have implications for institutional leaders and teacher educators in Australia and internationally where academics are experiencing performative cultures.

Equity in the Australian Higher Education System: An Examination of Trends in Policy Affecting the Participation and Outcomes of Higher Education Students

This paper reviews policies affecting domestic students in the higher education system in Australia over the last several decades. It examines the implementation and expansion of Australia’s student loan program and policies to encourage widening participation in the higher education sector among equity or target groups, including those from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Using quantitative data from Australian government and university sources as well as the Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia survey, this research seeks to assess whether equity and inclusion in higher education over this period has improved or been maintained. The findings show that while the conditions under which students are able to access higher education in Australia remain relatively generous, the participation rates of equity groups have not substantially improved over the last two decades. Further, the less advantaged circumstances of equity students continue to predict their outcomes prior to and beyond degree completion.

Accounting for teachers: changing representations of education in The Australian Financial Review 1993–2022

ABSTRACT The work of teachers, as representative of a significant area of social policy, occupies many column inches in newspapers internationally every year. This paper takes a close, systematic look at the education coverage of one national Australian newspaper, over a 30-year period from 1993 to 2022. Focusing on representations of school teachers in the Australian Financial Review (AFR), one of two Australian national daily newspapers, it presents a corpus-assisted discourse analysis of over 1,300 articles, using the conceptual lens of “news values” to take a close look at the ideas about teachers and their work in which the AFR has invested over the past 30 years. The analysis shows that while the focus was once on issues to do with remuneration, industrial action and school funding, that the educational purview of the AFR has broadened over the past 15 years to take in a more expansive view, both reflecting and reinforcing the expansion of the privatisation of education in Australia over this period.

Robots down-under: the current climate of robotic-assisted surgery education in Australia

Australia has seen a significant rise in the use of Robotic-Assisted Surgery (RAS), with general surgery being the fastest-growing field in this technology. The proportion of general surgical RAS has grown from 1% to 17% of all RAS between 2008 and 2023 in Australasia. As of May 2023, there were 162 robotic platforms in Australasia, with 26 of them in the public sector. As the cost of establishing RAS decreases over time, public hospital robotics systems are expected to become more accessible. Despite the increasing demand, many specialties, including general surgery, do not have an agreed RAS curriculum for trainees. It is imperative for Australia to develop its own curriculum akin to our overseas colleagues to match this growth.

The Praxis of Creating Space in Australian Equestrian Education

The application of Palmer’s (1993) theory of teaching to create space applied to equestrian education in Australia provides significant insights into what creating safe spaces for horses and humans to learn together can look like. The praxis of creating space through hospitality in the Australian horsemanship classroom provides the horse and human learning duo with a space where they can navigate the path of their learning journey in a physically, emotionally, spiritually and intellectually safe learning environment that values creativity.

At The Tipping Point: The Challenges and Opportunities for Midwifery Education in Australia

At The Tipping Point: The Challenges and Opportunities for Midwifery Education in Australia

Exploring the continuing effects of COVID-19 on tertiary screen production education in Australia

ABSTRACT This article considers how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted tertiary-level screen production education in Australia. Six university educators across four Australian states present a series of critical thematic reflections, interrogating their lived experiences of teaching screen production courses during periods impacted by COVID-19 lockdowns and social distancing requirements. The analysis reveals the pandemic amplified areas like concept development and fundamental production skills using mobile devices, while more advanced technical skills and student collaboration suffered due to remote learning conditions. Managing health risks through COVID-safe protocols became a major priority. Student storytelling shifted towards shorter individual projects exploring themes of isolation, though some collectives producing anthology series also emerged. While some pandemic-driven changes like online meetings have persisted, the authors identify an ongoing need to foster students’ interpersonal skills and technical proficiency developed through collaborative, hands-on learning experiences. The diverse reflections highlight common challenges but also differences across states based on varying COVID-19 conditions and restrictions. Overall, the authors argue for balanced, responsive approaches going forward to equip graduates with frameworks to navigate screen industry shifts alongside changing student expectations around delivery modes.

Truth Commissions and Teacher Education in Australia and the Northern Nordics

In Australia, like in several of the Nordic countries, truth commissions (TCs) are becoming part of the political and educational landscape. These developments are related to a global phenomenon over the past 40-odd years, where states are examining their relations to minority groups and/or Indigenous people, including acknowledging historical mistreatment and addressing remaining injustices. A common aim of these processes is to spread knowledge to the broader public via institutions for education. This paper focuses on ongoing TC processes in the Australian and Nordic contexts, with a specific focus on their potential consequences for teacher education (TE). By addressing barriers and possibilities on systemic, institutional, and practical levels of TE, the paper aims to develop an understanding of (1) how new knowledge produced through TCs meets the organization of teacher training; possible ways for TE to respond to new requirements; and (2) of the pedagogical and didactical challenges that might entail. The main argument is that a closer professional dialogue is needed between scholars engaged in TCs and TEs for TE to better respond to the requirements of TCs and for TCs to better recognize conditions for organizing TE.

Returns to Education in Australia 2001–2022*

What are the economic returns to education in Australia? Using data from the 2018–2022 waves of the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia survey, and taking account of the existing estimates of ability bias and social returns to schooling, I estimate the economic return to various levels of education. As in a 2008 paper in this journal, which used data from the 2001–2005 waves of the same survey, I report large returns. Across high school, vocational education and university qualifications, an additional year of schooling raises hourly wages by 7 per cent, boosts annual earnings by 13 per cent, and increases the probability of reporting positive earnings by 4 percentage points. In terms of hourly wages, the largest per‐year returns are from completing a Bachelor degree. In terms of annual earnings, the largest per‐year returns are from completing year 12. Testing for changes in returns to schooling over time provides little evidence of systematic trends over the period 2001–2022. Over the lifecycle, returns to education tend to decline from age 60 for high school and vocational qualifications, and tend to decline from age 55 for university qualifications, suggesting that the value of education diminishes as workers approach retirement age.

The value of comparative research in an era of standards-based reforms

The impact of standards-based reforms on the professional practice of English teachers in Anglophone settings has been well documented. Such reforms typically foreground the importance of a particular form of English and standardised formulations of curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment, which facilitate easy measurement and comparisons between educational settings. In Australia, the impact has intensified to such an extent that traditional framings of English teacher practice, which emphasize responsiveness to the cultural and linguistic diversity of students, begin to look like a discourse of a bygone era. From an historical perspective, how has this come about? And what does English teacher practice look like in the current policy environment? Can comparative inquiry into language education, such as has been conducted under the auspices of the International Mother Tongue Education Network (IMEN) over the past four decades, provide intellectual resources to resist relentless pressures towards standardisation and measurement? The collaborative inquiry into the professional practice of one author at the heart of this essay arises out of our attempts to explore the potential of IMEN protocols to render the familiar strange and to see her practice with new eyes. In this way we seek to resist the ways standards-based reforms are radically reshaping the praxis of English educators in Australia.

Under Prepared for Practice: A Qualitative Study of Mental Health Nurse Undergraduate Workforce Preparation in Australia

Internationally there are both current and looming mental health workforce shortages. Mental health nurses who have received specialist education are a vital component to respond to these challenges. Aim: This qualitative study aimed to better understand the efficacy and product quality of mental health nurse workforce preparation through pre-registration nurse education in Australia. Method: To meet this aim 19 educators representing 13 different universities were qualitatively interviewed. Results: Thematic analysis found four themes (1) Graduates are under-prepared for safe mental health nurse practice; (2) Essential mental health nurse capabilities are missing in graduates; (3) Barriers to graduate preparation, and (4) Negative impacts of inadequate graduate preparation. Discussion: Findings from this study suggest future workforce shortages would be best addressed through direct undergraduate entry for mental health nursing Implications for Practice: All nurse undergraduate training needs significantly enhanced mental health theory and placement within the course.