Primary Schools In Australia Research Articles

Victorian (Australian) parents are receptive to a primary school-provided lunch program

Purpose This study aims to examine Victorian primary school parents’ perspectives about a potential school-provided lunch program (LP). Design/methodology/approach An online cross-sectional survey was conducted in Victoria, Australia, in 2022 to explore parents’ perceptions regarding the lunch menu, funding source, amount willing to pay, frequency of meals and special dietary needs of a school-provided LP. Findings Over half of parents (57% out of 359) said they would allow their child to participate in a school LP, 34% were unsure and only 9% said they would not. The opportunity for hot cooked lunches at school and the perceived convenience for parents were the top two reasons for favouring such a program. Fifty-eight percent were in favour of hybrid-type funding from both the government and parents. The most preferred amount to pay per meal was AUD5-6 (43%), followed by AUD3-4 (25%). Parents expected meals to be healthy and made from whole food and cater to the special dietary and cultural needs of their children. They also expected enough time to be allocated so children could eat and enjoy the meals. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to explore Victorian parents’ perceptions regarding the above aspects of a school-provided LP. The findings suggest that parents are receptive to a school-provided LP; they, however, did have several expectations regarding the menu and time for eating. These findings provide important directions for designing future school-provided LPs at primary schools in Australia.

Adapting TeachABI to the local needs of Australian educators - a critical step for successful implementation.

Background The present study is the foundational project of TeachABI-Australia , which aims to develop and implement an accessible, nation-wide digital resource for educators to address their unmet acquired brain injury (ABI)-related professional learning needs. The aim of the present study was to identify the adaptations required to improve the suitability and acceptability of the TeachABI professional development module within the Australian education system from the perspectives of Australian educators. Methods The research design employed an integrated knowledge translation approach and followed the ADAPT Guidance for undertaking adaptability research. A purposive sample of eight educators eligible to teach primary school in Australia provided feedback on the module through a quantitative post-module feedback questionnaire and a qualitative semi-structured interview. Results Participants rated the acceptability of the module as 'Completely Acceptable ' (Mdn = 5, IQR = 1), and reported 'only Minor' changes were required (Mdn = 2, IQR = 0.25) to improve the suitability to the Australian context. Qualitative analysis of transcripts revealed three broad categories: (1) the usefulness of TeachABI , (2) the local fit of TeachABI , and (3) pathways for implementing TeachABI in the local setting. Recommended adaptations to the module collated from participant feedback included changes to language, expansion of content, and inclusion of Australian resources, legislation, and videos. Conclusions TeachABI is acceptable to Australian educators but requires modifications to tailor the resource to align with the unique schooling systems, needs, and culture of the local setting. The systematic methodological approach to adaptation outlined in this study will serve as a guide for future international iterations of TeachABI .

Children’s Perceptions of a Therapy Dog-Assisted Social and Emotional Learning Intervention: Survey and Interview Findings

ABSTRACT Therapy dogs can improve the social and mental health outcomes for children and adolescents. School-based interventions that address social and emotional learning (SEL) can promote children’s overall wellbeing and educational outcomes. This study used a qualitative approach to explore children’s perceptions of a 12-week therapy dog-assisted SEL intervention in a mainstream primary school in Australia. Open-ended survey questions were completed by 85 Year 5 students and five of these students engaged in a follow-up interview. A thematic analysis identified three main themes: 1) empowerment through emotional learning, 2) positive relationships with peers and family, and 3) personal growth. Empowerment through emotional learning included the subthemes of experiencing, understanding, regulating, and expressing emotions. Positive relationships included the subtheme of communication. Both the SEL components of the program and the integration of a therapy dog appear to have contributed to a perceived positive impact on children’s wellbeing overall. This study contributes to the evidence of how therapy dogs can impact school environments and provides a structure for how a therapy dog can support student wellbeing.

‘There is more room to do it at home’: constructing children’s physical activity spaces

ABSTRACT Public health policy and interventions seek to arrest declining physical activity rates in childhood. Two prominent settings for intervening in childhood physical activity are schools and the home. This paper critically examines how these two spaces are constructed in a way that leads to different physical activity outcomes for children in their early primary years. We draw on child-centred ethnographic fieldwork conducted with a cohort of Year 1/2 (5–8 years) students in a public primary school in Australia over a six-month period, and as well as on Bourdieusean concepts of field, capital, and habitus. The results show that many participants perceived the home to be a much safer environment for physical self-expression compared to physical education and the school playground. The way these spaces are constructed leads to the privileging of certain physical activity habitus (PAH), while some children must manage a divided habitus across these settings, which can increasingly create internal tensions over time. We conclude with a call to utilise theoretically informed approaches to better understand the complex processes occurring across the spaces, and to utilise this insight to develop more nuanced efforts to engage children in physical activity.

Using teacher narratives to map policy effects in the Victorian Government International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (IB-PYP) context

PurposeGovernment primary schools in Australia increasingly take up the International Baccalaureate's Primary Years Programme (IB-PYP) to supplement government-mandated curriculum and governance expectations. The purpose of this paper is to explore how teachers navigate and contest dual policy-practice expectations in the Victorian Government IB-PYP context.Design/methodology/approachThis study used a narrative inquiry approach. The narratives of two teachers were generated through a narrative interview and then re-storied with participants through a set of conceptual lenses drawn out of the policy assemblage and affect studies theoretical spaces.FindingsThe stories participants told show that competing mandatory local policy expressions are experienced and contested both to stabilize a technocratic rationality and produce alternative critical-political educational futures.Originality/valueThere a few accounts of teachers' policy experience in government school settings implementing the IB-PYP. In addressing this gap, this paper directly responds to prior claims of the IB's failure to promote an emancipatory pedagogy, showing instead that when teachers who bring a more critical understanding of educational purpose to their work take up the IB-PYP policy to support the enactment of that purpose.

Parents' and teachers' perceptions of the Australian primary school food provision venues and food-related policies

PurposeThis study aims to gain an understanding from parents and teachers about the types of food provision practices and venues, and the food-related policies and rules in primary schools in Australia; and investigate any differences in the presence of policies and rules based on the school location and school type.Design/methodology/approachData were collected via two online surveys from August 2019 to March 2020. Descriptive statistics were employed to analyse quantitative responses. Respondents' written responses to food-related policies were categorised into groups.FindingsThe two most common food provision services were canteen and lunch order services (mentioned by 72 and 55% of respondents, respectively). Of the 425 respondents whose schools had a canteen (parents and teachers together), 62% reported their school implements a healthy school canteen policy. Significantly more parents compared to teachers, and more respondents from government schools compared to non-government schools stated that their school had implemented such a policy. Approximately half of the respondents (47%) stated their school had implemented other food-related policies and/or rules. These policies or rules belonged to four categories: avoiding certain foods, avoiding food sharing, avoiding food packages and promoting healthy eating.Originality/valueThis study shows the disparities exist in implementing food-related policies among primary schools in Australia. Nutrition promoters and policy planners should consider these results and find the best mechanisms to minimise the gaps in policy implementation.

A cluster randomised effectiveness-implementation trial of an intervention to increase the adoption of PAX Good Behaviour Game, a mental health prevention program, in Australian primary schools: Study protocol

IntroductionImplementation of evidence-based programs in school settings can be challenging, undermining the benefits these programs deliver for children. The primary aim of this study is to assess whether an enhanced implementation intervention increases adoption of the PAX Good Behaviour Game in New South Wales (NSW) primary schools in Australia. A secondary outcome is to investigate the impact of the PAX Good Behaviour Game on children's mental health in the Australian context. Methods and analysisThe study uses a cluster randomised hybrid type 3 effectiveness-implementation design and will involve 40 NSW primary schools. Randomisation will occur at the school level. All NSW primary schools trained in the PAX Good Behaviour Game are eligible for participation. The intervention is a multicomponent implementation strategy that has been iteratively co-designed by our research team and local stakeholders. Intervention schools will have access to eight implementation support strategies in addition to the training received as usual delivery to build knowledge and skills. Research staff will assess implementation and effectiveness outcomes using self-report online surveys with teachers and support staff at baseline, 6-weeks, 6-months and 12-months follow up. Semi-structured interviews with teachers and support staff will be used to examine which implementation strategies worked for whom and under what conditions. DiscussionIf successful, this study will highlight effective strategies schools or education departments can use internationally to improve their translation of evidence-based programs into routine practices. This will lead to better outcomes for children and young people.

Innovation and risk in an innovative learning environment: A Private Public Partnership in Australia

Across many international contexts, the design and construction of architecturally different school buildings has become a key strategy in providing innovative learning environments designed to prepare students for work and life in the 21st century. Despite the global popularity of this strategy, research has highlighted persistent challenges associated with the transition to, and occupation of innovative learning environments. We explore the nexus between risk and innovation, reporting on data arising from a primary school in Australia, built as part of one state government’s Private Public Partnership initiatives. We apply a conceptual framework for risk and public service innovation and a responsible innovation framework to investigate how the school leaders and the architect understood the educational intentions, values and risks that shaped their school design and to assess users’ perceptions of their new school. Our findings draw attention to how responses to externally driven design innovation in the complex and dynamic environment of a school can create risk and uncertainty for users on multiple levels. We argue that the application of a responsible innovation framework provides a mechanism to highlight limitations in school design processes and opportunities to improve alignment and on-going adaptation of schools for future conditions.

Reading over and under the waves: A study of ocean picture books for children

AbstractMarine science picture books have the capacity to shape what young people know and how they think about ocean environments and marine biodiversity. Despite academic scholarship on marine science literacy broadly, relatively little has been done to study the role of picture books in teaching children about this topic. This paper is an attempt to fill that gap, by analysing 100 ocean-themed books against common marine science concepts and the Australian Science Understanding Curriculum streams. A majority of the 100 books analysed were found to link with marine science and the Australian Science Understanding Curriculum (81% and 91%, respectively) where biological concepts were dominant in both cases. Chemical and physical sciences were underrepresented in the 100 books analysed. The study provides examples of books that can be used for teaching marine education in primary schools in Australia and suggest further inquiry into marine science literature for children.

Invisible transitions: Transitions to school following different paths

Most children starting primary school in Australia do so after attending early childhood education and participating in a transition to school programme. While this has become the expected pathway, it is not the one followed by all children and their families. In this article, we describe visible transitions as those that are known, understood and planned – that is, they follow the expected path. In contrast, invisible transitions occur when children and families arrive unexpectedly at school. Drawing on two studies involving 30 schools in two different states of Australia, we report the scope and nature of invisible transitions and the challenges and opportunities arising from invisible transitions in these schools. Each of the schools reported instances of invisible transitions. Some, but not all, schools promoted strategies involving school staff, other families and children to support those arriving unexpectedly. While invisible transition was identified as a challenge, the opportunities for reflecting on existing transition approaches and building inclusive strategies were also noted.

‘Bulldozers aren’t just for boys’: respectful relationships education challenges gender bias in early primary students

ABSTRACT Addressing respect, gender equity and gender-based violence in schools has a long history. Renewed government efforts to address gender-based violence in schools through a whole school approach have commenced under the umbrella ‘respectful relationships education’. The research presented in this paper is nestled within a larger project aimed to evaluate the implementation and impact of a whole school approach to respectful relationships education across two Australian states (Our Watch, forthcoming). The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of a six-month respectful relationships education program on the gender awareness and bias of early primary school students. Using a single group pre-post test research design, students from two primary schools in Australia completed a survey before (n = 202) and after (n = 217) completion of a respectful relationships education pilot program. A modified version of the Children’s Occupation, Activities, and Traits-Attitudes Measure (COAT-AM; Liben and Bigler, 2002) and the Children’s Occupation, Activities, and Traits-Personal Measure (COAT-PM; Liben and Bigler, 2002) were used to assess students’ views about gender. After the pilot, boys and girls were significantly less likely to consider stereotypically masculine occupations and activities as only for boys and stereotypically feminine occupations and activities as only for girls. Results indicate that ongoing respectful relationships education could be an effective way to disrupt gender stereotyping in early primary school students.

Costing the Scale-Up of a National Primary School-Based Fluoride Varnish Program for Aboriginal Children Using Dental Assistants in Australia.

There is good evidence that fluoride varnish programs are effective in preventing dental caries in children. This study aims to provide a costing for the scale-up of a child fluoride varnish program in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. Most child fluoride varnish programs are school-based, and a number of studies have examined the acceptability and cost effectiveness of using non-dental providers to apply the fluoride varnish. This paper describes the number of primary schools in Australia that could be targeted using a standard population-based risk criteria based on published data. A costing method was developed for various scenarios of school enrolment and provider types, along with potential revenue from the Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS). Most of the costs of a school-based fluoride varnish program can be covered by the CDBS with assumptions of 80% child consent and 75% CDBS eligibility. While the scale-up of child fluoride varnish programs to prevent dental caries has been recommended by numerous strategic plans and reports, particularly for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, limited progress has been made. This paper concludes that using a standardized criteria for targeting schools using a combination of ICSEA and Aboriginal enrolments, and aiming at four applications a year, is feasible, and that the main costs of the program could be covered by using the CDBS.

Capturing the moment: understanding embodied interactions in early primary physical education

ABSTRACT Background: Several studies demonstrate the benefits of understanding explicit and tacit embodied interactions in physical education (PE). However, there is little research that explores the embodied interactions that occur in early primary PE classes (years 1 and 2), where children (are socialized to) embody various body values, attitudes and stigma. We adopted a micro-sociological approach to examine the embodied interactions of a group of early primary school children. The study provides new insight into how primary age children embody the world around them in their PE interactions and the impact this embodiment has on them and on their peers. Purpose: Using a micro-sociological approach, the aim of this study was to examine the embodied interactions of a group of year 1 and 2 children (ages 6–8) in PE classes. Participants and settings: The study was conducted at a public primary school in Australia over a six-month period. The lessons were filmed by the lead author, yielding a total of 12 h and 21 min of footage. Observer XT, a systematic observation programme, was utilized to aid in the coding, management and analysis of observational data, allowing for the creation of multiple coding schemes. Findings: The findings highlighted two distinct themes. First, competition, which involved the constant comparison of performance between the children. Second, skill mastery, which involved the children engaging in acts that displayed their advanced understanding of how to perform certain skills. While the emphasis on competition and skill mastery has been echoed across PE literature, this study showed how those with the most cultural resources (sport experience and physical capital) were able to embody these goals to produce high levels of emotional energy during Interactional Rituals. The findings also indicated the pedagogical implications of these micro-moments. The implementation of an approach characterized by a lack of differentiation and minimal teacher intervention created an environment ripe for embodied engagement in competition and skill mastery. Implications: The micro-sociological approach provided a unique insight into how primary age children are embodying the world around them in their PE interactions and the impact this embodiment is having on themselves and their peers. This approach also provides insight into the pedagogical implications of this embodiment, and highlights the need for more creative and/or student-centred pedagogies in primary PE.

Factors Influencing the Provision of Classroom-based Physical Activity to Students in the Early Years of Primary School: A Survey of Educators

Evidence suggests that multiple factors affect implementation of school-based physical activity interventions. This survey study examined the factors that influence the provision of classroom-based physical activity to students in the early years of primary school in Australia. A social ecological approach guided questionnaire design and analysis. A 45-item online questionnaire was administered to Australian classroom teachers and assistant, deputy and school principals working with students in Prep/Kindergarten to Year 2. Descriptive analysis determined response frequencies and content analysis was used to identify common themes in open-ended responses. The survey response rate was 22%; 34 of the 75 participants answered at least 93% of the survey questions. Barriers to providing classroom-based physical activity include: insufficient time, limited training opportunities, limited resources, educator attitudes to physical activity, and confidence. Proposed strategies to overcome barriers include the provision of training and resources to improve educator knowledge of the benefits of classroom-based physical activity for children’s health and learning, and to improve their confidence in delivering classroom-based physical activity. Creating a supportive school culture towards physical activity through implementation of whole-of-school physical activity policies is recommended. Overall, the results of this study suggest that multiple strategies, targeted at the individual (i.e., educator) and organisational (i.e., school) levels, may be necessary to enable Australian schools to overcome perceived barriers to providing physical activity opportunities to students in the early years of school during class time. Findings from this research elucidate how Australian schools may be best supported to implement classroom-based physical activity programs, as part of a whole-of-school approach to physical activity promotion.

Dispelling the monolingual myth: exploring literacy outcomes in Australian bilingual programmes

ABSTRACT The enduring monolingual mindset in English-speaking countries results in widespread belief that additional language learning takes time away from literacy in the societal language. Yet, extensive research has shown that time spent learning additional languages enhances learners’ literacy skills, providing first language literacy is sufficiently supported. This paper examines the achievements of students at four primary schools in Australia, where bilingual programmes were implemented to teach subject content through an additional language. Data from the national standardised literacy and numeracy assessment were gathered to compare students within the bilingual programmes with those not in the bilingual programmes. Results show higher performance for students in the bilingual programmes compared to their peers in monolingual classes. Drawing on data from a broader study of formal and informal assessment in these schools, this paper presents the standardised test results and teacher qualitative beliefs about literacy development. Findings show that the bilingual style of learning suits children irrespective of many contextual factors and that children’s literacy in English is enhanced by the addition of a second or subsequent language.

Parents’ knowledge and views of food allergy management in primary schools in Australia

This study surveyed 115 Australian parents’ knowledge, views, and feelings of food allergy management and guidelines in primary schools. Although most parents were knowledgeable about food allergy management and related guidelines, half of them had limited understanding on how schools identify and respond to anaphylaxis, or teachers’ recent training in anaphylaxis. Overall, parents’ satisfaction surrounding the schools’ food allergy management was mixed. Yet they highly appreciated the schools’ efforts and practices in preventing the risks of food allergy, for example by identifying affected children and/or raising awareness about food allergies among the school community. Despite these efforts, parents were concerned about their child’s overall safety at school, especially in playground and non-routine activities such as school camps and lapses in communication and implementation of state guidelines. To address these concerns, parents suggested many improvements in the schools’ practices and guidelines, including proactive communication with parents on matters of food allergy. The implications of these findings for educators, along with recommendations for further research are presented.

‘I don’t think you’re going to have any aborigines in your world’: Minecrafting terra nullius

The myth that justified the takeover of a continent lives on both in classrooms and in popular media. Drawing from classroom observations in an urban primary school in Australia, this article enters the technology in education conversation, more specifically through the use of videogames for learning. Based on classroom exchanges between teachers and students, we interrogate how the school’s use of Minecraft, a best-selling commercial videogame, continues to reproduce myths of settler colonialism in the twenty-first century. Specifically, the curriculum mobilizes structures inherent to both Minecraft and modern Australia’s treatment of its Indigenous populations. That is, both classroom and videogame interactions reproduced the myth of terra nullius: the doctrine which determined that land, prior to colonization, was empty and unowned, and therefore available for settlement by the colonizer. We conclude that within videogames and classrooms, students’ voices manage to interrogate the curriculum, resisting the reproduction of erasive coloniality in school.

Understanding collaborative teacher teams as open systems for professional development

ABSTRACT Teacher collaboration continues to be deeply grounded within effective professional development. Teacher teams, where small groups of teachers work together in teaching and learning, have become progressively more popular and are considered one of the most effective approaches to improvement and growth. However, teacher teams are situated within a school system where interrelated sets of elements, such as resources and priorities, interact and impact on their work. These interactions can both enable and constrain the necessary conditions of members working effectively together but also their capabilities in producing a meaningful impact on the school organization. As such, paying attention to both the teacher team and the broader working environment of the school is important. Employing an open systems framework, this paper explores the phenomenon of collaborative teacher teams by examining them within the context of three primary schools in Australia. We propose a preliminary framework for collaborative teacher teams as a useful lens to consider both the internal working interactions of the team and how the site based professional development is influenced by and transferred back into the school organization.

Promoting fundamentalist belief? How scripture is presented in three religious education programmes in Catholic primary schools in Australia and England and Wales

ABSTRACT Regardless of what method is chosen for formal religious education, the fundamental principle of all catechetical activity in the Catholic Church is fidelity to the Word of God and the concrete needs of the faithful. This article will argue, however, that fidelity to the Word of God falls short of the requirements of the Catholic Church in the three religious education curriculum schemes that dominate current religious education in Australia and England and Wales. Utilising a set of ‘best practice’ principles drawn from documents of the Catholic Church and developed by the author in an unpublished doctoral thesis this article identifies and describes practices which misrepresent and distort Scripture. In its own terms, good hermeneutics should be a priority for Catholic religious education. This article reveals significant hermeneutical problems with prominent Catholic religious education programmes in three countries.

Peer Victimization and Academic Performance in Primary School Children

ObjectivePeer victimization is a common antecedent of poor social and emotional adjustment. Its relationship with objectively measured academic performance is unclear. In this study we aimed to quantify the cross-sectional associations between peer victimization and academic performance in a large population sample of children. MethodsEight- to 9-year-old children were recruited from a stratified random sample of primary schools in Australia. Academic performance was measured on a national achievement test (1 year of learning equals 40 points). Physical and verbal victimization were measured according to child self-report. ResultsMultilevel mixed-effects linear regression analyses were conducted. For female children, verbal victimization was associated with poorer academic performance on writing (β = 17.2; 95% confidence interval [CI], −28.2 to −6.2) and grammar/punctuation (β = −20.8; 95% CI, −40.1 to −1.6). Physical victimization was associated with poorer performance on numeracy (male children: β = −29.0; 95% CI, −53.8 to −4.1; female children: β = −30.1; 95% CI, −56.6 to −3.5), and writing (female children: β = −21.5; 95% CI, −40.4 to −2.7). Verbal and physical victimization were associated with poorer performance on reading (male children: β = −31.5; 95% CI, −59.9 to −3.1; female children: β = −30.2; 95% CI, −58.6 to −1.8), writing (female children: β = −25.5; 95% CI, −42.8 to −8.2), spelling (female children: β = −32.3; 95% CI, −59.6 to −4.9), and grammar/punctuation (female children: β = −32.2; 95% CI, −62.4 to −2.0). ConclusionsChildren who were physically victimized were 6 to 9 months behind their non-victimized peers on measures of academic performance. There are growing reasons for education systems to invest in the prevention of bullying and promotion of positive peer relationships from the earliest years of school.