Schools In Sydney Research Articles

Measuring Attitudinal Change in Mathematics and English Over the 1st Year of Junior High School: A Multidimensional Analysis

Changes in student self- and task evaluations, subjective valuation, and achievement behavior in mathematics and English over the 1st year of junior high form the basis of this study. The transition to junior high has been found to negatively affect students' self-concept and subjective valuation in mathematics and English, but previous research has not addressed changes in task evaluations and achievement behaviors. Gender and level of academic achievement effects are also relevant to the nature of changes in student attitudes. The participants (N =400) were from 3 coeducational Australian government schools in metropolitan Sydney of comparable socioeconomic status. When changes in perceptions occurred, they were negative, and gender differences favored boys in mathematics and girls in English. However, the nature and extent of change was dependent on school and level of achievement.

Test-Retest, Interrater, and Intrarater Reliability, and Construct Validity of the Handwriting Speed Test in Year 3 and Year 6 Students

The Handwriting Speed Test (HST) is a standardized, norm-referenced test of handwriting speed, which was developed to be part of a comprehensive handwriting evaluation of school students. This study examined test-retest, interrater, and intrarater reliability and construct validity of the HST in year 3 and year 6 students. Two hundred and twelve students from randomly selected schools in Sydney, Australia completed the HST twice at 4-week intervals. The intraclass correlation coefficients for the sample as a whole were high for interrater and intrarater reliability and good for test-retest reliability. Scores of students rated as fast or slow by their teachers were compared to examine the test's construct validity. Although HST scores were different for students rated fast and slow by teachers, consistency was less between classification of fast and slow by the HST normative data and teachers' ratings. Weaknesses in study design probably account for this finding and future research is needed to further examine validity. This study indicates that the HST is a reliable test for year 3 and year 6 students.

The Relationship of Analytical—Relational and Intuitive—Experiential Information Processing Styles with Adolescent Scholastic and Coping Ability

According to cognitive-experiential self-theory (CEST), individuals process information through two conceptual systems, an experiential system and a rational system, each operating by its own rules of inference. The study aimed to investigate adolescent scholastic and coping ability using the recently developed self-report measure of individual differences in intuitive-experiential and analytical-rational thinking, based on the cognitive-experiential self-theory (CEST; Epstein, Pacini, Denes-Raj & Heier, 1996). The sample involved 134 adolescent boys from an independent boys' school in Sydney, Australia. As a within-group correlational study, the data were analysed using factor analysis, correlational analysis, multiple regressions and canonical correlation analysis. The analysis was carried out using the SPSS system (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences). The results suggest that while factor analysis had established the independence of the analytical-rational and intuitive-experiential functions among an Australian male adolescent sample, only the analytical-rational function was found to be significantly correlated with both adolescent scholastic and coping ability. No substantial correlations were found between these two measures and the intuitive-experiential function. The findings support the notion that students with high intelligence and effective coping favoured using the rational function. These findings may in part reflect, as suggested by Epstein, Pacini et al., (1996) the developmental aspects of the two modes of information processing among younger participants. Implications for effective student learning and coping are discussed.

Transmission of tuberculosis from a seven-year-old child in a Sydney school.

To determine whether a 7-year-old child with extrapulmonary and pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) and direct smear positive sputum for acid-fast bacilli was infectious to home and school contacts, and to ascertain potential adult sources of infection for these contacts. Contact tracing by Mantoux testing was conducted on 220 children at a primary school and after-school care facility, and 59 selected adults considered potential sources of infection. The participation rate for the children was 98% and 92% for the adults. Mantoux positivity (induration >/= 10 mm, or >/= 15 mm with previous BCG) among children was 13% at the school (anticipated rate 2-3%), 26% among school staff, and 7% among children at the after-school care centre where the index case attended. One exposed adult hospital staff member converted from Mantoux negative to positive. No other cases of TB disease were detected among children or adults tested. Although spread of TB from children to others is rare, the findings of this investigation indicate that transmission of TB from a young child to other children and an adult may have occurred, and that sputum testing and contact tracing for sputum smear positive children should be considered.

Self-Categorization and In-Group Formation Among Iranian Children in Australia; A Replication and Extension

Social categorization theory maintains that the awareness of belonging to a common category is the necessary and sufficient condition for group formation. In a study of 131 Iranian children in 2 ethnic schools in Sydney and Wollongong, Australia, the effects of social categorization on group preferences were examined by applying the social identification model. The results suggest that ethnic self-categorization alone was not associated with in-group formation. Significant variations in the participants' group formations were explained through the use of multiple regression analysis. Results showed that the most powerful predictors of high in-group formation were low out-group integration and high ethnic pride.

Spinal and neck injuries prevention in contact sport (SNIP)

Methods: The SNIP Programme has been developed with the invaluable assistance of leading Exercise Physiologists, Physiotherapists and Doctors with vast experience in spinal injuries and others in rugby union. Moreover the contribution of some international rugby players has been significant, combined with my own 28 years of international experience in rugby and conditioning. The consultative method has been pre-eminent in this project. My observation extended to country areas and schools in need of assistance for rugby coaching, as well as other private schools in Sydney that are fairly well catered for (with good numbers of teachers and coaches, but not necessarily in quality, knowledge or clarity of direction in their methods).

Test-Retest, Interrater, and Intrarater Reliability, and Construct Validity of the Handwriting Speed Test in Year 3 and Year 6 Students

The Handwriting Speed Test (HST) is a standardized, norm-referenced test of handwriting speed, which was developed to be part of a comprehensive handwriting evaluation of school students. This study examined test-retest, interrater, and intrarater reliability and construct validity of the HST in year 3 and year 6 students. Two hundred and twelve students from randomly selected schools in Sydney, Australia completed the HST twice at 4-week intervals. The intraclass correlation coefficients for the sample as a whole were high for interrater and intrarater reliability and good for test-retest reliability. Scores of students rated as fast or slow by their teachers were compared to examine the test's construct validity. Although HST scores were different for students rated fast and slow by teachers, consistency was less between classification of fast and slow by the HST normative data and teachers' ratings. Weaknesses in study design probably account for this finding and future research is needed to further examine validity. This study indicates that the HST is a reliable test for year 3 and year 6 students.

Australian Lesbian Teachers-a reflection of homophobic harassment of high school teachers in New South Wales government schools

This article examines the homophobic harassment of lesbian teachers working in government high schools in Sydney, Australia. Six women were interviewed about their experiences of student homophobia, including how they dealt with that harassment on both a personal and practical level and their philosophies on youth homophobia and anti-homophobic education in New South Wales government schools. The article demonstrates the fact that harassment based on sexual orientation is often an invisible issue in schools, as is homosexuality in general. It also demonstrates that there is inadequate training of staff and too few resources available to enhance tolerance of homosexuality. It shows that teaching about homosexual tolerance needs to be an 'en masse' strategy, where the issue of homosexuality and anti-homophobia strategies are not categorised under any broad umbrella term, but where they are prioritised to become visible, overtly discussed and hence, addressed issues.

Eating attitudes and the body mass index of Australian schoolchildren aged 8 to 12 years

Children from upper primary grades of three Sydney schools (n=244), aged from 8 to 12 years, completed the children's version of the Eating Attitudes Test (ChEAT) (Maloney et al., 1988), reported whether they had ever desired to be thinner and had ever tried to lose weight, and had their heights and weights measured. Results were consistent with recent Swedish, U.S.A. and Israeli findings that concerns about being overweight are prevalent among pre-adolescent children, particularly among girls. The majority of overweight children reported that they have wished to be thinner, and many have actively sought to lose weight. Of females classified as underweight, 26 per cent have wanted to be thinner and 62 per cent of these had tried to lose weight at some time. Only six females were classified as very underweight, but three said that they had wanted to be thinner and two that they had actively tried to lose weight. Results offer some support for the value of the ChEAT as a screening test but its validity with very young children is questionable. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.

A longitudinal study of smoking in year 7 and 8 students speaking English or a language other than English at home in Sydney, Australia

OBJECTIVETo compare the rates and predictors of smoking uptake between adolescents speaking English and those speaking a language other than English (LOTE) at home.DESIGNA cross-sectional survey of year 7 and...

Apolipoprotein screening in Australian children: feasibility and the effect of age, sex, and ethnicity.

(i) To evaluate the feasibility of detecting adverse lipid profiles in schoolchildren by measuring capillary dried blood spot apolipoprotein levels, and (ii) to assess the effect of age, sex and ethnicity on apolipoprotein levels. We measured capillary dried blood spot apolipoproteins B and A-I (apo B and apo A-I); assessed levels in relation to age, sex and ethnicity; and recalled children with elevated levels for a full lipid profile measurement. 6992 children (3501 boys and 3491 girls), aged 5-13 years, from schools in eastern Sydney, 1991-1995. Capillary blood levels of apolipoproteins B and A-I, and serum total cholesterol level. Of the 6951 children who provided an adequate fingerprick blood sample, we recalled 1465 children (21.1%) (640 boys [43.7%] and 825 girls [56.3%]) with elevated apo B levels and/or apo B:apo A-I ratios for further testing, either by us or by their family doctor (overall estimated compliance rate up to 70%). Among the 458 children who returned to us, there was a 90% positive predictive value for a total cholesterol level of over 4.5 mmol/L in those with both elevated apo B levels and high apo B:apo A-I ratios. Girls had higher apo B levels and apo B:apo A-I ratios than boys (P < 0.00001 for both), and in both sexes there was a trend downwards for apo B and upwards for apo B:apo A-I ratio over the age range tested, but levels were relatively stable between the ages of 6 and 10 years. Indian children (1.5% of the screened population) had the highest apo B levels, followed by white children (71.1%); Asian children (9.2%) had the lowest (P < 0.00001 compared with Indian and white children). The high positive predictive value of capillary blood apolipoprotein levels for an adverse lipid profile in children suggests that measuring apolipoprotein levels by this method is a useful initial approach to cardiovascular risk assessment.

Assessment of lexical and nonlexical reading abilities in children: Some normative data

Abstract Our sample consisted of 420 children who were making normal progress in learning to read (35 girls and 35 boys at each of the ages from 7 to 12 years inclusive, from a variety of schools in Sydney). They were given a set of 30 exception words, 30 nonwords, and 30 regular words to read aloud. As predicted by a dual-route account of learning to read, the correlations between regular word and exception word reading accuracy and between regular word and nonword reading accuracy were higher than the correlation between exception word and nonword reading accuracy; also as predicted by this account, regular word reading accuracy was higher than exception word and nonword reading accuracy. We present our data as age-related norms which can be used in conjunction with our materials to assess how well children in this age range who appear to have reading difficulties are acquiring the lexical and nonlexical reading procedures as they learn to read.

School entry immunisation certificates in south western Sydney, 1995

This article reports on a review of immunisation certificates (issued under the Public Health Act 1991) in schools in South Western Sydney in 1995.

Let Their Minds Stretch: Flexibility of Options for Gifted Learners: A Practitioner’s Perspective

AbstractThe volume of data concerning the appropriateness and efficacy of gifted programs in Australia is not extensive. There is a strong need for the publication of practices which are effective in enhancing productivity and creativity in students. This paper presents an overview of provisions and practices in a K-12 independent girls’ school in Sydney which provides a differentiated curriculum for the gifted and which allows talented students to progress at a more rapid pace than their age-peers. The paper also outlines the benefits of the School’s mentor-assisted independent research program which links motivated and capable students with university staff and community experts.

Children's Singing Games: Composition in the Playground?

This paper reports the findings of an ethnographic study of processes of variation and transmission in Australian children's playground singing games, conducted in a multiethnic inner city primary school in Sydney from 1990 to 1994. The paper focuses on children's processes of innovation or composition in relation to text, music and movement in these games and children's own awareness of these processes. Findings of the study are used to challenge the notion that children's compositional processes fit an invariable model such as that proposed by Swanwick and Tillman (1986). Instead, the author proposes that compositional processes vary according to the context in which they are enacted. Implications for teaching practice are outlined with particular reference to provision of a challenging classroom environment in which the considerable compositional and performance skills of children are acknowledged and the importance of group interaction is recognised.

Measles outbreak in western Sydney: Vaccine failure or failure to vaccinate?

To determine the effectiveness of measles vaccine during a measles outbreak, and to assess whether age at vaccination was a risk factor for measles vaccine failure. A matched case-control study. The five primary schools in western Sydney with the largest number of measles cases during the June to December 1993 outbreak. Seventy-nine children aged 5-9 years with an illness consistent with a clinical definition for measles. Two controls per case were selected from children in the same classroom. Estimated measles vaccine effectiveness by age of the child at vaccination and vaccination status: "unvaccinated"; "parental recall" (parents stated the child was vaccinated but no record could be found); and "record" (record including date of vaccination available). The estimated vaccine effectiveness was 94% (95% confidence interval [CI], 83%-98%) in the "record" group, and 81% (95% CI, 46%-93%) in the "parental recall" group. Vaccine effectiveness did not differ significantly with age at vaccination (under 12 months of age 96% [64%-99%]; 12-14 months 95% [81%-99%]; and 15 months and over 93% [80%-98%]). Vaccination records should be used to calculate a vaccine's effectiveness as parental recall may not be sufficiently accurate. The high vaccine effectiveness in the "record" group (94%) makes it unlikely that low vaccine effectiveness was the cause of the outbreak. More effort is needed to increase vaccine coverage to at least 95% in all population subgroups.

Census of school entry immunisation certificates, Eastern Sydney, 1994

This article reports on a census of immunisation status among kindergarten children attending Eastern Sydney schools using verified records in the form of the immunisation certificates presented by parents under the provision of the Public Health (Amendment) Act 1992.

Dieting, binge eating, and some of their correlates among secondary school girls.

A total of 440 girls from three private schools in Sydney completed a self-report questionnaire that asked about their body- and weight-related attitudes and practices, and assessed their reactions to the phenomenology of binge eating. The findings emphasize the integral relationship between dieting and disordered eating. Those who wanted to lose at least 7 kg, and were dieting most of the time, were more likely to be categorized as having a "severe" binge eating problem than were those who were happy with their weight and were "never" or "rarely" dieting.

Reading recovery in Sydney primary schools

This paper reviews the findings from a controlled experimental study of the effectiveness of the Reading Recovery Program undertaken in ten primary schools in Sydney, during the second year of its implementation. Children, selected by their teachers as low progress readers after one year at school, were randomly allocated to either Reading Recovery or to a control condition in which they received only the resource support typically provided to at-risk children. Low progress children from five schools of similar socio-economic level, but without a Reading Recovery Program, also took part in the study. All children were pre-tested on a number of norm and criterion referenced reading related literacy measures, post-tested on the same measures fifteen weeks after the Program commenced, and once again after a further fifteen weeks to assess maintenance effects. Results indicated that Reading Recovery students clearly outperformed students in the control group condition on most measures but, at this early stage of Reading Recovery implementation, there appeared to be no spill-over effects to other low progress students and their teachers in Reading Recovery schools. Furthermore, the practice of matching children to appropriate book level in the regular classroom, which is necessary to ensure maintenance of the Reading Recovery intervention, was not being adopted in most schools. Finally, because of the extremely low book level scores found among all Year 1 children in the ten Reading Recovery schools at the commencement of the study, serious implications arise about the selection of students for Reading Recovery in metropolitan New South Wales, their most appropriate point of entry into the Program, and the maintenance of their skills at discontinuation when they return to regular classes where average book levels continue to be low.

Reading recovery in Sydney primary schools

This paper reviews the findings from a controlled experimental study of the effectiveness of the Reading Recovery Program undertaken in ten primary schools in Sydney, during the second year of its implementation. Children, selected by their teachers as low progress readers after one year at school, were randomly allocated to either Reading Recovery or to a control condition in which they received only the resource support typically provided to at‐risk children. Low progress children from five schools of similar socio‐economic level, but without a Reading Recovery Program, also took part in the study. All children were pre‐tested on a number of norm and criterion referenced reading related literacy measures, post‐tested on the same measures fifteen weeks after the Program commenced, and once again after a further fifteen weeks to assess maintenance effects. Results indicated that Reading Recovery students clearly outperformed students in the control group condition on most measures but, at this early stage...