Victorian Secondary Schools Research Articles

Teaching about Culture or Learning with and from Others?

This article reports on the findings of a qualitative study conducted in Victoria, Australia. The study examined the perceptions and implementation of the intercultural dimension in the language classroom following recent curriculum changes. Data were collected from individual in-depth interviews with seven pre-service teachers with a migrant background enrolled in a graduate initial teacher education program who were undertaking the practicum component of this course in Victorian secondary schools. Findings from this study highlight discrepancies between interpretations of the intercultural capability in theory and the way it is taught. Remarkably, what emerged was the impact of personal experiences on pre-service teachers’ conceptualizations and implementation of intercultural pedagogies. This study suggests a new definition for intercultural capability that emphasizes the importance of not only teaching about cultural diversity, but also learning from and through it. The study also recognizes the need for critical and reflective discussions in teacher education so that teachers are supported to become agents of change.

Substituting passive for active travel—what is the potential among adolescents?

The majority of Australian adolescents are insufficiently active and becoming car dependent. Replacing short passive travel (i.e. car, public transport) with active travel could be an important potential strategy to increase physical activity. This paper aims to characterize adolescents’ travel patterns to various destinations, identify passive trips that could be feasibly replaced by active travel, and the characteristics associated with those trips. Analyses were based on 2,192 Victorian secondary school students aged 12-17 years with 24-h travel diary data in the Victorian Integrated Survey of Travel Activity 2012 − 2016. Feasible distance thresholds for walking and cycling were determined at the 80th percentile of distances of reported walking and cycling trips in the sample. Comparison tests were conducted to assess whether travel patterns differed by sociodemographic characteristics. Multilevel logistic regression analyses identified characteristics of individuals that could replace passive trips with active travel, and characteristics of passive trips that could be replaced by active travel. About 11% of adolescents could feasibly replace at least one of their short passive trips with walking and 48% could feasibly replace at least one of their short passive trips with cycling. Of all the passive trips recorded, about 8% could be replaced with walking and 44% could be replaced with cycling. Trips that commenced within daylight hours, and trips made for shopping and social reasons had higher odds of being replaceable by active travel. The sizable proportion of replaceable passive trips within the cyclable threshold calls for greater emphasis on encouraging cycling.

‘I can because I think I can': an investigation into Victorian secondary school teacher’s self-efficacy beliefs regarding the inclusion of students with disabilities

ABSTRACT The self-efficacy beliefs of teachers often influence their readiness, motivation and ability to adopt inclusive teaching practices in their classrooms. This study drew on the responses of 158 educators employed at secondary schools throughout Victoria, Australia, in order to quantify and explain their beliefs regarding their efficaciousness in relation to inclusive education. Research sometimes reflects the view that secondary school teachers are somewhat resistant to implement inclusive practices, however, the data gleaned from this study pointed to specific demographic variables which impact on self-efficacy beliefs in the current context.

Principal leadership style and school performance: mediating roles of risk management culture and management control systems use in Australian schools

AbstractThis study examines the mediating role of organisational control features, namely performance‐oriented risk management (RM) culture and the use of management control systems (MCS) in the relationship between school principal leadership styles and school performance within Australia. Based on survey responses from 106 Victorian secondary school principals, the study finds that performance‐oriented RM culture and enabling use of MCS play important mediating roles in the leadership style and school performance link. The findings also indicate that private schools are more likely to adopt a performance‐oriented RM culture than public schools. Our results extend organisational management and accounting literature linking leadership style, organisational controls and organisational performance in a school context. The findings also have implications for school governance policies.

The impact of an outdoor adventure program on positive adolescent development: a controlled crossover trial

This paper describes a quasi-experimental crossover trial of an outdoor adventure program for Year 9 school students in Australia. Previous studies have reported a range of positive outcomes of outdoor camps and adventure programs, but cautious interpretation of some claims may be warranted due to limitations in research methods. This study examines a purpose-designed, seven-day outdoor adventure program intended to promote positive adjustment in young people. A total of 335 participants (aged 14–16 years) were recruited from across two Victorian secondary schools. In year 1 (2015), students from school A were recruited to the outdoor program while students from school B were recruited to a control group. In the second year (2016) the roles of each school were switched (crossed over). Outcome measures assessed on five occasions included a range of self-reported social and emotional health indicators. While quantitative analyses did not find support for positive, universal effects of our program, qualitative information gathered across the course of the study suggested that the outdoor program may have been both impactful and positive for some students. This complex picture suggests that effects of the outdoor adventure experience were quite variable amongst participants. Reasons for this pattern of findings are discussed, including the possibility that our quantitative measures may have been insensitive to some benefits. Future work should examine salient moderators of the beneficial effects of outdoor adventure experiences.

The impact of outdoor youth programs on positive adolescent development: Study protocol for a controlled crossover trial

This paper presents a research protocol for a quasi-experimental crossover trial of an outdoor adventure program for Year 9 school students in Australia. Previous studies have reported a range of positive outcomes of outdoor camps and adventure programs but warrant cautious interpretation due to limitations in research methods typically employed. This study takes place over a period of 36 months and examines a purpose-designed, seven-day outdoor program (camp) intended to promote positive adjustment in young people. Up to 400 participants (ages 14–16 years) will be recruited from across two Victorian secondary schools. Outcome measures include self-reported social and emotional health, and teacher-reported ratings of academic performance and school conduct. Results will be of interest to educators internationally and those involved in improving social and emotional health in adolescents.

School Psychologists and Ethical Challenges

This research explored how psychologists working in the Victorian secondary state school system construct meaning around ethical practice. The specific aims of the research were to examine psychologists understanding of ethics in practice within schools and to explore challenges they faced regarding professional ethics when working in the education system. A qualitative design was adopted to explore the topic. Five psychologists working in the Victorian state education system were interviewed, and the data were analysed using thematic analysis. Two themes presented from the transcripts: legalities and ethics and varied peer support. The psychologists reported having to confront often and repeated ethical challenges, but despite this, positioned themselves as ethical practitioners. Ethical practice was portrayed as a complex construct that is always socially and politically embedded. Subsequently, discussion on the topic should extend beyond the sole practitioner. The research provides future direction for policy development and workplace procedures, including access to professional supervision.

Secondary Geography and the Australian Curriculum – directions in school implementation: a comparative study

ABSTRACTAt first glance, the introduction of a national curriculum for Australian schools suggested a new era of revival for school geography. Since the late 1980s, the development and introduction of more integrated conceptions of curriculum design and implementation has seen the decline of Geography as a distinct subject in Australian schools, with statewide guidelines or frameworks that promoted the integration of Geography along with History into Studies of Society and Environment (SOSE). The approval of the Australian Curriculum: Geography design in late 2013, therefore, offered some degree of optimism that Geography would be revived as a distinctive area of learning in the secondary environment.Utilising a qualitative comparative case study of three Victorian secondary schools, this paper argues that the hopes of renewal engendered by the institution of an agreed national Geography curriculum have been confronted by the reality of school curriculum and governance processes, in which existing local staff structures and priorities are more of an imperative in school-based Geography curriculum decision-making than policy-driven curriculum change.

The SENSE Study (Sleep and Education: learning New Skills Early): a community cognitive-behavioural therapy and mindfulness-based sleep intervention to prevent depression and improve cardiac health in adolescence.

BackgroundSleep problems are a major risk factor for the emergence of depression in adolescence. The aim of this study was to test whether an intervention for improving sleep habits could prevent the emergence of depression, and improve well-being and cardiovascular indices amongst at-risk adolescents.Methods/DesignA longitudinal randomised controlled trial (RCT) is being conducted across Victorian Secondary Schools in Melbourne, Australia. Adolescents (aged 12–17 years) were defined as at-risk for depression if they reported high levels of anxiety and sleep problems on in-school screening questionnaires and had no prior history of depression (assessed by clinical diagnostic interview). Eligible participants were randomised into either a sleep improvement intervention (based on cognitive behavioral and mindfulness principles) or an active control condition teaching study skills. Both programs consisted of seven 90 minute-long sessions over seven weeks. All participants were required to complete a battery of mood and sleep questionnaires, seven-days of actigraphy, and sleep diary entry at pre- and post-intervention. Participants also completed a cardiovascular assessment and two days of saliva collection at pre-intervention. Participants will repeat all assessments at two-year follow up (ongoing).DiscussionThis will be the first efficacy trial of a selective group-based sleep intervention for the prevention of depression in an adolescent community sample. If effective, the program could be disseminated in schools and greatly improve health outcomes for anxious adolescents.Trial registrationAustralian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12612001177842. Date of Registration: 06-Nov-2012.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s40359-015-0096-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Speaking With One Voice: a Partnerships Approach in RMIT’s ‘I Belong’ Program

RMIT University is committed to increasing and improving the academic outcomes and access of all students in Victoria regardless of their circumstances and backgrounds. In 2001 RMIT invested in a program which would provide students with opportunities to grow their tertiary access and participation for equity groups. Initially the Schools Network Access Program (SNAP) was made available to seven under-represented Melbourne secondary schools. Since 2001 SNAP has increased to include over 170 Victorian secondary schools with further expansion scheduled in 2016. Students who complete year 12 at these schools are eligible to apply as a SNAP student, and as part of this access scheme they can have their Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) increased by up to twenty points. This access for the students has been informed by the research conducted which found that students from non-selective government schools performed more highly than students from independent schools who achieved the same ATAR score (Dobson & Skuja, 2005). Given that a disproportionate number of students from disadvantaged backgrounds attend government schools (Gonski, Boston, Greiner, Lawrence, Scales, & Tannock, 2011); this suggests that low socio-economic status students with ATAR scores lower than the course cut-off who gain access through equity schemes will succeed at university provided that their scores are close to the cut-off level (QUT Equity Services, 2012). A key component of SNAP is the I Belong outreach program. I Belong commenced in 2011 and was designed to give students an authentic university experience and build aspirations to embark on a tertiary qualification. In 2014 RMIT hosted over 3500 secondary students on campus through the I Belong program.

Student perceptions of personalised learning: development and validation of a questionnaire with regional secondary students

This project sought to evaluate regional students’ perceptions of their readiness to learn, assessment processes, engagement, extent to which their learning is personalised and to relate these to academic efficacy, academic achievement, and student well-being. It also examined teachers’ perceptions of students’ readiness to learn, the assessment process, engagement, and the extent to which students’ learning is personalised. The sample involved students in years 7–10 from six Victorian secondary schools. An instrument Personalised Learning Environment Questionnaire (PLQ) was developed to measure students’ perceptions of the factors effecting the implementation of Personalised Learning Plans (PLPs). It employed the latest scales to assess a range of PLP indicator variables, with all scales modified for use in an Australian context, and the total number of items kept to a minimum. Only scales more sensitive to PLPs were used to minimise the length of the instrument. There were three outcome variables: academic efficacy, academic achievement, and student well-being. The PLPs were assessed through scales that assess several contributing, distinct dimensions: selfdirected learning readiness, personal achievement, goal orientation, learning environment, personalised teaching and learning initiatives, curriculum entitlement and choice, and perceptions of assessment for learning. The trail PLQ was administered to 220 students, resulting in a 19 scale questionnaire with three or four items per scale. This paper reveals good data to model fit for the majority of items and each scale had good reliability. The paper describes the analytic techniques and results, how the instrument was refined and identifies common and uncommon student perceptions based on a post hoc analysis. The main study consisted of 2,407 students from four schools in the Bendigo Education Plan. They responded to this refined 19 scale version of the PLQ that was developed from the trial PLQ. All scales had satisfactory internal consistency reliability.

Carrying weapons and intent to harm among Victorian secondary school students in 1999 and 2009

To examine comparable survey data across 10 years to assess whether rates of self-reported weapon carrying and intent to harm others have increased as suggested in reported trends in violent offences. Population-based surveys administered to Victorian secondary school students in 1999 (8984 students) and 2009 (10 273 students) attending government, Catholic and independent schools. Student self-reports of carrying a weapon and attacking someone with the intent to harm in the past 12 months. In both surveys, about 15.0% of students reported carrying a weapon and about 7.0% reported attacking someone with intent to harm in the past 12 months, with higher rates among boys than girls. There was no change over time in the rates of students carrying weapons or attacking someone with the intent to harm, after controlling for demographic variables. In contrast to media portrayals and reported trends in violent offences, rates of students carrying weapons and attacking others with intent to harm have not changed between 1999 and 2009. These findings underline the importance of having national population-based data to regularly monitor the rates of these and related behaviours among young Australians.

A multidimensional/non-linear teaching and learning model: teaching and learning music in an authentic and holistic context

This article discusses the conceptual framework that leads to the design of a teaching and learning model as part of a recent ethnographic study that considered the effectiveness of current Victorian government secondary school music teaching and learning practices when engaged with technology. The philosophical and theoretical basis for this research relies on three contentions: valued knowledge, authentic learning and multidimensional/non-linear learning. These three contentions, working simultaneously, introduce the notion of a holistic perspective and practice of learning. In this research, such a notion is defined and referred to as the ‘whole-person phenomenon’. This is the foundation for a multidimensional/non-linear teaching and learning model that can be applied in any educational context. This model is extended to the teaching and learning of music and in turn its application leads to a matrix or a multidimensional/non-linear model that encompasses all facets of music practice. This article will explore each of the research contentions, conceptual framework, multidimensional/non-linear teaching and learning model and music education matrix. While this recent research is situated in Victoria, Australia, and specific to music education, it is applicable to any contemporary teaching and learning context.

Resettlement as Rebirth: How Effective Are the Midwives?

Resettlement as Rebirth: How Effective Are the Midwives?

Smoking prevention: what benefits are indicated by a pilot school drug education programme that focuses on minimising harm?

Background: This pilot study investigated the smoking prevention benefits of a secondary school drug education programme for all-licit and illicit drugs. The programme took a harm minimisation approach and incorporated abstinence as one of a range of prevention strategies. Method: The study population comprised a cohort of 318 Victorian junior secondary school students (intervention N = 225 in three schools, control N = 93 in one school). During Years 8 (13–14-year-olds) and 9 (14–15-year-olds), the intervention students received a 22-lesson programme derived from evidence of effective practice and aimed at minimising the harm associated with drug use. Control students received the drug education programme normally provided by their school. Results: Students who received the intervention remembered receiving more lessons about smoking and were more knowledgeable about drug use issues overall. They were no less likely to take up smoking, but those who did smoke, reported smoking fewer cigarettes and experiencing fewer harms associated with their smoking. Conclusions: This pilot study suggests that a harm minimisation approach to smoking can complement, rather than threaten, the abstinence message for adolescents. A school drug education programme with a harm reduction focus does not increase initiation into smoking and can equip smokers with the understanding and skills to make better decisions regarding use.

Excessive alcohol use and its association with risky sexual behaviour: a cross‐sectional analysis of data from Victorian secondary school students

Estimate the prevalence of sexual behaviour and alcohol use and examine the association between excessive alcohol use and risky sexual behaviour in late secondary students in Victoria, Australia. The sample of Year 11 students from government and independent schools participating in the 2008 International Youth Development Study (n=450) was representative of the Victorian school population. Logistic regression analyses examined the associations between sexual behaviour, binge and compulsive drinking, adjusting for socio-demographic, school and family factors. Under half (44%) the students had experienced sex in the past year, half (50%) had engaged in binge drinking in the past two weeks and 26% reported compulsive drinking in the past year. Of those who reported sex in the past year (n=197), 34% had sex without a condom at the last sexual encounter and 28% later regretted sex due to alcohol. The likelihood of experiencing sex was increased by binge (OR=2.44, 95%CI 1.44-4.12) and compulsive drinking (OR=2.15, 95%CI 1.29-3.60). For those sexually active, binge drinking increased the risk of having three or more sexual partners (OR=3.37, 95%CI 1.11-10.26) and compulsive drinking increased the likelihood of regretted sex due to alcohol (OR=4.43, 95%CI 2.10-9.31). Excessive drinking was not associated with condom non-use. Risky sex - multiple sexual partners and regretted sex due to alcohol - and excessive drinking are highly prevalent and co-associated among Victorian late secondary students.

Approaches to teaching low literacy refugee-background students

Many displaced young people enter secondary schools with limited mother tongue literacy and low proficiency in the language of instruction, but little is known about how teachers respond to this challenge. This paper presents an investigation of the approaches to teaching low-literacy refugee-background students reported by 61 teachers in Victorian secondary schools in receipt of targeted funding. Teachers were surveyed using a questionnaire designed to measure adoption of current popular approaches advocated in influential language and literacy pedagogy frameworks (Cummins, 2000; Freebody & Luke, 1990; Gibbons, 2009; Luke & Freebody, 1999; Martin, 1999). Over half of the practices we asked about were used routinely by a majority of teachers. Our findings suggest that most teachers make routine use of at least some strategies for developing language and literacy but may not always work towards building learner autonomy. Lack of attention to autonomous learning is explained in part by a lack of resources and time.

Drug education in victorian schools (DEVS): the study protocol for a harm reduction focused school drug education trial

BackgroundThis study seeks to extend earlier Australian school drug education research by developing and measuring the effectiveness of a comprehensive, evidence-based, harm reduction focused school drug education program for junior secondary students aged 13 to 15 years. The intervention draws on the recent literature as to the common elements in effective school curriculum. It seeks to incorporate the social influence of parents through home activities. It also emphasises the use of appropriate pedagogy in the delivery of classroom lessons.Methods/DesignA cluster randomised school drug education trial will be conducted with 1746 junior high school students in 21 Victorian secondary schools over a period of three years. Both the schools and students have actively consented to participate in the study. The education program comprises ten lessons in year eight (13-14 year olds) and eight in year nine (14-15 year olds) that address issues around the use of alcohol, tobacco, cannabis and other illicit drugs. Control students will receive the drug education normally provided in their schools. Students will be tested at baseline, at the end of each intervention year and also at the end of year ten. A self completion questionnaire will be used to collect information on knowledge, patterns and context of use, attitudes and harms experienced in relation to alcohol, tobacco, cannabis and other illicit drug use. Multi-level modelling will be the method of analysis because it can best accommodate hierarchically structured data. All analyses will be conducted on an Intent-to-Treat basis. In addition, focus groups will be conducted with teachers and students in five of the 14 intervention schools, subsequent to delivery of the year eight and nine programs. This will provide qualitative data about the effectiveness of the lessons and the relevance of the materials.DiscussionThe benefits of this drug education study derive both from the knowledge gained by trialling an optimum combination of innovative, harm reduction approaches with a large, student sample, and the resultant product. The research will provide better understanding of what benefits can be achieved by harm reduction education. It will also produce an intervention, dealing with both licit and illicit drug use that has been thoroughly evaluated in terms of its efficacy, and informed by teacher and student feedback. This makes available to schools a comprehensive drug education package with prevention characteristics and useability that are well understood.Trial registrationAustralia and New Zealand Clinical Trials Register (ANZCTR): ACTRN12612000079842

Skilling Adolescent Girls to Resist Abusive Relationship Dynamics: A Pilot Program Evaluation

A program to help girls avoid chronic partner abuse was piloted as an elective program in 10 Victorian secondary schools. The program was based on the Dyadic Slippery-Slope model of chronic partner abuse. It aimed to build participants' skills in recognising and responding assertively to early warning-sign behaviours by a partner. Five modules were delivered over one day: Choosing, Noticing, Responding, Ending and Bouncing Back. This paper reports on the results of a noncontrolled pretest to posttest evaluation, with a 3-month follow-up period. Seventy-five girls (M = 14.7 years) contributed preprogram and postprogram data. After the program, they demonstrated heightened awareness of the risks associated with warning-sign behaviours, increased self-confidence, decreased victim blaming, and more assertive intentions. Participants' assertiveness was related to their risk awareness, but only following the program. The program's focus on skill building is believed to have been crucial to its success. Although skills-based empowerment is a promising approach to preventing chronic partner abuse, more rigorous and extensive evaluation of this approach is needed.

When worlds collide: excellent and equitable learning communities? Australia’s ‘social capitalist’ paradox?

In Australia, a distinct political–educational imagination drives contemporary policy and praxis. This imagination finds root in the social governance models of British Third Way policy and can be considered social capitalist. Central to such politics is a view that social governance is capable of pursuing and achieving the social democratic ideals of equity and social justice, within the architecture of a globalising and competitive capitalist economy. In this paper, I analyse Australian federal and Victorian state education policies to argue that social capitalist politics has significant implications for the ways schools are being imagined and governed. Specifically, I argue that schools are re‐imagined as ‘learning communities’ through which excellence and equity are seen to operate harmoniously amidst a marketising system of educational services. In doing so, I feature empirical data from an ethnographic project conducted in two socially disparate Victorian government secondary schools, to highlight myriad tensions and paradoxes that emerge when each school attempts to govern itself towards policy ideals. In conclusion, I argue that policy imaginations of schools as havens of excellence and equity are difficult to take seriously when infused into the architecture of an education system that is deeply stratified and structured to discriminate between individuals in line with performance hierarchies.