Occupational Outcomes for Bachelor of Science Graduates in Australia and Implications for Undergraduate Science Curricula

Recent national reports have highlighted the contribution that the sciences make to the Australian economy. Many developed economies report perceived shortages of STEM qualified workers, and at the same time, many science graduates have difficulty in finding work, especially work in their discipline. Rational education design dictates that science curricula at all levels should be based on a realistic representation of the actual practice of science graduates. So where do Australian science graduates go postgraduation? Using the Australian national census data set, we present a focussed investigation into the occupational status of Australian science bachelor graduates, how this status varies with graduate age and gender, how this status varies between science degree specialisms and how this status compares to a range of other disciplines. We consider the implications of these findings for undergraduate science degree curriculum design. We find that Australian science bachelor graduates work in a wide range of occupations, and even immediately postgraduation, only a minority of science bachelor graduates are working in traditional science occupations. Occupational outcomes vary significantly between science degree specialisms. For a contemporary undergraduate science curriculum to reflect the occupational outcomes of science bachelor graduates, there is a balance required to ensure adequate technical preparation for those students who pursue a career in their discipline as science professionals and to also address the broader knowledge, skills and attitudes that will equip the majority of graduates from Australian science programs for successful employment, further education and active participation in their communities, using their science knowledge.     

Hard-to-Manage Preschool Boys: Symptomatic Behavior across Contexts and Time

Preschool boys identified by their parents and/or teachers as active, inattentive, and impulsive ( N = 69) at age 4 were compared with boys without problem ( N = 43) on observational measures of symptm-related behaviors, obtained across context (home, laboratory, and preschool). Problem boys differed from comparison boys on measures of activity/inattention, noncompliance, and impulsivity obtained in the 3 settings. At a 2-year follow-up, when they were 6 years old, problem boys continued to differ from comparison boys on laboratory measures of activity and impulsivity; there also was some stability in these symptomatic behaviors. Implications of these findings for the emergence and persistence of externalizing problems in preschool boys are addressed.     

Are Intuitive Rules Universal?

This paper presents a cross-cultural study on the intuitive rules theory. The study was conducted in Australia (with aboriginal children) in Taiwan and in Israel. Our findings indicate that Taiwanese and Australian Aboriginal students, much like Israeli ones, provided incorrect responses, most of which were in line with the intuitive rules. Also, developmental trends were found to be similar yet differences were found with regard to the rate of developmental change.     

Ontogeny of long-term,nonassociative memory in the rat

The primary purpose of the present study was to assess the ontogeny of nonassociative learning and memory in 16-, 30-, and 75-day-old rats. In each of three experiments, habituation of the orienting response to a novel auditory stimulus was measured. The orienting response is an unconditioned reaction elicited by innocuous environmental stimulation that habituates with repeated stimulus presentations. Both an autonomic component (heart-rate deceleration) and a behavioral index (head jerk) of the orienting response were recorded in this study. Although no age differences in rate of habituation (i.e., rate of nonassociative learning) were found (see Experiment 1), a marked effect of age on retention of habituation was observed. Preweanling rats retained habituation of the orienting response to an auditory stimulus for less than 4 h (Experiment 2), whereas adult animals exhibited no forgetting even after a 1-week interval (Experiment 3). These results are discussed in terms of (1) demonstrations of age-related differences in associative memory, (2) the persistence of nonassociative memories in adults, and (3) the significance of the orienting response as a measure of retention of nonassociative learning.     

A constructivist approach to secondary school science experiments

The focus of this study was on the investigation of a laboratory instructional program on electricity designed for conceptual development using constructivist principles for conceptual change. This approach was compared with a traditional laboratory approach in a quasi-experimental design. The sample was 247 grade 10 students (boys) in a large non-government urban school. Covariance analysis with the corresponding pretest as covariate showed statistically and educationally significant gains for the experimental group on cognitive but not attitudinal outcomes when compared to the traditional group. Student and teacher interview data provide some evidence for the success of the experimental approach. Specializations: physics education, constructivist approaches to in practical work. Specializations: science teacher education, learning environments, conceptual change.     

How are the Perceptions of Learning Networks Shaped Among School Professionals and Headteachers at an Early Stage in their Introduction?

This paper draws on the findings of a research project funded by the Liverpool City of Learning consortium in the UK. The aim is to explore the process of introduction of ten authority wide learning networks, the impact these have on school professionals practice, the opportunities they offer for CPD and the extent to which they may impact on pupil learning. The research presented here draws on findings from a questionnaire distributed to school professionals and key issues emerging from their analysis point to the influence of national government agendas on school professionals’ interpretation of the purpose of the networks. They also point to the views of staff regarding the impact of the attainment agenda as well as the extent to which an increased emphasis on social inclusion and wider understandings of learning and achievement (which are less well represented by results-based performance monitoring) are having on their hopes for what Learning Networks might deliver. The expectations of staff of the opportunities offered by learning networks for long term professional development provide some interesting insights, and perhaps, some useful pointers as to how networks of this kind might develop in the future.