Interaction in distance education — a case study: Teaching biology at two rural schools

There are many instances where distance education for children is in a state of upheaval and change. This is particularly true of Australia and, as earlier reports indicate, of Canada. Central planners often have abandoned the old ‘correspondence schools’ and established ‘open access’ centres; central schools have been de‐centralised; correspondence stuthes are offered to children in city schools; isolated children attend ‘classes’ vastly different from their old ‘School of the Air’ classes; etc. Some of these changes are the marks of progress; the quality of other changes is debatable.

This account is that of one country teacher operating in northern South Australia where distance education has now changed to be offered, Statewide, by a series of open access schools and has also been regionalised to be offered at the initiative of Education Department Regional Centres with a broad responsibility for education of children in their region. The article makes no pretence to being considered as ‘international research literature’ — some will question whether or not it is even distance education. It is being published at my request.

The teacher functions in an areaof small country towns 50 km apart and with 500 or so people. Not too much further north, into sparsely‐watered country, the towns are likely to have 50 or so people and are up to 500 km apart!

What the paper does highlight is that there are professional people ‘out there’ who see themselves as having a stake in distance education. Central administrators and those who regard themselves as scholars in distance education are only a part of the personnel in distance education.

Ed.     

Professionalism in medical education

Medical professionalism in today's society requires the exhibition of a range of qualities deployed in the service of patients, rather than more traditionally defined aspects such as mastery, autonomy and self-regulation. These qualities incorporate demonstrated clinical competence; aspiring to excellence in practice while demonstrating humility and recognition of personal limitations; exercising professional judgement; and maintaining a fiduciary relationship with patients by the earning and maintenance of trust.     

Curriculum Reform and the Case of the Disappearing Agents

It is an irony that, as the educational world has come to recognise the value of school or district‐based teacher leaders, many teachers have become wary of involvement in activities which take them beyond their own classrooms or schools. The problem becomes particularly apparent in centrally organised curriculum reform efforts that call for a cadre of teachers to be co‐opted to act as ‘link’ or ‘lighthouse’ teachers. This paper examines these issues in the context of an Australian state‐wide physics curriculum project in which a ‘pyramid’ implementation model required a group of school‐based ‘link’ or ‘lighthouse’ teachers to work as change agents in district school clusters. The study focused on the motivations of those teachers who chose, and those who chose not, to become involved. It reports a number of critical distinctions, in both experience and motivation, between these two groups of teachers. These differences are analysed as a set of interlocking themes: personal meaning, professional history, ownership, rewards, professional autonomy and gender.     

Disability and transition from state education to community life: next steps for parents

In this paper we explore the experiences of mothers of young adults with Down syndrome as their daughters and sons transition from schooling to adult life. These transitions occurred in a society shaped by neo-liberal political reform that commenced in the mid-1980s. The hallmarks of education are now expressed in terms of national achievement standards, aligned with the goals of economic gain, and efficiency in government services. In this climate being called disabled is a bad thing. For the mothers participating in this research, the roles and tasks associated with disability created a map of expectation for themselves and their children. Speaking with authority and reclaiming control so as to undertake their role in the longer term was to be as much a part of the transition from school as were the changes experienced by their daughters and sons. The shortcomings identified through the mothers' narratives signal a need for clarity and cohesion in professional and support processes for their disabled family members. The position is offered that the potential of the secondary school as a place for school-linked service integration and support warrants consideration. Understanding the value and impact of outcomes this model brings for a wide range of vulnerable school leavers would enhance the efforts around individuals such as those whose transition is discussed in this article.     

Global–national–local dynamics in policy processes: a case of ‘quality’ policy in higher education

This paper moves beyond a conceptualization of globalization as a top‐down imposition of policy directions ‘from above’ to focus on the active two‐way dynamics between global, national and local levels of policy processes. Arguably, the particular ‘case’ examined here of ‘quality’ policy is especially appropriate as quality policy and golbalization rose to prominence in educational discourses at roughly the same time during the 1990s, suggesting that the two may be intimately interconnected. An analysis of new quality policy in Australian higher education for the 2000s is used as a vehicle to explore the dynamic reciprocity of global–national–local interactions in policy processes as revealed through empirical evidence collected during interviews with members of the national Australian Universities' Quality Agency. The concluding discussion highlights a key meta‐level theme of education policy transfer between countries and the potential for global policy convergence.     

Students' understanding of concepts related to plant growth

This paper reports on an investigation into students' understanding of the concept of plant growth. There are three aspects to the research. First, responses of Australian primary students to questions concerning plant growth are compared with those identified in British research (Russell & Watt, 1990). Second, the answers of secondary students, Year 7-Year 12, to questions concerning plant growth were analysed and common categories of responses were identified. Finally, the response categories were considered within the framework offered by the SOLO Taxonomy of Biggs and Collis (1982, 1991). In particular, interest was focused on whether the findings of an earlier study (Levins, 1992) in which cycles of development in the understandings of the concept of evaporation were established, might be observed in the concept of plant growth. Specializations secondary science curriculum, biology and chemistry teacher education. Specializations secondary mathematics curriculum topics, the SOLO Taxonomy, student cognitive growth.     

WIST — A science and technology access programme for rural women: The determinants of success

The University of Central Queensland access programme, Women Into Science and Technology (WIST), has successfully attracted and retained a large number of rural women as students. Careful analysis of the needs of rural women has resulted in a distance education mode programme which is community based, has a consultative approach to programme development and monitoring and strong student support systems. These systems include elements of both peer and institutional support. Strong feelings of ownership and belonging, which WIST women have, have contributed to the low drop‐out rate and continuing programme growth.