Integration of external studies and campus‐based education in Australian higher education: The myth and the promise

A series of historical phases in the development of external studies provision in Australia is outlined. Through an analysis of the ways in which current policy has been influenced by previous conceptions of external studies, it is shown that policy formulation fails to take account of the most recent phase of development in the direction of open learning. It is argued that this error, if uncorrected, will lead to the implementation of policy which, though it may maintain the myth of integration of external studies and campus‐based education, must deny its promise. A promise which, ironically, has greater likelihood of fulfillment in Australia, given the absence of a single national provider of external studies.     

Lessons to be learned? Parallels between Australia and Hong Kong in the development of distance education

Developments in the provision of distance education in Australia and Hong Kong are analysed in terms of eight phases, characterised by Government policies and institutional practices. Hong Kong appears to be progressing through the same developmental phases as Australia, but at later points in time. Both countries decided against forming a single national open university in favour of dispersed provision but neither followed recommendations to form a body to co‐ordinate course provision nationally. Both have experienced a period of uncontrolled and unco-ordinated expansion of distance education courses and Hong Kong is still in this phase, whereas Australia is now in the midst of belated attempts by its federal government to rationalise distance education at the national level along with higher education as a whole. We argue that much of the confusion surrounding these events could have been prevented by early planning and setting of clear policy guidelines, together with a recognition that implementation of higher education policy is by no means a straightforward matter. Hopefully there are lessons to be learned from this analysis: in the case of Hong Kong, that its current trend towards unco‐ordinated expansion may well lead to enforced contraction and rationalisation should economic growth trends be reversed, and, in the case of Australia, a clearer understanding of issues related to policy and implementation.     

Mapping a complex system: what influences teacher learning during initial teacher education?

Despite a growing body of knowledge about what content, processes and arrangements for learning may result in more effective initial teacher education, there remains a problem with the variability of outcomes from teacher education programmes. This paper reports on a multi-perspective exploration of what influences learning to teach in valued ways during initial teacher education. Framed by complexity theory, which emphasises the non-linear nature of social phenomena, the paper presents an analysis of 76 maps of influences on learning to teach (made by teacher candidates, teacher educators, mentor teachers and policy makers), looking for differences and patterns that might point the way to explanations about teacher candidates’ varying ability to enact practice that improves outcomes for all learners.     

Re-envisaging and reinvigorating school–university practicum partnerships

The study that provides the context for this article developed from a major overhaul of the practicum in an undergraduate initial teacher education degree in which practicum roles and relationships were re-envisaged. The aim was to reinvigorate university–school practicum relationships through the collaborative development of a practicum where teacher professional knowledge and university scholarly knowledge could come together in the service of student teacher learning. The article reports a qualitative study involving 72 participants from one university and four primary schools. Analysed through the lens of “third space” the findings indicated that relationship and role transformations undertaken by the participants, along with collaborative practice during the practicum, were key to reinvigorating the practicum. In the discussion, we examine the main factors that contributed to the development of a “third space” between the university and participating practicum schools, and also note some cautions related to this development.     

“Hands on-minds on”: Introducing openness into senior biology practical work

This paper outlines some initial findings from research on senior secondary Biology students carrying out open investigations. The study focuses on a group of 98 Form 6 (year 11) students in a large urban co-educational school. Initial findings indicate a mismatch between the students' declared confidence of their ability to plan open investigations in Biology and their demonstrated competence. Other factors germane to the introduction of problem-solving activities of an open nature into senior Biology programmes are discussed as are the implications of these for further research and classroom practice. Specializations: teacher development, practical work in science, assessment in science, curriculum development.     

Can Investigative Practical Work in High School Biology Foster Creativity?

Creativity is recognised as a valuable human quality for personal, social, technological and economic reasons and many school curriculum documents assert that creativity can be taught. In science education it is often argued that it is through engagement in practical work that students develop their possibility thinking and problem solving abilities. This paper uses data generated during a four-year study of students engaged in open investigative practical work in senior biology to indicate how such engagement might foster personal and collaborative creativity.     

Cognitive and Family-Support Mediators of Preschool Effectiveness: A Confirmatory Analysis

Investigated in this study were the mediators of the effects of preschool intervention on children's school achievement in sixth grade. A confirmatory structural model developed in a previous study of third graders was tested with 360 low-income, mostly black children who were available at the 3-year follow-up. The model incorporated cognitive readiness at kindergarten entry and parent involvement in school (rated by teachers and parents) as primary mediators of preschool effectiveness. In sixth grade (age 12), preschool participation at ages 3 or 4 was significantly associated with higher reading achievement, higher math achievement, and with lower incidence of grade retention. Cognitive readiness and parent involvement in school significantly mediated the estimated effects of preschool participation on school achievement and grade retention 7 years postprogram. Teacher ratings of school adjustment, school mobility, and grade retention also contributed to the transmission of effects. This integrated model fit the data better than several alternative models, including those based on the cognitive-advantage and family-support hypotheses.     

Teaching for equity: insights from international evidence with implications for a teacher education curriculum

Researchers, practitioners, and policy-makers in many countries are grappling with ways to address the persistent problem of inequitable educational outcomes between advantaged and disadvantaged students. This paper reports the results of a unique cross-country, cross-cultural analysis undertaken to provide insights into teaching practices that promote equity, drawing on programmes of empirical research or syntheses of major programmes of research that worked from a complex, non-linear view of teaching and its outcomes. We analysed international evidence about teaching practices that have a positive influence on diverse students’ learning outcomes and opportunities and then compared and contrasted the results of these analyses. From the commonalities we identified, we derived six interconnected facets of practice for equity, which are general principles of practice rather than specific teaching strategies or behaviours. Building on these facets, we developed a conceptual framework that can inform an equity-centred teacher education curriculum that specifically addresses the task of preparing teachers who can make a positive difference to the learning opportunities and outcomes of diverse students, particularly those historically disadvantaged by the education system.