Indigenous academic outcomes are in many ways negotiated at the interface between student spatialities--including their residential patterns and choices--and the mainstream school system. The current model of education delivery rewards regular attendance at well resourced schools. Conversely, sporadic interactions with under-resourced schools…

Although environmental and heritage interpretation aims to connect humans with their natural and cultural heritage, and has the potential to contribute to a vision of sustainable living, it often falls short of engaging and inspiring its audiences. Some interpreters advocate the use of artistic approaches to create more affective…

Imposition of English in Torres Strait and Cape York Peninsula (Australia) schools led to the development of Torres Strait Creole (TSC), now widely spoken. Common formal errors that TSC-speaking students make in written English are described and related to linguistic transfer. Cultural vocabulary, core cultural values reflected in TSC, and the…

A proposed model for preservice teacher practicums, the Reflective and Critical Internship Program, is designed to encourage students to voice their concerns and produce their own solutions to classroom issues, particularly in relation to classroom management. Within this model, the problem-solving process is both individual and collective.…

A taxonomy is proposed for evaluating the quality of learning in terms of a composition's structural complexity. Five writing structure levels are distinguished (incoherent, linear, conventional, integrated, and metaphoric) and samples of high school students' compositions illustrate each. Implications for both the psychology and teaching of…

While responsibility for curriculum development in Australia is devolving to the local level, the state systems, in the name of accountability, are retaining responsibility for curriculum evaluation. This article examines the curriculum centralization/decentralization patterns in Australia's states, points out the paradoxes in such systems, and…

It is argued that Australian elementary mathematics curricula have been influenced by earlier British and United States educational movements and theories and are out of touch with current research emphasizing a constructivist approach. A new model of young children's numerical development is offered, and recommendations for improving mathematical…

Discussion of the relationship between the character of the community and secondary schools in developing urban and suburban neighborhoods of Auckland (New Zealand) looks at such factors as location, transportation, and social/ethnic geography. Focus is on the political nature of school construction and recent evolution of national public policy…

According to the management perspective, educational practice is a technical process with predictable and guaranteed outcomes. This viewpoint is reflected in the New South Wales (Australia) Scott Report on educational reform. However, this approach must be challenged, and uncertainty and unpredictability in education must be acknowledged and…

A study investigated the relationship of certain teacher characteristics (gender, teaching experience) and current work situation (K-6, secondary, or administrative) on perceptions of what teaching involves, actions taken during a work-to-rule campaign, and attitudes toward work-to-rule. Results are discussed in terms of the social and…

A study of 16 middle-aged adults undergoing a career change into teaching investigated their relationships with their practicum supervisors, focusing on sources of tension arising from prior occupational identity and self-concept. A strong effect of prior occupational identity on social dynamics of the classroom supervision process was found.…

A study in 12 New South Wales (Australia) high schools investigated differences in motivation for Aboriginal (n=496), migrant (n=487), and Anglo (n=1172) students. A consistent picture of the urban Aboriginal child emerged, and key variables in his decision making (self-reliance, confidence, and goal direction) were identified as well as…

The population explosion among Australian older adults and the perceived benefits of education for this group are examined. A rationale for increased emphasis on development of educational opportunities is offered. Two programs of national importance, the University of the Third Age and the College for Seniors, are described. (Author/MSE)

A study examined the effects of rationale emotive psychoeducational procedures on aspects of mental health with 22 Australian fourth grade girls and 14 control subjects who received an attention control intervention. Rational emotive education increased perceptions of internal locus of control and rationality but did not reduce trait anxiety.…

Productivity and efficiency in education are defined and their dynamics analyzed. It is proposed that improvement of productivity comes not from working harder but from working smarter. Key contributors to improvement are identified including collaborative planning and work organization, skill utilization and output-based planning, and use of…