Primary students’ spatial visualization and spatial orientation : an evidence base for instruction

This paper reports on the performance of 58 11 to 12-year-olds on a spatial visualization task and a spatial orientation task. The students completed these tasks and explained their thinking during individual interviews. The qualitative data were analysed to inform pedagogical content knowledge for spatial activities. The study revealed that “matching” or “matching and eliminating” were the typical strategies that students employed on these spatial tasks. However, errors in making associations between parts of the same or different shapes were noted. Students also experienced general difficulties with visual memory and language use to explain their thinking. The students’ specific difficulties in spatial visualization related to obscured items, the perspective used, and the placement and orientation of shapes.

Gender effects in orientation on primary students’ performance on items rich in graphics

This study investigated the longitudinal performance of 378 students who completed mathematics items rich in graphics. Specifically, this study explored student performance across axis (e.g., numbers lines), opposed-position (e.g., line and column graphs) and circular (e.g., pie charts) items over a three-year period (ages 9-11 years). The results of the study revealed significant performance differences in the favour of boys on graphics items that were represented in horizontal and vertical displays. There were no gender differences on items that were represented in a circular manner.

The influences of conceptions of learning and learner self-concept on high school students' approaches to learning

This study investigated the mediating effect of learner selfconcept between conceptions of learning and students' approaches to learning using structural equation modelling. Data were collected using a modified version of Biggs' Learning Process Questionnaire, together with the recently developed 'What is Learning Survey' and 'Learner Self-Concept Scale'. A sample of 355 high school students participated in the study. Results indicate that learner self-concept does mediate between conceptions of meaning and approaches to learning. Students who adopted a deep approach liked learning new things and indirectly viewed learning as experiential, involving social interaction and directly viewed learning as personal development. Implications for teachers are discussed, with consideration given to appropriate classroom practice.

Retrospectivity and the rule of law

This book analyses and refines the arguments for and against retrospective rule making, concluding that there is one really strong argument against it: the expectation that, if an individual's actions are considered by a future court, the legal consequences of that action will be determined by the law that was discoverable at the time the action was performed. This argument, which goes to the heart of the rule of law, is generally determinative. However, in some cases the argument does not run and this book suggests that, in some areas of law, reliance should be actively discouraged by prospective warnings that the law is subject to change.

Encouraging ethics and challenging corruption : reforming governance in public institutions

Encouraging Ethics and Preventing Corruption brings theory and practice together in addressing the question: How are we to be ethical in public life and through public institutions? It is a major contribution to public sector ethics within Australia and internationally because it provides an exhaustive analysis of reform across a decade in one jurisdiction, Queensland, and then proceeds to itemise a best practice integrity system or ethics regime. Drawing on the extensive research of two of Australia's leading practical ethicists, this text is essential reading for all students and practitioners of applied and professional ethics in the public sphere. Part A of the text provides a preferred theoretical and conceptual framework which both justifies and guides the development of a public sector ethics regime. Part B examines the place of the individual within a world of institutional ethics. Part C outlines the Queensland governance reforms introduced since 1989 following the Fitzgerald Inquiry which exposed corruption in the police and ministry. The final chapter, the 'Epilogue', gathers the insights of earlier chapters and suggests a more explicitly ethics-centred approach to governance reform that may take us 'beyond best practice'. Clearly, while it is the Australian context we have in mind, we are confident that this is a text which addresses the quest for integrity and ethics in government wherever society is committed to social and liberal democratic ideals.

Information literacy and learning

This book explores the relationship between information literacy and learning. It reports on the findings of research into the experience of students studying music and tax law in higher edcuation; investigating in depth the way in which they approach the twin activities of information use and discipline learning. The key findings of this study include: • A description of the nature of the experienced relationship between information literacy and learning in music composition and tax law as 1) Applying, 2) Discovering and 3) Expressing (music) or Understanding (tax law); • the theoretical GeST windows model and alignment of the model with the empirical study; • the presentation of curriculum implications in music and tax law, and • an exploration of the nature of information as-it-is-experienced. The findings may be used by teachers, students, librarians, academic skills advisors,academic developers and policy makers in higher education.

Teacher praise and feedback and students’ perceptions of the classroom environment

The relationships between teacher praise and feedback, and students’ perceptions of the classroom environment were investigated in six rural elementary schools (n 5 747). The Teacher Feedback Scale and My Classroom Scale were developed as part of this study and used to collect the data. Structural equation modelling was used to test a hypothesised model. The results indicated that negative teacher feedback and effort feedback were both related to students’ relationships with their teachers, while ability feedback was associated with perceptions of the classroom environment. Praise was not related to classroom environment or teacher–student relationships. Significant age and gender differences were found. Additionally, differences were found between students who were satisfied with their classroom and those who were dissatisfied. Satisfied students received more general praise, general ability feedback, effort feedback and less negative teacher feedback when compared to dissatisfied students. Research studies have emphasised the influence of signicicant adults (teachers and parents) on students’ personal development (Porlier et al., 1999) and the importance of significant others’ verbal statements when directed at children (Burnett, 1996a). The relationships between negative and positive statements made by teachers, parents, peers and siblings and children’s self-talk have been investigated (Burnett, 1996a) and positive statements (praise) have been found to be more beneficial than verbal criticism (Burnett, 1999). The quality of life in the classroom in recent times has been considered of great importance to students (Thorp et al., 1994) and this is recognised by Baker (1999) who reported a relationship between students’ satisfaction with the learning environment, and differential teacher feedback and praise. This study investigated the relationships between teacher praise and feedback, and how students perceived their classroom and their relationship with their teacher.

Discriminating between primary school students with high and low self-esteem.

From an initial sample of 747 primary school students, the top 16 percent (n =116) with high self-esteem (HSE) and the bottom 15 percent (n = I1 I) with low selfesteem (LSE) were se/eeted. These two groups were then compared on personal and classroom variables. Significant differences were found for all personal (self-talk, selfconcepts) and classroom (teacher feedback, praise, teacher-student relationship, and classroom environment) variables. Students with HSE scored more highly on all variables. Discriminant Function Analysis (DFA) was then used to determine which variables discriminated between these two groups of students. Learner self-concept, positive and negative self-talk, classroom environment, and effort feedback were the best discriminators of students with high and low self-esteem. Implications for educational psychologists and teachers are discussed.

Elementary school students’ learner self-concept, academic self-concepts and approaches to learning

The present study investigated the relationships between academic selfconcepts, learner self-concept, and approaches to learning in elementary school students. A sample of 580 Australian Grade 6 and 7 school students with a mean age of 10.7 years participated in the study. Weak negative correlations between learner self-concepts and surface approaches to learning were identiŽ ed. In contrast, deep approaches for both boys and girls showed the highest positive correlations with school self-concept and learning self-concept. Only slight variations in these Ž gures were found between boys and girls.

Elementary students, creativity, and technology

This article reports on the impact on student personal creativity of a longitudinal study that had as its major goal the creation of a unique intervention program for elementary students. The intervention was based on the National Profile and Statement (Curriculum Corporation, 1994a, 1994b) for the curriculum area of technology. The intervention program comprised thematically based units of work that integrated all eight Australian Key Learning Areas (KLA). A pretest/posttest control group design investigation (Campbell & Stanley, 1963) was undertaken with 580 students from 7 schools and 24 class groups that were randomly divided into 3 treatment groups. One group (10 classes) formed the control group. Another 7 classes received the year-long intervention program, while the remaining 7 classes received the intervention, but with the added seamless integration of their available classroom computer technologies. The effect of the intervention on the personal creativity characteristics of the students involved in the study was assessed using the Creativity Checklist, an instrument that was developed during the study. The results suggest that the purposeful integration of computer technology with the intervention program positively affects the personal creativity characteristics of students.

Students’ perceptions of teaching and learning: the influence of students’ approaches to learning and teachers’ approaches to teaching

Nearly 500 secondary students in 24 classes were surveyed and four students in each class interviewed concerning their approaches to learning and perceptions of their classroom environment. While interviewed students with deep approaches to learning generally demonstrated a more sophisticated understanding of the learning opportunities offered to them than did students with surface approaches, teaching strategies also influenced students' perceptions. When teachers focused strongly on actively engaging students and creating a supportive environment, students with both deep and surface approaches focused on student-centred aspects of the class. In contrast, when traditional expository teaching methods were used exclusively, students with deep and surface approaches both focused on transmission and reproduction.

Foucault Goes to Law School : Using Foucault to Examine Australian Legal Education

This paper will consider the way that Foucault’s work has been utilised to examine Australian legal education, particularly in the context of understanding the construction of the legal identity. While remaining sensitive to the many potential ‘uses’ of Foucault’s tools, as well as his problematisation of the author as an organising feature of discourse, this paper will argue that legal education scholarship overwhelmingly utilises concepts such as ‘discourse’ and ‘power-knowledge’, which, while useful, cannot provide a nuanced understanding of the construction of the legal identity. Consequently, this paper suggests that future legal education research utilise Foucault’s concepts of ‘ethics’ and ‘governmentality’ to address these issues.