Child-related factors that influence teacher-child relationships using an Australian national sample

This study assessed the extent to which child-related factors had an impact on teacher-child relationships in Australian childcare settings. Analyses used data from Growing Up in Australia: The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC). The sample consisted of 1577 two to three year old children (M= 33.9 months, SD=2.93; 51.5% male). Two separate hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted to examine the relation between teachers’ perceptions of their relationships with children and (a) gender, (b), indigenous status, (c), language background other than English, (d), socio-economic position, (e) special health care needs, (f) expression and receptive language concerns, (g) psychosocial competence and problems and (h) temperament factors (approach, persistence and reactivity). Results indicated that special health care needs, receptive language concerns and all three temperament scales (approach, persistence and reactivity) significantly predicted conflict in teacher-child relationships. Close relationships were predicted by being female, indigenous status, higher socio-economic position, not having a special health care need and no expressive language concerns.

Data and measurement in Year 4 of the national curriculum : Mathematics

The activities introduced here were used in association with a research project in four Year 4 classrooms and are suggested as a motivating way to address several criteria for Measurement and Data in the Australian Curriculum: Mathematics. The activities involve measuring the arm span of one student in a class many times and then of all students once.

The inaccuracy of national character stereotypes

Consensual stereotypes of some groups are relatively accurate, whereas others are not. Previous work suggesting that national character stereotypes are inaccurate has been criticized on several grounds. In this article we (a) provide arguments for the validity of assessed national mean trait levels as criteria for evaluating stereotype accuracy and (b) report new data on national character in 26 cultures from descriptions (N= 3323) of the typical male or female adolescent, adult, or old person in each. The average ratings were internally consistent and converged with independent stereotypes of the typical culture member, but were weakly related to objective assessments of personality. We argue that this conclusion is consistent with the broader literature on the inaccuracy of national character stereotypes

Bail and remand for young people in Australia : a national research project

Funded and endorsed by the Australasian Juvenile Justice Administrators, this is one of the first national scale research reports into the bail and remand practices for young Australians. A young person can be placed in custody on remand (ie refused bail) after being arrested by police in relation to a suspected criminal offence, before entering a plea, while awaiting trial, during trial or awaiting sentence. Although custodial remand plays an important role in Western criminal justice systems, minimising the unnecessary use of remand is important given the obligations Australia has under several UN instruments to use, as a last resort, youth detention of any kind. This research identifies trends in the use of custodial remand and explores the factors that influence its use for young people nationally and in each of Australia’s jurisdictions.

The primary school as a logic machine

This paper makes a case for thinking about the primary school as a logic machine (apparatus) as a way of thinking about processes of in-school stratification. Firstly we discuss related literature on in-school stratification in primary schools, particularly as it relates to literacy learning. Secondly we explain how school reform can be thought about in terms of the idea of the machine or apparatus. In which case the processes of in-school stratification can be mapped as more than simply concerns about school organisation (such as students grouping) but also involve a politics of truth, played out in each school, that constitutes school culture and what counts as ‘good’ pedagogy. Thirdly, the chapter will focus specifically on research conducted into primary schools in the Northern Suburbs of Adelaide, one of the most educationally disadvantaged regions in Australia, as a case study of the relationship between in-school stratification and the reproduction of inequality. We will draw from more than 20 years of ethnographic work in primary school in the northern suburbs of Adelaide and provide a snapshot of a recent attempt to improve literacy achievement in a few Northern Suburbs public primary schools (SILA project). The SILA project, through diagnostic reviews, has provided a significant analysis of the challenges facing policy and practice in such challenging school contexts that also maps onto existing (inter)national research. These diagnostic reviews said ‘hard things’ that required attention by SILA schools and these included: · an over reliance on whole class, low level, routine tasks and hence a lack of challenge and rigour in the learning tasks offered to students ; · a focus on the 'code breaking' function of language at the expense of richer conceptualisations of literacy that might guide teachers’ understanding of challenging pedagogies ; · the need for substantial shifts in the culture of schools, especially unsettling deficit views of students and their communities ; · a need to provide a more ‘consistent’ approach to teaching literacy across the school; · a need to focus School Improvement Plans in order to implement a clear focus on literacy learning; and, · a need to sustain professional learning to produce new knowledge and practice . The paper will conclude with suggestions for further research and possible reform projects into the primary school as a logic machine.

The operating schedule for battery energy storage companies in electricity market

This paper presents a series of operating schedules for Battery Energy Storage Companies (BESC) to provide peak shaving and spinning reserve services in the electricity markets under increasing wind penetration. As individual market participants, BESC can bid in ancillary services markets in an Independent System Operator (ISO) and contribute towards frequency and voltage support in the grid. Recent development in batteries technologies and availability of the day-ahead spot market prices would make BESC economically feasible. Profit maximization of BESC is achieved by determining the optimum capacity of Energy Storage Systems (ESS) required for meeting spinning reserve requirements as well as peak shaving. Historic spot market prices and frequency deviations from Australia Energy Market Operator (AEMO) are used for numerical simulations and the economic benefits of BESC is considered reflecting various aspects in Australia’s National Electricity Markets (NEM).

National survey of viruses in pastures of subterranean clover. II. Statistical methodology for large scale quantitative ELISA

Statistical methodology was applied to a survey of time-course incidence of four viruses (alfalfa mosaic virus, clover yellow vein virus, subterranean clover mottle virus and subterranean clover red leaf virus) in improved pastures in southern regions of Australia. -from Authors

National survey of viruses in pastures of subterranean clover. I. Incidence of four viruses assessed by ELISA

A nationwide survey was made of the time-course incidence of alfalfa mosaic virus (AMV), clover yellow vein virus (CYVV), subterranean clover mottle virus (SCMoV) and subterranean clover red leaf virus (SCRLV) in improved pastures in southern regions of Australia. Averaged over all states, the highest mean incidence recorded for samples infected with individual viruses in either winter or spring was 9.4% for AMV, 5.7% for CYVV, 10.9% for SCMoV and 7.5% for SCRLV. For AMV and SCRLV, there was an increasing trend from spring 1984 to spring 1986. A similar increasing trend for SCMoV was more evident in winter than in spring. For CYVV, no time-course pattern was evident. Results support the proposition that viruses contribute significantly to "clover-decline', a well-known problem in pastures of Trifolium subterraneum. -from Authors

The national railway of Sarah Island : Richard Flanagan's Gould's Book of Fish

In the latter half of the nineteenth century the railway became an emblem of technological advancement, stood for the improvement and progression of European life, and became a recognizable symbol for the achievements of governments and citizens. The implementation and use of the railway became closely linked with notions of national identity and character. The railway became an identifiable artefact in official history but at the same time it became a part of everyday life. Richard Flanagan’s Gould’s Book of Fish retells the life-story of a fictionalized convict sent to Sarah Island and who paints fish, eventually he metamorphoses into one. It could be thought that a novel set in convict times would have little to do with notions of national identity, technological advancement, and railway travel. However, Richard Flanagan, in this very complex, almost surreal, novel, has used the construction of a fictional national railway as one of the ways to explore Australia's complex relationship with history and space. The novel tells of the plans of a history-loving Commandant and his desire to build a national railway on Sarah Island. This paper explores how Sarah Island becomes a metonym for Australia as a whole and Flanagan's novel takes on a metaphysical dimension as he reveals the struggles that emerge when official history collides with non-official versions. The fabulations of the novel contribute to an historical reconstruction of the spatial/architectural history of the Tasmanian colonial project.

Current dementia research in Australia : a report from the Alzheimer's Australia 15th National Conference

The Alzheimer’s Australia 15th National Conference held on 14–17 May 2013 in Hobart (Tasmania, Australia) attracted a wide range of attendees, including people living with dementia, family caregivers, health professionals and researchers. The conference theme, The Tiles of Life Coloring the Future, invoking a vision of a better future for those affected by dementia, had seven subthemes: liberation, rehabilitation, leisure,service, creativity, wellbeing and research.

The relationship between teachers' perceptions of school leadership and their perceptions of the implementation of the National Curriculum

The National Curriculum is an innovation in Australian schooling history and is likely to have a widespread and long-term impact on schools, teachers and students. This research used theoretical frameworks informed by Leithwood (1994) and Fullan (2007), and concepts related to innovation, to contribute to an understanding that may support a better understanding of teachers' perceptions when leading curriculum change such as a National Curriculum in schools. This research concludes that teachers who participated in the research demonstrated that their perceptions of a National Curriculum implementation are influenced by their perceptions of school leadership. Specifically, teachers with positive perceptions of their Principal's leadership also had positive perceptions of their capacity to implement the new National Curriculum.

Joseph Maiden and the national and transnational circulation of Wattle Acacia spp

During the nineteenth century and in the early years of the twentieth century wattle was circulated by botanists, botanical institutions, interested individuals, commercial seedsmen and government authorities. Wattle bark was used in the production of leather and was the subject of debate regarding its commercial development and conservation in Australia. It was also trialled in many other locations including America, New Zealand, Hawaii and Russia. In the process, South Africa became a major producer of wattle bark for a global market. At the same time wattle was also promoted as a symbol of Australian nationalism. This paper considers this movement of wattles, wattle material and wattle information by examining the career of one active agent in these botanical transfers: Joseph Maiden. In doing so it demonstrates that these seemingly different uses of the wattle overlap transnational and national spheres.

The National Disability Insurance Scheme Handbook

"The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) was launched on 1 July 2013. The NDIS Act 2013 is an historic piece of legislation that is the foundation for a national scheme which will deliver meaningful change for people with disabilities across Australia. The NDIS seeks to support the independence and social and economic participation of people with a disability, mainly by funding the provision of reasonable and necessary supports, including early intervention supports. The NDIS establishes three main criteria for access to the scheme - age, residence and disability. The National Disability Insurance Scheme Handbook written by Bill Madden, Janine McIlwraith and Ruanne Brell examines the NDIS from the viewpoint of a person seeking to access the NDIS and those advising or assisting them. The three key criteria are examined, along with the powers of the NDIS Chief Executive Officer and the scope for review of adverse decisions. The important area of interplay between the NDIS and compensation entitlements is carefully scrutinised. This handbook provides scheme users, carers, lawyers and health practitioners with an easy to understand guide to this watershed legal development."--Publisher website