Some conceptual issues in education for sustainable development

There is a strong international, national and regional mandate for Education for Sustainable Development (ESD): the United Nations has gazetted a 'decade of education for sustainability; sustainability is Australia's top research priority area; and there is increasing local concern about specific sustainability issues like the effect of the sea change movement on Australia's coastal communities. In this paper I will consider two contemporary conceptual issues in ESD: the contested nature of the field itself; and the relationship between traditional discipline-based educational structures and ESD. In addition to these conceptual issues, I will draw on a recent practical example of fl sustainability project in raising some questions concerning the distinguishing characteristics of sustainability issues that perhaps ought to be addressed in ESD.

Effect of epinephrine on glucose disposal during exercise in humans: role of muscle glycogen

This study examined the effect of epinephrine on glucose disposal during moderate exercise when glycogenolytic flux was limited by low preexercise skeletal muscle glycogen availability. Six male subjects cycled for 40 min at 59 ± 1% peak pulmonary O₂ uptake on two occasions, either without (CON) or with (EPI) epinephrine infusion starting after 20 min of exercise. On the day before each experimental trial, subjects completed fatiguing exercise and then maintained a low carbohydrate diet to lower muscle glycogen. Muscle samples were obtained after 20 and 40 min of exercise, and glucose kinetics were measured using [6,6-²H]glucose. Exercise increased plasma epinephrine above resting concentrations in both trials, and plasma epinephrine was higher (P < 0.05) during the final 20 min in EPI compared with CON. Muscle glycogen levels were low after 20 min of exercise (CON, 117 ± 25; EPI, 122 ± 20 mmol/kg dry matter), and net muscle glycogen breakdown and muscle glucose 6-phosphate levels during the subsequent 20 min of exercise were unaffected by epinephrine infusion. Plasma glucose increased with epinephrine infusion (i.e., 20-40 min), and this was due to a decrease in glucose disposal (R_d) (40 min: CON, 33.8 ± 3; EPI, 20.9 ± 4.9 µmol · kg^-1 · min^-1, P < 0.05), because the exercise-induced rise in glucose rate of appearance was similar in the trials. These results show that glucose R_d during exercise is reduced by elevated plasma epinephrine, even when muscle glycogen availability and utilization are low. This suggests that the effect of epinephrine does not appear to be mediated by increased glucose 6-phosphate, secondary to enhanced muscle glycogenolysis, but may be linked to a direct effect of epinephrine on sarcolemmal glucose transport.

Experiencing change: an inside view from the outside

As a South African of Indian descent I bring to education in Victoria an intimate knowledge of 'change in progress' and seek to use that for the benefit of my disciplines as a practitioner and teacher, primarily of music at primary, secondary and tertiary levels. In this article, I discuss some of the gains made by Australian teachers through using African music in their settings, and also describe what some of their teaching and learning needs are. This article arises from two research projects that I undertook: with students at Deakin University (2002-2003) and with music teachers who are currently teaching African music in Melbourne, Australia (2004). The student project investigated the potential for using African music to enhance the generic musical experiences, learning, motivation, interest, confidence and competence of non-specialist primary pre-service teachers. The teacher project explored why teachers are embracing change through the use of African music, what type of African music is taught and how it is being taught. In a world that is in a state of almost constant flux, teachers face the challenge to maintain the relevance of the curriculum and to promote openness to the cultural diversity represented in our contemporary Australian society. Both groups report highly positive changes.

The manifestation of varieties of blended learning pedagogy (BLP) : interplay between academic, institutional and global pedagogy

Despite the increased recognition of the potential use of online technologies to deliver flexible and student-centered learning environments in higher education, there are numerous critiques that its usage does not transform the daily practices of teaching and learning. This paper draws on some of the findings from three case studies that explored the manifestation of blended learning pedagogies (BLP). Six academics teaching at three different higher education contexts at two different countries, namely Australia and Malaysia were interviewed. The study aimed to interrogate the different manifestation of BLP at the different contexts of higher education, highlighting the complex interplay between the users (academics), technology and the specific socio-cultural contexts. Focusing on the academic identities that are shaped and reshaped within its socio-cultural context, this study demonstrated the complexity and fluidity of the manifestation of the different varieties of BLP. It contributes to further understanding the ways in which online technologies are used in teaching and learning within context of global knowledge economy that emphasizes flexibility and active co-production of knowledge.

National and international disability rights legislation: a qualitative account of its enactment in Australia

In this paper, a detailed analysis based on the lived experiences of the study participants and the researcher (each with vision impairment) in education, post school and in the pursuit for employment is developed. The policy discourses of disability legislation - both at national and international levels - are explored with particular reference to their enactment in Australia. The analysis focuses on the collective indifference to detached others, which is evident in the linguistic construction of people with disabilities in the United Nations [(2006). Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. New York: United Nations] and the Australian Standards for Education 2005 [Australian Department of Education, Science and Training. 2006. Disability Standards for Education 2005 Plus Guidance Notes. Accessed March 12, 2012. http://nla.gov.au/nla.arc-7692.]. Together, these elements reflect the neoliberal principles that cast a shadow over the discourses of the disability policies.

Environmental education research in southern Africa: dilemmas of interpretation

These multiple framings of our reflections on environmental education research in southern Africa are written as dilemmas of interpretation that aim to disrupt any temptation to generalise or essentialise its qualities and characteristics. Recognising that research is a textual practice, we use J. M. Coetzee's portrayal of the dilemmas faced by African novelists as a point of departure in reflecting on the changing landscape of environmental education research in southern Africa as we have experienced it over six years. We provide readings framed by reference to post-colonialism, changing epistemologies and methodologies, contexts of transformation and tension, the influence of international organisations such as the United Nations and its instrumentalities, and concerns about human rights and accountability. We conclude by affirming the post-colonialist trajectories of environmental education research in southern Africa and speculating on the distinctive possibilities that recovering ubuntu (an ethic of sharing and hospitality) might offer to researchers in this region.

Evaluation of a stress management course in adult education centres in rural Australia

Objective: To investigate whether attending a six-week stress management course in a rural adult education centre is effective in reducing participants' levels of stress, anxiety and depression.

Design: Repeated measures design using self-report measures of stress, anxiety and depression at commencement and completion of a six-week stress management course, and six months post-completion follow up.

Setting and participants: One hundred and thirty-two adults (age range 18–73 years) living in a rural community who self-enrolled in the stress management course at adult education centres.

Intervention: The course consisted of six weekly group sessions. Each two-hour session conducted by mental health professionals, included teaching cognitive behavioural strategies targeted at reducing individual symptoms of stress.

Main outcome measures: Comparative analysis of pre- and post-test and six-month follow up on measures of stress (Stress Symptom Checklist), anxiety and depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale).

Results: Results indicated a significant reduction in stress symptoms (F(7,90) = 34.92, P < 0.001), anxiety and depression (F(3,95) = 87.92, P < 0.001) from course commencement to course completion. These improvements were sustained six months after course completion for stress symptoms (F(11,65) = 22.40, P < 0.001), anxiety and depression (F(5,73) = 41.78, P < 0.001).

Conclusion: Findings demonstrate the stress management course is an effective community intervention in a rural community. Challenges for future implementation of the program are discussed.

From empire to filmi: a fusion of western and Indian cultural practices in Australian music education

During the 19th and 20th centuries, Indian culture was represented in Australia as part of celebrations of the British Empire. Children were presented with stereotypic representations of Indian culture, which provide a snapshot of contemporary perceptions. Such representations were rarely authentic. By removing music from one culture and presenting it in the symbolic gestures of another we strip away much of its meaning. Encouragingly, contemporary popular culture can incorporate a fusion of western and Indian cultural practices, such as filmi (Hindi: `film song' or `Indian film music'). This article describes early imperialist understandings of Indian culture in Australian school music to contextualize recent attempts to engage with more authentic intercultural understandings. To assist teachers in the presentation of `other' musics, guidelines for the inclusion of authentic materials are offered. By selecting music that is already a fusion of cultures and musical styles, it becomes easier for western music educators to engage with the other.

A psychometric evaluation of the Learning Styles Questionnaire : 40-item version

Sixty-six English-speaking postgraduate distance-education medical students completed the Learning Styles Questionnaire (LSQ: 40-item version). This was completed while attending a residential workshop at the beginning of the semester, and 44 of these students completed the same LSQ questionnaire 5 months later at the completion of the semester. The psychometric properties of the LSQ were assessed using Cronbach’s alpha (internal consistency), test-retest, correlational analyses and factor analysis. The results indicated that the LSQ (40-item version) has poor reliability and validity, and therefore requires further development and psychometric evaluation.

Public relations practice in ASEAN nations: local, regional, global visions

 This thesis examines the views, concerns and outlooks of public relations practitioners in six countries of South East Asia, seeking to understand the extent to which their views about their work and their world correspond with those of practitioners in the developed countries of the west. It reveals a range of distinctive issues and concerns requiring greater recognition in international public relations literature.

Big change questions : can we create a form of public education that delivers high standards for all students in the emerging knowledge society?

Within many Anglophone nation states there is significant debate about
the future of public education and its ongoing capacity to provide quality
education. The new knowledge economy not only challenges the position
of educators as the primary producers, disseminators and authorizers of
what is valued knowledge, but also requires them to prepare students for
new ways of working with that knowledge. In the service economies of
post-industrial Western nations, 'knowledge work' is critical to national
productivity and international competitiveness. At the same time, the
globalization logic suggests that the nation state is under threat, and therefore its role as provider of universal services such as education is also threatened.

Education, state and agency in dystopian children's texts

The manifestation of dystopian and utopian discourses in children's texts, are inflected by questions of agency, often played out through narratives in which protagonists forge identities as members of communities and citizens of nations. Education shapes not merely what children know but how they regard themselves and the possibilities open to them.