Pathway from vocational education and associate degree to higher education: Chinese international students in Australia

Understanding factors influencing international students' decision to engage in international education is essential for education providers to better cater for students' educational expectations and enhance their attractiveness to international students. Whilst there has been extensive research on the reasons why international students undertake cross-border higher education, international students' motivations for enrolling in vocational education and associate degree programmes are still under-researched. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with 30 international students from China, this research found that pathway to higher education appears to be the most important factor motivating international students to undertake vocational education and associate degree programmes. In addition, prospect of immigration, English language proficiency, previous academic performance, agent's recommendations and relatives' and friends' advice are amongst the important factors that students take into account in their decision to choose vocational education and associate degree programmes. This research also examines why Chinese international students have chosen vocational education programmes in a dual-sector university over vocational education colleges. It found that the flexibility to articulate to higher education, international reputation of the programme, practical training and favourable location are key issues that these students draw on when making their decision to study in a dual-sector university.

Marine educators: Linking personal commitment, education and public policy

This thesis reports on a study of the experiences and beliefs of a sample of marine educators from both Canada and Australia. It investigates the educators’ narratives in order to explore their role in regards to their interactions and relationships between and with policy, community and education within the marine education context.

Australian Unity Wellbeing Index survey 30.0 : The wellbeing of Australians – social media, personal achievement, and work : Report

The Australian Unity Wellbeing Index monitors the subjective wellbeing of the Australian population. Our first survey was conducted in April 2001 and this report concerns the 30th survey, undertaken in August 2013. Our previous survey had been conducted four months earlier in April. This intervening period corresponded to the 6th year of the Labor Government, elected in November 2007. Shortly after data collection, on 7th September, an election took place at which Labor lost to the Liberal Party Coalition.
The share market had been stable for a couple of years, at a level well below its peak before the financial crisis. However, unemployment remained at about 5% and for those people with jobs, many were better-off financially due to cuts in interest rates, and so, in mortgage repayments.
Each survey involves a telephone interview with a new sample of 2,000 Australians, selected to represent the geographic distribution of the national population. These surveys comprise the Personal Wellbeing Index, which measures people’s satisfaction with their own lives, and the National Wellbeing Index, which measures how satisfied people are with life in Australia. Other items include a standard set of demographic questions and other survey-specific questions. The specific topics for Survey 30 are social media, personal achievement, and work conditions.

Reflections on learning, life and work : completing doctoral studies in mid and later life and career

Book review of : Reflections on learning, life and work: Completing doctoral studies in mid and later life and career, by Maureen Ryan

Obesity prevention interventions in early childhood education and care settings with parental involvement: a systematic review

Partnering early childhood education and care (ECEC) and the home together may be more effective in combating obesogenic risk factors in preschool children. Thus, an evaluation of ECEC obesity prevention interventions with a parental component was conducted, exploring parental engagement and its effect on obesity and healthy lifestyle outcomes. A search revealed 15 peer-reviewed papers. Some studies demonstrated positive weight changes, and secondary outcomes of changes in physical activity and healthy eating were reported in most studies; study quality ranged from fair to good. Four findings were linked to weight changes: (1) when educational material is consistent across settings; (2) capacity building of parents; (3) parents encouraging their children to drink water and (4) parental satisfaction and participation. A partnership between parents and ECEC may be a powerful force in the prevention of paediatric obesity. A better understanding of collaborative parental engagement is needed.

Use of motivational interviewing to improve return-to-work and work-related outcomes: a review

Work-based return-to-work (RTW) interventions can help to reduce the duration and cost of work disability, and in turn, prevent the negative effects of long-term sickness absence. However, there are a number of complex cognitive, affective and behavioural factors that can impact an individual's confidence, motivation and willingness to RTW that need to be addressed to facilitate effective outcomes. This literature review investigates evidence for the use of motivational interviewing (MI) for improving return-to-work (RTW) and employment outcomes. Whilst evidence for the efficacy of MI in clinical settings to motivate health behaviour change is strong, more research is needed to determine whether MI can be usefully applied to improve RTW and other work-related outcomes. © 2014 The Author(s).

Planning education and indigenous knowledge systems in Australia: where are we?

In 2008 Sarah Oberklaid reviewed the state of Indigenous knowledge systems in the Planning Institute of Australia (PIA)-accredited University planning programs and found a fragmented unfocused suite of agendas and attempts at addressing this increasingly important moral, cultural and land use management issue. While Oberklaid statistically validated what several authors have observed, and continue to observe, there appears to have been little action by programs, and specifically the PIA (Planning Institute of Australia), to address this issue and reposition their education accreditation policies; with the latter increasingly reluctant to engage with their professional responsibilities. This paper appraises this situation and foreshadows continuing research that may better inform and support a change of perspective by the PIA andthese programs.