Peer mentoring the first time around : Is it all a matter of negotiation?

In 2002, the senior executive at Deakin University sought applications from staff for academic professional development funding. This was intended to support programs related to the Deakin First Year Initiative, a university-wide coordinated approach to transition. The Faculty of Health & Behavioural Sciences was successful in gaining a grant for the design, implementation and evaluation of a peer mentoring pilot program, which has been introduced this year for students undertaking the Bachelor of Applied Science (Health Sciences). This generic undergraduate program draws from and complements the specialist fields of study on offer in the Faculty. It is very flexible, within given parameters, allowing students to combine study according to their interests, abilities and career aspirations. In this session, we will explore the challenges faced so far by the program managers in devising a program that will successfully cater for approximately 50 first year students undertaking diverse majors across the Faculty.

Associations between the physical and social environment and depressive symptomology among Australian adolescents

Depression is a significant public health issue among Australian adolescents. A number of family, school and community level factors have been identified as important determinants of adolescent's health and well-being, including depression. This study examines associations between measures of the social and physical environment and adolescent mental health, specifically depressive symptomotology using data from the Healthy Neighbourhoods study, a large observational study carried out in 231 Australian schools stratified by socioeconomic quartiles and urban/non-urban geography, which focuses on adolescent health and well-being. Participants were 8256 year 6 and 8
students (48% male), aged 11-16 years (M = 11.6, SD = 0.8 years) from schools across Victoria,Queensland and Western Australia who completed a comprehensive on-line survey. Data collected included the Short Mood and Feeling Questionnaire (SMFQL a tool for assessing depressive symptomotology in adolescents. Results showed that the mean total depression score (possible range 0-26 with total scores;:: 8 used as the cutoff for depression symptomotology) was 6.4 (SD = 5.9), with scores for females (M = 6.8, SD = 6.3) higher than those for males (M = 5.9, SD = 5.5), and scores for year 8 students (M = 6.7,SD = 6.1) higher than those for year 6 students (M = 6.2, SD = 5.8) (p < .001). Greater access to sporting and play equipment, local parks, and more functional neighbourhoods for walking and jogging reduced the odds for depressive symptomotology (p < .05L while increased levels of abandoned homes, and higher levels of fighting within the neighbourhood, and fewer scout/guide clubs, local teams to play sport, and adults in the neighbourhood to talk with, as well as reduced neighbourhood safety increased the odds for depressive symptomotology (p < .05). These findings support the important role of physical and social environments in influencing adolescent health and well-being. Modifications to particular aspects of these environments at the community level may assist in providing adolescents some protection from depression.

The impact of living environment on satisfaction with social relationships upon commencing university

Making the transition to university is a significant life event for many young people. It is believed that strong social relationships can help make this transition more successful. In this study, 201 full-time, first year university students completed a survey in order to examine whether those students who remained living with their parents differed on a range of social relationship variables compared to those who lived on-campus or off-campus independently from their parents. Results revealed that students living independently off-campus reported significantly lower satisfaction with their living environment and opportunities to make new friends at university, as well as significantly higher levels of depression, and higher levels of loneliness which approached significance. These findings indicate that universities may need to focus more attention on this particular sub-group, in an attempt to increase the successful transition of students from high school to university. Future research could endeavour to develop strategies for increasing university students' social relationships and support networks.

Abstracting in the context of spontaneous learning

There is evidence that spontaneous learning leads to relational understanding and high positive affect. To study spontaneous abstracting, a model was constructed by combining the RBC model of abstraction with Krutetskii's mental activities. Using video-stimulated interviews, the model was then used to analyse the behaviour of two Year 8 students who had demonstrated spontaneous abstracting. The analysis highlighted the crucial role of synthetic and evaluative analysis, two processes that seem unlikely to occur under guided construction.

‘My history is a tile in a mosaic’ : an interview with Jim Cullen

JIM CULLEN was born in Queens, New York, and attended public schools on Long Island. He received his B.A. in English from Tufts University, and his A.M. and Ph.D. degrees in American Civilization from Brown University. He has taught at a number of colleges and universities, including Harvard and Brown. He is currently a teacher, and serves on the Board of the Trustees, at the Ethical Culture Fieldston School in New York City. Jim is married to historian Lyde Cullen Sizer and has four children.
CONTEXT: Dr Glenn Moore co-ordinates the subject 'Searching for the American Dream’ at The University of Melbourne. For the last nine years he has taken second and third year history students to Boston, New York and Washington, D.C to explore the philosophy of genius loci. Dr Moore gets students to work in food banks, visit homeless shelters, museums and organizes an array of guest speakers with experts such as Boston public defender, Denise Regan, Neera Tanden, Hillary Clinton’s campaign manager and Alec Ross, vice president of One Economy. As the leading expert on the American Dream, with the publication of so many books in American history such as: The American Dream: A Short History of an Idea that Shaped a Nation, Born in the U.S.A.: Bruce Springsteen and the American Tradition and Restless in the Promised Land: Catholics and the American Dream, Jim Cullen has spoken to the students for the last five years. I interviewed him prior to his recent discussion with the students in New York on 5 July 2006 at the Fashion Institute of Technology.

Bystander behaviour as an influence on bullying in high schools

In response to evidence that bullying in schools persists in the presence of bystanders, this study sought to add to the existing knowledge about its reinforcing effects. The objectives of this research project were to investigate non-intervention in bullying incidents by students. Unique approaches of this research are the multi-dimensional investigation of the emotional, cognitive and behavioural factors from the bystander's perspective, within the context of a co-educational Catholic high school, in a sample of eighteen Year 8 students. In-depth and group interviews, participant observation and the input of a focus group of teachers formed the data collection. Previous findings that fear prevents bystanders from taking action, were extended by this study which revealed was that there are several sources of this fear. The study found reasons for students' fear included embarrassment at making a mistake, the importance of the teachers' responses, the need to assimilate into the new school culture, to be 'cool' and to avoid a negative, conforming self-image. Importantly, the existing focus on fear does not explain why students do not anonymously report bullying. This study found that students resisted taking responsibility for intervening, and unexpected findings included that students categorised victims, only caring enough to report bullying if the victim were a friend or sibling; and also that the thrill of watching bullying was a strong deterrent to bystander intervention. The study suggests, therefore, information based anti-bullying policies will be ineffective unless students are motivated to intervene. It is crucial that programmes now address the emotional deterrents of fear, excitement and apathy before considering educational approaches, and that future policies need to examine the culture of the school, including teachers' responses to bullying, which dictates the behavioural code for incoming Year 8 students.

Rethinking a learning environment strategy

I have committed a significant period of time (in my case five years) to the purpose development of learning environments, with the belief that it would improve the self-actualisation and self-motivation of students and teachers alike. I consider it important to record and measure performance as we progressed toward such an outcome. Education researchers and practitioners alike, in the higher (university/tertiary) education systems, are seeking among new challenges to engage students and teachers in learning (James, 2001). However, studies to date show a confusing landscape littered with a multiplicity of interpretations and terms, successes and failures. As the discipline leader of the Information Technology, Systems and Multimedia (ITSM) Discipline, Swinburne University of Technology, Lilydale, I found myself struggling with this paradigm. I also found myself being torn between what presents as pragmatic student learning behaviour and the learner-centred teaching ideal reflected in the Swinburne Lilydale mission statement. The research reported in this folio reflects my theory and practice as discipline leader of the ITSM Discipline and the resulting learning environment evolution during the period 1997/8 to 2003. The study adds to the material evidence of extant research through firstly, a meta analysis of the learning environment implemented by the ITSM Discipline as recorded in peer reviewed and published papers; and secondly, a content analysis of student learning approaches, conducted on data reported from a survey of ‘learning skills inventory’ originally conducted by the ITSM Discipline staff in 2002. In 1997 information and communication technologies (ICT) were beginning to provide plausible means for electronic distribution of learning materials on a flexible and repeatable basis, and to provide answers to the imperative of learning materials distribution relating to an ITSM Discipline new course to begin in 1998. A very short time frame of three months was available prior to teaching the course. The ITSM Discipline learning environment development was an evolutionary process I began in 1997/8 initially from the requirement to publish print-based learning guide materials for the new ITSM Discipline subjects. Learning materials and student-to-teacher reciprocal communication would then be delivered and distributed online as virtual learning guides and virtual lectures, over distance as well as maintaining classroom-based instruction design. Virtual here is used to describe the use of ICT and Internet-based approaches. No longer would it be necessary for students to attend classes simply to access lecture content, or fear missing out on vital information. Assumptions I made as discipline leader for the ITSM Discipline included, firstly, that learning should be an active enterprise for the students, teachers and society; secondly, that each student comes to a learning environment with different learning expectations, learning skills and learning styles; and thirdly, that the provision of a holistic learning environment would encourage students to be self-actualising and self-motivated. Considerable reading of research and publications, as outlined in this folio, supported the update of these assumptions relative to teaching and learning. ITSM Discipline staff were required to quickly and naturally change their teaching styles and communication of values to engage with the emergent ITSM Discipline learning environment and pedagogy, and each new teaching situation. From a student perspective such assumptions meant students needed to move from reliance upon teaching and prescriptive transmission of information to a self-motivated and more self-actualising and reflective set of strategies for learning. In constructing this folio, after the introductory chaperts, there are two distinct component parts; • firstly, a Descriptive Meta analysis (Chapter Three) that draws together several of my peer reviewed professional writings and observations that document the progression of the ITSM Discipline learning environment evolution during the period 1997/8 to 2003. As the learning environment designer and discipline leader, my observations and published papers provide insight into the considerations that are required when providing an active, flexible and multi-modal learning environment for students and teachers; and • secondly, a Dissertation (Chapter Four), as a content analysis of a learning skills inventory data collection, collected by the ITSM Discipline in the 2002 Swinburne Lilydale academic year, where students were encouraged to complete reflective journal entries via the ITSM Discipline virtual learning guide subject web-site. That data collection included all students in a majority of subjects supported by the ITSM Discipline for both semesters one and two 2002. The original purpose of the journal entries was to have students reflectively involved in assessing their learning skills and approaches to learning. Such perceptions were tested using a well-known metric, the ‘learning skills inventory’ (Knowles, 1975), augmented with a short reflective learning approach narrative. The journal entries were used by teaching staff originally and then made available to researchers as a desensitised data in 2003 for statistical and content analysis relative to student learning skills and approaches. The findings of my research support a view of the student and teacher enculturation as utilitarian, dependent and pragmatically self-motivated. This, I argue, shows little sign of abatement in the early part of the 21st Century. My observation suggests that this is also independent of the pedagogical and educational philosophy debate or practice as currently presented. As much as the self-actualising, self-motivated learning environment can be justified philosophically, the findings observed from this research, reported in this folio, cannot. Part of the reason for this originates from the debate by educational researchers as to the relative merits of liberal and vocational philosophies for education combined with the recent introduction of information and communication technologies, and commodification of higher education. Challenging students to be participative and active learners, as proposed by educationalists Meyers and Jones (1993), i.e. self-motivated and self-actualising learners, has proved to be problematic. This, I will argue, will require a change to a variable/s (not yet identified) of higher education enculturation on multiple fronts, by students, teachers and society in order to bridge the gap. This research indicates that tertiary educators and educational researchers should stop thinking simplistically of constructivist and/or technology-enabled approaches, students learning choices and teachers teaching choices. Based on my research I argue for a far more holistic set of explanations of student and staff expectations and behaviour, and therefore pedagogy that supports those expectations.

Effect of social background on the development of probabilistic concepts

This research explores how the social backgrounds of a group of students contributed to their intuitive knowledge in probabilistic reasoning, and influenced their processing of the associated mathematics. A group of Year 11 students who came from families for whom the phenomenon of track gambling formed an important part of their cultural background was identified. Another group consisting of students in the same mathematics course (Year 11 Maths in Society) but from families for whom the phenomenon of gambling in any form was totally absent from their social backgrounds was identified. Twenty students were selected from each group. The research employed a qualitative methodology in which a phenomenographic approach was used to investigate the qualitatively different ways in which individuals within the two groups thought about concepts involving probabilistic reasoning, and processed the related mathematical skills and concepts. The cognitive processes involved in the applications of probabilistic and related mathematical concepts in a variety of both gambling and non-gambling situations were studied in order to determine whether this culturally based knowledge could be viewed as a type of ‘ethnomathematics.’ Data were obtained through individual structured interviews which enabled patterns of reasoning to be compared and contrasted. Analyses of these data enabled intuitive mathematical understandings possessed by the gamblers not only to be identified, but also to be linked with their social backgrounds. Also differences between how individuals in the two groups processed probabilistic and associated mathematical knowledge were determined. This research complements and extends existing knowledge and theories related to culturally-based mathematical knowledge. Implications for further research, for classroom teaching, and for curriculum development in the study of probability in senior secondary mathematics classes are discussed.

Adolescent girls in physical education and sport : an analysis of influences on participation

This study investigates the influences on participation in physical activity of thirty adolescent girls from a metropolitan secondary school in Victoria. It seeks to understand how they perceived, experienced and explained their involvement or non involvement in both competitive and non competitive physical activity during four years of their secondary schooling. Participants experienced physical education as both a single sex group in Years 7 and 9 and a coeducational group in Years 8 and 10. They were exposed to a predominantly competitive curriculum in Years 7 to 9 and a less structured, more social, recreational program in Year 10. These experiences enabled them to compare the differences between class structures and activity programs and identify the significant issues which impacted on their participation. Large Australian population studies have revealed that fewer girls participated in sport and regular physical activity than boys. An important consequence is that girls miss out on the health benefits associated with participating in physical activity. Other research has found adolescence is the time that girls drop out of competitive sport. However, an important issue is whether girls who drop out of competitive sport cease to be involved in any physical activity. There are some studies which have reported good participation rates by adolescent girls in non competitive, recreational forms of physical activity and the possibility exists that they may drop out of competitive and into non competitive physical activity. This study primarily utilises a qualitative approach in contrast to previous studies which have largely relied upon the use of surveys and questionnaires. Whilst quantitative research has provided useful information about the bigger picture, there are limitations caused by reliance on the researchers' own interpretations of the data. Additionally there is no opportunity for any clarification and explanation of findings and trends by the respondents themselves. The current study utilized qualitative individual and collective interviews in three stages. Questions were asked in the broad areas of coeducation and single sex classes, preferences for competitive or recreational activity and body image issues. Some quantitative information focusing on nature and extent of current activity patterns was also gathered in the first stage. Thirty Year 10 girls participated in individual first interviews. Nine selected girls then took part in the second (individual) and third (collective) interview stages. Results revealed three groups based on the nature of physical activity involvement: [1] competitive activity group, [2] social activity group and [3] transition group. The transition group represented those who were in the process of withdrawing from competitive sport to take up more non competitive, recreational activity. The most significant difference between groups was skill level. On the whole those entering adolescence with the highest skill levels, such as those in the competitive group, were the most confident and relished competing against others. The social group was low in skill and confidence and had predominantly negative experiences in physical education and sport because their deficiencies were plainly visible to all. Similarly, a lack of skill improvement relative to those of 'better performers' affected the interest and confidence levels of those in the transition group. Boys' domination in coeducational classes through verbal and physical intimidation of the less competent and confident girls and exclusion of very competent girls was a major issue. Social and transition group members demonstrated compliance with boys' power by hanging back and sitting out of competitive activities. Conversely, the competitive group resisted boy's attempts to dominate but had to work hard to demonstrate their athletic capabilities in order to do so. Body image issues such as the skimpy physical education and sport uniform along with body revealing activities such as swimming and gymnastics, heightened feelings of self-consciousness and embarrassment for most girls. When strategies were adopted by social and transition group members to avoid any body exposure or physical humiliation, participation levels were subsequently affected. However, where girls felt confident about their physical abilities and body image, they were able to ignore their unflattering uniforms and thus participation was unaffected. Specific teaching practices such as giving more attention to boys, for example by segregating the sexes in mixed classes to focus attention on boys, reinforced stereotypical notions of gender and contributed to the inequities for girls in physical education. The competitive group were frustrated with having to prove themselves as capable as boys in order to receive greater teacher attention. The transition group rejected teacher's attempts to coerce them into participating in the inter school sports program. The social group believed that teachers viewed and treated them less favourably than others because of their limited skills. Girls were not passive in the face of these obstacles. Rather than give up physical activity they disengaged from competitive sport and took up other forms of activity which they had the confidence to perform. These activity choices also reflected their expanding social interests such as spending time with male and female friends outside school and increased demands on their time by study and part time work commitments. This study not only highlighted the diversity and complexity of attitudes and behaviours of girls towards physical activity but also demonstrated that they display agency in making conscious, sensible decisions about their physical activity choices. Plain Language Summary of Thesis Adolescent girls in physical education and sport; An analysis of influences on participation by Julia Whitty Submitted for the degree of Master of Applied Science Deakin University Supervisor: Dr Judy Ann Jones This study investigates the influences on participation in physical activity of thirty adolescent girls from a metropolitan secondary school in Victoria in order to understand how girls' perceived, experienced and explained their involvement or non involvement in both competitive and non competitive physical activity. Qualitative individual and collective interviews were conducted. Questions focussed on attitudes about coeducation and single sex classes, preferences for competitive or recreational activity and feelings about body image. Some quantitative information about the nature and extent of current activity patterns was also gathered in the first stage. Thirty Year 10 girls participated in individual first interviews. Nine selected girls then took part in the second (individual) and third (collective) interview stages. Results revealed three clearly different groups based on the nature of physical activity involvement (1) Competitive, (2) Social and (3) Transition (those in the process of withdrawing from competitive sport to take up more non competitive, recreational activity). The major difference between groups was skill level. Those entering adolescence with the highest skill levels were more competent and confident in the coeducational and competitive sport setting. Other significant issues included boys' domination, body image and teaching behaviours and practices.

Art embodied and disembodied : expression, representation, and reflection

In this chapter a group of writers from very diverse academic backgrounds deal with the embodied and disembodied arts - from an exploration of dance with preschool children to the use of the webblog for eleven and twelve year olds to reflect on the creation of a group performance about how to change the world. The Deans & Young case study takes the reader into the world of the preschooler and the delicate craft of the dance and drama teachers who guide their small dancers through myriad choreographic and conceptual tasks in their pursuit of kinaesthetic learning. Jo Raphael allow the young bloggers to speak from themselves in her case study. How to Change the World. Through the voices of the Year 6 students, Jo raises the critical question of how to build meaningful reflection into the arts-making process, and suggests that for the current generation of 'cyber-natives', the digital world offers many great possibilities. Theory concerning forms of expression and representation in the embodies and digital world is also discussed.

Lawyers and ethics in practice : the impact of clinical and ethics curricula on lawyers’ ethical decision-making

The authors have conducted a longitudinal study exploring the relationships between values and ethical behaviour for early-career legal practitioners. The study comprised a representative Australian cohort of final-year law students and tracked them through their first two years of employment or further study. It examined changes to ethical decision-making by presenting participants with hypothetical scenarios that provided ethical dilemmas. A questionnaire utilising hypothetical situations was presented in 11 scenarios. This chapter examines responses to the scenarios across the three years of the study, particularly exploring changes over time. Of particular interest were the effects of gender and prior ethics education on changing responses. Findings suggested significant differences between males and females in their ethical responses. They also suggested that involvement in clinical practice, in particular during the law degree, may have a positive impact on future willingness to assist access to justice (insofar as such lawyers were more inclined to participate in later pro bono activity).

Using virtual meeting spaces for work integrated learning

Work integrated learning activities provide students with the opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills they have developed through their tertiary education to authentic work place problems. This paper reports on the outcome of a virtual work integrated learning activity undertaken by third year IT students. Students used a synchronous communication tool to participate in meetings with their virtual teammates. They were required to produce minutes and a report of their meeting. The majority of students completed the exercise successfully with some student groups using the meeting facility for subsequent collaboration during the remainder of the unit.

Teacher change in exploring representational approaches to learning science

The researcher worked closely with two biology-trained teachers to plan three teaching sequences in the topics of forces, substances and astronomy that were subsequently taught to Year 7 students. The sequences sought to develop a model of classroom practice that foregrounds students’ negotiation of conceptual representations.

The difficulties encountered by individuals in learning science point to the need for a very strong emphasis of the role of representations in learning. There is a need for learners to use their own representational, cultural and cognitive resources to engage with the subject-specific representational practices of science. Researchers who have undertaken classroom studies whereby students have constructed and used their own representations have pointed to several principles in the planning, execution and assessment of student learning (diSessa, 2004; Greeno & Hall, 1997). A key principle is that teachers need to identify big ideas, key concepts, of the topic at the planning stage in order to guide refinement of representational work. These researchers also point out the need for students to engage with multiple representations in different modes that are both teacher and student generated. A representation can only partially explain a particular phenomenon or process and has both positive and negative attributes to the target that it represents. The issue of the partial nature of representations needs to be a component of classroom practice (Greeno & Hall, 1997) in terms of students critiquing representations for their limitations and affordances and explicitly linking multiple representations to construct a fuller understanding of the phenomenon or process under study. The classroom practice should also provide opportunities for students to manipulate representations as reasoning tools (Cox, 1999) in constructing the scientifically acceptable ideas and communicating them.

Research question: What impact was there on the participating teacher’s practice through the adoption of a representational focus to teaching science?

Data collection included video sequences of classroom practice and student responses, student work, field notes, tape records of meetings and discussions, and student and teacher interviews based in some cases on video stimulated recall. Video analysis software was used to capture the variety of representations used, and sequences of representational negotiation.

The teachers in this study reported substantial shifts in their classroom practices, and in the quality of classroom discussions, arising from adopting a representational focus. The shifts were reported by them as a three-fold challenge. First, there was an epistemological challenge as they came to terms with the culturally produced nature of representations in the topics of force, substance and astronomy and their flexibility and power as tools for analysis and communication, as opposed to their previous assumption that this was given knowledge to be learnt as an end point. The second challenge was pedagogical, in that this approach was acknowledged to place much greater agency in the hands of students, and this brought a need to learn to run longer and more structured discussions around conceptual problems. The third challenge related to content coverage. The teachers sacrificed coverage for the greater depth offered by this approach, and were unanimous in their judgment that this had been a change that had paid dividends in terms of student learning.

On representation and construction in a tectonic design studio

This study investigates the roles of representationand construction in enhancing students' learning in a tectonic design studio.  Students of architecture use 3D CAD, physical models and drawings, either alone or in hybrid combinations in the the design, development and communication of their design process.  Each of these media has intrinsic attributes that limit or enhance students' ability to engage in issues of architecture.  This can have a significant influence on students' learning of conceptual and tectonic design, in particularly in their early years of study.  Tectonic design, as an element of the architectural design process that involves the designerly consideration of issues of construction, is an important skill that is integral to architectural practice.  The unique problem based learning environment of the design studio offers opportunities for the development of deep learning approaches to tectonic design, however these are limited by the way students engage in representational media.  This research is based on an ethnographis case study of a cohort of second year architecture students at Deakin University, Geelong, in 2002.

Where shall the future student learn? Student expectations of university facilities for teaching and learning

This paper examines some of the issues surrounding educational facilities - their design and impact upon student learning now and into the future. It details some of the recent literature in this area with particular emphasis upon teaching and learning trends that match the needs of modern students. The responses of a group of first year university students in the School of Property, Construction and Project Management at RMIT University are also matched against these trends. The conclusions from these responses drawn indicate that the future university student will want flexible learning spaces that can adapt to both individual and collaborative work with a strong emphasis on social learning and advanced technology. The responses also indicate a mismatch between existing lecture theatres and tutorial rooms and the third space learning that these graduates of 2011 want. The results have implications for all higher education institutions as we enter the new millennium.