Literacy and Educational Fundamentalism: An Interview

An interview on literacy at McGill University, 2003.

To work or not to work? Child development and maternal labor supply

We estimate the effect of early child development on maternal labor force participation. Mothers of poorly developing children may remain at home to care for their children. Alternatively, mothers may enter the labor force to pay for additional educational and health resources. Which action dominates is the empirical question we answer in this paper. We control for the potential endogeneity of child development by using an instrumental variables approach, uniquely exploiting exogenous variation in child development associated with child handedness. We find that a one unit increase in poor child development decreases maternal labor force participation by approximately 10 percentage points.

Enhancing the capacity of oncology nurses to provide supportive care for patients with advanced cancer : evaluation of an educational intervention

Aim: This study aimed to enhance the capacity of oncology nurses to provide supportive care for patients with advanced cancer who have dependent children. ---------- Method: This was a pilot study of an educational intervention comprising a study-developed self-directed learning manual, supported by a day-long communication skills training workshop. Evaluation pre- and post-training included measures of stress and burnout, self-reports of confidence and attitudes, responses to clinical vignettes and video-taped interviews with simulated patients.---------- Results: Nurses found the educational intervention highly acceptable, and reported increased confidence in their ability to provide information and support for parents, and to initiate discussion about emotional issues. There were significant improvements in general communication skills and skills specific to this training, as well as reduced use of blocking.---------- Conclusion: Brief communication skills training supplemented with tailored educational resources can enhance confidence skills and knowledge of oncology nurses regarding their supportive care of parents with advanced cancer.

Difference and dispersion : educational research in a postmodern context

Difference and Dispersion is the fourth in a series of annual research papers produced by doctoral students from The Graduate School of Education, The University of Queensland, following their presentation at the School’s annual Postgraduate Research Conference in Education. The work featured herein celebrates the diversity of cultural and disciplinary backgrounds of education researchers who come from as far afield as Germany, Hong Kong, China, Nigeria, Russia, Singapore, Thailand and of course different parts of Australia. In keeping with a postmodern epistemology, ‘difference’ and ‘dispersion’ are key themes in apprehending the multiplicity of their research topics, methodologies, methods and speaking/writing positions. From widely differing contexts and situations, these writers address the consequences, implications and possibilities for education at the beginning of the third millennium. Their interest ranges from location-specific issues in schools and classrooms, change in learning contexts and processes, educational discourses and relations of power in diverse geographical settings, and the differing articulations of the local and the global in situated policy contexts. Conceived and developed in a spirit of ongoing dialogue with and insight to alternative views and visions of education and society, this edited collection exemplifies the quality in diversity and the high levels of scholarship and supervision at one of Australia’s finest Graduate Schools of Education.

Engaging students in large classes using Elluminate

The advancement of online teaching environments during the past several years presents an exciting opportunity to extend existing teaching methodologies. The software package known as Elluminate is one example of a virtual classroom, facilitating the provision of real time interaction, collaboration and group meetings. This paper will examine the use of Elluminate in the teaching of large classes. The use of such technology for large classes is of particular interest, as large classes are often, unfairly, associated with a reputation for being impersonal as well as notions of conveyor belt learning. In this paper the potential to extend teaching and learning opportunities using Elluminate, in the context of large classes, will be explored. It will be shown that the use of technology such as Elluminate can assist in providing students with a more flexible means of accessing academic support, as well as allowing for a customised delivery of course content so as to focus learning outcomes.

The ability of economic thinking : the “nature” versus “nurture” debate

In their studies, Eley and Meyer (2004) and Meyer and Cleary (1998) found that there are sources of variation in the affective and process dimensions of learning in mathematics and clinical diagnosis specific to each of these disciplines. Meyer and Shanahan (2002) argue that: General purpose models of student learning that are transportable across different discipline contexts cannot, by definition, be sensitive to sources of variation that may be subject-specific (2002. p. 204). In other words, to explain the differences in learning approaches and outcomes in a particular discipline, there are discipline-specific factors, which cannot be uncovered in general educational research. Meyer and Shanahan (2002) argue for a need to "seek additional sources of variation that are perhaps conceptually unique ... within the discourse of particular disciplines" (p. 204). In this paper, the development of an economics-specific construct (called economic thinking ability) is reported. The construct aims to measure discipline-sited ability of students that has important influence on learning in economics. Using this construct, economic thinking abilities of introductory and intermediate level economics students were measured prior to the commencement, and at the end, of their study over one semester. This enabled factors associated with students' pre-course economic thinking ability and their development in economic thinking ability to be investigated. The empirical findings will address the 'nature' versus 'nurture' debate in economics education (Frank, et aI., 1993; Frey et al., 1993; Haucap and Tobias 2003). The implications for future research in economics education will also be discussed.

Housing supply in Australia : the impact of the availability of development finance

Before the Global Financial Crisis many providers of finance had growth mandates and actively pursued development finance deals as a way of gaining higher returns on funds with regular capital turnover and re-investment possible. This was able to be achieved through high gearing and low presales in a strong market. As asset prices fell, loan covenants breached and memories of the 1990’s returned, banks rapidly adjusted their risk appetite via retraction of gearing and expansion of presale requirements. Early signs of loosening in bank credit policy are emerging, however parties seeking development finance are faced with a severely reduced number of institutions from which to source funding. The few institutions that are lending are filtering out only the best credit risks by way of constrictive credit conditions including: low loan to value ratios, the corresponding requirement to contribute high levels of equity, lack of support in non-prime locations and the requirement for only borrowers with well established track records. In this risk averse and capital constrained environment, the ability of developers to proceed with real estate developments is still being constrained by their inability to obtain project finance. This paper will examine the pre and post GFC development finance environment. It will identify the key lending criteria relevant to real estate development finance and will detail the related changes to credit policies over this period. The associated impact to real estate development projects will be presented, highlighting the significant constraint to supply that the inability to obtain finance poses.

Competency Standards and Educational Requirements for Specialist Breast Nurses in Australia

There is substantial evidence that Specialist Breast Nurses (SBNs) make an important contribution to improved outcomes for women with breast cancer, by providing information and support and promoting continuity of care. However, a recent study has identified significant variation in how the role functions across individual nurses and settings, which is likely to contribute to varied outcomes for women with breast cancer. The project reported in this paper illustrates how a set of competency standards for SBNs were developed by the National Breast Cancer Centre. The competency standards were developed through a review of published literature and consultation with key stakeholders. The resulting SBN Competency Standards reflect the core domains and elements of SBN practice seen as integral to achieving optimal outcomes for women with breast cancer. This project identifies the SBN as a registered nurse who applies advanced knowledge of the health needs, preferences and circumstances of women with breast cancer to optimise the individual's health and well-being at various phases across the continuum of care, including diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, follow-up and palliative care. The five core domains of practice identified are: Supportive care; Collaborative care; Coordinated care; Information provision and education; and Clinical leadership. A variety of education programs are currently available for nurses who wish to learn about breast cancer nursing. The majority of stakeholders consulted in this project agreed that a Graduate Diploma level of education is required at minimum in order for an SBN to develop the minimum level of competence required to perform the role. The evidence supports the view that as an advanced role, nurses practising as SBNs require high-quality programs of sufficient depth and scope to achieve the required level of competence

Educational Development in Australasia : 2010 Benchmarking Survey

In 2010, the third bi‐annual ADAPE Australasian benchmarking study was conducted to track educational development in Australia and New Zealand. Invitations to participate were sent to ADAPE’s membership of 820. Non‐members were also welcome to participate. In total, 92% of the 250 survey respondents were members of ADAPE. The 2010 Benchmarking Survey supports and extends results from 2005 and 2008. The 2010 survey was developed by taking into account participant feedback from 2008. With a view to provide the key information that participants want to know, the 2010 survey included more questions about salaries and other employment conditions; marketing and communications, especially new electronic technologies; and major gifts.