Preparing students for a world which is global in its outlook and influences: the rhetoric, reality and response

The imperative for schools and teachers to understand and teach with a global perspective has been reiterated in Victoria recently with the release of the Victorian Curriculum Reform Consultation Paper (VCAA, 2004). This paper states that, "the purposes of schooling are to prepare students for a world which is global in its outlook and influences." (p.4).

The introductory paragraphs of selected states' and territories' Studies of Society and Environment (SOSE) curriculum statements include and reiterate 'global' in the rationale for teaching and learning. Teaching in SOSE is charged with responsibility for incorporating 'global' into classroom practice. What is the role and place of SOSE in this teaching and how can SOSE teachers be better equipped to teach in a time of internationalisation and globalisation? Are teachers prepared to meet this challenge?

This paper will position the importance of teachers' lived experiences, their capacity to reflect upon these experiences, to their preparedness and competency in teaching 'global education' both within a SOSE classroom and beyond. How can personal critical reflection sharpen the focus for teaching in and to this global world? What are the place of narrative and the lived experiences of teachers in sharpening this focus? The data for this paper is drawn from a self study of the author who is studying a Masters by Research and teaches Social Education and Education Studies at Deakin University.

The paper argues that pedagogy around teaching global education in the classroom cannot be isolated from the teacher's identities, background experiences, which influence and shape their approaches to teaching in a global education curriculum. The methodology in teaching global education needs to be further aligned to teacher narratives and the lived experiences of teachers in order to link local, national and global domains.

The paper will describe how teaching for a 'world which is global in outlook and influences' can be researched by examining a selection of personal stories and lived experiences. The paper will conclude with a draft framework of global education that acknowledges reflection on lived experiences and narratives.

Landscape influences on avian density in urban remnant vegetation

The management of urban environments is an increasingly important issue on an international scale as humans emigrate from rural areas to cities. Designing cities that can sustain mass human expansion while maintaining biodiversity is becoming an increasingly complex challenge for land managers. This is largely due to the lack of knowledge on how urbanization impacts upon biodiversity. Our previous research has highlighted the importance of urban remnant vegetation for avian diversity, but also suggested that landscape scale influences may have considerable impacts on the ability for a remnant to sustain species. We have since conducted a study examining avian diversity in 38 urban remnants ranging in size from 5ha to 107ha. These sites vary in relation to the quality of vegetation in the patch and their level of isolation from other remnant patches. This talk discusses the relative influences of remnant patch size, vegetation quality and isolation on avian diversity in urban remnant vegetation. We discuss how the findings of this research could be applied to managing avian diversity in the urban landscape.

To stay or to go? 'At risk' young women speak about their influences and experiences in making decisions about post-compulsory schooling

Recent research indicates that young women who leave school early (ie at or before year 10) are the group most 'at risk' of becoming only marginally attached to the labour force or unemployed. Young women from low socio-economic backgrounds are more often those who 'choose' to leave schooling, often for complex reasons, some of which are only marginally connected to their schooling experiences. In order to better understand-and address-the needs of this cohort, it is necessary to examine the multi layered connections between students' lives in and out of school.

This paper reports on the initial stage of a three year ARC-funded study, 'Young women negotiating from the margins of education and work.' In interviews and focus groups, young women identified as 'at risk' of leaving school early speak about the factors that have influenced their decisions. We examine the data with specific reference to the question: what type of social capital do these young women deploy in making their choices? Recent research (Croninger & Lee, 2001) suggest that teachers' support and guidance are a form of social capital that can make a difference, particularly in regards to students from lower socio-economic backgrounds. We discuss the young women's and teachers' interview data in light of recent debates about social capital and education.

Influences on the supply of accounting graduates in Australia: a focus on international students

This paper examines the influences on the potential supply of accounting graduates in Australia with reference to the personal and social influences on the decision to major in accounting using the Theory of Reasoned Action and focusing on differences between local and international students. Responses from 437 accounting majors' found that personal attitudes linked to 'intrinsic interest' and 'extrinsic interest' was influential in choice of major. 'Reference groups' were an important social influence for international students. The findings have implications for government policy and the accounting profession in terms of attracting students and particularly international students, who are sufficiently interested in accounting as a career choice to address the skill shortage in Australia.

Influences of steady and cyclic die rotation on the compression of aluminium

A series of experiments are reported for compression of an aluminum cylinder with monotonic and cyclic die rotation. When the die is monotonically rotated, a higher angular velocity or a lower compression speed of the tool leads to a greater load reduction in comparison of that seen with a stationary die. The test results also show that cyclic die rotation causes a cyclic fluctuation in the load-displacement curve. During the die deceleration phase, the compression load increases until it reaches the level obtained in conventional compression with stationary dies. However, the compression load is observed to reduce to levels lower than those obtained in monotonic rotating compression tests during the die acceleration phase. The frequency of rotating direction change seems to affect the position of load peaks only, not the amplitude of the peaks.

Perceptions of effective leaders : cross cultural influences?

This paper suggests that values, attitudes and behaviours are strongly culture specific. Therefore, it is contended that if culture exerts an influence in behaviours and attitudes of people it will be evident in the way leadership is perceived or traits of effective leadership is distinguished in organisations around the world. In the Western leadership literature, effective leadership appears to be correlated with organisational performance and profitability, subordinate extra effort and subordinate satisfaction with the leader. The Western literature also suggests that the measure of effective leadership at an individual level involve rating “by subordinates, superiors and peers and leaders themselves” (Eagly, Karau, & Makhijani, 1995, p. 128). However, there is limited knowledge and specific details of leadership characteristics that may constitute effective leadership practices outside the West, nor how universal the Western theories and models may be beyond the Western settings. There is a need to expand the existing knowledge and findings to understand whether Western leadership behaviours and practices are acceptable, appropriate or relevant in other cultures. In order to address this broad topic, the present paper will explore the perceptions of effective leadership in two diverse cultures of Malaysia and Australia. The middle managers in four industry types participated in the present research and the study found differences within and between female and male middle managers in both countries in terms of how leadership effectiveness is perceived and evaluated.

Human sympathetic nerve biology : parallel influences of stress and epigenetics in essential hypertension and panic disorder

Patients with panic disorder provide a clinical model of stress. On a "good day," free from a panic attack, they show persistent stress-related changes in sympathetic nerve biology, including abnormal sympathetic nerve single-fiber firing ("salvos" of multiple firing within a cardiac cycle) and release of epinephrine as a cotransmitter. The coreleased epinephrine perhaps originates from in situ synthesis by phenylethanolamine N-methyltransferase (PNMT). In searching for biological evidence that essential hypertension is caused by mental stress—a disputed proposition—we note parallels with panic disorder, which provides an explicit clinical model of stress: (1) There is clinical comorbidity; panic disorder prevalence is increased threefold in essential hypertension. (2) For both, epinephrine cotransmission is present in sympathetic nerves. (3) In panic disorder and essential hypertension, but not in health, single-fiber sympathetic nerve firing salvos occur. (4) Tissue nerve growth factor is increased in both conditions (nerve growth factor is a stress reactant). (5) There is induction of PNMT in sympathetic nerves. Essential hypertension exhibits a further manifestation of mental stress: there is activation of noradrenergic brain stem neurons projecting to the hypothalamus and amygdala. These pathophysiological findings strongly support the view that chronic mental stress is important in the pathogenesis of essential hypertension. A hypothesis now under test is whether in both disorders, under prevailing conditions of ongoing stress, PNMT induced in sympathetic nerves acts as a DNA methylase, causing the norepinephrine transporter (NET) gene silencing that is present in both conditions. PNMT can have an intranuclear distribution, binding to DNA. We have demonstrated that the reduced neuronal noradrenaline reuptake present in both disorders does have an epigenetic mechanism, with demonstrable reduction in the abundance of the transporter protein, the NET gene silencing being associated with DNA binding by the methylation-related inhibitory transcription factor MeCP2.

Group composition : influences of optimism and lack thereof

Lesson video and video-stimulated post-lesson interviews were used to study the role of optimism in collaborative problem solving in a Grade 5/6 classroom for the purpose of informing group composition. This study focuses on the activity of two students who differed on the personal characteristic 'optimistic orientation'. It examines how the presence or absence of an optimistic orientation to failures (Seligman, 1995) contributed to these students' interactions with their groups and opportunities for collaborative creation of new knowledge. One group collaborated to develop mathematical knowledge that was new to each group member and the other group did not. These findings raise questions about how to group students who are not yet optimistic to enable collaborative activity, and how to build optimism.

What influences accounting students' attitude towards accounting as a profession?

Several issues have been linked with the choice of an accounting major, and more specifically choice of accounting as a career path, including perceptions of the professional attributes required of accountants. The present study addresses two main themes: undergraduate students’ perceptions of the accounting profession and influences on decision to major in accounting. The study is motivated by the prior research of Marriott and Marriott (2003) that indicated exposure to accounting studies has a negative effect on attitudes towards the profession.

The results show that students’ perceptions of the profession related to work activities and prestige of the profession. Further analysis examining the influences on choice of an accounting major revealed three major factors: intrinsic interest in the content of accounting courses, influences of parents and friends together with perceptions of job status of accounting related to career advancement and salary. When compared with the Marriott and Marriott (2003) study, the present study showed students had more positive attitudes to studying accounting. There were however significant differences between local and international students in attitudes to the accounting profession.

Current knowledge of the environmental influences on Australian cashmere production and quality

Goat fibre production is affected to a similar extent by genetic and environmental influences. Environmental influences include bio-geophysical factors (photoperiod, climate-herbage system and soil-plant trace nutrient composition), country of origin, nutrition factors (live weight, growth patterns) and management factors (farm, herd age and sex structure). Nutrition and management influences discussed include rate of stocking, energy nutrition, live weight change, parturition and management during shearing. The nutritional variation within and among years is the most important climatic factor influencing cashmere production, fibre diameter and fibre curvature (crimp). With productive cashmere goats, large responses to energy supplementation have been measured with optimum nutritional management. The effects and importance of management and hygiene during fibre harvesting (shearing) in producing quality fibre are emphasised.