From vision to reality : views of primary school principals on inclusive education in New South Wales, Australia

This paper discusses the findings of a research study that used semi-structured interviews to explore the views of primary school principals on inclusive education in New South Wales, Australia. Content analysis of the transcript data indicates that principals’ attitudes towards inclusive education and their success in engineering inclusive practices within their school are significantly affected by their own conception of what “inclusion” means, as well as the characteristics of the school community, and the attitudes and capacity of staff. In what follows, we present two parallel conversations that arose from the interview data to illustrate the main conceptual divisions existing between our participants’ conceptions of inclusion. First, we discuss the act of “being inclusive” which was perceived mainly as an issue of culture and pedagogy. Second, we consider the mechanics of “including,” which reflected a more instrumentalist position based on perceptions of individual student deficit, the level of support they may require and the amount of funding they can attract.

New Zealand Boards of Trustees' selection of primary school principals

This study's investigation of selection practices of principals by governing boards showed gendered preferences dominated even within a policy environment of equal opportunities. Boards influenced my market values did select the 'best person for the job' and many women were appointed because equally competent men were unavailable.

C'mon guys! A program to facilitate father involvement in the primary school environment

This article is written to provide a case study example of a program developed to encourage fathers' engagement with their children in the primary school environment. C'mon Guys! was delivered in a Primary School in Victoria, Australia (unnamed to protect the privacy of the participants). The article begins by first describing the community in which C'mon Guys! was offered and goes on to outline the literature related to aspects pertinent to the program such as father involvement in the lives of children at school, and the role of the social worker in facilitating this type of groupwork in the school setting. Next, the aims of the program are discussed with particular reference to its design, social learning theory, systems theory and groupwork principles and processes. The outcomes of C'mon Guys! are then discussed noting the limitations of the program as well as identifying the extrinsic and intrinsic benefits for the children, their fathers and the community.

Learning the role : through the eyes of beginning principals

This study examines how first year principals learn their roles and provides the picture through their eyes. As there is no formal preparation requirement to become a principal in Victorian government schools, new principals must seek out and direct their own learning for the role. The study describes the informal and formal sources of learning that are sought by beginning principals to help them learn about their new role. The focus is on identifying what sources of learning were used through different phases of the study and how some became more critical than others in shaping and developing the role of a principal in the school. This thesis is a story of continuous professional socialization and learning of a group of seven beginning principals using case studies and interviews over four phases of learning in their first year in the role as they proceed from appointment, entry, establishment through to consolidation of the role. The process of socialization underpins the study and is conceived as a process of learning in which the participants actively direct and participate in their own socialization. However, greater emphasis is placed on the developing nature and reliance on learning in role development. Previous studies of professional socialization of beginning principals have identified licensure programs as significant in the preparation and ongoing development process, whereas this is not the case in Victoria where no such requirements exist. This study adds to existing studies through the finding that there are similarities in the stages of professional socialization process in the Australian context, but also explores new aspects about professional learning by identifying various phases and sources of learning for Victorian principals. These ranged from dependence upon an apprenticeship arrangement, through self-directed task learning, to that of becoming an independent learner within a professional community of equals. Some of the themes identified and explored in this study included examining phases of learning, sources of learning, and their effect on role development. The study was initially based on identifying and exploring some of the key issues and the significance of learning experiences suggested by the beginning principals rather than researching predetermined hypotheses. This grounded and qualitative approach involved data collection over four different time phases in the first year in the role and allowed flexibility in the construction of case studies and the cumulative development of data through the study. The greater part of the data were collected through interviews in each of the four phases of the study along with the collection of survey data for comparison and contrast in the first and final study phases. The research raises many issues that can serve as a basis for further exploration of the complexity of the role of learning within professional socialization for beginning principals. As well, it suggests a number of implications for the organization of professional learning and socialization in beginning principal socialization for the first year in the role.

Role of school principals within a context of changes in the management of Victorian education 1982-1992

Change occured rapidly and was far reaching in Victoria's educational system in the 1980's and early 1990s. The Labour Party for the first time in 27 years formed a government in 1982. The Educational Minister sought input from many of the groups within the education community and the resulting Ministerial Papers set scence for change. Principles of Victorian Schools were now required to operate within a climate of participative democrary and this brought changes to the way ion which they had been used to operating. As more and more changes took place there were some changes of direction which affected the context within which affected the context within which principals principals operated. How did this affect the role of of the principals? What were the changes in their practices and organisation of work?

Exploring and reconceptualising the role of Victorian Catholic school principals

This research reinforced accounts of tension for school principals. It also provided new insights because an important finding was that, contrary to many reports of defection, principals wish to remain in the role. Greater support mechanisms and consideration of other principalship models emerged as important factors for enhanced job satisfaction.

Women primary principals : leadership between the flags

The purpose of this paper is to outline my research project and share some of the perspectives that have emerged during the process of analysis and reflexivity. This is a case study of twelve female primary school principals in the independent sector in Victoria. Independent schools are generally referred to as the private sector or non-government schools to distinguish them from the government sector. Also the reference to primary principals’ is generally used to refer to a ‘Junior School Head’ position within a K – 12 School. Many schools often combine the role of the Junior Head’s position and / or the Deputy Principal or Assistant Principal’s position.

This paper introduces the work narratives of successful professional women in senior leadership positions in independent schools. The analysis of the narrative process itself and how these women shape and are shaped by their cultural discourses about leadership provides the focus for this study. In particular how the context and discursive strategies they use to tell their stories are instrumental in their construction of professional identity and its relationship to subjectivity. Thus professional work narratives offer insights into subjectivity and identity as the women tell their leadership stories. Initially Clandinin and Connelly’s (1994) ‘narrative inquiry’ approach provided a useful conceptual basis from which to gather the written responses to a questionnaire collected during 2004, interviews (taperecorded and transcribed) and my reflexive journal maintained during and after the interview process.

Reducing high levels of communication apprehension among primary school students

This study focused on a group of primary school teachers as they implemented a variety of intervention actions within their class programs aimed towards supporting the reduction of high levels of communication apprehension (CA) among students.Six teachers and nine students, located across three primary schools, four year levels,and six classes, participated in this study. For reasons of confidentiality the schools,principals, parents, teachers, teacher assistants, and students who were involved in this study were given fictitious names. The following research question was explored in this study: What intervention actions can primary school teachers implement within their class programs that support the reduction of high CA levels among students? Throughout this study the term CA referred to "an individual's level of fear or anxiety associated with either real or anticipated (oral) communication with another person or persons" (McCroskey, 1984, p. 13). The sources of CA were explained with reference to McCroskey's state-trait continuum. The distinctions between high and appropriate levels of CA were determined conceptually and empirically. The education system within which this study was conducted promoted the philosophy of inclusion and the practices of inclusive schooling. Teachers employed in this system were encouraged to create class programs inclusive of and successful for all students. Consequently the conceptual framework within which this study was conducted was based around the notion of inclusion. Action research and case study research were the methodologies used in the study. Case studies described teachers' action research as they responded to the challenge of executing intervention actions within their class programs directed towards supporting the reduction of high CA levels among students. Consequently the teachers and not the researcher were the central characters in each of the case studies. Three principal data collection instruments were used in this study: Personal Report of Communication Fear (PRCF) scale, semistructured interviews, and dialogue journals. The PRCF scale was the screening tool used to identify a pool of students eligible for the study. Data relevant to the students involved in the study were gathered during semistructured interviews and throughout the dialogue journaling process. Dialogue journaling provided the opportunity for regular contact between teachers and the researcher, a sequence to teacher and student intervention behaviours, and a permanent record of teacher and student growth and development. The majority of teachers involved in this study endeavoured to develop class programs inclusive of all students.These teachers acknowledged the importance of modifying aspects of their class programs in response to the diverse and often multiple needs of individual students with high levels of CA. Numerous conclusions were drawn regarding practical ways that the teachers in this study supported the reduction of high CA levels among students. What this study has shown is that teachers can incorporate intervention actions within their class programs aimed towards supporting students lower their high levels of CA. Whilst no teacher developed an identical approach to intervention, similarities and differences were evident among teachers regarding their selection, interpretation, and implementation of intervention actions. Actions that teachers enacted within their class programs emerged from numerous fields of research including CA, inclusion, social skills, behaviour teaching, co-operative learning, and quality schools. Each teacher's knowledge of and familiarity with these research fields influenced their preference for and commitment to particular intervention actions. Additional factors including each teacher's paradigm of inclusion and exclusion contributed towards their choice of intervention actions. Possible implications of these conclusions were noted with reference to teachers,school administrators, support personnel, system personnel, teacher educators, parents, and researchers.

Parent-reported health status of overweight and obese Australian primary school children: a cross-sectional population survey

Introduction: Childhood overweight/obesity is associated with poor physical and psychosocial health in clinical samples. However, there is little information on the health status of overweight and obese children in the community, who now represent a large proportion of the child population. We examined parent-reported child health and well-being and parent concern about child weight by body mass index (BMI) category in a population sample of primary school children.

Design: A stratified two-stage random cluster sample of 24 primary schools representative of the state of Victoria, Australia.

Measures: BMI (weight/height2) transformed to normalised Z-scores using the 1990 UK Growth Reference; the Child Health Questionnaire (CHQ), a 13-scale 50-item parent-completed measure of health and well-being; parent self-reported height and weight; parent concern about child's weight.

Results: Data were available for 2863 children aged 5-13 y (50.5% male), of whom 17% were overweight and 5.7% obese. Using logistic regression analyses with 'normal weight' as the referent category, obese boys were at greater risk of poor health (ie <15th centile) on seven of the 12 CHQ scales: Physical Functioning (odds ratio (OR) 2.8), Bodily Pain (OR 1.8), General Health (OR 3.5), Mental Health (OR 2.8), Self Esteem (OR 1.8), Parent Impact¾Emotional (OR 1.7) and Parent Impact¾Time (OR 1.9). Obese girls were at greater risk of poor health on only two scales: General Health (OR 2.1) and Self Esteem (OR 1.8). Forty-two percent of parents with obese children and 81% with overweight children did not report concern about their child's weight. Parents were more likely to report concern if the child was obese (OR 21.3), overweight (OR 3.5) or underweight (OR 5.4) than normal weight (P<0.05). Concern was not related to child gender, parental BMI or parental education after controlling for child BMI. Perceived health and well-being of overweight/obese children varied little by weight category of the reporting parent (overweight vs non-overweight).

Conclusions: Parents were more likely to report poorer health and well-being for overweight and obese children (particularly obese boys). Parental concern about their child's weight was strongly associated with their child's actual BMI. Despite this, most parents of overweight and obese children did not report poor health or well-being, and a high proportion did not report concern. This has implications for the early identification of such children and the success of prevention and intervention efforts.

Television, computer use and body mass index in Australian primary school children

Objective: To investigate relationships between children's body mass index (BMI) and parent reports of children's television and video game/computer habits, controlling for other potential risk factors for paediatric obesity.

Methods: Child BMI was calculated from measured height and weight collected in 1997 as part of a large, representative, cross-sectional study of children in Victoria, Australia. Parents reported the amount of time children watched television and used video games/computers, children's eating and activity habits, parental BMI and sociodemographic details.

Results: A total of 2862 children aged 5−13 years participated. Child mean BMI z-score was significantly related to television (F = 10.2₃, P < 0.001) but not video game/computer time (F = 2.2₃, P = 0.09), but accounted for only 1 and 0.2% of total BMI variance, respectively. When parental BMI, parental education, number of siblings, food intake, organized exercise and general activity level were included, television ceased to be independently significantly related to child BMI. Using adjusted logistic regression, the odds of being overweight and obese generally increased with increasing television viewing. No relationship was found for video game/computer use.
Conclusions: A small proportion of variance in child BMI was related to television, but not video game/computer time. This was far outweighed by the influence of other variables. Causal pathways are likely to be complex and interrelated.

Assessment of physical activity among primary school aged children: the Children's Leisure Activities Study (CLASS)

Overweight and obesity rates among children in Australia have increased twofold in the last decade. Physical activity is thought to play an important role in the prevention and treatment of childhood obesity. Children's physical activity data in Australia are incomplete and mainly based on parental proxy reports. One of the reasons for the lack of children's physical activity prevalence data in Australia is the difficulties of measurement. The aim of this study was to develop and examine a reliable, valid and feasible method for assessing physical activity among primary school aged children. A total of 112 grade 5 and 6 children and their parents were recruited from four state primary schools in the eastern and western suburbs of Melbourne. The test-retest reliability of a parental proxy physical activity questionnaire and a children's self report physical activity questionnaire was assessed. The criterion validity of the questionnaires was assessed using accelerometry. Findings suggest that the self report and proxy report questionnaires provided reliable measures of the type, frequency and duration of children's physical activity behaviour. Overall, the criterion validity of the questionnaires was poor. Although accelerometry as an objective measure shows promise, it does not provide the important physical activity behavioural and contextual information that is critical for the development of strategies to promote physical activity among children. We recommend that a combination of self report or proxy and objective measurement (using accelerometry or even pedometry) appears to be the current 'best buy' in the assessment of children's physical activity behaviour.

Primary school teacher perceived self-efficacy to teach fundamental motor skills

Fundamental Movement Skills (FMS) are a part of the school curricula, yet many Australian primary-age children are not mastering FMS. One reason may be a lack of perceived self-efficacy of primary teachers to teach FMS. This study investigated the level of perceived self-efficacy of primary school teachers to teach FMS in Victoria, Australia. A cross-sectional survey, based on the Victorian Institute of Teaching Standards of Professional Practice, was used to sample sixty-five pre-service and forty-six in-service teachers. Most primary school teachers were self-efficacious in teaching FMS (67.59 per cent); almost one-third (32.41 per cent) were not. Male teachers had higher perceived self-efficacy than female teachers, and a positive relationship was found between perceived self-efficacy to teach FMS and interest in, and participation in, physical activity (r = 0.52 and r = 0.31 respectively). Implications for practice include providing FMS teaching resources and professional training. Further research should explore the effect of perceived self-efficacy on teaching performance.