As more Teacher Assistants (TAs) take on the responsibility of supporting students with disability and learning difficulties questions arise as to the appropriate qualifications for such work, the adequacy of training, and the policy and practice of schools employing TAs. A qualitative study, informed by multiple perspectives, was conducted in…

In Victoria, Australia teachers' aides (TAs) are employed to provide support to students with disabilities in accessing their education. The role of the TAs varies within and across school settings. Drawing from the findings of a quantitative study, the purpose of this paper is to develop an understanding of teachers' aides' perceptions of their…

This study utilised role theory to investigate teacher aide roles within regional schools in Queensland, Australia. Twenty primary schoolteacher aides were interviewed; data were triangulated with 27 teacher aides' responses to a follow-up questionnaire and interviews with 6 administrative staff. Data suggest that classroom instructional support…

In Victoria, Australia, one of the major roles of the teachers' aide (TA) is to assist students with disabilities to access their education. Researchers have identified the inconsistencies in defining the roles of the TA, in a variety of settings, by TAs, teachers, parents, and other research participants. Four main themes that have been…

Inclusion of students with disabilities (SwD) in Australian health and physical education (HPE) classes is on the rise. Reasonable adjustment to assist inclusive practice is often accomplished through the use of teaching assistants, or paraprofessionals. While this practice is commonly understood within the classroom, this approach remains obscure…

Reliance on teacher assistants (TAs) in mainstream schools to support students with disability and learning difficulties is an increasing trend in Australia. In 2011, over 80,000 TAs were employed costing approximately $3billion per annum [DEEWR. 2012. Job Outlook. Accessed June 2013. http://joboutlook.gov.au/default.aspx]. This paper reports on…

In 2009, the then State Minister for Education in New South Wales, Verity Firth, announced a plan to introduce bilingual education in four primary schools across the state for the National Asian Languages and Studies in School Program (NALSSP) priority languages: Chinese, Indonesian, Japanese and Korean. This paper reports on one aspect of a…

A study utilized survey and case-study techniques supplemented by examination of documents to facilitate a sociopolitical investigation of the concept and role of ethnic teacher aides in state schools in Victoria, Australia. A theoretical framework was developed, combining an historical sociology of knowledge with a systems management perspective.…

A study was conducted at the Lady Gowrie Child Centre in Adelaide, Australia, to examine the role and function of parent assistants and to investigate the effects of the 1979 parent/teacher cooperative for children under 3 years of age on the parents, the teacher, and the children. Preliminary data were gathered by questionnaires sent to parents…

This report is an evaluation of a pilot form of preschool education in Queensland, Australia. Following background information (Chapter I) about the sampling methodology used in and the administration of the study, the classroom environment and the teachers' work program are described in Chapter II. The effect of the early education classroom…