Background: Few studies use comprehensive ecological approaches considering multilevel factors to understand correlates of healthy (and unhealthy) dietary intake. The aim of this study was to examine the association between individual, social, and environmental factors on composite measures of healthy and unhealthy dietary intake in adults.…

This article used data from 5,171 young women participating in the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health, a nationally representative longitudinal cohort study, to identify longitudinal trajectory patterns of mental health across 6 surveys over 16 years of early adulthood, from age 18-23 to age 34-39. In addition, we identified both…

The call for more male primary-school teachers has long been associated with the educational needs of boys, the importance of positive male role models in schools and the disproportionate number of male and female primary-school teachers internationally. However, little is known about whether or not parents and students actually want more male…

This paper argues that languages, increasingly marginalised in schools in English-speaking countries, are gaining "elitist" ground as part of the "value-added" marketisation of schools and parents' desire for their children to gain "positional goods" through schooling. In arguing our case, the paper draws on survey…

Social moderation involves teachers gathering together to discuss their judgements of the quality of student work and to reach agreement regarding the standard awarded. This qualitative study conducted over a three-year period investigated the social practice of moderation and the influence on teachers' judgements of students' work. An initial…

Using data from national socio-economic panel surveys in Australia, Britain and Germany, this paper analyzes the effects of individual preferences and choices on subjective well-being (SWB). It is shown that, in all three countries, preferences and choices relating to life goals/values, partner's personality, hours of work, social participation…

Motor neurone disease (MND) places considerable burden upon patients and caregivers. This is the first study, which describes the disability profile and healthcare needs for persons with MND (pwMND) in an Australian sample from the perspective of the patients and caregivers to identify current gaps in the knowledge and service provision. A…

Reading is theorised as a key aspect of one's educational and vocational adjustment. The reading scores on the "Wide-Range Achievement Test 3" of 465 adult vocational assessment clients were examined. Reading varied across a range of social factors and the overall results were consistent with earlier studies, especially the "Adult…

The incidence and circumstances of young people carrying knives and dangerous implements was investigated through surveys conducted with 150 "street youth" and 184 "school youth" in Sydney. It was found that a significant proportion of both samples carry and use knives/dangerous implements and that these implements had been…

This document is an annual publication documenting developments in the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER)'s research programs for the previous year. The 2004 edition highlights research on the following themes: (1) Helping international schools measure achievement; (2) Evaluating Australian teachers; (3) Tests of reading…

A survey of 1,720 students in 71 university science laboratory classes in the United States, Canada, England, Australia, Israel, and Nigeria investigated student and teacher perceptions of dimensions of classroom environment (student cohesiveness, open-endedness, integration, rule clarity, material environment). Results and the utility of the…

Attracting and retaining staff in rural and remote schools has been a perennial problem n Australia virtually since federation in 1901. In this report the author uses a mixed method approach of an on-line survey, unstructured interviews and policy analysis to develop a comprehensive overview of approaches to overcome these staffing problems…