This paper examines recent Australian children's literature. It focuses on the prevailing social attitudes in Australia towards gender, environment, and multiculturalism and how these social issues are treated in the fiction books written for Australian children. The paper also examines the implications for children's literature of the…

These proceedings of a 1982 symposium on Scandinavian emigration in Australia include presentations on three general topics: field work conducted in Australia and New Zealand in 1980-82; research progress; and Australian immigration policy. The presentors and their papers are: (1) Hans Norman, "The Emigration to America from the Nordic…

Demonstrates how important the factor of male attitudes toward women pursuing male-dominated occupations can be in hindering the diversification of female occupational patterns. Examines the failure of a vigorous government-sponsored campaign in 1981 to introduce women into the male-dominated trades in the industrial region of Newcastle,…

In the context of Aboriginal-Anglo Australian relations, we tested the effect of framing (multiculturalism versus separatism) and majority group members' social values (universalism) on the persuasiveness of Aboriginal group rhetoric, majority collective guilt, attitudes toward compensation, and reparations for Aboriginals. As predicted, Anglo…

Examines the nature of the Australian myth and how this has related to and affected schooling and the provision of equality of opportunity for rural children. This myth includes the "noble bushmen" and the view that "the salt of the earth" was the small, independent farmer. (Author/RK)

This article reveals the nature of the images of society in traditional approaches to geographical education and explores the implications of these in terms of the ideology involved. The data include student interviews, geography textbooks, and geography curriculum writings. (Author/JDH)

Discusses how we become gendered through our culture and provides a classroom analysis of a teacher working with boys to get them to see themselves as literate in ways that are usually eschewed by boys who achieve hegemonic masculinity. Concludes with a definition of critical literacy that is considered relevant to the teaching of literacies to…

This paper reports on a survey of 60 living groups in a remote town in Queensland, Australia, concerning child abuse notification. The survey focused on how strongly residents felt about abuse, how likely they were to notify, perceived indicators of abuse, facilitative and inhibiting factors in notifying, which authority they would notify, and…

Summarizes global findings from surveys of literacy levels around the world and makes the case for the sociopolitical bases for access to valued reading and writing practices. Drawing on recent Australian research, it focuses on difficulties in current provisions for reading education in institutionalized adult literacy programs. (seven…

This article discusses historical and contemporary educational provisions for gifted and talented students in Australia. Five young adults reflect on their educational and career paths in the creative arts, sports, music, medicine, and business to illustrate how talents are nurtured in Australia at the end of the 20th century. (Contains extensive…

Adults must understand the development of the child's concept of death to comprehend children's questions about death and answer them appropriately. Children under 5 years of age view death as reversible and not final and may believe that the dead can breathe, feel, talk and continue to grow. While young children may believe in the reversibility…

A study measured the general attitudes toward disability of 337 students, 49 academic staff, and 21 administrative staff in a small Australian university. Attitudes toward disability were more positive than the general population; however, this did not translate into positive concrete support for university students with emotional disabilities.…

Discusses the limitations of dominant notions of background knowledge (BGK) as neutral information and objective knowledge and of the reading techniques that accompany these notions. The article argues that the notion of BGK should be broadened to include awareness of the social processes of production and interpretation of text. (26 references)…

Discusses social construction of the body through schooling, in particular physical education and sports. Suggests examination of the effects of these programs on young people. Argues that common practices often serve to alienate young people from their bodies, rather than educating them. (Contains 23 references.) (NB)

There is little international research focusing on parents' and teachers' roles in sexuality education during children's primary school years. This paper focuses on teachers' and parents' key experiences as sexuality educators of primary-school-age children in both Leeds, UK and in Sydney, Australia. Based on research findings from both the United…