A study investigated effectiveness of a University of Southern Queensland (Australia) program to improve access to higher education for disadvantaged groups. Results suggest that, although the program improves access, it has inherent inequities, does not provide adequate student support, and does not consider student readiness for the demands of…

This paper extends the previously reported findings of the Starting School Research Project in Australia as to what various stakeholders see as important in children's transition to school; the current study considers responses from parents, preschool educators, and school teachers to 20 statements summarizing beliefs and expectations about…

A survey of 16 rural students attending college in Perth, Australia, found that all of them felt disadvantaged because of issues specific to their rural status. These issues were emotional, social, and financial or a combination thereof. The emotional and social concerns were loneliness, making new friends, and learning to adjust to an urban…

A University of Adelaide (Australia) program to assist international graduate students in adjustment to Australian academic and discipline-related norms is described. The program focuses on language and academic skill development, and has been found to be effective. Factors in programs success, and their potential for wider application are…

A study traced the experiences of Australian working families as their children started formal schooling. Each family faced the prospect of moving their child or children from the intimate environment of a child care center that operated from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. to a large elementary school with a 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. school day. The study focused on:…

Noting that the transition to school is one of the major challenges children face in early childhood, this study examined the perceptions of Australian parents, teachers, and children in various phases of school attendance regarding what was involved in children starting school. Data were collected by means of questionnaires given to teachers…

A survey of 1,250 foreign and local students enrolled at 3 South Australian universities investigated their attitudes about study-related and personal experiences, and issues in student choice of university and subsequent evaluation of the institution. Results indicated that while foreign students experience more problems and more severe problems,…

Discusses the concept of transitions in early childhood classrooms, illustrates their usefulness for staff and children, and discusses the suitability of such activities in an early childhood program. Suggests that provision for active participation by the child, together with a planned child-centered outcome, allows transitions to be a most…

This paper describes the development, administration, and scoring of the Pictorial Measure of School Stress (PMSS). This instrument was designed to describe individual differences in children's feelings about everyday school situations and their coping strategies for dealing with these. The PMSS uses a semi-structured interview to present specific…

Second in a series of seven volumes containing the proceedings of the 1983 Australian Family Research Conference, this publication deals with family law. Papers and authors included are: "Attitudes of Divorced Men and Women to the Family" (Margaret Harrison), "Dispute Resolution in Australian Family Law" (Henry Finlay),…

This survey was designed to investigate reading and number work (arithmetic) performance of 7-, 9-, and 11-year-old children attending parish primary schools in Victoria and to compare levels of performance with variables relating to general adjustment, personal variables, home circumstances, and school organization. Subjects, obtained by…

Looking at rural Australia, this paper addresses the issue of providing adequate resources to create high quality and diversified higher education environments and the need for more data on the quality of rural student life. A review of the literature shows the underrepresentation of rural students in higher education; rural barriers to…

Examines transition of children from home or preschool to school in Australia and New Zealand. Almost all Australian states have a "reception" or kindergarten full-day year in school prior to Year 1, few have common entry ages, and most use a variety of enrollment procedures. Emphasizes need for continuity to smooth transitions and…

Staff and students at small regional campuses often consider them to be a learning environment with many advantages. Students can benefit from the opportunities for enhanced access to staff provided by factors such as small classes and a compact campus. International students from non-English-speaking backgrounds are one group for whom these…

This paper reports on research that explores internationalisation of the University's curriculum offerings and how this affects international students. The central focus of this paper is to highlight some of the student commentary on communication between teachers and students exemplifying the way it subsequently affects the quality of student…