A study examining the effectiveness of a farm safety resource that employed toys and props presented the resource to 79 primary schoolchildren from 3 schools in New South Wales (Australia). Children's recall was assessed at posttests of 1, 14, and 28 days. Children exposed to the resource recalled more hazards than did control-group children.…

A two-phase study assessed the extent to which a set of variables predicted rural secondary students' likelihood of continuing to college and sought to determine predictors of rural students' academic success at the completion of first-year university study. Participants were drawn from seven state coeducational secondary schools in the Riverina…

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…

Addresses factors affecting rural education in Tasmania (Australia), including population trends, financial support, student enrollment, socioeconomic status of rural residents, and geographic isolation. Issues that need to be addressed include the status of small schools in Tasmania, costs associated with transporting students, staffing, low…

Survey of 22 rural Australian youth, aged 12-18 and not attending school or work, found that youth were strongly motivated towards creative, practical, and life skills learning. Describes a model of the phenomenon of "street kids" at the intersection of youth unemployment, homelessness, and truancy. Recommends establishment of pilot…

A study examined the relationship between medical students' background and their attitudes toward being trained or working as doctors in rural areas. Surveys of 97 first-year medical students at an Australian university indicated that students from rural backgrounds were more willing than urban students to be trained and to work in rural areas.…

The first national study of facilities for isolated Australian children living away from home was undertaken by the Commonwealth Schools Commission in 1981 and released in 1983. This document contains the conclusions, findings, and recommendations of the Commonwealth Schools Commission Working Party report. The results prompted the Commission to…

This book illustrates the benefits of integrating different approaches to community and regional development for rural Australia. The key theme is community capacity building through lifelong learning, seen as integration of formal, nonformal, and informal education and training at all levels. Other foci include the local-global context, issues…

Because of geographic isolation, many Australian families find it necessary to send their children to boarding schools for an appropriate secondary education. To determine the impact that leaving home has on young adolescents, and how they cope with the change, 38 year-8 boarding-school students from remote areas of Western Australia were…

A study examined the impact of high school vocational education and training (VET) courses on small, rural communities in Tasmania (Australia). Data were gathered from site visits and interviews with school principals, VET coordinators, and VET students from three rural Tasmanian high schools. Findings show that the programs met the immediate…

Seven intensive interviews with female college students at Roseworthy College, a rural agricultural college in South Australia, revealed that the college's historic rural masculine tradition and misogynist social environment restrict women to narrow sexual-subject positions: acting like a male; tutor/cleaner/mother/cook; "slut" versus…

Besides describing actual experiences of rural students who leave school before completing Year 12, a 1978-79 study in Western Australia was also designed to investigate options and employment opportunities available to school leavers. Questionnaires from 1,371 students in Years 9-12 in 14 schools collected data on background, education,…

A study examined rural Australian student experiences of the transition to high school. Data were gathered from interviews, questionnaires, and student journals of 10 rural students during the last 5 weeks of primary school and during the first three terms of Year 7 in high school. Findings indicate that students had many anxieties related to the…

Young people growing up in rural and isolated areas of Australia face particular challenges because structural change to the rural economy has dramatically affected their communities. Structural challenges include limited transportation, health and community services that are difficult to access and not confidential, scarcity of affordable…

In rural Australia, education beyond year 10 involves leaving home. Rural families may influence young people to stay home. Family influence and culture should not always be considered a deficit, for the family provides support when jobs are scarce. Rural families' social capital and rural resilience should be considered in developing rural school…