Using an ethnographic-interpretive research strategy, a study of teacher-student interaction displayed in a secondary physics class suggests student-centered instructional strategies create an environment that enhances self-esteem, responsibility, behavior and academic performance. Examples of study guides, activity sheets and topic overviews are…

This article questions the stereotyped picture of the Asian university student as relying heavily on rote learning. A survey comparing Hong Kong students (n=2,143) with Australian norms found similar study processes in the two groups, suggesting that tendencies toward reproductive study approaches may be a function of teaching practices rather…

Examines the problem of high attrition rates after the introductory compulsory year for students studying languages other than English (LOTEs) in Australian high schools. A quantitative study is described that determined students' intentions to continue with language studies in the following year. Implications for LOTE teaching are discussed. (51…

Investigates the influence of gender on the development of elementary school students' general self-concept along with academic achievement. Finds that pre-adolescent boys' and girls' general self-concepts were significantly influenced by peer and parent relationships and physical appearances, while only boys' general self-concept was influenced…

Examines the pedagogical uses and implications of asynchronous e-mail exchanges by reporting on a pilot project involving student-to-student penpal correspondence between the Departments of Italian at two Australian universities. Students were matched by their linguistic proficiency, then given writing tasks in pairs. The project was successful in…

The aim of this study was to identify the type of conceptual change (assimilation or accommodation) that can be induced by a refutational text. Individual interviews were carried out with a stratified sample of eighty-seven grade 9 students. Forty-four percent of them were found to have a misconception about the concept of ecological role--they…

Over 400 e-learning grant applications from Australian primary schools were analysed to determine the nature of the proposed ICT based projects in literacy and numeracy. Three key dimensions emerged from the teacher descriptions: ICT infrastructure, motivation and ICT use, and pedagogy and innovation. The three dimensions, and the interactions…

This article derives from a research project investigating the singing behaviour of a group of Australian boys in their first year of school. The project showed that the genesis of the "missing male" trend in singing at school may be occurring in early childhood. The impact of hegemonic masculinity in early childhood is explored here by…

How might exemplary practice be represented by teachers' narratives? How might such representations be analyzed? How might theory and practice be related? "Analyzing Exemplary Science Teaching" is a text that seeks to combine educational theory and practice through analysis of a series of teachers' descriptions of "exemplary"…

Presents a tongue-in-cheek monologue on the value of languages to the culture and economic life of Australia and its students. Touches on the number of languages spoken in Australia, the schools' role, languages other than English, student motivation, educational objectives, immigrants, and multiculturalism. (Author/CK)

This study compared the motivational orientations and metacognitive abilities of 143 Grade 7 intellectually gifted students in an Australian selective school with 133 average-achieving age peers attending comprehensive schools. Gifted students had greater confidence in their own control over successes or failures in school tasks, demonstrated more…

Explains a model of drop-out from distance education courses and illustrates it with quotations from case studies of students in Australia; Papua, New Guinea; and the United Kingdom. Topics discussed include individual student characteristics, home and family circumstances, employment situation, educational background, motivation, and cost benefit…

Introduces reading research from Great Britain, Sweden, and Australia. Discusses three conclusions from this literature particularly relevant to college reading specialists. (SR)

Reviews literature related to gender, science discourse, and the discourse designed to enhance girls' post-school options through nontraditional choices. Contains 116 references. (DDR)

Science, writing, and art activities can be productively integrated in the elementary classroom. Presents sample learning activities that are coded for the types of experiences they provide for students. These include direct, intuitive, remembered, imagined, mediated, or qualities and relationships experiences. (WRM)