Comparison of volunteers at the Olympic Games in Lillehammer in 1994 (n=200) and Sydney in 2000 (n=200) showed they were strongly motivated by national pride, social contact, and friendship. Learning was an important motivator for younger volunteers. Increased job and social skills and knowledge were common outcomes. (Contains 22 references.) (SK)

The literature suggests that teacher morale is at an all time low in Australia (Hicks 2003, Smyth 2001) with teachers feeling undervalued, frustrated, unappreciated and demoralized (Smyth 2001; Senate Employment, Education and Training References Committee (SEETRC) 1998). In this paper the author utilizes the data gathered in a recent study into…

The current study addressed the frequency of body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) symptoms among university students and investigated the predictors of dysmorphic concern. Six hundred and nineteen Australian university students completed measures assessing BDD, dysmorphic concern, self-esteem, depression, life satisfaction, self-oriented and socially…

Research on career development has focused primarily on adolescents and adults. However, in Gottfredson's theory of circumscription and compromise (2002) it is proposed that career aspirations originate in the preschool years and that the earliest work aspirations of children are sex typed in relation to the activities of same sex adults. This…

The regulatory environment in which long daycare centres are required to operate plays a key role in determining what early childhood professionals do and how they go about doing it. This paper reports findings from a state-wide survey undertaken in New South Wales, Australia, which shows how early childhood professionals position themselves on…

This study examined the supervision arrangements and job satisfaction among school psychologists in Victoria, Australia. Participation in professional supervision was explored in relation to the type of employment and job satisfaction. The results revealed that the frequency of participation in supervision activities was less than optimal, with…

Background: The study considers how severity of disability, perceived stress, and perceived social support impact on the well-being of a group of mothers caring for school-aged children with cerebral palsy. Method: Forty-three mothers attending clinics at the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne, Australia were interviewed and completed the…

This book answers fundamental questions about the nature of work in modern life based on the research from an innovative, cross-national project of the Work Importance Study (WIS). Part 1 presents the background for WIS. "Studies of the Meaning of Work" (Branimir Sverko, Vlasta Vizek-Vidovic) reviews the current state of understanding of…

Usable responses from 197 of 300 Australian managers indicated those who had mentors perceived more organizational justice than those who had not. Career, psychosocial, and role modeling functions of mentoring were significantly and positively related to perceptions of distributive and procedural justice. (SK)

Teacher renewal and improvements in teaching quality through teacher professional development (PD) have been high on the agenda of many countries for some time. Several principles of effective PD for teachers, based on a synthesis of research evidence, have been espoused by the Centre for Educational Research and Innovation (CERI, 1998). A survey…

This article seeks to contribute to the current discourse on internationalisation of higher education in Australia and to understanding and managing the increasing diversity of the student body. Its specific concern is a comparison of international versus domestic student experience regarding a range of a university's academic and general services…

Investigates the roles and workloads of secondary school principals from Queenslands, Australia, and New Zealand. Finds, for example, that pressure in the role and hours worked per week had increased compared with previous years. Overall principals were highly satisfied with their roles. Provides discussion of skills and competencies required of…

Studies assess children's satisfaction with their current placement experiences in South Australian alternative care. Over 80 per cent of children reported being satisfied with both their case-worker and their placement, although children in residential care reported being less satisfied than their counterparts in foster care. (Contains 16…

This paper reports on evaluation of a scheme to improve University teaching through action research over a five-year period in the science, engineering, and technology division of a large Australian dual sector University. Between 2002 to 2006 this scheme directly committed approximately A$210,000 in grants and involved over 130 teaching and other…

This article takes recent critiques of the conceptualisation of "youth as transition" and explores the extent to which "generation" offers a more effective way of conceptualising youth. There is an identifiable convergence of evidence for a "post-1970" generation who have shaped a "new adulthood". Yet…