We explored primary pre-service teachers' beliefs about challenging mathematical tasks and the role they perceived their initial teacher education played in influencing those aspects. Fifty-seven pre-service teachers completed an online questionnaire, and four participants were individually interviewed. Results showed that most participants…

This research study provides a comparative understanding of instructional design e-practice in an Australian and an American university. This comparative study identifies information relating to the current status of instructional design e-practice that will be of assistance to Australian universities to improve their existing online programs. The…

Mobile learning offers learning opportunities to learners without the limitations of time and space. Mobile learning has introduced a number of flexible options to the learners across disciplines and at different educational levels. However, designing mobile learning content is an equally challenging task for the instructional designers.…

When working with teacher education students one of our aims is to look at "race" and racism, and the implications that "being white" has for teachers' practice. Hence we develop conversations around who we are as gendered and racialised subjects who occupy specific socio-economic positions. Our students find this…

Standardised testing has received a lot of political and public attention recently in Australia. This paper describes the sense-making of Year 3 students as they interpret items from the 2008 NAPLAN. Results show that student performance changed dramatically when the terminology of an item was modified and subsequently were not a true indication…

This investigation examined the course experiences of Bachelor of Education Primary students across each year of the course. The aims of the study were to identify gaps in what we know about our students; to identify relevant domains in student experiences and to assist with course improvements. A reflective inquiry paradigm was adopted for…

Dr. Sally Knipe, Course Coordinator, Bachelor of Education (Middle Schooling) at Charles Sturt University has been teaching undergraduate students in this program for six years. When Charles Sturt University introduced a learning management system, Interact she, with the faculty's educational designer, Miriam Edwards worked together in developing…

This paper summarizes research to ascertain the need for university-based courses in adventure therapy in Australia. Three main sources of data were examined: questionnaires; a literature review; and anecdotal data such as unstructured interviews, personal conversations, and e-mail. Questionnaires were completed by 25 persons: 19 Australians and 6…

Discusses the nature of information and considers objective versus subjective views of information; examines concepts dealing with information practice, including access to and use of information; and discusses impacts on the education of information professionals based on a course offered at the University of Technology (Australia). (Contains 13…

A discussion of the relationship of second language course content and testing focuses on the instruction and assessment of language proficiency. Basic principles of measurement of proficiency and syllabus design for proficiency and their implications are examined. An approach is recommended to syllabus design that has the learner's real needs at…

A conceptual framework for the study of education is proposed and then used in case studies which examine education and educational change in Australia and Sweden. There are three main aspects to the study of education and educational change: (1) the social-structural framework, which includes both the structure of society as a whole and of the…

An account of personal experiences and experiments with a suggestopedic German course taught at the University of Adelaide in Australia is presented. Summaries of the students' background and of their continuous achievements in the German class are provided. The class was conducted primarily according to the "Manual of Classroom Procedures…

This publication contains 19 papers presented at the inaugural meeting of the Australian Geographical Education Research Association held in Brisbane, December 1980. The papers surveyed a wide and diverse range of research. The introductory group of papers present several new views on curriculum development, course content, and teaching methods…

The concept of physical and chemical change is far from being the clearest and most self-explanatory concept in the world. If a number of chemists are asked to define physical and chemical change, there may well appear to be a fair degree of uniformity in their answers, until a few examples are suggested. When chemists are asked to place a variety…

This paper outlines a range of ways that technology education can be incorporated into existing curricula without compromising those programs, the technological skills and knowledge advocated in the 1994 technology statement of the Curriculum Corporation of Australia, or the children and teachers themselves. A case study of a year-two teacher is…