Karen Swabey

• PhD, University of Queensland
• Dean at AEMG

This article reports an implementation, through action research, of the mentoring of recently arrived refugee and migrant children in secondary school years 9 and 10. The mentoring, by education students, was in: English language skills; literacy skills for other subjects; and, planning pathways for further education. There was a very positive reac...

This mixed methods study explored Australian fathers' views about relationships and sexuality education (RSE) and their role within it. In the article we examine contemporary fathers' engagement with discussing relationships and sexuality with their children, compared to their recollections of their own fathers' involvement. We draw on survey data...

The term e-portfolio refers to a portfolio an electronic format that allows users to collect evidence of learning in several media types (e.g., audio, video, text, and graphics) and to organise these using hypertext links. E-portfolios have been introduced into teacher education programs internationally to help pre-service teachers (PST) build reco...

There is increasing recognition of the importance of university and school research partnerships for developing approaches to supporting student learning and wellbeing. However, this is a relatively under-explored area of research particularly in regional community contexts. Drawing on data from a 3-year study of learning and wellbeing in low SES r...

This article reports on the findings of a quantitative online survey investigating Australian fathers’ perspectives on communicating with their children about relationships and sexuality. A diverse sample of 612 Australian fathers of children aged 3 to 12 years completed the Sex Ed Dads survey, sharing their views on sexuality education and their r...

This paper reports on findings of the Sex Ed Dads survey which sought Australian fathers’ perspectives on communicating with their young children about relationships and sexuality, as informal sexuality educators. Given the majority of existing family-based sexuality education research draws on the experiences of mothers, gaining insights from fath...

Despite many claimed benefits, teacher collaboration remains patchy, under-theorised, and resisted. At the same time, new large teaching spaces offer teachers opportunities to teach in teams within and across school subjects to enhance teacher and student learning. In this paper we aim to contribute to theorising the nature and means of this form o...

Teaching practices respond to the prompts, resources and inherent potential of a school’s physical, social and cultural landscape. This study involved how teachers adapt their practice in response to contemporary flexible learning environments. An Australian case study focused on how teachers framed and enacted changes in practice by perceiving act...

This paper explores student perceptions regarding their learning in year 7, with a focus on challenges they experienced midway through their first year of secondary school. The study used a predominantly qualitative approach to collect data from a cohort of 178 students attending an Australian secondary school. The cohort completed a survey asking...

The cognitive, educational and economic benefits of learning a second language have been well documented in the literature. This paper reports findings on perspectives of 13 stakeholders on the benefits of a case study about teaching Vietnamese to preschoolers in a regional early childhood context in Tasmania, Australia in 2017. Using a thematic ap...

De-privatisation of classrooms is characterised by formal and informal invitations to colleagues to access classroom management, pedagogical approaches and teaching practices. This case study of six secondary schools examined the perceptions and practices of de-privatised practice amongst Fijian urban, rural and remote area teachers. Quantitative a...

Consistently, it has been reported that persons with disabilities face multiple challenges in societies and thus it is important that deliberate intervention programs are initiated to empower them to overcome exclusion. The United Nations has taken the lead through the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) project, which is a framework for assisting...

Academic underachievement in young adolescents has been a concern for teachers, schools and systems for some time. In Australian schools, curriculum reforms and middle years programs have been implemented to improve the educational outcomes of young adolescents, and address underachievement, with limited continuity and consistency. This study used...

There is a recent advocacy for students to experience their learning as personalised, but this expectation poses challenges for teachers tasked with addressing prescribed curricula. In this article, we draw on relevant literature and our analyses of three case studies to propose a framework within which teachers can achieve both goals. We first cla...

This study investigated attribution related factors in English language performance among grade nine students (n=147) in Ethiopia. Three public secondary schools were selected from Adama town using census sampling techniques. Sixty attribution items (that is, had 30 items of perceived reasons for success, and 30 items for perceived reasons for fail...

This study investigated attribution related factors in English language performance among grade nine students (n=147) in Ethiopia. Three public secondary schools were selected from Adama town using census sampling techniques. Sixty attribution items (that is, had 30 items of perceived reasons for success, and 30 items for perceived reasons for fail...

Using the concept of a developmental lens (Brighton, 2007; Caskey & Anfara, 2014; Davis, 2006; J-F, Pullen, & Carroll, 2013; National Middle School Association, 2010; Peterson, 2010), this article focuses on young teenage students’ perceptions of teachers. School teachers play an important role in the educational development of teenagers but little...

Attracting and retaining early career teachers to rural and remote schools is a constant challenge within Australia and other nations (Sharplin, O’Neill & Chapman, 2011). Newly qualified teachers make up approximately one quarter of Australia’s rural teaching workforce, as rural and remote schools regularly offer more continuous and stable employme...

This paper reports research undertaken with seven secondary (Year 7-12) physical education (PE) teachers from different metropolitan schools to investigate the use of models based practice (MBP). A qualitative and interpretivist stance was taken to the interview data to examine the teachers’ familiarity with, and implementation of, MBP. Following i...

Resilience is an important aspect of human development. But little is known in terms of what tenants are fundamental to promoting or developing resilience. The following paper using a developmental paradigm argues that: developmental assets, constructive capabilities, and psychological competencies are core tenants of resilience.

Maternal addiction is a significant factor behind the endogenous and the exogenous problems in children. This study extends the works of Cicchetti and Rizley (1981) by providing developmental parameters to classify, categorize and identify common and salient problems of children of addicted mothers (COAM). An archival method was used to review file...

Children of drug addicted mothers are exposed to highly stressful experiences and experience high levels of psychological and emotional distress, alongside psychiatric nosology with multiple comorbid symptoms. The following study extends the work of Lombard, et al. classify the consequences of prolonged or ongoing trauma of children of addicted mot...

Resilience building is a complex and intricate process. Five state primary schools in northern Tasmania took part in this study and used various school-based contextual strategies, programs, and techniques to foster student resilience. A total of 1100 students (542 boys and 558 girls) participated and all completed a pre and post-Resilience Survey....

This study contends that resilience is fundamental to student performance and school achievement. Resilience in terms of developmental capital, constructive capabilities, and psychological competencies not only gives a meaningful insight into student’s social and emotional well-being but together they have the predictive capability of informing how...

This study explores employment/training experiences of adult Australian ex-inmates living crime-free. Little is known in terms of how employment/training comes to assist ex-inmates to live crime-free, and equally, what role employment/training had played in the lives of ex-inmates prior to incarceration and during incarceration. Integrating both qu...

Resilience as psychological construct protects, safeguards and shelters children and adolescents against delinquent behaviours. Resilient children and adolescents are less likely to engage in risk behaviours. A total of 2090 school (Grade 3 to Grade 12) students from South Australia participated in the study and completed a Resilience Survey. Delin...

Resilience is underpinned by a bi-directional relationship of developmental assets, constructive capabilities, and positive psychological competencies, and these constructs constitute fundamental tenets towards the social and emotional wellbeing of children and adolescents. A total of 100,000 Australian students took part in the study and completed...

School chaplaincy services aim to promote student and school community well-being. Given the community interest in chaplaincy services in government schools, it is important that research inform future developments to maximize the potential benefits of chaplaincy services to schools. In this study, 68 chaplains in the Australian state of Tasmania d...

This paper reports on the findings of a Tasmanian study for the Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST). The study, Repertoires for Diversity, soon to be published by DEST through the Literacy and Numeracy Clearinghouse, was funded through the Australian Government's Effective Teaching and Learning Practices for Students with Learning...

In response to Government and community calls to maintain, emphasise, or reintroduce values in schooling, there is a growing literature concerning values education in Australian schools. Despite descriptions of clear aims and expectations within the documents that guide curriculum development, the existing literature exposes a gap, both in studies...

This chapter describes the qualitative approach utilised to investigate relationships of power experienced within formal and informal mentee-mentor relationships associated with the education programme of a sports coaching culture. Denison and Avner (2011) and Cassidy (2010) suggest that power relations within a culture can contribute to conformity...

A unique design is required where archival documents of employees are analysed for grievances. To deliver valid results for such an analysis, an understanding of the context in which the grievance took place is necessary alongside how it was resolved.

While generally treated as independent concepts, there is some commonality in the way in which the character traits of creative and resilient thinkers are described in the literature. For example, both are described as effective thinkers, innovators and problem-solvers (Benard, 2004; Craft, 2005; Galton, 2010; Weisberg, 2006).

This paper captures the voices of students who dropped out of school in Bhutan. The aim of the study was to document student experiences in terms of what led them to drop-out of school and how they could have been supported to remain in school. A total of 158 participants (male 118 and female 40, between the ages of 13 to 44) from both Youth Develo...

Resilient Youth Australia Limited has surveyed 43,799 school (e.g. Government, Independent and Catholic) students (ranging from grade 3 to grade 12) in Australia. This Resiliency Survey took on a wellbeing framework with the purpose of capturing positive psychological systems/competencies of school aged students. Specifically, Resiliency Survey col...

Resilient Youth Australia Limited has surveyed 43,799 school (e.g. Government, Independent and Catholic) students (ranging from grade 3 to grade 12) in Australia. This Resiliency Survey took on a wellbeing framework with the purpose of capturing positive psychological systems/competencies of school aged students. Specifically, Resiliency Survey col...

Maternal addiction has been identified as a significant factor behind the endogenous and exogenous problems in children. The following study extends the works of Cicchetti and Rizley (1981) by providing developmental parameters to classify and categorize known problems to identify both common and salient problems of children of addicted mothers. Ar...

This paper explores school dropout and its association with youth crime in Bhutan. The aim was to discover whether students who drop out of school engage in antisocial or criminal behaviours. A total of 158 participants, who dropped out of school, completed a self-designed 14-point questionnaire. The study involved students who dropped out of schoo...

Mobile technology coupled with Internet accessibility has increased not only how we communicate but also how we might engage in learning. The ubiquity of mobile technology, such as smart phones and tablet devices, makes it a valuable tool for accessing learning resources on the Internet. The unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT...

Mobile technology coupled with Internet accessibility has increased not only how we communicate but also how we might engage in learning. The ubiquity of mobile technology, such as smart phones and tablet devices, makes it a valuable tool for accessing learning resources on the Internet. The unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT...

Lifespan Development: a chronological approach [3rd Australasian edition] explores human physical, cognitive and social development within an Australian and New Zealand context. Building on the successful first and second editions, the resource's comprehensive theory coverage includes the latest local and international research in this ever-evolvin...

Within the school context teachers play an important role in the development of teenagers but little is known in terms of how developmental domains/needs (i.e., social, emotional, physical and cognitive) are involuntarily catered by teachers from the perspectives of teenagers. In an effort to capture how developmental domains are being catered by t...

During early adolescence (e.g. aged between 13 and 15 years) communication and connectedness with peers is an essential part of their self-identity; mobiles phones are a conduit that maintains both communication and connectedness among adolescents whereby social interactions and connectedness are not limited by place, context or time. To study mobi...

It is estimated that 85 percent of students in school are natural kinaesthetic learners. It has been suggested that these particular learners are not being catered to through traditional teaching practices. There is a growing body of evidence to support the connection between physical movement and increased student academic achievement. This resear...

Post-secondary education is claimed to have long-term life benefits for all individuals. However, little is known in terms of how post-secondary education assists ex-inmates to live crime-free. The aim of the present study was to explore how post-secondary education independently and directly came to assist ex-inmates to live crime-free. Participan...

Unaccompanied minor (e.g. below 18 years) asylum seekers (UMAS) as school students bring a complex array of needs into the schooling system. This paper aims to capture the teaching experience of a classroom teacher in a Vocational Training Center setting for UMAS students (n= 15 students between the ages of 16 and 17) at a detention facility in Aus...

Positively addressing and resolving staff grievances within a school is imperative for effective schooling and leadership. Often overlooked in grievance procedures are the role/s of stakeholders especially those in authority (e.g., Principals or School Leaders). Content and Leximancer analysis are two useful methodological tools used in tandem whic...

The present study examined the perception of aging among a cohort of pre-service teachers undertaking an undergraduate degree in primary school education. Using a self-reported questionnaire adapted from the work of Rubin and Berntsen, 331 undergraduate students were asked a series of questions relating to their perceptions of aging. It was conclud...

During adolescence (e.g. ages 13-­‐15) communication and connectedness with peers is an essential part of adolescents’ self-identity; mobiles phones are a conduit that maintains both communication and connectedness among adolescents whereby social interactions and connectedness are not limited by place, context or time. To study mobile phone usage...

This paper directs attention towards the plethora of ongoing health and wellbeing initiatives that seek to address young people’s participation in physical activity and that are underpinned by interests in youth health. Focusing on contemporary developments in the state of Tasmania and throughout Australia, the paper examines these initiatives by h...

Abstract This paper examines e-portfolio-based learning in the context of a theoretical framework which is based on constructivism (Dewey, 1929) and is a combination of students approaches to learning (SAL) and a 3P model of learning (Presage, Prosess, Product), in order to gain a deeper understanding of how students use e-portfolios to achieve lea...

This paper investigated the educators’ perspective of the effects of socialisation on physical education teacher education (PETE) students’ confidence and competence in using the less traditional Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU) approach to teaching physical education. A critical review of pertinent literature was conducted to allow for a de...

This paper focuses on the significance of physical education teacher education (PETE) in the diffusion of ‘new’ thinking about sport teaching in physical education. It explores issues arising from a case study investigation that sought to respond to the critical commentary about the form and substance of sport teaching in physical education by supp...

Academics acknowledge that students are often unable to link and extend first year, first semester foundation material throughout their undergraduate degree. The use of a pedagogically sound interactive digital game-based learning (DGBL) resource to engage first year biological science students in recalling, linking and applying foundation knowledg...

This paper presents a critical analysis of the representation of physical education (PE) in the 1992 Senate inquiry into ‘Physical and Sport Education’ in Australia. Analysis focuses specifically upon how and why a new professional discourse, fundamental motor skills (FMS), gained a privileged position in the inquiry, the inquiry report and in subs...

This research focused on the perceptions of pre-service and beginning health and physical education (HPE) teachers in relation to their preparedness for teaching. A questionnaire was designed to engage with teacher professional standards addressing (i), professional knowledge; (ii), professional relationships and (iii), professional practice. Follo...

This paper reports on the development and use of a classroom observation reflection tool designed to measure the extent to which pedagogies acknowledged in the literature as contributing to effective teaching of mathematics for numeracy are present in classrooms. The observation schedule was used in conjunction with a record of classroom activity t...

Literature points out that there are no socioeconomic differences for victims and perpetrators of sexual abuse in families. It also states that sexual abuse is a "silent disease" and epidemiological data has only recently been available, however, research also convincingly shows that sexual abuse leads to severe post-traumatic and long-term patholo...

Reports on suicide ideation and actual suicides of adolescents have increased in the past years in Australia. Young people are concerned about the statistics but even more so about the lack of help and pro-active intervention systems organised by adults and agencies. This paper is based on suicide prevention forums undertaken with a total of 475 un...

Digital game-based learning (DGBL) is a pedagogical process that can be incorporated into first year teaching and learning practice. The effectiveness of using a DGBL resource to engage first year biological science students in recalling, linking and applying foundation knowledge has been explored in the School of Human Life Sciences (HLS). Academi...