Research Highlights
Academic Staff in the School of Education at Southern Cross University engage in a diverse range of educational research projects, many of which relate to learning and teaching in formal educational contexts from early childhood through to higher education. Here are a some research project highlights.
Aboriginal Knowledge, Worldview and Education
Associate Professor Karen Martin is a Noonuccal woman from North Stradbroke Island (south east Queensland) and also has Bidjara ancestry (central Queensland). Her PhD thesis (James Cook University) was awarded the JCU University Medal 2006. She is currently a joint Chief Investigator in an ARC Linkage project, 'Developing culturally fair assessment practices to achieve greater equity and success for Indigenous students'. Professor Martin's research has recently been published in Please knock before you enter: Aboriginal regulation of Outsiders and the implications for researchers. (2008, Teneriffe: PostPressed).
Higher Education
Professor Martin Hayden travels to Vietnam regularly working on projects about recent policy developments in higher education. This work has resulted in a book published by Springer in 2008. His work creates many opportunities for the future, and he is now providing advice and support to several distinguished young Vietnamese academics to visit Australia to broaden their understanding of higher education systems.
Information and Communication Technology and Teacher Professional Development
Dr Renata Phelps and Associate Professor Anne Graham, through a collaborative initiative between Southern Cross University and the Catholic Education Office, Lismore (funded through the Australian Research Council 2004-2007), have been involved in researching and developing an holistic and flexible whole-school approach to Information and Communication Technology (ICT) professional development for primary and secondary school teachers. Technology Together is not just about ICT skills training. It acknowledges the importance of school culture and meets individual teachers 'where they are at' on the technology learning ladder. Technology Together is about developing teachers' capability - their ability to go on learning and adapting to technological change. Further publications related to this project will be available in 2010. More information on the program is available at www.scu.edu.au/technologytogether.
e: renata.phelps@scu.edu.au
e: anne.graham@scu.edu.au
Mathematics Recovery
Adjunct Professor Bob Wright is involved in several research projects including the following:
- Chief Investigator on the Australian Research Council funded Linkage project entitled, Intervention in the number learning of low-attaining 3rd- and 4th-grade students. The Industry Partner for this project is the Catholic Education Office, Melbourne. This project involved working with an intervention teacher in each of 25 primary schools in Victoria, over the course of one school year. Each teacher's work included intensive intervention teaching of eight low-attaining students. This project is now in the analysis and publication phase and has resulted in six publications and two additional papers submitted. As well, the project has lead to additional collaborative work with CEO Melbourne.
- Collaborating on a project entitled Evaluating Math Recovery with Student Outcomes. This two-year project is led by Prof Paul Cobb at Vanderbilt University and is funded by the Institute of Education Sciences.
- Collaborating on research and development at the National American Indian, Alaskan and Hawaiian Education Development Center, in the United States. The NAIAHEDC aims to advance the teaching of mathematics and literacy at K 5 grade levels, in schools with high proportions of Native American students.
Professor Wright is also the first author of three books on the assessment and teaching of early number, two of which are in their second edition. These books are published in London by Sage.
Science Education and Environmental Education
Adjunct Professor Keith Skamp is currently involved in a number of research projects linked to his interests in science and environmental education. He has advised the NSW Department of Education and Training in its development of an Education for Sustainability (EfS) framework for NSW schools, after also completing, for the NSW DET, an extensive review of the international literature in research and best practice in environmental education and EfS. Professor Skamp has, with colleagues from the University of Liverpool, been researching students' conceptions, and willingness to act, about global warming. This is a cross-national study (Greece, Spain, USA, England and Australia) across Years 6 to 10.
Professor Skamp has completed research articles on the use of learnscapes as a pedagogical tool in environmental education and was research leader for the Australian Government Department of the Environment and Water Resources funded project: A Review of Air Quality Education, which was published in 2007. He is also the editor and main writer of the highly successful book, Teaching Primary Science Constructively (2008), now in its third edition, having sold in excess of 25,000 copies.
Updated: 01 February 2012