Editorial

This issue of the Australian Journal of Education includes studies involving students from early childhood through to tertiary education, and employing a variety of research methodologies.

The influence of children’s attitudes towards recreational reading and the frequency with which they participate in this activity on their measured reading skill is the focus of the study by Saiyidi Mat Roni and Margaret Merga. The authors take data from close to one thousand Australian students in Years 4 and 6 and examine the relationships between a number of intrinsic (such as gender and age) and extrinsic variables (such as family modelling of reading and encouragement to read) and the students’ attitudes towards and frequency of reading, using three complementary analytic techniques. Artificial neural networks are used, along with logistic regression and multiple regression, to identify those variables that are most strongly related to positive attitudes towards recreational reading – being a ‘keen’ and frequent reader. Regular visits to the library, viewing reading as being important and enjoyment of early literacy experiences are the top three ranked variables in artificial neural network, with all three also identified as significant effects (p < .001) in binomial logistic regression and linear regression. The authors argue that providing students with regular opportunities to visit and make use of libraries may be a valuable intervention for educators and parents seeking to enhance children’s attitudes towards reading.

Universal interventions that target emotional and behavioural problems in primary school students are the focus of a study by Michelle Torok, Victoria Rasmussen, Quincy Wong, John Toumborou, Alison Calear, Aliza Werner-Seidler and Bridianne O’Dea. The team reports on a pilot of the PAX Good Behaviour Game with over 200 students across six schools to investigate the programme’s effectiveness in reducing emotional and behavioural problems (as measured by teacher reports on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire) after 12 weeks of use in classrooms. Fidelity to the original programme manual is also examined. Results show significant improvements for male and female students over time, with reductions in the global (total) SDQ score along with reductions in externalising and internalising difficulties scores from pre- to post-intervention. The team of authors note that the finding that lower fidelity scores are associated with greater improvements may be due to teachers intentionally modifying aspects of the programme, such as the scoring system or delivering rewards to individuals rather than the whole class, and that these modifications may have been informed by teachers’ experience with and understanding of the dynamics in their own classrooms or students’ personalities. Teachers may, it seems, know best, but further research into the impact of such modifications will be required.

In their article, Tebeje Molla and Andrea Nolan examine how inequality is represented and addressed in three key equity policies in the Australian early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector. Drawing on critical frame analysis, the authors examine the content of the National Partnership Agreement on Early Childhood Education, Closing the Gap: National Partnership Agreement on Indigenous Early Childhood and the National Partnership Agreement on Universal Access to Early Childhood Education. They find that disadvantage in Australia’s ECEC sector has been framed as a lack of access, limited navigational capacity – in terms of geographical access and information about services – and cultural exclusion and suggest that greater alignment between policy making and policy implementation might result in greater effectiveness in reducing disadvantage.

Using administrative data from an Australian university, Alex Lovat and Igusti Darmawan investigate relationships between students’ gender and age and their academic performance. What distinguishes this study from the wealth of other research into the influences on student performance is the sample – over 500 students who had entered university after following a Vocational Education and Training (VET) pathway rather than the more traditional ‘straight from secondary school’ pathway. Age and gender are both found to be related to academic performance for this group of students, with higher performance among female students and groups of older students. In addition, differences emerge in the effects of gender on academic performance depending upon age group. Success at university, at least as measured by academic performance, is not restricted to those who follow a traditional pathway, but open to those who undertake their studies at later time points as well. This study’s results are compared to those of the OECD’s Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), with similarities in terms of the highest literacy performance being recorded for the 25–34 age group, but also key differences in findings related to gender differences in performance.

Ten years after a survey about the teaching and assessment of anatomy in Australian and New Zealand medical schools (Craig, Tait, Boers, & McAndrew, 2010) Jodie Trautman, Darryl McAndrew and Steven Craig ask what, if anything, has changed? The short answer, according to the responses of 17 of a total of 22 medical schools, appears to be ‘very little’. Little has changed, either in the amount of time dedicated to teaching gross anatomy (195 hours compared to 171 hours in 2008) or in terms of the qualifications of teaching staff. No standardised assessment of anatomical knowledge has been introduced, and only three courses require a passing score in anatomy for students to progress in their studies, compared to eight courses in the 2008 survey. One area that has changed dramatically in the ten years between surveys is the use of advanced teaching technologies – ultrasound machines, tablet devices, interactive e-books and casting software to develop presentations. Despite the increased use of these technologies and use of prosections (previously prepared specimens) over dissections (which require new specimens each session), the authors express concern that without a concerted effort on behalf of curriculum coordinators or a national body, the teaching of anatomy in Australian and New Zealand risks being left behind other nations.

The issue concludes with two book reviews.

The first review, by Shani Sniedze-Gregory, is of Reading for Life: High Quality Literacy Instruction for All by Lyn Stone. According to the reviewer, the book is an efficient read and well-organised into short, focused chapters. Time poor readers could benefit further by focusing on the first and final sections. The first section of the book (nine chapters) explains the need for structured literacy instruction in the process of learning to read, with a focus on the Bix Six of literacy – oral language development, phonological (including phonemic) awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension, while the fourth and final section of the book (eight chapters) presents a selection of teaching ideas, strategies and tools from the author’s own consultancy practice. The reviewer notes a number of generalisations and omissions that limit the value of other sections of the book. Thus, she points out that in continuing to (a) ignore the complexities of the classroom, of children’s lives, skills and experiences and (b) assert that the Big Six and only the Big Six are required to teach children how to read, high quality literacy instruction for all is unlikely to be achieved.

The second review, by Elizabeth Kleinhenz, is of a biography of influential Australian educator and policymaker, Jean Blackburn. Jean Blackburn: Education, feminism and social justice, by Craig Campbell and Debra Hayes, is described as insightful, meticulously researched and well-written by the reviewer, appealing not only to a general reader, who may be interested in the personal stories and struggles described in earlier chapters, but also those with an interest in the history of education policy development in Australia.

Happy reading!