A Systematic Review of the Research on the Knowledge and Skills of Australian Preservice Teachers

Since knowledge and skills related to curriculum content and pedagogy are crucial for teachers, it is of interest to explore the research relating to what preservice teachers know and can do. Refereed journal articles published between 2005 and 2015 that reported on the assessment of the knowledge or skills of Australian preservice teachers are reviewed. Data were extracted from 52 articles relating to the context of the research, participants in the research and the adequacy of the knowledge and skills of preservice teachers. Most authors expressed some concern about the level of knowledge and skills of preservice teachers and where both were reported there was often a discrepancy between perceived and actual knowledge

Standards in Literacy and Numeracy: Contributing Factors

The establishment of international testing regimes such as the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), and the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) has provided one way for individual countries to monitor the effectiveness of their educational systems. Not only do such programs allow for overall student achievement to be compared across member, and partner, countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and to those countries choosing to participate in PIRLS and TIMSS, but comparisons can also be made in relation to the percentage of students achieving at or below the minimum standards for literacy and numeracy. Studying the educational organisation of those countries and economies in which high-ranking results in international testing have been produced, and in which a lower percentage of students achieving minimum standards in literacy and numeracy is evident, provides valuable information for use in countries where there is a desire for improved student performance, especially for lower achieving students. In combination with the research literature, the main findings from an investigation of the roles played by teachers, students and systems suggest that it is teachers who make the difference, and that it is the responsibility of governments and teacher training institutions to select and prepare teachers accordingly

Factors in Instructional Decision-Making, Ratings of Evidence and Intended Instructional Practices of Australian Final Year Teacher Education Students

There has been increasing interest in an evidence-based approach to education in Australia but relatively little research has provided relevant data on knowledge of the evidence base for instructional practices among teachers preparing to enter the profession. Final year teacher education students (N = 290) in 15 Australian tertiary institutions were surveyed on their understanding of the strength of evidence for 14 instructional strategies and their intended frequency of use of the strategies following graduation. They were also asked to rate the importance of factors they considered in instructional decision-making. Empirical evidence was important in selection of instructional practices but personal preference and, in particular, practicum experiences were considered more important. Students were very confident in their ability to make judgements regarding the evidence base for a range of instructional strategies and tended to rate all strategies as relatively effective. Their judgements, however, did not correlate strongly with available evidence. Intended use of strategies correlated highly with strength of evidence ratings. Implications of these findings for teacher preparation and future research are considered

Classroom behaviour management preparation in undergraduate primary teacher education in Australia : A web-based investigation.

Classroom behaviour management is an essential skill required by all teacher graduates to facilitate instruction in curriculum content. This article describes the classroom behaviour management (CBM) content on offer in Australian undergraduate primary education programs. To date, no nationwide studies exist that report the CBM instruction on offer in pre-service teacher education programs. Thirty-five primary teacher preparation programs were reviewed. Thirty programs (85.7%) contained mandatory course-work in CBM, 108 units contained relevant content, 33 of those were stand-alone CBM units (30.6%). More units were found with CBM content embedded within methods or inclusion units than stand-alone CBM units. The mean hours of CBM instruction per mandatory stand-alone unit was 31.46 hours, 25.5 for stand-alone electives, and 2.3 hours within embedded units. The content of CBM units is reported as well as the research interests of the unit convenors and instructors. Implications of the major findings are discussed

Evidence-Based Classroom and Behaviour Management Content in Australian Pre-service Primary Teachers\u27 Coursework: Wherefore Art Thou?

Beginning teachers often report feeling less than adequately prepared by their teacher education programs in the area of classroom and behaviour management (CBM). This article reports the prevalence of evidence-based practices in the coursework content on offer in Australian undergraduate primary teacher education programs. First a set of CBM practices supported by empirical research was established. Models of CBM in CBM courses and prescribed texts were then examined for the inclusion of these practices. We found that evidence-based practices in CBM were not commonly included in either models of CBM covered in courses, or in the prescribed texts used to support courses. The implications of this phenomenon on beginning teachers’ knowledge and confidence in CBM are discussed

Teaching Students with Disabilities: A Web-based Examination of Preparation of Preservice Primary School Teachers

With increasing expectations that preservice teachers will be prepared to teach students with special needs in regular classrooms, it is timely to review relevant units in teacher education courses. Units relevant to special education/inclusion in primary undergraduate teacher preparation courses in Australian tertiary institutions, delivered in 2009, were examined. Information was gathered through a series of Google searches, and available information was very limited for some units. Sixty-one units in 34 courses met criteria for inclusion. Units typically ran for one semester with 30-40 hours of instruction. Just under half the instructors for whom relevant information was available had an active interest in special education/inclusion of students with disabilities. The most commonly included content was on instructional strategies, with few units aimed at promoting positive attitudes to people with disabilities and only 10% stating that the content was evidence or research-based

How common is natural conception in women who have had a livebirth via assisted reproductive technology? Systematic review and meta-analysis

STUDY QUESTION: What is the proportion of women who experience natural conception after a livebirth via assisted reproductive technology (ART)? SUMMARY ANSWER: Current evidence suggests that natural conception pregnancy may occur in at least one in five women after having a baby via IVF or ICSI. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: It is widely known that some women having babies via ART go on to conceive naturally. This reproductive history is of media interest and often described as 'miracle' pregnancies. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: A systematic review with meta-analysis was carried out. Ovid Medline, Embase, and PsycINFO were searched until 24 September 2021 for English language, human studies from 1980. Search terms were used for the concepts of natural conception pregnancy, assisted reproduction, and livebirth. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: The inclusion criterion was studies with an outcome measure of the proportion of women experiencing natural conception pregnancy after an ART livebirth. Quality of studies was assessed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme cohort study checklist or AXIS Appraisal tool for cross-sectional studies, and a risk of bias assessment was carried out. No studies were excluded based on quality. Random-effects meta-analyses were adopted to produce a pooled effect estimate of the proportion of natural conception pregnancy after ART livebirth. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: A total of 1108 distinct studies were identified, resulting in 54 studies after screening by title and abstract. Eleven studies including 5180 women were selected for this review. The included studies were mostly of moderate quality with a maximum follow-up period ranging from 2 to 15 years. Four studies reported natural conception livebirths which were used as known underestimates of natural conception pregnancies. The pooled estimate for the proportion of women having natural conception pregnancies after ART livebirth was 0.20 (95% CI, 0.17-0.22). LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION: The studies varied widely according to methodology, population, cause of subfertility, type and outcome of fertility treatment, and length of follow-up, leading to potential bias relating to confounding, selection bias, and missing data. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: Current evidence suggests that contrary to widely held views, natural conception pregnancy after ART livebirth is far from rare. National, data-linked studies are needed to provide more accurate estimates of this incidence and analysis of associated factors and trends over time to facilitate tailored counselling of couples considering further ART. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S): This work was conducted as part of an academic clinical fellowship awarded to AT by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). NIHR has had no input into the study design, data collection, and analysis, nor the writing of this study. No authors have any conflicts of interest. REGISTRATION NUMBER: PROSPERO (CRD42022322627)

Preparing Australian Special Educators: Courses and Content

: The characteristics and content of post-graduate courses in special and/or inclusive teacher education in Australian universities were examined using publicly available material on university websites. Content analysis was guided by a set of content area elements covering desirable skills and knowledge for special educators that were identified in the Australian literature. The presence or absence of these content elements in each course and in core or elective units was coded for 28 courses from 21 universities. All or most courses covered generic content such as teaching strategies and evaluating and using research. However, more specialist content, such as explicit teaching strategies and instruction in literacy and numeracy, was absent from over half the courses. The implications of these findings are discussed in the context of the limitations necessarily imposed by the inclusion of only publicly available online information

Contraception after in vitro fertilisation (IVF): a qualitative study of the views of women who have had spontaneous pregnancies after successful IVF

BACKGROUND: The use of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) has increased rapidly since its inception in 1978. Women seeking IVF have a wide range of subfertility causes including unexplained subfertility. A growing subgroup of women seek treatment for other reasons than fertility problems, for example, women in same sex relationships and single women. This study aims to better understand the contraceptive needs of women after successful IVF pregnancy in order to improve service delivery and prevent unplanned and rapid-repeat pregnancies. METHODS: A qualitative study of views of women who have had spontaneous pregnancies after successful IVF. Participants were recruited using purposive and snowballing sampling methods from social media and peer networks. The framework method was used for analysis using NVivo12. RESULTS: The sample comprised 21 interviewees from the United Kingdom (UK), having a range of spontaneous pregnancy outcomes, including single and multiple livebirths, miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy and termination of pregnancy. Contraceptive choices were subject to a complex and dynamic interaction of influencing factors including beliefs regarding subfertility, desire for children and views on contraception. None of the women recalled receiving any information or useful counselling about contraception during fertility or maternity care. After IVF pregnancy, most women (n = 16) used no or ineffective contraception. Spontaneous pregnancy was not universally welcomed in this group and inter-pregnancy intervals were often short (n = 16, less than 18 months). Even after subsequent spontaneous pregnancy, use of contraception and the most effective methods remained low. Women held persistent beliefs regarding their subfertility despite subsequent spontaneous pregnancy. They associated aspects of the IVF process with a sense of personal failure, despite an ultimately "successful" outcome of livebirth. These aspects may reinforce their self-belief in subfertility. Other barriers to contraception use in women having IVF included: lack of knowledge of likelihood of spontaneous pregnancy, lack of contraceptive experience and inherent incentives towards shorter inter-pregnancy intervals. CONCLUSIONS: The contraceptive needs of women having IVF pregnancies are real and are being overlooked. Fertility services should take responsibility for providing information on the risks of subsequent spontaneous pregnancy. Maternity and community healthcare professionals must address women's perceptions of their fertility in order to engage them in contraception counselling

Factores socioeconómicos, culturales e institucionales que afectan el acceso a la justicia de las mujeres indígenas Bribri en procesos de pensión alimentaria del juzgado contravencional y de menor cuantía de Talamanca, en la provincia de limón en Costa Rica: (2015)

Este trabajo analiza desde su rol de género en torno a la situación de las mujeres indígenas Bribri del cantón de Talamanca de la provincia de Limón el tema de accesibilidad a la justicia en procesos activos de Pensión Alimentaria del Juzgado Contravencional del cantón de referencia. Además se analizan las normativas legales existentes, las convenciones y conferencias internacionales relativa a los Derechos Humanos, los Derechos Humanos de las personas indígenas las cuales involucran a las mujeres y el acceso a la justicia de personas que se encuentran en condición de vulnerabilidad así como las normativas referentes a la accesibilidad de la justicia desde un punto de vista de género y derechos humanos. Por tanto, es necesario conocer estos aspectos que marca a las mujeres Bribri con respecto a la posibilidad de tener un acceso a la justicia en igualdad de condiciones sin que exista barrera alguna. Estos condicionantes juegan un papel fundamental en las dinámicas de participación de las mujeres para ejercer ese derecho, asociada con los relacionamientos parentales y los recursos económicos para la manutención de las hijas e hijos.Universidad Estatal a Distancia de Costa Ric