The positive influence of inquiry-based learning teacher professional learning and industry partnerships on student engagement with STEM

School teachers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) face challenges in developing and maintaining high levels of student engagement and achievement in those disciplines. Consequently, declining numbers of students are electing these subjects beyond the compulsory years of schooling. A major factor in student engagement often is curriculum content being relevant to the lives of students outside the classroom. Two key ways teachers can enhance the real-world relevance of their lessons are inquiry-based learning and localising the curriculum to provide an authentic context for teaching and learning. In this paper, we report a qualitative study into the perceived influences of inquiry-based learning on student engagement, as facilitated through teacher professional learning in the context of two major infrastructure programs in Sydney, Australia. Semi-structured interviews and focus groups were conducted with primary and secondary teachers who participated in professional learning about inquiry-based pedagogies, as well as with their students who undertook inquiry-based learning projects based on the infrastructure programs in their local community. Inductive and deductive content analyses using Attard’s Framework for Engagement with STEM illustrated how the combination of teacher professional learning, student inquiry-based learning, and localised industry-school partnerships enhanced student engagement across operative, cognitive, and affective domains. Another significant finding was the extent to which professional learning as the vehicle for inquiry-based learning and industry connections enhanced teachers’ pedagogical relationships and pedagogical repertoires in ways not possible with more conventional approaches to industry-school partnerships

Online educational research with middle adolescent populations : ethical considerations and recommendations

Adolescent populations have become increasingly accessible through online data collection methods. Online surveys are advantageous in recruiting adolescent participants and can be designed for adolescents to provide informed consent without the requirement of parental consent. This study sampled 338 Australian adolescents to participate in a low risk online survey on adolescents’ experiences and perceptions of their learning in science classes, without parental consent. Adolescents were recruited through Facebook and Instagram advertising. In order to judge potential participants’ capacity to consent, two multiple-choice questions about the consent process were required to be answered correctly prior to accessing the survey. This simple strategy effectively determined whether middle adolescents had the capacity to provide informed consent to participate in low risk online educational research

What drives quality physical education? : a systematic review and meta-analysis of learning and development effects from physical education-based interventions

Objective: To determine the effects of learning interventions aimed at optimizing the quality of physical education (PE) on psychomotor, cognitive, affective and social learning outcomes in children and adolescents. Design: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Data Sources: After searching PsycInfo, ERIC, and SportDiscus electronic databases, we identified 135 eligible studies published between January 1, 1995 to May 1, 2021. Eligibility Criteria for Selecting Studies: We included randomized controlled trials, quasi-experimental studies, and controlled trials that assessed the effect of a PE-based intervention against one of the four identified learning domains in youth at school (aged 5-18 years). Results: One hundred and thirty five (135) studies with over 42,500 participants and 193 calculated effect sizes were included in the study. The mean effect across all the learning and development outcomes was small to medium (Cohen's d = 0.32, 95% confidence interval [CI] (0.27-0.37). When adjusted for publication bias using the Duval and Tweedie Trim and Fill Method, this mean effect size increased to d = 0.40 (CI = 0.34-0.46). Effect sizes varied significantly based on learning and development outcomes. Interventions that consistently report above or below the mean d = 0.40 effect are identified based on learning outcome. The greatest effects across interventions were witnessed in psychomotor learning outcomes (d = 0.52) followed by affective (d = 0.47), social (d = 0.32), and cognitive (d = 0.17) learning outcomes. A minority (< 10%) of PE interventions captured by this systematic review and meta-analysis reported having a negative effect on student learning and development. Conclusion: The interventions with the greatest effects on student learning and development were dependant on the learning domains. Some PE interventions with a pedagogical focus such as games-based approaches, TARGET/Mastery Teaching, and Sport Education were found to be strong investments across multiple domains. The evidence is limited however by consistency in intervention dosage, study design, and data collection instruments. The study received no internal or external funding and was not prospectively registered

Writing in Secondary Academic Partners

Writing in Secondary (WiS) Academic Partners is a partnership between the New South Wales Department of Education and the Centre for Educational Research, School of Education, Western Sydney University (WSU). The WiS project was undertaken across secondary schools (n=20) within NSW in 2021 and 2022. The project focused on the improvement in academic writing for Stages 4 and 5 within History; Personal Development, Health and Physical Education; Science and Visual Arts. The impact of WiS on students' writing within these subjects and teachers' pedagogical changes in the teaching of writing are identified in this report

Teaching Resource on Flooding in the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley: Assessing the Impact on Student Learning

This report details the findings of research conducted for Infrastructure NSW assessing the impact of teaching curriculum resource about Hawkesbury‑Nepean Valley on students’ understanding of natural hazards, community preparedness and responses to flooding. The research comprised pre and post surveys of students’ understanding and awareness of natural hazards and emergency services and planning before and after the resource was delivered. This quantitative survey data has been analysed in the findings. A focus group to identify teacher’s perspectives and experiences of using the resource was conducted. Qualitative evidence from the focus group interviews is presented. Survey participants included a sample of 332 students from a range of schools including government, catholic and independent schools. The participants were stage 4 students (aged between 12 and 14 years) studying geography at school in NSW Stage 4 classrooms from diverse backgrounds. Focus group participants were teachers from schools who had implemented the resource within their classrooms throughout 2019. The focus group participants came from government, Catholic and independent schools and had a range of experience in teaching geography

Linking K-12 STEM pedagogy to local contexts : a scoping review of benefits and limitations

Student engagement and learning in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields in primary and secondary schools is increasingly being emphasized as the importance of STEM skills for future careers is realized. Localized learning has been identified as a group of pedagogical approaches that may enhance learning in STEM by making the relevance of STEM clear to students and providing stronger connections to students’ lives and contexts. This paper reports on a scoping review that was conducted to identify the benefits and limitations of localized learning in primary and secondary school STEM disciplines. A secondary aim of the review was to identify strategies that increase the effectiveness of localized learning these disciplines. Following literature searches of four databases, 1923 articles were identified. Twenty-five studies met the inclusion criteria. Potential benefits of localized learning included increases in enjoyment of STEM, improvements in learning, more positive STEM career aspirations, and development of transferable skills. The main challenges of these pedagogical approaches were time restrictions and lack of community involvement. Strategies for enhancing the impact of localized pedagogy included professional development for teachers (in STEM content knowledge, integration of localized pedagogy, and capacity to address socio-scientific issues), integration of technology, whole-school implementation of the pedagogical approach, and integration of the wider community into STEM education. These findings provide support for localized learning as an effective pedagogical approach to enhance STEM learning in schools, while emphasizing the critical roles of teachers and communities in supporting students to realize the relevance of STEM in their lives

Who do girls turn to when times are tough? : mental health implications for teenagers who seek support online or face-to-face

This research aims to: 1. Identify the ways of coping adolescent girls use: (a) when faced with academic and social stressors, and (b) whether these behaviors differ by school grade (Grade 7 or 9). 2. Examine the relationship between these behaviors and anxiety. One conclusion drawn is that Parents are the primary source of support used for academic stressors, while close friends are the primary source of support used for social stressors

The role of mathematics anxiety and attitudes in adolescents' intentions to study senior science

In this study, we examined whether generalised mathematics anxiety, application of mathematics in science anxiety, and positive attitudes towards mathematics influenced adolescents’ intentions to study biology, chemistry, and physics in Grades 11 and 12. Participants were 477 students in Grades 8–10 from two schools in Western Sydney. Girls reported higher levels of generalised mathematics anxiety and application of mathematics in science anxiety. Positive attitudes towards mathematics were a significant and positive predictor of students’ intentions to study all science subjects, while application of mathematics in science anxiety was a negative predictor of students’ intentions to study chemistry and physics

Digital support seeking in adolescent girls : a qualitative study of affordances and limitations

While digital communication is almost universal amongst adolescents, we do not yet know why adolescent girls seek support electronically or how they perceive this support. The prevalence of adolescent girls’ informal digital support seeking was determined by a self-report questionnaire with 186 early and middle adolescent girls (Mage = 13.64 years), drawn from four socioeconomically advantaged schools in Australia. Digital support seeking from friends was extremely common, with 73.66% seeking emotional support and 85.48% seeking academic support. Next, to determine perceptions of digital support seeking, we conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews with a representative subsample of 31 girls (Mage = 13.95 years). Interview data was analysed using inductive thematic analysis. Themes of friendship and emotional self-regulation emerged as perceived benefits. Girls perceived digital support to be poorer in quality than face-to-face support, and were particularly concerned about limitations to privacy and the disclosure of confidential information. Several maladaptive behaviours such as using digital support seeking to conceal or avoid emotion were identified. There was variation in the attitudes of the sample, and four groups of girls with distinct attitudes towards digital emotional support seeking were identified. Implications for supporting adolescents to effectively seek support electronically and face-to-face are discussed

[In Press] A scoping review of video games and learning in secondary classrooms

Video games are an established part of popular culture, and frequently used in educational settings worldwide. There is now a substantive body of research suggesting positive outcomes of their use in classrooms. In spite of this, there is a dearth of research synthesizing the outcomes of these studies. This is particularly so in relation to the ways video games are used by teachers for educational purposes within secondary classrooms. A scoping review of recent literature focusing on video games in secondary classrooms published between 2010 and 2020 was conducted. In total, 3110 studies were identified in the initial search, 85 of which were retained after screening. The review indicated that the impact of video games in secondary classrooms is generally positive, although not conclusively so. Current research on the use of video games in secondary education is limited, primarily concerned with short-term interventions, and often does not consider wider teaching contexts. We propose several areas of further research, including methodological implications for the field of video game and educational research