This study examined the benefits and outcomes of the Yarning for Success (YfS) Program - an initiative led by the University of Queensland's Poche Centre for Indigenous Health to support the recruitment and retention of First Nations Australian early career academics (ECAs). Qualitative interview data from seven of the nine program participants was analysed from an Indigenous standpoint using narrative inquiry. The life experiences of First Nations Australian ECAs shaped their journey into the academy. Key benefits of the YfS Program were culturally safe spaces, strong and nurturing leadership and support, and transformative connections and networks. Of the seven First Nations Australian ECAs interviewed, five have conferred and one has passed their PhD. Racial microaggressions created peer and institutional expectations for some First Nations Australian ECAs to undertake additional work because of their Indigenous identity. Enhancing the benefits and outcomes of the YfS Program for First Nations Australian ECAs requires the implementation of university wide anti-racist strategies.
Multiplicative thinking (MT) is a key foundation for fractions, proportional reasoning, and algebra, yet many students experience persistent barriers in transitioning from additive to MT. This study analysed responses from 253 Australian students in Years 3 to 6 to the Diagnostic Assessment of Multiplicative Thinking (DAMT), a purpose-designed assessment developed to elicit students’ reasoning across multiplication and division tasks involving equal groups, arrays, multiplicative comparison, and Cartesian product situations. Using an evidence-based approach that integrated Rasch partial credit modelling with examination of students’ coded responses and solution strategies, a five-stage learning progression was derived. The learning progression distinguished qualitatively different forms of reasoning, ranging from one-to-one correspondence to property-based MT. Findings identify critical transition points, particularly in division, multiplicative comparison, Cartesian product, and two-digit-by-two-digit multiplication. Students’ reasoning varied systematically across multiplicative situations, numerical complexity, and operation types, revealing persistent transition barriers. These findings have implications for interpreting assessment evidence and supporting the development of robust MT in primary classrooms.
The transition from primary to secondary school can evoke both excitement and anxiety for students. While many adapt well, some face ongoing challenges. Schools offer various support activities, but research on their effectiveness is limited. This study explored students' perspectives on the transition, their experiences with school-based supports, and potential improvements. Focus groups with 33 students from Years 5-8 across government, Catholic and independent schools in Victoria, Australia were conducted and analysed using inductive thematic analysis, yielding three themes and 14 subthemes. Students reported excitement tempered by apprehension, understood necessary secondary school skills, and identified needed supports. To improve the transition, students suggested more opportunities to practice independence, gradual transition, immersion in secondary school, and increased interaction with secondary students. The study discusses opportunities for implementing these recommendations within educational policy and practice including developing resources to support successful transitions.
Population assessments of early childhood development at school entry can inform school-based strategies to maximise all children's healthy development and learning. However, limited research has considered multidimensional patterns of early functioning across a comprehensive set of developmental indicators, in relation to educational outcomes. In a population-based sample of Australian students (n > 33,000), this study examined longitudinal associations between multidimensional profiles of developmental vulnerabilities (derived from latent class analysis of Kindergarten teacher-reported indicators) and multiple educational adversities (poor numeracy and reading achievement at Years 3 and 5, and out-of-school suspension between Years 3 and 6). Children represented in three early developmental "risk" classes (together comprising approximately 20% of students) were more likely to experience the three educational adversities than their peers without developmental vulnerabilities, but with different patterns (magnitudes) of association between specific risk classes and outcomes. Findings signify opportunities for tailored provision of school-based academic, social-emotional, and behavioural supports according to early childhood multidimensional risk profiles, with the aim of reducing later educational adversities.
Australian primary school students engage in complex information environments for learning and everyday life, and there are increasing concerns about students' capacity to navigate these environments. Despite these concerns, employment of qualified teacher librarians with specialist information literacy expertise is declining. Drawn from a larger study of Australian primary teacher librarians' perspectives on information literacy, this study examined when and how information literacy skills are introduced to students. This article highlights the need for teachers to have the support of qualified teacher librarians to introduce and build students' capacity to use information critically and ethically. It also underscores the importance of system-level support to embed information literacy as core learning across primary education. These findings will be of value to education policy makers, school leaders and teacher librarians who are seeking clear evidence of the importance of consistent information literacy approaches across the primary school years and the value of qualified teacher librarians to support teachers in this implementation.
