Education projects

Enhancing student learning and teaching

This research topic examines and explores effective strategies to enhance student learning of concepts, skills and values and teachers’ ability to enhance student learning. Exploration of student learning involves a range of strategies such as utilisation of representation and examination as to how these representations are inter-related and translated. It also explores how the classroom impacts on student learning. A closely related aspect includes the study of improving the quality of teaching and how the learning is assessed. These factors are explored through a range of research methodology including surveys, anthropological approaches, video analysis and classroom intervention.

Supervisor

Professor Bruce Waldrip’s work has extensively used mixed methodology, including video analysis, and examination of students’ perceptions and reactions to guide each stage of the research. His most significant contributions:

• Investigation of methods to enhance student learning across curriculum using a literacy approach
• Development of instruments to assess cultural factors affecting learning environment in secondary schools
• Development and validation of a learning environment questionnaire using both quantitative and qualitative methods
• Development and validation of instrument to investigate students’ perceptions of assessment tasks.
• Investigation about the use of multi-modal representations of concepts to enhance learning of middle school science
• Using pre- and post- invention student interaction data to improve teaching and the learning environment.

A great deal of his research has been completed in the area of classroom learning, and its relationship with learning outcomes, student perceptions of assessment tasks, use of multi-modal representations to improve understanding of concepts, effect of culture on student learning, and teachers' and students’ perceptions of their school-level environments. He has a strong interest in cultural factors effecting learning. These areas of research have resulted in over 200 publications and conference presentations.
His previous and current relevant research grants include over $1,200,000 in research funding (includes six ARC Discovery/Large grants and one ARC Linkage Grant) and over $600,000 in consultancies.

Linguisitics, culture and languages

To investigate and examine issues related to linguistics, language awareness, bilingualism, sociolinguistics, cross-cultural aspects of language learning and teaching, interculturality, and teaching culture in language teaching. Investigation of these issues involves mixed methodology including a range of anthropological approaches and survey construction. Current research is examining linguistic issues with minority groups for whom English is at best a second language and appropriate strategies to assist language learning and teaching.

Supervisor

Dr Aniko Hatoss lectures in bilingualism and sociolinguistics and her research has a dual focus on ethnographic research in Australian migrant communities and language policies. Her recent papers include ‘Community-level Approaches in Language Planning: The case of Hungarian Diaspora in Australia’ in Current Issues in Language Planning (CILP), ’Globalisation, interculturality and culture teaching. International students’ in Prospect, “Language, acculturation and identity in the German community of Rural South East Queensland” in Language Awareness and”Promoting Diversity in Language-in-Education Policies: Focus on Australia and the European Union” in CILP. She is an honorary member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and a member of the editorial board for the UK-based international journal “Language Awareness”.

Applied Linguistics Research

The Applied Linguistics research team conducts high quality research in the interdisciplinary areas of second language acquisition and learning in a wide range of contexts such as English as a second/foreign language, teaching foreign languages through modern technology, the language use and needs of immigrant communities and bilingual educational programs. Some of the key research areas include TESOL methodology, sociolinguistics, language policy, bilingualism, discourse analysis, computer-assisted and Internet-based language teaching and language testing. 

Supervisor

Dr Aniko Hatoss lectures in bilingualism and sociolinguistics and her research has a dual focus on ethnographic research in Australian migrant communities and language policies. Her recent papers include ‘Community-level Approaches in Language Planning: The case of Hungarian Diaspora in Australia’ in Current Issues in Language Planning (CILP), ’Globalisation, interculturality and culture teaching. International students’ in Prospect, “Language, acculturation and identity in the German community of Rural South East Queensland” in Language Awareness and”Promoting Diversity in Language-in-Education Policies: Focus on Australia and the European Union” in CILP. She is an honorary member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and a member of the editorial board for the UK-based international journal “Language Awareness”.

Leadership and School Improvement

The research focus centres on processes that build capacity for sustainable school improvement. The work of the research team attached to the Leadership Research (LRI) group involves investigation into leadership and school wide processes that enhance a school’s capacity to improve the learning outcomes for students. Areas of research therefore include parallel leadership, (principal, teacher and student leadership); professional learning, new images of teacher professionalism (3 Dimensional Pedagogy); school wide pedagogy; organisational development and alignment, inclusively and democratic governance; and engaging diverse communities in process of organisational wide learning and community development. Research is currently conducted in 3 states in Australia, in Singapore and Sicily. 

Supervisors

Assoc Prof Dorothy Andrews is the Director of Leadership Research (LRI) in the Faculty of Education, University of Southern Queensland. Her research focus centres on leadership for sustainable school improvement, professional learning, organisational development and alignment, and new images of teacher professionalism. Currently her research is tracing outcomes emerging for a whole school revitalisation project called IDEAS (Innovative design for enhancing achievement in schools).

Dr Marian Lewis is a Senior lecturer and Associate Dean Teaching and Learning in the Faculty of Education, University of Southern Queensland. Her research focus is in the outcomes related to engaging diverse communities in process of organisational wide learning and community development.
Mary Keeffe is a Senior lecturer in the Faculty of Education, University of Southern Queensland. Her research focus attached to the IDEAS project is in the area of democratic governance and student leadership.