http://www.researchonline.mq.edu.au/vital/access/services/Feed ${session.getAttribute("locale")} 5 http://www.researchonline.mq.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/mq:322 Environmental education in schools is an important strategy in achieving environmental improvement. However, it needs to be based on children's understandings of environment rather than on assumptions of what children know and believe. This paper reports on a research project where school children's answers to a question 'I think the term/word environment means...' were analysed using the qualitative research method of phenomenography. Six distinct conceptions were isolated, ranging from the least sophisticated - environment as a place - to the most inclusive and expansive - environment and people in a relationship of mutual sustainability. An important qualitative difference was found between conceptions that treat the environment as an object and relational conceptions. The implications of these findings for environmental education are discussed. 2011-01-25T01:18:19.443Z ]]> http://www.researchonline.mq.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/mq:10767 In this paper, we examine some results from a series of interviews carried out by e-mail with an international group of statistics educators, all of them members of the International Association for Statistical Education (IASE). We asked for their ideas on the qualities of ‘good’ statistics teachers and ways in which they could develop as statistics educators. Follow-up questions explored their answers in depth. The responses highlight the diversity of views about recognising and developing good statistics teachers at tertiary level, an important consideration for any discussion on professional practice and certification in statistics education. 2010-11-26T12:40:09.717Z ]]> http://www.researchonline.mq.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/mq:10766 Teachers undertaking educational research for the first time usually begin their explorations by evaluating some aspect of their practice. By contrast, experienced researchers will start from an argued research question supported by a defined theoretical framework. In this paper, we use a critical discourse approach to explore various interpretive research paradigms that are commonly used to investigate aspects of statistics education. By considering the underlying epistemological positions and critiquing the approaches and methods used to explore human action in social situations, we become more critical in the design, implementation and reporting of research in statistics education. 2010-11-26T05:45:20.107Z ]]> http://www.researchonline.mq.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/mq:10625 We report on an international study of students’ ideas about mathematics and how they view its relevance to their further studies and their careers. About 1200 students enrolled in mathematics subjects at five universities in different countries responded to three open-ended questions. The responses were coded using phenomenographic methods and grouped into a hierarchy of conceptions. We used a qualitative methodology in preference to a closed form survey in order to draw out the students’ ideas rather than imposing those of the researchers. We present the categorisations found and implications for learning and teaching. 2010-11-19T08:51:41.697Z ]]> http://www.researchonline.mq.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/mq:10620 7 page(s) 2010-11-17T04:30:07.797Z ]]> http://www.researchonline.mq.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/mq:10548 Recent mathematics graduates are in an intermediate position between students and professionals. On the one hand, their experiences as mathematics students are still fresh in their minds: on the other, they have started to develop an appreciation of the role that mathematics plays in their working life. Here we investigate their views of the contribution that their mathematics education has made to their professional work through an analysis of a series of interviews. One notion that was expressed by each of the graduates was that studying mathematics has developed their ability to solve problems and think logically. However, their interpretation of these terms was quite varied. In this paper, we explore their experience of mathematics as problem solving and link this with their view of their professional role as mathematicians. 2010-11-15T04:30:28.795Z ]]> http://www.researchonline.mq.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/mq:9251 Alternative assessment methods are becoming increasingly common in higher education with the aim of increasing the potential learning of students. This paper presents an application of an alternative assessment method: peer assessment of oral presentations for postgraduate students within a statistics department. Even though the assessment of peers is a valuable workplace skill, such an activity is rarely an integrated part of university education. With a new emphasis in universities on the development of generic skills, it is appropriate to explore means of assessment that are valued in the marketplace. The aim of the peer assessment intervention reported here was to increase the critical thinking skills of students and enable them to develop their ability as independent decision makers. The advantages and disadvantages of the intervention and peer assessment in general are discussed and suggestions are made for possible improvements. 2010-08-20T22:20:20.133Z ]]> http://www.researchonline.mq.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/mq:1585 This paper outlines the development of a Work Integrated Learning (WIL) program for introduction into courses run by the Division of Environmental and Life Sciences (ELS) at Macquarie University. It explores the conceptual learning framework that underpins the approach, and supports such a learning environment. It reviews best practise models from across the world to initiate the development of a program with real stakeholder ownership and a structured curriculum framework that defines the expected learning outcomes for all students. The elements common to successful WIL programs are noted. Potential strategies addressing learning and managerial issues associated with WIL placements detail the way forward for the Division of ELS and possibly the wider university. 2010-06-17T07:00:07.309Z ]]> http://www.researchonline.mq.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/mq:1593 The Student Advocate program attempts to both strengthen the voice of students and to increase the engagement with reflective practice by staff. The method has similarities to both Peer Assisted Learning and Peer Observation in that a senior student attends lectures in a junior unit. The role of the senior student, the Student Advocate, is to speak on behalf of the students in the lecture, to gather opinions from the students concerning their learning experience, and to take this information to the staff involved in the unit to provide timely feedback on their teaching practices. Having a student gather comments may allow more candid feedback to be obtained than might otherwise be the case. In addition, having a person other than the lecturer gather the feedback reduces the effort required by the lecturer and therefore makes the uptake of reflective practices as easy as possible. This project is being evaluated in a 100-level Chemistry subject. The outcomes to date suggest that while this system has some benefits, the cost-to-benefit ratio is not sufficiently favourable to warrant a large-scale implementation of it. However, in conjuction with other schemes, such as Peer-Assisted Learning, the Student Advocate scheme may prove to be useful. 2010-06-17T06:00:12.873Z ]]> http://www.researchonline.mq.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/mq:1579 From a viewpoint of seeking ways to assist International students to attain their academic potential, the English usage of a group of first year students was examined and parallels found with academic performance. The implications for universities and teachers are discussed and possible teaching strategies proposed. It is acknowledged that the data did not permit a causal relationship to be concluded. 2010-06-17T06:00:12.662Z ]]> http://www.researchonline.mq.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/mq:8621 This paper integrates different supervisory models with a view to proposing a framework that will foster a supportive intellectual environment for the supervisor-student relationship. To provide conceptual background to the discussion, the paper reviews some of the existing models for postgraduate research supervision found in the literature. The paper juxtaposes these models against the experience that we, the authors, have encountered in our supervision of student research, as well as from interviews that we conducted with other supervisors. We argue that although the existing literature sets out multiple models of research supervision, our experience has been that they have been rather prescriptive and apply to specific situations. Here we redefine our experiences through our perception of our disciplinary environment, our perception of the university environment, and our student’s perspective. Unfortunately, little attention is paid in the literature to the perspective of the student in the supervision process. We argue that to foster an effective environment in the supervision of student research, there is a need to be aware of the variation in our students’ understanding of the research situation, their educational and cultural backgrounds, their expectations of the outcomes of their study and many other factors. Our proposed framework acknowledges that postgraduate supervision is a symbiotic process where balance is integral to the development of the student as researcher. 2010-06-16T13:31:17.009Z ]]> http://www.researchonline.mq.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/mq:8313 Research in student learning can be based on a theoretical framework, observations of students’ learning, the products of this learning, and students’ own conceptions of the subject and of learning. In the final analysis, such investigations have a clear purpose-to improve student learning. We report on using the results of research into student learning in statistics to improve the learning environment in a university class on regression analysis. We believe this is an effective method of becoming “researchers of practice” in statistics education. 2010-05-26T08:11:17.962Z ]]> http://www.researchonline.mq.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/mq:6040 Conference held on the 28-29 November 2002. 2010-05-21T05:10:06.894Z ]]> http://www.researchonline.mq.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/mq:580 This paper describes the results of a research project that investigated the ways that academics understand sustainability within their own disciplines. It describes a range of ways in which academics view sustainability in the context of their teaching, and a range of ways they suggest that sustainability could be integrated into their teaching. Its genesis was an industry/university forum held at Macquarie University (Australia) that identified the need to integrate ideas of sustainable development within university curricula in all disciplines to prepare students for their professional roles. At a global level, participants in the 2002 Johannesburg Earth Summit emphatically endorsed the proposal that sustainable development needs to be an integral component of all levels of education. Environmental bodies have often focused their attention on development of materials to support sustainable development within specific environmentally focused disciplines. In contrast, the present project acknowledges that issues of sustainability need to span the whole range of subjects and extend to the development of appropriate curriculum. Real change in thinking about sustainability requires creative pedagogy which acknowledges the different ways that people think about sustainability and provides spaces in which their ideas can be developed. 2010-05-11T05:08:10.756Z ]]> http://www.researchonline.mq.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/mq:2738 In this paper, we describe and investigate three aspects of learning mathematics: intention, approach and outcome. These aspects have emerged from interviews with students where their experience of learning mathematics, their understanding of mathematics as a discipline field, and their perception of work as a mathematician were the objects of study. We focus here on the complex nature of the students' intentions for learning, approaches to learning and outcomes of learning. We present a theoretical model based on our research findings, aiming to build on and expand earlier descriptions of students' learning approaches, such as the surface and deep approach of Marton and Saljo (1976) and the 3P model of Biggs (1999). 2010-05-11T04:54:33.639Z ]]> http://www.researchonline.mq.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/mq:7725 We examine the problems of integrating issues of sustainability within the mainstream curriculum of university mathematics, taking our cue from the discussion at the Johannesburg Earth Summit. Our approach to the problem is to synthesise various strands of our research programme, combining information about lecturers' conceptions of sustainability in the curriculum, children's notions about environment, and students' ideas about the nature of mathematics. We suggest ways in which university mathematics teachers can provide a quality learning experience for their students that includes notions of sustainability within the mathematical context, without compromising the mathematical content of their courses. 2010-04-13T05:40:35.738Z ]]> http://www.researchonline.mq.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/mq:7552 This paper reports on a study carried out in Thailand investigating the relationship between students' use of an e-learning system and their learning outcomes in a course on Business Statistics. The results show a clear relationship between accesses to the e-learning system, as measured by number of "hits", and outcomes, as measured by final results. While the results do not establish a direct casual connection, they indicate that under appropriate conditions a component of online study provides significant benefits to learning. In this, it contrasts with the results of recent studies that find no relationship between access and results. Quotes taken from interviews with some of the students illuminate the relationship between the online learning environment and their own learning. 2010-03-25T02:30:38.492Z ]]> http://www.researchonline.mq.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/mq:7553 Creativity is viewed in different ways in different disciplines: in education it is called 'innovation', in business it is 'entrepreneurship', in mathematics it is often equated with 'problem solving', and in music it is 'performance' or 'composition '. A creative product in different domains is measured against the norms of that domain, with its own rules, approaches and conceptions of creativity. However, learning in any discipline area consists of both product and process. While the product may be quite different in different domains, there are general principles of pedagogy that encourage creativity of process. 'Creative teaching' could be said consist of setting up a learning environment that encourages students to see the essence as well as the detail of the subject, to formulate and solve problems, to see the connectedness between diverse areas, to take in and react to new ideas, and to include the element of surprise in their work. Such a learning environment involves not only appropriate materials and assessment techniques, but also methods of learning that address the important affective dimensions of creativity. 2010-03-25T02:30:37.268Z ]]> http://www.researchonline.mq.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/mq:7482 In this paper we explore an approach to academic development that focuses on developing and using research as a means of understanding the complexity of teaching and learning within specific discipline environments. This approach shifts the attention of the academic developer from the enhancement of teaching using traditional methods such as workshops, formal courses, or in-faculty curriculum and assessment advice, to encouraging and supporting participant research on learning and teaching, and disciplinary-based research. Focusing on research development gives academics the opportunity to develop their teaching scholarship, prepare publishable work, and cultivate teaching and learning practices that are aligned with their specific discipline environments. We discuss the philosophy of this approach to the enhancement of academic work through the synergy between teaching and research. We illustrate our discussion with some recent examples in which we have used this approach successfully. 2010-03-22T00:01:03.318Z ]]> http://www.researchonline.mq.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/mq:7440 Students in the same statistics course learn different things, and view the role of the lecturer in different ways. We report on empirical research on students’ conceptions of learning statistics, their expectations of teaching, and the relationship between them. The research is based on interviews, analysed using a qualitative methodology, with statistics students studying for a mathematics degree. Students expressed a range of conceptions of learning in statistics and a range of conceptions of their lecturers’ teaching. These conceptions of learning and teaching were related, but not as closely or as exclusively as previous researchers have indicated. Looking at what students expect of teachers and their views of their own learning provides an opportunity for teachers to develop teaching practices that challenge students to move towards more integrated conceptions of statistics learning. 2010-03-19T02:31:04.554Z ]]> http://www.researchonline.mq.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/mq:7454 Environmental education in schools is an important strategy in achieving environmental protection and improvement. However, it needs to be based on children's understandings of environment rather than on assumptions of what children know and believe. In a previous article (Loughland et al ., 2002), we reported on a research project where school children's responses to an open-ended statement 'I think the term/word environment means…' were analysed using the qualitative research method of phenomenography. An important qualitative difference was found between conceptions that treat the environment as a relation and those that treat it as an object. In this article, we examine statistically the factors that incline students to a 'relation' rather than an 'object' conception of environment. We argue that development of the former would seem to be an important aim of environmental education, and indicate how this may be achieved. 2010-03-19T02:30:24.743Z ]]> http://www.researchonline.mq.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/mq:7430 Mathematics curriculum at the tertiary level is located within a range of social and cultural theories, and is often constructed by academics seeking to promulgate a particular view of mathematics. We argue that such a curriculum should incorporate a real acknowledgement of the different ways in which students understand the nature of mathematics and its role in their professional lives. Our research with students across a variety of disciplines has shown a strong relationship between the ways in which students perceive their future work and how they go about learning whilst at university. We suggest that students of mathematics would benefit from a curriculum that focuses on using mathematics as a means of investigating the world and takes every opportunity to make connections and develop professional skills. Our aim is to provoke a general debate on the overall aim and nature of mathematics curriculum at the tertiary level. 2010-03-18T00:40:19.167Z ]]> http://www.researchonline.mq.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/mq:7431 We investigae the views of service students about statistics, learning statistics and using statistics in their future profession, based on information obtained from a series of interviews analysed using a phenomenographic approach. In previous studies, we have described statistics major students' conceptions of their subject and their learning. Our main conclusion is that, contrary to expectations, service students show the same range of variation in their views as do statistics major students. We examine the implications of our findings for the development of pedagogical approaches and learning materials that help students in such situations learn statistics effectively, and enhance their use of statistics as a tool in their future professional lives. 2010-03-18T00:40:18.926Z ]]> http://www.researchonline.mq.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/mq:7385 In the original 'Improving Student Learning' (ISL) project led by Professor Graham Gibbs in 1991, one of the case studies focused on approaches to learning on a BA (Hons) Graphic Information Design course The case study, led by Allan Davies, had the modest intention of trying to determine whether a particular curriculum innovation encouraged a deep approach to learning. Our only significant tool then was Biggs SOLO taxonomy Eleven years later and the innovators have moved on, the course has disappeared and the research context and methodologies have developed During this period, research has suggested that both teachers and students describe their understanding of teaching and learning according to their perception of the teaching/learning environment (Ramsden, 1992; Prosser & TIigwell, 1999) Studies have identified variation in the way that teachers experience teaching (Samuelowicz & Bain, 1992; Prosser, Trigwell & Taylor, 1994 for example) and variation in the way teachers experience student learning (Bruce & Gerber; 1995) More recently, Reid (1997) has widened the context of research by examining the relation between the experience of work and teaching / learning within the music discipline. In further research (Reid 1999), relations were found within the music discipline where teachers' and students' experience of one of three defined dimensions was strongly related to the ways in which they understood teaching and learning music The musicians (and their students) described their experience of the professional world in three hierarchically related ways This constitution has become known as the 'Music Entity' In 1999, following a fortuitous meeting at the ISL conference in York, Davies and Reid conducted a joint enquiry, using a phenomenographic approach, to determine the Design Entity (Davies and Reid, 2001) This research focused on discerning the critical differences, or variation, in the way teachers and students experience and understand their subject and its relation to the professional design world The outcomes of this research have, consequently, begun to impact on student learning through course design and, in particular; assessment This paper is a comparative study of the research already carried out by the authors in a number of disciplines in which the same focus and methodology has been used. 2010-03-15T08:50:20.689Z ]]> http://www.researchonline.mq.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/mq:323 This paper reports on the results of an empirical study of students’ conceptions and understanding of statistics. Six qualitatively different conceptions are described, ranging from fragmented to inclusive views. Students expressing the more inclusive and holistic conceptions approach their study of statistics through a focus on ‘higher-order’ statistical thinking. Students expressing limited and fragmented views may not be able to understand the complexity or applications of the discipline. This paper describes the use of a qualitative methodology - phenomenography - that aims to explore the qualitatively different ways in which a group of people experience a specific phenomenon, in this case statistics. It also describes an overarching framework, the "Professional Entity," that relates students’ understanding of statistics and their perceptions of working as a statistician. Investigating and describing the ways in which students learn statistics, how they understand statistics, and how they perceive their own work will enable teachers to develop curricula that focus on enhancing the student learning environment and guiding student conceptions of statistics. 2010-01-27T23:29:27.890Z ]]> http://www.researchonline.mq.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/mq:332 Students intent on a career as a legal professional prepare for this through university study. The research reported in this paper looks at the clear relationships described by law students between the focus of their university study and their perceptions of the nature of work as a legal professional. We suggest that the current approach to teaching students of law requires some change to enable students to develop holistic approaches to learning in conjunction with a broadened perception of their future work. 2010-01-27T23:29:21.650Z ]]> http://www.researchonline.mq.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/mq:3477 12 page(s) 2010-01-27T22:52:52.422Z ]]> http://www.researchonline.mq.edu.au/vital/access/manager/Repository/mq:6549 The framework for competency based standards for professional accountants, an outcome from a study commissioned by the professional accounting bodies in Australia and New Zealand, provides generic skills in accounting with a clear theoretical and conceptual base. A generic skills list was later condensed from the study and issued to universities for inclusion in the curriculum for accreditation. However, neither the framework nor the list has provided any principles or guide for developing the skills. The current study reviews research on generic skills in higher education and identifies the key areas of interest to create a topography of the literature that relates and links the philosophies and critiques, innovations and prescriptions, reports and findings, and shortcomings and limitations of the studies. The topography will therefore be a rich resource of trans-disciplinary research and insights that could be tapped by accounting educators to design curricula that are both based and led by current research. Some of the key features that have emerged from the review are 1) generic skills in higher education have to be developed within the discipline knowledge and context; 2) the focus of programs should be on the learner of skills and not on items of skills; 3) further, it is the development of the learner to cope in a rapidly changing future rather than just the knowledge and suitable application of skills in future situations; and 4) the conceptions and experiences of the learner s are significant factors in their generic skills development. 2010-01-27T22:16:28.496Z ]]>