This research provides a snapshot of the perceptions of 14 teachers and leaders who had just completed the "Pastoral Care and the School" course, offered as part of their Master of Education programme by The University of Notre Dame, Australia (UNDA). The participants were surveyed at the completion of the course through a qualitative…

School chaplaincy in Australia is highly contentious. The federal government funds a chaplaincy programme in Australia's secular public schools, which, combined with the declining influence of institutional Christianity, places Christian chaplains at the nexus of debates on the public role of religion. Yet little is known about how these chaplains…

Young people are encouraged to take responsibility for their educational outcomes by actively engaging in their education (their 'project-of-self'), but many also take responsibility for the care of family members who have serious health concerns (their 'project-of-family'). Drawing on the concepts of responsibilisation and neoliberal governance,…

Background: Prompted by fewer females compared to males enrolling in physics and advanced mathematics at both secondary and university levels, our research investigated the views and experiences of female students currently studying upper secondary school physics. We interviewed 18 female students about influences they considered important to…

Trust is widely recognized as one of the key qualities that a successful leader needs to bring about change within his/her organization. Literature has also shown that trust plays a pivotal role in effective school leadership. However, little research has been undertaken to identify specific actions of a transformational school leader enabling…

In 2004 the Australia Council of Deans of Education (ACDE) released a report entitled "New teaching, new learning: A vision for Australian education". This report was prepared on behalf of the ACDE by Mary Kalantzis and Andrew Harvey, respectively the President and Executive Officer of the ACDE. The argument put forward in the report is…