The National Student Outcomes Survey (SOS) collects information about students who completed their vocational education and training (VET) in the previous calendar year. The gathered information on the surveyed VET students includes their reasons for training, employment outcomes, satisfaction with training, and further study outcomes. The survey…

Debate about teacher gender balance in primary education is a constant. This debate is fuelled by recommendations to increase recruitment and retainment of males into primary education. In parallel, 10-year trend data indicate a continual decrease in male primary school teachers. Although many factors contribute to the decreasing percentage of…

The purposes of this study were to develop and to conduct an initial psychometric evaluation of the Interactive Whiteboard Acceptance Scale (IWBAS). The process of item-generation for the IWBAS was carried out through the sequential mixed-method approach. A total of 149 student teachers from a teacher-education institution in Australia…

This article reports on the development of a short questionnaire to measure work engagement--a positive work-related state of fulfillment that is characterized by vigor, dedication, and absorption. Data were collected in 10 different countries (N = 14,521), and results indicated that the original 17-item Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) can be…

The Rasch simple logistic model is used to examine the relative item parameter values of a personality inventory with respect to populations cross-classified by sex and country. While items conform to the model within each of the populations, half the items show significant discrepancies among the populations. (Author/RL)

The Self Description Questionnaire II (SDQII) results from 901 Australian secondary school students were factor analyzed and the factors correlated to identify the relationship of self-concept factors to age, sex, and academic achievement. Findings supported the multidimensionality of self-concept and support the construct validity of the SDQII.…

A common thread in contemporary research in student learning refers to the ways in which students go about learning. A theory of learning is presented that accentuates the interaction between the person and the situation. Research evidence implies a form of meta-cognition called meta-learning, the awareness of students of their own learning…

New academic self-concept measures were used to assess self-concepts for 234 boys in grades 5 and 6 (13 subjects) and 524 boys in grades 7 through 10 (16 subjects) at a Catholic boys school in Sydney (Australia) and to test the Marsh/Shavelson model. Academic self-concept is remarkably subject specific. (SLD)

The implementation of competency-based assessment (CBA) under Australia's National Training Framework was evaluated to provide indicators for improvement in CBA policy and practice. The evaluation included three data collection activities: a survey of 258 teachers, trainers, and assessors (response rate, 43%); a survey of 68 Industry Training…

The IADIS CELDA 2012 Conference intention was to address the main issues concerned with evolving learning processes and supporting pedagogies and applications in the digital age. There had been advances in both cognitive psychology and computing that have affected the educational arena. The convergence of these two disciplines is increasing at a…