Allocating students into separate classes within a school depending on their "ability" is common in many countries. This paper presents a theoretical discussion of the practice, considering why it persists despite a long history of research emphasizing consequential problems. Our discussion identifies and critiques four possible reasons…

Although most students experience relative success at school, there remains a population of educationally marginalised learners within educational settings, indicating that mainstream schools are challenged to appropriately meet the diverse needs of every student. Designed to support students on the cusp of school disengagement, alternative…

The validity of evidence obtained from classroom assessments in schools is an important concept as significant decisions are made from teachers' judgments of this evidence. However, what is not clear are the classroom assessment practices that teacher teams use to ensure that the evidence of student learning produced from classroom assessments is…

Chinese students studying abroad have been increasing rapidly in the past decades and become a significant financial contribution to receiving countries. Accordingly, understanding their enrollment choice is essential to facilitate college marketing and admission strategies. Though the decision process is believed to be different from domestic…

In this paper we report on an aspect of the findings of a larger three-phase study exploring the factors that influence teachers implementing pedagogies that cultivate students' STEM capabilities and 21st century skills. Data were collected through an online questionnaire, semi-structured interviews, focus groups and case studies. This paper will…

While international research has demonstrated that ability grouping is inequitable, Australian research has often overlooked equity concerns, predominantly focusing on studying the benefits of grouping for students perceived to have high ability, especially in mathematics. This paper investigates the effect that mathematics ability grouping has on…

This article draws on data collected during case studies involving six undergraduate international students. It uses the academic literacies framework to examine how international students (re)negotiate their student identities. Based on the concept that Australian university classrooms are global educational contact zones, the study reinforces…

Parental use of private literacy tutoring has been one of the most controversial of the 'unintended outcomes' of the introduction of the National Assessment Program--Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN), Australia's national regimen of literacy testing. Other uses of tutoring--whether NAPLAN-related or not--have attracted less public and research…

International students are aspirational and expectant of their learning improving the quality of their life. The stress from academic pressure and acculturative challenges exasperates them from fully experiencing a quality higher educational experience. Despite this, they continuously strive to learn and adjust as they construct their academic…

This article has shown that empirical research evidence strongly supports the posited theoretical view that academic self-concept is multidimensional. It is comprised of two uncorrelated and distinctive facets namely, math academic self-concept and verbal academic self-concept. Research studies purporting to investigate the relation between…

Collaborative testing has been shown to enhance student performance compared to individual testing. It is suggested that collaborative testing promotes higher order thinking, but research has yet to explore this assumption directly. The aim of this study was to explore the benefits of collaborative testing on overall performance, as well as…

The expression 'student success' has gained traction in the university sector and has been applied to various aspects of the higher education (HE) learning trajectory. Yet, 'success' is an amorphous term that means distinctive things to various stakeholders in any educational undertaking. When the literature on this field is examined, it is…

Enabling courses are designed to assist with the upskilling of non-traditional students in order to make the transition to university more seamless. Enabling educators understand that the cohort who enter via the enabling pathway are unique and require holistic support as the students develop their academic skills and their self-efficacy. Class…

Academic self-concept (ASC) is characterized by the dual nature of stability and change. That is, students strive for consistency in their self-concept but also receive achievement feedback that leads to changes in ASC. Only a few previous studies have scrutinized the stability of ASC. The STARTS model (Stable, AutoRegressive Trait, and State)…

Academic underachievement, as measured on standardised assessments, is commonly reported among students on the autism spectrum. However, little is known about the factors that predict academic (under)achievement, limiting the development of effective and targeted interventions. This study explored teacher ratings of academic skills and enabling…