This study of first year high-school students in South Australia focussed on the effectiveness of using an innovative project-based mathematics strategy to improve the classroom learning environment and the student outcomes of enjoyment, academic efficacy and achievement. As well, we investigated the differential effectiveness of project-based…

Starting high school can be a challenging but also exciting time for students. The focus of this paper lies with students' experiences of transition into secondary school. Sixteen students from one government school in New South Wales kept a journal for their first ten weeks in high school as a way of recording their experiences. Their journal…

Changes in student perceptions over the first year of high school form the basis of this study. Self- and task-perceptions, as well as affect and utility judgments, are measured in relation to English and mathematics, since the transition to high school has been found to impact negatively on students' self-concept in these domains. The impact of…

Changes in student perceptions over the first year of high school and the interrelations of student and student-reported mother, father, and teacher perceptions form the basis of this study. Self- and task-perceptions as well as utility judgments are measured in two subject domains, mathematics and English, since the transition to high school has…