The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in interruptions to social, economic, cultural, and educational life, with social distancing measures and well-being concerns leading to widespread restrictions to everyday activities. When COVID-19 first made an impact in 2020, many schools across Australia were closed entirely or provided limited access.…

Students' out-of-school science participation has been identified as a factor that supports adaptive science outcomes. Researchers have largely investigated students' out-of-school science participation in terms of structured science activities (e.g., attending a science camp), with far less consideration of how students' involvement in…

Research Findings: Young children develop numeracy competencies during interactions with more knowledgeable others. Such interactions typically occur in the home numeracy environment (HNE). In this study a nonintensive intervention procedure was developed to improve both the HNE and numerical competencies. All parents of 113 Australian children…

Family socioeconomic status (SES) and home literacy practices impact upon children's early literacy development. The present study explored where current emergent literacy and home literacy differences lie in Australian preschoolers aged three to five years from lower SES (n = 49) and higher SES (n = 52) homes. Children were assessed on letter…

Homework is an increasing yet under-researched part of young children's everyday lives. Framed by the international agendas of starting strong and school accountability, homework in the lives of young children has been either overlooked or considered from the perspective of adults rather than from the perspective of children themselves. This paper…

Within a learning family, every member is a lifelong learner. A family literacy and learning approach is more likely to break the intergenerational cycle of low education and inadequate literacy skills, particularly among disadvantaged families and communities. The selection of case studies presented in this compilation show that for an…

Most children seem to love computers, and there has been much speculation and research about how educators might harness this interest to facilitate literacy learning. A growing body of research indicates that electronic talking books (ETBs) can help children learn to read and encourage them to read, so we decided to investigate what would happen…

Author gives numerous suggestions to increase personal interaction between student and teacher. (SP)

Examines the use of audiotapes by external students, and indicates that students having a natural preference for obtaining information by listening feel that tapes are effective both as sources of information and in stimulating their work and morale. Students preferring written information also indicated that tapes fulfill a valuable role.…

This guide, which is intended for parents in New South Wales, Australia, provides a description of primary school and its curriculum and guidelines for conducting learning activities with children both at school and at home. Introductory sections briefly discuss the topics of parents as children's first teachers, knowledge about children's…

Describes the method used at Macquarie University, Australia, for implementing the home experiment approach in first-year biology. The sequences of activities for experiments in plant growth are included; and assignment sheets are appended. (CS)

Because of geographical isolation, a number of Queensland children cannot attend regular primary schools, and their education must be based at home. In 1979, 1,528 children were enrolled in the Primary Correspondence School. Children in the program receive lesson papers, textbooks and audio-visual items in the major subject areas of language arts,…

This report presents an analysis of information about the teaching styles used by parents of children enrolled in the Queensland Preschool Correspondence Program in Australia. Structured interviews conducted with a sample of 47 mothers in their own homes provided the basis for analysis and categorization of teaching styles. Interviews cover such…

The Centre was originally funded in 1980 for three years to undertake research on major issues and problems in rural education, to publish and disseminate results, and to act as a source of advice to government and private authorities as well as communities. Funding for the Centre has been extended through 1985, and its activities continue to be…

The reports of two innovative approaches to overcoming education problems in the isolated, sparsely populated areas of Western Australia are presented. Established in 1974, the Isolated Students Matriculation Scheme has combined traditional forms of correspondence education with a curriculum development unit and the development of mechanisms to…