Education/Academics

Abstract: Educational institutions are agents that can support culturally and linguistically diverse communities and promote transformative change in preparing global citizens. The degree of prepared-ness of citizens to deal with the new multicultural reality that constitutes modern ...

This research is a case study of stakeholders' perceptions of learning and provision during a specific English language program. The pedagogical context of the program was clearly defined. English teachers from Hong Kong who had either Cantonese or Mandarin as their first language (L1) came to Australia for intensive language proficiency training and assessment. The Hong Kong government determined the program's syllabus, including assessment instruments and criteria in the Syllabus

The global movements of healthcare professionals and patient populations have increased the complexities of medical interactions at the point of service. This study examines interpreter mediated talk in cross-cultural general dentistry in Hong Kong where assisting para-professionals, in this case bilingual or multilingual Dental Surgery Assistants (DSAs), perform the dual capabilities of clinical assistant and interpreter. An initial language use survey was conducted with Polyclinic DSAs (n ¼ 41) using a logbook approach to provide self-report data on language use in clinics. Frequencies of mean scores using a 10point visual analogue scale (VAS) indicated that the majority of DSAs spoke mainly Cantonese in clinics and interpreted for postgraduates and professors. Conversation Analysis (CA) examined recipient design across a corpus (n ¼ 23) of video-recorded review consultations between non-Cantonese speaking expatriate dentists and their Cantonese L1 patients. Three patterns of mediated interpreting indicated were: dentist designated expansions; dentist initiated interpretations; and assistant initiated interpretations to both the dentist and patient. The third, rather than being perceived as negative, was found to be framed either in response to patient difficulties or within the specific task routines of general dentistry. The findings illustrate trends in dentistry towards personalized care and patient empowerment as a reaction to product delivery approaches to patient management. Implications are indicated for both treatment adherence and the education of dental professionals.

Objective: To provide a review of studies on simulations in clinical education, with a particular emphasis on haptic simulation in dentistry. Method: A Pubmed database search combined the search terms ‘haptics’ AND ‘simulation’ OR ‘study’ OR ‘dentistry’. Inclusion criteria were clinical focus, undergraduate and graduate education. Excluded articles were technical specifications or programming reports. Result: Twenty eight papers were retrieved for analysis. These were grouped into 3 categories: descriptive information; small-scale, performance-based studies; and user perception surveys. Descriptive articles found traditional ‘phantom head’ simulation has been historically effective in dentistry with the major disadvantage being a lack of natural teeth for practice. Haptic simulations were seen as improving accessibility, enabling repeated practice and providing objective feedback; however, high start-up costs were a major drawback. Performance-based studies, mainly conducted in medi...

Definitions and policy intents of multiculturalism have been contested in the public sphere at international and national levels; however the term has remained in use in Australia since the 1970s. In policy frameworks, successive Australian governments have promoted societal pluralism as a national goal over a period of 21 years. Recent federal and state policies relating to multiculturalism have featured terms such as 'social capital' and 'productive diversity', as well as 'inclusivity' and 'accountability'. At the level of middle schooling, understandings of the term and its enactment have varied. Within a wider, ongoing study, sociocultural data were collected from metropolitan schools that publicly espoused multiculturalism as foundational to their school philosophy and teaching practice. Analysis of interview data from teachers and school management explores accounts of 'good practice' in these schools. While some schools consider multicu...

Educational institutions are agents that can support culturally and linguistically diverse communities and promote transformative change in preparing global citizens. The degree of preparedness of citizens to deal with the new multicultural reality that constitutes modern life has real economic implications for a nation's success. By adopting a multicultural capital framework that synthesises current capital theories across fields, we seek to understand how educational institutions can prepare students for a world in which the ability to move across cultures and languages significantly determines an individual's ability to succeed. Middle schooling has been increasingly identified in educational literature as an identifiable stage in schooling that spans traditional notions of primary and secondary schooling and that holds distinct characteristics and needs. Drawing upon ethnographic data from a qualitative, exploratory study, this paper maps educational practices (both peda...

Assessment for learning has been widely reported as a reform in educational assessment. The recently published OECD study provided several case study investigations of how assessment for learning is variously enacted in diverse policy and system contexts. In this paper we take up the topic of assessment for learning and draw on a recently completed large-scale study of teacher capacity-building in assessment in middle schooling (Years 4 to 9; ages 8 to 14 approx.) to explore characteristics of 'assessment as critical inquiry'. Specifically, we probe the question, How can we enact a framework of assessment as critical inquiry for improving learning outcomes? The paper proposes a conceptual framing for developing a professional mindset that places assessment at the heart of the pedagogic enterprise.

Academic movement across the globe has a vital history from the wandering scholars of the middle ages to the current European Union researcher mobility projects. In this paper, we briefly examine the historical forces that have prompted academics to venture around the world. We then focus on the current phenomenon of 'internationalisation' and examine its rebirth as academic policy. In particular, we ask how interpretations of 'internationalisation' have affected academics' inclinations to tread a global campus.

This paper presents (i) a purpose-built conceptual model for professional learning and (ii) a leadership framework designed to support a large-scale project involving diverse sites across the state of Queensland, Australia. The project had as its focus teachercapacity building and ways to improve literacy and numeracy outcomes for students at educational disadvantage. It involved 15 intersectoral clusters and brought together Middle School teachers, principals, curriculum leaders and management personnel from Education Queensland, the Association of Independent Schools Inc., and the Catholic Education Commission. In the paper we discuss how the project worked at the interface of research and practice. Further, we discuss how professional learning was facilitated by a multi-layered approach that acknowledged the importance of research-based learning, curriculum and pedagogic leadership by principals, and strong opportunities for teacher agency through cross-cluster and intersectoral collaboration. In conclusion, we invite readers to consider how the approach represents a radical new way to think about what could count as valued professional learning interactions.

In line with the advances in technology and communication, medical simulations are being developed to support the acquisition of requisite psychomotor skills before real-life clinical applications. This review article aimed to give a general overview of simulation in a cognate field, clinical dental education. Simulations in dentistry are not a new phenomenon; however, recent developments in virtual-reality technology using computer-generated medical simulations of 3-dimensional images or environments are providing more optimal practice conditions to smooth the transition from the traditional model-based simulation laboratory to the clinic. Evidence as to the positive aspects of virtual reality include increased effectiveness in comparison with traditional simulation teaching techniques, more efficient learning, objective and reproducible feedback, unlimited training hours, and enhanced cost-effectiveness for teaching establishments. Negative aspects have been indicated as initial setup costs, faculty training, and the lack of a variety of content and current educational simulation programs.

CONTEXT Qualitative methodologies are relatively new in health sciences education research, especially in the area of problem-based learning (PBL). A key advantage of qualitative approaches is the ability to gain in-depth, textured insights into educational phenomena. Key methodological issues arise, however, in terms of the strategies of inquiry, data collection methods, and analytical approaches. This review aims to identify and appraise the current applications of qualitative studies in PBL and indicate possible new methodological directions.

Subjects: LCSH: English language-Study and teaching (Primary)-Foreign speakers. | English language-Study and teaching (Elementary)-Foreign speakers. Classification: LCC PE1128.A2 R69 2018 | DDC 372.652/1-dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018008566 ISBN: 978-1-138-64377-2 (hbk) ISBN: 978-1-315-62367-2 (ebk) Typeset in Times New Roman by Apex CoVantage, LLC Provides a collection of studies from Asian and African contexts with critiques of policy and practice.

Do experiences with racial discrimination at school predict changes in African American adolescents' academic and psychological functioning? Does African American ethnic identity buffer these relations? This paper addresses these two questions using two waves