Editorial.
Hastings, Wendy
Welcome to the final issue of the Australian and International
Journal of Rural Education for 2013. We commence with an article from
Sue Wilson (Australian Catholic University) who very nicely juxtaposes
issues of rurality with success or otherwise in mathematics and the
impact for teacher education students who experience maths anxiety. The
paper reports on an investigation of anxieties experienced by first year
PST feel--towards mathematics, and ways that they might change the way
they approach their mathematics studies, their affective responses to
mathematics and engagement with mathematics in their university
mathematics units, comparing rural and metropolitan students'
responses. The author identifies the need for ongoing research focussing
on the factors contributing to anxiety of rural students and their
retention in teacher education programs.
The second article, by Boris Handal (The University of Notre Dame
Australia), Kevin Watson (The University of Notre Dame Australia), Peter
Petocz (Macquarie University) and Marguerite Maher (The University of
Notre Dame Australia), explores in depth the issues related to
attraction and retention of secondary teachers in rural and remote
schools. Their mixed method analysis examines the raft of problematics
associated with providing high quality curriculum in these schools in a
time when the sector and the profession are under continued stress.
Professional and geographical "isolation" as well as
extra-curricular demands are identified as concerns for experienced and
inexperienced teachers. Personal issues are not overlooked as the
researchers attempt to capture the nuances of the "lived"
experiences of these teachers. The authors provide some potential
solutions to their findings.
Our third article, written by Chris Reading, Myung-Sook Auh, John
Pegg and Peter Cybula, all of whom are from the University of New
England, discusses a very interesting project connecting Australian
students in rural and remote schools with students in Korea, using
videoconferencing technologies. Within the context of the emerging new
Australian Curriculum and its demands for Asia and Australian
Engagement, the study and ensuing paper provide support for teachers
wanting to engage with Asia in such an interactive manner. The
researchers involved student feedback, lesson observations, teacher and
parent/care giver interviews and used a previously created rubric to
analyse lesson quality. Analysis of data from lessons between four pairs
of schools provides insight into a range of pedagogical and
technological advice to assist teachers to improve the quality of their
future use of videoconferencing to connect students and allow them to
explore new cultural horizons. The paper outlines the specific benefits
to students in rural and remote locations, as these students typically
have limited opportunities to interact with students from diverse
cultures. Teachers are encouraged to consider the possibilities for
their own students.
In the next paper, Barbara Barter (Memorial University of
Newfoundland, Canada) presents the successes and challenges of three
very different technological approaches to delivering learning
opportunities in the Canadian context. The projects and analysis may
assist educators to identify and define theoretical aspects of
technology leadership and hence lead to further understandings about how
users may experience its implementation and use. The paper presents a
somewhat bleak view of what is potentially a very positive aspect of
curriculum development and delivery for rural and remote schools.
Principally the issues appear to stem from practical rather than
pedagogical problems, which place the responsibility squarely at the
feet of educational administrators. Clearly, further work needs to be
done to support the implementation of these interactive teaching models
in Canadian schools. Barter argues that social interaction, depth of
relationship, professional community building, and trust are not built
into technology.
As Australia experiences a growth in the proportion of the
population in the "older" age group, Bronwyn Ellis (University
of South Australia) draws our attention to "learning needs" of
students over 55 years of age. The article argues that in a just,
inclusive society all groups within it, including older people resident
in more remote areas, should have access to lifelong learning
opportunities, including both non-formal continuing education and formal
higher education. The paper reports on the value for not only
mature-aged students, but students of all ages from working in
intergenerational cohorts and provides insights to universities for
potential strategies to facilitate opportunities for mature-aged
students, particularly in terms of the needs of more remote students.
In a similar vein to the previous article, Joy Penman and Janet
Sawyer, from the University of South Australia, describe the success of
a program (UniReady) designed to attract non-traditional students, in
this case recent arrival migrants students to higher education in a
regional university. This paper provides an exploration of the initial
pilot session--its organisation, immediate impact, and its implications.
While this was a small study it does highlight the potential of programs
that assist students to take that very first tentative step into the
world of higher education, and importantly that programs must recognise
the different cultures of potential participants, what they individually
can bring to tertiary education and the myriad of barriers they each
face in attempting to do so.
In an engaging article, Wigati Yektiningtyas-Modouw
(Cenderwerawasih University, Papua) and Sri Kama (UNICEF, Papua) bring
to life the difficulties and possibilities for literacy learning in
Papua and West Papuan schools. The article explores a specific local
literacy project and its broader implications for improving rural/remote
literacy programs. Through the development of locally written and
beautifully illustrated books educators take the first step in
developing little children's literacy in their own language. The
paper reviews the current parless state of literacy in the region and
makes recommendation for how a more culturally and contextually
appropriate literacy programme, using the skills of folklorists, can be
a key strategies to strengthen rural and remote Papuan literacy program
as a fundamental requisite for quality primary education.
Jae Major, Jane Wilkinson, Kip Langat (all from Charles Sturt
University) and Ninetta Santoro (University of Strathclyde, Scotland)
highlight the importance of valuing qualities and capacities for
self-determination of new Australians, and in this case young Sudanese
refugees in a large regional centre when addressing educational
outcomes. The historical "location" of humanitarian refugees
is outlined, giving strong contextual framing to the paper, which makes
excellent reading. The paper argues these young people (and their
families) bring significant resources and capital that contribute to
their ability to build a new life in Australian communities. If
educators recognise and draw on these resources and capital in education
settings there is potential for greater education achievement for young
people of refugee background. Theories of capital, in particular social
capital, were used in the study described here to explore and understand
the out-of-school resources that Sudanese refugee young people draw on
that may support educational achievement. The paper argues that there
are key factors of family, friends, church, sport, the regional location
and community, and school which enable different forms of social capital
to be activated. The authors argue that with an injection of resources
for teacher professional development to enable teachers to develop a
curriculum and pedagogical practices schools responsive to these
learners' attributes and to create a culture that represents
refugees in positive and empowering ways.
Dr Wendy Hastings
Charles Sturt University
