Research news

Do teachers in state schools encounter the same work stressors as their colleagues working in the private sector? And if so, what are those stressors? Jude Brady and Dr Elaine Wilson from the University of Cambridge in the UK have collected and analysed data from 40 teachers to find out more.

A new study has explored job titles and descriptions for school librarian jobs advertised in the United States and Australia to assess the emphasis placed on a school librarian’s role in promoting reading for pleasure. Researchers found ‘Australian school librarians are far more likely to be expected to foster reading for pleasure’.

‘Commitment to the teaching profession refers to teachers’ sense of connection and investment in the occupation.’ Rebecca Collie, of the University of New South Wales, shares findings of a new study into job supports that appear to help boost teacher commitment.

In this series, we take a look at some further readings available on a particular topic, including open access research papers from various online databases. In this edition, the focus is online professional development.

Research has found that educators working in primary schools in Australia lack the confidence and competence to address racial issues in the classroom. As well as this, white normative teaching and the belief that minimising discussions about racism is better than drawing attention to them are common behaviours. In this podcast, we discuss the role of school leaders in addressing these behaviours, and how teachers can confront their own biases.

More than 900 students aged 13 and above were surveyed about ‘the prevalence of peer-on-peer sexual harassment and sexual violence, including online, in their lives and the lives of their peers’ as part of a rapid review in the UK. Here, we share how boys and girls responded, which shows boys were much less likely to think these things occurred.

Sexual harassment, including online sexual abuse, has become ‘normalised’ for children and young people and so commonplace for some that they see no point in reporting it to teachers and school staff, according to the findings of a review in England.

A new study by researchers at the University of Canberra has seen three- and four-year olds increase their daily total physical activity by 28 minutes, and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity by 16 minutes. In today’s Q&A, Dr Rohan Telford and Professor Dick Telford discuss the key findings and the importance of physical literacy in developing primary school readiness.

The most recent Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) survey measured the attitudes held by 15-year-olds on reading. An Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) Snapshot report has analysed these attitudes, and looked at how they differ between girls and boys, Indigenous and non-Indigenous students, and most disadvantaged and least disadvantaged students.

In this Teaching Methods episode, we speak to education consultant Michael Minas about a study he conducted to measure primary school students’ attitudes towards completing challenging problem solving tasks in maths. Michael shares details of the lesson structure he utilised, and why students responded to it so positively.