01 - Department of Education and Communities - NSW Government

APPENDICESAppendix 4Research and EvaluationDuring 1997 the Department approved 163 applications forresearch. This represents 76% of total applications received. Theremainder were either rejected, withdrawn or are pending. Overseasresearch applications were received from Miami University (TheBenefits of Peer Collaboration on a Memory Task); University ofCalifornia (Home School Partnerships); and the University of NorthCarolina (Sociocultural Messages that Australians give Youth aboutSexual Behaviour and Sexual Responsibility). Approval was alsogiven for a study by the Education College in Wales intoAcculturation and Ethnic Identity of South Asian Adolescents.Two -thirds of applications came from individuals, about one-fifthfrom groups and the rest from organisations such as the NorthernSydney Area Health Service, the NSW Fruit & Vegetable Industry,the Newcastle Environment Toxicology Research Unit, theVolunteer Centre of NSW, the Research Centre for VocationalEducation & Training and the National Federation of Blind Citizensof Australia.Topics dealt with during 1997 could generally be categorised asfollows:Learning and TeachingFifty two applications were approved which related to : contextualeffects on children’s learning; a study of the teaching of ComputingStudies in NSW government high schools; the “gifted” label:impact on siblings of labelled children; an evaluation of the learningoutcomes in environmental science from a field based water qualityenvironmental unit; evaluation of the National Education Programof the Minerals Council of Australia; a study of teaching roles andpedagogical styles in the secondary drama classroom; process skillacquisition; conceptual learning and the decision-making oflearners; collaborative learning in mathematics classrooms andstudents’ conceptions in biology.Sociology/PsychologyTwenty three applications which involved topics under this broadheading were approved. Topics investigated included : familyprocesses and their influence on adolescent moral attitudes;loneliness in young children and length of daycare experience inan Australian context; adolescents and adults’ perceptions ofbehaviours identified in self-reported delinquency measures;community attitudes to careers in the defence force; adevelopmental study of automatic and intentional uses of memoriesof postevent suggestions; processes underlying children’srecognition and judgement; the acculturation and ethnic identityof south Asian adolescents and the national sample study on thesocial objectives of schooling.Special EducationEighteen applications were approved for research topics which fitthis category. Some of these were: evaluation of the disability andintegration program; an investigation of the legal, cultural, practicaland ethical issues consequent upon the emergence of sexual interestin children with acquired brain injury; music for children withspecial needs; an investigation into the encoding strategies usedby hearing impaired children, an investigation of programs andpractices for the education of children who are emotionallydisturbed and an evaluation of two models of intervention forstudents experiencing difficulty in acquiring literacy.MedicalSixteen approvals were given for research into medical topics: fatintervention in cystic fibrosis to promote energy intake andrationalise use of pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy;prevalence of daytime urinary incontinence in primary schoolchildren; childhood diabetes screening program phase 2; relationbetween alternaria exposure and the severity of asthma; testicularcancer and testicular self-examination; brain biochemistry andcognition.Language/CultureTen applications received approval in this broad category: a studyof Japanese and English speakers; western Sydney Cook Islandcommunity students; adaptation of urban Aboriginal children tomainstream schooling; ethnicity and adolescent peer grouprelationships; use and preference of mother tongue and Englishamong recently arrived immigrants in Sydney; understandingschool culture as a tool for change; the impact of American cultureon Australia 1966-1996.Personal Development, Health & Physical EducationTen applications were approved for research topics in this area.They included: developing nutrient criteria for foods available inschool canteens; investigation into youth sport and skilldevelopment; physical activity levels in childhood; primary schoolusage of swimming/aquatic centres; school based health promotionaudit; a comparison of sporting, social and academic achievementof Year 10 elite athletes and non athletes.Other AreasTopics investigated also included student welfare (7 approvals),vocational education (7), teacher welfare (6), testing (5), technology(3), training and development (1), retention (1) and leadership (1).DSE Annual Report 1997 143