This article contributes to a growing debate within the field of early childhood education about the concept of 'belonging'. It continues from earlier discussions that commented on the adoption of Belonging as a key term in the development of a national curriculum for the early years in Australia in 2009, as well as increasingly common references…

An intercultural stance within languages education has been widely embraced within curriculum planning in Australia. Yet prior research has shown that in implementation the stance may not reach its full potential. A key element of an intercultural stance is a focus on reciprocal understanding and "intra"cultural change. Students must…

Like other western nations such as the United States and the United Kingdom, Australia's record of education outcomes for marginalized groups is troubling, whether the comparisons are made within the nation or with other OECD nations. Although recent Australian Governments have sought to overhaul funding for schools and universities, on their own,…

Individuals living with anxiety disorders often face significant obstacles in their day to day lives. While trying to manage the physical and emotional symptoms associated with these disorders can be a challenge, sufferers also encounter barriers by way of social exclusion from key life domains: family life, relationships, education, employment…

Youth with refugee backgrounds face challenges in their journey towards successful integration in Australia. Some challenges relate to macro-level changes occurring in the world of work and some to their transition from an agrarian or industrial society to a post-industrial Western country. Addressing the future career development of youth with…

Over the last twenty years or so the number of international students in Australia has grown rapidly. At the same time, official responsibility for providing support to international students has been devolved from governments to educational institutions. In this paper we argue that while education institutions have a significant role in…

Contemporary Australia is an evolving nation of diverse cultures, but in the past various understandings of national identity were held, first as part of the British empire, then as part of an assimilationist monocultural British society and subsequently as a nation where integration allowed different cultures to be celebrated but within the…

Aspiration for higher education (HE) is no longer a matter solely for students and their families. With OECD nations seeking to position themselves more competitively in the global knowledge economy, the need for more knowledge workers has led to plans to expand their HE systems to near universal levels. In Australia, this has required the…

University-community engagement (UCE) represents a hybrid discourse and a set of practices within contemporary higher education. As a modality of research and teaching, "engagement" denotes the process of universities forming partnerships with external communities for the promised generation of mutually beneficial and socially responsive…

Equitable access, success and quality in higher education are examined from a variety of ideological perspectives. "Quality" is positioned as a complex generic concept while "access" and "success" are identified as key concepts in the social inclusion domain, supplemented by the concept of "participation."…

International learning mobility is a strategic and operational priority for both the federal government and the majority of universities in Australia. Dating back over a decade, successive governments have stressed the public good to be derived from having an increased proportion of students participating in mobility programs. It is seen as…

The current concern about low levels of English proficiency among international students who graduate from degree courses--that students' English language skills are not being developed during their higher education experience--reflects negatively on the quality of Australian higher education and its graduates. More careful selection of students…

Common Time (CT) was a structured programme designed to enhance the social and academic engagement of a growingly diverse student body on a new campus that draws its population from a low-socioeconomic area. As a voluntary and non-remedial programme, it incorporated a range of formal and informal activities and processes to engage students. CT…

Recently, artwork of child artists from the Carrolup settlement school in Western Australia was rediscovered in the archives of the Picker Art Gallery at Colgate University. The young artists were among what was then called the half-caste children and now known as the Stolen Generation. Between the late 1800s and mid 1970s the Australian…

Describes the success of various school projects which focused on Aboriginal culture. Suggests these projects encouraged parental involvement and also gave the entire Aboriginal community new respect, pride, and sense of ownership of their school. (NH)