Kj Swabey

Using discursive strategies, playing policy games and shaping the future of physical education

This paper presents a critical analysis of the representation of physical education (PE) in the 1992 Senate inquiry into ‘Physical and Sport Education’ in Australia. Analysis focuses specifically upon how and why a new professional discourse, fundamental motor skills (FMS), gained a privileged position in the inquiry, the inquiry report and in subsequent PE policy and practice across Australia. This paper examines the complex policy processes and power-relations underpinning the progressive legitimisation of the FMS discourse, and identifies subtleties and variations in the expression of the discourse. Attention is drawn to the strategic appropriation of established professional discourses and utilisation of crisis discourses in establishing and gaining support for the FMS discourse. The analysis reaffirms policy arenas as sites of contestation but highlights that they are simultaneously sites of possibility for PE professionals who are prepared and able to use discursive resources in strategic ways. The contemporary relevance of the discourses privileged in 1992 and lessons to be learned from events surrounding the Senate inquiry are discussed.

Looking for attributes of powerful teaching for numeracy in Tasmanian K-7 classrooms

This paper reports on the development and use of a classroom observation reflection tool designed to measure the extent to which pedagogies acknowledged in the literature as contributing to effective teaching of mathematics for numeracy are present in classrooms. The observation schedule was used in conjunction with a record of classroom activity to examine numeracy pedagogies in a sample of Tasmanian classrooms from Kindergarten to Year 7. Low levels of intellectual challenge in highly socially supportive classrooms were typical.

Conceptualizing Trauma for Children of Drug Addicted Mothers: A Developmental Mapping

Children of drug addicted mothers are exposed to highly stressful experiences and experience high levels of psychological and emotional distress, alongside psychiatric nosology with multiple comorbid symptoms. The following study extends the work of Lombard, et al. classify the consequences of prolonged or ongoing trauma of children of addicted mothers using lifespan domains. Children of addicted mothers are often exposed to severe and ongoing events of trauma, or environments that are not conducive to adequate development, resulting in a complex array of comorbid and compounding physical and psychological problems. Results showed that the prevalence of trauma experienced by children were categorized as being from social and physical domains, with the emotional domain (reported neglect=26) also being high. These experiences resulted predominantly in behavioral problems and emotional problems. The most salient problems included a child who reported hearing the devil speak to them in an ongoing manner, two children reporting attempted homicides on siblings, and three children reporting hurting animals. Further research in capturing and detailing the extent of the trauma experienced and the resulting lifespan domain problems is necessary.

A Framework of Conditions Supporting Early Career Teacher Resilience and Creativity

While generally treated as independent concepts, there is some commonality in the way in which the character traits of creative and resilient thinkers are described in the literature. For example, both are described as effective thinkers, innovators and problem-solvers (Benard, 2004; Craft, 2005; Galton, 2010; Weisberg, 2006).

The Role of Animals in the Values Development of Children

In response to Government and community calls to maintain, emphasise, or reintroduce values in schooling, there is a growing literature concerning values education in Australian schools. Despite descriptions of clear aims and expectations within the documents that guide curriculum development, the existing literature exposes a gap, both in studies that identify effective pedagogies for the development of values, and in the availability of instruments to measure values development in children.

A Framework to Explore Common Incidents in Secondary Schools Guided by Content Analysis

A unique design is required where archival documents of employees are analysed for grievances. To deliver valid results for such an analysis, an understanding of the context in which the grievance took place is necessary alongside how it was resolved.

Chaplains' perspectives on their work in Tasmanian government schools:

School chaplaincy services aim to promote student and school community well-being. Given the community interest in chaplaincy services in government schools, it is important that research inform future developments to maximize the potential benefits of chaplaincy services to schools. In this study, 68 chaplains in the Australian state of Tasmania described and shared views on their work through the completion of an anonymous online survey. The findings present a picture of the nature, strengths and challenges of chaplaincy in Tasmanian government schools from the perspective of chaplains themselves. The results are summarized, several implications are identified, and directions for future research are explored.

Pre-Service Teachers’ Perception of Age Through a Developmental Lens

The present study examined the perception of aging among a cohort of pre-service teachers undertaking an undergraduate degree in primary school education. Using a self-reported questionnaire adapted from the work of Rubin and Berntsen, 331 undergraduate students were asked a series of questions relating to their perceptions of aging. It was concluded that younger pre-service teachers held a more positive perception of aging than older pre-service teachers. Younger pre-service teachers seemed to display a greater level of optimism toward future life experiences, eager to explore their world and make new relationships, than were older aged students.

Parallel Communication And Problem Solving With Young People On Suicidality

ABSTRACT Reports on suicide ideation and actual suicides of adolescents have increased in the past years in Australia. Young people are concerned about the statistics but even more so about the lack of help and pro-active intervention systems organised by adults and agencies. This paper is based on suicide prevention forums undertaken with a total of 475 undergraduate university, college and high school students in Launceston, Burnie and Hobart (Tasmania, Australia) in 1995 and 1996. The forums focused on parallel thinking (as opposite to critical-negative thinking), exploration, creativity and pro-activism by the students for applicable solutions in the school, peer, family and community environments to lower suicidality. Parallel thinking was employed to offer a way forward for young people to enhance their future quality of life. These joint explorations, leading to various applied activities, provide a framework for other schools to follow. They also offer recommendations that can be applied throughou...