Quentin Beresford

Bio: Quentin Beresford is an academic researcher from Edith Cowan University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Government & Project commissioning. The author has an hindex of 14, co-authored 27 publications receiving 715 citations.

A "Formidable Challenge": Australia's Quest for Equity in Indigenous Education.

Abstract: Indigenous education in Australia has been the subject of ongoing policy focus and repeated official inquiry as the nation grapples with trying to achieve equity for these students. Perspectives fr...

Reform and resistance in aboriginal education : the Australian experience

Abstract: Despite years of policy directives, research projects and curriculum initiatives, Aboriginal students remain the most disadvantaged group in terms of education. Their early exiting from schooling, lack of close connections to mainstream educational settings, disproportional representation in ‘disciplinary techniques’ within schools, and their over-representation in the criminal justice system, all clearly indicate that Aboriginal youth have been given short shift within mainstream education – and see little of value in it in terms of their current and future lives. Evidence that something is seriously wrong has been available for a long time; what to do about it remains the unanswered question. The authors of Reform and Resistance in Aboriginal Education present a number of different answers, seeking a more holistic and constructive way forward.

Reform and Resistance in Aboriginal Education

Abstract: The revised edition of Reform and Resistance in Aboriginal Education takes a fresh look at the challenges and achievements that have occurred in this important area since the books original release in 2003. Interest in Aboriginal education has increased through federal government policy commitments arising out of the 2007 national apology and the Closing the Gap commitment by state and federal governments. As a result of the increased awareness which led to these initiatives, there have been a number of state and federal government responses giving prominence to Aboriginal education as a public policy and educational issue. Examining the impact of initiatives such as the Shared Responsibility Agreements, the Follow the Dream program, the NT Intervention, Noel Pearson's blueprint for educational reform on Cape York, and drawing on data from numerous sources including the MySchool website, Reform and Resistance in Aboriginal Education provides a comprehensive look at the effects on Indigenous students of these reform efforts.

The context of Aboriginal Education

Abstract: Over the past thirty years, there has been a significant improvement in the education of Aboriginal students. In the early 1980s, few achieved educational qualifications beyond the middle years of high school. Even fewer went on to complete post-school qualifications. At the time, the parents of many Aboriginal students had been denied an education. As outlined in the following chapter, until the end of the 1950s in most states it was government policy that Indigenous children were not permitted to enter state schools. If they received an education at all, it was provided by missionaries. Against this heritage, their children struggled to meet the demands of formal schooling in state schools, and teachers were ill equipped to meet their needs.

Thresholds in Ecological and Social–Ecological Systems: a Developing Database

Abstract: Increasing interest in regime shifts in ecological and linked social-ecological systems (SESs) has placed a strong focus on the thresholds of change. However, research into this topic has been hampered by a lack of empirical data. This paper describes a developing database established to address this need. The database is freely available and comprises a set of summarized published examples and a searchable bibliographic database of publications on the topic. Thresholds in the database are characterized in terms of a standardized set of 24 descriptors, including the variables along which they occur, the variables that change, and the factors that have driven the change. Readers are encouraged to contribute new examples. Examples range from conceptual models to empirical evidence. The former predominate in the literature and, although they make valuable contributions and will continue to be included, the intention is build up the number of examples based on data. Examples are presented in terms of whether the threshold occurs in the ecological system, the social system, or both, and the direction of interactions between systems. The paper concludes with some initial observations on thresholds based on the examples included so far, and poses some questions for future research. Research on a typology of thresholds is a priority topic in the emerging area of "sustainability science" and it requires a rich database of empirical data.

OCBIL theory: towards an integrated understanding of the evolution, ecology and conservation of biodiversity on old, climatically buffered, infertile landscapes

Abstract: OCBIL theory aims to develop an integrated series of hypotheses explaining the evolution and ecology of, and best conservation practices for, biota on very old, climatically buffered, infertile landscapes (OCBILs). Conventional theory for ecology and evolutionary and conservation biology has developed primarily from data on species and communities from young, often disturbed, fertile landscapes (YODFELs), mainly in the Northern Hemisphere. OCBILs are rare, but are prominent in the Southwest Australian Floristic Region, South Africa’s Greater Cape, and Venezuela’s Pantepui Highlands. They may have been more common globally before Pleistocene glaciations. Based on the premise that natural selection has favoured limited dispersability of sedentary organisms, OCBILs should have elevated persistence of lineages (Gondwanan Heritage Hypothesis) and long-lived individuals (Ultimate Self Hypothesis), high numbers of localised rare endemics and strongly differentiated population systems. To counter such natural fragmentation and inbreeding due to small population size, ecological, cytogenetic and genetic mechanisms selecting for the retention of heterozygosity should feature (the James Effect). The climatic stability of OCBILs should be paralleled by persistence of adjacent semi-arid areas, conducive to speciation (Semiarid Cradle Hypothesis). Special nutritional and other biological traits associated with coping with infertile lands should be evident, accentuated in plants, for example, through water-foraging strategies, symbioses, carnivory, pollination and parasitism. The uniquely flat landscapes of southwestern Australia have had prolonged presence of saline lakes along palaeoriver systems favouring evolution of accentuated tolerance to salinity. Lastly, unusual resiliences and vulnerabilities might be evident among OCBIL organisms, such as enhanced abilities to persist in small fragmented populations but great susceptibility to major soil disturbances. In those places where it is most pertinent, OCBIL theory hopefully lays a foundation for future research and for better informed conservation management.

Why does salinity pose such a difficult problem for plant breeders

Abstract: The dominance of salt water across the surface of the earth has lead to the widespread occurrence of salt-affected soils. Salt-tolerant plants (halophytes) have evolved to grow on these soils, with halophytes and less tolerant plants showing a wide range of adaptations. However, most of our crops are salt-sensitive. Consequently, salinity is an ever-present threat to agriculture, especially in areas where secondary salinisation has developed through irrigation or deforestation. Attempts to improve the salt tolerance of crops have met with very limited success, due to the complexity of the trait, both genetically and physiologically. Tolerance shows all the characteristics of a multigenic trait, with quantitative trait loci (QTLs) identified in barley, citrus, rice and tomato. Attempts to produce salt-tolerant crops have involved both the domestication of halophytes and the manipulation of existing crop species through conventional breeding programmes, the use of in vitro selection, pooling physiological traits, interspecific hybridisation, the use of marker-aided selection and the development of transgenic plants. After 10 years of research, the value of using transgenic plants to alter salt tolerance has yet to be tested in the field. The use of physiological traits in breeding programmes and the domestication of halophytes currently offer viable alternatives to the development of tolerance through the use of transgenic technologies.

With the age....

Abstract: From the above table it is inferred that 3 dependent variables Perceived Organization Support, Organization Commitment and Turnover Intention are considered to identify the significant relationship with the analyzing variable age. All the three variables Perceived Organization Support, Organization Commitment and Turnover Intention have significant relationship with the analyzing variable age at (.05) level of significance.