Showing papers on "Disadvantaged published in 2012"

Socioeconomic status and smoking: a review

Abstract: Smoking prevalence is higher among disadvantaged groups, and disadvantaged smokers may face higher exposure to tobacco's harms. Uptake may also be higher among those with low socioeconomic status (SES), and quit attempts are less likely to be successful. Studies have suggested that this may be the result of reduced social support for quitting, low motivation to quit, stronger addiction to tobacco, increased likelihood of not completing courses of pharmacotherapy or behavioral support sessions, psychological differences such as lack of self-efficacy, and tobacco industry marketing. Evidence of interventions that work among lower socioeconomic groups is sparse. Raising the price of tobacco products appears to be the tobacco control intervention with the most potential to reduce health inequalities from tobacco. Targeted cessation programs and mass media interventions can also contribute to reducing inequalities. To tackle the high prevalence of smoking among disadvantaged groups, a combination of tobacco control measures is required, and these should be delivered in conjunction with wider attempts to address inequalities in health.

Child Development in Rural China: Children Left behind by Their Migrant Parents and Children of Nonmigrant Families.

Abstract: Using recent cross-sectional data of rural children aged from 8 to 18 in Hunan Province of China, this article examines psychological, behavioral, and educational outcomes and the psychosocial contexts of these outcomes among children left behind by one or both of their rural-to-urban migrant parents compared to those living in nonmigrant families. The results showed that left-behind children were disadvantaged in health behavior and school engagement but not in perceived satisfaction. The child’s psychosocial environment, captured by family socioeconomic status, socializing processes, peer and school support, and psychological traits, were associated with, to varying extent, child developmental outcomes in rural China. These influences largely remain constant for the sampled children regardless of their parents’ migrant status.

Effects of High School Course-Taking on Secondary and Postsecondary Success

Abstract: Using panel data from a census of public school students in the state of Florida, the authors examine the associations between students’ high school course-taking in various subjects and their 10th-grade test scores, high school graduation, entry into postsecondary institutions, and postsecondary performance. The authors use propensity score matching (based on 8th-grade test scores, other student characteristics, and school effects) within groups of students matched on the composition of the students’ course-taking in other subjects to estimate the differences in outcomes for students who take rigorous courses in a variety of subjects. The authors find substantial significant differences in outcomes for those who take rigorous courses, and these estimated effects are often larger for disadvantaged youth and students attending disadvantaged schools.

Education and Poverty: Confronting the Evidence

Abstract: Current U.S. policy initiatives to improve the U.S. education system, including No Child Left Behind, test-based evaluation of teachers, and the promotion of competition are misguided because they either deny or set to the side a basic body of evidence documenting that students from disadvantaged households on average perform less well in school than those from more advantaged families. Because these policy initiatives do not directly address the educational challenges experienced by disadvantaged students, they have contributed little—and are not likely to contribute much in the future—to raising overall student achievement or to reducing achievement and educational attainment gaps between advantaged and disadvantaged students. Moreover, such policies have the potential to do serious harm. Addressing the educational challenges faced by children from disadvantaged families will require a broader and bolder approach to education policy than the recent efforts to reform schools. C � 2012 by the Association

The arts and achievement in at-risk youth: findings from four longitudinal studies

Abstract: This report examines the academic and civic behavior outcomes of teenagers and young adults who have engaged deeply with the arts in or out of school. In several small-group studies, children and teenagers who participated in arts education programs have shown more positive academic and social outcomes in comparison to students who did not participate in those programs. Such studies have proved essential to the current research literature on the types of instrumental benefits associated with an arts education. A standard weakness of the literature, however, has been a dearth of large-scale, longitudinal studies following the same populations over time, tracking the outcomes of students who received intensive arts exposure or arts learning compared with students who did not. "The Arts and Achievement in At-Risk Youth" is a partial attempt to fill this knowledge gap. The authors use four large national databases to analyze the relationship between arts involvement and academic and social achievements. This report displays correlations between arts activity among at-risk youth and subsequent levels of academic performance and civic engagement. For this task, the authors relied on four large longitudinal databases. Each source has unique strengths and limitations in terms of study sample size, age range, and the types of variables included--whether related to arts involvement (in-school and/or extracurricular), academic progress, or social and/or civic participation. Yet after accounting for these differences, three main conclusions arise: (1) Socially and economically disadvantaged children and teenagers who have high levels of arts engagement or arts learning show more positive outcomes in a variety of areas than their low-arts-engaged peers; (2) At-risk teenagers or young adults with a history of intensive arts experiences show achievement levels closer to, and in some cases exceeding, the levels shown by the general population studied; and (3) Most of the positive relationships between arts involvement and academic outcomes apply only to at-risk populations (low-SES). But positive relationships between arts and civic engagement are noted in high-SES groups as well. Meet the Databases is appended. (Contains 11 notes.)

Multiple Forms of Perceived Discrimination and Health among Adolescents and Young Adults

Abstract: Research on perceived discrimination has overwhelmingly focused on one form of discrimination, especially race discrimination, in isolation from other forms. The present article uses data from the Black Youth Culture Survey, a nationally representative, racially and ethnically diverse sample of 1,052 adolescents and young adults to investigate the prevalence, distribution, and mental and physical health consequences of multiple forms of perceived discrimination. The findings suggest that disadvantaged groups, especially multiply disadvantaged youth, face greater exposure to multiple forms of discrimination than their more privileged counterparts. The experience of multiple forms of discrimination is associated with worse mental and physical health above the effect of only one form and contributes to the relationship between multiple disadvantaged statuses and health. These findings suggest that past research may misspecify the discrimination-health relationship and fails to account for the disproportionate exposure to discrimination faced by multiply disadvantaged individuals.

Identifying the Disadvantaged: Official Poverty, Consumption Poverty, and the New Supplemental Poverty Measure

Abstract: Few economic indicators are more closely watched or more important for ew economic indicators are more closely watched or more important for policy than the offi cial poverty rate. It is used to gauge the extent of deprivapolicy than the offi cial poverty rate. It is used to gauge the extent of deprivation in the United States and to determine how economic well-being has tion in the United States and to determine how economic well-being has changed over time. The poverty rate is often cited by policymakers, researchers, changed over time. The poverty rate is often cited by policymakers, researchers, and advocates who are evaluating social programs that account for more than half and advocates who are evaluating social programs that account for more than half a trillion dollars in government spending. Eligibility for some means-tested transfer a trillion dollars in government spending. Eligibility for some means-tested transfer programs is determined based on the poverty thresholds, and local poverty rates programs is determined based on the poverty thresholds, and local poverty rates affect the allocation of billions of dollars in federal funds. affect the allocation of billions of dollars in federal funds. The methods for calculating the current poverty measure, largely unchanged The methods for calculating the current poverty measure, largely unchanged since the 1960s, have been criticized by many researchers. In response, the Census since the 1960s, have been criticized by many researchers. In response, the Census Bureau has led a two-decade process of research and discussion of poverty measureBureau has led a two-decade process of research and discussion of poverty measurement with an eye to revising the offi cial measure. The process has involved hundreds ment with an eye to revising the offi cial measure. The process has involved hundreds of papers, dozens of offi cial Census Bureau publications (U.S. Census 2010), of papers, dozens of offi cial Census Bureau publications (U.S. Census 2010), and two National Academy of Sciences reports (Citro and Michael 1995; Iceland and two National Academy of Sciences reports (Citro and Michael 1995; Iceland 2005). We will not summarize this vast literature here. Rather, we will examine 2005). We will not summarize this vast literature here. Rather, we will examine the properties of three measures of poverty: the offi cial U.S. poverty rate; the new the properties of three measures of poverty: the offi cial U.S. poverty rate; the new Supplemental Poverty Measure fi rst released by the U.S. Census Bureau in fall 2011; Supplemental Poverty Measure fi rst released by the U.S. Census Bureau in fall 2011; and a consumption-based measure of poverty. We will focus on two fundamental and a consumption-based measure of poverty. We will focus on two fundamental goals of these measures: to identify the most disadvantaged and to assess changes goals of these measures: to identify the most disadvantaged and to assess changes

The Impact of Oral Health on the Academic Performance of Disadvantaged Children

Abstract: Objectives. We measured the impact of dental diseases on the academic performance of disadvantaged children by sociodemographic characteristics and access to care determinantsMethods. We performed clinical dental examinations on 1495 disadvantaged elementary and high school students from Los Angeles County public schools. We matched data with academic achievement and attendance data provided by the school district and linked these to the child’s social determinants of oral health and the impact of oral health on the child’s school and the parents’ school or work absences.Results. Students with toothaches were almost 4 times more likely to have a low grade point average. About 11% of students with inaccessible needed dental care missed school compared with 4% of those with access. Per 100 elementary and high school–aged children, 58 and 80 school hours, respectively, are missed annually. Parents averaged 2.5 absent days from work or school per year because of their children’s dental problems.Conclusions. O...

Social Capital and Networks in Film and TV: Jobs for the Boys?

Abstract: Social capital has been hailed as a means of virtuous, effective and enjoyable productivity through which firms can flourish. But it also confines advantage to network members and discriminates against non-members. This paper, drawing on detailed qualitative research into work in the UK film and TV industry, reveals the advantages and the disadvantages of social capital. Social capital aided recruitment, policed quality standards and ensured behavioural norms with the sort of speed and flexibility it would be hard to identify in other forms of organizing. However, it also advantaged white, middle-class men and ensured that middle-class signals came to be proxies for the most sought-after jobs. Professionals who were women, members of ethnic minorities or working class were less likely to secure jobs and were often restricted in the type of jobs they held. Significantly, the members of disadvantaged groups who succeeded did so after long periods employed by the terrestrial broadcasters or after extended ap...

Discomforting pedagogies: emotional tensions, ethical dilemmas and transformative possibilities

Abstract: This article examines the potential and limitations of pedagogy of discomfort in a classroom of 10‐ and 11‐year‐old students of an integrated school in Northern Ireland. At the centre of the analysis are the students’ and the teacher’s emotional experiences and the resulting consequences when a discomforting pedagogical activity (an adaptation of the classic ‘Blue‐Eyed, Brown‐Eyed’ exercise) is implemented to teach students about social injustice. The theoretical framework that informs this investigation is grounded in the notion of ‘pedagogy of discomfort’. A qualitative, ethnographic perspective forms the basis for the data collection and analysis. The findings show that the pedagogical exercise does not have the same impact on all participants, yet it contains several risks, most notably those of differential power and privilege between teacher and students and the ethical implications of putting some children (even temporarily) in a disadvantaged place. The implications are discussed in terms of teach...

Information and College Access: Evidence from a Randomized Field Experiment

Abstract: High school students from disadvantaged high schools in Toronto were invited to take two surveys, about three weeks apart. Half of the students taking the first survey were also shown a 3 minute video about the benefits of post secondary education (PSE) and invited to try out a financial-aid calculator. Most students' perceived returns to PSE were high, even among those not expecting to continue. Those exposed to the video, especially those initially unsure about their own educational attainment, reported significantly higher expected returns, lower concerns about costs, and expressed greater likelihood of PSE attainment.

Alternative education sites and marginalised young people: ‘I wish there were more schools like this one’

Abstract: This paper reports on research conducted in alternative schools/flexible learning centres 1 designed to support young people marginalised from mainstream schooling in Australia. Many of the young people attending these centres had left school due to difficult personal circumstances and/or significant conflicts with schooling authorities. We argue that the ways in which these schools construct their learning environments, teaching programmes and pedagogical relationships are conducive to encouraging such young people to re-engage with educational processes and thus should be supported as viable alternatives within schooling sectors. Moreover, we contend that data gathered from these sites should be used to inform many of the practices within mainstream schools that currently contribute to the marginalisation of certain categories of youth.

Beyond the Schoolyard: The Role of Parenting Logics, Financial Resources, and Social Institutions in the Social Class Gap in Structured Activity Participation

Abstract: We investigate cultural and structural sources of class differences in youth activity participation with interview, survey, and archival data. We find working- and middle-class parents overlap in parenting logics about participation, though differ in one respect: middle-class parents are concerned with customizing children's involvement in activities, while working-class parents are concerned with achieving safety and social mobility for children through participation. Second, because of financial constraints, working-class families rely on social institutions for participation opportunities, but few are available. Schools act as an equalizing institution by offering low-cost activities, allowing working-class children to resemble middle-class youth in school activities, but they remain disadvantaged in out-of-school activities. School influences are complex, however, as they also contribute to class differences by offering different activities to working- and middle-class youth. Findings raise questions about the extent to which differences in participation reflect class culture rather than the objective realities parents face.

Developing Equitable Education Systems

Abstract: Achieving sustainable improvements in education systems, particularly amongst learners from disadvantaged communities, is a major challenge faced by most countries. This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book describes and analyses work carried out by researchers at the University of Glasgow’s Robert Owen Centre for Educational Change over recent years in addressing this challenge within the Scottish education system. It is also important to note that only half of the world’s children receive pre-primary education, a failure that limits children’s futures and deepens inequities in later learning. Significantly, the disadvantaged are least served by quality early childhood care and education, although they benefit most from such interventions. Despite the efforts made in response to such global thinking, there remains a gap between the achievements of students from rich and poor families in most parts of the world.

Counterstories of college persistence by undocumented Mexicana students: navigating race, class, gender, and legal status

Abstract: This paper draws from four sets of four in‐depth interviews and one subsequent focus group to examine how undocumented Mexicana students navigate identities and the meanings of race, gender, class, and legal status. We mobilize a critical race theory framework to center and explore the content of students’ counterstories. While majoritarian stories perpetuate stereotypical narratives that portray communities of color as culturally deficient, counterstorytelling creates a space for exposing and resisting hegemonic narratives in the home, community, and college settings. We argue that, through counterstories, Mexicana students are able to develop a positive self‐image that allows them to hang on to their academic aspirations, to persist in college, and to envision and pursue the possibility of success. We look at how undocumented Mexicana students’ narratives also reproduce and/or reinscribe elements of oppressive discourses of race, class, and gender in the contemporary USA. We consider some implications o...

Can't Buy Mommy's Love? Universal Childcare and Children's Long-Term Cognitive Development

Abstract: What happens to children’s long-run cognitive development when introducing universal high-quality childcare for 3-year olds mainly crowds out maternal care? To answer this question we exploit a natural experiment framework and employ a difference-in-difference approach. We find sizable improvements in children’s reading and math skills at age 15, as well as in grade progression during primary and secondary school. Effects are driven by girls and disadvantaged children.

Literacy Challenges for the Twenty-First Century: Introducing the Issue

Abstract: Advanced literacy is a prerequisite to adult success in the twenty-first century, By advanced literacy we do not mean simply the ability to decode words or read a text, as necessary as these elementary skills are, Instead we mean the ability to use reading to gain access to the world of knowledge, to synthesize information from different sources, to evaluate arguments, and to learn totally new subjects, These higher-level skills are now essential to young Americans who wish to explore fields as disparate as history, science, and mathematics; to succeed in postsecondary education, whether vocational or academic; to earn a decent living in the knowledge-based globalized labor market; and to participate in a democracy facing complex problems, The literacy challenge confronting children, their families, and schools in the United States has two parts. The first is the universal need to better prepare students for twenty-first-century literacy demands. The second is the specific need to reduce the disparities in literacy outcomes between children from disadvantaged backgrounds and those from more privileged homes. This issue of the Future of Children explores the literacy of America's children and how to improve it. We begin this introductory essay by reviewing briefly why literacy is so important in today's world and why the concept of literacy needs to be broadened to include a set of competencies that go well beyond the ability to recognize words and decode text. We end with a summary of the other articles in the issue and briefly consider what steps policy makers might take to respond to the urgent needs we cite. The Growing Demand for Strong Literacy Skills The "literacy problem" we address here is not that literacy has declined among recent generations of children. It is that today's economy and the complex political and social challenges facing the nation demand more advanced skills than ever before. The average reading skill of non-Hispanic white children from recent cohorts is remarkably similar to that of comparable children born in the 1960s, and the average reading achievement of recent cohorts of black children and Hispanic children is considerably higher than that of comparable cohorts born several decades ago. These points are illustrated in figure 1, which presents trends from the National Assessment of Educational Progress in the average reading levels of American thirteen-year-olds in the major race and ethnicity groups, [FIGURE 1 OMITTED] Although the literacy of American children has not changed appreciably over the past forty years, the American labor market has changed dramatically. The change in the nation's occupational structure is illustrated in figure 2, which displays the shares of workers employed in large occupational groups, arrayed from lowest wage on the left to highest wage on the right. The big declines between 1979 and 2009 in the share of workers employed in particular occupations took place in blue-collar jobs (for example, assembly line work) and administrative support (for example, filing). These jobs require workers who can read, but historically they have not demanded advanced literacy skills. Jobs have declined in these occupations because they can be and have been taken over by computer-guided machines or by workers in lower-wage countries. (1) During those same three decades the demand for workers in higher-paid occupations, for example, in technical and professional fields, was growing. These jobs typically require postsecondary education or training, leaving workers with inadequate literacy skills competing for the growing number of low-paying service jobs. Americans also need strong literacy skills to participate constructively in a pluralistic democracy facing complex domestic and global challenges, including a large national debt, global warming, and the proliferation of nuclear weapons. There is no shortage of information about these challenges. …

Viewpoint: empowering communities with situated voting devices

Abstract: Viewpoint is a public voting device developed to allow residents in a disadvantaged community to make their voices heard through a simple, lightweight interaction. This was intended to open a new channel of communication within the community and increase community members' perception of their own efficacy. Local elected officials and community groups were able to post questions on devices located in public spaces, where residents could vote for one of two responses. Question authors were subsequently required to post a response indicating any actions to be taken. Following a two-month trial, we present our experiences and contribute guidelines for the design of public democracy tools and dimensions impacting their effectiveness, including credibility, efficacy and format.

Teacher consultation and coaching within mental health practice: classroom and child effects in urban elementary schools.

Abstract: Children in high poverty urban schools experience mental health difficulties and academic underachievement at elevated rates (Atkins, Hoagwood, Kutash, & Seidman, 2010; Whipple, Evans, Barry, & Maxwell, 2010). Underfunded schools struggle to meet student needs and teachers report difficulties motivating and managing students (Reinke, Stormont, Herman, Puri, & Goel, 2011). Observations in elementary classrooms reveal inconsistent access to effective classrooms in schools with high proportions of economically disadvantaged students (Pianta, Belsky, Houts, Morrison, & NICHD Early Child Care Research Network, 2007). Effective classrooms are defined by the presence of supportive teacher-student interactions (instructional, emotional, and behavioral) which together create a classroom environment conducive to academic and social-emotional development (Hamre & Pianta, 2010). When children with adjustment problems are in effective classrooms, their achievement has been shown to match that of their typically developing peers (Hamre & Pianta, 2005). Promoting effective teaching practices in elementary classrooms in low-income schools may thus benefit the adaptation of all students – those with and without behavioral difficulties. Recent efforts to promote effective teaching through teacher consultation and classroom coaching have been promising. Preschool teachers in high poverty schools who received training, coaching, and consultation improved in their management of behavior and provision of emotional support; and, children increased their self-regulation skills and academic performance beyond the skills and performance of comparison children (Raver et al., 2008; Raver et al., 2011). Similarly, in elementary schools assigned to receive training and coaching as a part of a social-emotional and academic learning program (4Rs; Brown, Jones, LaRusso, & Aber, 2010), intervention teachers demonstrated greater instructional and emotional support compared to control group teachers. The promise of these models is tempered by concerns about sustainability. Across studies, researchers employ external coaches and consultants as primary interventionists (e.g., Jones, Brown, & Aber, 2011; Raver et al., 2008). These interventionists are unfamiliar to teachers at the start of the study and depart when the study ends. Recent scholarship suggests the importance of considering issues of intervention feasibility and sustainability from the start (Aarons, Hurlburt, & Horwitz, 2011; Wandersman et al., 2008). Employing individuals already working in the school to deliver novel interventions may increase their sustainability (Atkins et al., 2008). In addition, to advance the learning and development of children with behavioral difficulties and their classmates, school mental health services may need to be re-conceptualized to include a focus on universal prevention (Nastasi, 2004) and effective classrooms (Cappella, Frazier, Atkins, Schoenwald, & Glisson, 2008). Accordingly, we designed and evaluated a teacher consultation and coaching program – Bridging Mental Health and Education in Urban Schools (BRIDGE; Cappella, Jackson, Wagner, Hamre, & Soule, 2011) – to increase effective classroom interactions and improve the functioning of children with behavioral challenges and their classmates. Embedded within the regular activities of school mental health professionals, BRIDGE represents a step toward the broader goal of enabling school and community mental health resources to support effective classrooms. Rather than focus only on the whole classroom or students with behavioral problems, BRIDGE applies a two-tiered approach to improving classroom interactions for all children (universal) and children with behavioral difficulties (targeted). A randomized trial of the initial effects of this program illuminates the extent to which school mental health staff can support teachers to increase effective teaching and promote the academic, behavioral, and social adaptation of children in urban poor schools.

Teacher Beliefs as Predictors of Adolescents’ Cognitive Engagement and Achievement in Mathematics

Abstract: The authors explored the moderating effect of teachers’ expectancies and general sense of efficacy on the relationship between students’ achievement and their cognitive engagement and achievement 1 year later. They used hierarchical linear modeling with a longitudinal sample of 79 mathematics teachers and their 1,364 secondary school students coming from 33 schools serving disadvantaged communities in Quebec (Canada). Results indicate that teachers’ self-reported beliefs directly influenced student academic experience. However, they did not influence more importantly low-achieving than high-achieving students. Such findings suggest that in schools serving low socioeconomic status students, teachers should be made aware of the role their attitudes can play on students’ cognitive engagement and achievement. Special efforts should also be made to help them develop positive attitudes toward all students.

Everyday (in)justices and ordinary environmentalisms: community gardening in disadvantaged urban neighbourhoods

Abstract: Recent years have witnessed increased academic interest in the relations between poverty, environment and place. Studies of poverty in disadvantaged urban neighbourhoods have pointed to the contribution of despoiled local environments to social exclusion. Work in urban political ecology has highlighted the socioenvironmental hybridity of injustices in the city, bringing a political dimension to debates on urban sustainability, while research on environmental justice has directed critical attention towards the local and everyday (urban) contexts of socio-ecological forms of injustice. This paper explores the everyday spaces and mundane forms of (in)justice through a case study of community gardening in cities. Drawing on materials derived from a recent study of 18 community gardening projects in disadvantaged urban neighbourhoods in the UK, this paper highlights how these projects are using ordinary forms of environmentalism to produce new socioecological spaces of justice within the city.

Physical activity interventions in socio-economically disadvantaged communities: A systematic review

Abstract: OBJECTIVE Interventions to increase levels of physical activity (PA) in socio-economically disadvantaged communities are needed but little is known about their effectiveness. This review examines the effectiveness of interventions designed to increase PA in these communities and the theoretical frameworks and components used. METHODS Five databases were searched for papers published in English between January 2000 and December 2010 that reported outcomes of PA interventions in socio-economically disadvantaged communities. Studies targeting individuals with pre-existing disease and not reporting a measure of free-living PA were excluded. Two reviewers independently extracted data and evaluated quality of evidence against pre-defined criteria. RESULTS Of 478 publications identified, 27 were included. We found that group-based interventions were effective for adults but not for children; evidence for the effectiveness of interventions targeting individuals was insufficient; limited evidence suggested that community-wide interventions produced small changes in PA. Interventions underpinned by any theoretical framework, compared to none, were more likely to be effective. Several effective interventions included education, PA and social support components. CONCLUSION Compared to other approaches, multi-component adult group-based interventions with theoretical frameworks are most effective in increasing PA in socio-economically disadvantaged communities. More robust evaluations of interventions targeting individuals in these 'hard-to-reach' communities are required.

Understanding teacher attraction and retention drivers: addressing teacher shortages

Abstract: The attraction and retention of teachers is a problem faced by schools worldwide and possibly more so in the public sector. One possible solution to this problem is likely to be better targeting of attraction and retention drivers of value to teachers. This paper presents the findings from a qualitative study conducted in Australia. The study used electronic in-depth interviews and an online survey to interrogate the reasons teachers are attracted to the profession and what drives their decision to either stay or leave. Participants in the study were both serving and retired teachers. The majority of respondents cited intrinsic motivators as the reasons for joining the teaching profession and among the serving teachers, those with higher intrinsic motivational drivers exhibited a more positive intention to remain. While both groups viewed extrinsic rewards in the form of pay, the school environment and working conditions as important, intrinsic motivation had most influence on intention to stay in the profession. Countries worldwide provide education for their people through school systems and growing teacher shortages are a challenge for schools globally. Education benefits societies through building human capital, aiding economic growth and enabling political participation (Steering Committee for the Review of Government Service Provision, Commonwealth of Australia [SCRGSP], 2006), thus teacher shortages pose a threat to learning outcomes over the longer term. All schools depend on an available skilled and professional teaching workforce to achieve educational outcomes and critical for their success is the ability to attract, recruit and retain high quality teachers (Department of Education & Training Western Australia [DETWA], 2004). Currently the Western Australian government employs close to 20,000 teachers in the public sector and these are supported by teachers in the private and religious sector schools. Shortages are most apparent in specific areas, such as English as a second language, mathematics and the sciences, and with placement of teachers in remote areas; however, a Productivity Commission Report identified problems are expected to increase and widen over time (Department of Education [DOE], 2011). According to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development [OECD], (2011) “... many advanced economies already face [teacher shortages] and that will grow in the near future as large numbers of teachers reach retirement age. Even where general teacher supply and demand are in balance, many countries face shortages of specialist teachers and shortages in schools serving disadvantaged or isolated communities” (OECD, 2011, p.10). One estimate is that by 2016 primary schools around the world will face a shortage of 18 million teachers. This includes a 13 million shortfall in teachers in low-income regions and a further 5 million shortages in industrialised countries (Australian Associated Press [AAP], 2007).

Making games in the classroom: Benefits and gender concerns

Abstract: This paper argues that making computer games as part of a classroom project can develop a range of new media storytelling, visual design and audience awareness skills. This claim is supported by data from the evaluation of a six week game making project in a state funded primary school in which 11-12 year old learners made their own computer games using software called Adventure Author. The paper reports on analysis of the games produced by the children and documents the range of new media storytelling skills used as well as examining how the pupils responded to peer reviews of their games. In light of concerns raised in the literature that girls may be disadvantaged by classroom games projects, it investigates whether there are gender differences in the game making skills displayed by the learners. The results of the study indicate that girls' games score more highly than boys', particularly on skills relating to storytelling.