Search results

This paper primarily examines the potential of the Australian Education Index (AEI) as a tool to map and monitor educational research. The authors provide a range of analyses that identify the thrust of research publications in Australia between 1984 and 1997. Key findings pertain to differences in the thrust of theses compared to other publications and to the overall stability in the pattern of research at the global or macro level. The authors also identify the strengths and weaknesses of the AEI with respect to its immediate use in monitoring research trends.

The central place that education has in the strength and well-being of any profession is widely accepted. Australia presents an interesting case study of a country where Library and Information Studies (LIS) education moved from being conducted by practitioners under the guidance of the professional association to being provided in institutions of higher education in 1959. The 50 years (1959–2008) saw substantial changes in Australian LIS education with a rapid proliferation of schools which was later followed by closures, mergers and changes of focus. This chapter charts LIS education during this period focusing on organizational and structural aspects of the placement of LIS education in tertiary institutions, on the academization of LIS educators who had in the early days mainly been drawn from practice, and on the development of LIS educators as academic researchers and authors as represented by their productivity and visibility in national and international databases. In addition to giving an account of these areas of LIS education over the 50 years, the chapter seeks to offer explanations for what has occurred and some views of strategies which may assist the development of LIS education in Australia and in other countries which possess similar characteristics.

The extent of bibliographic database development in Australia is summarised with reference to all of the publicly available machine‐readable files. An analysis is made of the telecommunications network development that has enhanced access to the data. Particular reference is made to the bibliographic services of CSIRONET, AUSINET and the Health Communications Network.

Online information services are increasingly being used in schools and school libraries, both as a source of information and as a means of teaching information skills. Types of online services available include cataloguing information services, bibliographic services, full‐text and statistical information services, videotex services, local and special interest services and electronic bulletin boards. These are discussed in relation to current educational theory and the possible curriculum applications in schools.

Outlines new database products appearing in the Gale Directory of Databases, a two‐volume work published twice a year. Provides figures for the distribution and percentage of new and newly implemented social science, humanities, and news and general databases, together with a list of the databases including name, vendor and medium. Briefly discusses these by each medium.

It gives me much pleasure to acquaint the readers of RSR with some important reference materials that have appeared in Australia, New Zealand and neighbouring countries. Prices are quoted in the currency of the country of publication.

The development of information services for education and the social sciences in New Zealand goes on in a policy vacuum. A national mainframe‐based information service has failed, partly because of the fact that mainframe and PC (personal computer) computer technology arrived in New Zealand almost simultaneously. The most obvious feature of the education/social science information system in New Zealand in the late 1980s is its lack of system; the most obvious trend a steady progression towards PC‐based services.

This paper discusses two surveys conducted in 1986 and 1988 which examined attitudes of producers of Australian research‐based databases towards marketing, and the practices they employed to promote their database products. Attitudes and practice were found to be poor in 1986 with few database projects commanding budgets adequate for even the most basic of promotional activities. By 1988, improvement in attitudes towards marketing was evident, particularly from management. Satisfaction with assistance in marketing from vendors was significantly improved. However, on overall marketing performance, there is still much room for improvement and expansion in marketing to non‐library audiences and to non‐user groups. These two surveys provide benchmarks against which database marketing activity and attitudes can be measured in succeeding years.

At a time when pessimism is the prevailing mood and the outlook for Australian publishing is generally held to be uncertain, the Australian Bookseller and Publisher reports a record number of 2,790 books published in Australia during 1980. This quantitative growth in production was complemented by improvements in the quality and in the diversity of the titles produced. The total figures for the last six years have been 1975: 2001, 1976: 1781, 1977: 2243, 1978: 2183, 1979: 2412 and 1980: 2790. This trend of steady growth in the volume of book production has been attributed to a number of factors. One is the continued expansion of educational publishing for the secondary and tertiary levels; another is that Australian publishers are finding themselves in an increasingly advantageous position compared with overseas publishers. The rise in prices of imported books due to increased costs of production overseas, unfavorable exchange rates, high postage and shipping costs, coupled with the aid of the Book Bounty, has meant that the smaller editions necessary for the small Australian market can be published at a price that competes reasonably favorably with the imported product.

The purpose of this paper is to map and discuss the overall characteristics of international research on school-based sexuality education, published in academic journals, with a particular focus on the framing of non-conservative approaches including sexuality education research targeting young pupils 6-12 years of age.

The paper draws upon the methodology of systematic research mapping and presents a broad overview of research on sexuality education in a school setting for pupils aged 6-16. The authors searched the leading bibliographic databases in the field, i.e., ERIC, PsycINFO, PubMed, Scopus, Australian Education Index, British Education Index and Education Research Complete, using the search terms “sexuality education” and “school” and “children” or “adolescents.” The mapping focused on articles published in peer-reviewed journals in English, German, Danish, Swedish or Norwegian, in the period 2000-2016.

Out of 3,769 papers identified in the search process, a total of 576 papers were found to meet the inclusion criteria of the mapping. The mapping portrays a research landscape that is diverse and nuanced in terms of contextual, theoretical and methodological approaches, but also characterized by limitations. The findings point to the clear dominance of research on schools in English-speaking countries, conceptual research is scarce, and school-based sexuality education aimed at the youngest children seems to be neglected. The mapping identifies gaps in the literature that justify a call for more research from diverse sociocultural, political and geographical contexts, more conceptual research using social theory, and more research focusing on the potentials and challenges linked to sexuality education for younger pupils.

This paper offers a rare, if not the first, comprehensive overview of research on school-based sexuality education including a focus on younger school children 6-12 years of age.