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Wednesday, 28 January 2015

Researchers at the UWA Faculty of Education lead a number of large research projects, including two initiatives granted extremely competitive federal funding this year.

Professor Vaille Dawson and a team from Curtin University are part of a national consortium led by University of Sydney that has been awarded $1.9 million by the Federal Government through the Australian Science and Maths Partnership Program. The “Advancing Science and Engineering through Laboratory Learning (ASELL) for Schools”-project  will enable science and engineering academics to work in collaboration with science teachers to develop science inquiry activities for students in Years 7-10. “The three-year project will be conducted in schools in Western Australia and the Northern Territory,” said Vaille. “It presents a unique opportunity for collaboration between researchers and practitioners to improve student learning and interest in science and engineering.”

Another research project seeks to improve the Writing performance assessment component of the National Assessment Program—Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN). “Because there are rarely straightforward  correct or incorrect answers in areas such as English and The Arts, a key challenge is to develop a systematic assessment approach that is as accurate and reliable as possible, without compromising on the validity of the tasks the students engage with,” said Associate Professor Stephen Humphry, who leads the project with Professor David Andrich. “Our research will make these assessments not only valid and reliable, but also efficient,” he added.

The NAPLAN project is one of only eight Education research projects Australia- wide funded in this year’s ARC Linkage grants.

Media references

Professor Vaille Dawson (Faculty of Education) (+61 8) 64882470

Professor David Andrich (Faculty of Education) (+61 8) 64881085

Martin Swann (Faculty of Education)  (+61 8) 6488 2443

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