Professor Susan Ledger

While the International Baccalaureate¿s Middle Years Programme (MYP) is growing in popularity in Australia and across the globe, few studies have examined the benefits and challenges of this IB programme for supporting student learning. Using a qualitative case study design of three Australian schools that formerly offered the MYP, we investigated teacher and school leader perceptions of the MYP for promoting student learning. Perceived benefits included high achievement and skill development through the MYP¿s emphasis on inquiry-based learning and real-world relevance; criterion-referenced assessments; and a healthy balance between core and elective learning areas. Challenges for students stemmed primarily from operational difficulties and possible systems-level constraints impacting teachers, including integration of the Australian Curriculum with the MYP; ability to meet the MYP¿s demands; confusion about MYP terminology and grading systems; and understanding interdisciplinary units. The findings suggest that MYP Coordinators and school leaders play a critical role in ensuring that schools realise the benefits of the MYP for student learning by providing systems-level support to optimise its benefits.

International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (MYP) is recognized for its rigor, inquiry-based learning, and development of academic skills. While it is growing in popularity worldwide, some schools have discontinued the program. Literature on the reasons why schools discontinue the MYP is limited. Using a qualitative case study design, we examined the perspectives of school leaders, former MYP coordinators, and experienced MYP teachers at three private and public Australian schools to find out why they discontinued the MYP. Our findings add to the limited literature base on the topic¿they reveal schools discontinued the program due to challenges from various systems-level constraints, leadership issues, school organizational structures, and individual teacher challenges. Although our small sample prevents generalizability, our findings generate novel insights and hypotheses that can inform school decision making and future research about the sustainability of the MYP.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the perception, readiness and change involved in the implementation of Education 4.0 within the region of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) among policymakers, enablers (lecturers) and receivers (students), within globalisation, referred here as the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR). Design/methodology/approach: This study used a mixed method research design using quantitative data from a Likert scale of 1¿5, involving: (1) Not Ready; (2) Ready; (3) No Sure; (4) Quite Ready and (5) Extremely Ready. Open-ended questions formed the qualitative approach taken by the researchers to uncover the richness of the respondents' perceptions of Education 4.0. The test items reliability index of 0.744 drew quantitative data from the perspective of the educational policymakers, enablers and receivers to reveal their collective definition of each construct (knowledge, industry and humanity). Findings: This study has exposed the importance of knowing and capturing the interrelated components of an educational ecosystem that exists in higher education (HE) within the ASEAN region. The personal readiness of respondents towards Education 4.0 is very high; yet concern was raised about the financial and managerial readiness of institutions across the region. Originality/value: This study highlighted the dynamic nature of the HE ecosystem and the connectivity between the elements of Education 4.0 ¿ knowledge, industry and humanity within the ASEAN region.

Studies on internships within initial teacher education have existed in literature since the early 1900s, they have espoused the benefits of experiential learning or critiqued the variance available in terms of structure, length of time and purpose. However, little research on teacher internships has been reported within a policy context. This study employs a modified 'policy trajectory' framework to capture the impact of teacher internship models emerging from policy reform in Australia driven by the National Partnership Agreement on Improving Teacher Quality Program (NPTQ). It highlights how policy contexts and practices are inextricably interconnected and influenced by key policy 'threads' related to people, philosophy, place, processes and power (5Ps). Significant benefits of internships are revealed. Variations in resourcing, influence and local conditions evidence enactment of NPTQ resulted in uneven and potentially inequitable outcomes. The authors call for more research, transparency and enhanced accountability for government investment for internships.

International Baccalaureate (IB) programmes are growing rapidly worldwide, driven in part by their global reputation and concept-driven, inquiry-based approach to teaching and learning. This thematic review of a range of literature sources examines the impact of IB programmes on teaching and learning, highlighting trends, challenges, and benefits. Findings of the review revealed that most of the studies, both qualitative and quantitative, examined stakeholders¿ perspectives or self-reported experiences of IB programmes; a very small number used research designs that control for confounding factors or allow causal inferences to be drawn. A wide range of stakeholders report that IB programmes develop research and critical thinking skills, intercultural appreciation and global awareness, as well as cultivate collaborative working cultures and creative pedagogical practices among teachers. Challenges include extra demands on teachers for lesson planning and assessment, additional stress for teachers and students, and competing demands and expectations with national requirements. Recommendations are provided which may guide future research endeavours.

While children benefit from exposure to reading aloud at home, relatively little is known about parents' perceptions of the practice. Reading aloud supports development of a range of reading and cognitive skills, provides a valuable opportunity for focused interaction between parents and children, and enhances children's attitudes toward reading. This paper reports on data from the mixed-methods 2016 Western Australian Study in Reading Aloud collected from consenting parents at 14 primary schools. Findings explore frequency of reading aloud to children at home, parental attitudes toward the practice, duration of reading sessions, and perceived barriers to reading aloud. Findings give educators insight into the home literacy learning context, as well as illustrating the barriers contemporary families perceive in supporting their children's literacy development at home.