Education – Views & Research – The Conversation

Two young people sitting on a couch. A boy is on a phone, a girl is turning her head quickly,

Two young people sitting on a couch. A boy is on a phone, a girl is turning her head quickly,

‘Rohan called me an idiot!’ How can parents handle squabbles between kids?

Elizabeth Westrupp, Deakin University

School holidays are coming. Here’s how families can keep some sort of routine

Tianyi Ma, The University of Queensland

A dad works from home on his laptop sitting on the couch while his two daughters jump and play around him.

A dad works from home on his laptop sitting on the couch while his two daughters jump and play around him.

Life just got tougher for international students under new visa rules. Why is this group being targeted?

Peter Hurley, Victoria University and Melinda Hildebrandt, Victoria University

A crowd of university students walking to and from classes at the University of New South Wales.

A crowd of university students walking to and from classes at the University of New South Wales.

What major tests like PISA and NAPLAN get wrong about Indigenous students

Peter Anderson, University of New England; Angela Baeza Pena, The University of Queensland; Bronwyn Fredericks, The University of Queensland, and Levon Ellen Blue, The University of Queensland

Young Indigenous Australian woman sits at an outdoor cafe.

Young Indigenous Australian woman sits at an outdoor cafe.

Year 12 exams and graduations

Students sitting at a table together studying.

Students sitting at a table together studying.

How does subject scaling work for Year 12? And why is it unfair?

Kate O'Connor, La Trobe University

School formals can increase body image anxiety for some teens. Here’s how parents can help

Vivienne Lewis, University of Canberra

A teenage girl in front of a mirror holds up a red dress while holding a black dress in her other hand.

A teenage girl in front of a mirror holds up a red dress while holding a black dress in her other hand.

Three common study myths busted by a learning expert – and better strategies to use instead

Sean Kang, The University of Melbourne

A young woman looking stressed out while using a laptop to study at home

A young woman looking stressed out while using a laptop to study at home

A young person works at a desk under a lamp.

A young person works at a desk under a lamp.

So your Year 12 student hasn’t decided what’s next. Here’s what to say – and what not to – about career planning

Brendon Hyndman, Charles Sturt University and Vaughan Cruickshank, University of Tasmania

A young person wearing a lab coat looks in a microscope in a lab.

A young person wearing a lab coat looks in a microscope in a lab.

You don’t need an ATAR to go to uni. You can do an ‘enabling’ or ‘bridging’ course instead

Susan Hopkins, University of the Sunshine Coast and Gregory Nash, University of the Sunshine Coast

Schools

Two school children playing on grass, one child is doing a cartwheel.

Two school children playing on grass, one child is doing a cartwheel.

Should schools ban students from doing cartwheels?

Brendon Hyndman, Charles Sturt University

Too many students have ‘reading anxiety’. New research suggests it is triggered by problems in primary school

Genevieve McArthur, Australian Catholic University

A child places a finger at text on a picture book.

A child places a finger at text on a picture book.

Australia’s reading and maths results are at an ‘all-time low’ – but there’s more to the story

Therese N. Hopfenbeck, The University of Melbourne

A group of high school students walking to their next class

A group of high school students walking to their next class

Telling a young child they are ‘smart’ seems like a good idea. New research shows how it could encourage them to cheat

Penny Van Bergen, University of Wollongong and Elena Vasseleu, University of Wollongong

A young child and a man sit at a desk. They are working on a sheet with pens and highlighters.

A young child and a man sit at a desk. They are working on a sheet with pens and highlighters.

School rarely goes to plan. Here are 9 ways students can deal with setbacks and change

Andrew J. Martin, UNSW

Two students talk and laugh while holding textbooks in a school playground.

Two students talk and laugh while holding textbooks in a school playground.

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Parenting and families

Little girl unpacking in bedroom of the new home, taking toys from cardboard box.

Little girl unpacking in bedroom of the new home, taking toys from cardboard box.

Moving houses can be especially stressful for kids. Here’s how to support them during a relocation

Marg Rogers, University of New England and Michelle Gossner, CQUniversity Australia

Beyond Harry Potter: five books you can enjoy together as a whole family

Helen Joanne Adam, Edith Cowan University

A mother, father and their daughter sit on a white sofa, reading a book together.

A mother, father and their daughter sit on a white sofa, reading a book together.

Talking to your children about consent and sexual violence can be hard. Here’s how to start the conversation

Stephanie Wescott, Monash University and Jane Gilmore, Monash University

A father and his son talking on the floor of the living room.

A father and his son talking on the floor of the living room.

Does your kid hate costumes? Here’s how to handle Book Week and special events

Vivienne Lewis, University of Canberra

Young girl wearing superhero costume looks up at the camera while a younger child out of costume is seen behind her.

Young girl wearing superhero costume looks up at the camera while a younger child out of costume is seen behind her.

Of course parents want to keep tweens and teens safe. Here’s why you should also encourage them to take risks

Tonia Gray, Western Sydney University; Jaydene Barnes, Western Sydney University, and Marion Sturges, Western Sydney University

A girl in casual clothes riding a skateboard in a skate park.

A girl in casual clothes riding a skateboard in a skate park.

Early childhood

A small group of children and an adult play with wooden toys on the ground.

A small group of children and an adult play with wooden toys on the ground.

One quarter of Australian kids are ‘developmentally vulnerable’ when they start school. Quality childcare can catch them up

Anne Kennedy, The University of Melbourne

What do parents want when it comes to childcare safety? More information for a start

Bricklyn Priebe, University of the Sunshine Coast

A woman holds a baby in her arms. Another woman stands in the background.

A woman holds a baby in her arms. Another woman stands in the background.

Australia’s childcare system is full of ‘churn’ – this isn’t good for quality or safety

Peter Hurley, Victoria University; Melissa Tham, Victoria University, and Sarah Pilcher, Victoria University

A child plays with an abacus.

A child plays with an abacus.

Uni and TAFE

A group of students hanging out after a university class.

A group of students hanging out after a university class.

1 in 3 uni students experience serious financial hardship. Could concession cards for all help?

Lucas Walsh, Monash University

AI is becoming more common in uni courses. What can students gain and what might they lose?

Thomas Corbin, Deakin University

A female teacher gives a data science presentation in a dark auditorium with projecting slideshow of artificial intelligence neural network architecture.

A female teacher gives a data science presentation in a dark auditorium with projecting slideshow of artificial intelligence neural network architecture.

New research shows students experience extreme anxiety when accused of academic misconduct. Unis can do more to help them

Guy Curtis, The University of Western Australia and Amanda White

A stressed male uni student holds his hand to his head in a campus library.

A stressed male uni student holds his hand to his head in a campus library.

Does ‘AI-watermarking’ mean the party is over for cheating students?

Mark A. Bassett, Charles Sturt University

A male university student using his phone and laptop, sitting at a bench outside. A female student is studying at another table nearby.

A male university student using his phone and laptop, sitting at a bench outside. A female student is studying at another table nearby.

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