Realising the Potential of Australia’s High Capacity Students (ARC linkage grant with the Department of Education and Training)

Research Lead

Professor Lorraine Graham

Project Details

This project, known as REAP, involves exploration of the trend of students in the upper quartile of student achievement not showing learning gains at the same rate as their peers.

Previous research conducted by the Assessment Research Centre found that there is a 'flat-line' of achievement levels of high ability students across all grade levels that needs to be addressed by direct intervention and analysis (Care, Griffin, Zhang & Hutchinson, 2014). These findings reflect similar findings internationally, pointing to evidence that overall gain levels in student achievement are being enhanced by rapid gains of students in the lower ability range. This project examines and identifies strategies and organisational features of teaching that address the issue, such that all students achieve appropriate growth trajectories that reflect their learning potential.

A total of 58 primary and secondary schools in Victoria participated in the data collection phase of the project, including a range of high and low performing schools from metropolitan and rural areas from all four regions across Victoria. Over 10,000 students were assessed for their content knowledge in the areas of Mathematics, Mathematics based Problem-Solving and/or Reading Comprehension.

Publications

Reports

Harding., S., Griffin., P., Graham., L., Arnup., J., Szymakowski, J., English., N., Nibali., N., Alom, BM., and Zhang., Z. (2018). Achieving mathematics growth for high capacity students: Realising the potential for Australia’s high capacity students. Assessment Research Centre, Melbourne Graduate School of Education.

Harding., S., Nibali., N., Griffin., P., Graham., L., Arnup., J., English., N., Alom, BM., & Zhang., Z. (2018). Achieving reading comprehension growth for high capacity students: Realising the potential for Australia’s high capacity students. Assessment Research Centre, Melbourne Graduate School of Education.

Harding., S., Nibali., N., English., N., Griffin., P., Graham., L., Alom, BM., and Zhang., Z. (2018). Self-regulated learning in the classroom: Realising the potential for Australia’s high capacity students. Assessment Research Centre, Melbourne Graduate School of Education.

Harding., S., Griffin., P., Graham., L., English., N., Nibali., N., & Alom, BM. (2018). Findings and recommendations from realising the potential for Australia’s high capacity students. Assessment Research Centre, Melbourne Graduate School of Education.

Books Chapters

Griffin, P., English, N., Nibali, N., Harding, S-M., Graham, L. (2017). Self-regulated Learning. In Griffin, P., (Ed.), Assessment for teaching, second edition (pp. 141-160). Cambridge, University Press.

Griffin, P., Graham, L., Harding, S-M., Nibali, N., English, N., Alom, B. (2017). The Changing Role of the Teacher in a Knowledge Economy. In Bentley, T., Savage, G (Eds.), Educating Australia, Challenges for the Decade ahead (pp. 32-54). MUP.

Online Articles

Harding, S-M (2018). High performing students regulate their own learning, Teacher Magazine. ACER. https://www.teachermagazine.com.au/articles/high-performing-students-regulate-their-own-learning

Harding, S-M., Galvao de Barba, P., Goh, F. (2016). Teaching self-regulated learning skills, Teacher Magazine. ACER. https://www.teachermagazine.com.au/article/teaching-self-regulated-learning-skills

Conference Presentations

Harding, S-M., English, N., Nibali, N., Alom, B., Graham, L. Griffin, P., (2017). Self-regulated learning skill development differences in grade 5-8 Australian students. European Association for Research on Learning and Instruction (EARLI), Paper presentation. Tampere, Finland.

English, N., Nibali, N., Harding, S-M., Alom, B., Graham, L. Griffin, P., (2017). A progression of self-regulated Learning. European Association for Research on Learning and Instruction (EARLI), Paper presentation. Tampere, Finland.

Nibali, N., Harding, S-M., Graham, L. Griffin, P., (2017). When the apprentice surpasses the master: teacher content knowledge relative to their students. European Association for Research on Learning and Instruction (EARLI), Poster presentation. Tampere, Finland.

Nibali, N., Griffin, P., Harding, S-M., Graham, L., (2017). Self-Regulated Learning: Teacher Perspective on the Opportunities and Challenges in Victorian Classrooms. Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE), Paper 1, within symposium, Canberra, Australia.

Harding, S-M., Griffin, P., Graham, L., Nibali, N., English, N., (2017). Teaching Self-Regulated Learning in Victorian Classrooms. Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE), Paper 2, within symposium, Canberra, Australia.

Vosniadou, S., Lawson, M., Griffin, P., Harding, S-M., Nibali, N., Heath, J., Graham, L. English, N. Wyra,M., Van Deur, P., Napier, R., Jeffries, D., Nicholls, B., Pobke, K. (2017). Interventions to improve self-regulated learning (SRL) knowledge and practices in teachers and students. Australian Association for Research in Education (AARE), Symposium, Canberra, Australia.

Berry, A. and Nibali, N. (2015) Identifying teaching practices to support students of all abilities. International Study Association on Teachers and Teaching, Paper presentation. Auckland, New Zealand.

Glencross, S. and Care, E. (2015) Differentiated Teaching and Learning for Students. International Study Association on Teachers and Teaching, Paper presentation. Auckland, New Zealand.

English, S. and V, Y. (2015) Capturing Teacher Practices in a Complex Learning Environment. International Study Association on Teachers and Teaching, Paper presentation. Auckland, New Zealand.

Zhang, Z., Griffin., P and Care, E., (2015) Students’ growth patterns in reading comprehension. International Study Association on Teachers and Teaching, Paper presentation. Auckland, New Zealand.

Teaching Resources

Harding, S-M., Nibali, N., Graham, L., (2018). Introduction to Supporting High Capacity Students, In Supporting High Capacity Students. Melbourne, Victoria: The University of Melbourne and Department of Education FUSE.

English, N., Arnup, J., Griffin, P., (2018). Assessment for Growth, In Supporting High Capacity Students. Melbourne, Victoria: The University of Melbourne and Department of Education FUSE.

Arnup, J., Harding, S-M., Szymakowski, J., (2018). Supporting High Capacity Students in Mathematics, In Supporting High Capacity Students. Melbourne, Victoria: The University of Melbourne and Department of Education FUSE.

Nibali, N. and Harding, S-M., (2018). Supporting High Capacity Students in Reading Comprehension, In Supporting High Capacity Students. Melbourne, Victoria: The University of Melbourne and Department of Education FUSE.

Published Theses

Berry, A. (2015) Exploring classrooms that support the growth of top-quartile students, Master of Education, Major Thesis. https://minerva-access.unimelb.edu.au/bitstream/handle/11343/57108/Berry_thesis_final.pdf?sequence=1

Reference

Care, E., Griffin, P., Zhang, Z., & Hutchinson, D. (2014). Large-scale testing and its contribution to learning. In C. Wyatt-Smith, V. Klenowski, and P. Colbert (Eds.), Designing Assessment for Quality Learning : The Enabling Power of Assessment Volume 1. Dordrecht: Springer.

Researchers

Collaborators

Research Higher Degree Students

  • Amy Berry, Masters in Education
  • Jola Szymakowski, PhD in Education
  • Nives Nibali, PhD in Education

Master of Educational Psychology Research Project Students

  • Carol Dawn Kirkman
  • Susan Glencross
  • Natalie Stokes
  • Melissa Wong
  • Yvette Elorm Zevon

Funding

This research is supported under the Australian Research Council's Linkage Projects funding scheme (LP140100236, Realising the Potential of Australia's High Capacity Students), in partnership with the State of Victoria as represented by the Department of Education and Training.

Published Research

Care, E., Griffin, P., Zhang, Z., & Hutchinson, D. (2014). Large-scale testing and its contribution to learning. In C. Wyatt-Smith, V. Klenowski, and P. Colbert (Eds.), Designing Assessment for Quality Learning : The Enabling Power of Assessment Volume 1. Dordrecht: Springer.

Research Centre

Assessment Research Centre