I am delighted to be sharing this fortnightly news and insight blog, offering short summaries of the latest news and studies, reports, and opinions across the education arena. If there is a topic, report or event you would like QELi to explore, please email your thoughts to marketing@qeli.qld.edu.au. 

Neil McDonald
Chief Executive Officer, QELi

Guidance from Australian Institute of Family Studies

There is a lot of discussion about the possible effects of online pornography on children and young people and the messages pornography generates about gender, equality and sexuality. In 2016, the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) was engaged by the Department of Social Services to review what the available research evidence tells us about the issue. The Office of the e-Safety Commissioner asserts that we can teach our children strategies about how to deal with offensive material and that vigilance is vital, especially if a child is prone to taking risks or is emotionally or psychologically vulnerable.

Girls’ maths participation in decline

Latest figures from the Australian Mathematical Sciences Institute (AMSI) indicates a decline in girls’ participation in mathematics as new AMSI figures reveal only 6.9% of Year 12 girls took Higher (advanced) maths in 2017 compared to 12.2% of boys. An article by The Educator gives some insights into initiatives to turn these figures around.

Hydrogen fuels rockets, but what about power for daily life?

And while we’re talking about STEM, have you ever considered that hydrogen fuel may play a role as a viable clean and sustainable renewable energy source? Zhenguo Huang, Senior lecturer at University of Technology Sydney explores, in an article for The Conversation, the possibility that hydrogen may have potential as a source of energy for our daily activities.

Recommendations for closing the gap in science attainment

The Education Endowment Foundation shares seven recommendations for closing the gap in science attainment in secondary school.

Do you have a self-actualised personality?

Abraham Maslow argued last century that self-actualisation is the key to fulfilling your true potential and becoming your authentic self. In this article, current research on this concept indicates that the journey to self-actualisation is one still worth taking in contemporary times.

Student attendance levels

Nearly 13% of Australian students and more than half of all Indigenous students are missing at least one year of schooling by the time they reach Year 10, despite the nation achieving 100% school enrolment rates. The Sydney Morning Herald explores the latest statistics.

Cultivating honesty

It’s common for children as young as three to lie or cheat. Recent research suggests ways we can cultivate honesty in children as Maryam Abdullah explores in this article published in Greater Good Magazine.