School and system improvement

Studies of Asia in Year 12

Publication Date

4-2009

Abstract

Across Australia, very few Year 12 subjects focus on Asia, according to this report. Where content on Asia is offered, it often has an Australian or Western focus. The authors found that, in practice, it is schools and teachers who select the material that students will study. Teachers are not likely to select material with which they themselves are unfamiliar or may have never studied. They will tend to choose what they know about and are confident of teaching, particularly at Year 12 level, where so much rides on students’ results. What teachers know and teach about will reflect to some extent the content of their own education. If their school and tertiary studies have not included a focus on Asian studies, they may be less likely to incorporate it into their own teaching. It is thus difficult to break the cycle.

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