Paul Kidson, Herb Marsh and Theresa Dicke report that they are pushed to the edge by mounting workloads, teacher shortages and abuse Australian schools have been under huge pressures in recent years. On top of concerns about academic progress and staff shortages, schools have faced significant,...
Christine Grové and Alexandra Marinucci have looked at some steps that might help parents. School attendance levels in Australia are a massive issue according to Education Minister Jason Clare. As he told reporters last week, he hopes to talk to state colleagues about the issue at a...
Clare Wishart is keen for a community comeback. There is something going on at our local park. At the base of the tree in the farthest corner, broken bricks form lines like Hadrian’s Wall. Sticks appear and disappear. Sometimes a red bowl filled with dirt sits...
Kerry Littrich has finally found the right answer to the dreaded question. It’s the question every stay-at-home parent dreads: “So, what do you do?” Pause. Slow intake of breath. I cook and clean and shop. I buy gifts and organise parties. I sing nursery rhymes and dance...
Emotional abuse is a pattern of hurtful messages, report Divna Haslam, Alina Morawska and James Graham Scott, building parenting skills could help prevent it. When people think about child maltreatment, many think of physical or sexual abuse. But a key finding of our Australian Child Maltreatment Study,...
Like them or loathe them, Neha Shukla discovers how validating a mothers’ group can be. “Try and stay in touch with each other after your babies are born,” the midwife told everyone in our antenatal class. I remember thinking, ‘We’re not going to have time to...
For many kids, the period between childhood and early adolescence can be difficult, report researchers Associate Professor Vanessa Cropley, Dr Maria Di Biase and Rebecca Cooper This transitional period is commonly known as ‘pre-adolescence’ and can be a vulnerable time for the development of mental health...
Teachers should only be the first part of the solution, report Brian Moore and Sarah Redshaw. They are not trained as mental health practitioners. Schools are an obvious place to do mental health work with young people. This is important, as about one in seven young...
New UniSQ study first to explore Australian adolescents’ trolling experiences If you’ve ever thought that young online trolls are nothing more than pot-stirrers or mischief-makers who get a kick out of riling people up, you might be onto something. Trolling is an online antisocial behaviour that is...
Grit or quit? asks Sarah Jefferson Grit. Don't quit. That's the mantra many parents may have in mind when they, like me, spend what feels like years ferrying children to a seemingly endless variety of sports and activities. From enduring sheets of almost vertical icy rain...
