Sign Up Now
Get instant access to over 1 million+ study documents
OR
Already registered? click here to login
By creating your account, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and student honor code.
The researchers found that in the three years studied, about 5.7 per cent of all Australian children were poor in all three years of the study, and this represented between 28 and 41 per cent of those in poverty in the first year. The study also suggested that there may be differences in the characteristics of families of children in persistent poverty and those in poverty in only one of the three years, with the families in persistent poverty representing the greatest problem to be addressed in any reduction effort.
However, as Bradbury (1999) states, the industrialized nations of the world have been more successful in reducing poverty among the aged, but in many countries the last two decades there has been a re-emergence of child poverty. Rates vary widely, but evidence shows that Australia has a relatively high child poverty rate. A more recent study (Fed:Child poverty in Australia increasing, study says [2002]) finds that the number of jobless families in Australia and the proportion of children living in poverty has increased. The study was by the welfare agency Anglicare Australia and is titled the State of the Family Report 2002, and it shows that poverty among children is significantly greater than among adult Australians, with an estimated 676,800 children growing up in jobless families. These children face a significant risk of living in poverty both now and in the future, and child poverty in Australia now stands at 12 per cent. Programs have been put in place to address poverty and to offer assistance, though these are often based on a view of the poor as the "other" in society, again leading to the view that the poor cause their own problems.
Theory
Evidence supports the view that poverty perpetuates itself, though the precise reason for this is arguable. Cultural influences are often cited for certain populations, notably the indigenous population, but extending this view to the general population raises numerous issues of class definitions and how to establish a baseline. The view that poverty is the cause of educational deficit often devolves to the view that the poor get what they deserve, as Connell and White note (1988, p. 14).
The influences on students are likely more complex, with culture, poverty itself, government policies, and economic realities all playing a part. Teachers face certain issues as well, as Connell, White, and Johnston (1990) point out. They also find that the educational system was created for
...
Clearly, though, even if poverty contributes to the low educational attainment of the poor, this fact does not mean the poor are the cause of their own problems but only that the social structure, economy, and other influences are not structured so as to overcome the tendency to perpetuate poverty. Changes are needed to address the underlying causes and to make clearer the link between education and opportunity, and also to assure that such opportunity does exist and is also open to all.
References
Abello, a. & Harding, a., 2004, the Dynamics of Child Poverty in Australia, Discussion Paper no. 60, University of Canberra, http://www.natsem.canberra.edu.au/pubs/dps/dp60/dp60.html.[University of Canberra, Canberra, Australia]
Barrile, S., 2993, May, Managing successfully... managing diversity, Business 11(2), pp. 5-7.
Bradbury, B., 1999, Spring/Summer, Child poverty across the industrialized world, Family Matters 54, pp.65-69.
Connell, R.W. & White, V. (1988). Citation missing.
Education Cultural Diversity http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/leading-the-international-agenda/education-for-sustainable-development/cultural-diversity / (UNESCO) This is information about cultural diversity in education, particularly in education for sustainable development found on UNESCO's website. UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and I found the information about education on their website particularly interesting because it addresses education in a global, multicultural environment. The first important aspect on their website is the institutional framework in which the educational segment operates at UNESCO,
In education this is particularly so, with the educator often functioning as an emissary for knowledge and perspective formulate by the culture of the nation-state. Australia's teachers are today in the difficult position of attempting to resolve this position with the needs posed by immigrant students. So denotes the text by Hassam (2007), which contends that "teachers who seek to critique the nation by deconstructing media knowledge need to
Education today has become more interesting and challenging than it has ever been before. This is particularly the case with the teaching and learning of English as a second language. Immigrants to the United States and other English speaking countries, for example, are faced with the challenge of not only learning a new language sufficiently to be able to communicate in their new environment, but also of fitting in with
It is important to recognize the many different areas within adult education, and what type of students these areas attract. Ultimately, for the adult education department to be successful, it must attract a wide variety of students, and keep at least some of those students coming back to continue their education in order to be successful. Adult education serves a vital role in the upper education system, and it
Educational Situations List 4 examples of opportunties you have given students to listen to language at school. Ensure that you include one example that reflects the relevance to the student's culture and background. A Jewish student, who attends Hebrew School classes in the evenings, shared information about the Hebrew alphabet and history about the Hebrew language with the class as part of a student-directed learning session. The entire class practiced reciting the
Dr. Frank Pajares, writing in Reading and Writing Quarterly (Pajares 2003), points out that in his view of Bandura's social learning theory, individuals are believed to possess "self-beliefs that enable them to exercise a measure of control over their thoughts, feelings, and actions." As has been mentioned earlier in this paper, but put a slightly different way by Pajares ("Self-Efficacy Beliefs, Motivation, and Achievement in Writing: A Review of the Literature")