Calling All Australian Secondary School Teachers

March 2024

AUSTRALIAN SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS’ EXPERIENCES OF STUDENT VIRTUAL EXCHANGE (VE)

This research project aims to investigate Australian secondary school teachers’ experiences and perceptions of student Virtual Exchange (VE) programs. Part of a PhD study, the research seeks to contribute to the field of education by providing insights into what, if anything, teachers perceive their students gain from participating in student VE programs and by exploring the potential of VE to support the development of Australian school students’ global competence.

Who can participate?

Participation in this survey is open to anyone who is currently, or has been in the last 5 years, registered and employed, part-time or full-time, as an Australian secondary school teacher or completed practicums as a student teacher in a Catholic, independent, or government school. Teachers from diverse socio-economic demographics, urban, regional, rural and remote locations, with varying years of teaching experience and subjects taught, are encouraged to take part as the research aims to capture a wide range of perspectives and VE experiences.

What does participating involve?

Participation involves completion of a 15-20 minute, anonymous online survey consisting of four short sections of questions covering: the VE experiences you have engaged in, any perceived gains for your students, any aspects of the VE experiences that were particularly relevant and some basic, non-identifying demographic questions about you and your school context.

Please note that your participation in this research is entirely voluntary. Your decision to participate or not will have no impact on your employment, academic standing, or association with the University. You can voluntarily withdraw at any time. Your willingness to share your insights will greatly contribute to advancing the understanding of VE experiences in Australian secondary schools, and your privacy and confidentiality will be upheld throughout the research process.

What are the benefits and risks?

While you may not directly benefit from participating in this project, beyond having an opportunity to reflect on your practice, your valuable insights will contribute to advancing understanding of Virtual Exchange (VE) experiences and engagement in Australian secondary schools and could contribute to shaping VE programs for current and future students.

By completing the survey, you have the opportunity to enter the draw for one of three $100 gift cards. Please also note that in order to enter the prize draw, you will need to provide your contact details (name and email address). Suppose you are randomly selected as one of the recipients of one of the electronic gift cards, and you accept to receive the gift card. In that case, your contact information (name and email address) will be retained in a CQU account held by Prezzee, with access restricted to authorised CQU administrative staff, who may not be research team members.