Science, ICT and mathematics education in rural and regional Australia : the SiMERR national survey: a research report prepared for the Department of Education, Science and Training

The SiMERR National Survey was one of the first priorities of the National Centre of Science,Information and Communication Technology and Mathematics Education for Rural andRegional Australia (SiMERR Australia), established at the University of New England in July2004 through a federal government grant. With university based 'hubs' in each state andterritory, SiMERR Australia aims to support rural and regional teachers, students andcommunities in improving educational outcomes in these subject areas. The purpose of thesurvey was to identify the key issues affecting these outcomes.The National Survey makes six substantial contributions to our understanding of issues in ruraleducation. First, it focuses specifically on school science, ICT and mathematics education,rather than on education more generally. Second, it compares the different circumstances andneeds of teachers across a nationally agreed geographical framework, and quantifies thesedifferences. Third, it compares the circumstances and needs of teachers in schools withdifferent proportions of Indigenous students. Fourth, it provides greater detail than previousstudies on the specific needs of schools and teachers in these subject areas. Fifth, the analysesof teacher 'needs' have been controlled for the socio-economic background of school locations,resulting in findings that are more tightly associated with geographic location than witheconomic circumstances. Finally, most previous reports on rural education in Australia werebased upon focus interviews, public submissions or secondary analyses of available data. Incontrast, the National Survey has generated a sizable body of original quantitative andqualitative data.