Editorial.

Volume 48, Number 1 opens with two large-scale original quantitative studies on matters that are of interest to many in Australian education: the effects of selective schooling; and the relationship between gender and participation/achievement in mathematics and science. I would like to emphasise that we prefer to publish more large-scale quantitative studies in the AJE, but are handicapped by a relative dearth of publishable submissions. Most of the manuscripts that we receive in relation to quantitative studies (indeed most of the manuscripts in all areas) concern relatively small-scale studies, often conducted in one school or university department. These are normally of limited interest to the readership and are not published. Small-scale studies may still be valuable if they open up genuinely new empirical or methodological ground, or are of outstanding quality in other ways; but generally the AJE prefers to publish material that deals with the bigger picture. Above all, we are interested in papers that are national or cross-national in scope, not least because the AJE is a global window on the field of Australian research and Australian education. The AJE 'Editorial Policy and Contributions' (inside the back cover) provides a useful guide to the approach we take to material, and is worth consulting before making a submission to the AJE.

Herb Marsh's paper investigates what he calls the big-fish-little-pond effect (BFLPE): the effects of placement in an academically selective school on academic self-concept. Using the Australian PISA data and comparing the Australian states and territories, he finds that 'the effects of school average achievement were significantly negative and the sizes of these negative effects do not vary significantly across the eight states and territories'. This appears to provide strong support for the generalisability of the BFLPE in the Australian setting. Marsh's findings are very important because they raise fundamental questions about the orthodox grouping strategies used at each end of the achievement continuum. Whereas bright students are often being educated selectively and separately, Marsh suggests that, on average, academic self-concept rises when the students are returned to mixed ability classrooms. In the case of academically disadvantaged students, the orthodox strategy is to mainstream them: Marsh suggests that, in that circumstance, their academic self-concept falls. These students are better off in separate classes. The AJE welcomes further articles in relation to these crucial issues.

Peter Cox, Gilah Leder and Helen Forgasz examine gender differences in participation and achievement in mathematics and science, in relation to the Victorian Certificate of Education. Although they note with care the difficulty of making like-by-like comparisons, they find that males out-participated females in all subjects except Biology and Psychology; and females out-performed males in all subjects except Chemistry and Mathematical Methods. In general, the data do not support arguments about the 'under-achievement of boys'. Males do better in examination-style assessment: the authors argue for the retention of a range of assessment methods.

Christine Asmar, Elizabeth Proude and Lici Inge shift our attention to the sociological world and to an under-researched and important topic, especially after September 11: how Muslim students experience university in Australia. It is pleasing to read that Muslim students have a strong academic relationship with their universities, but they face specific problems in other areas: the challenges of living and working in a cultural context where alcohol is widely used and men and women mix freely; instances of discrimination (mostly off campus); and stereotyping and spotlighting on campus. Facilities and services for prayer are an issue which is often deeply felt, and where university practices vary and are not always flexible enough. 'A sense of religious dissonance can affect Muslims' sense of belonging and limit their opportunities to act.' Women in the hijab appear to be less positive about their course experiences, though further investigation of the hijab effect is needed.

Hsiao-Ching She reports on reforms to the science education program in Taiwan that aim to instil the principles of constructivism and to apply these through action research. Generally the findings are positive and indicate the success of these methods in achieving their stated goals. The prospective teachers increased their capacity to work autonomously and make strategic judgements about teaching methods, during the course of the action research work. In an elegant essay, Scott Webster reflects on the role of existential crises during teacher training--challenges to the student's fundamental beliefs--as a method of opening up the question of the purposes of education and students' commitment to those purposes. Kay Martinez provides an overview of the trend to mentoring in teacher development, and finds both positive and negative signs. At best, mentoring is associated with 'flatter' professional relationships, the creative use of ICTs, especially to service teachers in remote locations, and the improvement in the recognition of and rewarding of mentoring in New South Wales and several American states. Faith in the 'magic' of mentoring needs to be de-authorised, however.

Simon Marginson

Monash University