NATIONWIDE Laboratory Technician Survey

[Zelda]

Hi All
Just thought I would share some info with you all that was discussed at our last lab officers hub group meeting on Wednesday.
An article in the ASTA journal “Teaching Science” (June) talks about a survey being sent to every school with a secondary component & more than 70 students. The purpose of it is to determine the level of technical support for practical work in science. It is hoped that the findings will identify ways in which the support for practical work in schools can be improved. Make sure that you look out for it– complete & return it so that we can finally get some documentation of substance to support our case to stop the erosion of lab officers hours in Science.

[Lis]

Hi Zelda,
Will this survey be in all states or just SA? But you are right it will be very interesting to see the outcomes of it,
Cheers Lisa

[souj]

This survey is to be distributed to every secondary school with more than seventy students NATIONWIDE!!!! It may be sent to your principal or Head of Department so let them know you know it is coming and make sure you get a say!

[Teresa]

Good spotting Zelda!!
Thank you Jodie for answering Lisa's query as well as for your enthusiasm!

Yes there will be a National Laboratory Technician survey conducted soon. The Survey is a joint project of the Science Education Technicians of Australia, the Australian Science Teachers Association (ASTA), Edith Cowan University (ECU) and federally funded by DEEWR.

This notice was placed in ASTA’s journal in June 2008 with an email address in case you do not receive your questionnaire:

The role of school science laboratory technicians in Australian schools

In the next few months your science department will receive a questionnaire from Professor Mark Hackling and Dr Vaille Dawson from Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Perth, Western Australia. The questionnaire is to be mailed to every Australian school with secondary school aged students and more than 70 students.
The purpose of the questionnaire is to determine nationally the level of technical support for practical work in science. There are questions about the roles and responsibilities of science laboratory technicians and their access to training and support. There is a section for science departments with no technical support.
The research is funded by the Commonwealth Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) and is a partnership between DEEWR, ECU, the Australian Science Teachers’ Association and Science Education technicians Australia.
It is hoped that the findings will identify ways in which support for practical work in schools can be improved.
Please answer and return the questionnaire in the reply paid envelope so that your school can be included in this exciting study. If you do not receive a questionnaire by the end of Term 3, please email Katherine Carson on k.carson@ecu.edu.au for a copy.1

More information about this will be given at CONASTA 57 which will be held at Griffith University on the Gold Coast 6-9th July 2008 and subsequently posted on Chemtalk.

Regards
Teresa

1. Reproduced with kind permission from the Australian Science Teachers Association
From ‘teaching science’ The Journal of the Australian Science Teachers Association Volume 54/Number 2/June 2008/Page46

[Ocean Breeze]

will I, as a non DET, Independent school get one?
Is it the principal that fills in the survey, the science dept or does it have to be the lab tech themselves?

[lizzieb]

Who are the Science Education Technicians of Australia - can anyone tell me more about this group please?

Maybe it would be worth joining!

[Zelda]

Hi All
The survey will be sent to all schools - state, independent & catholic. It is to be completed by both the Teacher in Charge of Science and the Laboratory Technician. I have seen the draft of the survey and it looks good - very thorough. Not sure who the Science Education Technicians of Australia are.
cheers
Zelda

[Teresa]

Hi Everyone,
I was just about to send this reply when I saw Zelda's post.
It is fantastic to have this website to be able to communicate! As stated in the notice: The survey will be sent to every secondary school in Australia that has more than 70 students. It will be sent to the science department via the principal. The teacher in Charge of Science and the Technician will fill out the survey. There is also a section for schools without a Technician. As Zelda has mentioned, the final draft has recently been trialled in various states through ASTA to ensure that the wording works across different education systems. However It is not ready to go out yet as it needs to pass various ethics committees in all states and territories. More details will be given at CONASTA and subsequently on Chemtalk. I will let you all know when it is ready to go out!
Kind Regards
Teresa

[Adam]

I think this subject/discussion of will be of interest to most lab techs so I have made it a global announcement.

[Ocker]

Do we get to fill in survey without principal or head of science seeing our report, or vetting our feedback! do you know?
We are in the process of going for new award, and they believe we have no skills and can be replaced by a volunteer mother at any time.

[Labbie]

If the Survey has an address on it, the return envelope address. You could always just sent your own comments in, with out the Head Teacher or Principal seeing it. In fact I think I may do that myself. You are correct, in the fact they may not even send it or change it. How awful but it can easly happen.

[Teresa]

Hi All,
As previously mentioned the survey will be sent via the principal to the Teacher in Charge of Science and the Technician. As soon as the survey is sent out I will let you all know. It will happen progressively as ethics approvals are granted. This is a necessary process for all surveys that go out to schools.

We are wanting the science departments to know that this is coming out soon so that they can look out for it because the better the response rate the more statistically viable and reliable the survey is.

The teacher in charge of science and the technician will complete it together. However there will be an email address contained in the survey for additional comments.

I hope I have answered your questions. Just to let you know that I am not ignoring the questions about SETA but am working on a reply about who the Science Education Technicians of Australia are.

Regards
Teresa

[Mother]

I can't wait for this survey to come out!!!!

I have always been of the opinion that lab.techs need to be more highly trained than any other SASS staff in public schools and in other schools for that matter.We should also be separate from the others and have our own identity!! I have mentioned this to the PSA union over the years but they seem to be reluctant to take up the cause. The survey will be of much interest to all I'm sure.
Cheers
Mother

[dolphinscales]

yes have alerted my HOD and look forward to seeing it also Mother - will be interesting though what will be achieved by it all

[sunray18]

I emailed the contact just to make sure the Catholic schools would be involved - and YES they are... I am thinking about a Private reply also!

[Adam]

Since this topic is about the Survey, discussion of the Science Education Technicians of Australia SETA has been split into its own separate topic.

[Teresa]

Hi all Chemtalkers:

I have attended CONASTA on the Gold Coast along with approx 60 other technicians. Probably about 50 were from Queensland, 2 from NSW, 2 from Vic, 2 from SA and 4 from WA. There was only one opportunity to address all the technicians together. I only had about 5-10 minutes to talk to them about the survey. I talked about the survey and mentioned that an interstate technician contact list has been set up and that they could log on to Chemtalk to find the details.

I am attaching a document that was distributed at CONASTA, that gives information about the background to the survey as well as what we hope the outcomes will be. It will be addressing roles, responsibilities, training and support rather than addressing industrial issues. Hopefully this will be a step in the right direction for recognition of what we do.

The survey has not been sent out as yet, but when it is ready to go, I will let you all know.

Also in case any of you want to make plans for next year's CONASTA, it will be held in Tasmania next July!

Regards
Teresa

[chemical.12K]

Hi
Where can I get a copy of this survey as I have come from another NSW science lab assistant position to Karabar High.
Thank you
LIndy

[Teresa]

Hi Lindy,
The survey has not been sent out yet as we are still waiting for ethics approvals to come through. I will post to Chemtalk as soon as it goes out, which may be state by state as approvals come in.
At the moment we are just letting technicians and science teachers know that it will be coming out somtime this term so that they can look out for it.
Regards
Teresa

[lizzieb]

Thanks Teresa,

That all sounds good - look forward to hearing more in the future.