Faculty of Education - Theses

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Author: Dulfer, Nicky × End date: 2015 × Start date: 2013 × Type: PhD thesis × Subject: pedagogy ×

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    Different kids, different pedagogies: an examination of pedagogy in context
    Dulfer, Nicky ( 2015)
    Educational research internationally has long focussed on the achievement gap between low and high socio-economic status (SES) students. The relationships between pedagogy, quality of teaching, SES and student outcomes have informed much of this research, with numerous studies suggesting that pedagogical approaches may vary according to the students’ background (Anyon, 1980; Haberman, 1991; Levin, 2007). This thesis presents the findings of a study focussing on the pedagogical approaches of teachers in two very different settings, one a school serving a predominantly middle class clientele in a wealthy northern Melbourne suburb and the other serving a predominantly low SES student body in the outer suburbs of Melbourne. The thesis sought to understand whether the pedagogical choices teachers make are influenced by the individual students they teach and the school contexts in which they work. This study also sought to understand factors that influence teachers’ decisions regarding which pedagogy to use in each class. Two secondary schools took part in this study. In each school four teachers were sought who taught two different classes in the middle years in the subjects of mathematics or English. These teachers were surveyed, observed and interviewed about their pedagogical practices. All students from the observed classes were also surveyed. A key area of contrast in the study was school contexts; one a high SES government school, and one a low SES government school. Throughout this process both quantitative and qualitative data were collected and analysed to answer the following key questions of: 1. Do individual teachers use different teaching strategies in different classes? 2. Are there within-school differences in the teaching strategies of teachers? 3. Are there between-school differences in the teaching strategies of teachers? This thesis presents evidence suggesting that teachers’ perceptions of their students’ SES in these settings impacted on their expectations of the students in the different settings, on their pedagogical approaches, and on their views of student self-regulation. This research has implications for policy makers and institutions involved in the training of teachers.