Faculty of Education - Theses
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ItemPaper dolls : an analysis of the culture of femininity as represented in the teenage magazine, Dolly( 1984)With the growth of the women's movement, there has been an increasing interest in the place of women in history. This has produced evidence that women have had a far greater part to play in history than has been previously recognized. This absence is now being rectified by works such as Dale Spender's Women of Ideas and What Men Have Done to Them, which gives short accounts of the philosophies and work of individual women. While they had considerable impact in their own time, most of these women have been unaccountably "lost" in male histories. The retrieval of their stories, and of the general history of day-to-day female existence, is an important area. It is not merely a matter of inserting female figures into existing histories, but of rewriting history to incorporate them. However, in the context of my study, I am more interested in the history of images of women, rather than a factual account of their lives. It is unfortunate but true that these images of "Woman" have an impact on our culture that supersedes the actions of the many women throughout history who have diverged from these images; therefore when studying women in relationship to society it is of more use it understanding the position assigned them rather than accounts of the achievements of individuals. I will touch on various writers who have studied attitudes to women at different times during the evolution of the Anglo-Saxon culture that Australia has inherited. DOLLY is a particularly blatant example of that control and interpretation. Inevitably, the contradictions inherent in the female culture, the conflict between ideology and the lived experience, are there as well. Capitalism is all-important, in the guise of consumerism, as advertising is the economic rationale of DOLLY. Similarly, DOLLY's relationship to that other massive ideological framework, the patriarchy, needs to be explored, as well as the impact the combination of the two has upon women. DOLLY is also about incorporation: it works to reconcile images and ideologies of the feminine that appear to be contradictory or disturbing. The increasing sexual freedom has to be dealt with; the role of the family and the cult of the individual, female solidarity and female competition have to be reconciled. All these and other factors have to be adjusted and smoothed over under a glossy surface. In its own way, DOLLY is a hegemonic masterpiece. Studying DOLLY does not merely involve locking at the magazine in isolation, but also reviewing the circumstances that give rise to this form of cultural artifact. The position of Woman in our culture, as embodying all the qualities not included in the "norm", is based on a male perspective of what the "norm" might be. This is taken to the point where even. women accept this image of themselves.
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ItemAn evaluation of computer science in the Victorian Higher Schools Certificate( 1984)This thesis evaluates certain aspects of the Victorian Higher Schools Certificate subject, Computer Science. Firstly, an overview is taken of the subject as it was intended to function in the first three years of its accreditation, 1981 - 83. In the light of this, the draft proposal for changes to the course in 1984 is reviewed. Secondly, a number of specific areas of the course are examined in more detail. A questionnaire to course designers and teachers is the basis of this investigation. The relationship between stated objectives of the course and items of course content is explored. An analysis is conducted on the extent to which the four option components are equitable in terms of time. The relative importance of the three components of assessment is explored, especially in the case of a 'barely passing' student. Actual raw mark components for the 1981 students have been used in connection with the latter investigation.
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ItemThe implications of adolescent food practices and attitudes for the nutrition educator( 1984)This study examines food practices and attitudes to food of adolescents. A stratified random sample of year nine students from Catholic, non-Catholic Independent and Government schools was constructed, with socio-economic status as one of the criteria of choice. The study makes a contribution to the understanding of the way in which year nine students relate to questions of food consumption and production. In addition, the study explores the extent to which nutrition educators should bear in mind the class, culture and gender of students. Constraints established by classroom practices and family organisation are shown to be significant, as are the small scale relations within adolescent. sub-culture. Because students are found to be unsure of the proportions of a balanced diet, recommendations are made to nutrition educators so that they might assist their students in the recognition of the long-term effects of poor nutrition. Formal education is not seen as the sole influence on food knowledge. The power of the media as a nutrition educator is recognised, images created by media being paralleled by some of the food behaviours apparent in the students.
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ItemThe triple-I model of continuing development in school communities( 1984)The Triple-I Model of Professional Development was first aired in the James Report (England, 1972) and developed by the Research Unit of the School of Education, Bristol University, under the direction of Dr. Ray Bolam. This Pilot Study- is an initiative of the Catholic Education Office of Victoria. The research project is an illuminative study of the Triple-I Model of Continuing Development Programmes of fourteen Catholic Parish Primary Schools, over a period of two years. It is assumed in this model of continuing development that schools are groups of people engaged in an educational enterprise. Positive outcomes have resulted in the development and sharing of personal resources within these school communities. Within this context, the teacher moves more surely through the INITIATION, INDUCTION and IN-SERVICE (Triple-I) phases of personal and professional development. This report concludes with recommendations and suggests further research, particularly in the area of resource processes for school principals.
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ItemBeyond the transition : the microelectronic school( 1984)Society is currently experiencing a microelectronic based revolution in communications and information technology; the most visible sign of this revolution is the increasing role played by: the computer in everyday life. The evidence suggests that the impact will be even greater in future decades. Because the school will not be insulated from these changes, this thes is examines a potential outcome of the revolution; namely, the phenomenon of the 'microelectronic school'. The possible format of such a school is described and some of the educational issues that would need to be considered with the advent of such a format are analysed. In establishing criteria of desirable practice particular reference is made to the views of a number of educational theorists, especially Thomas Huxley, John Dewey and Martin Buber.
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ItemThe influence of accelerating technological change on staff development within a specific department of a TAFE college( 1984)In this thesis the influences of rapidly accelerating technological change on staff development practices and requirements within TAFE college have been investigated. Although the investigation is directly related to one specific department, which is particularly influenced by rapidly changing technology, a broad-based review of literature covering the various aspects of technological change, TAFE and its changing role,and the generally accepted phases of staff development,was found to be necessary. From this review of literature specific implications have been drawn. To relate these implications, drawn basically from theoretical literature, to the practical requirements of a teaching department, a descriptive case study, involving the department and its teaching staff members was conducted, the relevant data collected and analysed. From the review of literature and the analysis of the departmental data a series of conclusions have been drawn and recommendations made. Finally, to complete the exercise, an integrated development programme for the department has been proposed.
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ItemSocial purity and the spatial distancing of classes through the urban school systems( 1984)That education through schools is a powerful force on the social fabric of modern urban societies is the underlying concern of this two part thesis. The first part of this thesis, a literature review and problem formulation exercise, takes three concepts pertaining to urban society from three 'fields of study' and attempts to put them into an 'education in schools' framework in order to test their validity. One of the three concepts is Richard Sennett's 'pure environment'. In an active sense this concept includes those . actions undertaken by sections of society to create or maintain 'purity' around them. The second concept is a geographic sociological idea of 'distancing'. Part of the process of the research section of this thesis is an attempt to use 'distancing' solely as a spatial concept. The third concept developed .here is the marxist view of the city as a productive-reproductive organ. Manuel Castells, a renowned urban sociologist of marxist methodology conceptualised the city as being constituted of the four elements; Production (Reproduction), Consumption, Exchange and Management. The most influential of these elements, according to Castells is the Production-Reproduction nexus. Succinctly put, these three concepts about the social functioning of the city produce the following abstraction of urban social activity. Urbanites, according to Richard Sennett, are in an adolescent phase of social development. This adolescent characteristic makes them fearful of things unknown and of change. In order to avoid the fearful, the unknown and any change, the urbanite attempts to create about him a completely known and comfortable environment, PURIFIED of all that is unknown or fearful. Once such a situation is obtained, as perfectly as possible, given all the real world restraints, the society, by virtue of the groups acting within it, will attempt to reproduce, in marxist terms 'Produce', what has been established as the status quo. This collective group action avoids the unknown and maintains the established pure environment where the status quo dominates. In all this the active component is the action of 'distancing'. Sociologically speaking, 'distancing' is the social separation of various 'pure' status groups within the urban society. In the geographical sense, 'distancing' is the spatial grouping and separateness of these status groups across the urban region. Manuel Castells and other writers in the field, including David Smith, argue that it is the distribution or consumption of items of 'collective consumption' which is a crucial factor in dividing society into several status groups. Publicly provided education is a principal item of collective consumption in the urban society. A research study, which will examine the extent to which social 'purity' together with social and geographic distancing interact with education, has thus suggested itself. The empirical research into this issue was based on the Central Metropolitan Region of the Victorian Education Department as it existed in 1981. This region included the central and near eastern suburbs of Melbourne. The target population. of the study were the school students, who in 1981, were attending secondary, school after exiting from a state primary school in 1980. Information was collected from these students as to their secondary school destinations. Those of particular interest to this study were those who chose not to attend their local state co-educational high school. Data was collected from these students concerning the total number of them coming from each of the sixteen high school catchments which constituted the Central Region. These numbers were later divided into those attending private schools and those attending other co-educational high schools in the region. Once their secondary' school destination was known a measurement of the distance they travelled to the secondary school of their choice was taken and averaged for each of the sixteen catchments. As mentioned, the Central Region consisted of sixteen co-educational high school catchments. A range of eight 1976 census statistics were used to derive a social 'purity' score for each of these catchments. The data thus obtained on levels of 'purity', numbers of students moving away from the local high school and the distance they travelled were each mapped and, in turn, subjected to statistical analysis to ascertain the strength of any causal relationship that may, or may not, have existed between the purity score and the other two variables. The statistical analysis suggested that several hypotheses concerning a relationship between' purity 'scores for these catchments and the distancing scores could not be supported. However, the mapped analysis of this data clearly revealed a pattern of 'purity' values as well as a distinct amount of movement out of certain catchments and into other catchments. The conclusion reached was that the current data was insufficient, or of the wrong type to fully support the hypothesis. However, there is enough evidence to suggest that the principal concepts are in operation and that, perhaps, a modified or expanded study would tend to reveal these processes more fully.
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ItemInterpersonal relations between principals and teachers: communication, tension, and attitudes in a women's religious teaching order( 1984)An atmosphere of mutual trust and openness of communication between principal and teacher is considered highly important for the effective functioning of a school. However, educationalists have expressed concern that the hierarchical administrative structures of schools may hinder such open communication, and hence affect principal-teacher relationships. This investigation is concerned with communication and interpersonal attitudes between principals and teachers. The 85 principals and teachers surveyed were members of a group of teaching Sisters (or "nuns"). The principal and teacher(s) of a particular school usually lived together. A study of relevant literature and research concerned relationships between aspects of communication (including conflict resolution), tension, and such interpersonal attitudes as trust, respect and liking. The effects of living and working together, and of status differences between principal and teacher, were considered. Appropriate models of inter-relationships between variables were discussed, a bi-directional Model A was proposed, and relevant hypotheses presented. Derived uni-directional models B and C indicated the possible effects of communication and tension on interpersonal attitudes. Data were obtained by means of a self-administered questionnaire. Correlational analysis of the data was used to examine specific hypotheses. Subsequent path analysis led to modification of Models B and C. The results were seen to have implications for principals and teachers in school, and also for persons living and working together. These implications were related to current educational trends, and directions for further research were indicated.
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ItemAn ethnographic analysis and survey of specific attitudes of physical education teachers( 1984)Stage One utilizes an ethnographic approach by researching four teachers of physical education who graduated from Melbourne University in 1960, 1965, 1970 and 1975. Case studies were written on the four subjects. The teachers differed in their attitudes towards students with the more experienced teachers who were married and had children displaying a more caring and concerned disposition towards their pupils. It was evident that throughout his career a physical education teacher will display varying degrees of enthusiasm for his work, with the experienced teachers in this study being more enthusiastic. In addition they did not rely on strong disciplinary methods and had gradually moved away from a basic survival and control tendency which was a characteristic of the less experienced teacher. Generally, the more experienced teacher had greater job satisfaction than his less experienced counterpart. Ideas, principles, and hypotheses were generated from the ethnographic work in stage one and were used to formulate the traditional research attempted in stage two of this study. Thirty-six teachers of physical education from Education Department Secondary Schools within Victoria responded to the survey (85 percent response vote) which sought information concerning teacher attitudes, teacher enthusiasm and teacher reactions to particular issues central to their function as teachers of physical education. Data from the questionnaires was computed by the use of the Statistical Package for Social Science (Nie et al 1975). Analysis of the questionnaires involved the following statistics; mean, standard deviation, percentage, t-test and Pearson r correlation coefficients. The results revealed that the experienced physical education teacher who is married and has children will display a different set of attitudes towards the children whom he teaches than the less experienced, unmarried teacher of physical education. The enthusiasm level of teachers of physical education for their work varied greatly throughout their career. However, all teachers of physical education appear to follow the same pattern of changes in levels of enthusiasm, with subjects showing increased enthusiasm in early and late years of teaching and a drop in the level off enthusiasm in mid-career. This drop in the level of enthusiasm in mid-career seems due mainly to an increased emphasis by the teacher to his personal and family commitments.
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ItemSome determinants of students' course selection in mathematics( 1984)In this study some determinants of students' course selection in mathematics. were investigated, with particular attention being given to those factors which may result in differential participation rates between boys and girls. The aim of the study was to assess the relative importance for student decisions of various psychological variables related to achievement attitudes. Such knowledge could then be used in the design of appropriate programs and techniques to increase the likelihood of students continuing to take maths. Questionnaires were administered to the 115 students in Year 9 and to the 107 students in Year 7 at a Melbourne inner-suburban .high school. Specific findings apply to those students in that particular school; without investigation of the effect of such variables as socioeconomic status, ethnic background., administrative structure, course-availability and class size they could not be extrapolated to other students in other schools. Students' estimates of their maths abilities and their expectations for maths performance, decreased with age, as did their perception of their parents' and teachers' beliefs about their ability and expectations for their success. Students' beliefs about the importance of success in maths and their declared interest in and liking'for the subject also decreased with age, while their estimates of the difficulty of maths increased with age. Year 9 boys had higher opinions of their maths ability and were more confident of success in future maths courses, than were Year 9 girls. These girls saw the subject as being more difficult and the cost of the effort required to do well to be higher than did their male classmates. At the Year 7 level, however, the only sex differences were in the stereotyping of the utility of maths for females and in the stereotyping of maths as a male domain. Plans to continue with maths were facilitated by high expectations, by firm beliefs in the value of maths and in one's own ability and by low estimates of the difficulty of maths. Sex differences favouring boys were found on these variables. On the basis of these findings, certain areas for intervention were identified. These areas included the encouragement of positive attitudes towards maths, the provision of career awareness programs, and the attempt to modify parents' and teachers' attitudes as to the maths, ability of girls and the importance of maths for them.