Faculty of Education - Theses
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ItemSelfoverestimation and scholastic success( 1977)Three weeks before the end of year final assessments at school, 133 boys from forms one, three and five at a Victorian secondary school produced a self rating (SR) in six areas, general academic ability, industriousness in maths and in English, friendliness, and predicted final mark in maths and in English. Each student also rated all other members of his class in these six areas. The composite of these scores produced a group rating (GR) of each student in each of the six areas. The SR was then compared with the GR. If the SR>GR the student was defined as overestimating himself. The other two possible outcomes of this comparison were SR=GR (realistic) or SR
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ItemImmigration, the media and student understandings( 1986)This study investigates the issue of Asian immigration as it was treated by two newspapers in a three month period in 1984 and also examines the attitudes of three groups of adolescents to the messages conveyed by the media representations. This study is divided into three main parts. In the first chapter there is a selective review of the material in the area of racism and the media, in particular those studies carried out from an ideological consensus point of view. In addition, there is a review of relevant studies carried out in the youth culture/politics area. The second part of the study provides a detailed examination of the strategies employed by two newspapers The Herald and The Sun News- Pictorial for the construction of the 'Immigration Debate' in the period March to June 1984. The third and final part of the study examines the extent to which the students accepted or rejected the ideological framework established by the two newspapers in their treatment of the immigration issue. As a result of this three-stage analysis, it is argued that the strategies employed by the two newspapers in helping to construct the debate on immigration ensured that the ideological framework for this debate was essentially racist. It is also argued that at the level of discourse many of the students involved in the study were shown to be not directly aware of the 'Blainey Debate'. However, it is also apparent that when they examined the media representations they displayed little ability to reject the ideological boundaries established for debate. The media representations legitimised and transmitted what could be called the 'new racism'. This study found that the students were not able to critically question this new racism.
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ItemModernization and youth culture in contemporary China : a translation, with introduction, of articles from the Chinese press, 1986-1987( 1988)The thesis provides, with an introduction and notes, translations of five articles from the Chinese educational press and one from a Chinese Ph.D student newly arrived in U.S.A. which throw light on the uncertainty being expressed in China about the values and behaviour of students and young intellectuals at a time of rapid policy change towards modernization and a more open attitude to the West. The texts here translated have been previously unavailable in English.
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ItemStudents' attitudes concerning mathematics: a study of the opinions and views concerning mathematics and mathematics teaching held by students in the upper primary and lower secondary schools of New South Wales and Victoria( 1966)From an examination of the relevant courses of study in mathematics and the associated published writings hypotheses were proposed to examine the influence of an emphasis on an inquiry and discovery approach to the teaching of mathematics on the attitudes concerning mathematics of students in the upper primary and lower secondary schools of New South Wales and Victoria (each N = 1000). Emphasis on the use of inquiry methods at the lower secondary school level was found to be associated with students' views that mathematics teaching involved more inquiry and discovery, with students' opinions that mathematics was an open and creative process and with the students' greater interest in mathematics. At the upper primary school level a strong influence of curricular factors was not detected, however, the evidence suggested that the classroom teacher played an important part in the development of attitudes concerning mathematics. The data collected was examined for the influence of several non-curricular factors including the sex of the pupil, and the occupation and the place of residence of the students' father. The sex of the student and differences in the scientific nature and the socio-economic status of the father's occupation were found to be linked with some differences in the opinions expressed by the students concerning mathematics.
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ItemThe developing ideologies of bright working class children( 1978)This study investigates the influence of social class membership upon children's involvement within the education system. Here, the attitudes of upper primary school children from working class backgrounds, were surveyed. Set within a 'generative' approach to social class, and within a sociology of knowledge framework, this study is a preliminary investigation into a little researched area. While attention elsewhere is usually focused upon between-class differences, in explaining the reproduction of ideology, social structures, and social relationships, the emphasis of this study is upon the development of within-class differences towards these same processes. The attitudes and aspirations of forty seven, teacher nominated, 'gifted' children, towards themselves and their peers, were investigated. The results obtained are discussed in terms of the following dimensions; reported best and worst jobs, explanations of school and occupational success, extent of reported similarities with, and differences from peers, and, the relationship of general ability test performances to such response patterns. The results indicate some development of intra-group ideological differences, among this unrepresentative sample of working class children. This thesis argues that these differences are in part, a response to nascent dilemmas, which emerge from the life experience of such children, and which, demand resolution. A characteristic form of this resolution is in the development of an ideology which facilitates the self-elimination of such scholastically capable individuals, from the education system. The thesis suggests that another form of this resolution, involves some children maintaining a pursuit of scholastic excellence, while concomitantly, perceiving, acknowledging, and accentuating differences, between themselves and their social class peers. Within this context, an important related issue is discussed; namely, how the school system reproduces social classes in Australian society.
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ItemA study of the effect of a student's home background and personal feelings on achievement in year 7 mathematics( 1982)Year 7 is a time of considerable change for most students, and in particular for those entering a new- secondary school. It has been suggested that factors external to the school situation can have the most effect in times of greatest change. This study involved all the students who undertook year 7 in two Technical Schools in 1980. At the beginning of the school year the students were given a commercial mathematics test, and a questionnaire on their attitude to mathematics and their self-concept. Identical tests were given 12 months later, together with a questionnaire on their home background and on their feelings towards their future schooling and career expectations. Correlation analysis was used to identify simple relationships existing between the variables. This then formed a basis for mathematical models of the relationships to be drawn up and tested using causal path analysis. The findings showed overall that the socio-economic status of the home, the sex of the student, the student's self concept, and the student's expectations for future education and career, all had some effect on the student's mathematics achievement and/or change in mathematics achievement during the 12 months either directly or indirectly. These variables also affected a student's attitude to. mathematics, however the attitude variable had no effect on the two main variables. The main finding of the study was that the students who had the greater gain in mathematics achievement during the study were those who had lower score. in mathematics at primary school level, who had lower self concepts and came from the lower socio-economic status homes. This finding lends good support to those who would suggest that the Victorian Technical Schools give a great deal of encouragement and a good educational environment for this type of student.