Faculty of Education - Theses
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ItemInfluences in curriculum change, a case study : the introduction of P.S.S.C. physics in Victoria(University of Melbourne, 1988)
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ItemSurvivors : a theatre in education project(University of Melbourne, 1991)The function of this kit is to accompany the performance of the play "Survivors" with follow up material for classroom use. It is designed for senior secondary students, between the ages of fifteen and eighteen years. The purpose of this material is : 1) To provide historical information about the Holocaust which will give the students a factual context with which to consider the events of the play. 2) To provide exploratory dramatic experiences which will enhance their understanding of the issues raised in the play. The specific aim of the kit is to extend the experience of the play "Survivors" so that the students have the opportunity to consider the content of the play in more depth. The material and dramatic experiences included in the kit aim 1) to build empathy and identification by working from the students own feelings. 2) to encourage further research and documentation in the area of Holocaust studies. 3) to encourage the examination of prejudice in contemporary society in the context of the play. 4) to further develop the students understanding of dramatic process.
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ItemMore than the noise of shoes on asphalt : a history of the Advisory Council for Children with Impaired Hearing(University of Melbourne, 1990)This history of the ACCIH spans twenty years from 1969-1989 - from its inception by a small group of formidable women to a large organisation run by a council of more than twenty people; catering for the education of children, both hearing impaired and normally hearing, teachers of the deaf and audiologists. Its main thrusts have been in the areas of early intervention, pre-school and post-graduate education and the provision of physical facilities in which to pursue these. It has had a significant impact on education of the hearing impaired and forms an important part of its growth and increased educational standing. The growth in strength of the ACCIH has been dependent on the hard work of many individuals - including parents and family of hearing impaired children, teachers and other professionals concerned with the deaf - who have held honorary council positions and in paid capacities. Its development was also aided by the fortunate meeting of the founding members of the Council; the Council's careful financial husbandry and its funding policies; as well as technological improvements and increased social respect for the needs and rights of individuals with impairments. The background to this history comes from several people who were, and continue to be, personally involved in education of the hearing impaired and in the foundation of the ACCIH. This study also relies on the more general information available about the past twenty years contained in some educational histories, writings of professionals involved in deaf education, unpublished theses and various general references which pertain to certain idiosyncratic features of the ACCIH.
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ItemComputer-assisted instruction for the mildly mentally retarded child : a case study(University of Melbourne, 1986)This study examines how a computer-based delivery system of instruction can be reconciled with the special needs attending the training and education of mildly mentally retarded children. The single-case approach is adopted and involves Sarah, who is a mildly mentally retarded seventeen year old girl. Computer programs dealing with "survival" skills such as money handling, telling time and basic reading were tested on Sarah using a microcomputer in her home under parental supervision. To assess the effectiveness of these programs, pre- and post-treatment baselines were established by means of a diagnostic test (KeyMath) and a devised test specifically intended to mirror the concepts treated by the programs. It was found that most of the programs' objectives were not realised, although the null hypothesis of an equality between the pre- and post-treatment test means was rejected. It is concluded that the methodology adopted should have made greater allowance for the single-case nature of the study and the child's individuality. The recommendation is for replication studies or a study embracing fewer parameters.
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ItemImplications of the relocation of basic nursing education from hospitals to colleges of advanced education : a pilot study(University of Melbourne, 1986)Nursing in Australia is a system in change. The role, function and place of practice for the nurse has expanded, and basic nursing education is being relocated from hospitals to Colleges of Advanced Education. A comparative analysis was made of the views that members of the general public and nursing profession hold regarding the image, role and function of contemporary nursing, together with the implications of the relocation of nursing education. Data was collected via a questionnaire. The main findings indicate that (1) the general public hold a traditional view of nursing; (2) nursing is viewed as a profession; (3) the meaning of nursing is influenced by the professionals' work or study environment; (4) an increased number of males are entering nursing via the college-based system; (5) 'practical competency' was the overriding reason for preference of nurse to give personal care; (6) although all groups except hospital students believe that nurses should be prepared in tertiary institutions, there was lack of evidence to justify this move due to lack of support for the arguments that nurses will be better educated, that the standard of delivery of nursing care will be higher, and that tertiary education will enhance the professional development of nursing.
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ItemThe impact of technology on the secretary and its implication for educators(University of Melbourne, 1988)The aim of this thesis is to examine the effects of the current technological revolution on women holding secretarial positions in the workforce, and the consequent implications for educators in the Secretarial Studies area. Major considerations during the discussion are the sexual segregation in the working environment and the tenuous positions that women have come to hold as a result of short sightedness, capitalist exploitation, and technological change. Other areas discussed are the health and safety hazards linked to the use of computer equipment, opportunities for up-grading for the more highly educated secretary, evidence of de-skilling for those possessing keyboarding skills only, and the necessity for management to overcome outdated attitudes towards the secretarial role. It is concluded that the secretary has generally been adversely affected by the new technology but only as a direct result of societal attitudes and values which relegate women to low status, gender specific employment. Education is viewed as the only realistic avenue open to alleviate the problem inherent in a society clinging to outmoded views during a time of rapid technological change.
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ItemChildren's comprehension of mathematical language(University of Melbourne, 1980)Various characteristics of 216 grade 5, 6 children and then teachers were compiled from schools in the Bendigo area. The children were then examined on 56 short mathematical problems which were found �in textbooks commonly used in primary schools in Victoria. Each of the problems used 10 or less words or numerals. The steps used in solving a problem were assumed in this study to include the ability to: (i) select the operation necessary to solve the problem; (ii) write an equation that satisfies the condition expressed in the problem; and (iii) correctly solve the problem. Canonical correlation techniques were used to determine the influences of the predictor set of. variables on the criterion set of steps used in solving the problem. The first significant canonical-variate was related to reading ability, word knowledge and mathematical vocabulary in the predictor set and with all the variables in the criterion set. Both variable sets could be interpreted as measuring intelligence. The second canonical variate was directly related to all aspects of division in the criterion set of variables and could be measuring a factor of Skill in Division. This skill is directly related to knowledge of mathematical vocabulary, sex of teacher and attitude to myself but inversely related to attitude to reading. The third canonical variate exhibited characteristics of a chance factor that may well have occurred from a small subgroup of the sample. Two division criterion variables were associated with the third canonical variate. Five predictor variables, Sex of student, Grade level, Sex of Teacher, Attitude to Reading and Attitude to My Teacher, were all directly associated with the third canonical variate. Rasch analysis techniques were applied to the problems for those subjects who did not attend disadvantaged schools as well as for those who did. A significant difference was shown to exist between these two subgroups on their performance on the mathematics test. The items in the mathematics test were then examined for bias against students attending disadvantaged schools. No item bias against disadvantaged children was found. This result supports the deficit theory in language development. By using the item difficulties as scores, a one-factor analysis of variance, with unequal frequencies was conducted to compare the four operations. Items with more than one keyword were excluded from this in order that comparisons between the operations could be made. No significant difference was found. All the problems were then categorized by operation and whether only one keyword or more than one keyword was used in the problem. A 4 x 2 analysis of variance, with unequal cell frequencies was used to test the significance of the type of operation, the number of keywords and their interaction. Significant differences were found between operations at the 5% level and at the 0.1% level for the number of keywords. There was no significant interaction indicating that the difficulty may well lie in the structure of the problem. If more than one keyword was used the problem was more difficult than if only one keyword was used. Such a result has implications in the classroom as well as for authors of textbooks.
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ItemLearning and language : some problems and some possible solutions(University of Melbourne, 1990)The Language Across The Curriculum movement of the seventies seems to have had little impact on current teaching practice. The first chapter of this pilot study,Centres on the theoretical basis and historical background of this movement. It also surveys learning and . obstacles to it. Teachers limit- learning by limiting the scope for students to explore ideas. The second chapter suggests teaching strategies to maximise the opportunity for students to discuss their work and hence. examine ideas in detail. They have an opportunity to theorise and experiment with their thoughts. The third chapter is based on four interviews with. a range of teachers. The subjects discussed were their teaching styles, the reasons for them and their opinions of group work. The teachers were chosen on the basis of their experience as teachers and their attitudes to group work. My conclusions are that teacher training should once agaln feature the methodology advocated by the LATC movement. There is also a need for further study of the relationship between personality and teaching styles with reference to this kind of strategy, and of teacher and student attitudes to group work.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableSt. John the Baptist : a parish school and church in suburban Melbourne, Clifton Hill, 1875-1988(University of Melbourne, 1990)In 1864 a site at Clifton Hill was reserved under the Land Act for the Catholic Church Authorities for church purposes. The projected church was delayed due to the small number of Catholics living In the area. In November 1875 non-Catholics embarked upon petitioning the government to place the land up for auction on the grounds that the Catholics, by not taking possession of their land, had forfeited their claim. On the initiative of a prominent local resident, the land was retained by the Catholic Church and the building of a church begun. The depression of the late 1880's slowed down the building until 1890 due to a shortage of money, materials and labour. In 1884 a Sunday school existed and on the 1st November 1885, St. John's, semi-built, became a separate parish from St. Brigid's and a parish Catholic school was founded the same year in suburban Clifton Hill, Melbourne, with an attendance of eighty students. For nine years the school was conducted by lay teachers and supported by the parish and student fees until 1894 when the Sister's of Charity arrived with their Irish convent traditions. They worked hard to maintain discipline, upgrade the schools academic profile and to please the visiting State and Catholic Inspectors. In 1950 commenced a course which later, with the aid of multiculturism, flourished into a Commercial Secondary College. Demographic, social and economic circumstances caused the school numbers to fluctuate and eventually take a plunge. The Secondary section closed in 1988 while the Primary section remained open.
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ItemUtopia, community and education : Robert Owen and the co-operative movement, Britain 1800-1845(University of Melbourne, 1986)Mankind seems to entertain a perennial dissatisfaction with the present. The ideal of a better, even perfected, future is also perennial and equally likely to occur in the individual consciousness as the collective one. In times of turmoil and hardship, the more visionary individuals have articulated schemes for a better future, and these have become known as 'utopias'. This thesis represents an exploration of one episode of utopian thought. Robert Owen's vision for a better world was formed against the background of the industrialization of Britain early in the nineteenth century. In the following analysis of Owen's thinking, three contentions are posited: 1. Owen and the followers of his doctrines saw an inextricable link between education and the community. 2. Owenism can profitably be interpreted within the context of the tradition of utopian thought. 3. The concept of community provides a wholeness and unity in Owen's thinking. The first chapter examines the nature of utopian thought, something which appears necessary to understand Owen's concept of the community. Subsequent chapters deal with Owen's design for the ideal community, the mode of education he felt should attend this, and the links between the two. The conclusion summarizes and draws together the above contentions, considers the possibilities for further research, and argues for the relevance of Owen as a possible theoretical precursor to current educational thinking which emphasizes the role of the community.