Faculty of Education - Theses
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ItemA study of student perceptions of difficult genetics concepts( 1990)The teaching and learning of genetics has interested many researchers in recent years. Some authors have used genetics as a topic which exemplifies broader curriculum issues, while others have studied problems which are inherent to the topic. However, all have acknowledged that genetics is a significant subject because of its scientific importance and social relevance. This thesis reviews some broad issues of science teaching in order to place genetics within a science framework. Problems specifically pertinent to a genetics curriculum are then focussed upon. Three major areas of research in science learning are discussed. These are meaningful learning, concept mapping and problem solving. Meaningful learning is not just "getting the right answer", but occurs when new concepts are linked to existing ones. Many researchers therefore stress the usefulness of concept mapping as a tool to encourage meaningful learning. Problem solving is a special case of meaningful learning and is also recognised as a skill applicable to novel situations. Research into genetics teaching can be divided into three categories. These are difficult concepts, sources of misconceptions and problem solving strategies. There is general agreement about the concepts which are most difficult for students to understand. All authors emphasise the importance of associating meiosis with classical genetics. Valuable work has provided lists of difficult terminology and concept maps of suggested teaching sequences. It is clear that some textbooks are confusing and reinforce misconceptions that students hold. Studies of problem solving strategies confirm that an expert/novice dichotomy is artificial, rather that a successful/unsuccessful continuum exists. Recent literature indicates that teachers benefit from knowing which genetics concepts students perceive as difficult. Students in both Australia and Britain were surveyed and thirty statements were then placed in rank order of difficulty. These results supported previous research and confirmed the need to view a topic from the learner's point of view rather than just the teacher's standpoint.
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ItemAn analysis of the structures and contexts underlying adolescent speech in the secondary school : the implications for developing a language policy in the secondary school( 1991)The purpose of the study was to investigate the extent of speech variation across different school contexts and explore the implications for policies on spoken language in secondary schools. In order to measure changes of speech resulting from different contexts, it was necessary to identify a form of analysis sensitive to speech variation. A number of approaches were examined including syntactic and functional analysis. The units of speech used by various studies included the speech act, the exchange and the episode. A review of the literature regarding the contextual variation of speech and the concept of 'communicative competence' was carried out as well as an examination of a number of studies of language in schools. Attention was also given to policy statements on spoken language in secondary schools. A functional analysis at the level of the speech act was identified and modified to match the study. Analysis of interrogative and assertive exchanges was also carried out, the latter being identified in the course of the study. Samples of student speech over a variety of contexts were collected and analysed. The study identified links between school context and pupil speech. A profile of school context, functional outcomes, and the speech forms used, was then compiled. The formal classroom was found capable of inducing abstract levels of speech involving evaluative and speculative activity. Other forms of speech such as verbal planning, reflection, the interaction of ideas and the negotiation of meaning, require careful planning if they are to become part of the linguistic experiences of pupils in secondary schools. A number of implications for a policy on spoken language in secondary schools have been raised and directions for further research put forward.
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ItemGerman in Victorian secondary schools : differences in provision( 1990)The following thesis focuses on the provision of German language teaching in the secondary school curriculum. As a supportive comparison considerable attention has also been paid to French language teaching. Both of these subjects have undergone great changes, and a general decline in popularity and importance, during the post war period. It would also appear that both German and French, often recognized as traditional modern language subjects, have been neglected in general pronouncements about L.O.T.E. in favour of Asian and community languages. The study reveals that very little consolidated information exists on the availability of language teaching in Victoria. The thesis, therefore, attempts to pool available published and unpublished data on availability, popularity and geographical location of German as a subject in the Victorian secondary school curriculum.
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ItemLiterature and English teaching : a study of literature in the teaching of English at Scotch College, Melbourne( 1991)The first chapter of this thesis provides a personal memoir of my teaching career, and places it in the wider historical context of developments within English teaching in England and Australia. It establishes my own position at the key points of these developments in 1966, 1975, 1980 and 1985 and introduces the main area of interest - the place of literature in the teaching of English. The second chapter concerns the vast amount of writing on the nature and teaching of literature in English. It provides an historical review of the main body of this writing and derives some of its focus from the seminal work of John Dixon in 1966, as well as the Bullock Report of 1975. The vigorous yet sometimes slightly artificial debate on the issue of literature teaching is also examined in the review of the important journal, The Use of English. Chapter Three develops the ideas propounded in some of the writings examined in the previous chapter and provides an analysis of my own experience at Melbourne Grammar School. Chapter Four shows the similarities and differences existing between Scotch College and Melbourne Grammar School and details a more critical view of the state of English teaching from 1980 - 1990 at Scotch College. It reviews some of the specific examples of literature teaching and shows the slow progress which has been experienced over a decade within the College. The final chapter brings together the case of Scotch College and reviews possible future progress in the light of perceived difficulties inherent in the structure of the College. The general outlook for English at the College is seen in positive terms and suggestions are provided for further research into both the reading habits of students and the processes involved in the teaching of literature within the current restraints.
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ItemStudents' early understanding in calculus( 1991)Students' Early Understanding of Calculus The study undertaken here looked at difficulties associated with the first principles approach to the derivative of a function and concentrated in particular on the first five lessons in calculus as experienced by a typical group of nineteen year 10 students who were preparing to take calculus at year 11. A traditional teaching approach was contrasted with an alternative computer teaching approach and both approaches were analysed for success in terms of conceptual understanding, skill acquisition and student perceptions of whether the work was easy to understand. As calculus has served as a critical filter for further study in mathematics, teaching methodology and student attitudes to the topic were a focus of the study. It was found that the students in the study had a limited concept image for gradient ('measure rise/run') and that a greater development of the global ideas associated with the gradient of a straight line needed to be a focus of learning before the idea of gradient of a curve should be introduced in beginning calculus. It was found that the use of a tangent to a curve at a point to measure gradient of the curve was not a spontaneous intuition and it is recommended that more time be given to this notion in the first principles approach to differentiation. The traditional first principles approach was found to be too cognitively demanding for the students who demonstrated a 'rush to the rule' for meaning. Students undergoing the computer treatment also demonstrated this 'rush to rule' and therefore very gradual development is recommended for students in their first encounters with calculus.
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ItemA comparison of concept maps and cloze tests as revision techniques in senior high school chemistry: their effectiveness and influences on cognitive structures and deep-processing( 1990)A comparison of the effect of two revision techniques on the academic performance of students in senior high school chemistry was conducted. The underlying psychological theory had suggested that the technique which promoted the greatest amount of deep-level processing should be the one which created the most significant academic gains for the students who carried it out. It was also attempted to distinguish between the two revision techniques on the basis of the results they produced in both descriptive and quantitative material. Finally any sex differences in performance were also investigated for the two revision techniques. Statistical analysis found that significant differences existed between the two techniques as to the effects produced for quantitative material, the net gains made by students engaged in concept mapping and the relationship between academic performance and the student's ability on the revision exercises. This last result calls into question some of the underlying premises about the students' ability to construct concept maps.
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ItemPreparing a bank of mathematical problems for Year 11 students( 1990)The production of a problem bank for Year 11 mathematics students forms the content of this thesis. From an original collection of approximately 100 problems, 30 were chosen representing the areas of algebra, geometry and arithmetic. The RASCH method was used for calibrating the problems using partial credit scoring. There were 452 students in 37 Year 11 classes from 8 Victorian secondary schools that participated. Details of the selection, administration and use of the problems are discussed. Some of the difficulties such as finding problems at the appropriate level of difficulty, establishing a suitable classification for them, defining a marking scheme for their solution and the interpretation of the analysis of the scores are also given. The problem bank in its final form contains 23 problems, and could be used by Year 11 mathematics teachers for assessing students' progress in mathematical problem solving. For ease of use the problems are categorised by area of study and level of difficulty. The methodology involved in developing the problem bank, the processes of selecting and categorising problems and the analysis of student attempts to solve them would also be helpful for these teachers as they incorporate problem solving into their V.C.E. courses.