Faculty of Education - Theses
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ItemEducation and the imagination: the theory and practice of children's imaginative reading in the middle post-primary years( 1988)This study examines the teaching of imaginative literature in Australian post-primary schools. Commencing in a review of the historical background and contemporary justifications for novel study in the classroom, it then seeks to describe the orthodox prescriptions for practical work. Those principles which attract widespread agreement are noted, as well as those which are either ambiguous or in dispute. With this review of the theory as a foundation, the actual practice of reading in schools is then investigated. The field research consists of a random sample of two hundred and twenty-two Year 9 students and twelve teachers from six Ballarat schools, tested by questionnaire and selective follow up interviews. The results of both are used to provide a picture of the extent to which the theoretical principles correlate to the day to day reality of classroom work. The conclusion acknowledges the largely positive impressions emerging from this limited sample, but notes the dearth of research in this area, and the pressing need for further study on a large scale.
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ItemParental choice: non-government secondary schools in the Ballarat region( 1981)This study grew out of suggestions that there was a drift in students at the secondary level from government schools to the independent schools at Ballarat. Later, evidence presented by the Regional Education Office at Ballarat showed that there was indeed an observable shift in enrolments. The study was primarily concerned to see if those parents who enrolled their children at the secondary level for the first time at an independent school in 1980 had in fact considered sending their children to a state secondary school. It was thought necessary to broaden the scope of the study to understand the reasons why parents opted to send their children to the 'independent schools. First, a study of the parents' attitudes towards education at the secondary level is undertaken. Second, the personal and family background of the parents from the various schools is revealed so that differences between the parent bodies can be ascertained, Finally, the study attempted to reveal reasons why the parents chose to send their children to independent schools, and whether those reasons are in harmony with the aims of the schools as set out in their various prospectuses. The picture based on empirical evidence of the independent schools of Ballarat as perceived by the schools themselves, and by the parents who chose to send their children to these schools, is then used as background to search for qualitative evidence for the drift which has occurred.
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ItemEducators as parents: a study of the choice of post-primary school made by Ballarat educators for their own children( 1989)This study grew from reports in the literature that teachers in Government schools were enrolling their own children into non-Government post-primary schools. These reports seemed to be anecdotal, drawing from the experiences of observers, rather than any empirical base of information. Although there was a source of material which examined the reasons lay parents offered for their choice of post-primary school for their own children, a literature search failed to find similar work which looked at the choices teachers made at post-primary levels of schooling. This study was designed to collect data which could be used to identify where educators, defined as both school based post-primary teachers and others associated with post-primary schools, enrolled their children, the level of consideration they gave other post-primary schools and the reasons they offered for their final choice of school. To obtain the information, a triangulation approach was adopted which utilised three approaches 1. A questionnaire, designed to obtain quantitative data relating to respondents’ own educational background and their children's enrolment locations. 2. A series of Likert scale questions were also included in the questionnaire to seek the respondents' level of consideration of other post-primary schools in Ballarat. Provision was made for open-ended responses to these questions. 3. A limited number of interviews were carried out with educators, using a schedule of interview. The study was carried out in the Victorian provincial city of Ballarat in November 1988 and obtained information from eighty three educators engaged in post-primary schooling. The results showed that respondents preferred an academic post-primary school for their own children both when they were considering schools and when they actually enrolled their children. There was also evidence that educators employed in the Ministry of Education were enrolling their children into non-government post-primary schools. Issues which were raised by educators included placement policy, perceptions of post-primary schools and their own children’s contribution to the choice of a post-primary school.