Faculty of Education - Theses
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ItemSOTF principals' roles and preparation(University of Melbourne, 1995)
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ItemThe teaching strategies employed by year seven level teachers in the teaching of information skills(University of Melbourne, 1995)The development of independent , lifelong learners has been an expressed goal of education, internationally and within Australia, over the last fifteen years. The introduction of the Victorian Certificate of Education, which has a strong focus on independent research by students, has had an impact on the structure of schooling within Victoria. This thesis sought to ascertain whether there has been a discernible emphasis on the development of information skills in the teaching style of teachers and whether the VCE has had an influence on this teaching. Teachers at a government, postprimary school were surveyed using two self administered questionnaires. Information on the current practice in the school, regarding the teaching of information skills at the year 7 level was collected. The survey also tried to establish whether a relationship existed between the teaching of information skills and teachers who teach at the VCE level. The findings indicate that there is a general recognition of the importance of information skills by VCE and non-VCE teachers. However this importance is not reflected in the explicit teaching practice of those teachers sampled. An understanding of the components of the research process and teaching approaches needed to foster information skills within that process does not appear to be strongly developed in either VCE or non-VCE teachers. in the evaluation criteria used to assess student work organisation, planning and higher order thinking skills are deemed necessary, though again this is not supported by the teaching approaches adopted by the teachers. Teacher librarians who have expertise in the area of information skills are rarely involved in the planning of assignments with teachers.
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ItemRole perceptions and professional development needs of primary school principals in schools of the future(University of Melbourne, 1995)This thesis was designed to explore and analyse how primary school principals perceived their role and their professional development needs within the current restructuring of public schooling in Victoria in Schools of the Future. The thesis also examined gender differences in role perceptions and professional development needs. The literature underpinning the study reviewed the theory and research related to restructure and reform in public schools; the Schools of the Future in Victoria; leadership and the evolving role of the principal; gender differences in leadership; and professional development needs of principals. The role perceptions and professional development needs were sought through a questionnaire using as its framework eight Key Result Areas (KRA's) categorising the principals' role as published by the Directorate of School Education (DSE, 1994). The KRA's were specified in terms of management and leadership tasks derived from the literature related to each area and these formed the items in the questionnaire. A total of 192 principals from Intakes 2 and 3 Schools of the Future were surveyed to ascertain their perceptions of the items used to define the KRA's as a description of their role, their professional development needs and any gender differences in perception. The qualitative responses included in the questionnaire were clustered into themes for analysis. The findings in the study showed that the principals found high agreement with the items defining the KRA's as a relevant description of their role definition across and within each KRA. The study also found that principals gave the highest priority of importance in their role to educational and cultural issues, and a lower priority in importance to administrative issues. Furthermore the emphasis in the professional development needs of principals was centred around educational and personnel issues. Gender differences in perception were dramatic. Female principals tended to have a much broader conceptualisation of their role than did their male colleagues. Another major finding was that males and females had different professional development needs which has implications for the development of relevant professional development programs for primary principals. Further insights into role perception and professional development needs of principals emerged in the qualitative data, especially the conflict between how principals and the school community perceived their role, and how they perceived that the DSE perceived their role. Recommendations for further research and implications for the professional development of principals are explored at the conclusion of the thesis.
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ItemDefining the characteristics of a good middle school teacher in an Australian setting( 1995)The purpose of this study is to. identify the characteristics of a middle school teacher that define that teacher as a good teacher in the eyes of their Australian colleagues. A model of the good middle school teacher was developed from the North American literature. This formed the basis for interviews with Australian teachers who have been identified as good middle school teachers by their school community. This has led to the establishment of a model based on the responses from the Australian teachers. The focus centred on the characteristics of the teacher but at times has included reference to curriculum and other structures within the school. The report's results reflect the Australian teacher's approval for child centred teaching but with a subject focus. The teachers feel a need for teachers to retain a passion for a subject area in order to inspire and enthuse their students, but doing this within a context of a curriculum focussed on young people and their needs. This study clearly suggests the strong link between teaching philosophy and curriculum and the need to cater towards the needs of both the staff and students in order to educate successfully.
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ItemPre-anthesis development in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) : evaluation of factors affecting apical development and spikelet number per spike on the main culm( 1995)The influence of a number of environmental factors and cultivar differences on the pre-anthesis period of development in barley were investigated in this thesis. Preanthesis development in barley was examined by dividing this period into three phases, namely the leaf initiation, spikelet initiation and spikelet growth phases. The lengths of the latter two phases showed substantial variation between cultivars, which indicates that it may be feasible to manipulate the durations of these phases, while maintaining a constant time to anthesis. In particular, there was a negative association between durations of the spikelet initiation and spikelet growth phases, making it possible to maintain a constant time to anthesis despite variation in the duration of these phases. The number of spikelet primordia formed in the developing spike of the main culm exhibited little variation between cultivars. The rate and duration of spikelet initiation were negatively correlated and both had no association with either maximum spikelet primordia number or final spikelet number. Variation in spikelet number per spike appeared to be maintained more because of a varying level of spikelet abortion rather than differences in the number of spikelet primordia formed in the developing spike of the main culm. A separate study examining the related species Hordeum spontaneum, confirmed variation for the durations of the three phases, combinations of which indicated the feasibility that such variation could provide genotypes wherein a constant time to anthesis could be maintained. Investigations of the effects of four environmental factors, photoperiod, temperature, irradiance and fertilizer addition, on pre-anthesis development in barley were also undertaken. Increased photoperiod was shown to reduce the durations of the three phases in photoperiod-sensitive barley cultivars. Differences between the three phases in their sensitivity to photoperiod were observed, with the spikelet initiation phase proportionately the most sensitive phase and the leaf initation phase the least sensitive. This difference in sensitivity between phases also differed in magnitude between cultivars. That is, in one study, the spring cultivar Galleon showed a greater sensitivity to photoperiod in the spikelet initiation than the leaf initiation phase in contrast to Bandulla, where the difference between photoperiod sensitivities of each phase was small. Both of these cultivars exhibited satisfaction of the photoperiod response at a similar photoperiod (ca. 14-15 h). That is, no further changes in durations of the leaf initiation and spikelet initiation phases occurred under longer photoperiods. Transfer of cultivars between different photoperiods indicated that the duration of a particular development phase was determined by both the influence of prior photoperiod as well as current photoperiod, indicating the presence of a 'memorized photoperiod effect'. This effect was present from the beginning of spikelet primordia production to anthesis. The 'memory effect' of photoperiod on development appears to be interactive with current photoperiod, rather than additive, because the effects of the direct influence of photoperiod and those of prior photoperiods were smaller when they were coincident compared with independently. The duration of the pre-anthesis period of photoperiod-sensitive cultivars grown at similar levels of irradiance, but different photoperiods was found to respond more to variation in photoperiod than irradiance. High irradiance levels reduced the duration of the pre-anthesis period slightly, and increased both final leaf and spikelet numbers. The rate of change of photoperiod has been found in other cereal crops to influence the time to anthesis. The present study indicated that the rate of change of photoperiod had no effect on the durations of the leaf and spikelet initation phases independent of that of mean photoperiod. There were also no effects on leaf or spikelet number per spike, or the rate of leaf appearance, in contrast to earlier reports. Increasing the mean daily temperature within the range of 11-27C was found to reduce the duration of the spikelet growth phase (expressed in calendar time) in barley, although this was dependent on photoperiod. However, in terms of thermal time, increased temperature lengthened the amount of thermal time taken to complete the spikelet growth phase, which is in agreement with several wheat studies (Pirasteh & Walsh, 1980; Rawson, 1993). The relationship between temperature and rate of development did not appear to be linear at supra-optimal temperatures (above X19C, Ellis et al., 1988) although this was not conclusively tested. Further research is required to fully understand the relationship between the rate of development in barley and temperature. The proportion of spikelet abortion in the developing spike of the main culm was found to be increase with high temperatures and this was dependent upon cultivar, but longer durations of the spikelet growth phase were not associated with increased spikelet numbers. The application of fertilizer nitrogen and phosphorus had no significantly consistent effects on time from sowing to anthesis in barley, or the durations of the three individual developmental phases, suggesting that models of phenological development need not incorporate fertilizer parameters. Irradiance level was shown to influence the level of spikelet abortion of the main culm spike and occurred in barley 11-15 days before anthesis when the spike and culm were rapidly accumulating dry matter. Spikelets found to abort were later-developing and smaller in size than those which survived. The coincidence of abortion of spikelets with maximum accumulation of dry matter in the culm and spike indicates the possibility that the level of abortion in barley may be associated with culm-spike assimilate competition. Spikelet number and grain number per spike, and tiller number increased with increasing nitrogen application. It is proposed that breeding to achieve lower levels of abortion of spikelet primordia could possibly lead to an increased yield potential of the barley spike. The thesis contains a seven chapters; a review, five experimental chapters and a concluding chapter.
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ItemTelevision viewing and dramatic play behaviour of pre-schoolers( 1995)The main purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between television and dramatic play by exploring the impact of television viewing upon the play content and play behaviour of pre-school children. This research extends the findings of previous research which assumed that there was a direct causal link between television viewing and the themes, roles and content of children's dramatic play. The results of this research suggest that this view is far too simplistic. They suggest that the outcomes of dramatic play may be modified by a number of factors including: the situational context, the role of adults, and the role of other children. This thesis advances three major findings. Firstly, that others such as parents, peers and teachers have significant influence over pre-schoolers' dramatic play decisions such as in roles, themes and content. Secondly, that the physical environment within which play occurs must be taken into consideration as the situational context can influence and modify the nature of dramatic play. Thirdly, that the child is an active, reasoning participant in dramatic play as the child can choose from the resources available from television and 'replay' only a selection of what was viewed. It is suggested that each child must be considered as a 'selector' exerting control over his/her role in dramatic play.
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ItemThe impact of the zone based professional development program, "Skill review and professional development", on knowledge, understanding and practice within selected school communities( 1995)While engaged in documenting a retrospective account of a zone based professional development program, Skill Review and Professional Development, which aimed to support school communities in the implementation of skill review and professional development according to the Tripartite Agreement on School Development Planning, I reflected on a statement by Harwayne (1992): 'We take courses. We attend workshops. We read books, We get lots of information. But the really important information comes later on. It comes when we take that seed information back to our classrooms, when we experiment and innovate and invent, when we make it our own. The story really is 'to be continued' (p.337 ). This reflection led to the following questions which drove my investigation: # has the 'seed information' collected during the program been taken back to the school level?; # have school communities been able to 'experiment', 'innovate' and 'invent' in order to make skill review and professional development their own?; and, # in what areas has the zone based professional development program, Skill Review and Professional Development, impacted at the school level? The information gathered to discover the answers to these questions was qualitative in nature and comes from those involved directly with the delivery and implementation of the program. The information draws on what happened at the zone level and what is now happening at the school level. The gathered data took the form of words: written and anecdotal; record and document observations; and transcripts of discussions and interviews, as words captured the spirit of the happenings. The writings of Joyce and Showers (1987), Joyce and Weil (1992), Fullan and Stiegelbauer (1991), Hargreaves (1992), Fullan (1993), Johnson (1993), Guskey (1994) and others have helped make sense of the impact of this program at the school level.
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ItemMuseum exhibitions : the development and application of a cyclic evaluation model( 1995)This thesis makes a contribution to exhibition evaluation by providing a cyclic model designed to encourage museum professionals to adopt museum exhibition evaluation within an Australian context. The rationale for the thesis is that museums rarely, if ever, undertake systematic evaluations of exhibitions or attempt to understand the nature of the visitor experience. This, it is argued, is firstly because of the lack of appropriate methodological tools and models which can be applied to the museum setting and secondly because of the poor culture of evaluation currently existing within museums. The model incorporates both front-end, formative and summative evaluation within the various stages of the process of developing an exhibition. It proposes the formulation of hypothesis about visitor behaviour and exhibition design issues which can be tested out in future exhibitions, and encourages the sharing of findings within the museum profession. It suggests that Australia should develop, through evaluation studies, its own body of knowledge about visitor behaviour as the visitor experience within an Australian context may be quite different to that in other countries. The Cyclic Evaluation Model was developed by the writer of the thesis both through her role as a facilitator of exhibitions and her study of evaluation taking place in the museum environment in western countries. One stage of the model (Summative Study) has been used to evaluate a specific museum exhibition. Only time will tell if it will be adopted by the museum professsion, and only if and when it is adopted can any assessment be made as to its effectiveness in encouraging the profession in Australia to embrace evaluation techniques.
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ItemLegal risk management in education : the physical safety of students and the implications for school leaders and for professional development in Catholic schools( 1995)This thesis is concerned with education and the law. Specifically, it focuses on managing risk-taking in schools so as to prevent students from sustaining injuries. An extensive literature review has provided a picture of education law and highlighted issues of notoriety and concern. This thesis gathered data from two substantial sources: Catholic Church Insurances (Vic) and 215 Catholic Primary, Secondary and Special Schools in the Archdiocese of Melbourne. Statistics related to sustained student injuries over a five year time span gathered by C.C.I. have also been presented. Finally, 33 case reviews have been analysed. These are pre-court, investigatory and assessment cases and outline the process and issues involved in particular cases where students have sustained injury. From this data it became clear that there was an obvious lack of guidance provided for the risk management of legal issues in education. From the survey to Catholic Schools various perceptions of needs or concerns were recorded some of which ran contrary to data gathered from C.C.I. statistics and from the literature reviewed. It was clear that the issue of legal risk management in education lacks understanding, motivation and action. A number of recommendations (10) have been presented in the final chapter of the thesis. These recommendations will serve to fill this void in understanding by acting as a guide and support to school leaders and by offering ongoing professional development to all those in the education profession, both in Catholic and non- Catholic Schools.
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ItemLearning organisations and their educational impact in a corporate environment( 1995)This thesis is a study of learning organisations and their educational impact in a corporate environment. It provides an overview of the theory of organisational learning, and of learning organisations and describes several models of learning organisations. The important principles of holism and explicitness are established. Examples of learning organisation practices in overseas enterprises are compared with two case studies of Australian organisations which are aspiring learning organisations. These practices are then critically reviewed leading to the development of a new model for learning organisations, based upon 'empowered leadership', which explains holism and explicitness in detail. It concludes by addressing the issue of what learning organisations provide educationally, using the emerging prominence of 'life-long learning' as a focus.