Faculty of Education - Theses
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ItemStudent expectations of the future( 1992)Specific aims of the study To investigate how present-day students view the future and their place in the workforce of the future. To establish whether or not students regard their present educational experiences as an adequate preparation for their future work. To investigate acceptance of unconventional futures scenarios as possible futures.
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ItemA description and explanation of the differences in teacher culture in state secondary schools in Victoria( 1993)The Victorian state secondary education system has had, for many years, two divisions: the Technical School Division and the High School Division. Teachers operating in one system in most cases had very little to do with those in the other system and it has seemed that two distinct " teaching cultures" had developed. During the eighties and early nineties, substantial structural changes occurred within the state system which allowed teacher movement between the previous divisions and thus created the potential for conflict. Teachers from each division have been confronted with a teaching culture in many cases different from their own experiences. Each system historically existed for a different reason, offered different curricula and trained its teachers differently. Its raisond'etre changed as social conditions changed but the differences persisted. Its teaching staff seemed to develop ways of operating which marked them as distinctly "technical" or "high". A hypothesis was proposed which suggested that a teaching culture comprised two broad factors which then determined the sorts of school operations teachers were likely to be involved in. Thus it might be possible to group people with similar backgrounds and experiences into a technical school culture and others into a high school culture. To understand if a difference existed between technical and high school teachers, qualitative research was undertaken using interviews with six people who equally represented each division, who were varied in their teaching subjects and who had recently come to a new school where a new teaching culture had not yet been established. The data collected was verified by the interviewees and recorded on a data chart. It was found that the cultures were not clearly technical or high school, but rather based more around practical and non-practical teaching subject orientation. In this sense it would see that there might be as much difference in the culture of teaching groups within a school as in the culture between the two types of school. It could be proposed that the apparent differences between the two systems may well have depended more on the different nature of the teaching, in that one system valued practicality more than the other.
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ItemThe getting of professional nursing wisdom : the relevance of knowledge for undergraduate students : a phenomenological comparative study( 1993)The intention of this thesis is to identify any factors which may affect the implementation and practice of therapeutic humanistic care by undergraduate nurse students. Professional nursing practice must be acknowledged as function beyond licensure of safety. Wisdom, with reference to professional practice can only be acquired through relevant education and supported opportunities to practice. The classroom promotion and clinical transfer of empirical, holistic care is an educational mandate and as such must be addressed. The research study of this thesis as a qualitative investigation with a phenomenological approach, was designed as a small comparative study. The literature review of this thesis released certain significant questions for investigation. From these questions eventual research prompts were developed. The participants for this study were nurse student volunteers approaching course completion. The participants as distinct cohorts from a Hospital School of Nursing and a Faculty of Nursing were interviewed using the research prompts. Following data analysis, the study identified apparent differences between the valuing and practice of humanistic caring by the undergraduate nurse students from the two sites.
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ItemSchool organization as an internal teaching context : case studies of two Hong Kong aided secondary schools( 1996)In this study, school organization is investigated as a teaching context from the teachers' perspective. The study investigates the theoretical position that characteristics of the school organization affect teachers' job-related attitudes which, in turn, affect educational outcomes. A review of the literature shows that various characteristics of school organization are related to teachers' attitudes and performance and educational outcomes of schools. In this study, the case study approach is adopted and both qualitative and quantitative research methods are used. The teachers' job-related attitudes of two aided secondary schools in Hong Kong are analyzed. The internal teaching contexts of the schools are then described in terms of structural, cultural and social relations perspectives. Factors of school organization which may affect teachers' attitudes are identified. The findings from this study provide support for previous research into the influence of teachers' working environments or the internal context of teaching on school effectiveness. Implications for efforts directed at improving workplace conditions in Hong Kong secondary schools and an agenda for further research are discussed.
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ItemA survey of the role perceptions and practice of Victorian primary teacher librarians : a research report with implications for education for school librarianship( 1991)A review of the literature on the Role of the School Librarian revealed a perceived discrepancy between the role which was being advocated in the literature and the role actually being undertaken by primary school teacher librarians in Victoria. This research study was undertaken to discover what role Victorian primary school librarians perceived for themselves in the school and whether in fact they were actually performing this role. The problem was identified as:- 1. Do primary teacher librarians perceive their ideal role in the terms of the model presented in the literature? 2. What role are primary teacher librarians following in their school libraries? 3. Is there a discrepancy between their IDEAL and ACTUAL roles and the model role presented in the literature. The research study also hoped to identify areas of need for future planning initiatives in education for school librarianship courses. A questionnaire was constructed in four sections using a five point scale. The first section was to give general background information on the school and the school library of the participating teacher librarian. The second section listed twenty role definitions. All twenty definitions could be perceived as facets of a teacher-librarian's role within the school. The third section contained the same twenty role definitions but participants were asked to identify the importance of the role in their actual school situation. The fourth section contained twenty factors which may affect a teacher librarian from performing their ideal role. The survey instrument was mailed to forty randomly selected Victorian primary school teacher librarians. Responses were received from twenty-three teacher librarians (53%). The danger of making conclusive findings from such a small sample is noted in the report. The responses came mainly from experienced, qualified teacher librarians and the interpretation of the data takes this fact into account. Following a review of related readings on the role of the primary school librarian, a model was devised as a basis for the analysis of the data. Based on the analysis of the survey results in which correlation co-efficients for IDEAL and ACTUAL roles were obtained and on the relationship of these analyses to the model, the following major conclusions were obtained. 1. That primary teacher librarians in Victoria are not following the co-operative curriculum planing and teaching role as outlined in the model. 2. That primary teacher librarians are still performing traditional roles in children's literature and as resource managers. 3. That priamry teacher librarians are not taking a lead in implementing technological change within the school and do not perceive this as their role. 4. That most primary teacher librarians are working in school libraries without any clerical support except for volunteers. 5. That primary teacher librarians are teaching isolated classes to allow class teachers to take their allotted administrative planning time. As an ideal role, primary teacher librarians, participating in this survey,overwhelmingly perceived their role as "developing a love of literature in children" which conflicts with the ideal role perceived by the literature "as having an educational role in curriculum planning and development and in initiating change in the educational processes in the school". Finally, this research study points out the implications of these findings for future initiatives which should be undertaken in planning education for school librarianship courses. Seven areas are identified and conclusions are made, in particular, the urgent need to have information skills and the use of curriculum resources included in all undergraduate teacher training courses. Also the need for greater co-operation between education, librarianship and technology practitioners in the formulation of integrated courses. Areas for further research are indicated. The appendix includes the survey instrument, tables of data results, examples of teacher librarians' timetables and a full bibliography.
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ItemThe march of the calculator into Malaysian classrooms?( 1995)Calculators are used extensively in the workplace and are part of the technological change that is taking place in Malaysian society. However they are not used widely in the classrooms. About 200 primary, secondary and college teachers in Malaysia were surveyed about their attitudes toward the student use of calculators in the classroom and their current teaching practices. As many as 98% of the primary teachers and 83% of the lower secondary teachers have never used calculators in their mathematics lessons. The upper secondary teachers were using calculators in their classrooms because the present Malaysian national mathematics curriculum encourages and allows the use of calculators only at these levels. Most Malaysian teachers held more conservative views on calculator use than the teachers surveyed in Victoria, Australia in 1980. They felt that calculators should only be used after students have mastered basic number facts, acquired paper and pencil skills and understood the meaning of the four operations. About 29% of the teachers surveyed supported the introduction of calculators into primary classes. Although teachers believed that calculator use would enhance mathematics learning, many would not allow calculators to be used in class if they were not allowed on tests or examinations. Teachers also believed that parents would be against calculator use in the classrooms if they were not allowed on tests and examinations. It is recommended that the Malaysian Ministry of Education must allow calculator use on tests and examinations in order to encourage their use in primary and lower secondary classrooms.
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ItemReading and reconstructing the world: investigating children's frames of Asia-Australia relations through transformative discourse( 1994)The challenge for members of contemporary societies is to become increasingly global in their outlook at the same time as the world becomes increasingly difficult to 'read'. Texts construct views of 'reality' and the complexity of contemporary life is reflected in the range and number of texts which influence 'ways of seeing how things are'. For people to make sense of their lives on both a personal and global scale, the ability to critically read a wide range of texts is essential. This critical literacy enables them to construct and reconstruct meaning .It assists in developing a more inclusive world view and living with the multiple realities which mirror the interdependent nature of modern day life. As a means of discovering more about self and others, the development of a critical literacy must begin with the acknowledgement of texts that are carried around inside the person or internalised as 'truths'; thoughts, feelings, beliefs, opinions and so on which are manifested in the ways in which a person participates in both a personal and global domain. In other words, these internalised texts have a powerful influence on the ways in which world views are constructed and played out. An examination of these internalised texts is fundamental to the development of a critical literacy and ultimately the development of a Discourse (Gee 1990, 1992, 1993) which allows for the transformation of new ways of talking about new ways of thinking, feeling into new ways of acting. It is thus central to the development of an active global citizen. A transformative Discourse (borrowing from Freire 1972, 1973, 1985, 1987(a), 1987(b) and Gee 1990, 1992, 1993) validates the voice of the individual and it is essential that a teacher scaffolds learners as they construct and reconstruct meaning. Essentially, the teacher needs to model a Discourse of critique and an attitude towards critique so that over time critical Discourse becomes a fundamental part of learning and indeed life. One means of looking inward to interrogate internalised 'truths' and develop new ways of talking, thinking, feeling and acting is for the teacher to engage learners with significant content and a methodology which values multiple realities. A focus on the study of Asia, and in this case a study of Asia-Australia relations, counter balances a prevailing Eurocentric view of 'how things are' and enables learners to reconstruct images of self and other. Bringing the world into the classroom through systematic inquiry allows it to be tilted on its axis and examined from a range of vantage points.
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ItemSelf-confidence sources of elite, junior athletes( 1992)This study examined the sources of self-confidence in sport. A questionnaire was developed to assess the sources of self-confidence considered important to the success of junior athletes in competition. The dimensions of self-esteem and anxiety were also assessed, through the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Questionnaire and the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory respectively, in order to determine if either of these factors influenced self-confidence. The subjects were a group of forty elite, junior, freestyle skiers, ranging in age from thirteen to twenty-four years. The results yielded both positive and negative sources of self confidence, although these differed slightly between-boys Arid girls. The main positive sources were: 1. the coach's positive comments, 2. thinking you are performing well, 3. training well before the competition, and 4. Self talk and psyching up. The main negative influences on self-confidence were: 1. nervousness and anxiety, 2. an opponent performing well, 3. fear of injury, and 4. watching others competing well. Self-esteem was also shown to influence self-confidence. Those athletes with higher self-esteem had correspondingly higher levels of self-confidence. Awareness by teachers and coaches of the positive and negative factors that influence self-confidence prior to competition should lead to better sporting performances.
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ItemTeacher perspectives: the head injured student returns to school: a pilot study( 1993)This exploratory research sets out to examine teachers' perspectives of teaching head injured students who had returned to regular schools after sustaining an accident or trauma. Thirty teachers from secondary and tertiary schools took part in the study. Qualitative and quantitative methods of research were utilised. The 30 secondary and tertiary teachers were interviewed and a questionnaire was used which was analysed by SPSSx package. The findings of the study indicated that years of teaching experience does not enable a teacher to cope better with teaching head injured students returning to their classes. The findings also indicate that teachers with special education are not prepared for teaching and dealing with head injured students.
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ItemTesting a multi-faceted approach to program evaluation: a study of teachers of adults and their relationship to their employer, the Council of Adult Education( 1992)This thesis sets out the theoretical grounding for a study of the relationship between the Council of Adult Education and its teaching staff. The evaluation process produced a profile of the teaching work force and an assessment of the services provided to assist the teachers/tutors in their work. The methodology adopted was utilization focused and tested the hypothesis that a multi-faceted model which is responsive to political and institutional realities will receive optimal use. During the process of testing this methodological hypothesis, two hypotheses concerning adult education were also put to the test. The first focused upon the proportion of adult education teachers who would like a career in the field and the second upon issues of equal opportunity and social justice within employment structures in the organization. The results appear in the substantive report delivered to the client and provided the basis for recommendations. In order to achieve maximum utilization, a number of modifications to a commonly accepted utilization-focused model (Patton, 1986) were made: academic rigour was stressed because of the nature of the clients and to overcome any suggestions of bias on the part of the researcher, who was 'in-house'; elements of action research were included in order to meet client requirements. Metaevaluation of the entire process leads to the conclusion that the methodological hypothesis has been supported by this study.