Faculty of Education - Theses
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ItemBringing children to school, bringing schools to children : partnerships and perceptions of change in ethnic minority education in Vietnam( 1998)This research study examines the nature of curriculum development and change currently taking place in the area of ethnic minority education in Vietnam. The Multigrade and Bilingual Education Project, a UNICEF and World Bank funded initiative administered by the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training. aims to provide Universal Primary Education for children from Vietnam's 53 ethnic minority groups. Teacher training, the professional development of teachers, and the design of specialised curriculum for use in Multigrade schools are major funding priorities. Since 1991, the Multigrade and Bilingual Education Project has vastly increased ethnic minority children's school participation rates, has expanded its scope country wide, and has committed extensive resources towards the professional upgrading of teachers. Through the development of a series of teacher training modules, the Project has devised pedagogical structures for the introduction of localised curriculum. and appropriate methodology and resources for the teaching of ethnic minority language and culture. It has also actively encouraged a renovation of teaching methods to incorporate active learning and mixed ability grouping within Multigrade classrooms. These changes are a significant departure from past practices, and have been undertaken using collaborative structures not previously explored in the Vietnamese educational context. Given that these curriculum initiatives mark a distinct departure from the hitherto highly centralised and teacher-centred Vietnamese National Curriculum, deeper investigation of this phenomenon is needed. This research focuses on perceptions of educational change, as observed by a broad range of key players in the Multigrade and Bilingual Education Project. The researcher, experienced in teaching in multicultural settings in Melbourne, became interested in exploring the innovative nature of this Project when he was contracted by UNICEF to assist with the development of teacher development modules in Vietnam in 1995 and 1996. The research study draws on data gathered through surveys. document analysis and semi-structured interviews, and explores factors perceived as assisting or impeding the provision of a quality education to Vietnam's ethnic minority children. The nature of partnerships in fostering educational change, how this can be achieved in difficult circumstances, and the role of outside facilitators in this process are also examined.
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ItemImpact of changes in Victorian government policies on the provision of schooling for primary school students with disturbing behaviour( 1998)The purpose of this study is to investigate the provision of schooling in Victoria, for children with problems arising from disturbing behaviour in regular schools. It is these students who have difficulty learning, and cause problems for peers and teachers. This problem has attracted more attention in recent decades than ever before as educators and parents seek solutions for these students. The impact of changes in government policies in Victoria, especially the introduction of the Schools of the Future Program, on students with disturbing behaviour is examined, together with effective means of supporting these students, their teachers and parents. The investigator defines disturbing behaviour and how it has been addressed in schools, particularly in Victoria. She examines the Schools of the Future Program, particularly Global Budgeting and its impact on school policies and programs, focussing on the effect of these provisions in schooling for students with disturbing behaviour. The investigator has conducted a study of school principals in the area centred on Ballarat in order to examine their reactions to recent government education policy changes, and their effects on the schooling for such students. She discusses the implications of these changes for students with disturbing behaviour, including the most recent societal changes involving the youth of today, for example, the State Government initiatives addressing Drugs and Youth Suicide which have impacted on support and resourcing to schools, across the state.
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ItemReturning home : the cross-cultural education of Australian missionaries from Latin America( 1998)The purpose of this study is to investigate the experiences of Australian missionaries returning from Latin America and relate these to the training provided by the mission organisations that sent them. This thesis focuses on the issues related to culture adjustment and the pattern of instruction used by mission organisations to keep missionaries psychologically, spiritually, physically and socially whole throughout the international cycle. The study includes an examination of pre-departure, on-field and post return education strategies used to create smooth cross-cultural transitions and successful re-entry into the Australian culture from Latin America. Data was collected from both mission organisations and missionaries and the different interpretations of training needs were examined. Qualitative methodology has been used in this study because reverse culture shock encompasses underlying human cognitive elements and thought processes that affect behaviour and communication. Evidence from the study indicated that there are no specific, formal education programs developed by the mission organisation to deal with the problems associated with re-entry. This thesis recommends that the mission organisations involved in this study need to exercise a duty of care towards their missionaries and to drastically overhaul their cross-cultural education programs.
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ItemCombining intervention strategies when working with hearing-impaired mainstream students( 1998)Seven children with mild to moderate hearing impairment were selected for a language support pilot which provided support from an Itinerant Teacher of the Deaf in their mainstream classroom and in a withdrawal situation with two or three other children with hearing impairment. The withdrawal situation provided the children with a quieter learning environment, more opportunities to interact in spoken English with an adult and peers, and a positive atmosphere for promoting the use of hearing aids. This study looked for change in receptive and expressive language and improved mainstream classroom involvement of these seven children as a result of this alternative provision of support. This study found that a combination of the pull-in and pull-out models of service to mainstreamed students with mild to moderate hearing impairment can achieve receptive language growth above the norms expected for hearing children within six months. Expressively, six of the seven children showed a higher percentage of analyzable statements per forty utterances after six months' intervention. Six of the children were perceived by their teachers to have improved classroom involvement. Parents of six of the children perceived a greater involvement in family interactions.
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ItemCooperative learning : a viable teaching strategy for gifted students in heterogeneous classrooms?( 1998)In recent years, there has been a strong movement towards educational restructuring and reform. Cooperative learning is one instructional strategy which many supporters see as central to the goals of the reform movement. While these cooperative learning methods hold promise for many students, the research is concentrated on the average and low-ability students. Its impact on the gifted students remains inadequately assessed. The problem escalates when many educators view cooperative learning as a panacea to address the difficulties brought about by educational reform, such as teaching a class with mixed academic abilities. In addition, cooperative learning has also been used to justify the move to reduce differentiated programmes for the gifted population. This study addresses the controversy regarding the use of cooperative learning with the gifted students in a heterogeneous classroom. This is done by comparing gifted students learning cooperatively with those learning individually in a typical regular classroom. Viability of the teaching method is determined by investigating which learning environment better caters to the learning as well as affective needs of the gifted and talented students with the use of achievement tests and attitude measures. 19 gifted students were randomly assigned to a cooperative and individualistic learning condition. The students participated in a six X 55-minute instructional course based on social studies. The cooperative learning model used in this study was the Jigsaw method. The results indicate that cooperative learning experiences promoted higher achievement and the use of higher-order thinking skills among the gifted students. The results also suggest that the gifted students in a heterogeneous class felt more supported and accepted by their peers and teachers in the cooperative condition. It is concluded that cooperative learning can be beneficial to gifted students in a heterogeneous classroom if steps are taken to ensure that the students are suitably challenged. Well-trained teachers, appropriate structuring of the groups and differentiating the curriculum to suit the needs of the gifted students are identified as some of the factors crucial to the success of the cooperative learning strategy.
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ItemGirls & post school achievement : discourse, meaning & subjectivity( 1998)In an overall sense the concern of my research is the question of gender. It is concerned with girls' engagement with the discursive fields which make up their lives, their acquisition of meaning and formation of subjectivity. Specifically, my research is concerned with the role of discourse in girls' acquisition of meaning about gender, achievement and success, and the ways in which teachers can develop strategies to support girls to negotiate the complex and contradictory discourses which surround them. As a poststructuralist feminist researcher I assume a keen awareness of the semiotic, discursive dimension of the social and from such a perspective consider the question of gender in relation to girls' education and post school achievement and career success. Through an emphasis on the discourses and texts which make up schools and educational practices, such a perspective makes relevant the emotional, psychic and physical embeddedness of girls in the discursively constituted categories to which they belong. The study undertaken is a critical engagement with one of the discourses shaping girls' identities. It draws on data gathered from a focused analysis of a selection of four celebratory feminist texts. The complex and contradictory nature of the meanings within the texts are examined, and the potential of this genre of feminist discourses to remake meanings and challenge the gender order of society is explored. My own personal and professional biography and the focus of the literature review have fashioned the specific questions I posed.
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ItemAcceleration of gifted students: a study of the opinions of teachers and parents( 1998)The purpose of the study was to investigate the opinions of teachers and parents on the educational acceleration of gifted students. Gifted education has a relatively short history in Australia, although the education of gifted and talented students in the USA has been an issue of strong interest since the early 1920s. Many topics continue to be vigorously debated including definitions, identification and assessment and appropriate educational and instructional approaches. One of the most contentious issues surrounds the use of acceleration procedures. A review of the literature revealed that despite positive evidence concerning the appropriateness and associated benefits of educational acceleration, it is not a popular or widely practised procedure for gifted students. A barrier to the wider acceptance of acceleration procedures would appear to be the general apprehensiveness or negative attitudes of some teachers and parents. A literature review indicated that most of the studies have focussed on the intellectual, educational and socio-emotional benefits of acceleration. Typically, gifted students have been assessed to determine the influence of educational acceleration on the growth and development of these skills and attributes. The opinions of teachers and parents who have had direct experience with acceleration have not been frequently investigated. The studies that have been undertaken have resulted in generally consistent findings. Teachers and parents were mainly concerned about possible deleterious socio-emotional consequences of acceleration. In this study, the opinions of teachers and parents were explored using a specially prepared questionnaire. Twenty-six teachers and 23 parents returned completed questionnaires. An item analysis of the questions indicated their general suitability for the purposes of the study. Analysis of the teachers' and parents' responses revealed no overall statistically significant difference in their opinions. Investigation of the responses of both groups of respondents on each of the 26 questions in the questionnaire resulted in only one statistically significant outcome. Further analyses of the data showed interesting similarities and differences in response trends and patterns of the teachers and parents. In general, teachers and parents held very similar opinions on acceleration. While both groups expressed positive views about certain aspects of acceleration, they also shared several negative opinions. Teachers were found to be more uncertain about the social and emotional/behavioural benefits of acceleration and were generally less supportive of acceleration than parents. These findings are in general agreement with the results of previous research. It was concluded that teachers would benefit from professional development programs on gifted education, especially the efficacy and positive benefits of educational acceleration.
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ItemParents perceptions of enabling practices used by integration teachers in the western region of Melbourne Victorian government schools which have supported integration programs for children with intellectual disabilities( 1998)This study was undertaken to identify and compare the perceptions of 92 parents of children with intellectual disability from the Western Region of Melbourne toward enabling practices used by integration teachers in Victorian government schools. The study then proceeded to an investigation and evaluation of the success of the integration teachers in developing an adequate parent-integration teacher partnership. Details of parent background were found by questionnaire and each parent completed an adapted version of the Enabling Practices Scale (Dempsey, 1995). Enablement was found by factor analysis to be perceived by these parents to be composed of four facets, namely: support, collaboration, empowerment and autonomy. Parents from background other than English were slightly more positive than their Anglo counterparts towards collaboration with integration teachers. Parents in general were found to hold positive attitudes toward the enabling practices of integration teachers. From this, it was concluded that the integration teachers had been successful in establishing effective parent-teacher relationships in all four facets of enablement.
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ItemThe girls of Melbourne High School, 1912-1934( 1998)The Education Act of 1910 marked the official entry of the state of Victoria into secondary education and the formal foundation of the school known as Melbourne High School. Prior to 1927, the students' educational experience at the school was nominally co-educational. As the state expanded its involvement in secondary education, a desire developed in official circles for a prestigious school to rival the independent schools of Melbourne. Coincident with this, the state also strengthened its view that boys and girls had different educational needs that would be best served by separate secondary schools. This view was implemented when the boys of Melbourne High School moved to their new premises in October 1927, leaving the girls in the old school buildings in Spring Street. Girls' secondary education was not a high priority for the Education Department during the 1920s and 1930s and the provision of an academic education for girls did not conform to government policy that girls should be educated for their future role as wives and mothers. The notion that women might enter the workforce was irrelevant to government planning. For Melbourne Girls' High School, this meant a lack of official interest, concern, commitment and activity. It also meant several years spent in temporary and often unsuitable accommodation as well as increasing uncertainty about the school's continued existence.
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ItemSelf-concept in low-achieving adolescents attending a Victorian, Anglican, secondary college( 1998)This study investigated the relationship between self-concept and perceptions of social support of low-achieving adolescents. Forty students enrolled in remedial English classes at an Anglican college were administered two self-report instruments. The scales measured global as well as aspects of domain-specific self-concept, and perceptions of social support. Results revealed that students who perceived higher levels of social support from classmates had more positive evaluations of their global self-concept and behavioral conduct. Social support from parents was also associated with positive perceptions of behavioral conduct. Students, however, reported lower levels of support from classmates, friends and teachers than respondents of other studies. The implications of these findings are discussed.