Faculty of Education - Theses
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ItemInfluences on the academic progress of males in a TAFE business course : a case-study approach( 1998)This study is concerned with the academic achievement of young Post-VCE male students undertaking the TAFE Associate Diploma of Business (Marketing) at Swinburne University of Technology's Hawthorn Campus. All had failed to secure a university place. The research sheds light on the influences that contribute to an apparent lack of achievement among these young men while in TAFE. Specifically, it identifies, as significant, inflated expectations of their academic ability, threatened identities as successful learners, the socio-cultural construction of masculinity in their predominantly middle-class secondary schools, and their perceptions that TAFE is best suited to tradesmen. These many influences on academic outcomes can be drawn into two interrelated themes concerning socio-cultural constructions of hegemonic masculinity within their secondary schools, and how this generates a particular view of what it is to be a successful male learner. Thus conditions are established under which these young males have a tendency to over-estimate their academic ability, leading to unrealistic course choices at the end of VCE, which then positioned them for failure. Their inability to secure a university place was, for many, a point of rupture, presenting a threat to their identity, both as a successful learner and as a successful young man. In an effort to protect their 'threatened identities' they sought out a TAFE business course at a multi-sectoral institution to disguise their student status. However, once enrolled in this course they came to realise that their preconceptions of TAFE were unfounded, the classes were not peopled with tradesmen, and the standard was more professional and 'harder' than they had anticipated. This together with the realisation that many other students were similar to themselves, allowed them to maintain their identity as successful learners and ultimately provided them with the opportunity to articulate into a degree course or secure a valued 'white collar' position.
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ItemA single case study : a study of integration -involving one child, her family and the preschool( 1995)This single case study was undertaken to provide increased understanding of the processes of integration for parents, professionals and a wider audience engaged in early childhood services. It was undertaken also to enable key players in policy formulation and service development to reflect on the detailed information the case study reveals, and its relationship to integration theory, as a way of identifying some guidelines for good practice. This case study follows one family through its involvement in the preschool education of one family member - a five year old girl who has been diagnosed as having severe autism. The single case study has enabled: (i) An indepth, interpretive view of the processes of integration as they occur in one early childhood setting. (ii) An opportunity to highlight issues which should be considered in the development of services for families who have a preschool age child with developmental delay or disability. The case study illuminates the historical and theoretical background of integration. From the interaction of program theory of integration with the actual, a concept map, (McClintock 1990); (Chen 1990), has been developed which: (i) identifies the links between the two; (ii) defines the players and processes; and (iii) proposes desirable outcomes. From the analysis and interpretation of this illuminative case study some recommended practice principles and guidelines have been developed. While the notion of competing discourses has become increasingly apparent as this study progressed, no attempt has been made to analyse them in detail. It is necessary only to be aware that the competing discourses reflect opposing cultures. While proponents of two of the opposing cultures would probably insist they regard integration as an outcome, one culture is reflected in inclusion in mainstream education services from the beginning. Proponents of the second culture would regard initial involvement with a segregated, specialist and intensive education program as the way to attain full integration eventually in mainstream education services. There may even be a third culture, the proponents of which would believe some children should be educated only in segregated, specialist services. Proponents of this culture are likely to include both professionals from the field and others from the wider community. Awareness of the implications of the conflicting discourses is, however, an important element in the formulation of principles and guidelines for recommended practice. The issues highlighted from the case study significantly contributed to the development of some principles for recommended practice and some guidelines for practice which support these principles.
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ItemGhost stories : an ethnographic journey( 1998)This is an ethnographic study of a school theatre project, 'Ghost Stories'. The study explores what the role and nature of extra curricular theatre is in an independent boys' school. The concept of 'school theatre' is defined as an aesthetically rich, extra curricular event. The study argues that a teacher of 'school theatre' creates learning experiences for students that empower and challenge the politically or economically sanctioned educational culture. The value of school theatre, the role of the teacher, the development of students' artistic and personal skills and the relationship between school theatre and the dramatic heritage is investigated. The study argues that a believable, trustworthy account of the school theatre event needs to incorporate the variety of participant voices. The report is written in the form of a narrative and is told by the drama teacher responsible for the performance project, a male and female student, a teacher assisting in the performance project and a senior member of the administration. The narrative traces the participants' motives in becoming involved in the 'Ghost Stories' performance project, the various perceptions of the value of student devised performance texts, the conflicts within this educational context, culminating in the final night's presentation ceremony. The 'Ghost Stories' performance event challenges the conduct of teaching and learning in this educational context. The study contends that a teacher of 'school theatre is engaged in 'critical pedagogy'.
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ItemVertical grouping of year 9 and 10 classes and the resultant classroom dynamics : a case study( 1996)The research questions on which this study are based are to do with issues about whether students at different ages can successfully study and learn together in the same class. The particular ages under examination in this study are those corresponding to Year 9 and 10 students. These students were studied to determine if they belonged to separate groups. The adolescent and social psychology literature explored suggested that the two year levels contained individuals of widely differing developmental levels and thus the research was designed to see how the vertical grouping (composite) of Year 9 and I0 classes effected the learning of the students. Via a Case Study design it was found that the internal interactions between individuals within single year level classes were different to those found in the composite class. (n the Year 9 class studied the students tended to only work with a select group of their friends whereas in the Year 10 class the students seemed to form an united and congenial group. The composite class was found to be composed of two distinct sub groups, a Year 9 group and a Year 10 group, each reflecting the characteristic interactions of their particular year level. Group work was used as a method of facilitating the communication between the two year levels in the composite class. This methodology did produce some positive results with increased communication between the two sub-groups at the completion of the research. During the research it was noted that group work has to be carefully structured and monitored if it is to have positive results. Webb (1982a) found that if students in groups ask questions and do not receive answers then this structure in fact can be detrimental, to their achievement. The effect of non-responsive communication within small group work could be further studied to ensure that this method of promoting cooperation in composite classes is effective.
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ItemThe paradox of silence and heterosexism : the impact of secondary schools on the construction of male homosexualities( 1997)The heterocentric discourses in schools have marginalized male homosexual students through approaches in the academic and hidden curricula and in pedagogical practices. The multiple discourses in schools have viewed a student's construction of their sexuality and gender as oppositional categories. These approaches have not positively contributed to divergent expressions of homosexuality and of alternative masculinities because schools have failed to view the relational nature of identity construction and its policing through heterosexist discourses. Extracts from five participants in the case studies illustrate the silence experienced by homosexual students through the academic curricula and the paradox of hyper-sexualization in schools. Discipline and support procedures implemented to combat heterosexist attitudes have not been effective, as the multiple discourses have created a vacuum of silence filled with heterosexist violence.
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ItemTeacher learning in a professional community( 1998)During recent years teacher appraisal has received increasing attention in educational research and literature. This study observed the development of a teacher appraisal program in a Victorian State Primary School and explored participants' understanding of appraisal processes designed for the purposes of improvement and accountability, and tracked the processes and outcomes. The overall purpose of this study was to investigate the opportunities for teacher learning and growth that these processes made available to teachers. A case study approach was chosen for the investigation with data collected from several sources. A primary source of information was five teachers with the remaining staff a secondary source. Data were collected through observations, interviews, written responses, written document analysis and participant observation. It was found that as a result of the appraisal processes, the school culture became more supportive of teacher learning and growth. Many factors contributed to the process of teacher development. These included supportive leadership and the importance of learning from ones peers. The management of the appraisal processes and the tensions that arose between the separate processes of appraisal are also discussed.
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ItemArt and the art of coping( 1998)Consider the conscious not as a purely passive but as an independent active factor... artistic forms not as a facade but as an extremely important mechanism and technique... and include in its sphere of investigation the sum total of human life... Art is the social technique of emotion, a tool of society which brings the most intimate and personal aspects of our being into the circle of social life. (Vygotsky, 1971, p. 249). This thesis reports how young adolescents increased their awareness of themselves and their coping skills experientially through the arts in the context of a teacher/student relationship. Through a series of art sessions the students become aware of significant issues in their lives. The unfolding of meanings occurred in relationship with a teacher or in collaboration with peers. The relationship became a key to self-understanding: this key is called 'intersubjectivity'. Facilitating students' shift in awareness and uncovering the meaning made by the students of their experiences was grounded in the methodology and procedures of existential, experiential phenomenology. This thesis is a study of three case studies. In these case studies the students communicated metaphorically through the arts their feelings and thoughts about concerns and how they cope with these concerns. This communication occurred in the context of a relationship with a teacher and/or peers. The students explored their lived-experience, concerns and ways of coping with concerns through the arts, that is in drawing, painting, pottery, movement, dialogue and written form. Students explored their coping skills also by completing the Adolescent Coping Scale (Frydenberg & Lewis, 1993) and reflecting on their experiences of coping through the arts. The next level of the experience for the student involved them reviewing their art and text and describing themes and the essence(s) of their experiences, this was mostly a creative and reflective process in the arts. This study illuminates the processes that facilitate the development of awareness and coping skills. It marks arts expressions as modes of inquiry and validates the significance of the intersubjective relationship in developing young people's awareness of themselves and their coping skills. The intersubjective relationship in this study was empathic, didactic and encouraging; the teacher reflected student's expressions, and encouraged and taught skills, while maintaining a focus on coping.
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ItemThe educative role of a parish school and community( 1991)Catholic parishes are undergoing radical changes today. Their mission of education is holistic and embraces a birth to death span. This study focused on the changes which had taken place in families from the time of the initiation of their eldest child into the community until nine years later when that child shared in the first meal ritual of the community. Multiple case studies and the outcomes of interviews were analysed using grounded theory. Interviews were conducted with a population of school families; conclusions were reached and an emergent theory proposed. As expected, the articulation of concepts proved difficult for parents. Growth is related to realms of meaning through which the educative process takes place; to cultural consciousness and to the respective life cycle of parents and their children. Overall, a degree of growth was reported by most respondents especially in terms of self-esteem, positive changes in attitudes towards the church, and access to support systems. The insights revealed by this study indicate that the parish primary school acts as a catalyst for the re-entry of parents into the community; that the climate of the community, the style of leadership, the participative decision-making processes and the pedagogical processes of the parish and the school are determining factors both in the effectiveness of the educational enterprise and in the ultimate survival of the community.
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ItemMovements towards the senior campus concept: two case studies providing description of early movements in the reorganization of secondary schooling in Victoria aimed at providing an educational environment suited for young adults( 1987)This thesis investigates early movements directed towards the emergence of a new form of secondary school organization in Victoria, namely the senior campus. Two elements are identified as having been instrumental in heralding this development, firstly the phenomenon of zero population growth (and a concomitant decline in school enrolments) and secondly, a number of key recommendations of the Ministerial Review of Postcompulsory Schooling, more commonly known as the Blackburn Report. A major causal factor in defining the characteristics of the senior campus, and in ensuring its evolution, has been the influence of powerful teachers' unions upon government policy formulation in this state. The review of literature examines the development, and characteristics, of parallel forms of schooling in other parts of Australia and overseas, endeavours to establish a framework against which the evolution of the senior campus can be compared, and seeks to provide the means of identifying reasons why forms of schooling which have been popular, and successful, in other places, have been deemed as unacceptable for implementation in Victoria. The methodology adopted has been to undertake two case studies, one in Essendon, and the other in Mitcham. Each concerned a group of schools involved in the process of rationalization and reorganization, and each provided for the establishment of a senior campus for students in Years Eleven and Twelve. A common structure was adopted in both cases - Part A provides an analysis of background documents, and Part B provides description of the change process from the vantage point of a participant observer. The Essendon study presents a conceptual model for the reorganization of schooling in the Essendon area, and the Mitcham study describes the evolution of Mullauna College, a multi-campus, P-12 college which will be established early in 1980.
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ItemImplementing the CSF-English in a whole language classroom( 1998)A new curriculum structure called the Curriculum and Standards Framework (CSF) was introduced to Victorian primary and secondary schools in 1995. The CSF-English comprises four strands, two of which (Contextual understanding and Linguistic structures and features), represent what could be seen as new information to Whole Language trained teachers. This thesis addresses the CSF-English in two ways. First, it deconstructs the CSF-English. Second, it will attempt to trace its implementation in a case study. In order to lay the basis for a historically located, theoretically informed deconstruction of the CSF-English, the researcher conducted a close reading of the document, informed by a reading of the literature on the history of English curriculum. The conclusion is that the CSF-English, while being theoretically inclusive, is unsynthesised, eclectic and confusing. This thesis examines how two grade 5/6 self described Whole Language primary school teachers went about implementing the CSF-English, a document to which they had limited theoretical access. This thesis focuses on the types of texts and the types of knowledge about texts which were presented in the classroom. Using ethnographic methodology both qualitative and quantitative data were collected to create a rich and detailed portrait of all occurrences of the teaching of reading and writing. The data showed that a narrow and unbalanced range of text types was presented. While fictional and personal texts occurred with high frequency, factual texts occurred very infrequently. The data also showed that literal and personalised knowledge about texts was frequently taught, whereas the overall structures of texts and the situational and socio-cultural context was rarely taught. The central conclusions reached were first that the teachers implemented only those aspects of CSF-English which concurred with their Whole Language philosophy. The Whole Language model of English did not provide a means for these teachers to implement the CSF-English as a whole. Second, those aspects of the CSF-English which drew most heavily on Critical Social Literacy were taught infrequently. Third, it was concluded that the students of these Whole Language teachers were not being fully prepared for the demands of secondary school literacy. In particular, they were not being familiarised with the types of texts that matter in the secondary school, nor were they being inducted into critical and analytical thinking about texts.