Faculty of Education - Theses
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ItemA contract with education : Alice Hoy, 1893-1976( 1988)This is a biographical approach to the personal and intellectual development of Alice Hoy, a development which in turn shaped her contribution to teacher education in Victoria. The period I have covered does not go beyond Hoy's retirement from the Education Department and is concerned with her professional life during that time. Her work as a committee woman on various educational boards and councils is not included. Hoy was a pupil at the private University High School in the first decade of this century; in her first degree, a BA at Melbourne University, her major study was History which she continued with her MA, and later study of Law confirmed a natural tendency towards logical argument and gave her an LLB. After taking her Dip.Ed., Hoy became a teacher with the Education Department at the old University Practising School, and from there was invited to do Method lecturing at the School of Education at the University of Melbourne. Her early contribution to teacher education was made through her lectures at the School of Education and at the Melbourne Teachers' College as well as through the practical work at UHS, while her textbook on civics was used widely in schools. Her appointment is the first Principal of the Secondary Teachers' Training Centre was the high 'point of her career. She began the Centre, which became the Secondary Teachers' College, in 1950, and remained Principal until her retirement at the beginning of 1958.
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ItemExamination of the professional education and competencies of Victorian foresters( 1994)Forestry appears to be in professional crisis, both from within and from outside the profession, over both the role and skills of foresters employed in public resource management. There are corresponding concerns about the curriculum offered by universities in the training of foresters. To address these concerns this research surveyed 201 members of the Institute of Foresters of Australia (FA) about their education, their beliefs about the essential skills of a forester and the nature of their employment, in terms of the frequency-of-use of proposed professional competencies. The survey revealed a similarity between the skills and knowledge considered important in training and the professional role. This picture, supportive of the technical expert role, differed from the image reported of the public role of the contemporary forester. There was, however, overall consistent agreement that communication and management skills were central to professional roles and incorporated the practical technical knowledge of the traditional science discipline in everyday professional practice. This study confirms a shift in the professional paradigm, reported in the literature and in responses of foresters in this study and elsewhere, from a restrictive mode of technical expertise to an extended mode of public policy development and appraisal in natural resource management. University-based professional education is expected by the respondents to somehow align professional education and professional practices. This implies a reappraisal of the dominance of the scientific-technical disciplines in order to develop competence in community resource management. As an interdisciplinary body of professional knowledge-in-use the new paradigm of forestry poses a substantial challenge to curriculum developers in Universities. Case orientated studies, which allow a merging of discipline-based and generic skill, are proposed as one promising approach.
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ItemReflective practice in the early childhood practicum( 1999)There is much evidence in the current literature to indicate a movement towards a restructuring of teacher education, which emphasises reflection (Campbell-Evans & Maloney, 1996). University courses in teacher education are moving away from the technical model of teacher evaluation towards a reflective approach to teaching and learning which focuses on assisting pre-service teachers to develop reflective practices (Fairbanks & Meritt, 1998). The early childhood practicum is increasingly seen as an opportunity for students to engage in critical reflection with journal writing, frequently used as a tool for reflection. This project studied the practicum journals of nine final year Melbourne University Bachelor of Early Childhood Studies students. Analysis and interpretation of the reflective journals focused on two aspects. The first aspect related to the issues, which the students reflected about. The second aspect related to the cognitive processes the students engaged in when reflecting. The investigation found that students reflected in complex ways on complex issues throughout the practicum. The process of reflection, however, did not empower students to reflect in their own way about their own concerns. The study found that for this group of early childhood students, it was the location of power in student - supervisor relations that functioned to empower students to reflect in their own way about their own concerns or to disempower students by silencing them.
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ItemConfucian confusion: a western analysis of the efficacy of contemporary workplace training methods in a multicultural environment( 1999)This research investigated the extent to which experiential training techniques are appropriate for use with multicultural groups by testing an assumption that a dissonance exists between the perception of training efficacy assumed by "Western" adult education methods, and the concomitant perceptions of training participants of Asian/Confucian background. Data relating to the research question was collected through a process of interpersonal interviews with adult educators working in Victoria and from focus groups involving people of Confucian background who have participated in workplace based training. The responses of the two groups were compared and contrasted. The research found that significant difference of perception exists between the two groups. The research identifies opportunities to render training programs more culturally inclusive through adaptations to program structure, processes, attention to learning styles, the level of interpersonal interactivity and the training environment. The research proposes that we are often unaware that our accepted notions and most ethically based intentions are often blinkered by our subconscious cultural socialisation. The implications of these findings are significant for those who have the responsibility to design, implement and coordinate workplace education and training. The research concludes with suggestions for changes in practice and recommendations for future research.
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ItemA detailed case study of one reading recovery tutor training program( 1995)The purpose of this study was to closely monitor the implementation of the Reading Recovery Tutor Training Program at the University of Melbourne during 1994. This case study was designed to investigate the Reading Recovery Tutor and Teacher Training Program in the light of the apprenticeship model. The notions of change and reflective practice were clearly identified as being major components of the Reading Recovery training model and were therefore investigated as part of this study. This small case study produced a large quantity of research data, which included individual reflective journals and writing, transcripts of initial and final interviews, work samples and program data, the researcher's journals and observational notes. The key findings of the study revealed that this Reading Recovery Tutor Training Program has much to offer future training programs with its deliberate attention to the understandings of mentoring and reflective practice. The study highlighted a dichotomy between the apprenticeship model of training as reported in the literature reviewed, and this Reading Recovery Tutor Training Program. This Reading Recovery Training Program placed great importance on the understanding that competent professionals need to have a sound 'confidence of judgement'. The valuing of the notion of 'confidence of judgement' along with, conscious and deliberate reflection have wide implications for future Reading' Recovery Tutor and Teacher Training Programs.
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ItemThe role of the teacher education officer in a country regional office( 1982)Policy statements on decentralization of the Education Department of Victoria preceded the establishment of educational regions, initially on a trial basis, in 1972. The establishment of the Australian Schools Commission and the granting of autonomy to teachers' colleges led to changes in the administration of pre-service and in-service training for teachers. In recognizing these changes the Education Department established positions for teacher education officers in the regions . Few of the duties proposed for teacher education officers had been made the direct responsibility of the regional director. The practice of regionalization was new to Victorian education, and an opportunity was provided to investigate a group of persons across the state located in decentralized units. As a divisional representative in a regional office the teacher education officer had a dual responsibility to the division and to the region. The administration of in-service development programs and the performance of other duties of teacher education officers provided a focus for this study. This study concentrated on country teacher education officers and looked at the task requirements, job specification and perception of performance for these officers. A number of possibilities were suggested for the study. Because of the small number of individuals in the group a field study was chosen. The group of teacher education officers was scattered across the state and operated from regional offices. Material was collected using a questionnaire and a telephone interview. Because of the small number of subjects in the study, it was not possible to use statistical analysis on the findings. The information provided in the study is of a descriptive nature.