Faculty of Education - Theses
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ItemThe evolution of concepts of decimals in primary and secondary students( 1994)This thesis studies children's conceptions about ordering decimals. It builds upon previous work which established three commonly used systematic errors in children's understanding as they encounter decimal notation. Students were categorised according to erroneous rule usage. This work includes a small longitudinal study which showed little change over twelve months in rule usage by an Australian sample of 50 secondary students. The categorising tests were redeveloped to make them suitable for primary students and to have increased reliability. The main study traced the use of rules from Year Four to Year Ten in a sample of 379 students and showed how students with different rules performed on other decimal tasks. It was found that one of the rules, called the whole number rule (in comparing two decimals that with more decimal places is chosen as the larger) was important in earlier years but disappeared with time. The second rule, called the fraction rule (the decimal with fewer decimal places is chosen as the larger), persisted in worrying proportions well into the secondary years and it was shown that significant gaps in knowledge of decimal notation existed which had not corrected themselves with time. The third rule was shown to be not important. Further investigation of a longitudinal nature to examine how individuals actually make the transition to mastery of decimal notation is encouraged by this study.
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ItemUsing action methods in health education / Anna Shadbolt( 1995)This study examines the usefulness of action methods for the teaching of health education to children. A model for the training of teachers in the use of these methods was developed, implemented and evaluated. The literature on the philosophy and methodology of psychodrama, a creation of J.L. Moreno, is reviewed highlighting some reported uses of the psychodramatic method with children. The application of action methods to the school environment is considered with a particular emphasis on its usefulness for the teaching of personal development and human relations. Limitations of its use in the classroom are also considered. A survey of local primary schools found that the health education taught is missing areas of the curriculum that tend to be sensitive and emotionally charged, mostly in the area of human relations. Lack of specialised training and resources are put forward as factors contributing to the omission of major portions of the health education curriculum in the schools. Appropriate professional training and support networks in these specialised areas of teaching are needed. Training in the use of action methods is one intervention that will help teachers in health education delivery. A two-part training program in action methods was delivered to teachers in the local area. It included a series of experiential workshops and individualised follow-up in the classrooms of workshop participants. The teachers and children found action methods to be useful classroom strategies for learning about health and human relations. The training structure was useful for assessing the individual training needs of teachers and children. The training program was found to be too short and hence lacked the necessary intensity for adequate skill acquisition. The follow-up component was highly effective. The indications of these findings for teacher training are discussed emphasising the importance of maintaining a balanced view of the place of action methods as only one teaching strategy, albeit a very effective and powerful one. Health education teaching is complex. Action methods were found to be useful for helping teachers with the many challenges that this curriculum area presents when delivered in the primary school classroom.
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ItemAspects of metalinguistic awareness and the use of algebraic notation( 1996)This study critically examined the paper "Metalinguistics and Algebra Learning" by M. MacGregor and K. Stacey (1994). It showed that the striking results obtained by MacGregor and Stacey could be accounted for by methodological flaws. An attempt was made to repeat the MacGregor and Stacey study in a way which eliminated the identified flaws. This attempt was not completely successful. The reasons for the lack of success were examined. A second test was developed to investigate whether the ability to detect synonymy and ambiguity, later developing aspects of metalinguistic awareness not explored by MacGregor and Stacey, is related to students' success in learning to use algebraic notation. It was shown that this aspect of metalinguistic awareness was not related to success in learning to use algebraic notation. This study has confirmed the existence of the relationship found by MacGregor and Stacey between certain aspects of the metalinguistic awareness of students and their success in learning to use algebraic notation, but has raised doubts about the nature of that relationship.
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ItemSpoken, signed and written language of three deaf children engaged in a signed English program( 1992)Against a background which proposes significant change in the education of deaf students, it is significant that the Australasian Signed English system has had little investigation, either in terms of teacher accuracy in using Signed English, or in studies to examine the development of English competency among the students engaged in such programs. This study has sought to investigate the development of English structures in a group of children whose education is taking place through the medium of Signed English combined with speech and audition. Language samples were collected as a matter of routine during the course of a school year from three children who commenced the year aged 6.7, 6.8 and 6.9 years. Activities which typically occur in classrooms over the course of a year were used rather than contexts which are not authentic and are unrelated to the normal communicative environment of the classroom. Three codes of English have been examined: spoken English, signed English and written English, and eleven aspects of English grammatical structure: negation, copula, possessives, plurals, pronouns, relativisation, conjunctions, third person singular, question forms, past tense and auxiliaries. The data from the three children indicate the presence of developing English structures. These may occur in the mature form, in a non-mature form, or as yet unmarked or marked inconsistently. There is also evidence of approximations which mirror the overgeneralisations to be found in young hearing learners of English. The data reveal differences between the three children and differences between the three modes, as well as the degree to which the children accurately use the three forms of English. The results of this study present a possible interpretation as to the English development which is occurring in many children engaged in Signed English programs. Further examination, particularly on a longitudinal basis, is recommended.
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ItemThe blue one means ten: a study of place value in Montessori schools( 1994)This study examines the proposal that the Montessori method of education assists the child to learn mathematics in general and whole number place value in particular in an effective way. Place value was chosen because it is a pivotal concept in mathematics education. Montessori's work is reviewed along with other educational theorists such as Piaget, Skemp, Bruner, Dienes and Hughes. The concept of place value is defined and analysed in terms of 1 skill groups which weave together to compose the concept. Interviews were conducted with 17 9 year old children currently enrolled in Montessori schools in Melbourne and Perth using questions which involved use of concrete materials as well as an ability to work in the abstract. The results supports the proposal that the Montessori method of education does assist the child to learn place value. The child's understanding at a concrete level is strong. The results reveal some variability in the children's ability to work in the abstract. It is recommended that Montessori teachers encourage the 3-6 year old child to use the Golden Bead material extensively. The 6-9 year old child should be encouraged to move into the abstract as soon as he or she shows signs of leaving the materials behind. The results demonstrated a lack of confidence in attempting unusual mathematical tasks in the children at 1 school which indicates the importance of all Montessori teachers giving opportunities for children to be adventurous in their mathematical thinking and for the children to take opportunities to write their own mathematical work instead of using prepared questions continually.
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ItemThe effects of a monitoring and assessment program on the learning and teaching processes of the primary classroom( 1995)This study investigated the effects of a monitoring and assessment program on the learning and teaching processes of the primary classroom focused on recording formats. Teachers used the recording formats to gain specific information about student progress in language learning. Specifically the researcher sought to determine whether the use of the recording formats had an impact in any way on learning and teaching, and if so, the nature and extent of this impact. The teachers who participated in this study found that the formats they implemented were of significant use in the classroom. In order for teachers to collect valuable assessment information, teachers had to plan tasks and activities that were open - ended and allowed for the children to work independently. Consequently the children in classes became less dependent on the teacher, were able to work more effectively in groups and improved their problem - solving skills. By using the recording formats, teachers gained specific assessment information that gave them an accurate picture of what an individual child could do. "The Further Support Needed" section of the recording formats allowed teachers to move the students forward and plan activities that were directly related to improving learning. This did not occur as frequently before the introduction of the formats. Support, both within the school and from outside facilitators, was vital. Teachers felt more able to observe and record student progress when there was another teacher present. They found discussion with colleagues and others useful in clarifying concerns, and were better able to "know what to look for" when monitoring and assessing. There is evidence from this study that the information collected by teachers was of value when reporting student progress to parents, in both the interview situation and written reports. Teachers felt they could more accurately report because they had built up a collection of information about how a child wrote, read, listened and spoke. This information was gathered in different contexts and learning areas and allowed teachers to gather tangible evidence. Time constraints caused frustration for the majority of teachers. Teachers overwhelmingly found the formats of use, but indicated that interruptions, changes in routine, and similar happenings reduced the amount of time they felt they needed to use them fully. Teachers did not include student self - assessment in the collecting of assessment information. This could be due to the fact that none of the questions in the questionnaire specifically asked for this.