Faculty of Education - Theses
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ItemThe Victorian National Party : an investigation of the policymaking process which resulted in the National Party education policy statement released for the 1985 Victorian state election( 1990)This thesis is an investigation of the policymaking process of the Victorian National Party. The focus of the study is the development of the Education Policy statement released to the public during the election campaign for the 1985 Victorian state election. During the time which this study reports the National Party was the third party in the Victorian Parliament. Its policy making and activity in the legislature was that of an opposition party. It had thirteen parliamentary members and represented a large rural section of Victoria. Its existence grew out of the political coalescence of rural communities and representative associations in the 1890s. Initially its policies concentrated on addressing the trade, marketing, transport and rural industry issues faced by the farmers. Today the National Party's policies cover all policy areas parallel with Government portfolios. Data for the study were collected from a number of sources. Preliminary interviews were conducted with members of the National Party and the Parliamentary National Party to establish what 'rules' existed to govern and guide the policymaking process. These interviews were followed by an examination of the actual roles of the Annual Conference, the National Party Parliamentary Party and the Central Council Education Policy Committee, in determining changes to education policy between 1982 and 1985. Policy changes were described from a comparison of policies released during successive state election campaigns. between 1977 and 1988. To focus the study within this framework an examination was made of the relative roles of the policymaking structures identified in stage one during policy making for selected policy subject areas within education. This data is presented in three case studies. The findings of the study demonstrate that a disparity exists between the formal rules about how policy should be made, as expressed in the Victorian National Party's Constitution, and the actual activity which took place and resulted in selected policy products. It was clear from the findings that the National Party Parliamentary Party had the greatest power and responsibility for policy making, and that the Party's Education Spokesman had a lead role in education policy making. Evidence suggests that while the Central Council Education Policy Committee was formed to advise the Parliamentary Spokesman on education matters and to report to Central Council, its role was somewhat less than powerful and its output was effectively a synthesis of policy already made by the Spokesman and Parliamentary Party. There is evidence from the study to support the notion if incrementalism and elitism in policy making. It is also evident that personal biases and political expediency were at play. This range of influences draws the researcher to conclude that no one single model of policy making effectively describes the Victorian National Party's policymaking process. In fact, this study has raised a number of questions which could be explored in subsequent study. Not the least among these questions would have to be a more thorough exploration of the impact of 'being in opposition' on the policy decision process; an investigation of opposition strategy making in the political gamesmanship sense and the impact of mutual/joint opposition arrangements to 'tackle' Government, with resultant policy outcomes for the opposition parties. Studies could also be undertaken to look at group decision making and levels of participation with attendant power playing, lobbying and political bargaining and trading within the National Party, between the National Party and the Liberal Party, and between the National Party and the Labor Party. These relationships and interactions have outcomes in the policymaking process for the political parties. Personal biases and leadership styles are factors which could also be examined further as could the impact of public accountability and the pressure this imposes on policy making. One further factor which impressed the researcher was the timing factor. The appropriate timing of data and persuasion was critical to the achievement of policy outcomes and skilfully manipulated could be a powerful tool for a lobby group or a political party. It is clear from this study that policy making is a complex, multi-dimensional process and that much scope exists for its exploration and further identification.
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ItemTransforming policy into practice : the implementation of the Curriculum and Standards Framework in primary schools in Victoria( 1997)This thesis examines individual school use of a newly introduced curriculum policy, the Curriculum and Standards Framework (CSF). Its purpose was to explore how a central policy impacted on individual schools and the processes that occurred within the school to transform CSF policy into classroom practice. It examines the way knowledge relating to CSF policy and other knowledge was transferred and used within schools and the factors that affected this process. The context in which this innovation occurred was examined before considering the determinants and outcomes of policy use. Recent knowledge utilisation theory in the area of policy innovation was used to refine ideas further. It was argued that a major determinant of CSF use was the characteristics of the CSF itself. From this a tentative three level conceptual model for CSF policy use was constructed. Variation in. use, it was reasoned, depended on local capacity to utilise curriculum knowledge. These arguments formed the basis of the research questions. A multiple case study approach was used to determine both the general pattern for CSF use and variations in use. An exploratory approach, gaining data from many sources within each of the sites over time, was utilised. Analysis of the data showed that the conceptual model was appropriate and a single factor, defined as "culture of change", accounted for most of the variation between sites. This factor was a conglomerate of sub-factors concerning structures, knowledge, processes and capabilities within individual school sites. In line with other similar studies, the thesis demonstrated the importance of local factors in policy use. The thesis goes further than other studies of this type by identifying the particular structures, practices and expertise that resulted in informed curriculum policy implementation through effective knowledge utilisation. In particular, the study demonstrated the importance of intensive structured professional interaction to maximise knowledge utilisation.
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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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ItemSkilling the Australian community: futures in public education : young people's perspectives( 1990)Young people were interviewed to ascertain their perceptions of Australia in the next ten years and what skills that they expected that school leavers [i.e. secondary school leavers] will need to have to cope with the future. The findings provided data for a national conference, sponsored by the Commission for the Future and the Australian Teachers' Federation, in Melbourne in April, 1966. The conference explored the demands on education as seen by representatives of six user groups of education, including industry, parents and students. The methodology was basically determined by the nature of the project. The young people reached an "agreed statement" for the project. Their attitude towards the future indicated uncertainty, anxiety and pessimism and that their lives will be increasingly controlled by impersonal technology. The young people believed that there are four main areas of skill development needed by school leavers to cope with the future. The areas are: Intellectual/academic, vocational, social and personal. Some details are provided for each of the skill areas. The young people believed that the development of these skills should be possible through the public education system. Consideration is given to the possibility of implementing student participation and school-work relationships - two of the areas seen as important for the skill development of young people. A scenario of public education in 1998 is provided as a starting point for deeper thought and consideration of the issues raised as a result of the opinions expressed by the young people on the skills needed to cope ten years into the future.
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ItemThe Schools Commission: national policies and administration in Australian schooling( 1992)The Schools Commission was the Australian Federal Government's policy making agency in schooling from 1973 until it was abolished in 1987. The creation of the Commission as an election promise of the incoming Australian Labor Party Government came after three decades of growing support for a national role in supporting schooling. The Interim Committee for the Australian Schools Commission established the funding programs and the main educational values followed by the Commission. The largest program provided recurrent resources to government and non-government schools or school systems, on the basis of need. The needs principle was compromised because funding targets were achieved by government schools earlier than anticipated and because from 1976 to 1982 the Government increased support to wealthier non-government schools in the face of contrary advice from the Commission. In 1985 the Government transferred the general resource programs away from the Commission following the report of the Quality of Education Review Committee, leaving the Commission with only its specific purpose programs which were directed to areas of special educational need. The Schools Commission's educational ideas all reflected well established issues in national schooling policy. They represented a policy elaboration of the two basic ideas that schooling should promote greater equality of opportunity and that it should be progressive and child-centred. Traditions in policy analysis and the sociology of education in Australia, Britain and the U.S.A. reflected changes in and informed the policy making environment of the Schools Commission and comparable international developments. Ultimately, however, an historical policy analysis reveals that broad theorisation fails to capture the dynamics and continuities in policy making. The first main set of policy notions of the Schools Commission concerns schooling and the nation. A close examination of these notions illustrates the development of the Schools Commission's ideas about the national purposes of schooling, schooling for citizenship and democracy, and equal outcomes and opportunities.
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ItemEducational curriculum policy-making and implementation in Sub-Saharan Africa: an international view on issues and concerns( 1992)This study is an international survey of issues and concerns in curriculum policy-making and implementation in Sub-Saharan African countries. The paper begins with a conceptual and theoretical framework that forms a network within which the various curricular concerns find bearing. Thereafter, there is a focus on what has been happening in the area of curriculum in these countries in the past twenty years. Recommendations arising from the review are included. Issues that relate to equity, relevance and distribution of curriculum which need to be given more attention are also considered. To address curricular problems in part of the region, the Pan-African Curriculum Policy Project was launched in 1991. A survey in the form of five questions formed the preliminary stage of the project. An analysis of responses is provided. The study concludes that African countries face similar problems in formulating and implementing curricular issues. There is a need to study these issues systematically and to establish and co-ordinate organisations that will devise means of addressing these issues. In the absence of continued input from without the continent, African countries need to look for solutions from within and to help each other in addressing these issues.
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ItemChanges in educational governance in England and Wales, 1978 to 1988( 1990)This thesis describes the changes in educational governance that took place in England and Wales from 1978 to 1988. The methodology used is the 'snapshot' approach which examines official policy documents combined with an analysis of relevant newspaper articles. The method facilitates the construction of 'Involvement Maps' which describe the governance structures and allows for a comparison of the involvement of interest groups in the decision making process. The thesis finds that during the ten year period, responsibility for educational processes was devolved, but that control was centralised. Also the direction of policy change, development and implementation were seen to be unaffected by a change from Socialist to Conservative central governments.
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ItemDevolution: the local selection of teachers in Victorian state schools( 1991)This thesis is concerned with the devolution of administrative powers from the Central Ministry to local school communities. In particular, the focus is upon removing the Ministry's staffing function and giving it to individual schools. This will mean that schools themselves will select their own teachers. A review of how Victoria has administered education is given commencing from Colonial times up until the present decade. This reveals that education began as the domain of the churches and that teachers were originally employed by local school communities. It was not until 1872 that a Department of Education was established in Victoria with teachers becoming centrally employed. This system of central employment has dominated State education ever since. However, several recent events have challenged the Ministry's traditional system of central staffing. These include the local selection of Principals and their Deputies beginning in 1984, and the local selection of a new category of teacher - Advanced Skills Teacher 1- in 1991. The present system of staffing is debated and a proposal for local staffing is advocated. It is suggested that individual schools are more acutely aware of their needs and that the present structure of the Ministry cannot cope with the individual needs of the States 2000 schools. Moreover, the rationale against local selection is no longer as valid or relevant as it may have been last century.