Faculty of Education - Theses
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ItemThe effectiveness of roleplay in changing disadvantaged students' attitude to schooling and to themselves( 1994)This study sets out to examine the relationship between the development of language and social competence. It draws on the theories of language development proposed by Chomsky, Piaget's cognition development and the sociolinguistic notions of Bruner, Vygotsky and Labov. The educational context of the study is that imposed by the policies developed by the Victorian Ministry of Education which requires schools to provide an inclusive curriculum to meet the needs of all students. For many secondary schools, groups of students, especially those who are disadvantaged by social and emotional difficulties place a great demand upon the existing structures and their needs are unfulfilled. A review of relevant literature on social competence and roleplay was undertaken which indicated that a program of communication and roleplay activities may address the needs of these students. Therefore this study has sought to examine the impact of such activities on the level of social competence of a group of disadvantaged students who were aggressive, cynical, disruptive and not participating in school life. This study was undertaken in a mainstream school in the Western Region of metropolitan Melbourne. Students who participated were pretested to establish their attitudes towards the use of aggression and power, established authority and cynicism level. After participating in a program of communication activities and reflective roleplays the students were tested again to determine the level of attitudinal change. The key findings of this study demonstrated that significant attitudinal change occurred in the participants and that they considered themselves to be better able to understand why existing constraints were in place. The study also indicated that a program which utilises roleplay and implemented within the also found that there communication activities can existing school organisation. It also found that there is a need for change in teacher perception and school structure to accommodate students with social/emotional difficulties.
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ItemThe political ramifications of changes in the delivery of nursing education in Victoria( 1993)The purpose of this research was to determine; whether, between 1974 and 1987, undergraduate Nursing education in the Colleges of Advanced Education tended to politicize the new recruits to the profession via curricula. whether those asked to participate in the research believed that there was a level of information being provided during their Nursing course which they considered to be political in nature. whether those asked to participate in the research believed that this level of information that they considered to be political in nature influenced their subsequent participation in activities which could be considered in turn to be political in nature. what constraints in the workplace were identified by those asked to participate in the research, which may have adversely effected any political activity they may have been involved in, or influenced by. whether there were any other real or conceptual factors not identified or not specifically addressed in the research which could have impacted on the research participants, and possibly influenced their responses, and thus, research outcomes. Subsequent to the research, the information obtained would be scrutinized for possible outcomes, ramifications and commented on. This process is more formerly addressed in the methodology.
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ItemStudent expectations of the future( 1992)Specific aims of the study To investigate how present-day students view the future and their place in the workforce of the future. To establish whether or not students regard their present educational experiences as an adequate preparation for their future work. To investigate acceptance of unconventional futures scenarios as possible futures.
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ItemThe attitudes and concerns of Catholic parish primary school principals and teachers toward the integration of students with disabilities into regular schools( 1997)This study was undertaken to identify' and compare the attitudes of Catholic Parish Primary School principals and teachers toward the integration of students with disabilities. The study also investigated variations in attitude toward integration for sub-groups of the principals and teachers. In addition, this study ascertained the concerns these educators have about the implementation of integration in their schools. A three part questionnaire was used to collect the data. It consisted of items relating to the background characteristics of the respondents and their schools, a modified version of the Attitude Toward Mainstreaming Scale (Berryman & Neal, 1980) and an open ended question eliciting educators' concerns about integration. Fifty five principals and 145 full time classroom teachers in the Northern Area of the Archdiocese of Melbourne responded to the questionnaire. T-tests were employed to compare the attitudes of the principals and teachers toward integration., Thematic analysis was used to examine the concerns of educators. Several major findings emerged from the study. Principals were found to hold more positive attitudes toward integration than classroom teachers. Principals were also significantly more positive than teachers toward the integration of students with severe disabilities. Younger principals held significantly more positive attitudes toward integration than older principals. No significant differences were identified for sub groups of the teacher sample. Similarity existed between the two groups of educators in terms of their expressed major concerns about integration. Lack of school based support personnel, funding and training, in that order, were recorded most frequently by both groups of educators.
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ItemVCE course development days, 1991 : an appraisal( 1992)This minor thesis traces the evolution and rationale of the development and implementation of the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) from its inception in 1987 to its first full year of operation in 1992. It outlines the design and operation of the professional development program undertaken to assist the implementation of the certificate. Its focus is an appraisal of the major element of the professional development program - the 1991 course development days. Three perspectives are offered in this account of the effectiveness of the 1991 course development days - a district evaluation, individual presenter's responses and a regional survey. The appraisal concludes with an overview and a set of recommendations for continuing professional development for VCE teachers beyond 1992.
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ItemA description and explanation of the differences in teacher culture in state secondary schools in Victoria( 1993)The Victorian state secondary education system has had, for many years, two divisions: the Technical School Division and the High School Division. Teachers operating in one system in most cases had very little to do with those in the other system and it has seemed that two distinct " teaching cultures" had developed. During the eighties and early nineties, substantial structural changes occurred within the state system which allowed teacher movement between the previous divisions and thus created the potential for conflict. Teachers from each division have been confronted with a teaching culture in many cases different from their own experiences. Each system historically existed for a different reason, offered different curricula and trained its teachers differently. Its raisond'etre changed as social conditions changed but the differences persisted. Its teaching staff seemed to develop ways of operating which marked them as distinctly "technical" or "high". A hypothesis was proposed which suggested that a teaching culture comprised two broad factors which then determined the sorts of school operations teachers were likely to be involved in. Thus it might be possible to group people with similar backgrounds and experiences into a technical school culture and others into a high school culture. To understand if a difference existed between technical and high school teachers, qualitative research was undertaken using interviews with six people who equally represented each division, who were varied in their teaching subjects and who had recently come to a new school where a new teaching culture had not yet been established. The data collected was verified by the interviewees and recorded on a data chart. It was found that the cultures were not clearly technical or high school, but rather based more around practical and non-practical teaching subject orientation. In this sense it would see that there might be as much difference in the culture of teaching groups within a school as in the culture between the two types of school. It could be proposed that the apparent differences between the two systems may well have depended more on the different nature of the teaching, in that one system valued practicality more than the other.
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ItemA study of religious education in Catholic secondary schools : attitudes of students, content, methodology and gender issues( 1999)The subject of Religious Education (RE) is the one feature distinguishing Catholic Schools from Government Schools. It is a unique subject because its impact on students' lives is long-lasting and important. The factors influencing students' attitudes and perceptions of RE are examined in this study. Two of the main factors researched here include the content of Religious Education lessons and the methodology employed by teachers, as perceived by students. Marked differences in the gender responses of students were observed to be very significant and these are discussed and explored. Recommendations for possible ways of addressing these disparities are also included.
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ItemDeveloping an educational vision : fusing primary and secondary horizons( 1998)The middle school has been the focus of considerable policy scrutiny at national and state levels in education in the last decade. As students move through school, attitudes to their educational environment and school management change particularly in the middle years - years 5-8. A number of large scale studies imply the benefits that would flow in transferring primary pedagogy and institutional practices to secondary classes in overcoming what has been seen as an early alienation of secondary schooling. This longitudinal case study seeks to explore changes in the various components of the quality of school life between primary and secondary school which exist in a primary school year 6 and secondary school year 7. In this collaborative research, data is gathered from the students' perspectives about their views on transition for their common primary school in year 6 to three secondary schools in year 7. The 'real world' of students, in their school context, is explored through the use of survey and direct contact in the form of interviews and discussion with students and teachers. The research, unlike some larger sample statistical surveys, suggests that improvement in the quality of middle school life in years 6 and 7 would be facilitated by a two way flow of ideas, experiences and enthusiasm.
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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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ItemThe reorganisation of learning in the middle school : teacher positioning, affiliations and departmental influences( 1997)Recent emphasis on whole school planning and professional development models seems to ignore the embedded and embodied social reality of departmental subcultures in secondary schools. This research suggests however that while departments may be potent primary sites for decision making where much professional knowledge can be assumed and is codified in tradition, interdisciplinary initiatives may be more effective in changing a school's footing. Where a more fundamental repositioning of the school is intended the social and organisational "apparatus" must be imminent, reproduced moment by moment in the conversational action of the teachers and carried through time, not as abstract schemata, but as current understandings of past and present conversations that transcend action. This thesis is a study of eminent change in the organisation of the school in the form of an integrated curriculum unit (I.C.U.) introduced in Year 7 in an independent Years K-12 College. It is concerned with the imbeddedness of school culture in the restricted discursive practices of teachers in their subject departments and focuses on the process and possibilities for fundamental change in the middle school curriculum. The study is framed by the organisational tensions felt by three of the author's colleagues who with the author were key members of the I.C.U. team. These were the tensions between their subject department roles and the humanistic positions the teachers were espousing in conversations with the author as they discussed a joint reconstruction of new middle school curriculum. It is a study of an attempt at a number of management levels to transform the educational emphasis, institutional practices and societal rhetorics in secondary education. The three teacher colleagues were surveyed and interviewed about the influence of departmental subcultures on the organisation and restructuring of learning in the middle school. Background contextual data on teacher's departmental affiliations is included along with the student's perceptions of the humanistic goals of the I.C.U. program. A variety of methodologies were employed to provide a more comprehensive picture of this curriculum enterprise in a secondary school within a dominant departmental structure. The study does not provide solutions for others to adopt, rather the narratives describe the problems faced by teachers in acting in ways beyond those ascribed to them in their institutional roles in subject departments.