Faculty of Education - Theses
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ItemA case study in identifying institutional influences on why female students at a private co-educational school do not elect to study Information Technology at senior secondary level( 2000)This thesis is a study of the patterns of female enrolment in Information Technology in a co-educational private school in the Eastern suburbs of Melbourne. What makes this school so interesting is that few girls elect to take any of the Information Technology subjects in Years 11 and 12. This study set out to explore the reasons for these striking statistics in the light of the research which has already been undertaken as well as indicating areas for future research. The first chapter provides a basic introduction to the study outlining the context in which the research took place. Chapter Two sums up the theoretical writings and research findings conducted by others in the field of females not studying Information Technology. What emerges is that the literature is categorized into the seven factors and each factor is discussed in turn. Chapter Three outlines the method of evaluation of the history of the introduction of Computer Science at Wrixon Grammar. The method of evaluation was by case study. The case study which is Chapter Four reconstructs the history and development of Computer Science at Wrixon Grammar. Chapter Five analyses the case study in Chapter Four and compares it to the current literature in Chapter Two. The seven factors which became apparent in Chapter Two form the basis for the analysis. The findings suggest that rather than identifying only sociological factors in the reasons why females do not elect to study Information Technology, more research needs to be conducted on school based/institutional factors which have an impact on Information Technology enrolments. In the final chapter, the conclusions and recommendations for further research and practice are presented.
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ItemA journey in language teaching and learning( 2000)This study is a journey of teaching and learning. I describe my own language learning and my entry into the second language teaching profession. Over my years of teaching as a secondary teacher of French and German and a German Method tutor I have experienced the vicissitudes of differing language teaching methodologies and language acquisition theories. The study emanates from my growing concerns with student second language learning based on the experience gained by mid-career as I saw students flounder and become disaffected. In my reflections I searched for mediating tools to provide greater self-regulation in student learning. I felt the need to strengthen the pedagogical relation (van Manen, 1991, 1994) in a trialogue between the teacher, the students and the subject domain of the German language (Roberts, 1996). To better respond to my teaching and learning responsibilities I undertook this study using the metaphor of my journey of teaching and my students' journey of learning. My own language learning experiences form the background as I embarked on a language teaching career. During my professional life I have experienced the methodological swings which influenced the language teaching scene. I consequently developed an eclectic method of teaching. However, I continue to seek the epistemological and ontological assumptions underlying my teaching. The study arises in the context of the 1990's when Australian Federal and State Government policy statements on the school curriculum implied that in the future all students in Australian schools should continue second language studies through the compulsory years. These students are faced with multi-faceted influences on their learning and adjustments to second language teaching practice are required. Australia's English-speaking heritage and isolation result in resistance to second languages. The translation of words, meanings and cultures is an operation fraught with risk for students who fear both new associations and rupture with their own life systems and identity. Language teaching has to embody a sympathy for the students' feelings and a pathway to make their learning more meaningful as they seek to establish their personal identity in German. I have attempted to reposition myself in my classes to foster the pedagogical relation so that my affection and commitment can make the translation of words, meanings and the German culture more accessible to my students. In exploring my students' learning strategies based on Oxford's (1986) classification I enter into a conversation with the students in two classes, Year 7 and Year 10, of a Melbourne girls' school as they progress on their journey of language learning. Their developmental needs and attitudes require responses in social situations that are meaningfully situated and enhance recognised learning strategies that mediate learning and motivation. The reflective inquiry pursues a dialogue between situated activity and mental processing in the classroom. In small group settings students engage in self-expressive activities (Prawat, 1998) that promote student self-identity and also link the dual domains of learning and motivation. The design of the group work tasks enable students to develop in the "Zone of Proximal Development" (Vygotsky, 1978). Support is offered through scaffolding, intersubjectivity and the use of mediational tools. As the students and I reflect on their learning and affective positioning we move towards a growing awareness of strategic learning that can foster increasing self-regulation in the students' learning and an increasing appreciation of German.
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ItemThe good language learner: students of Italian in an Australian secondary school( 2000)The present study profiles nine high school good language learners in an Australian Year 8 Italian class. These learners were making good progress in assessment tasks and tests and indicating a desire to continue with their language study beyond the compulsory years. There were no obvious attributes among them to explain their success. The central focus was to examine the notion of the good language learner in the school context and to ascertain whether there exist common personal characteristics and commonly employed learning strategies. The overall objective was to identify factors which might usefully be taught to enhance the success of many other learners. The findings reveal that the support of family and friends are pre-eminent factors in the learners' motivation and success, and that the learners exhibit a range of language learning strategies. The present group was too small to be statistically significant and further research is required to check these findings. However, the study does suggest that although some important factors may lie beyond their reach, there are ways teachers may foster the success of all students through establishing a certain classroom culture and providing strategy training.
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ItemThe implementation of a personal development curriculum program in a boys' secondary school( 2000)his research project is investigating the implementation of a personal development curriculum program that has a cognitive-behavioural basis in a year 8 Pastoral/Personal Development (PPD) subject in a boys' secondary school. The Gatehouse Project curriculum program was used as a framework for the PPD program. This curriculum approach is designed to be integrated into other curriculum contexts. It is based on helping young people deal with difficult emotions by teaching them the key skill of reframing negative, unhelpful self-talk so that they can think, feel and act more optimistically. This project explores the factors that influence the effectiveness of the implementation of this personal development program in the masculine dominant culture of a boys' school through qualitative research methods: field observations, questionnaires and interviews. A commonly held perception of boys is that they are uncomfortable talking about feelings and consider any setting in which they do so to be 'sissy' and effeminate, and therefore not acceptable. The factors identified in this research are described under the themes of the boys' culture, the classroom climate, the teacher factor and the school culture. The macho culture in this boys-only setting influenced the ability of the boys to discuss feelings and sensitive issues in the classroom and the acceptance of the curriculum approach and curriculum context. These insights enable some recommendations to be made for the future development of the Pastoral/Personal Development program in the school and for the rewriting of the Gatehouse Project materials for use in a boys only setting.