Faculty of Education - Theses
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ItemA cross-age comparative investigation of students' attitudes towards computers as a tool to support learning in years 7-12 science classes( 2000)This thesis documents a cross-age comparative investigation of students' attitudes towards computers as a tool to support learning in Years 7 - 12 science classes. The study was set at the secondary school campus of an independent girls' school in Victoria. The secondary school is broken into three relatively autonomous groups, the Junior Secondary School (JSS), the Middle School (MS) and the Senior School (SS). Data was collected by a survey administered to 1215 students in Years 7 -12 science classes. Results of the survey were analysed using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and post hoc Bonferonni analyses. This study aimed to investigate the ways computers are used in science classes. Word processing and the internet were the most common computer uses across the school. A comparison of students in JSS, MS and SS's preferred frequency of use of computers in science classes was undertaken. JSS students preferred to use their computers more frequently in science classes when compared to MS and SS students. An investigation of the uses of computers in science classes that students found beneficial to their learning of science concepts was undertaken and compared across the three school groups. Students' attitudes towards computers as tools to support learning in the science classroom was investigated. The majority of students in all school groups felt the computer was a beneficial support for learning when completing assignment work and was a beneficial tool for presentation. However, it depended on the number of years of computer experience in science classes as to whether students felt the computer was of benefit to their learning of theory or practical work. Aspects of computer use at school in general, that students liked or disliked was determined. The stage of the curriculum that students were currently in, was the major determinant for the students' attitudes towards the use of computers as a support for learning.
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ItemSlave, master, tool, stalking horse or silver bullet? : the transformational potential of computers in English teaching( 2000)The study that follows is a 'down the track' case study of the impact on one teacher of the English/LOTE Unit of the professional development program Computers Across the Secondary Curriculum (CASC). Its aim was to examine the effect of learning technology on the teacher's pedagogic beliefs and practices. This was achieved by examination of the teacher's selection, planning, staging and scaffolding of learning and her metaphors for teaching and for technology. The effect of the introduction of the computer in the classroom on teacher student relationships was explored from the teacher's perspective. As the study developed it came also to examine the psychological relationship between teacher and computer, the potential of learning technologies to re-imagine the English curriculum and the role of human agency in transforming the structures and icons of the discipline. Data was collected through in-depth conversations and augmented by classroom observation, analysis of teacher curriculum materials, and teacher reflection. The study is highly situated. It does not seek to offer epistemic claims beyond its own setting. In this context it transfers focus from descriptive to normative research. It aims to add to the dialogue about what constitutes good English teaching through computers, and to advocate the importance of dialogic practitioner research within this quest. Finally it seeks to open a conversation to which others may choose to connect.
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ItemFrench LogoWriter language and foreign language learning( 1996)This study examines the possible effect of the French version of LogoWriter programming language on the French language proficiency of students in year seven who are studying French as a foreign language. It adds to the computer assisted language learning (CALL) debate by studying the place of an artificial language (French LogoWriter) in the second/foreign language classroom. It also examines other possible factors which may influence language learning and suggests further areas of study in foreign language learning and computer technology.
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ItemComputer education curricula for secondary schools( 1983)Educationally the nineteen eighties may well be remembered as the decade in which computers were introduced, in a planned and co-ordinated fashion, into the primary and secondary schools of Victoria. Throughout this thesis it is argued that while the planning and co-ordination have begun, they are a long way from being educationally satisfactory or effective. In particular, the need for the development of a broad curriculum to cater for the teaching and learning of Computer Education throughout the years of secondary schooling is examined, and a course proposal outlined. The concept of "curriculum" is discussed. A number of definitions are cited, and several traditional and current curriculum models are examined in the light of what might best suit Computer Education. Because Computer Education is a new subject, its introduction into the education system must be considered on a school-wide basis, rather than simply as a separate entity at one level such as year twelve. The arguments being put forward by the protagonists of course development within individual schools, as opposed to centralised development and dissemination, are examined and ultimately rejected for the introduction of Computer Education. One important aspect of curriculum development concerns the relationship that exists between the subject matter to be learned and the pedagogical methods to be used. It is now generally accepted that content, sequences and methods will vary according to the stage of development or educational maturity, of the learner. However many teachers are unaware of the differences that may exist between the logical development of a subject and the development that is most appropriate for the secondary school student. This is evidenced by the many text books and curricula that plunge, almost from the very beginning, into teaching the novice student how to write a computer program. Other problems, both existing and potential, that Computer Education curriculum developers must apply themselves to include the un-necessary duplication of content between Computer Education and other subjects, the advisability of integrating Computer Education into existing subjects for at least the first three years of secondary schooling, and the difficulty of obtaining suitable hardware and software at a realistic cost to schools. The curriculum proposal contained in this thesis considers the years from upper primary to the completion of secondary schooling, and assumes that some authority, for example VISE, would have ultimate control over the content at year twelve level. In the early years of secondary schooling the emphasis would be on students using prepared programs for tutoring, simulation, exploration and recreation. During this period every student would learn to use a computer in a variety of modes and in several subject areas. Programming would be taught when and if the need arose, unless students elected to take a Computer Science subject at year eleven level or later. Finally, the problems relating to the training of teachers are investigated. To prepare every teacher for the introduction of computers into secondary schools, considerable changes must be made immediately to existing preservice courses for both primary and secondary teachers. As well, the method and content and duration of inservice activities would need to be rethought, redesigned and given a much higher priority than at present.
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ItemA study of the use of computer managed instruction in the teaching of Fortran( 1974)Like many other studies of the effectiveness (in the cognitive domain) of innovatory teaching methods, this study revealed that for the sample of students involved, there were no statistically significant differences in the test scores obtained by the experimental group using a programmed text, when compared to the scores of those who learnt Fortran by the traditional lecture method. However, for the purposes of this study, such a finding is not of great importance per se; it was necessary as a first step to ensure that students using the individualised learning method were not academically disadvantaged. Certainly, the students who used the CMI exercises with traditional lectures (Group 2) performed better on the final examination than those who used the traditional exercises; the CMI exercises can therefore be claimed to be of positive benefit to the students. (From conclusions)