Faculty of Education - Theses
Permanent URI for this collection
Search Results
1 - 6 of 6
-
ItemThe academic achievements of language centre students at a secondary college( 2001)What are the academic achievements of adolescent new-arrival English as a Second Language (ESL) students at secondary schools in Victoria, Australia? Research on Non-English Speaking Background (NESB) students in Australia has tended to neglect new arrival ESL students. To examine the academic achievements of this important subgroup of NESB students, the current study will highlight the academic achievements of a cohort of Victorian Language Centre students at a Secondary College over six years with interruption to schooling in their first language (L1) as the key variable linked to academic achievement in their second language (L2). Victorian Language Centres provide new-arrival ESL students with the English skills they need to start their secondary educations in L2. The current study examined the academic achievement of two groups of Language Centre students, those who completed their Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) and those who left the Secondary College prior to completing VCE. Their academic results were summarised into spreadsheets for quantitative analysis. Subsequent to the quantitative analysis interviews were conducted with four ESL students from the Language Centre currently completing their VCE studies to provide further insight into the factors that enabled them to do their VCE. Results indicate that the academic achievements of this cohort of ESL Language Centre students are poor and that interruption to education in Ll had a major impact on the students' ability to achieve academically at the Secondary College. The study suggests that L1 education is the key variable influencing the student's ability to acquire the academic language skills necessary to meet the academic demands of secondary education, particularly the VCE. Other factors such as support for learning and strong motivation were found to help students overcome difficulties encountered in their secondary education. However, students who were unable to overcome these difficulties left the College prior to completing VCE. It was concluded that the majority of Language Centre students faced uncertain economic futures once they left the Secondary College. The results of the study suggest that Language Centre students need more support and assistance to enable them to complete VCE or to access educational alternatives to the VCE. This study also suggests that more research into the effect of L1 education on L2 education be conducted as this was found to be the key variable in the students' ability to acquire the academic language skills necessary to meet the academic demands of VCE.
-
ItemHawthorn Leadership Assessment Centre : a case study of assessors' perceptions( 2001)The implementation of the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) Assessment Centre at Hawthorn Leadership Assessment Centre (HLAC) is a part of The University of Melbourne s post-graduate syllabus. At the completion of an assessment centre assessors were interviewed. Their perceptions indicate that H LAC is an effective professional development activity for participants and assessors alike. This finding emerged through the implementation of a semi structured interview schedule. The study also found that assessors believed a more culturally relevant model reflective of local practice be explored or incorporated into the franchised NASSP model.
-
ItemA program theory of the Bushfire blitz program( 2001)Program theory has become increasingly prominent in evaluation in recent years. The thesis explores the notion of program theory by examining the writings of several evaluators and attempts to distill the key elements of a comprehensive model of program theory from a realist perspective. This model of program theory is used as a basis to develop a program theory of the Bushfire Blitz program, a community-based education and advice program intended to increase residents' preparedness to deal with the bushfire risk. The thesis reviews literature in the fields of risk perception, risk communication and the adoption of precautionary behaviours. Several evaluation studies of Bushfire Blitz are also considered. The findings from the literature review and the review of evaluation studies are synthesised to develop a program theory of Bushfire Blitz. The thesis examines how individuals and communities respond to risk, the nature of preparedness for the bushfire risk and decision making processes in response to risk. Examination of these aspects is essential in order to understand how the Bushfire Blitz program can bring about change in both individual and community response to the bushfire risk. The program theory developed in the thesis highlights the importance of several crucial aspects of realist approaches to evaluation such as the role of psychosocial mechanisms, the nature of program effects at both micro and macro levels, and the effects of contextual complexity on the program. The program theory provides guidance for program improvement and the basis for on-going evaluation of Bushfire Blitz and similar programs to address the risk from natural hazards.
-
ItemNew tools for an old craft : introducing information and communication technologies to Victorian schools( 2001)Many teachers in Victorian schools are using information and communication technologies (ICT's) in their teaching. This study investigates the relationship between the use of ICT's and teachers' work practices. The first part of the thesis (sections one and two) outlines the prevailing stories associated with ICT's and the various perspectives on technology. Different perspectives of technology are explored to show how they influence what we believe can be achieved with the use of ICT's in the classroom. The second part of the thesis (sections three and four) uses actor network theory (ANT) to build a local network of teachers and machines. The aim is to show that the relationship between teachers and ICT's may be better conceived as a 'sociotechnical' network of people and technical objects. The work concludes by examining the political implications of a sociotechnical network on the practices of teaching and explores the available opportunities for teachers to re-fashion their craft.
-
ItemVision and reality: what are the experiences and perceptions of overseas students enrolled in a year 13 Foundation Studies course in business offered in a city university?( 2001)Internationalization has become one of the 'buzzwords' in Australian education. For most Australian educational institutions, internationalization meant an unprecedented influx of overseas students enrolling in their courses. This thesis will consider the mismatch of expectations between students from the Asia-Pacific region in a tertiary education institution in Australia. What is the mismatch of expectations? What is its extent? How does it come to exist? How does it manifest itself? These questions have been explored in focus group discussions with students from the Asia-Pacific region currently attending a Year 13 Foundation Studies course in a city university. The research found a mismatch between student and staff expectations due to miscommunication and cultural values.
-
ItemAnalysing and treating test item nonresponse( 2001)This study uses an empirical and normative methodology to analyse the effects and various treatments of nonresponse on the measurement of student ability in large scale educational achievement studies. The primary focus of the study is an empirical analysis of disturbances introduced into psychometric measurement by the presence and treatment of nonresponse. This focus is balanced by a normative analysis of the possible implications of a series of psychometric treatments of nonresponse on students' response strategy and on the conduct of standardised testing. Initially, the scope, focus and research questions of the current study are outlined. Second, the research perspectives used to study nonresponse and used in this thesis are reviewed. Third, nonresponse is defined and distinguished from other forms of test item missing data. Methods proposed for analysing and treating test item nonresponse are considered, and the six treatments examined in this thesis are presented. The methodology underpinning the current analysis is then presented. This study investigates the empirical performance of each of these treatments using data from a crossnational test of Reading ability. After presenting the characteristics of the test and sample, the assumptions and methods underpinning analysis of the treatments are described. First, item response theory and Rasch measurement are discussed. Second, the nonresponse treatments are considered in more depth. Finally, the psychometric and statistical methods used to evaluate the treatments are presented. Results describing the distributions of nonresponse in the samples and the characteristics of student ability estimates under each of the treatments are presented. Next, the psychometric, response strategy and situational implications of each treatment are discussed. The relative merits of these treatments are summarised in conclusion, and implications for research and practice are considered.