Faculty of Education - Theses
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ItemTaking social capital into account when implementing educational policy : implications of the Kirby report for social capital in Ironbark( 2002)There is a growing body of research around the concept of social capital that suggests that there are connections evident in relation to successful educational achievement and employment, and high rates of social capital. Social connectedness - one of the outcomes of having social capital - is held to be very important for young people of post-compulsory school age, particularly in the current economic climate. This exploratory study will examine the problem: What can social capital mean in post-compulsory education policy, and in the manifestation of that policy?' This study examines The Ministerial Review of Post Compulsory Education and Training Pathways in Victoria, commonly referred to as The Kirby Report. Kirby takes the view that the links are strong between community and social values, the economic future of the state, and educational outcomes for young people. Within this report and its recommendations, the concept of social capital and its contribution to building community values is deemed to be one of the broad requirements of the community in relation to young people and their experiences in education and training. The concept of social capital and the effects of the growth or reduction of social capital within rural communities is also examined, and it is the links between social capital, the implementation of the recommendations of a report such as Kirby, and the ramifications of these links for a rural town in North-East Victoria of 2,500 residents, that provide the framework for this study.
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ItemEnhancing student learning through mentoring: an action research study( 2001)Mentoring has been used throughout history to develop each person through interaction with a 'wiser', usually older, other. In January 2000 I set up a mentoring program for students enrolled in the Diploma of Hospitality (Management) Conventions/Exhibitions course to enhance their learning and provide them with links to the Meetings Industry. Using an action research methodology, this research aimed to identify the processes necessary for establishing an effective mentoring program for students and explore the circumstances in which particular mentees come to `belong' to the industry. The mentoring program was established for three consecutive groups of mentors and mentees. The action research approach used planning, acting, observing, reflecting and re-planning in relation to each successive mentoring program. Data were collected through focus groups held with mentors and mentees and in journals kept by myself and mentees. Actions were planned to improve the mentoring program, based on interpretations of the data from each group, and these were explored in practice with each subsequent group. Based on the interpretation of data collected and analysed, the major insights gained in this study are that, for an effective mentoring program in this context, mentees need opportunities to choose their own mentors, negotiate their Mentoring Agreements and become involved in real workplace activities. I argue that, in order to help build mentees' identities of confidence, competence and belonging to the Meetings Industry, mentoring programs need to provide: ways of enabling mentees to network with and/or become informed about potential mentors with whom, and with whose workplace, they can easily identify - this then informs their choice of mentor; structured opportunities for mentees to plan and negotiate potential learning experiences with their mentors, giving them substantial ownership of the mentoring process; and real work experiences and other forms of participation for mentees, from which they can develop new skills, knowledge and attitudes appropriate to the industry.