Faculty of Education - Theses
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ItemTeachers' perceptions and expectations of religious and lay principals in Catholic secondary schools in the Melbourne metropolitan area(University of Melbourne, 2004)Catholic education is in the middle of a time of change, as the Religious, who have led Catholic schools throughout Australia for over a century, now pass on the leadership of the majority of Catholic schools to Lay teachers. The role of Catholic Principal needs to be reconsidered, especially with reference to the Religious role. This research explored teachers' perceptions of Religious and Lay Principals by exploring three research questions: 1. What do teachers value in a Catholic secondary school Principal? 2. How do teachers see the role of a Catholic secondary school Principal? 3. Are the answers to Questions One and Two different depending on whether teachers are considering a Religious or a Lay Principal? A survey of the teaching staff of five Catholic secondary schools in metropolitan Melbourne was conducted. There were 262 surveys returned for a response rate of approximately 65 percent. Results indicated that overall teachers value strong leadership, approachability and a humanness in Principals. Teachers see the main role of a Principal as creating a culture of learning within the school, and value a Principal who has contact with students both inside and outside the classroom. Overall, there were very few differences in the expectations teachers have of Religious and Lay Principals, with the exception of religious leadership, religious knowledge and experience. While most teachers believe it is quite desirable, the majority of teachers felt it was neither important nor unimportant for a school to have a Religious Principal.
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ItemGender specificity of mathematical test item types : a comparison between the Netherlands and Australia(University of Melbourne, 2004)Gender differences in performance have been reported for Dutch students, both in their. national testing and in the Third International Mathematics and Science Study. These differences have been evident for grade 6 Dutch students both in overall performance, with boys outperforming girls, and for particular item types. Similar gender differences have not been reported for Australian students. The rationale of this study was to compare the gender specificity of types of mathematical test items in the performance of a sample of grade 6 Australian students with that reported for students from the Netherlands. Whilst the results of other testing seem to indicate otherwise, findings from this study suggest that gender equality in performance may not be able to be assumed for Australian students completing primary school. The markedly better performance of boys on a measurement question involving the change of units, and the better performance of girls on questions involving the accurate use of algorithms seem to indicate that there are types of items which function differently for girls and boys in Australia as well as in the Netherlands. The importance of this study lies in this unexpected difference in performance of Australian boys and girls on these item types as. well as the marked similarities found with the gender specificity of item types reported in the Netherlands. It may be that the gender differences in mathematical achievements reported for Dutch primary school students are not unusual, but may reflect gender-specific tendencies in mathematical thinking from a wider international perspective.
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ItemTeachers' storytelling techniques and comprehension of narratives in Singaporean preschool children( 2004)There is growing body of evidence supporting the many connections between competent comprehension of narratives and the effective use of storytelling strategies. This study d?fines the cluster of concepts related to storytelling and narrative comprehension in young children and synthesizes the research on the role of storytelling in children's language development, in this case, the development of narrative comprehension. A critical review on storytelling beliefs and practices of preschool teachers in Singapore revealed that the espoused theories of the benefits of effective storytelling have not been distinguished from their own practices in the classrooms. This is due to a set of mitigating circumstances. The study notes the teachers' changing attitudes towards the use of more engaging storytelling techniques as emerging evidence suggest that a more engaging storytelling approach facilitates children's perspective taking and later abstract thought. This research also notes that there is a need for an inclusion of a more comprehensive storytelling course in the present Early Childhood training programme, thus identifying implications for understanding preschool teachers' development as storytellers. This study provides direction for further research in children's responses to storytelling.
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ItemGraduate nurse preceptorship( 2004)Recent research has established that the supervision relationship is the single most important factor for the effectiveness of any professional supervision (Kilminster & Jolly 2000). However there is a lack of reliable research identifying the effects of supervision in health care and, until recently, little research in Australia or internationally acknowledging the effectiveness of supervision specifically in acute health care settings (Sloan 1998, Palsson, Hallberg & Norberg 1994, Begat, Severisson & Berggren 1997, Hyrkas, Koivula & Paunomen 1999). The established research highlights the importance of developing Australian based graduate preceptorship research, particularly from the perspective of the graduate nurse and nurse preceptor, focusing on these nurses' experiences in the context of the acute health care setting. This pilot study was therefore intended to provide insights into the effectiveness of the preceptor in the supervision role within the Australian acute healthcare setting. The primary focus of this project was to ascertain the extent to which nurse preceptors effectively address graduate nurses' professional needs. The data collected in this study enabled the identification, exploration and cross checking of shared and alternate themes, and the development of a theoretical framework, encompassing these participants' graduate preceptorship experiences, incorporating a range of interrelationships and interactions.
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ItemCreativity in literacy : making meaning in the middle years( 2004)Literacy is often described as either a social phenomenon or a functional one - it is rarely viewed as an imaginative or creative phenomenon. Yet the processes involved in the development of literate identities are akin to roleplay; readers and writers try on different stances as they engage in various ways with diverse texts, and this requires a capacity for imaginative projection. A `creative age' has been proclaimed in Western societies. Creativity and high levels of literacy are prized for their perceived capacity to fit people for the anticipated rapidly changing circumstances of the future. However, while vast resources are devoted to developing literacy in education, aspects of schooling may discourage creativity, and, indeed, the kind of literacy (or 'literacies') required for this new era. This thesis argues that much might be gained by reconsidering imagination and creativity for educational purposes. It recounts psychological approaches to studying creativity, which, despite limitations, have led to a model that is useful for identifying the `locus of creativity' - a systems model of creativity (Feldman, Csikszentmihalyi & Gardner, 1994). This model is re-evaluated so as to theorise a systems model of student creativity. The term `literacy' has come to signify many different things in education, and the complexity of the phenomenon is discussed to show how imagination and creativity are integral to it. An acknowledgment of their role offers exciting possibilities for middle years curriculum in particular. This investigation into the place of imagination and creativity in literacy involved the analysis of `official' curriculum documents and of two case studies - one Year 9 and one Grade 5/6 teacher and their English/literacy classes. This permitted observations of the ways in which curriculum is enacted in classrooms. The fieldwork revealed data about common constructions of creativity, and where it inheres in literacy.
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ItemThe morning after : a novella based on a study of a drama performance exploring young people's views of teenage pregnancy( 2004)This thesis is in two parts. Firstly I describe my research, which centred on a Drama performance devised for the 2002 Monash Schools Drama Festival. The performance project was coordinated by myself, as the school Drama teacher, and involved twelve students from Years 9 and 10. The performance focused on the theme of teenage pregnancy and explored some of the difficulties a young girl encounters when faced with an unplanned pregnancy. The story created for the performance project then became the basis for the second part of this thesis, a novella - 'The Morning After'. As a practitioner teacher-researcher, I collected data through interviews with my students and observations of their work in drama as they created the storyline and constructed the performance for the Monash Drama Festival. Through the process of discussion and improvisation, students revealed their perceptions, life experiences, questions and concerns around the issue of teenage pregnancy. These insights were reflected in the play and then this data was analyzed, organized into themes, interpreted and transformed into the novella - The Morning After'. This study reveals a need for more effective forums for discussing sex education and teenage relationships and pregnancy with young people in schools. The Morning After' aims to preserve the story at the heart of the students' play by offering it in fictional form to other young people.
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ItemApproaching the undiscussable : investigating learning in an educational policy making organisation( 2004)This study investigates the learning culture in the Professional Support & Curriculum Directorate, part of the policy-making section of the New South Wales Department of Education in Australia. It is based on the premise that organisations learn through the collaborative efforts of the staff who work in them. This learning results from an alignment of two theories: the 'espoused' and the 'enacted'. The 'espoused' theory represents the organisation's intent and usually resides in written documents. The 'enacted' theory is demonstrated through the organisation's practice. When these theories fail to align, the organisation's capacity to learn becomes inhibited. The gap between these two theories is 'undiscussable'. It creates tensions that the organisation does not discuss. The participants in this study were staff members located in the Professional Support & Curriculum Directorate. They included administrative and support staff as well educators and the Directorate's leaders. Data were gathered from these staff members using a survey and interviews. By comparing and contrasting their perceptions and experiences of the Directorate's 'espoused' and 'enacted' theories, the study describes the nature of the Directorate's learning culture and its effect on the staff. A model for learning in organisations, derived from the literature, provided the theoretical frame for this investigation. The study identified that the respondents experienced tension in their practice because their 'espoused' theories did not align with the Directorate's 'enacted' theories. This tension represented four 'undiscussables' or processes that hindered its learning: absence of trust, treating knowledge as a product, harmful 'knowledge-power' relationships and a 'failure' to examine critically the educational and socio-political assumptions on which its work was based. The study concludes with a description of the type of learning organisation that the Professional Support & Curriculum Directorate could become if it discussed these undiscussables constructively.
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ItemThe admission process and initial performance of mature-age students who enter higher education via non-academic routes( 2004)This study examined a subgroup of mature-age students who had entered university via non-academic routes. The study sought to identify the group; examine the admissions processes used and the efficacy of the Special Tertiary Admissions Test (STAT) within those processes; and explore how the students performed in their first year of study. For the purposes of the study, 'non-academic background' was defined as non-completion of secondary school and/or limited study since leaving school. Data was gathered from a subgroup of applicants through VTAC, and from three case study Schools, via student questionnaires, staff and student interviews and general results data. Only small numbers of mature-age students from non-academic backgrounds enter university, consistently about 3 - 5 per cent of the first year population across Australia. This is a smaller rate than in the past. While the focus of admissions requirements is based on evidence of academic ability, there are still routes available for applicants to provide other forms of evidence. STAT remains a well-regarded instrument for providing evidence of academic potential. On the basis of the study's findings, the admission of students from non-academic backgrounds appears to be a worthwhile exercise, both for the university, which gains committed, high performing students, and for the students themselves, who are able to achieve personal success while preparing for a career change that they hope will be satisfying.
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ItemEvaluation recommendations : what works?( 2004)This is an exploratory study, which aims at gaining a better understanding of the characteristics of effective recommendations and how these characteristics affect utilisation. Recommendations under scrutiny were selected from four performance audit reports made by the Victorian Auditor General's Office (VAGO). Despite the importance and potential in increasing the use of evaluation findings, recommendations have received little attention from evaluators and evaluation researchers. The gap in the literature with regards to what clients look for in evaluation recommendations prompted this study. A qualitative research design involving a case study approach was considered appropriate for this research since it had the capacity to provide a considerable amount of descriptive data. Feedback from the audited agencies were first analysed to ascertain the acceptance rate of the recommendations from each report. A taxonomy of recommendations was then developed. Subsequently, document analysis and interviews were conducted with staff from audited agencies and VAGO to determine why recommendations were accepted (or rejected). Issues that emerged from the data collected were drawn together to highlight the overall strengths and weaknesses of VAGO's recommendations, and to deduce the characteristics of effective recommendations. Furthermore, this research highlights the role played by the types of recommendations, quality of recommendations and efforts of the evaluator in influencing acceptance and utilisation. The thesis concludes by presenting a recommendation utilisation theory, which postulates how the characteristics of recommendations influence their acceptance and utilisation
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ItemThe School as a core social centre( 2004)This case study of the "Schools as Core Social Centres Project" explores the experience of three inner-city Catholic primary schools in implementing a whole-school approach to student wellbeing. Their journey is charted through their participation in a Catholic Education Office, Melbourne and Victorian Health Promotion Foundation funded project that focuses on the role of the schools in building social capital through the promotion of school community partnerships. The principle underpinning the project, and this research study, is that the participation of parents and the community in the life of the school will contribute to improved student wellbeing through the promotion of school community connectedness. The research study charts the schools' current practice in relation to student wellbeing and school community partnerships at the beginning of the project and the journey that the three schools undertook over the first twelve months of their participation in the project. The hopes and aspirations of the schools and the key funding stakeholders are explored, as is the role of the project officer. Developing a shared understanding of, and commitment to, the concept of a whole-school approach to student wellbeing was essential to the process of change. The case study provides a snapshot of the schools at the twelve month point of the project.
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