Faculty of Education - Theses
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ItemClinical congruence : where graduate nurse clinical reality meets organisational clinical requirements( 2004)In the mid 1980s, education associated with the requirement for registration as a Nurse in the State of Victoria moved from a hospital-based system into the university setting. This move brought with it many and varied requirements for change within the health care setting. The students of nursing were now no longer a part of the workforce, they were transient visitors in the patient care setting with very specific clinical requirements to be met; and they were there for less time! This research project is not about whether this change in preparation should have occurred. It is well accepted amongst the profession that this was necessary to raise the status of the nursing professional. We now have registered nurses with a primary degree in nursing or health science. The question here however, is what clinical capacities do the newly graduates and registered nurses have when they enter the clinical workforce, and what clinical capacities are required by the health care institutions that are employing them. Have these institutions an accurate and realistic knowledge of the clinical capacities of the newly graduated registered nurses they employ? This research concentrated on the self-perceived and reported clinical capacities of newly graduated registered nurses as they entered the clinical environment and the clinical capacities required by the clinical areas that employed them. Clinical congruence was then measured between these two sources. The findings demonstrated that in a supported environment, where graduates can expect and receive clinical support and mentorship, clinical congruence:is likely to be achieved. However, in an environment where clinical skills are required to be undertaken at an unsupervised level, there were a significant number of distinct clinical skills for which the graduates report unpreparedness. Graduates and Nurse Managers alike agreed that increased clinical experience during the undergraduate preparation time is optimal, but the universities indicated that the fiscal and chronological constraints of a three-year degree program, in an environment where there is a cost incurred for the clinical experience, is difficult to achieve. This research demonstrates, in a tangible way, the need for a supported Graduate Transition Program to facilitate the consolidation and / or achievement of clinical competency for the graduates as they enter the workforce. This support will assist in ensuring the maintenance of a dynamic nursing workforce into the 21st century to meet the needs of the Victorian community at a time when it is most vulnerable during the period of ill health.
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ItemSelf-assessment and informal learning within the professional framework of the operational Mobile Intensive Care paramedic( 2004)A paramedic's work environment is characterised by chaos, unpredictability and significant responsibility. However this challenging environment inhibits traditional methods of workplace appraisal common to more institutional work settings. Current formal strategies in place to ensure competency standards and provide ongoing vocational training occur infrequently. This has encouraged paramedics to seek alternative means of professional development. Using their own judgement, augmented by feedback from informal resources such as peers, the destination hospital and patient outcomes, paramedics have developed mechanisms to determine their strengths and weaknesses. Motivated by a sense of responsibility, accountability and peer respect, paramedics bridge the gaps left by their employer and complex work environment through self-assessment. Furthermore, paramedics actively pursue improvement by learning from their experiences and correcting perceived performance issues. This collection of proactive qualities is largely self initiated and independent of formal encouragement. The research aims were designed to explore the relationships formed between the paramedics, their work environment and formal/informal assessment within the context of day-to-day operations. The research explored the consequences of self-assessment, and what strategies the paramedics employ to develop their professional competencies. To achieve this, the research surveyed and interviewed operational Mobile Intensive Care paramedics. A similar survey was sent to the Metropolitan Ambulance Service to gauge their perceptions of workplace appraisal. The findings of this study indicate a need to develop appraisal and learning strategies to acknowledge and complement those informal strategies that have emerged from the paramedics' unique workplace. The study should assist the Clinical Department within the Metropolitan Ambulance Service to improve service delivery through incorporating informal appraisal and learning strategies into a professional development framework.
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ItemFactors that encourage and discourage registered nurse participation in in-service education( 2004)The nursing literature advocates lifelong learning through continuing education as a means to respond to the rapid changes in health care delivery and to ensure continued competence of registered nurses. With the rapid changes in scientific, technological and social environments, basic pre-registration nursing education is said to become obsolete within three to five years. Continuing education is a lifelong process that encompasses systematic, planned learning experiences beyond pre-registration education. In-service education is one component of continuing education that occurs in the workplace and focuses on providing the skills and knowledge the nurse requires to fulfil their current role. The purpose of this research was to identify the factors that encourage and discourage participation in in-service by the registered nurse. Health care agencies have an important role in providing in-service education is an important means to update and up skill registered nurses of constant changes in the nursing profession and the health care industry. The individual registered nurse has a professional obligation to the profession, community and themselves to participate in in-service education sessions for the in-service sessions to be effective and for quality patient care to be delivered. Currently there is very little literature on in-service education, thus it is imperative that further research is conducted on the topic, so in-service providers can plan effective, quality in-service programs that attract high participation from nurses. An explanatory multi-method approach was utilised to identify the factors that encourage and discourage nurses' participation at in-service education. The study found that nurses are usually influenced by a number of factors and not just one single factor in making their decision to participate in in-service education. The primary factors influencing participation are professional issues, topic relevance to practice and better meeting the needs of the patient, whilst discouraging factors include staff shortages, skill mix, inconvenient scheduling and busy shifts. The results of this study have important implications for in-service providers in planning and implementing an in-service education program that draws high levels of participation.
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ItemTeacher professional learning in an online community: the experience of the NQSF pilot project( 2004)During 2002, the National Quality Schooling Framework Pilot Project (NQSF) established an online environment designed to support the implementation of school improvement initiatives in selected schools across Australia. Part of the NQSF Pilot Project included the provision of computer mediated communications tools which aimed to foster participation by teachers and school leaders in an online learning community to support teacher professional learning through collegial, reflective sharing of practices. This study explores the extent to which an effective online community developed during the Pilot Project by examining in detail the experiences of a sample of NQSF participants. The particular focus of the study is an examination of the extent and nature of participation of a number of teachers and school leaders in the NQSF online community. It describes the positive and negative influences on the use of the NQSF online environment, and reports on the impact on the professional learning and other school-based practices of 13 teachers and school leaders whose experiences cover a range of behaviours within the NQSF online environment. The findings suggest that schools participating in the NQSF Pilot Project did not have a strong culture of collegial, reflective sharing of practice and that most teachers had limited experience in using computer mediated communications tools, both of which acted as a barrier to teachers participating in the NQSF online community. Further, without a well-defined sense of commonality and a perceived need or purpose and without a critical mass of meaningful responses to discussions that were initiated, teachers and school leaders were less likely to allocate time to be an active contributor to the online community. The findings indicate that the NQSF online community required further time and facilitation to progress beyond a pre-birth phase of development within the six-month time frame of the project. The findings of this research could inform the design and development of future versions of online teacher professional development environments created to facilitate professional dialogue and reflection through online communities. Further, the findings of this study could provide insight into the types of organisational, structural and cultural support mechanisms that may need to be considered within schools so that online teacher communities designed to support teacher professional learning through collegial sharing and reflection may achieve their objectives.
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ItemSupporting teacher learning through professional learning teams( 2004)The Professional Learning Team (PLT) is a relatively new concept that has appeared on the educational horizon in the past decade. Indeed they have drifted to the foreground as the impact of PLTs within schools has gained momentum with the emergence of major systemic projects. This research examines this impact in the light of one such project, the Early Numeracy Research Project (ENRP), and the way that teachers learn in a collegial environment. In analysing the data, I have attended statewide and cluster meetings, interviewed individual teachers and focus groups of PLTs in three schools that were part of the ENRP. I have identified seven aspects that emerged as integral to the work and sustainability of PLTs. These emergent themes are interdependent and each one provides an insight and link to the central theme of teacher learning. Teachers are challenged to change when they are engaged in new ways of teacher practice. Projects that are clearly defined and are linked to system and school goals provide a framework for this change and learning to be generated. Professional learning requires scaffolding that is braced together by communal reflection, sound professional and personal relationships and internal and external support. Leadership that is distributed throughout the membership and is supportive ensures that facets of PLTs can cohere together and maintain a sustainable future. The findings in my research demonstrate that teachers are receptive to the inception and maintenance of PLTs in their schools. However, I raise other possibilities in my conclusions that take PLTs beyond their initial purpose and scope within systemic projects. The evidence is irrefutable that�PLTs provide opportunities for teachers to learn in a safe and collegial atmosphere and that the outcomes of this teacher learning impacts favourably on students.
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ItemInclusion competencies of primary public school teachers in Iloilo city, Philippines: training needs( 2004)This study was undertaken to investigate the competencies necessary for primary public school teachers in Iloilo City, Philippines to work effectively in inclusive classrooms. The aim of the study was to find out the current competencies of the teachers, their perception of the importance of the competencies, their likely training needs and the relationship of the measures of their background variables with their training needs. To determine the training needs of the teachers, a needs assessment approach adapted from Witkin and Altschuld (1995) and Kauffman, Rojas, and Mayer (1993) was employed. A four-part self-assessment questionnaire - Scale of knowledge and Skills for instruction and Management of Students with Disabilities - Philippines Context (SKSIMSD-PC) was used to collect the data from 606 general classroom teachers. T-tests and analysis of variance were utilized to determine the significance of differences between the means. Correlation coefficient were also used to explore inter-relationship between variables. The major findings of this study were: 1. Almost all knowledge and skill competencies were rated by the teachers as significantly of high importance for them to be able to work effectively with children with disabilities in the regular classroom. 2. Teacher participants perceived themselves as moderately competent to teach in an inclusive classroom despite their extremely limited training and low level of exposure to children with disabilities. 3. Generally, a low to low-moderate level of training need was indicated by teachers on the competencies in which they perceived themselves as least competent. In . particular, their priority training needs are in the following competencies. (i) ways in which technology (assistive technology) can assist with planning and managing the teaching and learning environment; (ii) techniques for modifying instructional methods specific to the needs of the child (e.g., providing specific and appropriate accommodations); and (iii) administering, interpreting and using assessment data (from medical, psychological, and diagnostic reports) for instructional planning and, using verbal and nonverbal communication techniques (e.g. communication picture, sign language). 4. The teachers' pre-service and in-service training variables were found to be significantly negatively correlated with the six categories of training needs. There were no statistically significant correlations between training needs and the rest of the teachers' background variables. Most .of these correlations tended to be negative rather than positive. From these results it was argued that training in inclusion practices was a high priority for teachers in Iloilo City, Philippines.