Faculty of Education - Theses
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ItemUnderstanding the perceptions of primary school and early childhood teachers about the inclusion of children with special needs in regular classrooms( 2003)Today, many regular schools in the State of Victoria provide inclusive education programs. Educating children with and without disabilities is linked with upholding the rights of all children regardless of their class, culture, gender or developmental abilities. This study was aimed at exploring perceptions of early childhood and primary school teachers about the inclusion of children with special needs from six independent schools located in metropolitan Victoria. Data were analysed and compared to identify if there were differences in teachers' attitudes in relation to beliefs and values, feasibility of implementing inclusive programs in regular classrooms and their confidence to carry out inclusive practices. Findings indicated that all participants in the study were very positive about the philosophy of including children with disabilities in regular classrooms. Several factors were identified as major contributors to the positive perceptions of teachers. Data also revealed that teachers had many concerns regarding the implementation of inclusion in their regular classrooms. The findings of this study had implications for best practice to improve the implementation of inclusive programs in regular classrooms.
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ItemSecondary art teachers' perceptions of a regional art gallery( 2004)This study examines the view of five teachers in relation to their use of a regional gallery within their art program. Using qualitative inquiry, the study focuses on interviews with the gallery educator and five secondary teachers within the region. The key purpose of the study is to identify the value and reasons why teachers incorporate gallery visits into their teaching program.
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ItemSchool-industry partnership : a clarification evaluation case study( 2002)School-industry programs are a rapidly growing aspect of vocational education in Australia. This study examined one of these programs. It sought to identify factors that led to the establishment of the program; the essential operational components within the program; and how the program advanced vocational education and training in the community in which it was located. Clarification evaluation was used as the investigation approach. Data were collected from documentary evidence and interviews with key program stakeholders (employers, teachers, training providers, and program staff). The investigation identified a number of key elements that were fundamental to its successful establishment. These were: shared common purpose to address local youth unemployment and industry skill shortages; and people that had the will and capacity to bring about structural change: External enabling factors were also important in establishing the program. These were: timely government funding; and visionary education authority personnel who facilitated the convergence of stakeholder groups. The study also showed that there were clearly identifiable factors that underpinned the program's operation. These were: good strategic and business planning processes; negotiating workplacements with employers and courses with training providers on behalf of local schools; running induction and skills programs to increase students' work readiness; supporting teachers to integrate workplace learning into the curriculum; supporting workplace supervisors to mentor students; and linking the school-industry program to complementary employment placement programs. Finally, the study demonstrated that if certain conditions are met in industry and schools, school-industry programs could advance vocational education and training in their local communities. These conditions are concerned with the state of the local economy, community identity, willingness to contribute education and training of young people (industry); and schools' demonstrated commitment to vocational education and training through resource allocation and flexible timetable structures. The findings of this study have the potential to influence the design and development of future school-industry programs in Australia. A framework is presented, along with a series of cogent recommendations. These should assist government, employers, schools and program managers to better design and implement school-industry programs that produce high levels of practical skills and knowledge in young people that enhance their employability and life chances.
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ItemProfessional development of teachers and its contribution towards creating a learning community: a case study( 2002)This thesis examined the professional development programs available for teachers in service at a Victorian independent school and the contribution of these programs towards creating a learning community. A learning community was described for the purpose of this thesis as a successful shape of an organisation that is continually expanding its capacities. In order for schools to achieve that, transformation in teachers' perceptions of their own learning and professional growth must occur, and professional development of teachers should be embedded in their practice and anchored in their day-to-day life. Through a qualitative case study approach, the investigation explored teachers' attitudes and perceptions towards their learning, the professional development programs available to them and the contributions of these to the development of the school as a learning community. The research was concerned with identifying what is an effective professional development program from the perceptions of participants, and the characteristics of the school as a learning community. The study aimed at informing both the implementation of appropriate professional development programs and future policy formulation at the school under study, as well as challenging teachers' perceptions of their learning and role. Participants from the case study were interviewed using open-ended interview questions. The analysis of responses showed that participants perceived themselves as lifelong learners, understood their role as educators in a rapidly changing environment and preferred professional development programs that were embedded in their daily life to meet their needs and those of their students. Findings also showed that the school's leadership role had a significant impact on the learning that occurred at personal, interpersonal and organisational levels.
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ItemGetting IT together: the integration of IT into a humanities subject in a pre-service teaching degree( 2001)This research examines the extent to which an academic uses the support of an Educational IT Consultant to assist with the integration of some simple information technologies (IT) into an existing humanities (English Method) subject of a pre-service teacher education degree in an Australian university. The thesis briefly examines the debate for integration of IT across the curriculum against stand-alone IT courses and establishes, from the literature, that integration generally seems to be the preferred method for ensuring that newly graduated teachers use IT in the classroom. The thesis then attempts to ascertain the environmental elements that would be conducive to the integration of IT across the pre-service curriculum, and examines whether this environment was present in the Faculty where the case study took place. The research took the form of a qualitative ethnographic case study using multiple methods of data collection. Detailed descriptions of the characteristics and role of the Educational IT Consultant, along with a description of the subject and academic are also included should anyone wish to repeat the study. The findings suggest that adoption of IT is hastened into humanities areas of the pre-service curriculum with the assistance of an Educational IT Consultant approach to staff development.
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ItemUsing computers in grade two: a case study of two teachers( 2001)The purpose of this study is to examine how a small group of Grade Two teachers are using computer technology with children in their classes. Computer technology has become a major focus as well as an integral part of teaching and learning within the Primary School. However, current studies into how teachers of junior primary grades are using computers in the classroom are scarce with the emphasis of research tending to be more concerned with the effects on the students. This study is based upon a series of interviews and observation sessions in which the participants reflected upon their beliefs about computer technology and its place within a junior primary classroom. The study identifies that teachers are aware of the importance of exposing their students to computer technology and are attempting to meaningfully embed the use of computers into the curriculum by planning activities that are relevant to the learning that is taking place within the classroom. It also identifies, however, that such use of computers is heavily dependent on the individual teacher. There is a need for a professional development program to be implemented that will assist the teachers to use computers to supplement and extend their students learning experiences.
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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.