Faculty of Education - Theses
Permanent URI for this collection
Search Results
1 - 7 of 7
-
ItemInvestigating the growth of teacher knowledge on teaching reading through a professional development program( 2007)This thesis is an investigation of the growth and development of teacher knowledge on teaching reading to students with reading difficulties. The effect of a professional development program was examined to achieve the aim of this study. Thirty preschool and elementary school teachers volunteered and attended a 10-day professional development seminar that focused on understanding the processes in learning to read, identifying and remediating reading difficulties. The teachers' subject matter knowledge and pedagogical knowledge were tested using two separate tasks, before and after the professional development seminar. The data were analysed using both quantitative and qualitative data analyses procedures. The results indicate that a professional development seminar can significantly raise both teachers' subject matter and pedagogical knowledge on teaching concepts and procedures that research had earlier identified as essential for teaching reading. The results of investigating subject matter knowledge at pre-testing showed that there are clear gaps in what teachers know from what they should know. Particular concepts were identified to form part of what teachers know and concepts that are unknown to the teachers. The investigation of the growth of this knowledge showed that there are concepts that are more readily learned compared to others. The audit of teachers pedagogical knowledge at pre-testing revealed that teachers knew procedures that are consistent with the recommended teaching procedures for teaching literacy to students with literacy learning difficulties. The investigation of the growth of this teacher knowledge showed that there are teaching procedures that teachers have effectively learnt from the seminar. The investigation of the relationship between how teachers learn concepts for subject matter knowledge and procedures for pedagogical knowledge showed no relationship using statistical analyses. However, through qualitative analyses, the evidenced showed that the terms that teachers used on the instrument for investigating pedagogical knowledge revealed a strong relationship with subject matter knowledge growth. The teachers at post-testing showed a tendency to use concepts in literacy learning that they did not know at pre-testing. The evidence from this study lends support to notion that teachers learn new subject matter knowledge and pedagogical knowledge in an integrated manner. From this study, recommendations for the development and implementation of professional development programs for teaching reading are drawn. The value of a solid knowledge base for such recommendations is underscored. Recommendations are also made with regards to improving efforts to investigating teacher knowledge as a means to improve educational practice.
-
ItemPlanning for 2005 : TAFE teachers' perceptions of professional development needs( 2001)The purpose of this study is to understand the professional development needs that Technical and Further Education (TAFE) teachers perceive they will need in order to , be effective deliverers of training in the year 2005. If teachers are to be successful providers of training in the new millenium, they will need to accept that change is imminent in the TAFE sector and to 'do something' to ensure that their skills and knowledge are current, thus ensuring their employability in this new millenium. A Case Study approach was used to research the professional development needs of teachers from a department in a metropolitan Melbourne TAFE institute. The hypothesis is that that the majority of teachers from this department do not undertake voluntary professional development activities. This; together with the hypothesis that they wait for management to direct them into the programs necessary for the next changes to the Vocational Education and Training (VET) system, was found to be true. However, professional development alone is not a panacea for getting teachers to adapt their practice to respond to these new developments. A true shift requires management of TAFE institutes to take a strategic approach to implementing broader organizational change that encourages teachers to embrace the challenges of the Open Training Market (OTM). In order to create conditions conducive to teachers actively seeking professional development they will need to: 1. ensure that the reasons for change are communicated through all levels of the organization and then provide organizational support for the change process through provision of sufficient funding for programs, sufficient time for teachers to participate in the activities, technical assistance if required; 2. encourage self-directed professional development through the provision of support at the interpersonal level together with an environment which includes the availability of mentors and facilitators and the facility to trial the new techniques; and 3. reward staff who participate in professional development activities and demonstrate a commitment to change.
-
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.
-
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.
-
ItemOf secrets, sorrows, and shame: undergraduate nurses' experiences of death and dying( 2007)This phenomenological study explores the lived experiences of undergraduate nursing students who cared for the dying and deceased whilst on clinical placement. To this point, studies on this phenomenon have focused on the experienced, qualified nurse. The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of the impacts of caring for the dying and deceased, on the student-nurse, and the implications for nursing education. The ten study participants were undergraduates enrolled in the Bachelor of Nursing program at a metropolitan-based university in Melbourne. The study of their experiences, from the perspectives of the student-nurses, was conducted using a semi-structured interview for data collection. Analysis of the data, using a Miles and Huberman (1994) style matrix, revealed four emergent themes: intensity of emotion; perceptions, growth and awareness; and opportunities. These themes were explored to yield results which established there were often profound, and sometimes disturbing, impacts of grief for both the student-nurse, the patient, and others. This study contributes to the This phenomenological study explores the lived experiences of undergraduate nursing students who cared for the dying and deceased whilst on clinical placement. To this point, studies on this phenomenon have focused on the experienced, qualified nurse. The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of the impacts of caring for the dying and deceased, on the student-nurse, and the implications for nursing education.
-
ItemThe relationship between teacher professional development and the ability to teach academically gifted children: a multiple case study( 2000)The launch of the Bright Futures policy and Australia's gifted education history suggest a need to study Victorian gifted teacher professional development outcomes. The literature implicates the utility of professional development in building identification skills, instructional expertise and positive attitudes towards gifted children. A few studies in gifted education also converge with the general literature to suggest the provision of environmental support together with professional development. There is a dearth however, of accompanying research and theoretical models in gifted education relevant to professional development outcomes. Research in general education has located a new paradigm combining both aspects of professional development and environmental support. In this study the same paradigm was used to examine the results of professional development under the Bright Futures policy. Reflective of the policy's lack of structure in implementing professional development, there were variations in outcomes. It also was found that unsuccessful outcomes often were linked to elements of professional development and/ or environmental support which tell short of the paradigm's recommendations. Similarly, successful cases closely reflected the paradigm's recommendations for professional development and environmental support. The overall findings would therefore support the adoption of the study's paradigm in gifted education. The application of findings as applied to research and future professional development practice are also discussed.
-
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.