Faculty of Education - Theses
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ItemJust reporting : does the school have a justifiable reporting process?( 2006)This thesis titled `Just Reporting' aimed to explore the question: Does the school have a justifiable reporting process that meets the needs of key stakeholders (parents, students and teachers)? Through a critical review of the research literature relevant to reporting, various ethical issues were noted that assisted in the construction of the questions guiding this study. These ethical issues provided the lens through which I explored the reporting practices at the research school. The title Just Reporting emphasises the justice issues surrounding reporting as a communicative action where the integrity of each individual is maintained and relationships strengthened. The research took the form of a case study involving the participation of thirty-three parents, eleven teachers and twenty-one students from the one school setting in a questionnaire that had both quantitative and qualitative questions that gathered their affective and cognitive responses to the school's written report. I also held one focus group interview with parents to clarify information from the questionnaire. An interactive inquiry with mixed methods approach was chosen as the best way to answer the research questions. The aim was to develop a theory about reporting rather than prove an existing theory. This study examines what reporting is, the audience and purpose of reporting, and the imperatives of justifiable reporting. It gathered the opinions and beliefs about reporting at the research school from key stakeholder groups and sought to discover whether the written report met their needs and fulfilled the requirements of justifiable reporting. Final analysis of the data provided understandings about the nature of reporting at the research school and revealed a number of issues that prevented the process from being fully justifiable.
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ItemSeeing you seeing me : constructing the learners and their target language speakers in Korean and Australian textbooks( 2006)To be successful in real-life communication with their target language (TL) speakers, language learners need to develop a sound knowledge of modern-day target language society, and an understanding of the beliefs and values most commonly shared by TL speakers. Such knowledge forms the basis of what Clark (1996) calls 'common ground', and is essential for interlocutors to exchange meanings. Removed from natural settings, textbooks are one of the principal resources for foreign language learners to construct a conception of their TL speakers in relation to themselves. This project examines the constructs of the learners' TL speakers provided in, respectively, a Korean language textbook for Australian beginner learners and an English language textbook for Korean beginner learners. By analysing how each presents the other set of people in terms of the attributes the other group assigns to itself in its own books, this study assesses how well each book assists their local learners to begin constructing sound common ground with their TL speakers. Analysis is made of the verbal and visual texts in each whole book with respect to topic and attributes; as well, using Gee's discourse analysis framework, close analysis and comparison is made of the information about the TL speakers and the learners themselves in the first three chapters of each book in relation to the three major beginner learner topics: Self-introduction, family and school. While there are a number of similarities in representation of the TL speakers by both sides, even this small examination shows glaring omissions and contradictions in the construct of the TL speakers proposed for the learners of each language compared to how their actual TL speakers project themselves. Furthermore, these differences would easily lead to confusion over meanings if used in real life. If such mismatches persisted over years of language learning, it can be predicted that learners would fail to create some elements of 'common ground' essential for them to understand what their TL speakers mean in interaction and be understood themselves.
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ItemNurse educators use of scoring rubrics to determine varying levels of clinical performance in the perioperative setting( 2005)This research evolved out of the need to design and validate an instrument for the assessment of competencies within the specialised area of the Operating Suite. The study represents an attempt to develop an instrument underpinning the unit of competency NR 4 - The Instrument Nurse from the Australian College of Operating Room Nurses standards (2004). Both holistic and analytical rubrics were developed that were aligned to the ACORN Standard and underpinned by the Dreyfus (1981) model in accordance with the rules established by Griffin and colleagues (2001). Three video clips that captured the varying performances of instrument nurses in the operating suite were recorded and used as prompts for rating. Forty raters were required to judge the performance of the candidates in each video clip using an Analytical Observation Form, Holistic Performance Level Rubrics and Holistic Competence Rubrics. The study found that the holistic rubrics led to more consistent judgements than the analytical rubrics, yet the latter provided more diagnostic information for intervention purposes. Despite less consistency, the results revealed that the Analytical Observation Form had sufficient construct validity as determined by the Item Separation Index (Rasch, 1960). The study also revealed that the Analytical Observation Form had high internal consistency and greater inter-rater reliability when average ratings were used. The findings had direct implications for theory, practice and future research.
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ItemEvaluating a peer mediation program : the perspectives of key stakeholders( 2006)Peer mediation has developed as a popular means of responding to and managing conflict in schools. Advocates of peer mediation assert that it is an effective method of encouraging students to resolve conflict constructively and can encourage responsible citizenship. This study emerged as a result of the researcher's involvement in a peer mediation program in a large regional girls' secondary college. The study explored the perspectives of key stakeholders (students, teachers and parents) on the impact of the peer mediation program and sought to establish what benefits, if any, were derived from the existence of the program. Specifically, the research focused on whether the program was supported, accepted and used by the school community and whether the perceptions of the program were congruent amongst different stakeholder groups. The study also investigated what outcomes were experienced by the trained mediators themselves. Factors which might encourage or limit students' use of the program were also explored. Data was collected prior to the training of a specific cohort of mediators and in the following year from key groups: the trained students, other students within the school setting, staff and parents. The findings indicate that the presence of a peer mediation program was seen to have a considerable positive effect on school climate by teachers and parents and that, in many cases, it produced positive outcomes for students. The most meaningful outcomes of the specific study, however, appeared to be the benefits for the trained mediators themselves, in terms of the development and enhancement of self confidence and life skills. The implications of the findings for the peer mediation program in the case study school and for other schools implementing peer mediation programs are discussed in this report.
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ItemDelineating usable interface characteristics of an online teaching and learning platform( 2004)Teachers are under enormous pressure to integrate learning technologies into the curriculum. Consequently, schools are turning to commercial providers as `off-the-shelf products require very little or no customisation and can be swiftly implemented. One such product, myclasses, offers an online delivery platform that can potentially meet schools' move towards incorporating technology across the entire curriculum. This study focuses on an Australian school that purchased the myclasses course management software and looks at the way the potential users (teachers) of the program interact with the software's interface. Specifically, the key question of this study is: Which elements or characteristics of an education-based software's interface are usable by educators? Several teachers participated in this study as `test users' to elicit rich data on human interaction with the program, which was subsequently analysed to determine which characteristics were usable by teachers. This was triangulated with a usability inspection method known as heuristic evaluation, which is widely used by human computer interaction (HCI) and usability experts. The findings indicate that most of the interface's characteristics were not usable by teachers; however, the relatively few usable characteristics that were delineated are important for practitioners and developers of education-based software, and specifically course management programs such as myclasses Further implications that emerged as a result of this study concern the ongoing challenge faced by educational institutions that have implemented course management systems under the misguided assumption that supplying staff and students with online content management software will automatically boost the innovation of educational programs
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ItemPreservice teacher education for the preparation of secondary teachers of english as a second language in Australia( 2003)English as a Second Language (ESL) education in Australia has undergone tremendous changes in the last thirty years or so. Along with the changes in policy, the roles of the ESL teacher have also changed, reflecting the changing socio-cultural, economic and political climate of the time. Several new roles that have emerged can be seen as being particular only to this group of teachers. Student-teachers need to be effectively prepared for the roles that they will take on upon completion of their teacher education programs. This study investigates the effectiveness of one preservice ESL teacher education program, particularly from the perspectives of student-teachers, in preparing them for their future roles as ESL teachers. The study reveals the varied opinions that student-teachers have regarding different aspects of their course di study and the factors which influence their perceptions. It also discusses suggestions of improvement made for such a teacher education program, from the perspectives of student-teachers, their course lecturers and a sample of trained ESL teachers.
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ItemA new wave of migrants in our classrooms: teenage refugees from south Sudan and their perceptions of learning English in Australia( 2005)Worsening civil conflict in Sudan since the turn of the century has directly led to a dramatic increase in the number of Sudanese refugees arriving in Australia. Teachers are now faced with the challenge of creating an effective learning environment for a new group of migrants with whose needs, experiences, attitudes and approaches to learning they are largely unfamiliar. New and ongoing research is imperative so that teachers may appreciate the learning needs of a people whose individual and cultural experiences are so different from those of migrants from Eastern Europe and Asia who have preceded them in their move to Australia. This study aims to investigate and gain insight into the ways in which teenage refugees from south Sudan, now living in Melbourne, experience the learning of English as a second language (ESL) in Australian classrooms. The research also aims to understand their major cultural and individual characteristics, and to ascertain how these qualities shape their perceptions of learning ESL. The research takes the form of qualitative study, which involves observation of the student participants in their natural classroom setting, followed by individual interviews with seven Sudanese learners and two of their classroom teachers. Through a collection of individual case studies, this research explores the perceptions of the English language learning experiences of the seven participants. Adopting a grounded theory approach to the study allows the researcher to follow leads presented by the data, without being bound by rigid hypotheses. Based on relevant literature and previous studies, a number of initial assumptions about the Sudanese as learners were identified at the outset of the study. The findings of this research, however, contest and therefore problematise these earlier conclusions. Results indicate the observed learning behaviour of participants, as well as the insights gained through their interviews, may not be not consistent with the current stereotype of the Sudanese learner in Australia. In other words, findings indicate that the classic stereotype of the Sudanese learner is not accurate for this age group. Because of this, a disparity exists between students' expectations of pedagogy, and their teachers' actual styles and practices. It is intended the findings may offer teachers a better understanding of the Sudanese experience. Further, it is hoped that these new insights will and identify areas of classroom pedagogy that can be improved in order to create a more effective learning environment which addresses the needs of their newest group of students.
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ItemEvaluating the constructivist potential of the multimedia software "Stage struck" in drama education( 2005-01)This project compares the educational aims of the designers of the educational title “Stage Struck” with those of two separate groups in the process of learning and teaching; namely the aims of teachers and students. This method of comparing the observations of two key stakeholder groups with the objectives of the designer is part of an instrument proposed by Squires and McDougall (1994) called the Perspectives Interaction Paradigm. This instrument diverges from traditional models of software evaluation in that it has encompassed multiple points of view in the determination of whether a piece of software is useful in educational environments. This project hypothesizes that the Squires/McDougall approach shows how software can be utilized in ways that can be complimentary or contrary to the intentions of designers. It is for this reason and the multi-pronged method of data collection that the instrument is considered a more appropriate tool for the project than other evaluative checklists. “Stage Struck” has been chosen because a number of items in the education literature indicate clearly articulated aims that the software be used in a manner befitting constructivist approach. Using interviews with two teachers and observations of two students within the scope of the controlled setting, this project will identify where and why aims are transformed/modified and how the expectations of the educational merit of “Stage Struck” correspond or fail to correspond.
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ItemContemporary knowledge of what music 'is' and 'does' and the implications for music education( 2003)This study investigates whether current music components of arts education rationale statements adequately reflect contemporary understandings of what music ‘is’ and ‘does’. This is in order that this knowledge informs the structure and content of contemporary music curriculum. An analysis is conducted of rationale statements in the series of Victorian and national Australian arts curriculum frameworks developed since 1988. The analysis compares the statements of the defining features of music and the arts and determines whether these features are reflected in the learning models and the frameworks developed from them. A review of contemporary literature is then undertaken to investigate whether there are commonalities in the theories of the purposes and distinctive features of music put forward by researchers from a range of disciplines including philosophy, psychology, neuroscience, anthropology and music. What might be considered unique aspects of the perceptive process in the arts and music are also reviewed. The study finds that there is an interrelationship between the purposes and defining features of music and common features in the perceptive process of the arts, and music as an art form. The conclusion is also drawn that the definitions in three of the four analysed arts curriculum frameworks emphasise the expressive, communicative purposes of music. The review of literature suggests that music is an holistic experience fulfilling a range of purposes. The study determines that there is, therefore, a need to revise music rationale statements within an arts context if they are to reflect contemporary knowledge of what music ‘is’ and ‘does’. The study also finds that a greater logical progression in the development of arts frameworks is required for the statements of definition and purpose to be reflected in the development of a statement of learning, art education goals and the learning model. Therefore, a re-modelling of an arts curriculum statement is proposed.
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ItemInvestigating the factors that influence the payment of participants in health research and evaluation( 2007)This thesis investigated the factors that influence the payment of participants in health research and evaluation. Although research regarding the payment of participants has been explored previously, few studies provide an Australian perspective on current payment practices, or discuss the basis on which decisions to pay, or not pay, participants are made. A mixed-method approach was used to gather data from researchers, evaluators, human research ethics committee representatives, and other health-organisation representatives. A series of ten face-to-face, semi-structured interviews were held to explore personal and organisational opinions and current payment practices. Guidelines and protocols identified during the interviews were later collected and reviewed. To gather data from a larger sample, seek additional information and confirm the interview findings, an on-line survey was then developed and disseminated to 128 health researchers and evaluators across Australia. Findings revealed that payment of participants appears to be a common practice in Australian health research and evaluations. Decisions to pay, or not pay, were often influenced by multiple factors such as: budgets; the nature of the study; the type of participants required for the study; the organisation conducting and/or funding the study; past experiences and practices; and the amount of inconvenience (time and money) to participants. Variations in payment practices were also identified, as were views about which population groups were more 'appropriate' or 'deserving'. Similar to some prior studies the need for more comprehensive guidelines for payment was identified. However, it was suggested that future guidelines should take into account various types of health research, and be relevant to both the evaluation and research professions. Unique to this study were differences found between attitudes and practices of respondents involved in health research with those involved in health service/program evaluation. Further investigations into other possible differences between these two groups were suggested. In conclusion, a series of recommendations were made concerning: a) What would constitute reasonable monetary payments or non-monetary incentives for different population groups; b) The conduct of more research that focuses on consumer-perspectives about different payment practices; and c) Research that presents evidence to support, or dispel, beliefs that payment of participants is coercive, damages voluntary consent and exposes participants to unnecessary risk.