Faculty of Education - Theses
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ItemProblem based learning and information and communications technology: can problem based learning improve year 9 students' motivation to learn ?( 2009)This study investigated the use of Problem Based Learning (PBL) as a teaching and learning strategy in Year 9 (15 year olds) Information and Communications Technology (ICT) classes. Researchers (Ahlfeldt, Mehta & Sellnow, 2005; Hmelo-Silver, 2004; Colliver, 2000; Albanese & Mitchell, 1993) claim that PBL improves the educational motivation of tertiary students through its use of small groups working collaboratively to solve a real problem. Researchers also claim that PBL requires a high level of maturity (Drinan, 1997) and that secondary school students lack the necessary social skills to work effectively in a team (Achilles & Hoover, 1996). It is reported that Year 9 students have a low rate of engagement with their learning and a decreased level of motivation to learn (Cole 2006, Weiss, 2003; Johnson, Crosnoe & Elder 2001, Woods, 1995; Lumsden, 1994). Hence, this study was undertaken to see if PBL could be used at Year 9 level to motivate students while maintaining the required curriculum outcomes. Student motivation was assessed by administering Martin's Student Motivation Scale (SMS) (Martin, 2002) at regular intervals throughout the year in two Year 9 ICT classes. These two classes were run using different mixes of traditional teacher-directed classrooms and PBL classrooms. Additional attitudes and activities, considered important to students' motivation to learn, were assessed using the Samford Attitudes and Activities Assessment Scale (SAAAS). This study found that PBL was a teaching and learning strategy that enabled the required educational standards to be addressed. Results from the SMS and SAAAS showed that the introduction of PBL into these Year 9 ICT classrooms led to improvements in student Motivation, Learning Attitudes and Learning Activities as measured by the SMS and SAAAS while achieving the required curriculum outcomes for Year 9 ICT. This study also found that the use of PBL over an extended period of time maintained these positive effects.
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ItemTeachers' use of ICT in the secondary school: investigating the impact of change on teachers' use of ICT( 2007)This thesis investigates the impact of four initiatives (the provision of a desktop computer, the change of operating systems from Windows to Linux, the compulsory use of a Learning Management System (LMS) and the implementation of professional development) on the use of Information Communications Technologies (ICT) as perceived by secondary teachers at an independent school in Melbourne's East. A mix of qualitative and quantitative data were gathered for this case study by surveying the secondary teaching staff, interviewing six teachers and two key leaders of ICT, and analysing documentation such as computer bookings and school policy records. These data were analysed and compared to that of wider local, national and international research and the following five findings were evident: 1. Evidence was found of an overall increase in the use of ICT since the four initiatives were implemented; 2. Less than half (44%) of the teachers surveyed perceived that there was an improvement in the quality of their use of ICT as a result of the changes, the majority (52%) perceived that no change had occurred for them with 4% claiming that the quality of their use of ICT had actually decreased as a result of changes; 3. At least one of the teachers interviewed demonstrated some profound improvements in their use of ICT as a result of the four initiatives; 4. The provision of personal access to a desktop computer was perceived by the teachers to have had the most impact on improving the use of ICT, followed by the implementation of the LMS and the PD program; S. The change of operating systems from Windows to Linux was perceived by the majority of teachers as a having a negative influence on their use and development of ICT. This study should be of benefit to school administrators who are in the processes of implementing initiatives to help improve the use of ICT by their teachers. It could also be helpful for teachers who are wanting to develop their professional attributes in relation to the use of ICT and make ICT a more effective tool in the teaching and learning process.
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ItemAn investigation of the role description of the information and communications technology leader in secondary schools( 2008)While growing numbers of schools have an Information and Communications Technology leader, the role is defined in a variety of different ways. As position descriptions vary from school to school, there is surprisingly little consensus on who an Information and Communications Technology leader should be or what the position should entail. Although the role of the Information and Communications Technology leader in schools has not been formally investigated as much as that of Principals, some commentators have begun to suggest that Information and Communications Technology leaders have a crucial role to play. In Victoria, Australia, Information and Communications Technology leaders in secondary schools have been given a variety of position titles. In some schools the position is treated as a senior role, while in others it is not terribly important. Financial remuneration and time allowance for the Information and Communications Technology leader role varies. In addition, no system-wide description of the role or expectation of an Information and Communications Technology leader .exists. Moreover, there are differences in practice as to what kinds of experience and qualifications are necessary to undertake this role. In describing the Information and Communications Technology leadership role, the goal of this research was to obtain perspectives from a variety of personnel in key leadership positions in schools as well as teacher perspectives to evaluate: the similarity and differences of perspectives compared to the literature. For this purpose, comparisons were conducted across the seven schools. In all, a total of 51 questionnaires were completed by the participants: Heads of Departments, Deputy Principals, Classroom Teachers, Head Librarian, Computer Technicians, Principals, Network Administrators and Curriculum Coordinators. In addition, six people were interviewed from the pool of participants in the questionnaires. From the study it was identified that to be an effective Information and Communications Technology leader, one needs to have experience and skills in four specific areas. The four specific areas are: � Resources/Equity � Pedagogy � Professional Development � External Factors These specific areas are strongly connected to key aspects of the questionnaire and provide important points of amplification in terms of developing a position description. Additionally, the study identified that the Information and Communications Technology leader needs to as have the following components in the role: � Knowledge and Skills - both in terms of having a sound educational background and knowledge of hardware and software. � Team Leadership - with regards to technical team and Information and Communications Technology vision team and all staff in terms of professional development. � Leadership - with particular respect to vision and strategic leadership � Seniority - especially with respect to belonging on senior teams within a school and being able to have direct communication with the Principal. From this study, an Information and Communications Technology leader's role was derived and a position description produced which may be applied to schools.
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ItemThe influence of information and communication technology (ICT) on secondary school students' development in Japanese handwriting skills( 2008)For twenty years, researchers have suggested that Information and Communication Technology (ICT) facilitates language learning by motivating students (e.g. Rodrigues and Rodrigues, 1986; Phinney, 1989; Pennington and Brock, 1992; Felix 2001). In particular, research concludes that ICT positively changes students' attitudes towards writing, because it reduces the fear of making mistakes. Despite considerable research on the value of ICT in the learning of European languages and ESL, few studies have been conducted on its use in Japanese classes (Chikamatsu, 2003), especially at the early secondary level. Yet it is often said that Japanese is one of the most difficult languages for English native speakers to learn (Chikamatsu, 2003), and its writing system is regarded as the most complex in the world (Sproat, 2000). Hence ICT might be expected to facilitate learning the three different sets of symbols used in combination to write Japanese, but it is not commonly used by secondary students for this. In this study, the aim was to document and analyse the achievements of beginner level school learners of Japanese when ICT was introduced for learning basic Japanese using mainly the phonetic Hiragana syllabary. Following methods created by Chikamatsu (2003), the effectiveness of using ICT was determined by comparing the speed and accuracy of students' answers in vocabulary tests, and interviewing them about their learning processes using ICT. The results show that, while the use of ICT motivated students' learning and assisted the weaker students to speed up their writing and to write more correctly, the excessive use of ICT had a negative influence on students' handwriting skills, an ability required in final year examinations as well as in real life. Thus students in the experimental group who used only the computer produced more errors when transferring to writing Japanese by hand. Findings therefore suggest that computers should only be used as a supplementary tool in class to stimulate students' learning.