Faculty of Education - Theses
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ItemThe wired village: sustainability, social networking and values in an urban permaculture community( 2011)This study is an examination of learning and teaching processes within the Permaculture Out West (POW) community group, a sustainability organization that operates in the Western suburbs of Melbourne. It is posited that key social values are taught and learnt by member participants of the POW organisation through engagement in everyday group activity. Using a multi-sited ethnographic methodology (eg Marcus, 1995) the researcher traces learning and teaching practices amongst participants, with particular reference to group values. These values are examined with reference to the Permaculture concept (Holmgren and Mollison, 1978), the grassroots environmental philosophy which informs sustainability discourse for POW members. The Community of Practice learning framework (Lave and Wenger, 1991) has influenced both research approach and design, and throughout the project, the group is constructed and interpreted as a ‘Community of Practice’ in line with this school of literature. Web-based ICT technologies are regularly used by group members to produce, enact, teach and learn social values, and thus, the role of ICT in group and communications life forms a particular research focus.
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ItemAdapting an organisational capacity assessment tool to meet the needs of both the donor and civil society organisations in Papua New Guinea( 2011)In global efforts to address poverty, civil society organisations such as community groups, local associations, and non-government organisations are important players alongside government and the private sector. There is a general consensus within both the international donor community and the civil society sector that strengthening the organisational capacity of these groups will assist them to possess greater legitimacy and influence. What is contested is how donors can support civil society organisations to monitor and evaluate their capacity in a way that is useful for both the organisation and the donor. Influencing this discourse is debate over the merit of strengths-based approaches for organisational development (Cooperrider and Whitney 2005; Gray 2009), and increasing recognition of: the impact of the power differential between the assessor and the assessed (Reeler 2007); the complexity of capacity development (Brinkerhoff and Morgan 2010); and the limitations of baselines (Kelly, David et al. 2008). This thesis explores these issues through a particular case involving an organisational assessment tool used with community groups in Papua New Guinea (PNG). Using an interactive form of evaluation, action research (Owen 2006), a team of Papua New Guineans and expatriates revised the 'Joint Organisational Assessment' (JOA) tool which had been first developed by an Australian Government-funded program (the Program) in 2005. The purpose of the research was to answer the question: How can an existing organisational assessment tool be improved to meet the needs of civil society organisations and the donor in the international development context? Through two action research cycles, over an eleven-month period spanning 2008 and 2009, the original Baseline JOA was progressively modified and trialled with nine diverse community groups in urban and rural PNG. A Repeat JOA was also developed that could be used to monitor changes in the organisations' capacity over time, and to help evaluate the effectiveness of the Program's support provided to these groups. Data was collected from the participating groups through interviews, surveys, informal conversations, and systematic observation. Technical specialists were also interviewed, and documents and literature were reviewed progressively throughout the research. At the conclusion of the study, the results were shared with donors and community groups within PNG. Internationally, there is no shortage of organisational assessment tools already developed. However, this research adds value by providing an assessment tool that has been tested in the PNG context, and that explicitly seeks to: • Accommodate both accountability and learning purposes • Incorporate elements of a strengths-based approach in order to build on organisations' existing capabilities, and generate motivation for change • Provide the flexibility to accommodate organisations in very different stages of development through using a mixture of qualitative and quantitative questions, and interactive activities • Interpret the significance of donor-supported capacity development efforts, in the context of broader changes that the organisation is experiencing. A set of principles that can guide the development, review or selection of organisational assessment processes in other contexts was also identified through the study. Future research could investigate how a process such as the JOA could incorporate: a review of individual, organisational and cultural values and the effect these have on an organisation's performance; broader systems thinking on organisational capability; and opportunities for feedback from an organisation's beneficiaries.
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ItemWhen we were very young: experiences of young gifted children transitioning to a formal learning environment( 2011)This thesis presents the findings of a study that investigated the cognitive, social and emotional experiences of seven young gifted children as they adjusted to a formal educational environment. The participants were drawn from one preschool in Melbourne, Australia and the study followed the children's transition from preschool into their first year of school. The research aim was to identify the influences that shaped the learning experiences of young gifted children as they transitioned from their home learning environment into preschool, followed by their adjustment to the first grade of school.
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ItemTeacher perceptions of using immersive virtual environment (IVE) in a second language class( 2011)This study examines a teacher’s perception on the use of Immersive Virtual Environment (IVE) in a second language class. It is proposed that understanding teacher perception has a significant role in the adoption of any technology. Very little research has been conducted in this area that is specifically aimed at IVE adoption. This paper reveals that even if positive pedagogical outcomes and student experience are realised and acknowledged by the teachers in the use of IVE, the practical and technical difficulties perceived and experienced prior to and during its use eludes its continued adoption in teaching contexts. This study revealed that when using IVE for second language teaching, the affordance of communicating in the language being learnt is vital for second language learning and should be incorporated in the design of an educational IVE tool. Additionally this study revealed that the instant gratification offered by recent technologies like text messaging and social media overcasts the user experience offered by an IVE due to the inherent lack of spontaneity offered in the IVE medium. This is an important consideration during the evaluation of IVE tools. The findings make the case of recognition for time for experimentation and professional development for the teachers if they are to embrace new technologies including IVE. The importance of technical support and building technical confidence in teachers is highlighted in this study. Finally the lack of a comprehensive framework for the integration of IVE is revealed as an impediment for uptake of IVE in formal teaching contexts. As an outcome of this study it is recommended that the already existing Four dimensions framework (de Freitas, 2008) for evaluating IVE be modified to include practical considerations as the Fifth dimension for the selection process and new framework be developed as a guide for teachers with emphasis on the practical considerations to be addressed while using IVE in teaching contexts.
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ItemYoung people, critical engagement and social networking sites( 2011)This qualitative study examined the way six young people critically engage with social networking sites and the factors that influence their engagement. It used interviews, observations of online behaviour and group discussion to develop a detailed ‘picture’ of their use of the social networking site Facebook. Using Bourdieu’s habitus and Foucault’s discursive formation as theoretical tools three factors were identified that restrict the participants’ ability to critically engage with the medium: their age (13-14years); the lack of space and time for critical reflection given the need to be highly reflexive in the presentation of self; and that as a discursive formation it leads the participants to particular discursive practices.
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ItemReflective practice in a Malaysian TESL community of practice: the affordances and limitations of blog technology( 2011)This thesis explores reflective practice in one Malaysian TESL community and the affordances and limitations of the blog technology used in this community. The research focuses on ten teacher candidates of a four-year Bachelor of Education (Teaching of English as a Second Language) degree at a university in Malaysia. In particular it takes into account the context of teaching practice, a final component of the program which prepares teacher candidates for English language teaching positions in local government schools. Informed by theory in the areas of reflective practice (Schon 1983; 1987), sociocultural theory of learning (Vygotsky 1978; 1987), and community of practice (COP) (Lave and Wenger 1991), the study examines the influence of the teacher candidates’ reflective stance, the ways they participate in online reflection, the role of the moderator in mediating reflective practice, and the different ways that blog resources are used for reflective practice within the online community of practice. Data were generated from each teacher candidate’s blog, the moderator’s journal, and online interviews, and were analyzed using the conceptual framework developed from the review of the literature on Reflective Practice, Sociocultural theory, and Community of Practice and, to a certain extent, elements of the Appraisal Theory of linguistic analysis (Martin and Rose 2002). Analysis of the data highlights different approaches to blogging that were significant for reflective practice, as well as those which were limiting. The thesis concludes with a discussion of the findings and a critical consideration of their implications, and signals the need for pedagogical and methodological interventions for developing and researching reflective practice in blog-based learning environments.
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ItemJourneys to university and arrival experiences: a study of non-traditional students transitions at a new Australian university( 2011)The broad context for this study is the rapid shift in recent decades from elite to mass Higher Education in Australia, and new government policies and institutional strategies which are geared to building university graduate numbers and increasing successful participation by working-class and other non-traditional students in degree courses. This study of a cohort of commencing humanities students at a new university aimed to produce a more in-depth and holistic account of non-traditional students’ transitions in Higher Education in Australia than is available through large-scale survey-driven reports or available through studies focused on curriculum matters; notwithstanding the valuable contribution to knowledge made by many of these studies and reports. This is a mixed-method study weighted towards the analysis of 33 students’ biographical stories produced through in-depth interviews and contextualised by survey results and other data. The study investigated the students’ social and family backgrounds, their educational experiences prior to coming to university, their aspirations and career goals, their dispositions towards Higher Education and their preparedness for degree level studies on arrival. It also investigated the daily lives of these students in the early weeks and months of their time at university, and investigated on-campus and off-campus matters impacting or intruding on their first-year studies including financial worries, paid-work commitments and household duties. And it explored how students were dealing with the difficulties they faced, and the resources they were bringing to meet various challenges. In seeking to understand the wider context or backdrop to these students’ experiences and perspectives the study drew on strands of youth sociology concerned with persistent inequalities amidst rapid social change, non-linear life-course transitions, and pressures on young people to produce their own biographies. In seeking to understand the nature of people’s class-based relationships with educational institutions and practices, and education’s role in social reproduction, the study drew on work by Pierre Bourdieu and some scholars who draw on and critique his ideas. The thesis foregrounds a framework which draws on theories and concepts from critical social psychology – including the work of academic Margaret Wetherell and therapist Michael White – concerned with the transformative potential of biographical reflexivity and narrative practice. This framework aligns to the narrative research method of using in-depth interviews to produce biographical stories about people’s lives in education.The study found that the majority of these non-traditional students at a new university had strong educational aspirations and clear career goals, were socially and intellectually engaged and satisfied with their courses, felt well supported by families and by the institution, and were generally enjoying successful Higher Education transitions, despite various difficulties and challenges most faced on-campus and off-campus. The study also argued that students’ reflexive capacities and their use of ‘narrative as a discursive resource’ (Taylor 2006) seemed to be contributing to their production of learner identities, including a strong sense of belonging in Higher Education. Several interviewees described ‘finding themselves’ through participation in Higher Education. Overall, conceptually, this study brings some new questions to analyse the contemporary relevance of arguments about working-class people ‘losing themselves’ in Higher Education. The study’s analysis and presentation of non-traditional students’ successful first-year university transitions at a new university supports the view that there is in Australia a changing relationship of working-class people to Higher Education; a field which remains beset by inequalities but one which has become literally and culturally more accessible. This accessibility is evidenced in the collective stories produced here and more generally in the take up by working-class people of the new places and opportunities which have become available in the current political climate.
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ItemMarket orientation in schools in Harbin, China( 2011)The research investigated two Chinese schools in Harbin, a city located in Northeast China, to find out to what extent the private School A (for-profit) and the public School B (not-for-profit) were market-oriented. Based on the existing literature of both marketing and market orientation, the research investigated the two schools and compared the results. Previous research shows that marketing and market orientation influence a school's performance. The research investigated this association, to discover whether this was the case within a Chinese education market context. The study used a case study approach using a mixed method. Qualitative methods included observations, document analysis, individual interviews with the principal, assistant principal, teaching and non-teaching staff, former students. The quantitative methods used a survey instrument to verify the qualitative research. The findings from both schools were outlined. A comparison of the two schools was discussed in the final chapter. The key features of market orientation were evidenced in the two cases to varying degrees, although each school held its own distinctive educational philosophy. The research findings showed that there was a positive link between market orientation and organisational performance. While the findings indicated a different approach to the market by the private and public schools, the research indicated that further research is necessary to verify the differences.
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ItemThe role of science in the design and impact of sustainability projects and curricula within a selected primary and secondary school: a Melbourne case study( 2011)As far as education is concerned, it remains our responsibility to educate students by providing leadership, knowledge and experiences to ensure we are building a sustainable future. Our students envisage a sustainable future and we are in a unique position to educate them to build infrastructure to provide long-term responsibilities and opportunities for sustainability towards our nation as well as our planet. The main aim of this study was to examine current views on the issue of sustainability held by teachers and curriculum designers within specific local educational and school contexts. This research project aims to enable two schools to begin a curriculum review and reform process to develop and support a local school culture. As a result, I decided to address these challenges by undertaking research studies to find out developments made under current knowledge of sustainable management programs across a local primary school and adjacent secondary school. I wanted teachers to share their ideas, their concerns and solutions to ensure implementation of effective programs. The purpose of the interviews was to get a detailed picture of their understanding and how this issue relates to school curriculum within the Victorian educational context. Qualitative research methodology was used with data collection based on semi-structured interviews. Qualitative methods with documents and interview data were analysed against the specific research questions as well as other consistent emergent themes. Interviewing and examining views of current knowledge of sustainable management programs by local primary and secondary school teachers showed that there is a need to interconnect learning areas from primary to secondary studies. Sustainability learning areas need to be linked for further specialised pre-service and teacher training programmes at the secondary school level.
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ItemRethinking indigenous educational disadvantage: a critical analysis of race and whiteness in Australian education policy( 2011)This thesis examines Indigenous school education in Australia, through analysing themes of difference, race and whiteness in contemporary education policy. The study asks why educational inequality and disadvantage continue to be experienced by Indigenous school students, despite concerted policy attention towards redressing these issues. It seeks to better understand how Indigenous education is represented in policy and scholarly debates and what implications this has for Indigenous educational achievement. I argue that in order to succeed Indigenous school students are often expected to assimilate into an education system that judges success according to values and expectations influenced by an invisible ‘whiteness’. The investigation of these issues is framed by insights and approaches drawn from three theoretical frameworks. Michel Foucault’s concepts of ‘discourse’, ‘disciplinary power’, ‘regimes of truth’ and ‘normalisation’, and Iris Marion Young’s work with issues of difference, ‘cultural imperialism’, oppression and justice are brought into critical dialogue with critical race theory (CRT). In particular, CRT is engaged as an attempt to bring some new perspectives to understandings of race and difference in Australian education policy. This combination of theories informs an examination of policy (and policy related texts) guided by Foucauldian discourse analysis and critical policy research methods. Through my analysis I develop a number of arguments. First, that the combined theoretical approach I engage is useful for uncovering some of the silences and assumptions that have typically influenced attempts to achieve educational justice for Indigenous Australians. Second, in the documents I analyse, the ways in which Indigenous students are described commonly positions them as deficient and suggests that these deficiencies are to be remedied through exhibiting more of the behaviours and attitudes of non-Indigenous students. Third, that the commitment to ‘inclusion’ within the policies analysed is important, but typically maintains a relationship in which a powerful and central white ‘norm’ remains invisible and dictates how and when the ‘Other’ is included. Fourth, that in seeking to understand equity issues for Indigenous students it is important to look also at the broader education system and its dominant values and goals. Through analysis of policies related to education for ‘all students’, I suggest that educational success is commonly identified and assessed according to ‘white’ norms, within schools that are expected to improve and be accountable within a neo-liberal agenda, which is largely supportive of standardisation and sameness, and not readily accommodating of ‘difference’. Overall, this study has attempted to bring some important conceptual approaches to analysis of current education policy in Australia in order to build greater understanding of Indigenous educational disadvantage. It has sought to open possibilities for addressing issues of race and justice that are characterised by listening, support of difference and responsibility, and commitment to disruption and discomfort.
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