Faculty of Education - Theses
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ItemThe development of a model for the management of major strategic investment decisions in universities(University of Melbourne, 2013)Major investments in infrastructure, growth or productivity enhancement are crucial for a university in shaping its strategic direction and addressing the challenges of a changing landscape. Through a case study of Monash University, supplemented with the investigation of views of practitioners in the field, this research thesis has developed a model to optimise the management of major strategic investment decisions in universities. The model starts from the proposition that effective strategic investment decision making has two primary purposes: � Identifying major investments that are worth doing: Determining the infrastructure, activities and other enablers that are required as major investments to shape the future capacity, capability and operation of the university; and � Prioritising the ones that are best to do: Optimising the prioritisation and allocation of constrained resources to maximise the future benefit that can be achieved consistent with this strategic vision. The research reflects the hypothesis that investment decision making at universities under traditional academic leadership models has had a greater emphasis on the first of these objectives. The research suggests that there are opportunities to learn from business case/cost-benefit financial analysis approaches that are more commonly used in business. It proposes a mechanism (need to do/able to do criteria) for prioritising investments, based on which investments provide the most return given the existing or future capacity of the university to delivery them. In developing the model as mechanism for universities to enhance the management of major investments, the research considers and brings together data and analytical based approaches with the human and organisational dimensions of decision making. The major investment management (MIM) model comprises recommendations for university practices in four areas: Strategic Planning and Prioritising: facilitating effective strategic planning as the context for the identifying major investment needs and to provide a mechanism to evaluate and prioritise a portfolio of major investments. Defining Expected Strategic Outcomes: analysing and articulating the specific expected strategic outcomes for major investments by reference to four major drivers: growth and development of markets and products and services; infrastructure development; productivity enhancement; and improving rankings and reputation. Understanding Financial Implications: enabling the management of information and the development of financial analysis for understanding the financial implications of major investments, setting financial expectations and constructing major investment budgets. Adopting a Governance and Management Framework: establishing roles and responsibilities in an organisational structure that are supported by a framework of policies and processes for the governance and management of major investments, and setting up arrangements for accountabilities, project management and review of investment implementation. The study aims to contribute to the understanding of the context and factors at play in strategic investment decision making at Monash University, as an example of a large Australian public university and, by proposing a structured model, to enhance major strategic investment decision making and the management of an investment portfolio in practice. The study seeks both to add to the body of research on university management and strategic decision making and to inform and assist practitioners in the higher education sector.
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ItemThe role computers can play in the English language acquisition and development process : a look at the ESL situation regarding primary school students in Cyprus(University of Melbourne, 2010)It would seem that computers have made their way into endless primary school classrooms throughout the world and therefore are here to stay. In the last decade computers have also been introduced into Cypriot primary schools at a slow but steady pace. What is unclear at the moment is how they will be used in the education of primary school children in a multiethnic setting such as that found in Cypriot primary schools, especially for the advancement of the English language. While there have been many qualitative studies about using computers for improved language acquisition in many parts of the world, this does not hold true for Cyprus. This study is qualitative in nature and takes a look at using computer assisted instruction in the primary ESL classroom in Cyprus. This study looks at what has been said regarding computer assisted teaching in different parts of the world and the benefits associated with this approach. Through video recording, interviewing, questionnaires, pre-tests, post-tests, focus group sessions, the development and implementation of a Miles and Huberman matrix, as well as anecdotal records, my study attempts to answer the questions many have asked: ��Can computer assisted instruction benefit primary school children in the ESL classroom, and if so to what extent?� Apart from finding an appropriate piece of software that could be used for this research project, the specific software was used in three different settings and evaluated accordingly. Pre-test and post-test results have been included. Perhaps the most important part of the thesis is the concluding chapter which not only presents the findings of this study but offers suggestions to different parties. The suggestions outlined in the concluding chapter address the concerns of both students and fellow educators who participated in this research project. It is hoped that this project is embraced by the Ministry of Education in Cyprus, and the suggestions are implemented in the immediate future.
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ItemLiteracy and learning in preschool aged children(University of Melbourne, 2010)
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ItemEvaluation of a parenting intervention aimed at improving preschool children's emotional competence : issues related to the measurement of emotion-focussed parenting skills(University of Melbourne, 2010)Emotional competence is thought to be related to a range of positive outcomes for children including their ability to develop effective social skills and form friendships, achieve well academically and reduce their likelihood of developing externalising or internalising difficulties. The way in which parents respond to their children�s emotions is thought to play a significant role in children�s emotional development. Tuning in to Kids, Emotionally Intelligent Parenting (TIK) is an emotion-focussed parenting intervention designed to teach parents the skills involved in emotion coaching with their children. The purpose of the current study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the TIK intervention and explore issues related to measuring changes in emotion-focussed parenting over time. The participants in this study were 95 preschool children (46 boys and 49 girls) and their parents who were allocated as either intervention or wait-list control. Assessments of parents� emotion coaching skills and children�s emotion knowledge were carried out prior to the intervention group beginning the parenting program and six months after they completed the program. Parents� emotion coaching was measured via a storytelling observation task and the Parent Emotional Styles Questionnaire. Children�s emotion knowledge was assessed using the Affective Knowledge Test. Results showed that parents who received the TIK intervention improved significantly more than the control group on both observed and self-reported emotion coaching 6 months after completing the program. No significant relationship was found between these two measures of emotion coaching suggesting the two measures captured different aspects of the construct, being parents� use of emotion coaching language compared to their beliefs and attitudes towards emotion coaching. Intervention group children�s emotion knowledge did not improve significantly more than the control group and there was no significant relationship between parents� emotion coaching and children�s emotion knowledge, suggesting elements of emotion coaching were not captured by the parent measures used. Future research on the definition and measurement of emotion coaching may extend the current findings regarding evaluation of emotion-focussed parenting programs.
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ItemProject-based teaching and learning to develop oral English language skills of Thai tertiary level students(University of Melbourne, 2010)
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ItemUsing teacher capacity to measure improvement in key elements of teachers’ mathematical pedagogical content knowledge( 2016)School systems world-wide are investing increasing resources in assessment of students. The challenge is to gain value for teachers from this process. This study examined how we can use a construct of teacher capacity to identify improvements in teachers’ knowledge of Mathematics, their knowledge of the curriculum, their understanding of student’s mathematical thinking, and their ability to design and implement effective mathematics instruction as a result of using online diagnostic assessments (SMART tests- Specific Mathematical Assessments that Reveal Thinking.) Two principal challenges were addressed in this study: the first concerns how to translate a theoretical construct of teacher capacity in ways that truly reflect the professionally informed judgement and disposition to act. The second challenge was to design and use measures that would show improvement of teacher capacity over time as a result of using SMART tests. This study used innovative approaches involving teacher self-reports that were supported by evidence derived from a content specific questionnaire, related to the four elements of teacher capacity identified previously. The research study was carried out in the researcher’s school. 14 teachers used SMART tests over the course of one semester. All teachers showed improvement in teacher capacity as a result of implementing SMART tests, however improved teacher capacity was most evident amongst accomplished and expert teachers. The use of SMART tests also had a direct impact on teacher planning and informed classroom instruction. The study concludes with recommendations for future research in schools and in pre-service teacher education, utilising online diagnostic assessments of students. This study provides insight into what teacher capacity means in an educational setting, and how leaders in schools can effectively measure and improve teacher capacity in a school setting.
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ItemConnecting and relating: the experiences of a 'Schools as Core Social Centres' (SSCAC) cluster in building school, family and community engagement( 2016)For over a decade, the Catholic Education Office Melbourne (CEOM) has sought to disrupt traditional siloed approaches to school, family and community engagement and encourage stakeholders to develop more strategic and collaborative practices through its Schools as Core Social Centres (SACSC) initiative. As a purposefully designed strategy, SACSC positions authentic school, family and community engagement at the core of education practice. Since its inception in 2002, the SACSC initiative has utilised a cluster approach to forge stronger connections between schools, families and local communities. Focused on enhancing young people’s learning outcomes and their social, emotional and physical wellness through strategic partnerships, SACSC has been a key driver of school change and improvement. Exploring the interdependent relationship between schools, families and their community through an ecological systems perspective, this qualitative case study research employed an interpretivist construct to demonstrate the importance of interconnected relationships as a mechanism for mobilising resources, strengthening social capital and building collective capacity. Investigated through the experiences of a cross-sectoral group of four rural schools, this study privileged the voice of students, parents, teachers and system personnel to examine the beliefs, values and expectations participants had about school, family and community engagement. As a distinctive and complex case study, the research focused on a single, one-of-a kind SACSC cluster comprising the SACSC steering group and the four schools that formed the cluster: one Catholic primary school, one Catholic secondary school, one government primary school and one government secondary school. It also included interviews with staff that had system level responsibilities for the SACSC initiative. Overall ten individual interviews were conducted with members of the CEOM Wellbeing & Community Partnerships Unit. Nine SACSC steering group members were also individually interviewed and separate group interviews were held with students, parents and teachers at each of the primary and secondary schools. Participant numbers for each of the twelve group interview sessions varied from four to six. In total 23 students, 21 parents and 20 teachers participated across the primary and secondary SACSC cluster schools. In documenting the unique story of the SACSC cluster and identifying the factors impacting its formation, development and sustainability, this case study revealed that school, family and community engagement was a complex endeavour deeply embedded in personal ideals associated with belonging, identity, respect and empowerment. Highlighting the critical role of school leaders in promoting outward facing, community oriented cultures and practices, this research affirmed that successful engagement is a relational act requiring collaboration and the co-construction of goals and priorities. While the research findings from this SACSC case study demonstrated that good will, commitment and understanding of what constitutes effective school, family and community engagement did improve, the gap between policy intent and practice continued. Furthermore, the findings illustrated that equipping stakeholders with the requisite skills to confidently engage with one another in ways that directly contributed to improved student outcomes remained a challenge.
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ItemDistance education in Afghanistan from the perceptions of educational administrators( 2015)Distance education has been used globally in both developed and developing nations. Recent research studies have revealed the benefits of using online, television and radio and mobile technology modes of learning in countries where opportunities for higher education are limited. Given the high demand for education at all levels, the Ministry of Education (MoE) and Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) are looking more closely at distance education as a means to meet these growing demands as well as improve the quality of education that meets the needs of the 21st century learner. This research project examined distance education from the perspectives of key educational administrators in Afghanistan--a nation currently struggling to develop its higher educational system after decades of conflict. A qualitative approach was undertaken as no research studies on distance education have been published in Afghanistan thus far. Exploring the perspectives of key educational administrators through semi-structured interviews, site visits to educational institutes, document analysis of strategic planning reports and countless conversations with Afghan teachers working in public and private universities and institutes was the main focus of this research. The results of this project have several emerging themes. First, participants are greatly concerned about fraud or other academic misconduct of those participating in distance education programs causing them to doubt their validity. Additionally, the participants think the cultural context for distance learning is not reinforced and the methodologies used in conventional classrooms question the suitability of distance education for Afghan learners in general. The study found that while there were several concerns expressed by the administrators about the effectiveness of distance education, the future use of distance learning in adult education was deemed worthy enough to explore further by the participants as it does seem to fill a demand for adult education not always able through other means. At present, the MoHE is exploring the possibilities of slow implementation of e-learning into the universities and public institutes throughout the country.
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ItemBeing transnational academics: voices of insiders from an Australian research-intensive university( 2015)This study explored the professional experiences of transnational academics working at an Australian research-intensive university. It focused on factors that had an influence on these academics’ professional experiences at the target institution. Transnational academics account for about 40 percent of the academic population (Hugo, 2008) and are likely to continue to play a crucial role in Australian universities due to the internationalization and expansion of the Australian higher education and the need to address potential shortages in the academic workforce. However, to date, empirical studies on issues related to this cohort of academics remain scant. Current understandings of transnational academics are reliant mainly on findings from research conducted in the United States or the United Kingdom and a few recent studies on this cohort at Australian universities. Yet existing studies are limited because they tend to focus on certain sub-groups of the transnational academic population only, and not the broad population of transnational academics. Generally, simple characterizations of transnational academics based on their linguistic and cultural backgrounds fail to capture the diversity and heterogeneity of this cohort. Further, such approaches may lead to ‘deficit’ models of support for transnational academics, potentially preventing researchers from recognizing transnational academics’ self-efficacy in addressing their difficulties and in drawing on the values of their foreign backgrounds to their advantage. Importantly, the contextual changes happening in the higher education landscape, particularly globalization, and their impacts on the professional experiences of transnational academics are largely absent in research on these academics. This study drew on two bodies of scholarship, namely the literature on the academic profession and the literature on transnational academics, to form the conceptual framework to investigate the transnational academics’ professional experiences. It employed a mixed methods case study approach, which included a baseline survey of 300 transnational academics working at the target institution and follow-up interviews with 42 of them. The analysis of the data revealed several important findings. First of all, the study found that the transnational academics are a very heterogeneous group, in terms of their cultural, linguistic, educational and professional backgrounds, and are not adequately represented as such in the literature. Secondly, the data analysis showed that for a majority of the transnational academics, the major challenges facing them are not necessarily associated with their linguistic and cultural backgrounds but more tied to personal and workplace factors. Findings from the study also highlighted the impacts of globalization and other changes in higher education landscape on the professional experiences of transnational academics. Furthermore, they emphasized transnational academics’ self-efficacy in addressing the challenges facing them in their professional life as well as in capitalizing on their foreign backgrounds to facilitate their professional integration and career advancement. The study proposes a re-conceptualization of transnational academics to better recognize the heterogeneity and self-efficacy of these academics, as well as the influences of globalization and other contextual changes in the higher education landscape on transnational academics’ professional experiences. Accordingly, transnational academics should be pictured as highly mobile and highly skilled, capable of making big transitions. These academics’ professional experiences should be explored in reference to the changing nature of the academic profession resulting from globalization and other changes of the higher education sector. The study suggests a move away from a ‘deficit’ model of support which aims at providing remedial measures to transnational academics’ difficulties to include a more inclusive approach that reflects their self-efficacy in addressing problems in their professional life and taking advantage of their foreign backgrounds to facilitate their career navigation and development.
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ItemYoung children's views and representations of bullying in relation to gender: a qualitative study with children as co-researchers( 2015)Bullying is not a new topic by any means, yet it remains a timely matter to investigate as it continues to occur in schools worldwide (Carrera, DePalma, & Lameiras, 2011; Cook, Williams, Guerra, & Kim, 2010). In addition, new forms of bullying are emerging, such as online bullying (Price & Dalgleish, 2010), further highlighting the ongoing significance and diversity of bullying practices. This study of bullying and young children was undertaken as part of the thesis component of my Doctor of Education program. The school-based fieldwork was conducted over several months in 2013, with 27 students in Grade 2, aged 7 and 8, in Melbourne, Australia. The study investigated their understandings of physical and non-physical forms of bullying, in relation to their perceptions of gender norms and gender interactions. Children were invited to attend ten small group interview sessions, eight of which featured fictional vignettes highlighting different forms of aggression and gender-based interactions. Girl and boy characters occupied diverse roles within the scenarios and behaviors were different in each vignette. Children’s responses were elicited through a number of qualitative research strategies, such as semi-structured interviews and visual methods, and included drawings, written stories, and puppet shows. This research explored three main topics: children’s viewpoints on gender identities and social interactions; children’s perceptions of what counted as bullying and what they thought it looked like; and children’s conceptualizations of relationships amongst adults and peers, in relation to bullying. The analysis of children’s responses is informed by concepts drawn from feminist poststructural theory, in particular, those of heteronormativity, masculinities and femininities, and Judith Butler’s concept of gender performativity (Butler, 1990/2006). Overall, the research found that children possess complex understandings of gender hierarchies and the variety of available gender identities and norms; for example, as shown through numerous discussions and pictorial representations about normative gender characteristics, tomboys and tomgirls, cross-gender friendships, and heteronormative romantic relationships. Children held sophisticated views about bullying and gender, which were attuned to their understandings of the gender of the individual bullying and the type of behavior and interactions exhibited. Children placed great emphasis on social relationships and held particular expectations about who possesses the power to bully, who might be the target of bullying, and what types of behavior constituted bullying. This thesis brings to the forefront children’s views on a topic that is important to them and affects their everyday worlds at school. Further, the study has shown some of the ways in which children can be fully competent co-researchers, expertly expressing opinions in ways that reflect their accomplished forms of reasoning, thoughts, and experiences. This thesis concludes by considering some of the implications of the study, specifically its attention to children’s views on bullying, for future research, policy development, and educational practice.