Faculty of Education - Theses
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ItemThe impact of testing on students: Australian students' perspectives on NAPLAN and internal assessments( 2019)National and state testing policies have become an increasingly common feature of the policy landscape in education, both in developed and developing countries. Testing policies can generate a range of emotional responses among students, including high levels of stress. Alternatively, students’ emotional responses may not be discretely associated with large-scale standardised tests, but instead generalise to any testing situation. This study aimed to compare student responses and perceptions of assessment in both NAPLAN and internal tests. This study used an anonymous survey to gather data from 206 Year 7 and Year 9 Australian students on their perceptions of the importance their parents and teachers placed on doing well in tests, and their own self-reported responses to both NAPLAN and their internal tests. We found that the students in this study placed more value on internal tests than NAPLAN and students were also more likely to be confident in internal tests and bored for NAPLAN. A small percentage of students reported negative physical responses, such as crying or feeling sick to both types of tests, however, there were no significant differences between NAPLAN and internal tests in the number of students reporting negative physical responses. Furthermore, individuals who placed a high value on a given assessment and have greater emotional stability were more likely to experience positive responses to assessment. The findings suggest that NAPLAN does not cause significant negative responses in the majority of students. Implications for schools and policymakers are discussed.
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ItemA Framework of Factors for Learning Environment Evaluation( 2019)A Framework of factors for Learning Environmewnt Evaluation There is a common assumption that the provision of innovative learning environments in schools will lead to the subsequent implementation of appropriate innovative approaches to teaching and learning in these facilities. However, there is not a strong body of research that interrogates the nature of the relationships and outcomes that occur in the complex interactions between new learning environments and education practices. This research developed a framework to facilitate the evaluation of innovative education practices in innovative learning environments. The purpose of the framework is to help practitioners best identify their particular situation and circumstances for evaluation of identified aspects of the relationship between learning environments and teaching and learning practices. This supports the premise that better judgements about evaluation will facilitate the development of better understandings of issues related to the implementation of innovative education practices in innovative learning environments. The framework for research was developed using an approach based on Conceptual Modelling. The details of the framework were derived from the literature review deliberately incorporating a cross-disciplinary perspective of literature that drew on the fields of architecture and education facility design and education practice with a particular orientation to teaching and learning in innovative learning environments. The capacity of the framework to achieve its intended purposes was investigated through a research process of Expert Elicitation. The research methodology of Expert Elicitation was very effective in generating a valid pool of data from a small focussed group of respondents. Analysis of the data showed that experts from backgrounds in both architecture and education strongly agreed on factors considered to be the most significant in relation to the implementation of innovative education practices in innovative learning environments. These factors were centred around concepts of education principles, stakeholder connection and student engagement. Qualitative data analysis identified a revised structure to the framework that could best represent the key findings of the research. The framework allows for dynamic interpretation of the declared set of key issues that were identified. Guidelines for making decisions about interpretation of the evaluation framework are given through descriptions of the key purpose statements, guiding questions and consideration of the nature of evaluation to be utilised. Consequently, the key factors in the framework may be adapted to cater for different contextual settings as well as differing interpretations of key ideas associated with the evaluation of innovative education practices in innovative learning environments. This study presents two significant outcomes: a) the framework which was developed through the research that brings focus and coherence to the evaluative situation; and b) the questionnaire that was developed for use by specific groups to aid in their own situation specific interpretation of the framework. Both the framework and the questionnaire represent a balanced integration of the perspectives of architects and educators with respect to implementing innovative education practices in innovative learning environments.
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ItemDistributed leadership in successful schools( 2019)The key aims of this research were to investigate distributed leadership in successful schools, to examine the extent to which this contributes to school success, and whether there are any identifiable patterns of distributed leadership within successful schools. This study used a mixed methods research approach through the use of social network analysis and individual interviews to explore distributed leadership in three successful Australian secondary schools. A social network analysis was conducted through a school relationships survey to identify the patterns of connections within each school. Eight questions about work connections were asked of all teaching staff in each school, with achieved survey response rates of 51 per cent, 61 per cent and 63 per cent respectively. From the social network analysis well connected and influential leaders were identified and then invited to participate in semi-structured interviews. Twenty-six individuals were interviewed, including the three principals, four assistant principals, 15 leading teachers, three teachers with responsibility and one teacher. The semi-structured interviews were used to provide information on distributed leadership at the organisational level, the forms that it took, and what factors impacted it. The interviews also contributed to understanding the practice of leaders in a distributed leadership context, and provided insight into the individual characteristics of influential leaders and what factors impacted their influence within schools. Distributed leadership was identified in each of the three schools and was found to be influenced by two aspects of the schools. Firstly, organisational level factors, including leadership structure, the school’s strategic goals and planning, influenced distributed leadership in terms of what was distributed and who it was distributed to. Secondly, leader influence and capacity to distribute leadership was influenced by interpersonal factors including leader expertise, professional relationships, behaviours that are supportive of other people and the development of trust. A Distributed Model of Influence was developed which allows the extent of an individual’s influence to be mapped from knowledge of their positional power and personal connectiveness. The study contributes to knowledge about successful school leadership, distributed leadership and leadership in general.
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ItemLearning to practice medicine: developing medical students' acute patient management skills using a longitudinal program of mannequin-based simulation( 2019)This qualitative study examines the development of medical students’ acute patient management skills during participation in a longitudinal patient management simulation program. Current research shows that junior doctors feel ill-equipped to manage clinical deterioration in the acute healthcare setting due to a lack of skill and experience. It is also evident that conventional simulation facilitation practices are not meeting the learning needs of novice medical students. The focus of this study was to analyse the impact that a specifically designed simulation program had on the development, retention, and transfer of acute patient management skills for three groups of medical students during their medical school training. Educational design research was used to develop and introduce two curriculum interventions to support learning. The two interventions were based on issues relating to the content and the delivery of the simulation program. Intervention 1 was the introduction of a clinical deterioration component to every case-based core presentation simulation in an established program. Intervention 2 was the introduction of a newly developed role of in-game coach, which replaced the original role of simulation facilitator. In order to assess learning, retention, and transfer of acute patient management skills, video-recorded simulations were generated and analysed for learning progression. The coaching that supported student learning was analysed in order to conceptualise the new role more definitively and to create guidelines for supporting student learning. Focus group interviews complemented the data set and provided insights into the students’ experiences and reflections as a result of taking part in the simulations. Learning frameworks were developed to show typical learning progression and can be further applied to support student learning through the provision of feedback, as an assessment tool, and to provide support to coaches. The study found that repeated practice using standardised approaches to acute patient management enabled rapid retrieval of knowledge from long-term memory into working memory after an extended retention interval. A learning progression model identified a shift from novice to either competent or proficient practice in acute patient management skills at the completion of the program. Common misconceptions and difficulties for students at various stages of the progression were identified so that coaching can be targeted more effectively to support students. Local instruction guidelines based on the interventions and the data analysis have been developed as an output of this research.
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ItemThe career aspirations and development of government secondary school assistant principals in Victoria, Australia( 2019)In the context of international concerns about the possible lack of quality candidates for the top leadership positions in schools, this study focuses on those a heartbeat away from the top job, that is, assistant principals. It examines the career intentions and professional development of 48 assistant principals in government secondary schools in a defined geographical region in the state of Victoria, Australia. A mixed methods and cross sectional approach are taken to investigate the key research questions: What are the leadership aspirations and career intentions of Assistant principals in Government Secondary Schools? What development opportunities do they engage in? How effective are they and what impact do they have? What is their own job satisfaction and how do they rate the job satisfaction of principals in general? How do they rate their own preparedness for the principalship? How strategic is the school-based planning for leadership succession? What would need to change to increase their interest in the principalship? Consistent with similar studies, only a minority of participants intended to apply for principal positions and the interest could be conditional. Those who were interested in the role were attracted to the dynamic nature of the role, whereas those who did not intend to apply were mindful of matters such as the stress and time demands of the role. There was a willingness to lead challenging schools among those willing to lead. The research also found that relatively few participants were undertaking the professional development available through the region and state. However, there were more levels of participation in a broader range of programs offered by a range of organisations. The most effective forms of professional development were identified and discussed with in house and/ or planned activities being seen as more effective than unplanned and /or external programs being judged as less effective. While some schools were taking a relatively strategic approach to staff development, most had room to improve by better rewarding and recognising staff members and being able to replace sudden vacancies, as well as providing stretch assignments to develop particular employees, to name some examples. Assistant principals were found to be relatively satisfied with their jobs. The most common thing that needed to change to change the mind of those not seeking the principalship was for the department to be more supportive of principals. Unlike a previous study, no link was found between the perception assistant principals have of the job satisfaction of principals on the one hand and their career intentions. Participants provided a long list of opportunities that would help prepare them for principal leadership as well as hindrances. But a feeling of preparedness was quite a different thing to being willing. Less than half of the participants linked their career development needs to their professional development plans, whereas almost all linked their professional development plans to the school strategic plan. Recommendations for future research, including a re-testing of key assumptions that are currently made. Further research recommendations were also made in areas such as: the predictive reliability of career intentions, the impact of professional learning and any link between preparedness for the principalship and career intentions. Recommendations for future practice included working with researchers on the research priorities.
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ItemPromoting change in teacher practice through supported differentiation of instruction in mathematics( 2019)Differentiated instruction has been shown to be effective in improving student learning outcomes; however, the resulting work load can be difficult for teachers to manage. A teaching package known as the NRP (Number Resource Package) was created to support teachers to differentiate their instruction, and used effectively in two classrooms. The package allows teachers to identify their students’ current understanding using a diagnostic test and a Guttman Chart, and then provides appropriate material for the area in which students need further consolidation. It assists teachers to identify, and provide instruction for, several different knowledge levels within the one classroom. Use of the NRP in the two experimental classes was compared with five classes that did not use the NRP and continued to follow their school’s mathematics curriculum. This study involved a quasi-experimental approach, using qualitative and quantitative data. Involved were an experimental group (two teachers) and a control group (five teachers) and a total of 147 year 7 students. The research took place in a large school in western Melbourne, Australia. The qualitative data consisted of three surveys and provided information on the effectiveness of the components in the NRP. The quantitative data consisted of a pre- and a post-test completed by students in both the experimental and control groups. These tests were completed at the beginning and the end of a nine-week teaching cycle and the learning gains were determined for each student (i.e. the difference between the pre- and post-test). There was a statistically significant difference between the experimental group and the control group when these learning gains were analysed. The results demonstrated that students in the experimental group who were taught using the NRP showed greater improvement on the post-test when compared to students in the control group. It was noted that those students who performed ‘below’ the expected level and those students who performed ‘above’ the expected level showed the most improvement in the experimental group, when compared with the control group.
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ItemA process model for professional learning developed from characteristics that lead to sustained improvements in teacher practice( 2019)This ethnographic case study sought to identify the characteristics that supported sustained improvements in teaching practice in response to an on-going professional learning program. The teaching practice of seven secondary teachers were tracked over the 12 months of the study. Drawing on positioning theory as the conceptual framework to understand the changes, this research identified five key characteristics of effective professional learning. An iterative model of the process of professional learning has been developed based on these characteristics.