Faculty of Education - Theses
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ItemSpace to act: Conceptual framework analysis of student agency within innovative learning environments( 2021)The substantial societal shifts of the 21st century have supported the development and implementation of innovative learning environments (ILEs) and the endorsement of student agency within the field of education. There exists, however, a resonant gap in knowledge regarding the presence and properties of this learner quality within these teaching and learning spaces. This thesis addresses this gap by encapsulating the nature of student agency within ILEs through the qualitative methodological approach of conceptual framework analysis (Jabareen, 2009). Though limited by its theoretical focus and exploration of secondary data, the resultant framework offers a complex conceptualisation of the phenomenon of student agency within ILEs; its psychological antecedents, the environmental features that may support it, its characteristic actions, and its potential constructive contributions. Beyond establishing a foundational platform for future research, these findings also provide educators with the valuable knowledge and tools that allow them to more effectively understand, identify, and nurture this lauded learner quality within modern educational spaces.
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ItemInterpreting thinking routines : identifying and encouraging thoughtful action( 2008)This research explains how thinking routines encourage thoughtful actions in middle school students. Thinking routines involve doing significant things with knowledge. The regular use of thinking routines assists students individually and collectively, to experience patterns of inquiry. Using these routines in the classroom invites students to explore and manage their thoughtful actions. The method of this study used action research to extend knowledge of dispositions found in the literature. Dispositions are acquired patterns of behavior. Therefore, being strategic in your thinking is under one's control, as opposed to being automatically activated. Dispositions were renamed learning attitudes. Attitude is closely associated with behavior and control over what one does. A learning attitude is more easily identifiable within a student's. personal lexicon. An iterative sequence was then used to analyze and report on key words which represented learning attitudes found in student work. Distinctive features were interpreted by the researcher to emerge from this sequence grounded in work samples. Understanding these distinctive features empowers teachers to make constructive judgements. Without good judgement it is difficult to encourage thoughtful and reflective actions. Reflective thinking enables us to act in a deliberate and intentional manner. Deliberate actions provide power of control over knowledge.
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ItemLearning technologies and enhanced learning : an evaluation of the learning technologies policy and implementation strategies of the Victorian government 1994-2001( 2002)The Victorian government has embarked on a major initiative to introduce computers (New Learning Technologies) into state education system over the past eight years. This initiative has involved the commitment of expenditure from the education budget to the purchase of computers for use in schools and has been undertaken on the premise that the use of new learning technologies in schools will enhance student learning. It is the contention of this thesis that the manner in which the new learning technologies policy has been implemented is at cross purposes with the stated goal of enhancing learning. The thesis will develop this contention through an exploration of the stated goals of four Victorian government reports released in the past seven years. This exploration reveals that key elements in the Victorian government's policy on the use of new learning technologies was centred on a notion that these technologies would support enhanced learning through a constructivist teaching and learning approach. The initiatives that were implemented in response to these policies are reviewed and are found to focus predominantly on the installation of various network and computer technologies but are lacking in the attention they pay to the key teaching and learning issues associated with the stated policy of supporting the initiatives by encouraging a shift to constructivist teaching and learning practices. Constructivism, as a key condition to the realisation of the Victorian government's new learning technology policy, is a far broader concept than is indicated in the descriptions provided in the Victorian government documents referred to in this thesis. The breadth of Constructivism and the philosophical links it has with post-modernist thought are contrasted to the behaviourist practices that still predominate in teaching practice. These philosophical links make change from behaviourist to constructivist strategies more than just a methodological change, being cultural in nature. As such they are harder to make than is indicated in the Victorian government documents, which fail to acknowledge the cultural dimension of the change that they are suggesting. The implementation strategies that have been adopted from these policies also fail to address the requirement for a cultural shift to a more constructivist approach. The failure to address the need for a change in the culture of teaching has meant that school based cultural issues continue to stand in the way of the successful adoption of new learning technologies. The thesis concludes with a number of recommendations, key amongst them, the adoption of situated, authentic professional development of teachers in the use of new learning technologies in a constructivist manner.
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ItemLearning work : an ethnography of work and learning in radiation therapy( 2003)That people learn at work seems to be a common sense view, but little is known about how professional identities and knowledge are shaped through and influenced by work. This study is an account of situated learning within the profession of radiation therapists. The study analyses tacit processes and informal practices of workplace learning, towards understanding the role of informal learning within the workplace and the profession. Ethnography and symbolic interactionist approaches and sociocultural perspectives are employed to explore the relational view of communities of practice and in the detail of day-to-day work. This case study highlights the importance of learning embedded in the routines of work practice. It also discusses the idea of cultivating learning through attention to the social context of the workplace and through an acknowledgment and understanding of the full nature of work and learning which occurs within the profession of radiation therapists.
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ItemThe role of creativity in the education of underachieving secondary students: a study of the theoretical bases and practical applications of creativity to motivate underachieving students to learn( 1994)Underachievement is a difficult and imprecise concept to measure and complex reasons and experiences trigger disengagement from the process of schooling. Those students that do not gain the opportunity to develop a feeling of success and achievement ultimately become alienated, and thus fail to realise their potential. Success in schooling comes when students are engaged in the learning process, and stimulated in ways that allow them to gain a sense of achievement and self worth. A critical but creative examination of existing school resources can result in student turn-around and generally improve both the learning environment for the student and the working environment for the teacher. The study found that the participants desired changes to the school with adjustments to both the organisation and the basic aims of the staff. This places a responsibility on curriculum planners to be aware of the possibilities which could be generated by more innovative programing and a closer liaison with the creative arts and special needs personnel. Ideal practice would be for all students to have the opportunity to think and be creative across the whole curriculum and that those teachers involved in creative programing can sustain the effort over time.
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ItemEffective integration of learning technologies in the middle years of schooling: a case study at an independent K-12 coeducational college( 2002)This research explored the pedagogical and administrative practices that promote or hinder the implementation of learning technologies in years -5-9 of a Victorian Independent Coeducational College by using a single case study methodology involving interviews with nine key staff and review of relevant documents. It was found that the level of integration of learning technologies varied considerably at this college. Pedagogical issues emerged as the major area of concern. The college introduced strategies to help facilitate the pedagogical change required including introducing curriculum initiatives, increasing professional development and changing its organisational structure. The research found that the school administration supported the integration of learning , technologies but the organisational structures and processes in the Middle School itself hindered and diminished the implementation of some of these initiatives. It was also found that staff access to technology was a significant factor in limiting the integration of learning technologies across the curriculum. The middle management of the school tended to perceive less hindrance than did the college executive and the teachers.
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ItemWhat are the perceptions of changes in teacher and student use of information and communication technologies during the implementation of the Learning Technology Strategy Plan at a Victorian Catholic secondary college?( 2001)This research used an interactive evaluation methodology, to evaluate the impact of the Learning Technology Strategy Plan at a Victorian Catholic Secondary College on the classroom use of learning technologies by teachers and the extent to which learning technologies are used within all key learning areas. It gathers the perceptions of changes in teacher and student use of information and communication technologies through a teacher survey and a series of group and individual interviews of teachers, students and school leaders. The research found that the Learning Technology Strategy Plan had a significant impact on the use of learning technologies within the College. Students were openly accepting of the use of learning technologies in all key learning areas and wanted to use technology when it was available. There was a range of perceptions presented by staff members about the implementation of learning technologies in the classroom, with the majority extremely willing and capable to some staff reluctant and unsure. The research found that access to reliable and appropriate learning technologies needs to be improved. That teachers and students believe that they use learning technologies well when it is provided appropriately and is in working order. Schools are in the cusp of significant change and need to embrace learning technologies as part of the future schools agenda.
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ItemUsing individual learning plans: one school's approach( 2004)This project examined the implementation of Individual Learning Plans (ILPs) in an outer suburban, low socio-economic Primary School in Melbourne. The school first began implementing ILPs for all students in 2000, as a means to shift teacher thinking about curriculum implementation. Through this it was anticipated that planning, teaching and assessment pedagogy would improve to better cater for individual student needs. It was hoped that the ILPs would enhance parent support as a result of their involvement in their child's learning. This research aimed to investigate the impact of ILPs on teacher practice (including assessment and parent / teacher communication) and on student outcomes. The methodology used was predominantly qualitative. However, the researcher wanted to gain an overall understanding of parent values relating to ILPs by implementing a quantitative survey. Issues raised by parents were investigated through focus group interviews and the perspectives of teachers were gained through qualitative questionnaires. The impact of ILP implementation on curriculum and student outcomes was investigated through the analysis of student achievement data in Literacy and Numeracy and through student attendance data. Many unexpected and positive outcomes were uncovered from this research project. For example, while parents were supportive of ILPs, they raised suggestions not included in teacher data. Teachers were also positive towards the use of ILPs for all students, despite the work involved. Overall, the research has provided interesting results regarding the large-scale implementation of ILPs in a mainstream setting.
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ItemChanging schools: accommodating changes in learning theory( 1995)Change is a constant theme in our world today, so too in the world of education. While there are no certainties about our future, my concern is to try to make sense of our attempts to help students prepare for life in the 21st century. This study explores some of the global changes which are impacting on our schools and students, explores some of the literature increasing our understanding of learners, and examines some recent research on the learning process. It draws on contemporary literature and research and direct evidence from school experiences in an attempt to formulate a set of theoretical guidelines which schools might consider in their attempts to improve the quality of teaching and learning in educational settings. Contemporary research into learning has produced evidence to suggest that we should be heading towards a more independent learner model which employs social constructivist theory as its pedagogical base in order to equip students for the demands of the new millennium. This theory has a strong research base, but there are also other catalysts. Technological developments have brought the computer into the hands of individual students, which provides them with instant access to the most up-to-date information, but more importantly, empowers them as learners. At the same time research into the workings of the brain and how learning occurs and the theory of multiple intelligence are adding weight to the call for more effective teaching and learning strategies. My concern is to examine learning theory and its implications for classroom practice, but more particularly, the implications for school structures, work organisation and the management of schools which might better accommodate such changes to classroom practice. My thesis is that these structures need to change if we are to improve learning and therefore better prepare young people for their future.