Faculty of Education - Theses
Permanent URI for this collection
Search Results
1 - 7 of 7
-
ItemGlobalisation and cultural management : leading from the margins( 2004)This thesis commenced with the purpose of examining a case study of cultural management within an institution of higher education and questioning whether the manner in which we negotiate our identity, reflect a sense of belonging and create a responsibility within a labyrinth of impersonal spaces with this local/global dilemma will be the premises upon which new answers to old questions, as well as a whole set of new questions about cultural management within higher educational institutions, will be asked. The development of the Intercultural Projects and Resources Unit (IPRU) was examined as a reflective case study analysis, whilst drawing on the researcher's biography as a key component of this thesis, operating at several different but interconnected levels, negotiating simultaneously the space between mainstream Western academic concerns, the researcher's intellectual and geographical/spatial dislocation and working with a diverse range of students, university staff, community groups and places in the world. This thesis contends that when there are 'spaces' that enable all voices to be heard and considered, then the outcome is always far better than anticipated. Such 'spaces' or 'structures' will always start with, and privilege, the perspectives (and participation) of those with the least power and those who are most disadvantaged (margins). Any decision needs to involve a deep consideration of effects in a range of domains, grounded in an appreciation of the layered cultural contexts in which choices are made and implemented. This thesis has proposed that it is in the linking of current debates about difference, identity and marginality with the management of 'culture', ,and in facilitating a space within which these issues can be negotiated, that meaningful work and outcomes as educational administrators within a global knowledge economy becomes possible..
-
ItemThe Problems of verbal interaction for victims of warfare trauma in the ESL classroom( 1995)This thesis identifies and investigates the difficulties surrounding the participation in verbal interaction by victims of warfare trauma in the ESL classroom. The literature reviewed falls into three main categories; The Problems of Refugee Resettlement, Motivation and Anxiety in Language Learning and The Importance of Verbal Interaction in Second Language Learning. Case Study research methodology was chosen as the most appropriate framework on which to base this thesis and three ESL students were chosen as subjects. The findings of the research suggest that the problems associated with resettlement and prior experiences may have been contributing factors in the lack of motivation and high levels of anxiety experienced by each of the case study subjects. This in turn, may have affected their participation in verbal interaction in the classroom and ultimately, their acquisition of English.
-
ItemWhy do they/we laugh? A study of theories of humour and the manifestation and interpretation of humour in multicultural classrooms( 2006)This study has been an examination of the everyday occurrence of laughter in the contemporary school classroom where students of many cultural backgrounds can be found. The laughter was taken as an indicator of humour, and the study was an attempt to ascertain the link between humour and culture in the generation of and responses to humour. The episodes of laughter that were the subject of the study were recorded in a post primary school of culturally diverse population. The episodes were written as a series of Critical Incidents with the known cultural aspects of each episode included in the written construction of each Incident. Responses to the Critical Incidents were taken from members of the staff of the school, and the cultural backgrounds of the staff were recorded. The Critical Incidents and the staff responses were analysed and comparative tables were assembled, in order to determine in what way and to what extent culture was a factor in the episodes of laughter that indicated humour in the school setting. Humour and culture were investigated through the study and analysis of writing about them. Written theories of humour were analysed, and a comparative measurement of cultures that had been undertaken by international research was investigated for its relation to humour. The study has proposed that culture affects both the generation of humour and its reception, and that staff understanding of humour generated by students is affected by the cultural knowledge, experience and background of the individual staff member.
-
ItemAustralian studies and the Geelong College( 1988)The Geelong College pioneered the teaching of Australian Studies as part of the secondary school curriculum. The notion of teaching about Australia through an inter-disciplinary course was seen as revolutionary in its early days of the mid-1970s. Since that time, however, the teaching of Australian Studies has become increasingly widespread in schools, and also in some tertiary institutions. Over the same period, the Australian Studies course at The Geelong College has undergone review and change according to staff interests, student reaction and the contemporary situation. In the early 1980s, the face of Victorian Education was to change through the effects of the "Blackburn Report", an enquiry into post-compulsory schooling, of which a major recommendation was that all students should undertake a study of Australian society at Levels 11 and 12. The Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Board has used this recommendation as the basis for introducing a compulsory two-unit course titled "Work and Australian Society" as part of the new Victorian Certificate of Education, which will be fully operational by 1991. The Geelong College, like all other secondary schools in the state, is having to prepare for the introduction of Australian Studies in this form. Although this school has had the advantage of experience with an established Australian Studies course, the present course does not fully satisfy the requirements of the VCAB guidelines; therefore some degree of modification and rewriting is necessary. This thesis will attempt to design, implement and evaluate some units of work for Year 11 Australian Studies students at The Geelong College, units which satisfy both the VCAB requirements and the needs of the student clientele of this particular school. In order to undertake such a project, this thesis initially examines the development in the study of Australian society and culture. It then attempts to identify a methodology which could be used as a model for the planning of curriculum modfications for this course. The nature of the particular institution in question will be examined as a preparatory step to the development of a curriculum. The thesis concludes with a review of the process undertaken and discusses its applicability as a general methodology.
-
ItemTeachers as cultural workers in TAFE( 2004)In democratic, plural societies teachers and educational institutions play a key role in the socialisation and development of the collective, cultural consciousness of students. If the goal of such development is a civil and democratic society, pedagogical practice has implications not only for student outcomes but also for the broader community. Technical and Further Education (TAFE) delivers post-compulsory education to more than a million students at secondary schools, TAFE campuses and workplaces across Australia. Historically homogeneous, TAFE institutions and teachers are expected to prepare students for, and teach in, an increasingly heterogeneous environment. This qualitative study set out to investigate at one TAFE institute: # what TAFE teachers know or understand about cultural diversity and its impact on their classrooms; # the ways in which TAFE teachers believe they address the issues arising from cultural diversity; and # effective professional development to support teachers. The study found that teacher understanding about cultural diversity and its impact on classrooms was predominately limited to discussion about international students. Teachers described strategies that focused on student needs and attitudes that promote positive relationships with students as the means by which they address cultural diversity in the classroom. The study also found that while most teachers had engaged in reflective practice in dealing with tensions within the classroom environment, some felt ill prepared for changes to their teaching environment. Finally, the study has identified the need for professional development that will develop teachers' cultural awareness beyond an explanation of 'other' and provide opportunity for collaborative pedagogical discussion.
-
ItemPerceptions of education and the post-industrial society: a study of student attitudes( 1987)Much has been written in recent years about the emergence of the post-industrial society. The works of writers such as Alvin Toffler, Daniel Bell and Barry Jones have, over the past fifteen years, discussed the question of an emerging new economy and the implications that this will have for both individual citizens and nations. This thesis seeks to examine the attitudes of young people towards the future and to find out the extent to which they feel optimistic or pessimistic about such things as: careers, areas of study at school, the state of the world and contemporary media preoccupations such as nuclear disarmament. The thesis methodology is based on an anaylsis of 2 219 questionnaires completed by Year 10 students in four states, plus a small case study of students' own personal writing about the future. Chapter 3 presents a picture of the post-industrial state as it is popularly portrayed in the press. Chapter 4 examines the way in which education is presented by the media and looks at the criticisms that have been levelled against it by journals such as the Bulletin since 1976. Chapter 5 is an analysis of the survey findings and presents a detailed discussion of these findings. This chapter also tests the validity of hypotheses such as: * That students who intend to seek employment in agriculture and manufacturing will be more likely to feel pessimistic about the future than those who are planning to work in the information and service sector. * That students doing Maths and Science courses will be more optimistic than those doing Humanities and Creative Arts. * That girls will choose careers in more traditional occupations long associated with women, and will therefore feel more pessimistic about the world and the future than boys do.
-
ItemDistinguishing the science content taken by grade 12 students( 1977)The population of grade 12 students in Australian secondary schools has been steadily increasing over the past two decades. For most of this period the percentage of students at this level choosing science-type courses has been decreasing, and recently the actual number taking physics and chemistry has declined in some states. This study aimed to find a set of variables that would maximize the prediction of grade 12 student science content. Emphasis was directed toward identification of science talented students not opting for high science content in grade 12, and, equally as important, those of low science ability who select predominantly science courses at this level. It was proposed that the variables could be measures of any area likely to be related to the criterion. For example, factors associated with the home, the school, and personal measures were all included. The variable set was then searched for that combination returning optimal criterion prediction. Attention was focussed on six main units of analysis viz males, males of higher science ability, males of lower science ability, females, females of higher science ability, females of lower science ability. The data in each unit was subjected to both discriminant (stepwise and direct) analysis and a process similar to a stepwise regression procedure called the Automatic Interaction Detector (AID). AID employs a branching process using variance analysis to subdivide the sample into subgroups which maximize dependent variable value prediction. The International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) conducted a series of tests on a stratified random sample of grade 12 students throughout Australia in 1970. The results, held at ACER, included measures of some 418 variables thirty four of which were selected for this investigation. Included in this group were the results of the four Commonwealth Secondary Scholarship Examination (CSSE) ability tests taken two years earlier. Analysis units were formed on the basis of sex and CSSE - Science score. The results indicate successful science content prediction is possible with the personal or internal variables of science interest, attitudes and abilities, consistently being of greatest importance. The participating external variables vary depending on the unit of analysis. The non-monotonic "State" and "Type of School" factors are predominant in AID analyses.