Faculty of Education - Theses
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ItemThe origins, development and influence of Ursuline pedagogy( 1984)Much of what was taught in Roman Catholic convent schools, and many of the methods used, may be traced to the influence of a religious order of women, the Ursulines, who find the origin of their pedagogical inspiration and a pattern of religious spirituality in the Company of St. Ursula, established by Angela Merici at Brescia some four hundred and fifty years ago. However, religious congregations devoted to the education of women, and those who have been educated by them would be, for the most part, unaware of this influence. Similarly, standard texts of educational history give no more than a passing acknowledgement, if any, of the singular contribution of this religious order, and the significance of this for a comprehensive perspective of general educational history. The object of this study is to present a description of the development of Ursuline pedagogy, with a concentration on the French tradition, illustrating its consolidation as it provided a distinctive intellectual, moral and religious process of formation for young women, and then tracing the different kinds of influence that it exerted, especially as it became a model for later educational initiatives within other religious orders of women. Initially, this thesis explores the circumstances conditioning the emergence of the Primitive Company of St. Ursula, examining the cultural and religious setting of the Italian Renaissance in which it first developed, and for which it was primarily intended as an agent of a perceived necessary transformation of women in that society. It investigates the writings of Angela Merici with an eye to those elements of her thought which have a specific pedagogical importance. It will demonstrate that Angela Merici believed in utilising the home atmosphere and its natural influences as the best means of giving a religious and moral formation, as well as ensuring basic intellectual and social development. Where this would not be possible, she, with her companions, would provide an environment as close as possible to the ideal, promoting a mother-daughter relationship between the member of the Company of St. Ursula and the individual children in her care. The pre-eminently personal quality of her thought is revealed to be in keeping with all the best Renaissance standards. Her "Arricordi"(Counsels) indicate her enthusiasm for focussing attention on the individual, using certain insights of feminine psychology to provide a thorough preparation of each for responsible motherhood and authentic Christian citizenship. A synoptic survey of the educational philosophies of Jean. Jacques Rousseau, Johann Pestalozzi, Johann Herbart and Friedrich Froebel serves to show how the thought of Angela Merici compares with that of each of these writers, emphasising the pedagogical status of her work, and indicating that she ought attract more universal recognition as a significant contributor to the evolution of pedagogical theory. The thesis traces the development of the Company after the death of the foundress, and how it was forced to clarify and modify its constitutions and form of government to meet the requirements of adaptation to new ecclesiastical and societal circumstances. These were occasioned by the impact of the Protestant Reformation, as well as the Catholic reaction to it, culminating in the reforms of the Council of Trent, and further complicated by political and territorial conflicts at both local and national levels. The influence of significant churchmen of the period is also examined. Leading reformers such as Cardinal Charles Borromeo, Cardinal Francois de Sourdis and Archbishop Alessandro Canigiani took initiatives which impinged on the process of adaptation through three successive stages, and which contributed to a clarification of the distinctive apostolate of the Company. The development of the Company in France at the turn of the seventeenth century, and the progress towards the adoption of monastic status whilst maintaining an apostolate of education as its principal "raison d'etre", is given detailed. analysis. It represents the elementary base for the theoretical and methodological structure from which a more highly developed Ursuline pedagogy would take its shape. Foremost among those who brought the Ursuline communities to this stage is Francoise de Bermond, assisted by two influential Provencale priests, Cesar'de Bus and Jean Baptist Romillon, who had already developed catechetical and general elementary educational programmes of their own. Later, Madame de St. Beuve and Madame Acarie introduced the Ursulines to Paris, engaging Francoise de Bermond to instruct the first members of that community in the implementation of the Ursuline Rule, and to form them according to the spirit of Angela Merici. Whilst acknowledging similar developments in various other centres such as Bordeaux, Toulouse and Tulle, the educational tradition of the monastery of Paris has been selected for special study because of the availability of the 1705 reprint of the first edition in 1652 of the Reglemens of Paris. This work, a collection of three small manuals which enshrine Ursuline educational principles and provide a precise methodology to be followed in the monastery schools, allows the student of educational history to reconstruct a vivid picture of the educational practice of a vast network of such monasteries throughout France during the Ancien Regime. It reveals details of the organisation of two separate educational establishments within the monastic complex, a "pensionnat" (boarding school), and a free day-school for poor students. An overview of the Jesuit tradition of education, which developed at the same time, allows for a comparative study of the Reglemens with the Ratio Studiorum. This highlights the unique quality of the former, demonstrating that, although there is evidence of assimilation of influences from a variety of sources, the Ursuline . method is not a mere imitation of the Jesuit system. This study concentrates on the precise nature of Ursuline education until the time of the suppression of the religious orders during the French Revolution. It describes the expansion of the influence of the Paris monastery as it became a prototype for other "f iliated" Ursuline monasteries, and as aspects of its tradition were adopted by other pre-Revolution foundations, such as the "Maison Royale de St. Cyr", and the Irish. Congregation of the Presentation. In the post-Revolution period, the re-emergence of the tradition within in reconstituted Ursuline communities and in other newly founded religious communities devoted to the education of women is treated. The task of tracing the continuing influence of Ursuline pedagogy through the plethora of nineteenth century congregations of teaching women is beyond the scope of this work. I have avoided detailed presentation of the more specifically religious elements of the regimen of Ursuline life except where it serves to illuminate the motivation of the members of the communities in their educational work. It is hoped that this study will provide clearer insight into the phenomenon of Ursuline pedagogy, and its contribution to the extensive educational enterprise of the Roman Catholic Church which, in turn, has its influence on the total intellectual and moral formation of the individual in society.
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ItemTradition and change in the establishment of Mount St Joseph Girls' College 1964-1970( 1991)Social, political and economic influences invariably have bearing on the development of a school's philosophy, policies and practices, and must be considered integral to any school history. This is most evident in the post-war period, when the 'explosion' in numbers in post-primary schooling resulted not only in an expansion of schools but also, in a restructuring of traditional secondary school organisation and practice. For the first time post-primary schooling came to be recognised as a distinct and essential sphere of education. The establishment of Mt St Joseph Girls' College in 1964 by the Institute of the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart was in direct response to changes in Australian society during the 1950s and 1960s. The Sisters of St Joseph, an Australian teaching Order, was established in the 1860s by Father Julian Tenison-Woods and Mary McKillop to provide Catholic primary education to the poor. However, in the 1960s, the Institute was prepared to adapt and meet the demand for secondary education by establishing secondary colleges. This thesis traces the establishment and development of the first secondary Josephite school in Victoria - Mt St Joseph Girls' College between the period 1964 and 1970. The recollections of students reveal that despite the Josephites' efforts to widen educational and occupational opportunities for working-class girls, school organisation, curriculum and practices, implicitly and explicitly directed girls to gender-specific educational and occupational paths; and to the notion that culturally valued womanhood was intrinsically related to marriage and motherhood. The study also indicates that it was not until 1969 that the Josephites introduced curriculum reform by replacing the multilateral form of school organisation (professional, commercial and domestic sciences), with a more integrated and comprehensive curriculum which cut across these divisions and catered for the needs and interests of a wide range of students. Although the benefits of this were not evident until the following decade, it must be emphasized that the Josephites had taken the first steps to remove the limitations placed on girls' aspirations, abilities and opportunities. v
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Item'With a smile in her voice' : a life of Jean Lawson 1908-1986( 1996)Jean Lawson was born in England in 1908 and migrated to Australia with her parents in 1914. Educated in private schools and at the Universities of Sydney and Melbourne, she had an exceptionally varied career for a woman of her generation, becoming a teacher, acting headmistress and school counsellor, a radio and stage actress and radio broadcaster, a senior officer in the wartime Women's Auxiliary Australian Air Force (WAAAF) and a writer. She was also an active member of the Melbourne Lyceum Club and of the Christian Science Church and she participated in a range of voluntary community activities. With interests spanning the sciences and the humanities, she was a well known figure in Melbourne's educational and cultural circles. Her life offers insights into several aspects of twentieth century education, particularly that of women - the role of small private schools in the education of middle class women in the first half of this century, the experience of female students in science faculties in the interwar years, the wartime training of WAAAF airwomen and officers, the impact of educative radio for children in the 1940s and 1950s and the nature of career counselling for girls in the fast changing world of the 1960s and 1970s. Thus rather than providing a traditional account which would spotlight Jean Lawson, throwing her life into a kind of isolation, while endeavouring not to diminish her own contribution in a variety of fields, her life has been used as a focus for exploring the wider experience of women involved in similar events and interests. Given her ability to alter direction and reinvent herself as circumstances changed, her life has also been considered in terms of the formation of female subjectivity and since much of her writing was autobiographical, theoretical issues concerning biography and autobiography have also been central.
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ItemThe girls of Melbourne High School, 1912-1934( 1998)The Education Act of 1910 marked the official entry of the state of Victoria into secondary education and the formal foundation of the school known as Melbourne High School. Prior to 1927, the students' educational experience at the school was nominally co-educational. As the state expanded its involvement in secondary education, a desire developed in official circles for a prestigious school to rival the independent schools of Melbourne. Coincident with this, the state also strengthened its view that boys and girls had different educational needs that would be best served by separate secondary schools. This view was implemented when the boys of Melbourne High School moved to their new premises in October 1927, leaving the girls in the old school buildings in Spring Street. Girls' secondary education was not a high priority for the Education Department during the 1920s and 1930s and the provision of an academic education for girls did not conform to government policy that girls should be educated for their future role as wives and mothers. The notion that women might enter the workforce was irrelevant to government planning. For Melbourne Girls' High School, this meant a lack of official interest, concern, commitment and activity. It also meant several years spent in temporary and often unsuitable accommodation as well as increasing uncertainty about the school's continued existence.
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ItemThe role of women in the Victorian Education Department, 1872-1925( 1977)This thesis examines the role of women teachers in the state schools of Victoria from 1872 to 1925. As women constituted half of the teaching service, and as the Education Department drew a distinction between teachers on the basis of sex, it has been possible to look at the women teachers as if they formed a homogeneous group. An examination of the legislation, the periodic reviews, the practices of the Department and other contemporary evidence, makes it clear that women teachers were essential to the maintenance of a widespread, comprehensive education system. This conclusion is based on two major factors, supply and cost. For many reasons women were always available as teachers and were employed extensively. As their employment was combined with the practice of paying women less than men for the same, or very similar tasks, the development and maintenance of a system of education was made easier for the governments of Victoria in spite of almost constant pressure for economy. These two aspects form the basis of parts 1 and 2. Through two case studies, part 3 approaches the role of women differently. The assumption is made that women do not form a homogeneous group but are divided by broad issues of class, religion and politics as well as narrow and more specific issues. Two kindergarten experts, women with diverse backgrounds, provide the material for the first case study. Their expectations, contribution and recognition are examined, as is their relationship with other members of the teaching service. The second case study concentrates on the Victorian Lady Teachers' Association, a small, militant, feminist group which worked to have any differentiation between teachers based on sex removed. Although the group was not representative of all women teachers, it frequently spoke for them and was an important educational force. The two case studies, therefore, look at some of the varied roles filled by women, but more particularly highlight the differences amongst them and the difficulties of making generalizations about women or women teachers.