Faculty of Education - Theses

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    Geelong High School 1909-16 : a study of local response
    White, David Llewellyn ( 1978)
    The years 1909-16 saw the expansion of public secondary education within Victoria. It represents the working out of certain aims and policies for secondary schools between a centralised Education Department in Melbourne and the local communities that were financially involved in the provision of these facilities. This thesis will attempt to identify the forces shaping the development of Geelong High School. It will outline the aims and values of this community and evaluate the significance of their perception of what secondary education should be about. The study will look at the role of the Education Department - its director, its administrative philosophy and the attitude of the State Government towards the expansion of secondary education. The study will examine the interplay of these factors with the significant contribution of the school's educational leadership and philosophy. The main argument of the thesis is that the success of Geelong High School was to a large extent due to its support from a middle class. They saw in the school opportunities for their children resulting from an education that was financially beyond them at the prestigious fee-paying public schools. In responding to these needs the school would survive in spite of almost overwhelming odds in its early years. A comparative study with Colac Agricultural High School will be made to clarify the point that it was community support, and not legislation and regulations from the Department, that was to be the main reason for the success of Geelong High School.
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    The Victorian National Party : an investigation of the policymaking process which resulted in the National Party education policy statement released for the 1985 Victorian state election
    Owen, Karen Ann ( 1990)
    This thesis is an investigation of the policymaking process of the Victorian National Party. The focus of the study is the development of the Education Policy statement released to the public during the election campaign for the 1985 Victorian state election. During the time which this study reports the National Party was the third party in the Victorian Parliament. Its policy making and activity in the legislature was that of an opposition party. It had thirteen parliamentary members and represented a large rural section of Victoria. Its existence grew out of the political coalescence of rural communities and representative associations in the 1890s. Initially its policies concentrated on addressing the trade, marketing, transport and rural industry issues faced by the farmers. Today the National Party's policies cover all policy areas parallel with Government portfolios. Data for the study were collected from a number of sources. Preliminary interviews were conducted with members of the National Party and the Parliamentary National Party to establish what 'rules' existed to govern and guide the policymaking process. These interviews were followed by an examination of the actual roles of the Annual Conference, the National Party Parliamentary Party and the Central Council Education Policy Committee, in determining changes to education policy between 1982 and 1985. Policy changes were described from a comparison of policies released during successive state election campaigns. between 1977 and 1988. To focus the study within this framework an examination was made of the relative roles of the policymaking structures identified in stage one during policy making for selected policy subject areas within education. This data is presented in three case studies. The findings of the study demonstrate that a disparity exists between the formal rules about how policy should be made, as expressed in the Victorian National Party's Constitution, and the actual activity which took place and resulted in selected policy products. It was clear from the findings that the National Party Parliamentary Party had the greatest power and responsibility for policy making, and that the Party's Education Spokesman had a lead role in education policy making. Evidence suggests that while the Central Council Education Policy Committee was formed to advise the Parliamentary Spokesman on education matters and to report to Central Council, its role was somewhat less than powerful and its output was effectively a synthesis of policy already made by the Spokesman and Parliamentary Party. There is evidence from the study to support the notion if incrementalism and elitism in policy making. It is also evident that personal biases and political expediency were at play. This range of influences draws the researcher to conclude that no one single model of policy making effectively describes the Victorian National Party's policymaking process. In fact, this study has raised a number of questions which could be explored in subsequent study. Not the least among these questions would have to be a more thorough exploration of the impact of 'being in opposition' on the policy decision process; an investigation of opposition strategy making in the political gamesmanship sense and the impact of mutual/joint opposition arrangements to 'tackle' Government, with resultant policy outcomes for the opposition parties. Studies could also be undertaken to look at group decision making and levels of participation with attendant power playing, lobbying and political bargaining and trading within the National Party, between the National Party and the Liberal Party, and between the National Party and the Labor Party. These relationships and interactions have outcomes in the policymaking process for the political parties. Personal biases and leadership styles are factors which could also be examined further as could the impact of public accountability and the pressure this imposes on policy making. One further factor which impressed the researcher was the timing factor. The appropriate timing of data and persuasion was critical to the achievement of policy outcomes and skilfully manipulated could be a powerful tool for a lobby group or a political party. It is clear from this study that policy making is a complex, multi-dimensional process and that much scope exists for its exploration and further identification.
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    Taking social capital into account when implementing educational policy : implications of the Kirby report for social capital in Ironbark
    Tinkler, Jacqueline A ( 2002)
    There is a growing body of research around the concept of social capital that suggests that there are connections evident in relation to successful educational achievement and employment, and high rates of social capital. Social connectedness - one of the outcomes of having social capital - is held to be very important for young people of post-compulsory school age, particularly in the current economic climate. This exploratory study will examine the problem: What can social capital mean in post-compulsory education policy, and in the manifestation of that policy?' This study examines The Ministerial Review of Post Compulsory Education and Training Pathways in Victoria, commonly referred to as The Kirby Report. Kirby takes the view that the links are strong between community and social values, the economic future of the state, and educational outcomes for young people. Within this report and its recommendations, the concept of social capital and its contribution to building community values is deemed to be one of the broad requirements of the community in relation to young people and their experiences in education and training. The concept of social capital and the effects of the growth or reduction of social capital within rural communities is also examined, and it is the links between social capital, the implementation of the recommendations of a report such as Kirby, and the ramifications of these links for a rural town in North-East Victoria of 2,500 residents, that provide the framework for this study.
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    Impact of changes in Victorian government policies on the provision of schooling for primary school students with disturbing behaviour
    McDougall, June ( 1998)
    The purpose of this study is to investigate the provision of schooling in Victoria, for children with problems arising from disturbing behaviour in regular schools. It is these students who have difficulty learning, and cause problems for peers and teachers. This problem has attracted more attention in recent decades than ever before as educators and parents seek solutions for these students. The impact of changes in government policies in Victoria, especially the introduction of the Schools of the Future Program, on students with disturbing behaviour is examined, together with effective means of supporting these students, their teachers and parents. The investigator defines disturbing behaviour and how it has been addressed in schools, particularly in Victoria. She examines the Schools of the Future Program, particularly Global Budgeting and its impact on school policies and programs, focussing on the effect of these provisions in schooling for students with disturbing behaviour. The investigator has conducted a study of school principals in the area centred on Ballarat in order to examine their reactions to recent government education policy changes, and their effects on the schooling for such students. She discusses the implications of these changes for students with disturbing behaviour, including the most recent societal changes involving the youth of today, for example, the State Government initiatives addressing Drugs and Youth Suicide which have impacted on support and resourcing to schools, across the state.
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    Statistics of public expenditure on education in Australia : requirements for the formation of national policy
    Segall, Patsy (1942-) ( 1976)
    In Australia's federal system the provision of educational services is the responsibility of the state governments. However, the federal government has also acquired responsibilities for. education. Since the second world war, the state governments have been dependent on the federal government for a large proportion of the funds needed to discharge their responsibilities. More directly, the federal government has greatly extended the scope of its activities in education, mainly through the use of specific. purpose grants to the states. By 1970 these grants affected all levels of education in the states. To be effective, national 'educational policies should take account of differences between the states as well as of 'national needs. Necessary information includes national statistics which are compiled on the same basis for each of . the states. The coverage and quality of national educational statistics has improved considerably, but there are still deficiencies. In particular, the statistics of public expenditure on education do not provide an adequate account of the states individually, or of national trends. Unpublished records of the Australian Bureau of Statistics provide the basis for a set of figures of public expenditure on education which are both more comprehensive and more detailed than those published. Analysis of these figures for the period 1963-64 to 1973-74 shows large differences in the patterns of educational expenditure in each of the states. Nationally there have been considerable changes in the composition of total public outlay on education, the rapid growth of the tertiary sector outside universities being particularly noteworthy. Official statistics of this kind are needed to make possible an effective assessment of the priorities and directions of Australian education.
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    Non-professional and non-governmental organisations and the provision of public education, 1850-1969
    Collins-Jennings, John W. ( 1971)
    The beginnings of the public education system in New South Wales are briefly examined to set the background for the development of public education in Victoria. An examination is made of the system of patrons instituted under the administration of the National Schools Board and the Common Schools Board. The 1872 Education Act replaced the patrons with boards of advice, and the 1910 Education Act replaced the boards of advice with the present system of school committees and councils. The effectiveness of the boards of advice and the school committees and councils is also assessed. A common theme is shown to have emerged from the earliest time, that the professional educationist has firmly maintained that the non-professional and non-governmental organisation has only a minor contribution to make in the control of public education. The final chapter indicates that there appears to be some change forthcoming in this attitude, because the non-professional and non-governmental organisations are beginning to realize the need for political rather than organisational action.
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    Education and state control in Victoria, 1900-1925
    Badcock, Alfred Maxwell (1912-) ( 1963)
    This is an attempt to make sample assessments of State-controlled education in Victoria in the first quarter of this century, to define the nature of State control and to judge of its quality and effectiveness. The term 'State control' has been interpreted to include partial and indirect control as well as that which is complete and direct: hence Part III has been devoted to control exercised by the State over private and denominational schools, for this extension of the State's arm was characteristic of the period. Within the State's own Department system, the whole field proved too vast for one thesis: therefore, on the assumption that the system at the Primary level was fairly well established before the turn of the century and that other Melbourne researchers are covering the field of technical education, attention in Part II has been focussed on the establishment of State high-schools. Part I, on administration, naturally treats of the system as a whole. Another limitation imposed by space and time concerns sources of material. Any assessment must embrace causes as well as results, and in that even the sample field proved too large for detailed consideration of a wide range of causes, attention has been concentrated on internal evidence -- that is, evidence contained in Department documents and reports. Apart from practicability where evidence is embarrassingly plentiful, one justification of this approach is that in the period under survey Victorian State-controlled education was dominated by the strongest and most influential of its several Directors, Mr. Frank Tate. It has been the fashion to count this domination to the credit of Victoria's first Director and to the great advantage of the State. But one of the assumptions underlying the commentary in the pages that follow is that in a democratic society the professional administrator and his officers should not be obliged or even permitted to determine the social objectives underlying the processes of education. It is theirs as experts to determine the most appropriate means by which the goal shall be reached after it has been determined and defined by the community through its elected representatives. (From Introduction)
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    Equity funding: how is it used?
    Dulfer, Nicole Jayne ( 2006)
    Using a case study approach this research investigates some of the different aspects of disadvantage within the school system. It looks at the ways in which equity funding is used in a variety of schools. The purpose of this research was to ascertain the stages, or processes, that schools go through before the equity dollar is spent. It investigates the decision making process, and the kinds of information or projections taken into account. It also looks at the issue of what it is that schools define as issues of equity, and the programs that they put in place to deal with those issues. This thesis focuses on the equity component of the Victorian Education Department's Student Resource Package. Beginning with an explanation of the current funding model used in Victoria, it goes on to explore the implications of this funding model on students in six metropolitan government schools. These schools differ in terms of the amount of equity funding they receive, their student intake and the strategies that they use to try to make education more equitable. Each school is examined through three key areas. The first key area is the decision making process within the school. This is found, across all six schools, to be robust and systematic. The second area is the programs that the school believes address equity issues. There was found to be a great variance in the type of programs run in schools, and the amount of programs run within schools. Essentially the schools that are eligible for the most equity funding are running the highest concentration of equity programs. The third key area for this thesis was that of staffing in schools, with the neediest schools pointing out difficulties in building talented staff teams. The key finding of this thesis is that more equity money needs to be made available to the most disadvantaged schools.
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    The development of state-controlled education in New South Wales, 1900-1922: with special reference to the work of Mr. Peter Board
    Crane, A. R. (1914-) ; ( [1950?])
    On 16th April 1880 the Public Instruction Act was passed by the New South Wales Parliament. This Act, which was sponsored by Sir Henry Parkes, is still today the keystone of the structure of public education in New South Wales. Under this Act a ministry of Public Instruction was established for the first time. State financial aid was withdrawn from denominational schools, and the teachers in the public schools became civil servants. All children between the ages of six and fourteen years were to be compelled to attend school for at least seventy days each half year, and to pay fees of threepence per week. Schools were to be established wherever twenty children could be collected; "provisional" schools were to be set up for an attendance of twelve, "half-time" schools for two groups of ten, and "house-to-house" schools where there were less than ten. Superior Public Schools and High Schools for both boys and girls were to be established for the first time under State control. In the schools, secular instruction was to be given for four hours per day. Included in this "secular instruction" was "general religious teaching as distinguished from dogmatical or polemical theology, and lessons in the history of England and in the history of Australia." (1) Clergymen from all denominations were allowed to teach sectarian religion to their adherents for one hour per week. These are some of the important provisions of the Act, which has had a profound effect on the development of education in New South Wales. On the passing of the Act, sectarian jealousies and bitterness died down after a vociferous but losing battle which had been waged from the beginning of the century. (From Introduction)
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    The influence of Alfred Williams, and the Price ministry, on public education in South Australia
    Beare, Hedley ( 1964)
    The immediate problem confronting an education historian of the period which includes the lifetimes of Alfred Williams and Thomas Price is the paucity of other investigations on the trends and developments in South Australia at the time. While clearing, breaking the soil, and then farming my selection, I have been made continually aware that my field is a small enclave in miles of unbroken, virgin bush. As a consequence, I have had to look at the lie of the land as well as the quality of the crop, to combine as it were the two jobs of surveyor and agriculturalist. Of all the men who have been permanent heads of the State's education services, only one, John Anderson Hartley, has so far been the subject of critical research. In a State as comparatively small as South Australia, the impact of personalities on the State system is likely to provide the reasons for reform and practice, since one man here and there could in fact be the monarch in so small a kingdom. Thus as this investigation has proceeded, it has become increasingly clearer to me that there are rich areas to be examined outside my frame of reference. The influence of W.T. McCoy, a powerful Director from 1919 to 1929, must soon have to be estimated. H.J. Adey, who is often mentioned in the following pages, seems to me to have given a many-sided contribution to South Australian education, but as yet he is revered without many people knowing exactly why. Dr. Charles Fenner, as initiator of Technical Education after 1915 and then later as Director, is another who needs a just appraisal. The Directors alone, it seems to me, warrant closer attention by research scholars before the history of our State's education can properly be told. Furthermore, the mark of Dr. A.J. Schulz has been left indelibly on Teacher Training in this State if for no other reason than that he controlled the destiny of the State's only Teachers College from 1908 until 1948. My interviews with Mr. Ben Gates and Mr. Reg. West also emphasized the impression that these men were themselves the fabric of the history, for what has happened in the high schools since such schools were instituted has to a large extent been the result of the actions and policies of these men. Yet such extensive areas of research lie virtually unexplored; and without critical research there cannot be a balanced or definite account of how South Australian education has developed. (From Preface)