Faculty of Education - Theses

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    A history of Therry Regional College, Broadmeadows
    Stapleton, David F ( 1997)
    The post-war period saw secondary education in Australia in a state of turmoil. Problems of overcrowding, a narrowly academic curriculum, combined with insufficient and unqualified staff, affected both government and non-government secondary schools, The Catholic secondary system had additional problems: the declining numbers of Religious, the increased presence of lay-teachers, and the 'Catholic dream' of a Catholic education for every Catholic child. Catholic educational authorities sought an economical solution to the problems besetting secondary education. Based on an American model, regional secondary schools were established across Melbourne to provide Catholic secondary education for Catholic youth. Therry Regional College, Broadmeadows, was one such Catholic regional secondary college. This history of Therry Regional College, Broadmeadows, examines the College as a Catholic regional secondary school administered by the Christian Brothers in the north-western suburbs of Melbourne. The school's growth paralleled changes in two major areas: Government funding, and the administration of Catholic schools by the Catholic Education Office. The significance of community is examined in relation to the changing faces of the people of Broadmeadows. This history of the College reflects the history of the local community: it is a story of struggle and courage in adversity.
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    Tradition and change in the establishment of Mount St Joseph Girls' College 1964-1970
    Traina, Maria ( 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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    Responses of government and Catholic educational authorities to the influx of migrants, 1950-1960, with special reference to the experience of a selected group of schools conducted by the Victorian Sisters of Mercy
    O'Dwyer, Carmel Helen ( 1977)
    local parish priest; the day-to-day education was left completely to those dedicated religious and their lay assistants who faced the challenge with resolute courage. One such group of religious were the Sisters of Mercy. A major focus of this study is their efforts in the field of migrant education with special reference to three schools for which they mere responsible. With neither the time nor expertise to develop a specific philosophy of migrant education they relied on traditional methods of classroom teaching - methods in which they had fortunately been well-grounded. The effect of such teaching can be partially gauged from the responses of one hundred of their students.
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    An education to prayer: the establishment and development of a parochial school in the Catholic parish of St. Brendan's Flemington, Melbourne. 1887 -1947
    Kauzlaric, Lydia S. ( 1990)
    �� the present system of Catholic Education in Australia developed not from any predetermined plan but as a result of the conflicting forces in educational development in the nineteenth century and the circumstances of the times." In the latter half of the nineteenth century �conflicting forces� and �the circumstances of the times� resulted in the establishing, in 1887, of a Catholic primary school in the inner Melbourne suburb of Flemington. (From Introduction)
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    The Sisters of Charity: education, independence, church and state
    Hayes, Gavan ( 1993)
    This thesis establishes the independence of the Sisters of Charity in Australia and examines the implications this had for their work amongst the Catholic community and their relations with the Catholic Church hierarchy. It is a history of the Sisters' response to the needs of the Catholic community, these needs often being determined by governmental action beyond the control of the Catholic Church and its servants. As the first community of Religious Sisters to arrive in the colonies the Sisters ministered to the women convicts of the Female Factory at Parramatta. With the abolition of transportation they moved to Sydney where they enlisted the support of influential citizens in the establishment of St. Vincent's Hospital. Their service to education in Victoria commenced with the Education Act of 1872 and the abolition of State aid. Such conditions led Archbishop Carr of Melbourne to invite the Sisters of Charity to found a community in the city. A consequence of this and other factors was the establishment of St. Columba's College, Essendon. Finally, this thesis considers the Registration of Teachers and Schools Act of 1905 and its influence on the Sisters of Charity in formalising already existing teacher training practices. This was also the case for other Religious Congregations involved in teacher training and education.