Faculty of Education - Theses
Permanent URI for this collection
Search Results
1 - 6 of 6
-
ItemThrough a glass, darkly : a case study( 2000)This study describes, explores and explains a case which occurred in an Australian State primary school, when permission was withdrawn for a research project which sought to survey parents' perceptions of the school. This occurred three weeks after all questionnaires had been distributed, by hand through the school, to every family in the school. The research project was the work of the Deputy Principal, the author of this thesis, who is also known as the researcher and the participant observer. The case is then rewritten, scenarios are constructed and leadership behaviours are described within the Structural, Human Resource, Political and Symbolic frames set forth by Bolman and Deal. A fifth frame, an Ethical frame, as proposed by Starratt, is also applied to the case. These frames comprise most leadership theory and each provides the base for a scenario in which the researcher may more clearly pose a question, a curious phenomenon or a problematic issue. Through the creation of scenarios the researcher was able to understand complex interactions, tacit processes and often hidden beliefs and values within organisations. Each frame generates a different set of strategies. In this way knowledge is gained and potential futures are posited, leading to a sharpened awareness of the forces acting on leaders. The thesis is underpinned by the belief that a conscious and reflective review of, and inquiry into, one's actions as a leader through the creation of scenarios will assist the development of an ethical and pragmatic personal theory of organisation. It is an aim of this thesis to demonstrate that where a case is recreated within the five ideal frames possible futures are evoked, creating an environment for wise decision making and enhanced leadership behaviour.
-
ItemPower relations in policy making : a study of the emergence of TAFE degrees( 2008)In 2002, the Victorian state government moved decisively to settle the long standing policy debate in relation to the role of TAFE (Technical and Further Education) in higher education, by allowing TAFE institutes to offer specialist undergraduate degrees to full fee paying students. For over a decade CEOs of the largest metropolitan TAFE institutes had campaigned for a policy change to allow TAFE institutes to offer higher education qualifications. Their political actions challenged the dominant policy discourses which constructed TAFE as a provider of vocational entry level training. Given the long standing opposition to the concept of degrees in TAPE from within and without the TAFE sector, the purpose of this study is to analyse how the policy to allow TAFE institutes to offer higher education was articulated, formulated and implemented and with what effects. The conceptual framework in this poststructural policy analysis draws on the British sociologist Ball (1990a, 1990b, 1993, 1994) and his colleagues Bowe and Gold (1992) and the French historian and philosopher Michel Foucault (1977, 1978, 1980, 1984a, 1984b, 1984c, 1991a, 1991b, 1991c, 2003, 2004). Ball's (2007) analysis of the competition state is used to interpret the relationship between the state, the economy and TAFE policy. Foucault's concepts of discourse, power, disciplinary technologies and governmentality are used to analyse policy making. Power relations in policy making are analysed in the contexts. identified by Bowe, Ball and Gold (1992), the context of influence, policy text production and practice and Ball's (1993, 1994) contexts of outcomes and political strategy.
-
ItemDiagnostic reasoning teaching : an analysis of expert teacher behaviour in a clinical setting( 2008)Clinical reasoning is a cognitive process that uses data collected from and about a patient to make a diagnosis and develop and implement a therapeutic plan. Clinical reasoning may be usefully divided into diagnostic and therapeutic reasoning. Diagnostic reasoning is a problem solving task of categorization where information from the patient interview, physical examination and investigations are used formulate diagnostic hypotheses (a differential diagnosis) and eventually (and ideally) a single diagnosis. Therapeutic reasoning derives a therapeutic plan from the diagnosis and the wishes of the patient and implements the plan in the context of specific measurable outcomes. The diagnostic reasoning processes of novices and experts have been extensively evaluated. A variety of reasoning strategies have been identified including causal, probabilistic, deterministic and hypothetico-deductive reasoning and pattern recognition. Clinicians use, at different times and with different patient problems, any or all of these strategies. Novices are more likely to use causal and hypothetico-deductive reasoning whereas experts are more likely to apply pattern recognition. The quality and fidelity of the diagnostic reasoning process is also (and substantially) influenced by the knowledge organization of the clinician. Novices are more likely to have their knowledge organized as prototypes and instance scripts which rely on bioscience knowledge and less clinical experience whereas experts use illness scripts and semantic networks which are rich in data collected from their previous experience and relies little on bioscience knowledge. The teaching of diagnostic reasoning changed substantially with the implementation of problem-based learning (PBL) curricula by medical schools from the late 1960s onwards. PBL employs the principles of adult learning theory and hypothetico-deductive reasoning to explore clinical cases in the bioscience years of the medical course. The implementation of PBL curricula resulted in greater student and teacher satisfaction but there is little evidence that the knowledge and skills of the students are different to traditional more didactic curricula. A small body of evidence suggests that students of PBL courses have better diagnostic reasoning skills. The teaching of diagnostic reasoning in the clinical years of a medical course is less well understood. Traditional patient-based discussions at the bedside or in a tutorial room have been the mainstay of clinical education for many years. The effectiveness of this style of this traditional "bedside" clinical teaching to teach diagnostic reasoning has not been evaluated but many recommendations about teaching and learning styles have been published. In order to examine the teaching of diagnostic reasoning by expert clinician teachers a model of novice diagnostic reasoning was developed from the literature which was used as a framework for analysis. In this model three phases of novice diagnostic reasoning were identified - data acquisition, problem representation and hypothesis generation and refinement. The study presented in this thesis examined teacher behaviour in six seminaturalistic "bedside" tutorials designed to promote diagnostic reasoning discussions. Each tutorial was led by an expert teacher, who had won the teacher of the year award (determined by student vote), with a group of medical students in their first clinical year and an experienced simulated patient. The simulated patient delivered a script that was deliberately diagnostically inconclusive. Each session was videotaped and analysed using Studiocode (video analysis software). The coding first attributed each utterance to the teacher, a student or the patient. The teacher utterances were then sub-coded to the phases of the novice diagnostic reasoning process (data acquisition, problem representation and hypothesis generation/refinement). Teacher utterances in each phase of the novice diagnostic reasoning model were examined to identify illustrative examples of teaching behaviours consistent with excellent teachers (derived from the previous literature) including requests, direct instruction, questioning/probing, scaffolding, modeling and feedback. Finally, in the hypothesis generation and refinement phase of each tutorial, teacher utterances were further examined for illustrative examples of the teaching of causal, probabilistic, deterministic and hypothetico-deductice reasoning and pattern recognition. Six expert teachers participated in the tutorials (3 physicians and 3 surgeons, 4 male and 2 female). The teachers, on average, spoke for 56% (range 43-64%) of the tutorial (average length 56 minutes). Physicians and surgeon talk proportions were not different (56% vs 56%). Of the teacher utterances 55% were coded to the hypothesis generation/refinement phase, 31% to the data acquisition phase and 3% to the problem representation phase. During the data acquisition and hypothesis generation/refinement phases of the tutorial illustrative examples of direct instruction, questioning/probing, scaffolding, modeling and feedback were identified in the teacher utterances. In the problem representation phase only illustrative examples of direct instruction, modeling and feedback were identified. In the hypothesis generation and refinement phase illustrative examples of the teaching of causal, probabilistic and hypothetico-deductive reasoning and pattern recognition course but not deterministic reasoning were identified in the teacher utterances. This study examined the behaviour of expert teachers in semi naturalistic tutorials designed to promote the teaching of diagnostic reasoning. In these tutorials the teacher typically spoke for more than half of the tutorial. The teacher utterances were coded into all three phases of the novice diagnostic reasoning model but least time was spent in the problem representation phase. Illustrative examples of excellent teaching behaviour were identified in most of the phases of the novice diagnostic reasoning process. Illustrative examples of most diagnostic reasoning types were identified in the tutorials. The results of this study would suggest that further research is required to determine the "optimum" teacher talk time in a clinical (and other) tutorial and the effectiveness of teaching about the problem representation phase of diagnostic reasoning.
-
ItemPrincipals' perceptions of their roles and preparation for leadership positions in "Schools of the Future"( 1995)The objective of this study was to gain an understanding of how principals perceived their roles to have changed since the introduction of the Schools of the Future program, and how they were prepared for their new leadership roles. Devolution and self-management are the major concepts underpinning the Schools of the Future initiative. As such, the Directorate of School Education has been downsized and many of their previous responsibilities have been delegated to schools. A case study methodology was chosen as the most appropriate for the study in that generalisation of the findings was not intended, due to the small number of participants involved in the study. The experiences and understandings of five primary school principals were sought by means of interviews. The findings of the study indicate that the participants have perceived a considerable change in their roles. There was unanimous agreement that the management dimension of their role had become more prominent in their job. They also reported that they have had to accept increased financial responsibility and accountability compared to the previous system. On the whole, the participants expressed satisfaction with the program. Their main concern was the apparent job overload associated with the implementation phase. In relation to the preparation process, the findings of this study indicate that emphasis was placed on preparing principals to handle self-management in their schools rather than on generic management skills. The focus was therefore, on topics such as self-development, use of technology in schools, change management, financial management, and so on. Various preparation programs initiated by the DSE and professional associations were made available to principals. The participants' feelings about the preparation process was that it was adequate and appropriate. Their main worry was that the process was rushed. As such, they have not had enough time to work out strategies of implementing what they had gathered from the training. The study raised the issue of whether the introduction of the self management concept in Victorian schools will lead to improved student outcomes, which is the major objective of the Schools of the Future initiative.
-
ItemFacilitating school improvement through strategic and effective decision making: a case study of a Victorian rural secondary college( 2006)Having taught in three different secondary colleges, in terms of size and location and the way in which each school operates, I developed an interest in decision making processes used in schools. I believe that certain decision making processes are more effective than others in terms of facilitating school improvement. I have observed certain decision making processes that were ineffective and caused disharmony among staff, particularly with members of staff who were left out of the decision making process. Hence, I chose this study to highlight effective decision making processes and also to encapsulate the impact of effective decision making. Due to the broad nature of the topic of decision making and the volume of information on this subject, this study concentrates on two main theories. The first theory looks at methods of school management that increases the effectiveness of the school by drawing on the experience of the teaching staff and involving them in the decision making process within the school. By this method the principal might use a `collaborative' approach. This theory encapsulates the idea that more staff contributing towards making a decision is `better' than the individual making a decision, based on the view that this approach shows greater resourcefulness. The second theory comes from the notion that the school community is `better off' allowing the principal and the administrators who have experience and expertise in making decisions on particular matters using the individual decision making model. The underlying assumption for this theory is that the teaching staff will have more time in their classrooms, rather than spending time in making decisions that have little to do with the classroom teacher. This will then allow teaching staff to get on with the job of classroom teaching.
-
ItemIndian students' perspective on student decision-making and their expectations of their chosen Australian university( 2006)Set in a Victorian research-intensive university, this study investigates the decision making criteria of Australian bound Indian students. It investigates the factors that influence the formation of initial expectations of Indian students of their chosen Australian University. Six distinct areas, namely, course curriculum, teaching staff, student life, classmates, on-campus facilities and support services are explored to find out what the Indian students' expectations of these six areas are and how they came about expecting the same. Previous student experience studies have identified that marketing of education has the potential to shape the expectations of the prospective students' university experience. Furthermore, dissatisfaction resulting from a mismatch between what students expect and what is delivered could result in an increase in the withdrawal of students in the first year. While there has been substantial research in the area of student decision-making in relation to choice of higher education institution and destination of study, little is known about international student expectations of their chosen university. Drawing from key studies in both the higher education sector and the business discipline, this study lifts the curtain on important issues regarding Indian students' decision-making and expectations. Not only are key decision-making criteria and initial expectations identified, but also, important issues like assumptions that students make when deciding upon a university and reasons why students form their initial expectations are also discussed. These findings add to the present body of knowledge on the subject by proposing a conceptual model depicting how students' expectations about higher education change over time. The study also makes a notable contribution by highlighting significant principles that may guide future research, policy and practice in relation to the international student market in Australian higher education.