Faculty of Education - Theses
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ItemVCE course development days, 1991 : an appraisal( 1992)This minor thesis traces the evolution and rationale of the development and implementation of the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) from its inception in 1987 to its first full year of operation in 1992. It outlines the design and operation of the professional development program undertaken to assist the implementation of the certificate. Its focus is an appraisal of the major element of the professional development program - the 1991 course development days. Three perspectives are offered in this account of the effectiveness of the 1991 course development days - a district evaluation, individual presenter's responses and a regional survey. The appraisal concludes with an overview and a set of recommendations for continuing professional development for VCE teachers beyond 1992.
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ItemEffect of congruence in measured interests on self-perceived academic competence in Australian Year 12 students( 1999)The link between interest and quality of learning experience in school has attracted voluminous research in recent years. Varied conceptions of interest, however, lead to gaps in our knowledge about the nature of the empirical linkage between interest and the quality of learning. In the light of Holland's theory of interest and model of person-environment interaction, the present study, unlike the previous studies, conceptualises interest as an interaction between generic interest as an individual characteristic and the nature of the learning environment. Subject-level interest is thus seen as resulting from the congruence of generic interest and the content of the individual school subjects chosen for study. Several recent Australian investigations have shown strong links between Holland's RIASEC (Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising and Conventional) generic interest themes and students' subject and course choices. These links make it possible to investigate the effect of congruence between generic interests and school subject choices on the learning experience of students. The data of this study derives from a 1993 National Survey on school subject choice in approximately 10,000 Australian Year 12 students. The perception of academic self-concept in students, as a facet of quality of learning experience, is focused upon as a criterion for testing the effect of congruence between generic interest and school subject choices of the students. Investigation of the empirical relationship between congruence and students' perception of academic self-competence is facilitated by the mathematical expression of congruence which is formulated by Hesketh and Myors (1997) as a multiplicative term in a multiple regression analysis which also includes terms for student background characteristics, interests and curriculum fields studied. Further, to control for the possibility of clustering effects at the school level, multi-level regression modelling was used. The study found a positive relationship between congruence in interest and improvement in students' perception of academic self-competence, net of background (gender and socio-economic background), interest, and curriculum field participation, for four of the six congruence terms investigated. It was interesting to note that the effect of congruence was mediated through self-perceived interestingness in the curriculum studied. That is to say, students who chose school subjects congruent with their generic interest found their studies more interesting and their belief in their academic self-competence stronger than their non-congruent peers. It is recommended that curriculum planners and counsellors take account of the positive psychological impact of congruence between generic interest and school subject choice in designing 'interest congruent' learning experiences and in assisting students make congruent choices in Year 11 and 12.
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ItemThe impact of year twelve restructuring in Victoria on teaching and learning in three urban schools( 1995)In this study Year Twelve teachers were surveyed to determine whether they believed the educational needs of their Year Twelve students were better served by the earlier public policy of multiple Year Twelve courses, or by the current policy of a common course and certificate for all Year Twelve students in Victoria. The study was based on the experience of eighteen teachers in three schools which had developed strong alternative Year Twelve courses in the 1980s. An attempt is not made in this thesis to construct public policy, but rather to offer a critique of policy formation which appears to have been largely separated from socially responsive policy development at the school level. The Year Twelve teachers surveyed in this study believed that the final form of the Victorian Certificate of Education, settled under the influence of social functionalism, individualism and expertism, has failed to enhance motivation, commitment or competence in either themselves or their students.
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ItemExploring the relationships between student experiences in robotics and their cognitive style( 2007)With the increasing availability of technology in schools, more students are gaining experience in the use of robotics in the classroom. This study examines student experiences in an educational robotics program and also assesses their cognitive style using the Cognitive Styles Analysis developed by Richard Riding (1998). The data is then analysed to determine what types of relationships may exist between a student's cognitive style and their experiences in the robotics unit. The participants in the study were a class of Year 9 students at an Independent Girls' school in Melbourne, with the class being taught by the researcher. It was found that there may be some relationship between some student experiences in robotics and cognitive style, although further research with larger numbers of research participants would be necessary to explore these relationships further. The determination of the type of relationships that exists would be of interest to educators who are involved in the delivery of educational robotics units.
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ItemTeachers in the middle: reflections from teachers on middle secondary school curriculum( 2005)The study centres on perceptions held by teachers about the curriculum needs of students in middle secondary schooling, years nine and ten, in a Victorian state secondary college. The middle years of schooling are the current focus of school reform (Department of Education & Training, 2003) in the State of Victoria, Australia. The factors that shape the curriculum decision-making and the learning culture of a school can be well known within that school. These factors in general can be largely without documentation with the exception of records kept within the school. In the past, practices in Australian educational reform have been bureaucratic in nature (Green, 2003) and rarely seemed to recognise the perceptions held by teachers in general. Although some provision is made for teacher responses, via electronic means (Education Queensland, 2002) it has been barely enough considering the dramatic changes expected in achieving school reform. Teachers' perceptions of the curriculum needs of adolescent students were gathered using taped interviews and a teachers' problem solving group activity. This study reveals that teachers are acutely aware of adolescent needs, but are unable to implement strategies to effect the required changes. This study highlights the need for consultation and effective, extensive and ongoing support for teachers in curriculum development relevant for today's adolescents. This research adds to the existing body of knowledge by identifying the location of teachers' knowledge and pedagogy, with respect to adolescent education.