Faculty of Education - Theses
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ItemMandated curriculum change, the Victorian experience : the impact of the VCE on the practice, tools, and beliefs of teachers in three schools( 1998)This study aimed to explore the extent to which the externally mandated curriculum change - the VCE - had resulted in change in teacher practice, use of tools and beliefs. The study intended to discover if, as in other experiences of mandated curriculum reform, beliefs in the imposed system would follow a change in practice. This was done by the use of both quantitative and qualitative means. Teachers of the VCE in three schools were surveyed in this study. it was not the intention of the study to comment on the VCE itself, but on the way teachers believe it is best serving the cohort of students with whom they work. As the literature would suggest is true for mandated curriculum reforms, teachers in this study demonstrated change in many aspects of practice and the adoption of new tools. However, there are a number of aspects of the VCE which teachers believe are not serving the best interests of all students. Teachers in this study viewed positively those aspects of the VCE that allowed them the flexibility to cater adequately for all students. Those aspects of the VCE which posed difficulties were those that restricted the ability of teachers to cater adequately for all students.
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ItemChange management for teachers in the restructuring of Victorian education( 1995)The subject of this thesis is change management for teachers in the restructuring of Victorian education. The introduction outlines the restructuring policies for Victorian education and consequent changes in the past decade. Chapter One, the Literature Review, looks at some of the literature written about policies, the nature of change, the place of values and vision in the change process, professional development, leadership and the devolution of power and resourcing. This literature forms the basis for the questionnaire asked of D.S.E. participants to obtain data. Chapter Two, methodology, discusses the nature and implementation methods and questions for collection of data from personnel. Chapter Three states the findings of the data collected from the questions asked of D.S.E. personnel. Chapter Four consists of an analysis and discussion of the findings referred to in Chapter Three in light of the literature discussed in Chapter One. Chapter Five is a discussion of conclusions drawn in light of the Literature Review, questionnaire responses and the analysis of these. Overall, the thesis concludes that given the time frame of the restructuring implementation, resourcing for Professional Development, planning and implementation needs to be reassessed.
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ItemImpact of changes in Victorian government policies on the provision of schooling for primary school students with disturbing behaviour( 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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ItemMarket orientation case study( 2001)The importance of this research is reflected in the changing face of education. There is increasing pressure for accountability of schools in the private and public sector, for their programs, their financial viability and ultimately their capacity to survive in the marketplace. While the education industry is rapidly becoming a competitiveness business, the legitimacy of marketing as a means of recruitment, the marketing concept and embracing market orientation sits uneasily with many educational administrators. School X provides an illustrative case study of a well-established school in the international education sector. It has a strong business focus and is part of a global educational network. The management structure is similar to that in private sector industry. As a successful enterprise operational practices and marketing strategies are worthy of study. Qualitative and quantitative research methodologies will be applied. The researcher will discover how School X has embraced the concept of market orientation and whether the organisations growth is related to its approach to the marketing concept.
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ItemThe role of curriculum coordinators in state secondary schools : implementing the Moneghetti Report : democratic process and curriculum deliberation : an interactive ethnography( 1999)In Victorian Government state Secondary Schools, the position description of Curriculum Coordinator, in conjunction with the Principal, generally includes the responsibility of leading and managing the implementation of whole school change. Shared decision making is much more an established expectation amongst staff in state secondary schools than it is in independent schools where executive authority is clearly the prerogative of the Principal, and the management structure has traditionally been hierarchical. In a climate of teacher disenchantment with restructuring, competitive marketing and centrally directed change, it is important that the Curriculum Coordinator is skilled in securing agreement on key curriculum decisions. Ling (1998) and Vivian (1997) have shown that the successful management of curriculum change depends to a large degree on the deliberative as well as strategic skills of the Curriculum Coordinator in enlisting the support and cooperation of teachers. They found that this depends to a large degree on the personal propensities and moral capacities that the Curriculum Coordinator brings to the role which is defined to a considerable extent by their relationship with the Principal. Weiss (1998), however, identifies teachers as inhibitors of change if the change adversely affects them or if it is perceived to be contrary to the prevailing interests of the students or to the ethos of the school. Schwab (1983) has presented an argument for the centrality of the deliberative role of Curriculum Coordinator (or Chairmen as Schwab calls them). This study, written by an experienced Curriculum Coordinator, explores the knowledge, skills and propensities employed by three practising Curriculum Coordinators in Victorian State Secondary Schools in Melbourne when leading the deliberations of their curriculum committees to consider the implementation of a State-mandated change. This research in the form of historical ethnographies presents each Curriculum Coordinator's understanding of the role through their retelling and evaluation of the strategies that they used in dealing with the implementation of a compulsory Sport program. As a reference point for evaluating these strategies, I have discussed the participant's stated position model of the relevant skills and propensities, my own understanding of the role as a practising Curriculum Coordinator and compared them with Schwab's paradigm. The assumption was that through reflection and narrative construction these experienced teachers would be able to identify critical issues and explore areas of their middle management position. It was felt at the outset by the author and participants that sharing of reflection would benefit both the mentor and others in curriculum management positions in State schools (Weiss 1995). Potentially the collaborative reconstruction of their experiences as interactive ethnographies constitutes professional development for both the subject and for those with whom they are willing to share their experiences. In the planning, interpretation and evaluation of the change processes that they used, the subjects of these interactive ethnographies were mindful of the obligations of the role and how their management of the task would reflect on their credibility and moral capacity. On the one hand, they and the Principal were obliged as part of their appointed duties to implement Department of Education policy. On the other, there was a zone of moral freedom in which they felt they could impact positively or negatively on the educational culture of the school and on the professional lives of their colleagues. These studies suggest that the Curriculum Coordinator's position is more complex than Schwab suggests in his account of the deliberative arts and functions of the Chairman. The Curriculum Coordinator's role is shown to be far more complex than simply leading the deliberations of the curriculum group. The interactive ethnographies illustrate the critical role that the Curriculum Coordinator plays in mediating, maintaining and promoting the basic principles upon which the school's curriculum is predicated. Meaningful curriculum reform necessitates the redefining the local working rules, tasks and obligations of the teaching staff and students. The Curriculum Coordinator's ability to retain a moral capacity in the face of mandated change is seen to strongly influence the degree to which the organisational capacity for reform is maintained in their schools. Each Curriculum Coordinator felt ultimately responsible for insuring that the needs of the students, and the values and vision of the school as a learning community were not lost in the continuous process of externally mandated change and accountability which has characterised State education in the late 1990's.
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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.
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ItemJourneying towards an effective learning organisation( 1999)According to current educational literature, viewing the school community as a Learning Organisation is the ultimate vision for schools because it enables these communities to respond creatively and adaptively to changes in society. Providing a means by which communities can handle change is critical if communities are to be effective, because change is the major aspect of daily life in a school. Effective Learning Organisations display certain characteristics and operate in distinctive ways. In schools, teachers play a vital role in establishing and maintaining the culture of the community. So, from their viewpoint, where their personal and professional lives often dovetail, this means creating a culture where a balance is achieved between the teachers' PERSONAL and PROFESSIONAL needs and thus, the individual and organisational learning of the school. The purpose of this study was to investigate where on this journey towards an effective Learning Organisation did my own school community stand. To this end, an original survey was designed which was based on the Key Issues arising from the literature about systematic approaches to developing effective Learning Organisations. This was administered to the teachers of my school to investigate the perceptions they had of themselves at work, both personally and professionally. The findings from the survey indicated that overall, the staff were very committed to their work at the school and were positive and comfortable about PERSONAL aspects of their work. They were less positive about PROFESSIONAL issues relating to the systems operating both inside and beyond the school community, particularly about those issues concerning their relationships with the Administration. This imbalance of PERSONAL and PROFESSIONAL perceptions is the most important outcome of the study. Linking individual learning to organisational learning is a vital feature of developing a view of an effective Learning Organisation. It would seem then, that this area in particular is a critical one for this school to address on its journey towards a more effective Learning Organisation.
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ItemPerceptions of educational change: a case study of LOTE teachers in Catholic schools( 2000)Change permeates every aspect of education. The objective of this study has been to investigate the multidimensional nature of educational change as perceived, experienced and managed by teachers of Languages Other Than English (LOTE) within the context of global school change. It was designed to gain insights into effective change processes and bring to the fore characteristics that challenge schools to become even better schools. The research undertaken is innovative as it targets teachers of Languages Other Than English (LOTE). Whilst the educational change literature has expanded over the last twenty years, LOTE teachers have been given little attention by researchers of educational change. This and the tentative nature of LOTE programs in schools acted as inspiration. The literature review focused on three dimensions of educational change relating to the individual, the curriculum and the organisation. These dimensions form the basis of the study and are discussed in relation to individual professional and personal experiences and reactions to change initiatives and to the impact of structural organizational changes on curriculum renewal. Particular emphasis has been given to curriculum development as an eclectic process. However, through the interaction of the three dimensions the process of change recultures, renews and transforms the learning community. This study draws on historical ethnography in a case study of a critical event. Through oral history, hindsight provided a more considered appraisal of results. It was evident in this case study that subjective and objective realities gave meaning to change. Participants shared their perceptions of educational change, and in particular how these influenced their professional lives and consequently how their personal lives influenced their work. The amalgamation of three schools was used as the vehicle of the research. It challenged teachers to rethink the way they went about teaching and learning. Values and beliefs were questioned imposing strain on self-confidence. New beliefs and values were embraced out of loss, grief and anxiety. Whether or not desired, real change brought with it uncertainty, ambivalence and contradiction. Yet, these very factors spurred growth and encouraged shared meanings in a myriad of change factors.
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ItemChange: stop it if you can: organisational defence mechanisms and change resistance in a primary school setting( 1999)The study investigates change resistance in a Victorian primary school. Interviews were conducted with teachers at various levels in the organisation and with the administrator, the principal. The purpose of the study is to seek improved understanding of change resistance by examining and mapping each individual's perspective. Argyris's writings are referred to extensively throughout the study because he has defined the essence of the challenge which confronts organisations faced with change. He notes that organisations can appear successful and profitable yet hide the true malaise underneath. He refers to this as the puzzle where: The puzzle means that buried deep in organisations is the capacity to be over protective and anti learning and to be unaware that this is the case and to do all this precisely when organisations need the opposite capacity. That is problems are tough and are also embarrassing or threatening. (Argyris, 1990, p.2) There is strong evidence from the study to support the hypothesis that people in organisations obtain a strong sense of security and surety from the culture of the organisation. In the face of threat their response is to create a culture of resistance to protect themselves from change. The study finds, that long term, meaningful change occurs when the organisation becomes a learning organisation. The learning referred to here must be of the quality which involves a change in the culture of the organisation. Argyris and Schon refer to this type of learning as deutero learning. This form of learning has the capacity to reculture the organisation toward a progressive learning organisation.