Faculty of Education - Theses
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ItemA working knowledge program within a project-funded professional development environment( 1998)This study was designed to achieve two research aims: The first was to engage the researcher in a journey of discovery that provided her with the knowledge and ability to question the merits and limitations of project-funded professional development. The second was to extend the researcher's understanding of project-funded learning and professional development by developing and implementing a working knowledge program within an actual project-funded environment. The research question was consistent with these aims as it asked "What facilitated or inhibited learning in the participants of a project-funded professional development program developed from the concept of working knowledge?". Project-funded professional development programs have become a popular method of targeting specific disciplines and subjects within the primary and community health care sectors. This source of professional development brings with it unique learning environments that have strengths and limitations. This study addresses what is arguably a challenge for facilitators employed in this industry, having knowledge of models of professional development that enhance practitioner learning and address the limitations associated with project-funded programs. It is hoped that this study contributes to our knowledge of the concept of working knowledge, and clarifies its potential role in project-funded programs. A qualitative research approach was used to analyse the research data and this produced a rich description of the type of knowledge valued and accessed by the study's participants. The knowledge that was sought and acquired by the GPs participants during the working knowledge program was more consistent with the perception they had of their role as independent practitioners, even though the program was designed using a cross-discipline approach and based within a holistic framework. A somewhat surprising factor was the depth and breadth of influence that the practitioner's own 'culture' had on every stage of this study.
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ItemCompetency-based training: a study of the meaning of change in vocational education practice( 1998)This is a Doctorate (D. Ed.) thesis on the meaning given to a particular change (the introduction of an 'official' NTB/ANTA version of competency-based training in Australia) in vocational education by some of its practitioners. Its original contribution to the field of vocational education lies in reporting the practitioner view of change. The formal definition of the NTB/ANTA 'official' version CBT and those of its subsidiary components was used as a research tool to measure practitioner response to change. Responses to the change proposal were classified using the typologies of fidelity, mutual adaptation co-option and non-implementation. The work starts by discussing the origins of CBT including the historic and political events, which have shaped this teaching innovation. It then describes how a naturalistic paradigm was used to hear the voices of the practitioner and examine the attitudes and knowledge of the 'official' version of CBT held by those of various status involved in the introduction of this innovation in a number TAFE and industry sites. The study examined three research questions: 1. What meaning is given to the 'official' version of CBT by different stakeholders in different organisations? 2. How do different people at different levels in an educational hierarchy react to the implementation of the 'official' version of CBT, what was important in implementation, and what were the processes? 3. Is there a resulting grounded theory of implementation of current change, and what impact and possible consequences does it have for the implementation of future changes in vocational education? The research reports that the change has not been implemented in the way its promoters would have wished and that the meaning given to the concept of CBT by teachers and trainers has, understandably, led to widely different responses and practices within the fidelity to non-implementation range of typologies. It has been found that what was implemented was of general benefit to students and there were some unintended outcomes, which it is argued, were also valuable. The work concludes with some cautionary advice to initiators and implementers of other innovations in the same field.
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ItemA study of changes in competency-based assessment processes or departures from official competency-based assessment( 2000)In this study the researcher has identified and explained the processes of competency-based assessment (CBA) in Safeway Supermarket Ltd at Australian Standards Framework level two and level three programs. The study investigates any changes in processes or departures from that which is stated in official CBA documents and identifies the extent to which the implementation of CBA fulfils its stated intentions. The study starts by describing how competency-based assessment has been presented as a strategy by governments to enhance the productivity of Australian industry and its citizens and how competency-based assessment is grounded in Evaluation Theory. A naturalistic form of enquiry, is used to describe the processes and practices of CBA at Safeway Supermarkets. The study focused on the following research questions: � What is CBA in Australian Vocational Educational and Training policy documents? � How does assessment take place in practice in Safeway Stores? � What is the workplace assessor's view of CBA in Safeway Stores? � What changes have been made by assessors in the implementation of CBA? � How have assessors been trained in CBA at Safeway in Australia? � Is the training sufficient? The study found that participants responded to the introduction of CBA into Safeway Supermarket Ltd as a positive step, although it was found that Safeway is still in the very early stages of implementing CBA into the three contexts studied. The study concludes by surfacing issues in the field of CBA and Vocational Education and Training (VET).