Faculty of Education - Theses
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ItemAn analysis of evaluative reasoning in education program evaluations conducted in Australia between 2014 – 2019( 2022)The Australian government spends millions of dollars every year on grants that support new and innovative programs in the education sector. For example, in the 2020- 2021 Australian budget, financial support for interventions in the primary and secondary school sectors equalled more than $72.9 million dollars. Usually, and in order to account for spending the money, granting bodies ask for an evaluation of the intervention. One of the key activities of evaluation is to determine the value, merit or worth of a program. This is achieved by reaching an evaluative conclusion/judgement about the educational intervention that is credible, valid, and defensible to stakeholders. The defensibility of an evaluative conclusion/judgement relies partly on legitimate and justified arguments. In evaluation, legitimate arguments are made using the logic of evaluation. Justified arguments are made using evaluative reasoning. However, the reasoning process underpinning the logic is doubly important because readers need to be convinced of the credibility, validity, and defensibility of the evaluative conclusion/judgement. This study investigated the presence of a legitimate and justified evaluative conclusion/judgement in publicly available education evaluations conducted in Australia between 2014-2019. Using the systematic quantitative analysis method and new integrated logic of evaluation and evaluative reasoning conceptual framework, this study found that only four of the 26 evaluations analysed provided a legitimate and justified evaluative conclusion/ judgement about program value. The remaining 22 ‘evaluations’ were categorised as research because while they provided descriptive facts about the intervention, they did not ascribe value to it. The findings highlight the need for more credible, valid, and defensible evaluations of educational programs, achieved in part by using evaluative reasoning, as they provide an evidence-base for decision-making and for ensuring that quality education is available to all members of society.
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ItemProgram evaluation of an alternative school( 2003)This program evaluation aims to identify the strengths and the areas that require improvement in an alternative school. The alternative school involved in this study was established to cater for 'at risk' students. The design of the study utilises both qualitative and quantitative methods. The qualitative data collection involved the use of standardised semi-structured interviews and focus group interviews. Questionnaires were the research instruments used for the collection of the quantitative data. Analysis of the results of this study indicated that the strengths of the alternative school related to the school culture/ethos, support for parents and students, relationship and connectedness and, student development and learning. The areas that require improvement involved the length of time for the students in the alternative setting, the transition from the alternative school back into mainstream, and the support for students after returning to mainstream education.
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ItemA nationwide educational knowledge and information system for China : is it likely to be adopted?( 2000)The researcher contrived a new strategy for the dissemination of educational knowledge -- a conceptual model of an Educational Knowledge and Information System (EKIS), based on a literature review. The focus of the research is to find out that whether, and under what conditions, the EKIS is likely to be adopted in China. The researcher interviewed some Chinese educational policy-makers to elicit their opinions on the EKIS model and on the possibility of the EMS development. The respondents perceived the EMS as a useful system, because it would have the potential to solve some of the current information problems. Their attitudes towards the EKIS development are positive, but with caution. The findings show consistency with the literature on innovation adoption. The importance of human factors in an innovation process is explicitly reflected in the findings. The respondents also indicated some elements that could hinder the adoption, development and utilisation of the EKIS in the setting of China, such as the influence of information policies, the impacts of educators' existing information dissemination and access conventions, and the lack of coordination among different government departments.
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ItemVision and reality: what are the experiences and perceptions of overseas students enrolled in a year 13 Foundation Studies course in business offered in a city university?( 2001)Internationalization has become one of the 'buzzwords' in Australian education. For most Australian educational institutions, internationalization meant an unprecedented influx of overseas students enrolling in their courses. This thesis will consider the mismatch of expectations between students from the Asia-Pacific region in a tertiary education institution in Australia. What is the mismatch of expectations? What is its extent? How does it come to exist? How does it manifest itself? These questions have been explored in focus group discussions with students from the Asia-Pacific region currently attending a Year 13 Foundation Studies course in a city university. The research found a mismatch between student and staff expectations due to miscommunication and cultural values.