Faculty of Education - Theses
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Item(Dis)engagement in the middle: A genealogy of engagement, school, and Australian young people in contemporary times( 2023-03)This thesis is a genealogical study of the influential concept of student engagement. The study aims to understand how engagement has come to hold status as a solution to a range of educational and social problems associated with young people and the middle years (Years 4–10) of schooling in contemporary times (1990–2020). In much of the existing scholarly literature, engagement is used to read, measure, and ameliorate problems associated with young people and schools. In contrast, this thesis makes the role of engagement the object of study. Putting the Foucauldian tool of the dispositif to work and focussing on educational initiatives in Victoria, Australia, the thesis builds a theoretical and empirical analysis of engagement’s form and functions in policy, public, and practitioner spaces. This is achieved through three genealogical investigations into engagement: first, as an organiser of school populations via school (dis)engagement policy; next, as a solution for problematic young people in public discussion; and then, as a driver of pedagogical reform in professional development material aimed at a practitioner audience. The socio-historical contributions pertain to the character of the relationship between engagement, young people, and school. The thesis argues that this relationship has been shaped by a longstanding view of schools and young people as preparatory grounds for instrumentally conceived futures. The study shows how this relationship is inflected by the particularities of the present and the recent past, and registers the ways in which young people and schools are tasked with solving current and anticipated problems, by way of engagement. Conceptually, the thesis contributes a creative and historically precise analysis of engagement as in/commensurable; that is, a concept with recognisably familiar but varying forms, impulses, functions, and uneven effects. Methodologically, the study shows how a genealogical approach—often notoriously elusive as a method—can be operationalised in practical and detailed ways to illuminate what engagement ‘is’, how it ‘works’, and what it ‘does’. Overall, the thesis contributes new insights into the aspirations associated with engagement and new knowledge of how the concept functions to shape and organise young people in current times.
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ItemVCAL: growth and performance( 2015)This thesis examines a major curriculum innovation that was introduced into the upper secondary curriculum in the Australian state of Victoria in 2002 – the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL). Victoria is the only state in Australia which has developed a separate senior secondary certificate, a vocational certificate to sit alongside the general Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE). The VCAL claims to be a comprehensive attempt to anchor vocational learning within the secondary school environment in Australia. The aim of this study is to investigate whether the VCAL has delivered on its promise to provide an educational opportunity for students for whom the VCE is not appropriate; an opportunity to experience success and move into appropriate pathways into further education and training and employment. It is important to assess the educational impact a vocational program like the VCAL has had within the senior secondary curriculum. To see this in context, the research literature on vocational and applied learning in schools is examined through various approaches that are used in the delivery of vocational and applied learning to school-age students internationally and in Australia. The research focuses on two main models of differentiation – whether they are predominantly school-based or employment-based and the age at which differentiation into academic and vocational programs occurs. The research also examines the effectiveness of these programs and their impact on school retention, student engagement and their ability to create effective pathways into a range of destinations, including further education, training and employment. The story of vocational education and training (VET) in the Australian state of Victoria is seen in an historical context as the researcher explores the history of curriculum change in Victoria over many decades, leading to the senior secondary offerings available today. The thesis concludes that the VCAL has on the whole been successful in engaging the VCAL students who participated in this study. It has also provided strong pathways in apprenticeships. However, pathways into employment in particular, full-time employment are less than optimal. The VCAL also continues to face many challenges, particularly in terms of perceptions and ownership at a local level. The thesis argues for a new educational philosophy and a redefinition of upper secondary curriculum to place VCAL as a credible alternative to the VCE. It argues for a redesign of the VCAL program requiring all VCAL students to enrol in the VCAL as an apprentice or trainee. Finally, it argues for a whole school approach and commitment to the VCAL program with strong leadership support and active involvement in the VCAL program.
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ItemA Framework of Factors for Learning Environment Evaluation( 2019)A Framework of factors for Learning Environmewnt Evaluation There is a common assumption that the provision of innovative learning environments in schools will lead to the subsequent implementation of appropriate innovative approaches to teaching and learning in these facilities. However, there is not a strong body of research that interrogates the nature of the relationships and outcomes that occur in the complex interactions between new learning environments and education practices. This research developed a framework to facilitate the evaluation of innovative education practices in innovative learning environments. The purpose of the framework is to help practitioners best identify their particular situation and circumstances for evaluation of identified aspects of the relationship between learning environments and teaching and learning practices. This supports the premise that better judgements about evaluation will facilitate the development of better understandings of issues related to the implementation of innovative education practices in innovative learning environments. The framework for research was developed using an approach based on Conceptual Modelling. The details of the framework were derived from the literature review deliberately incorporating a cross-disciplinary perspective of literature that drew on the fields of architecture and education facility design and education practice with a particular orientation to teaching and learning in innovative learning environments. The capacity of the framework to achieve its intended purposes was investigated through a research process of Expert Elicitation. The research methodology of Expert Elicitation was very effective in generating a valid pool of data from a small focussed group of respondents. Analysis of the data showed that experts from backgrounds in both architecture and education strongly agreed on factors considered to be the most significant in relation to the implementation of innovative education practices in innovative learning environments. These factors were centred around concepts of education principles, stakeholder connection and student engagement. Qualitative data analysis identified a revised structure to the framework that could best represent the key findings of the research. The framework allows for dynamic interpretation of the declared set of key issues that were identified. Guidelines for making decisions about interpretation of the evaluation framework are given through descriptions of the key purpose statements, guiding questions and consideration of the nature of evaluation to be utilised. Consequently, the key factors in the framework may be adapted to cater for different contextual settings as well as differing interpretations of key ideas associated with the evaluation of innovative education practices in innovative learning environments. This study presents two significant outcomes: a) the framework which was developed through the research that brings focus and coherence to the evaluative situation; and b) the questionnaire that was developed for use by specific groups to aid in their own situation specific interpretation of the framework. Both the framework and the questionnaire represent a balanced integration of the perspectives of architects and educators with respect to implementing innovative education practices in innovative learning environments.
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ItemThe pedagogy of engagement: classroom management vs. facilitating learning( 2019)This thesis explored the way upper primary teachers think about student engagement and how they operationalise the concept within their classrooms. Student engagement has been frequently linked to academic success, and improving the engagement of students continues to be a priority for policy makers and practitioners alike. Despite an abundance of research, it remains questionable whether researcher conceptions of student engagement adequately represent the way teachers experience the concept. Teachers' perspectives on student engagement and their engagement-related practices were investigated over two studies using an exploratory sequential mixed methods design. In Study One, in-depth interviews were conducted with 16 teachers to explore their beliefs about student engagement in learning. Teachers described six qualitatively different forms of engagement and disengagement, as well as a complex process for facilitating student engagement within lessons. A typology of engagement and a pedagogical framework for engaging students were proposed based on the findings. Study Two sought to test the validity of the typology as a representation of teachers' descriptions of student engagement and its usefulness in coding teachers' engagement-related interactions within observed lessons. Four teachers were interviewed and four lessons observations for each teacher were conducted. In addition, 72 students within those classrooms were surveyed to explore their perceptions of aspects of the learning environment, including their understanding of teacher expectations for student engagement. Qualitative analysis of interview and observation data revealed that teachers varied in their expectations for student engagement within lessons, their views on the role of peers in student engagement, and in the frequency with which they intervened within lessons to facilitate different forms of student engagement. Quantitative analysis of survey data suggest that students in different classrooms perceive different expectations for how they will engage in learning experiences. A model is proposed for thinking about the pedagogy of student engagement, providing an alternative vantage point from which to explore the concept, one that is grounded in the real-life experiences of teachers facing the ongoing challenge of engaging students in classroom learning experiences.
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Item'It's music and we came to play instruments': teaching for engagement in classroom music(ROUTLEDGE JOURNALS, TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD, 2022-08-08)Over the last five decades there have been persistent concerns about low levels of student satisfaction with school music. Small numbers of students participate in elective and co-curricular school music, yet student enjoyment and involvement in music outside school is well documented, primarily through listening to music. There has been interest in adopting teaching practices that originate in out-of-school contexts and bringing these into classroom music. Approaches to increase engagement have focussed on adopting a more student-centred approach that incorporates the real-world learning practices of students’ everyday musical cultures and provides greater opportunities for creativity. One approach thought to make classroom music more meaningful for students by drawing their outside musical lives into their school music experiences is the Musical Futures program. Musical Futures consists of complementary approaches arising from out-of-school contexts, including those of popular musicians and community musicians. It is characterised by learning that is student-driven with an emphasis on learning through immersion in music making. Despite student engagement being regularly mentioned in research as a key outcome when teachers adopt Musical Futures, less is known about the specific teacher practices that foster engagement from a classroom perspective. This ethnographic study investigates teacher practices that encourage engagement in classroom music. The data collection was undertaken in a primary (elementary) and a secondary school in the outer south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, Australia, and focussed on the classroom practice of two teachers in four classes of students aged ten to sixteen years. The two teachers invited to participate in the study had been identified as being influenced by the Musical Futures approach following their participation in a professional learning workshop. The findings draw on participant-observation of music lessons, interviews and focus groups. Although the two teacher participants both employed practices which were identified as being conducive to engagement in their classrooms, the study revealed differences in their approach. The relationship between student engagement and classroom music teaching is complex, fluid, and situational and the analysis revealed a complex picture of engaging teaching presented as five characteristics: fostering a positive student response, maximising involvement in music making, navigating autonomy and participation, enacting a repertoire of teacher roles, and negotiating school policy in day-to-day assessment practices. The findings are drawn together under three themes - acknowledging cultures and real-world practice, emphasising a student-centred creative approach, navigating prevailing beliefs and systems and practice - that represent principles of engaging classroom music teaching drawn from an historical investigation of the music education literature. A model of teaching for engagement in classroom music arising from this research is proposed.
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ItemIn the groove: a case study into drumming and student engagement( 2018)Brianna Slattery investigated a primary school African drumming program to examine how and why it engaged students across three domains: behavioural, cognitive and affective. The findings from this research provide insight into how drumming engages students through being accessible, physical, therapeutic, social, challenging and transferable, and the conditions that support such engagement.
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ItemEvaluating the effects of different classroom spaces on teaching and learning( 2016)(Terry Byers…) who examined the impact of physical learning environments on student learning outcomes and teacher practices. His study found a correlation between classroom design and student performances in mathematics and English, and, highlighted the need to better understand teacher attitudes to changes in learning spaces.
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ItemThe use of online technologies to enhance student learning and foster engagement in drama education( 2014)This thesis explores the use of various online technologies in drama education. It asks in what ways can a teacher utilise emerging technologies to enhance learning and foster engagement in drama in a secondary school context. This was a single case study undertaken in a naturalistic environment where descriptive data was obtained and analysed using an inductive approach. Students used online technologies alongside more conventional classroom practice in a Year 10 drama course, such as writing blog posts in between lessons to replace the traditional drama journal. Wikis were used to co-construct meaning on common student goals, while the teacher employed audio podcasts instead of delivering theory lectures, writing classroom notes or distributing handouts. The students also used a Web forum as a repository for research information and a place for teamwork. This blended learning approach: a mixture of face-to-face instruction accompanied by out-of-class online communication, resulted in a student-centred, constructivist environment that exposed the different learning styles of the students. During the course of this study, due to the use of online technologies many students experienced increased engagement in their learning, enhanced cooperation with others, a sense of collegiality with classmates, and improved learning outcomes.
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ItemThe impact of literature circles on student engagement in middle years English( 2013)This project investigated the connection between literature circles and student engagement in middle school English classes. This study shows that literature circles can cause increases in students' behavioural, emotional and cognitive engagement in reading, and English. It adds to existing local and international research into effective middle school pedagogies, student voice, and reading strategies.