Faculty of Education - Theses
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ItemDeveloping and validating an operationalisable model of critical thinking for assessment in different cultures( 2022)Critical thinking has become an educational priority worldwide, as it is considered to play a fundamental role in problem-solving, decision-making and creativity. Yet the evidence is mixed about whether and how our education system produces good critical thinkers, and this is particularly evident in studies of the relative performance of Chinese and Western students. This study began with the assumption that the mixed evidence might in part be understood as resulting from a mismatch between the expectations of critical thinkers and the model of critical thinking adopted for its assessment. A review of literature suggested that the mismatch might stem from difficulties in operationalising the current theories of critical thinking in assessments. Drawing on a range of multidisciplinary studies of critical thinking, an operationalisable model of critical thinking was developed that includes a cognitive skill dimension and an epistemological belief dimension. Three assessment instruments were designed to validate the multidimensional model. The two dimensions of critical thinking were assessed separately as per existing assessments practices, and in an integrated manner. Performances on the three assessments were examined based on the data collected from a convenience sample of 480 higher education students in Australia (N=233) and China (N=247). Rasch analysis was conducted to examine the psychometric properties of the three instruments. Latent regression analysis with Rasch modelling and latent profile analysis were conducted to compare the performance patterns of critical thinking competency between the sampled groups. The results showed that the instruments were reliable for the measurement of the intended construct model and performed in an unbiased manner across the sampled groups. The results produced by the two approaches (separate and integrated assessment) were consistent. The two approaches can provide useful information for different purposes. It was found that the students in the Chinese sample performed at a lower level than the students in the Australian sample on all of the assessment instruments, and the two samples showed different performance patterns between the groups in the two components of the model. The study concluded that the operationalisable model provides a way of understanding conflicting evidence about patterns of critical thinking found in different cultures, and may inform tailored strategies for teaching critical thinking.
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ItemTeacher questioning practices across a sequence of consecutive mathematics lessons: a multiple-case study of junior secondary teachers in Australia and mainland China( 2017)Question asking is one of the most common strategies used by teachers in their everyday classroom instructional practice. Over recent decades, many attempts have been made to categorise teacher questions asked during classroom instruction and to report on teachers’ skilful questioning strategies. These categorisations consider the context where the questions are asked, the appropriate use of different types of questions, the learning opportunities created in the sequences of teacher-student interactions and so on. This study was designed to extend our understanding of teachers' questioning practices in classrooms through a fine-grained analysis of mathematics lessons taught by four competent junior secondary teachers from mainland China and Australia. The study demonstrates the importance of examining teaching strategies over a sequence of lessons, the power of the IRF (Initiation-Response-Follow-up) framework as a basic structure for investigating classroom interactions, and the complexity of teaching practices, made evident through the focused investigation of the ubiquitous practice of teacher questioning. Based on the IRF framework, a comprehensive coding system was developed to analyse what kinds of verbal questions were initiated by the teachers to elicit mathematical information and in what ways the teachers made use of students’ verbal contributions in order to facilitate student construction and acquisition of mathematical knowledge. In particular, a distinction was made between Q&A question pairs, IRF (single) sequences, and IRF (multiple) sequences. Classification systems were developed for question types within each interactive category. Within IRF (multiple) sequences, the categories: initiating and follow-up represented a fundamental distinction, each category having its own suite of sub-categories. For each participating teacher, a whole unit of consecutive lessons was examined (from 6 to 10 lessons per unit). Analysis of the data suggested that: (1) Across the professional practice of the four teachers, two each in mainland China and in Australia, similarities and differences in the ways in which teachers employ questioning strategies were observed. The differences regarding questioning strategies across the consecutive lessons include: (i) number/frequency of questions asked in each lesson; (ii) the proportions of questions in IRF (multiple) sequences and the proportions of the questions in Q&A question pairs and IRF (single) sequences; and, (iii) the use of subcategories for initiation questions in each lesson. And the similarities are as follows: (i) the proportion of initiation questions in IRF (multiple) sequences out of all questions in each lesson; and, (ii) the use of subcategories for follow-up questions in each lesson. The essential point suggested by the comparison of similarities and differences regarding teacher questioning practices in this study is that the Chinese teachers and Australian teachers employed questioning strategies with similar forms but with distinctly different functions. (2) Regardless of the geographical location of the classroom, teachers’ questioning strategy choice is made rationally based on such contexts as the nature of instructional tasks and the constraints facing the teachers at the time. Those constraints might involve time limit and overemphasis on procedural fluency caused by the need to prepare students for high-stakes examinations, the demands of catering to students’ individual differences, the need for coherent delivery and explanation of sophisticated mathematics and the need to elicit information about student existing understanding. Unlike the two Chinese teachers who valued the achievement of lesson goals above any other factors, both Australian teachers placed greatest emphasis equally on students’ demands and lesson content. (3) In the case of the use of the three kinds of IRF (multiple) sequences (leading, facilitating/probing, orchestrating), the nature of teacher lesson planning – collaborative and institutionalised in the case of mainland China, and individually done in the case of Australia – affects how teachers make use of questions in class. These local educational contexts pose culturally-situated challenges, even though the teacher questioning strategies that are chosen and performed may reflect rational professional decisions by all four teachers, predicated on similar pedagogical goals. Teachers’ adjustment of their questioning routines in response to competing tensions in their classroom practices provided some of the most interesting features of the research. In addition, this study also suggests that teacher professional development program designers should ensure that novice teachers are given an opportunity to observe the teaching of a sequence of lessons and to observe closely how one expert teacher’s questioning strategies are strategically employed according to the demands of the particular lesson and its place in the topic sequence. Such strategic variation of questioning practice cannot be fully or correctly understood without the examination of the teaching of consecutive lessons.
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ItemTransitioning from a Chinese education to an Australia education: a study of foundation studies program students from China( 2015)This study was motivated by the growth of the Australian international education sector, increasing numbers of mainland Chinese students studying in Australian universities, and a lack of research relating to the Foundation Studies Programs (FSP) in which some Chinese students enrolled. In seeking to contribute to this gap in the FSP literature, this study investigated how a cohort of ex-FSP students from mainland China reflected on their transition through various stages of their education. Specifically, the main research question guiding this study asked, 'To what extent do Chinese students' higher education experiences align with their expectations as they transition from secondary schooling in China through to university in Australia?'. To address this question a mixed-methods design was utilised. This consisted of surveys being administered to Chinese and non-Chinese nationals within one FSP at entry and exit from the course, and subsequent semi-structured interviews with a cohort of these Chinese students who were now studying at university. Interview data comprised the bulk of this study's analysis, and revealed that Chinese students' expectations and experiences of education did not remain fixed as they transitioned between schooling contexts in China and Australia. The most salient feature of their transition experiences was the increased importance they placed on the social dimension seen to enhance their educational experiences. That is, where once these students viewed their entry into the FSP and gaining Australian higher education qualifications instrumentally, they later adjusted this view to include also the importance of developing and maintaining social relationships within educational contexts. This study's findings highlight the importance of social relationships across various schooling contexts, and challenge the assumption that FSPs ease international students' social transition into university.
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ItemPrincipal and teacher perceptions of the leadership role of principals in Hong Kong Protestant Christian secondary schools following the change of sovereignty to China( 2004)This research investigated the phenomenon of principal leadership in Hong Kong Protestant Christian secondary schools following the change of sovereignty to China on 1st July, 1997. Using a hermeneutic phenomenological methodology, 9 principals and 16 teachers were interviewed about their perceptions of principal leadership. They were from within a network of secondary schools administered by the Sponsoring Body (SB)-a council of churches of one Protestant Christian denomination. Transcripts were analysed with techniques drawn from that of phenomenology, hermeneutics and case study, and verified with documents collected from the interviewees. The perceived leadership role of principals was found to be complex and multi-dimensional, with 18 leadership themes described and 14 themes where change was noted in the leadership role due to the change of sovereignty. Comparing the themes of the principals and the teachers, the degree of similarity was judged to be high, indicating that the principals generally enacted their leadership role as they described. Based on the research findings and comparison with the leadership literature, a Christian principal leadership model was constructed, that consists of four leadership conceptions which correspondingly inform four broad leadership roles: (1) Christian leadership-administering Christian education-the principal led prayer, spoke in assemblies and supported religious programs. (2) Instructional leadership-teaching and learning-indirectly practised by the principal who delegated the Deputy Principals and the subject or department heads to share the supervisory role. (3) Transformational leadership-transforming the school community the principals showed the characteristics of transformational leaders. (4) School-based Management-SBM and development-official implementation in 2000 required relevant leadership, highlighting the characteristics of increased accountability and heavy workload. These roles were further connected to the leadership functions derived from the 18 themes. This model emphasizes the principal leadership role being enacted on the basis of Christian principles, committing education to God, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
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ItemModernization and youth culture in contemporary China : a translation, with introduction, of articles from the Chinese press, 1986-1987( 1988)The thesis provides, with an introduction and notes, translations of five articles from the Chinese educational press and one from a Chinese Ph.D student newly arrived in U.S.A. which throw light on the uncertainty being expressed in China about the values and behaviour of students and young intellectuals at a time of rapid policy change towards modernization and a more open attitude to the West. The texts here translated have been previously unavailable in English.
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ItemConcept of spoken English( 2007)The study presented here examines the concept of spoken English held by tertiary teachers of English as a Foreign Language in China. The objective was to discover this knowledge so as to inform the design of professional development programs aiming to raise the standards of spoken English teaching in order to meet new government policy objectives. A college in South China was chosen as the research site and 17 EFL teachers participated in the study. Data were collected through the teachers' written responses to samples of spoken English, answers to a questionnaire, and focus group discussions. The findings of the study provide a 'map', showing both the range and the focus of how the teachers conceive of the features of spoken English across its different domains, and the gaps between these concepts of spoken English and those in contemporary theories. Although a wide range of features covering all domains of spoken English are included by the teachers as a group, most of them focus more on the features of formal accuracy and fluency than on those in the domain of sociolinguistic and strategic language use. The findings also suggest a number of reasons for this imbalance. These include practical constraints, such as the national examination guides and big class size, and the teachers' lack of confidence and knowledge in certain domains of spoken language use. Considered in light of current theories of language teaching, these findings show the knowledge, beliefs and assumptions of a representative group of teachers which can be used to guide the design of on-going professional development programs for such teachers in the area of spoken English pedagogy.
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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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ItemA Case study of retention policy strategies and their impact on Weixi Lisu ethnic minority students, Yunnan Province, the PRC( 2003)The overall aim of this research is to explore the current national and provincial ethnic minority education policies related to retention rates and their implementation strategies, together with their impact on the ethnic minority groups in Yunnan Province in the 1990s. As Yunnan Province has strong representation of 25 ethnic minority groups in the People's Republic of China within its population, the problems associated with ethnic minority education is particularly relevant and complex. One of the most serious issues to emerge in the education of ethnic minority groups is the high dropout rate resulting in low school retention rates. This thesis, in particular, focuses on the Weixi Lisu schooling retention rates in Weixi Lisu Autonomous County of Yunnan Province, the People's Republic of China in order to explore the specific factors that affected retention rates, and the ways in which the implementation strategies impacted on Weixi Lisu. As a result, policies and strategies to improve the Weixi Lisu schooling retention rates are recommended to assist the provincial government to design policies to increase the retention rates of ethnic minority students in Yunnan Province. A contextual analysis includes a discussion of Yunnan's geographical location, its socio-economic development and the factors associated with ethnic minority groups' education. The literature, then, provides an insight into ethnic students' education and retention issues. It focuses on the low retention rates in Weixi Lisu Autonomous County. From the literature review questions emerging included: What are the factors that affect retention rates? What policy strategies have been effective in increasing the retention rates? How do low school retention rates impact on the Weixi Lisu community? Within the qualitative paradigm, the research questions, methodology and interview schedule are discussed. Five themes emerged from the analysis of the data. It was found that a basic cause of low retention rates is the lack of economic development, which expresses itself in a high level of poverty. The main fording is explored and examined within the context of the literature research. It is a key recommendation that overcoming poverty and developing self-management of schools at the local level would improve the enrolment rate and retention rate. This research provides valuable information for those involved in education planning, education policymaking within the Yunnan Education Commission and Ethnic Minority Affairs of Yunnan Province, and for other governments interested in these policy issues. Researchers in the areas of education and culture who would ford this valuable resource.
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ItemTeachers' perceptions of the teacher evaluation system in China : a case study( 2004)Reforms in China have been attempting to shift its education from examination centred to quality oriented Teacher evaluation system is supposed to reflect the changes. This study explored teachers perceptions of the current teacher evaluation system in a public primary school in China. The participants were 43 of the school's 75 teachers. The researcher analysed teachers written responses to both pre coded and open ended questions to determine their perceptions. Findings of this study suggest that teachers general impressions of the teacher evaluation system were slightly positive and the teacher evaluation criteria as a whole were acceptable to some extent to the teachers. Teachers however held quite divided opinions toward different aspects of the teacher evaluation and the criteria of different teacher evaluation procedures. The teachers believed that teacher evaluation had a big impact on their growth and was used as evidence for rewards and punishment. The impact on teachers morale and student outcomes were comparatively smaller. Many teachers also believed that teacher evaluation had no impact on them Teachers were not happy with the climate for evaluation especially the perceived unfairness in evaluation and not being respected. Teachers opinions were divided to a great extent regarding preferred evaluation procedures and some criteria for teacher evaluation. The researcher suggests that teachers negative attitudes toward the teacher evaluation system should be seriously considered and that the system be improved. The researcher also suggests that the relationship between current teacher evaluation and student outcomes should be further explored and strengthened.
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ItemSchool organization as an internal teaching context : case studies of two Hong Kong aided secondary schools( 1996)In this study, school organization is investigated as a teaching context from the teachers' perspective. The study investigates the theoretical position that characteristics of the school organization affect teachers' job-related attitudes which, in turn, affect educational outcomes. A review of the literature shows that various characteristics of school organization are related to teachers' attitudes and performance and educational outcomes of schools. In this study, the case study approach is adopted and both qualitative and quantitative research methods are used. The teachers' job-related attitudes of two aided secondary schools in Hong Kong are analyzed. The internal teaching contexts of the schools are then described in terms of structural, cultural and social relations perspectives. Factors of school organization which may affect teachers' attitudes are identified. The findings from this study provide support for previous research into the influence of teachers' working environments or the internal context of teaching on school effectiveness. Implications for efforts directed at improving workplace conditions in Hong Kong secondary schools and an agenda for further research are discussed.