Faculty of Education - Theses
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ItemRetheorising equity in everyday routines in early childhood : a poststructuralist action research story(University of Melbourne, 2010)
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ItemLiteracy and learning in preschool aged children(University of Melbourne, 2010)
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ItemSupporting Teacher Practice in Early Childhood Science Education( 2022)References to the inclusion of science education in early childhood education are emerging in federal, state, and territory policy agendas. Although policy documents emphasise the importance of young children learning process skills typically associated with science, existing mandated frameworks do not explicitly refer to science. This has led to teachers seeking professional learning to better equip them to embed science within an informal curriculum. In response, the Northern Territory (NT) Government commissioned the development of the NT Preschool Science Games. The rollout of the resource in preschools across the NT provided the opportunity to conduct this intervention study. This research aimed to understand how to support teacher practice in early childhood science, with a specific focus on classroom quality, assessment, and playful learning during the implementation of the NT Preschool Science Games. Drawing on bioecological theory, a policy review of early childhood and science teaching learning policy documents is used to establish the broader context in which early childhood science is taught in Australia. A process skills approach to science teaching and learning is articulated, aligned with the emphasis on process skills identified in policy documents. Thereafter, a pilot study and intervention study are presented. The pilot study trialled two new instruments, the SciDoc and Early Childhood Science Padlet, along with a teacher questionnaire. These instruments were then refined and applied in the intervention study. Classroom observations were conducted to measure the quality of classroom interactions that contribute to child learning. Semistructured interviews identified teachers’ assessment practices, and the influences on these practices, during the implementation of the NT Preschool Science Games. Based on the findings, this research recommends the following supports for teacher practice in early childhood science education: 1. inclusion of science content alongside science process skills in the Early Years Learning Framework and all guiding documents; 2. professional learning to equip teachers to facilitate playful science learning; 3. learning progressions of science process skills; 4. implementation of the Assessment for Playful Learning model. Ultimately, when teachers are clear about what science learning is possible within playful experiences, they are better equipped to observe and assess children demonstrating what they know. This can inform authentic scaffolding and contingent planning for playful science teaching and learning.
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ItemUnderstanding early childhood teaching and learning in two Northern Arnhem Land family and playgroup contexts( 2019)This PhD study is situated within the Australian Research Council Linkage Project ‘Building a Bridge into Preschool in Remote Northern Territory Communities (Maningrida and Galiwin’ku)’. The study aimed to improve understanding of family teaching and learning processes in the family and playgroup contexts as part of the project’s aim to determine the feasibility and success of combining the key Abecedarian Approach Australia (3a) elements with local cultural and educational practices through the Families as First Teachers (FaFT) program platform. Amidst discourses around disadvantages and developmental vulnerability in remote Aboriginal contexts, this research study provides an outsider’s perspective on families’ capacity in teaching and learning processes. Theoretically, the study drew from Nakata’s Cultural Interface Theory (2007a). As such, family teaching and learning is seen to comprise dynamic processes in which families continue to traverse between Aboriginal Australian and Western knowledge traditions. Methodologically, in response to this research context, elements of both an interpretivist paradigm and an Indigenous paradigm were utilized to inform the study, which sought to investigate the questions ‘What are local Indigenous perspectives on early childhood teaching and learning?’ and ‘What are the characteristics of teaching and learning in Indigenous mother-child book reading and play interactions?’ The research methods included listening to local perspectives in yarning circles and observing mother-child book reading and play interactions. Both the perspectives and interaction data were analyzed using a thematic approach, guided by the theoretical framework of Ways of Knowing, Ways of Being and Ways of Doing within an Aboriginal Relatedness lens (Martin, 2008). Key findings from the study demonstrate that families in the two communities value kinship and environmental knowledge and practices; maintain the qualities and values of relationships, respect, responsibility and accountability; and embrace multimodality and multilingualism in teaching and learning. The findings showed how cultural ways and educational ways can be interwoven to support the continuity of holistic learning for children as they make meaning through different Ways of Knowing, Being and Doing across various learning contexts. These findings attest to the significance of honouring families’ cultures, strengths, capacities and preferences and including these in playgroup program and policy development so that families’ teaching and learning in educational settings can be built upon their already strong cultural heritage. The study also highlighted the importance of mutual understanding and building reciprocal relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous stakeholders, respecting and prioritizing families’ self-determination and aspirations for children’s education.
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ItemCan children in the early years of primary schooling say from whom or what or where they acquired their scientific understandings ?( 2006)Young children bring with them to school a certain amount of science knowledge gained from their everyday lives. What they "know", whether right or wrong, may be the result of interactions with family, television, computer programs, books, peers or visits to environmental locations, museums or science centres. In this study, children who have been at primary school for between two and three years are asked to describe their knowledge and their sources of information. The extent to which school factors are influencing their science knowledge is investigated. A survey was developed and protocols trialled before fifty-seven children aged eight and nine years at a provincial Victorian government primary school were surveyed to establish their home background and family interest in science, their own attitudes and feelings toward science and the efficacy of their science experiences at school. Interviews were carried out with nine students, selected to represent a broad range of attitudes to science, in order to gain more detailed information about their specific understandings of a number of topics within the primary school science curriculum and the sources of their information. The students' responses revealed that where they were knowledgeable about a subject they could indeed say from where they obtained their knowledge. Books were the most commonly cited source of information, followed by school, personal home experiences and family. Computers and the internet had little influence. Students who appeared to have "better" understandings quoted multiple sources of information. Positive correlations were found between enjoyment of school lessons and remembering science information, liking to watch science television or videos and remembering science information, and liking to read science books and remembering science information. Mothers were also linked to the use of science books at home, and the watching of nature TV shows at home. There are several implications for the teaching of science at early years level. Teachers need to be aware of powerful influences, from both within and outside of the classroom, which may impact on children, and which may be enlisted to help make learning more meaningful. The research indicates the importance of home background, parental interest and access to books, and notes the under utilisation of computers and lack of visits to museums and interactive science centres.
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ItemIntroducing a computer corner in an early intervention setting for young children with speech-language concerns( 2000)This study investigates a process for introducing a computer corner, as an innovation, in an Early Intervention Centre catering for children with speech-language concerns. Parents attend the Centre with their children and play a major part in the teaching/learning process. This study documented the process of introducing the computer corner as one of the learning areas available to the children, and the parents were invited to participate in the research. As the process evolved through the stages of planning, initiation, implementation and reflection, parents were involved in ongoing recording of their observations of the children. It was facilitated for the parents to express their feelings and positions regarding the innovation through formal and informal discussions. The parents were asked to complete a set of questionnaires early in the initiation phase of the process and these were repeated towards the end of the implementation stage in order to note changes in the parents' perspectives and use of the innovation. Seventeen parent participants completed the questionnaires and the implementation process. The Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM), (Hall, Wallace and Dossett, 1973) was used to assess progress that participants made as they implemented the innovation. The process investigated was found to be successful as a model for introducing an innovation. All participants showed changes in their acceptance of the computer corner, and in the way that they progressed through stages of concern about and their levels of use of the computer. The computer corner was very popular with the children. Over fifty percent of the parents and children together accessed the computer with a medium to high frequency. Computer literacy levels were well enhanced as both parents and children contributed to the process.
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ItemMapping the emergence of literacy-related knowledge in preschool students( 2009)This short-term longitudinal study investigated the emergence of literacy-related knowledge in typically developing preschool children aged between 3- and 6-years of age. The study comprised 68 children (42 males, 26 females; M age = 4.70, SD = 0.70) recruited from two early childhood settings and allocated to one of three age based cohorts (younger n = 17, M age = 3.83, SD = 0.16; middle n = 22, M age = 4.42, SD = 0.26; older n = 29, M age = 5.42, SD = 0.23). Each child completed a comprehensive suite of individual assessment tasks that incorporated oral, phonological, orthographic, alphabet and print knowledge, in addition to some aspects of conventional literacy knowledge (e.g., reading, writing). The tasks were re-administered six months later and complete literacy data were obtained on all measures for 54 children. Children's performance was compared across the three age cohorts and over the time of the study in order to examine the developmental progression of literacy-related knowledge during the preschool period (Study 1). The concurrent associations between measures of emergent literacy-related knowledge and conventional literacy knowledge were also explored for each of the cohorts (Study 2). Nonparametric and parametric analyses revealed group differences on many of the measures, particularly between the older preschool children and the two younger cohorts. Study 1 further demonstrated that literacy-related knowledge emerges early in some knowledge areas and that considerable growth in literacy-related knowledge occurs over a relatively short period of time, particularly between the ages of 4- and 5-years. Study 2 demonstrated that the associations between measures of emergent and conventional literacy knowledge generally increased with age and over time, indicating that emergent literacy-related knowledge and conventional literacy knowledge become more strongly associated during the preschool period. Overall, the results of this study indicate a clear developmental trend towards conventional literacy knowledge that commences in the preschool period. Important implications for early childhood education policy and practice are discussed.
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ItemThe parent-child mother goose program : a case study of a family-centred early intervention literacy initiative( 2006)Research related to early childhood education and development indicates the importance of the quality of social services provided to children in the early years. The Parent-Child Mother Goose study looks at the effectiveness of an early childhood program as a preventative intervention for children with additional needs through action research. The study was conducted over two cycles during 2005. It uncovers the characteristics of the Mother Goose Program; the role of the professional; and the effects of the intervention on parents and children. The study also introduces some of the most important concepts in early childhood education which include: Parent-Focused Programs, Family-Centred Practice, Inclusive Practice, and Retention in Early Intervention. Last the research examines the gaps in the Parent-Child Mother Goose Program and discusses issues such as: Concept Clarity, Cultural Competence, Access and Participation, Follow ups and Feedback, Fathers in the Early Years and Evaluation in Early Childhood Programs. The research addresses each issue separately and provides future recommendations for early childhood professionals in the context of a small scale study. The research concludes that the Parent-Child Mother Goose Program is an affective preventative intervention for parents and children who are committed to consistent participation.
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ItemExploring the challenges and possibilities for educators in honouring children's voices in early childhood curricula( 2007)In 2005, the Centre for Equity and Innovation in Early Childhood (CEIEC) at the University of Melbourne received funding to continue an action research project entitled, 'Children's voices and diversity in early childhood curricula'. The mission of this action research project was to support early childhood educators in the City of Melbourne to build their capacity to listen to and engage children in decision-making, enact children's rights and increase their commitment to issues of social justice and equity in early childhood. In this thesis, the challenges and possibilities for educators in honouring children's voices in early childhood curricula are explored within the wider context of the project. More specifically, the two key research areas that are addressed are i) the ways early childhood educators include children's voices in curriculum decision-making and ii) the challenges and possibilities they report in attempting to increase children's participation in decision-making. Within this framework, children's voices are examined in the light of children's rights, policy and research, early childhood curricula and children's participation. Specific issues raised in the literature surround the implications for the educator in positioning children's voices according to their image of the young child as a learner conforming, reforming or transforming nature and culture. A three-month action research approach to inquiry was used to gather the empirical data for the thesis. This approach enabled data collection to be grounded in the experiences of the twelve participants. Thematic analysis of the data has identified several discursive and practical conditions required to enable and support children's participation in decision-making. In particular, the participants reported that children's participation requires agreement on what 'listening to children' means; negotiating and making visible the power relations that operate between adults and children; supportive and trusting relationships between staff, children and their families; skills [intrapersonal and interpersonal], time and funding.
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ItemThe inclusion of linguistic diversity in early childhood settings( 2008)I begin this study by drawing upon theories of language development during early childhood (Goddard, 1974; Foss & Hakes, 1978; Raban & Ure, 2000; Clarke, 2005a; Fleer & Raban, 2005) and those theories that link language to one's cultural identity (Kramsch, 1998; Hinton, 2001). Australia had historically been a land of many languages (Pearson, 2005 cited in Van Tiggelen, 2005) and colonisation with the emphasis on monolingual discourse has taken away many of the 250 languages of Indigenous peoples (Nicholls, 2001; Clyne, 2005). The death of their language can be seen as the death of their culture and identity (Crystal, 1997). Although Australia's linguistic diversity is increasing with more than 248 languages currently being spoken (Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS, 2000 cited in Fleer & Raban, 2005), indigenous languages have been reduced to 48 languages and more are becoming extinct at the rate one every two years (Van Tiggelen, 2005). Yet, Australia's early childhood settings seem to be impoverished in reflecting the linguistic diversity present in our wider society (Makin et al., 1999 cited in Arthur, 2001; Lo Bianco & Freebody, 2001 cited in Fleer & Raban, 2005). Set within an interpretive paradigm, initially, my linear analysis aims to explore the understandings of early childhood practitioners in providing programs that reflected and included linguistic diversity. Then with the introduction of Postcolonial theoretical framework (Orientalism - Said, 1978; Critical whiteness theory, 1998) I begin to challenge the political language of 'Othering', 'Normalising' and 'Naturalising' to uncover the covert assertion of Colonial linguistic dominance. Moreover, by using Critical discourse analysis (Fairclough, 1995 cited in Locke, 2004) the paradigmatic shift, from interpretive to cultural studies becomes pivotal to my study, as I establish links between political discourse and discourses of individuals. Finally, by comparing the two types of analyses, I bring forth the relevance of using Postcolonial theories to unmask those socio-political discourses that aim to extinguish histories of Australia through the imposition of Colonial identity in the name of 'Nationalism' and 'National language'. Thus I challenge the invisible dominance of one language over languages, with an aim to create newer possibilities for a linguistically equitable Australia.