Melbourne Graduate School of Education - Theses
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ItemLink between teacher-student relationship, student emotional wellbeing, coping styles, classroom engagement and peer relationships( 2007)This research explored the link between teacher-student relationship, student emotional wellbeing, coping styles, peer relationship and classroom engagement of year 8 students. The participants were Catholic school students and the focus was limited to English class and teacher. The data sources were a Student-Survey (SS) and the Adolescent Coping Scale (ACS) (Frydenberg & Lewis, 1993). The first component of the research was scale development, to validate the hypothetical categorization of items in the scales; the second was the testing of the hypotheses. Teacher-student relationship was highly correlated with classroom engagement and coping style-solving the problem. The correlation between other variables was positive but not significant.
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ItemParent professional partnerships in IEP development : a case study of a MAPS process( 2007)The practices, language and behaviours which professionals adopt when they meet with parents prior to Individual Education Program (IEP) planning may have a significant effect on the attitudes and capabilities families bring to the educational setting. During this case study the adult family members of a child with additional needs were observed as they addressed the developmental and programming needs of their child by participating in the McGill Action Planning System (MAPS) and a subsequent Program Support Group (PSG) meeting. Themes indicating attitudes or perceptions that empowered the family towards continued participation in collaborative teams for IEP development emerged in the observational data and were defined through the methods of informant diaries and semi-structured interviews. Less dominant quantitative methods were used to verify that the participant's ongoing attitudes towards parent professional collaboration corroborated with the final themes of flexibility, unification, satisfaction and function.
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ItemJust reporting : does the school have a justifiable reporting process?( 2006)This thesis titled `Just Reporting' aimed to explore the question: Does the school have a justifiable reporting process that meets the needs of key stakeholders (parents, students and teachers)? Through a critical review of the research literature relevant to reporting, various ethical issues were noted that assisted in the construction of the questions guiding this study. These ethical issues provided the lens through which I explored the reporting practices at the research school. The title Just Reporting emphasises the justice issues surrounding reporting as a communicative action where the integrity of each individual is maintained and relationships strengthened. The research took the form of a case study involving the participation of thirty-three parents, eleven teachers and twenty-one students from the one school setting in a questionnaire that had both quantitative and qualitative questions that gathered their affective and cognitive responses to the school's written report. I also held one focus group interview with parents to clarify information from the questionnaire. An interactive inquiry with mixed methods approach was chosen as the best way to answer the research questions. The aim was to develop a theory about reporting rather than prove an existing theory. This study examines what reporting is, the audience and purpose of reporting, and the imperatives of justifiable reporting. It gathered the opinions and beliefs about reporting at the research school from key stakeholder groups and sought to discover whether the written report met their needs and fulfilled the requirements of justifiable reporting. Final analysis of the data provided understandings about the nature of reporting at the research school and revealed a number of issues that prevented the process from being fully justifiable.
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ItemCoping with anxiety in childhood : the importance of the anxiety sensitivity factor( 2006)Anxiety sensitivity is a recently identified construct which has become part of the conceptualisation of anxiety. Essentially anxiety sensitivity is the fear of anxiety-related symptoms. Evidence in the research literature suggests that adults who have a high level of anxiety sensitivity, combined with a high level of the more traditionally recognised trait anxiety reported a significantly higher incidence of anxiety disorders. If children in the general population with a predisposition to developing anxiety disorders could be identified, as those who report high anxiety sensitivity together with high trait anxiety, then early intervention may prevent the onset of anxiety disorders in adolescence or adulthood. It is usually the case that children who are anxious adopt a non-productive coping style however anxious children can be taught how to cope effectively with the anxiety experience. Effective coping could be a buffer to heightened anxiety.In the present study anxiety sensitivity, trait anxiety and anxiety symptoms were measured in a cohort of primary school children. Coping strategies used by anxious children were evaluated and compared to non-anxious children. The extent and intensity of children's symptoms of anxiety disorders were investigated. The temperament characteristic behavioural inhibition and family environment factors were also evaluated. Consistencies in these variables were considered in relation to the children's level of anxiety sensitivity and trait anxiety. As well, children's report of their anxiety symptoms was compared to parent report about their child's anxiety symptoms. Results indicated that children with a high level of anxiety sensitivity and/or a high level trait anxiety reported significantly more anxiety symptoms than the children who did not report a high level on the two constructs. Furthermore, children who reported a high level of anxiety sensitivity and/or trait anxiety used more coping strategies associated with a `non-productive' or `reference to others' style of coping than other children. The level of anxiety sensitivity or trait anxiety did not significantly discriminate this cohort of children on behavioural inhibition or family environment factors. Some differences were apparent between children's report and parent report about their child with regard to the children's anxiety symptomatology. There is ongoing debate in the research literature as to whether anxiety sensitivity is a distinct construct or a contributing factor to trait anxiety. The relationship between the two anxiety constructs was examined and some distinguishing characteristics were identified.
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ItemFocus on form in a Thai university English course( 2006)This thesis reports on an investigation about the application of new pedagogy to the teaching of English grammar to the first year English major students in a Rajabhat University in Bangkok, Thailand. This study sought to explore the effectiveness of an indirect explicit instruction approach on improving students' motivation and attitudes towards learning English grammar. This study was conducted in a normal grammar classroom of thirty three students for sixteen two-hour weekly sessions. Kemmis and McTaggart's (1988) action research cycle method was adopted, involving two cycles of teaching-learning activity. Each cycle was regulated into steps of developing a unit of work, implementing an instruction for six weekly two-hour sessions, observing and reflecting. The data obtained consisted of teacher/researcher's journal, students diaries and interviews and students' self-assessment questionnaires. The teacher's journal provided information about how students were responsive to the new teaching approach whereas students reflected on their new learning experiences in their diaries. Moreover, self-assessment questionnaires using a 5-point Likert scale were employed to obtain a clearer picture on students' attitudes, activities provided and their perceived improvement in learning English grammar. The results of this study reveal that indirect explicit grammar instruction had a great impact on students' motivation and attitudes. Effective learning atmosphere and cooperative learning led to significant changes of students' learning behaviours. Students showed their eagerness to participate in the learning process. They became more self-confident and expressed their willingness to take risks in learning in the language classroom. It could be argued that students' attitudes had improved and they, therefore, were motivated to learn English grammar. However, the students' grammatical knowledge had not significantly developed since the study was undertaken over a short period of time. The study proposes some factors that the teachers should carefully take into consideration in adapting indirect explicit approach to their teaching. Of greater significance were contributions made by the study regarding the advantages of developing own instructional materials that respond to the learners' needs over commercial materials and the value of employing action research to investigate problems arising from teaching practice. Finally, it is suggested that a longitudinal study is worth trying in order to establish the applicability of the indirect explicit approach in teaching English grammar in EFL contexts.
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ItemAn evaluation of quality assurance implementation at a higher education institution in Bangkok( 2005)This study aimed to investigate the implementation of Quality Assurance (OA) regarding two compulsory English courses in a Rajabhat University in Bangkok. Quality of these courses is considered to be crucial because they are required for the completion of all undergraduate degrees in every program of study in the Rajabhat. The study intended particularly, to examine the level of success of QA implementation in order to recommend improvements to the implementation process. The study employed a qualitative case study of the institution to reveal factors affecting QA implementation and to construct an improved QA management model for such courses. Document analysis and semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. The participants of the research were purposively selected according to their levels of participation in the QA program, namely, policy makers, transmitters of the policy and implementers. Miles & Huberman-style grids were employed to facilitate data analysis and then Fullan's theory of change was used as a framework for discussion of the findings. Analysis revealed that QA was thought to be needed but the level of success of the QA implementation was rather low at the course level due to a lack of efficient communication between the systems level and implementers on the ground. Consequently, teaching staff's knowledge and understanding of the QA operation was inadequate. However, strengths of the program included availability of financial and physical supports, i.e. multi-media teaching materials, IT infrastructure and provision of professional development. Perhaps the most important strength was the awareness and willingness of lecturers to implement QA during routine teaching. Nevertheless, IT literacy, teamwork skills and explicit systematic QA implementation documents were inadequate. Overall, this study has demonstrated a limited level of success regarding QA implementation in this Thai context due to various factors. Therefore, recommendations for improvement are presented and a QA model for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) is proposed.
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ItemThe value of teacher-friendly auditory processing measures in identifying auditory processing disorders and language difficulties in prep-aged students( 2005)This thesis investigates the value of auditory processing measures available for use by teachers. Two teacher-friendly auditory processing measures are examined, firstly the Auditory Processing (AP) Checklist, which rates a student's auditory processing behaviours as observed in the classroom and the RCH Auditory Processing Assessment, which screens for a student's ability to repeat sentences and digits that they hear. More specifically the RCH Auditory Processing Assessment measures a student's short-term auditory memory (STAM). Auditory Processing Disorders (MD) have been confused with Attention Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD) and research indicates that low auditory processing abilities can predict poor achievement in language. The complex auditory processing systems are investigated, and it is concluded that these teacher-friendly measures are limited in assessment of Auditory Processing Disorders (APD), as behaviours of APD and the results of the RCH Auditory Processing Assessment show a low correlation. However, as an initial screen the auditory processing measures do have value in identifying potential MD and hence can be used as indicators for further, more comprehensive auditory assessments by an audiologist. The results of this study indicate that there are relationships between the auditory processing measures and a student's language achievement. Also there is a relationship between the AP Checklist behavioural measure and Attention Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD) Checklist results, hence indicating the former checklist may be ineffective in differentiating between MD and ADHD behaviours as observed by a student's teacher.
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ItemTeachers' storytelling techniques and comprehension of narratives in Singaporean preschool children( 2004)There is growing body of evidence supporting the many connections between competent comprehension of narratives and the effective use of storytelling strategies. This study d?fines the cluster of concepts related to storytelling and narrative comprehension in young children and synthesizes the research on the role of storytelling in children's language development, in this case, the development of narrative comprehension. A critical review on storytelling beliefs and practices of preschool teachers in Singapore revealed that the espoused theories of the benefits of effective storytelling have not been distinguished from their own practices in the classrooms. This is due to a set of mitigating circumstances. The study notes the teachers' changing attitudes towards the use of more engaging storytelling techniques as emerging evidence suggest that a more engaging storytelling approach facilitates children's perspective taking and later abstract thought. This research also notes that there is a need for an inclusion of a more comprehensive storytelling course in the present Early Childhood training programme, thus identifying implications for understanding preschool teachers' development as storytellers. This study provides direction for further research in children's responses to storytelling.
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ItemGraduate nurse preceptorship( 2004)Recent research has established that the supervision relationship is the single most important factor for the effectiveness of any professional supervision (Kilminster & Jolly 2000). However there is a lack of reliable research identifying the effects of supervision in health care and, until recently, little research in Australia or internationally acknowledging the effectiveness of supervision specifically in acute health care settings (Sloan 1998, Palsson, Hallberg & Norberg 1994, Begat, Severisson & Berggren 1997, Hyrkas, Koivula & Paunomen 1999). The established research highlights the importance of developing Australian based graduate preceptorship research, particularly from the perspective of the graduate nurse and nurse preceptor, focusing on these nurses' experiences in the context of the acute health care setting. This pilot study was therefore intended to provide insights into the effectiveness of the preceptor in the supervision role within the Australian acute healthcare setting. The primary focus of this project was to ascertain the extent to which nurse preceptors effectively address graduate nurses' professional needs. The data collected in this study enabled the identification, exploration and cross checking of shared and alternate themes, and the development of a theoretical framework, encompassing these participants' graduate preceptorship experiences, incorporating a range of interrelationships and interactions.
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ItemCreativity in literacy : making meaning in the middle years( 2004)Literacy is often described as either a social phenomenon or a functional one - it is rarely viewed as an imaginative or creative phenomenon. Yet the processes involved in the development of literate identities are akin to roleplay; readers and writers try on different stances as they engage in various ways with diverse texts, and this requires a capacity for imaginative projection. A `creative age' has been proclaimed in Western societies. Creativity and high levels of literacy are prized for their perceived capacity to fit people for the anticipated rapidly changing circumstances of the future. However, while vast resources are devoted to developing literacy in education, aspects of schooling may discourage creativity, and, indeed, the kind of literacy (or 'literacies') required for this new era. This thesis argues that much might be gained by reconsidering imagination and creativity for educational purposes. It recounts psychological approaches to studying creativity, which, despite limitations, have led to a model that is useful for identifying the `locus of creativity' - a systems model of creativity (Feldman, Csikszentmihalyi & Gardner, 1994). This model is re-evaluated so as to theorise a systems model of student creativity. The term `literacy' has come to signify many different things in education, and the complexity of the phenomenon is discussed to show how imagination and creativity are integral to it. An acknowledgment of their role offers exciting possibilities for middle years curriculum in particular. This investigation into the place of imagination and creativity in literacy involved the analysis of `official' curriculum documents and of two case studies - one Year 9 and one Grade 5/6 teacher and their English/literacy classes. This permitted observations of the ways in which curriculum is enacted in classrooms. The fieldwork revealed data about common constructions of creativity, and where it inheres in literacy.