Faculty of Education - Theses
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ItemThe village fund microcredit program in Thailand : a critical evaluation(University of Melbourne, 2007)
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ItemAttitudes, knowledge, concerns and coping strategies regarding inclusive education in a community of Thai special educators(University of Melbourne, 2007)
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ItemPrincipal expertise and problem-solving in three independent girls' schools in Victoria, Australia(University of Melbourne, 2000)
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ItemA study of transformational and transactional leadership among leaders at the Rajabhat University, Thailand( 2007)The purpose of this thesis was to investigate the leadership styles and organizational culture in The Rajabhat University in Thailand as viewed from the leaders' and non-leaders' perspectives. The study examined leadership behavior based on the notions of transformational and transactional leadership. A survey research methodology was used to gather data from six departments in The Rajabhat University. A total of 96 leaders and 99 non-leaders responded to the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ), and 95 leaders and 101 non-leaders responded to the Organizational Description Questionnaire (ODQ). Leaders perceived their leadership styles to be transformational. Conversely, the non-leaders perceived the leadership styles of their leaders as highly transactional. These results were confirmed by the results of the organizational culture surveys both leaders and non-leaders agreed that the organizational culture were moderately transformational and highly transactional, with non-leaders viewing organizational culture as more transactional than that viewed by the leaders. Transformational leadership culture has been associated with improved organizational outcomes These findings suggest that organizations like The Rajabhat University may need to develop a more transformational leadership culture.
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ItemGlobalisation and cultural management : leading from the margins( 2004)This thesis commenced with the purpose of examining a case study of cultural management within an institution of higher education and questioning whether the manner in which we negotiate our identity, reflect a sense of belonging and create a responsibility within a labyrinth of impersonal spaces with this local/global dilemma will be the premises upon which new answers to old questions, as well as a whole set of new questions about cultural management within higher educational institutions, will be asked. The development of the Intercultural Projects and Resources Unit (IPRU) was examined as a reflective case study analysis, whilst drawing on the researcher's biography as a key component of this thesis, operating at several different but interconnected levels, negotiating simultaneously the space between mainstream Western academic concerns, the researcher's intellectual and geographical/spatial dislocation and working with a diverse range of students, university staff, community groups and places in the world. This thesis contends that when there are 'spaces' that enable all voices to be heard and considered, then the outcome is always far better than anticipated. Such 'spaces' or 'structures' will always start with, and privilege, the perspectives (and participation) of those with the least power and those who are most disadvantaged (margins). Any decision needs to involve a deep consideration of effects in a range of domains, grounded in an appreciation of the layered cultural contexts in which choices are made and implemented. This thesis has proposed that it is in the linking of current debates about difference, identity and marginality with the management of 'culture', ,and in facilitating a space within which these issues can be negotiated, that meaningful work and outcomes as educational administrators within a global knowledge economy becomes possible..
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ItemLeadership and success in educational reform in Thailand( 2004)This thesis presents the results of a study to examine the relationship between leadership and success in educational reform in Rajabhat Institutes in Thailand. A strong emphasis was placed on the effects of leadership, reflecting both 'eastern' and 'western' perspectives and successful educational reform. The study employed a mixed method design in which both quantitative and qualitative data were collected and analysed to answer a research question: 'How do presidents influence the achievement of successful educational reform in Rajabhat Institutes in Thailand?' The two types of data were collected independently. Quantitative data were gathered by questionnaire administered to 492 staff (308 females; 184 males) from three Rajabhat Institutes located in Bangkok, Thailand, who were nominated for their success in educational reform. Qualitative data derived from semi-structured interviews with the three presidents and a small selection of staff who were nominated by the presidents. Observations and analysis of secondary data were also employed. Some interesting findings emerged from the quantitative data analysis. As far as direct effects are concerned, results showed that a service-oriented leadership style, reflecting a "western" perspective had a strong direct effect on educational reform in Thailand. Dhamma-oriented leadership style reflecting an "eastern" approach had a negative direct effect on educational reform. However, dhamma-oriented leadership had a positive but indirect effect mediated by servant leadership. The findings from interviews were consistent with results derived from quantitative data. The study revealed that the combination of the two leadership approaches (dhamma-oriented and servant leadership) were used by the presidents of the three Rajabhat Institutes as instruments for successful educational reform. The findings have implications for practice in making educational reform a reality in similar settings in Thailand. First, leaders should focus on ensuring meaning in the work and be responsive to the needs of subordinates. They should be visionary and serve the well-being of others through their goals and work to accomplish the agreed-upon vision. Second, productive institutions require trust so that cooperation may emerge. In the Thai context, trust has been created by the moral behaviour of leaders. This moral behaviour can add value through mutual understanding, creating a process for the achievement of educational reform in Thailand. It is concluded that both approaches to leadership were important factors in achieving success in educational reform in Thailand.
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ItemTeachers' roles : catering for the marginal child in Thailand's border schools( 2005)This thesis investigates the roles of primary school teachers who work in remote areas along the Thai-Burmese border in Ratchaburi Province, Thailand. It also develops a framework to re-conceptualize teacher education so that it will be more concerned with the needs of poor, marginal children who are linguistically and culturally diverse, and with the needs of illiterate villagers, and remote communities. A qualitative study was conducted in the three remote primary school settings with high percentages of bilingual students in the Province. The teachers, the headmasters, the school supervisors, the school board members and the provincial primary education administrator were involved in the study. Data was collected by means of personal diaries, individual interviews, focus group interviews, open-ended responses to a questionnaire, school documentation, a personal letter, and the Rajabhat Universities' teacher education curricula. Data was analyzed using the Princess Sirindhorn's Children Development Projects to indicate the current and expected roles of teachers, and then the data was triangulated and synthesized to determine the diverse roles of teachers including: providing effective education, leading students to a better life, empowering parents, developing schools, and developing communities. These diverse roles may positively affect individual, family, and community or environmental circumstances where children are "at-risk". And these can assist children to become valued citizens for their communities and country. Taking these diverse roles as a platform, diverse knowledge, skills, and values are established, and a diverse teacher education framework is identified to better prepare pre-service teachers to work successfully in the remote schools located close to the Thai-Burmese border. Moreover, certain recommendations for policies on teacher education curricula, primary education, staff development, and assessment in Thailand, for Rajabhat Universities, are proposed as well.
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ItemLife at the top : an examination of the career experiences of female principals in the state secondary system( 2000)This thesis examines the career experiences of female principals in the Victorian state secondary education system. It explores their experiences and the career decisions which have led them to their current position. The research documents the reactions of these women to the changes to the role of the principal that were instituted by the Kennett government. Findings suggest that the concept of a planned career path focused on attaining the goal of a principalship does not fit with the experience of most of the women in this research project. Instead, career was only one of a number of competing life concerns. Their decision to aim for the principalship was taken when seeking a new challenge in their teaching career. The support and encouragement of peers and leaders within teaching was crucial. Some diminution in family responsibilities was frequently a catalyst for change. In deciding to apply for the principal class, the pattern was to limit their applications to schools which were geographically accessible to their home and which were seen as compatible with their educational philosophy. The current ambitions of the female principals were related largely to a desire to see their school as successful. The experience of female principals in the 1990s under 'Schools of the Future' highlights the multi-faceted demands and pressures inherent in the principalship. The research data reveal the resentment felt by many female principals at what are perceived to be role demands antithetical to educational leadership. The research shows also that whilst respondents espouse a participatory style of leadership, the nature of the principal's job requires a range of management styles. Whilst a majority were positive about the principal's role, many were wary of the ever increasing workload and critical of certain role demands linked to a more competitive educational climate. A desire and search for balance between the public demands of the job and the private sphere of personal life was a constant theme that emerged from the research data.
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ItemSchool evaluation practice in Japan : case studies of four public schools in Hiroshima( 2006)This thesis analyses and discusses recent developments in the practice of school evaluation in Japan. Such an investigation was considered to be valuable because there appeared to be little research that had elucidated how Japanese schools actually set about self-evaluation. Therefore, this thesis aimed to identify ways in which school evaluation occurs and how it can be embedded in Japanese public schools. To achieve this aim, four questions were posed to find out: (a) how evaluations are carried out in Japanese schools, specifically in the Hiroshima Prefecture; (b) how such school evaluation contributes towards school improvement; (c) what constitutes 'best evaluation practice' in the Japanese school context; and (d) how other Japanese schools can be assisted to introduce best evaluation practice. To find answers to these questions, a qualitative case study approach was used and data were collected from four Japanese public schools (two primary and two middle schools) in Hiroshima City. The four case schools were selected because they had previously participated in a pilot project of school evaluation and, therefore, were considered to be exemplary. Other information was obtained from a local education board and an educational training centre. Findings from the data analysis demonstrated that: 1. School evaluation in Hiroshima involved a form of Action Research and comprised both school-self evaluation and external evaluation; 2. Positive impacts on teachers from the evaluation experience (both individually and collectively) were considered to contribute towards an evolving process that could eventually lead to overall improvements in the quality of school education in the Prefecture; and 3. 'Best evaluation practice' in the Japanese school context comprised: (1) Systematic planning and implementation of the evaluation; (2) A clear vision and relevant goals set by school principals in relation to all school activities; (3) Involvement of all school staff in undertaking evaluation tasks; (4) School evaluation models that were instigated by schools, rather than imposed by those outside the school; (5) The prioritisation of school goals and improvement strategies; and (6) Teachers who were motivated regarding improvement. It was also suggested that there was a particular local educational culture underlying the embedding of school evaluation in Hiroshima. Such a context was regarded as one of the enabling conditions related to the advancement of school evaluation in the Prefecture. Based on these findings, the research produced some useful lessons regarding how to introduce successful evaluation so that other Japanese schools might be encouraged to evaluate their own practices.
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ItemMauritius and inclusion : a study of teachers' attitudes toward the inclusion of students with special needs in regular primary schools( 2006)This study was undertaken to investigate the attitudes of regular education teachers toward the inclusion of students with Special Needs in regular education classrooms in Mauritius. In the context of Ajzen's (1991) Theory of Planned Behaviour, a survey and case studies were undertaken in Mauritius. The data was used to identify teachers' attitudes, to explore teachers' intentions and to investigate teachers' inclusive classroom practices in regards to the inclusion of students with Special Needs in their classrooms. A three-part self-completion questionnaire was used to collect the data. Part 1, the STATIC-MR scale, consisted of an expanded version of Cochran's (1997) Scale of Teachers' Attitudes Toward Inclusive Classrooms. Part 2 collected background information about teachers. Part 3 gathered data regarding teacher training and professional development. In addition, the survey instrument included an open-ended question, which required respondents to comment on inclusion in Mauritius. Six hundred and seven regular education teachers from a non-proportionate, stratified sample of 62 primary schools took part in the survey and follow-up case studies of eleven teachers were carried out. SPSS and QUEST software were utilised to analyse the data. Results yielded high reliability for the STATIC-MR scale, (Cronbach alpha: .89) and each individual item had an alpha value above .88. Using a one-parameter Rasch model rating scale analysis, four bands of attitudes were identified. In the first band, 4.9% of the teachers were found to be very agreeable with inclusion. In the second band, 35% were found to be agreeable with inclusion. In the third band, 51.7% were not so agreeable with inclusion because certain conditions were not present; yet teachers in this band thought that students with Special Needs should not be placed in special schools. The fourth band revealed that 8.4% were opposed to inclusion. Responses to the open-ended question: 'What suggestions would you like to make about the inclusion of students with Special Needs in regular education classrooms in Mauritius?' indicated that teachers greatest concerns were logistical in nature (32.8%). Logistical concerns were about large class sizes, lack of space and time, unavailability of specialist support and lack of parent support. Teachers also had professional concerns (20.5%), philosophical concerns (11.3%), concern related to the advantages to the student with Special Needs (4%), concerns related to the disadvantages to students with and/or without Special Needs (7.5%). Other teachers expressed the need for parent involvement (2%), or favoured integration rather than inclusion (7%) or were categorically opposed to inclusion without a specified reason (15%). Descriptive analyses identified differences in attitudes between teachers in different school sectors, teachers of different grades, teachers with different class sizes, and teachers with different training and qualifications. The 572 respondents, teachers of 8,560 students, reported 3135 students with Special Needs (16.3%) in their classes. They identified students having health or physical differences (9 %), students with behaviour differences (24 %), students with learning differences (63%), and students with other differences (4%). Several major findings emerged from the study. The majority of teachers surveyed indicated that they had no Special Education Qualifications (93%), no in-service training related to inclusion or disability (91%), and yet were willing to be trained for inclusion (77%). Correlation and regression analyses revealed a strong correlation between teachers' intentions (willingness to be trained) and their attitude toward inclusion. Several background variables of teachers correlated with teachers' attitudes and with teachers' intentions. Primarily, class size appeared to have some effect on teachers' attitudes and teachers' experience with inclusion and in-service training an effect on teachers' intentions. Follow-up case studies of the eleven teachers explored the modifications and adaptations teachers made to accommodate students with Special Needs in their classes. Teachers' reports of modifications allowed for them to be placed along a spectrum ranging from 'preventive' to 'intervene traditionally' to 'traditional', similar to Stanovich and Jordan's (1998) spectrum. Results of the interviews with the eleven teachers indicated a strong association between teachers' attitudes and their behaviours. The more positive the teachers' attitudes, the more likely they were to address the needs of students in their classes. This study provided discussion of the implications of the findings and made recommendations for improving teachers' attitudes toward the inclusion of students with Special Needs in Mauritius.