Faculty of Education - Theses
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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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ItemEvaluation of a Cancer/Palliative Nursing Care subject and a comparison of processes and outcomes for traditional classroom and distance education teaching modes of delivery( 2000)This Evaluation is concerned with the educational outcomes of a postgraduate subject, 'Cancer/palliative care nursing 1'. The subject is taught in the classroom as well as by distance education in the print medium and, as well as considering the outcomes for the subject per se, the Evaluation also compares the outcomes for each teaching mode. The questions addressed in the Evaluation are: a) does the delivery of the subject (regardless of the method used) have the outcomes that might be expected of a postgraduate diploma level subject? and b) are students taught by distance education mode disadvantaged by comparison with students who are taught by traditional classroom methods? There is an abundance of literature on distance education, most of which uses, explicitly or implicitly, classroom teaching as a largely unexamined exemplar by which distance education is judged. This thesis critically examines the distance education literature and identifies factors salient to a comparison of these two methods of teaching. The Evaluation method is based on the theory-driven approach advocated by Chen (1990) and incorporates an adaptation of the program logic framework put forward by Funnell (1996). It incorporates two methods of evaluation: the subject's outcomes measured against a prescription; and, a comparison of the distance education outcomes with classroom teaching outcomes. A prescription of how the subject should be delivered and the outcomes that should be expected was developed from stakeholder interviews, informed by a critical review of the distance education literature and the evaluator's knowledge of the discipline. A method of measuring the actual delivery of the subject against the prescription (regardless of the teaching mode) was devised and a minimum acceptable standard of success established. Substantive methods used include both qualitative and quantitative data gathered by questionnaires, interviews, classroom observations and a content analysis of the study guide used by distance education students. The Evaluation findings are that on most, but not all, outcome measures the subject met the set standard of success. One outcome unspecified in the prescription (although implied) was the increased clinical confidence engendered by undertaking this subject. Students taught by the traditional mode gained from classroom interaction although the degree of interactivity was found to depend on the personal qualities of lecturers and students and the structure of teaching sessions. Distance education students were not disadvantaged by this teaching mode and on some measures, such as being able to study at their own pace or the grades they achieved, could be said to be advantaged.
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ItemAn examination of the role of the Bridging into sciences program within the Victorian TAFE sector( 2002)The intention of this study was to examine and describe the role of the Bridging Into Sciences (BIS) program, a course of study conducted within the Victorian TAFE educational sector. BIS was originally developed in 1985, as a means of providing basic grounding in biology and chemistry for mature-age students seeking entry into health science-related university courses. Since that time, it has undergone several curriculum additions and changes, TAFE re-accreditations and was now taught a four different Victorian TAFE institutes. The updated BIS program was designed to form a link between unemployment and academia, providing a suitable entry point for individuals without suitable academic background. Like the old course, the new BIS version was intended to provide learners with vital underpinning theoretical knowledge and practical skills in both mathematics and the sciences, facilitating articulation into courses of science-orientated study, at a higher level of sophistication. However, unlike the old course, the new BIS program proposed to offer learners multiple exit points, and hence, multiple academic destinations. But was the new BIS program version fulfilling its intended aims, philosophies and intentions ? What sort of students undertook BIS studies ? Was the program able to provide multiple exit point for those successfully completing it ? Were students able to successfully undertake the BIS program and fulfil their specific academic goals ? If so, in which courses of study were they able to articulate into ? Were all students successful in completing BIS ? If not, why not ? Were the aims and philosophies of those teaching in the program consistent with those of the course designers ? Could the program be improved ? If so, how ? Overall, was a true and accurate 'picture' of the role of the Bridging Into Sciences program within the TAFE sector ? A desire to address these questions and formulate true and accurate insight of how BIS was operating, provided the impetus for, and aim of, this study. To achieve this aim, data from all four TAFE institutes was sought. To establish a 'rich and thick' understanding of how the program was operating, both qualitative and quantitative data collection methodologies were employed. Data was collected from three different sources - curriculum documents, ex-students and teaching staff members, via three different methods. First, relevant curriculum materials were collected and carefully examined. This established the program content, as well as overall aims and philosophies. Second, a questionnaire was designed, trialled and mailed to a select group of ex-BIS students - those having been enrolled in 1997. The mail out survey was to gather demographic information, as well as solicit opinions about their BIS experiences, from a cohort of individuals comprising of those who had successfully completed the program, and those who had not. In doing so, a 'snap-shot' of BIS, from a student prospective, would be obtained. Raw data generated was subsequently analysed using the SPSS computer software. Third, a number of teachers instructing in the BIS program, were interviewed in 'face-to-face' fashion. Teacher responses were tape recorded during interview and were later transcribed and analysed. The findings of the study revealed that in 1997, the BIS program was undertaken by students who were typically Australian-born, English-speaking females, aged somewhere between mid twenties to thirties and had at least one child. Members of the group were also likely to have completed at upper secondary school and were specifically involved with the BIS program to gain entry into either a TAFE or university course. Although almost 70% of BIS students were successful in completing at least one module, financial difficulties and seeking employment were the two main reasons for individuals having to discontinue their BIS studies. Of those successfully completing the program, almost two-thirds were found to be engaged in some form of post-BIS academic endeavor. BIS teachers were found to be a group of highly experienced professionals, averaging almost five years of involvement in the program. It was their collective belief that whilst the program was providing students with vital underpinning theoretical knowledge and practical skills, it also developed self-confidence and personal empowerment. In doing so, it was able to prepare students for studies at higher levels, both from theoretical and practical perspectives. Collectively, they agreed that the overall program was successful in achieving its aims, philosophies and objectives.
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ItemChanging paradigms in public management : the case of Victoria 1992-99( 2003)The approach of the Coalition Government in Victoria to the management of the State's affairs between October 1992 and September 1999 has been viewed widely as being revolutionary. Some of the more salient features of the government's approach include privatisation of public utilities, downsizing of the public service, increased outsourcing and use of contracts, greater decentralisation and devolution of government functions, the implementation of competition policy across government functions and a move to results-based accountability of government activity. This approach appears to share many of the features of what has been called the New Public Management which has been manifested in other Western countries over the last two decades. The contribution of this thesis to the literature on public sector management is that it is the first systematic account of senior public managers of the reforms of the Kennett government in the state of Victoria during the period 1992 to 1999. The opinions of senior managers and theoretical analysis conducted by the researcher indicate that the Victorian reforms are generally consistent with New Public Management (NPM). The thesis also sheds light on the particular characteristics, strengths and weaknesses of NPM. It examines the manifestation of NPM in Western countries, such as the United States, the United Kingdom and New Zealand, in the 1980s and 1990s and sets out a working model of NPM for analysing developments in Victoria. The thesis explores the historical development, theoretical underpinnings and major features of NPM and assesses the claims of NPM to the status of paradigm following the classical bureaucracy and corporate management paradigms. The historical development and evolution of public management is explained in terms of the social systems theory of Habermas. This leads to a description and evaluation of Integrated Governance, a possible successor paradigm to NPM.
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ItemTeacher perceptions of the transformational leadership style of female principals in independent schools as measured by the multifactor leadership questionnaire( 2003)Teacher perceptions of the leadership of their principal were explored in seven independent girls' schools in Melbourne, Australia. Teacher ratings of principal leadership and principal self-ratings were gathered using Bass and Avolio's Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ 5x Revised). The ratings were compared to teacher characteristics including gender, age, years of teaching, years at the school, work locus of control, school division, and school. There were differences between teacher and principal self-ratings and notably more so than in previous research. It was found that the principals were rated as being high in three of the five transformational behaviours, idealized attributes, idealized behaviours and inspirational motivation, but lower in intellectual stimulation, individualized consideration and the transactional behaviour of contingent reward. Teachers also rated their actual. principal lower in all three outcomes (extra effort, effectiveness and satisfaction). This differed from principal self-ratings in that principals believed themselves to be high in all five transformational leadership behaviours, contingent reward and all three outcomes. There were significant differences in teacher perception of principal leadership associated with teacher characteristics of age, years of teaching, tenure at the school, school division, gender, and work locus of control. Variation in teacher work locus of control, gender and division were particularly notable, although, overall, variance in perception of principal leadership explained by teacher characteristics was low, accounting for approximately 8% of variance on most leadership behaviours. However when school was included with teacher characteristics, up to 25% of the variance in teacher perception of principal leadership was accounted for, suggesting that the work context principals find themselves in can have a large impact on perceptions of their leadership. Teachers were also asked to rate their ideal principal. Compared to ratings of their actual principal, teachers rated their ideal principal higher in intellectual stimulation, individualized consideration, contingent reward and all three leadership outcomes, and at similar levels for management by exception active and passive, and non-leadership. Teacher division, gender, and work locus of control were all significant in variance in perception of ideal principal leadership. Secondary teachers recorded significantly higher idealized attributes in their ideal principal than did primary teachers. Female teachers recorded significantly higher idealized attributes, inspirational motivation and the outcome of extra effort as compared with male teachers in their ideal principal. A teacher with a higher work locus of control rated their ideal principal as using more non-leadership and rated the outcomes of ideal leadership as lower than did a teacher with a low work locus of control. The complexity of responses is noteworthy, more so because this is the first instance of the MLQ being used to record perceptions of ideal leadership.
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ItemSchool-industry partnership : a clarification evaluation case study( 2002)School-industry programs are a rapidly growing aspect of vocational education in Australia. This study examined one of these programs. It sought to identify factors that led to the establishment of the program; the essential operational components within the program; and how the program advanced vocational education and training in the community in which it was located. Clarification evaluation was used as the investigation approach. Data were collected from documentary evidence and interviews with key program stakeholders (employers, teachers, training providers, and program staff). The investigation identified a number of key elements that were fundamental to its successful establishment. These were: shared common purpose to address local youth unemployment and industry skill shortages; and people that had the will and capacity to bring about structural change: External enabling factors were also important in establishing the program. These were: timely government funding; and visionary education authority personnel who facilitated the convergence of stakeholder groups. The study also showed that there were clearly identifiable factors that underpinned the program's operation. These were: good strategic and business planning processes; negotiating workplacements with employers and courses with training providers on behalf of local schools; running induction and skills programs to increase students' work readiness; supporting teachers to integrate workplace learning into the curriculum; supporting workplace supervisors to mentor students; and linking the school-industry program to complementary employment placement programs. Finally, the study demonstrated that if certain conditions are met in industry and schools, school-industry programs could advance vocational education and training in their local communities. These conditions are concerned with the state of the local economy, community identity, willingness to contribute education and training of young people (industry); and schools' demonstrated commitment to vocational education and training through resource allocation and flexible timetable structures. The findings of this study have the potential to influence the design and development of future school-industry programs in Australia. A framework is presented, along with a series of cogent recommendations. These should assist government, employers, schools and program managers to better design and implement school-industry programs that produce high levels of practical skills and knowledge in young people that enhance their employability and life chances.
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ItemThe use of program clarification to support policy development and implementation( 2000)Program development through program clarification is an emerging field for evaluators committed to developing responsive and clear program designs. In this study, the use of program clarification approaches, designed to assist implementation of a major policy change, was explored at a policy and service level of an organisation. A new service delivery program (SDP) was the focus of program clarification, which was conducted in two phases. In Phase I (policy level), the main aim was to make the essential features of the SDP explicit to those responsible for system level change. This was achieved through evaluability assessment, during which document analyses, 12 semi-structured interviews with senior managers, and a group interview with service site managers were conducted. This resulted in the development of a clear, policy level, program logic model. Phase I revealed a need for the policy level program to be translated at the service sites. Phase II (service level) was conducted to assist managers at one service site in the development of a SDP implementation and monitoring plan, through the use of program logic and participatory approaches. Reflective practice and a small-scale study conducted by the researcher revealed that the program clarification approaches were useful, especially at the service site level where a high degree of stakeholder participation was achieved. This study focused on one organisation and one service site, thus, its findings cannot be generalised. Nonetheless, this study is one of very few which has attempted to apply program clarification techniques at both system and delivery levels, and to link the findings at these levels.
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ItemClinical congruence : where graduate nurse clinical reality meets organisational clinical requirements( 2004)In the mid 1980s, education associated with the requirement for registration as a Nurse in the State of Victoria moved from a hospital-based system into the university setting. This move brought with it many and varied requirements for change within the health care setting. The students of nursing were now no longer a part of the workforce, they were transient visitors in the patient care setting with very specific clinical requirements to be met; and they were there for less time! This research project is not about whether this change in preparation should have occurred. It is well accepted amongst the profession that this was necessary to raise the status of the nursing professional. We now have registered nurses with a primary degree in nursing or health science. The question here however, is what clinical capacities do the newly graduates and registered nurses have when they enter the clinical workforce, and what clinical capacities are required by the health care institutions that are employing them. Have these institutions an accurate and realistic knowledge of the clinical capacities of the newly graduated registered nurses they employ? This research concentrated on the self-perceived and reported clinical capacities of newly graduated registered nurses as they entered the clinical environment and the clinical capacities required by the clinical areas that employed them. Clinical congruence was then measured between these two sources. The findings demonstrated that in a supported environment, where graduates can expect and receive clinical support and mentorship, clinical congruence:is likely to be achieved. However, in an environment where clinical skills are required to be undertaken at an unsupervised level, there were a significant number of distinct clinical skills for which the graduates report unpreparedness. Graduates and Nurse Managers alike agreed that increased clinical experience during the undergraduate preparation time is optimal, but the universities indicated that the fiscal and chronological constraints of a three-year degree program, in an environment where there is a cost incurred for the clinical experience, is difficult to achieve. This research demonstrates, in a tangible way, the need for a supported Graduate Transition Program to facilitate the consolidation and / or achievement of clinical competency for the graduates as they enter the workforce. This support will assist in ensuring the maintenance of a dynamic nursing workforce into the 21st century to meet the needs of the Victorian community at a time when it is most vulnerable during the period of ill health.
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ItemValues and the teaching of history to junior secondary school students( 2006)Entitled 'Values and the teaching of history to junior secondary school students' this thesis aims to explore the value of history as a subject for study by junior secondary school students and the role of values in the teaching of history. A focus on the types of knowledge that teachers bring to their professional practice forms part of the groundwork for the study. Professional knowledge is considered as pedagogical knowledge and content knowledge (Darling-Hammond, 1999; Shulman, 1986, 1987). These branches of a teacher's knowledge are discussed in relation to the teaching of history. History is broadly identified as a field of knowledge (Carr, 1961; Hexter, 1971; Leinhardt, 1994; Marwick, 1983), a discipline for study (Ang, 2001; Collingwood, 1946; Leinhardt, 1994; Levstik, 2000; Marwick, 1983; Rogers, 1984; Skilbeck, 1979) and a subject within the school curriculum (Board of Studies, 2000; Foshay, 2000; Macintrye, 1997; Mays, 1974; Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA), 2004, 2005). The value of teaching history to junior secondary school students is broadly considered in terms of the knowledge and understanding that can be developed through the study of history as a school subject. The embedded nature of values within teaching is acknowledged and distinctions drawn between social/community values, general educational values taught through history and more specific values associated with the study of history. The research is situated within the qualitative paradigm (Denzin & Lincoln, 2000, 2005; Flick, 2002; Strauss & Corbin, 1990) and involved a case study (Bassey, 1999; Denzin & Lincoln, 2000; Merriam, 1988; Stake, 1995, 2000, 2005; Stenhouse, 1985; Yin, 2003a, 2003b) conducted at the junior secondary level that included the participation of the researcher, three other history teachers and students from Year 7 and Year 8 history classes. The methods used to collect data included an initial session with the teacher-participants and, at the conclusion of the study, a debriefing focus group with the teacher-participants, lesson observation and post lesson small-scale student discussions. The data gathered from this investigation is presented as a number of narratives (Bage, 1999; Bruner, 1986; Clandinin & Connelly, 2000; Connelly & Clandinin, 1990; Freebody, 2003; Mishler, 1986; Stake, 2000). The researcher contributes to these narratives as a teacher of history. The study affirms the value of teaching history to junior secondary students, recognizing an association with broad educational values (Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST), 2005; Gilbert & Hoepper, 1996, 2004) and subject specific values, such as, sharing knowledge about the past (Fitzgerald, 1977). Values that are imparted through the study of history are categorized as general and specific and are closely linked to skills. The study is premised on the beliefs that thinking about practice (the past and the present) may enlighten future history teaching and learning (Schtin, 1996) and that 'mindfulness' (Leinhardt, 1994) is an essential characteristic of history teaching that engages both the teacher and student in the learning process.
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ItemProblem based learning and information and communications technology: can problem based learning improve year 9 students' motivation to learn ?( 2009)This study investigated the use of Problem Based Learning (PBL) as a teaching and learning strategy in Year 9 (15 year olds) Information and Communications Technology (ICT) classes. Researchers (Ahlfeldt, Mehta & Sellnow, 2005; Hmelo-Silver, 2004; Colliver, 2000; Albanese & Mitchell, 1993) claim that PBL improves the educational motivation of tertiary students through its use of small groups working collaboratively to solve a real problem. Researchers also claim that PBL requires a high level of maturity (Drinan, 1997) and that secondary school students lack the necessary social skills to work effectively in a team (Achilles & Hoover, 1996). It is reported that Year 9 students have a low rate of engagement with their learning and a decreased level of motivation to learn (Cole 2006, Weiss, 2003; Johnson, Crosnoe & Elder 2001, Woods, 1995; Lumsden, 1994). Hence, this study was undertaken to see if PBL could be used at Year 9 level to motivate students while maintaining the required curriculum outcomes. Student motivation was assessed by administering Martin's Student Motivation Scale (SMS) (Martin, 2002) at regular intervals throughout the year in two Year 9 ICT classes. These two classes were run using different mixes of traditional teacher-directed classrooms and PBL classrooms. Additional attitudes and activities, considered important to students' motivation to learn, were assessed using the Samford Attitudes and Activities Assessment Scale (SAAAS). This study found that PBL was a teaching and learning strategy that enabled the required educational standards to be addressed. Results from the SMS and SAAAS showed that the introduction of PBL into these Year 9 ICT classrooms led to improvements in student Motivation, Learning Attitudes and Learning Activities as measured by the SMS and SAAAS while achieving the required curriculum outcomes for Year 9 ICT. This study also found that the use of PBL over an extended period of time maintained these positive effects.