Faculty of Education - Theses
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ItemAn evaluation of frequency transposition in hearing aids for school age children(University of Melbourne, 2008)This study examined the changes in aided performance observed in children with hearing impairment who trialled alternative hearing aid technology. A key objective when fitting hearing aids to children is to maximise the audibility of high frequency speech cues which are critical in the understanding of spoken English. Recent advances in digital signal processing have enabled the development of hearing aids which offer linear frequency transposition as a new way of accessing these important speech sounds. The rationale behind the research was to evaluate the benefits of this new technology for six hearing-impaired children. The participants were aged between 9 and 14 years and all attended mainstream schools. Results for each participant are presented in a case study format. Objective outcome measures were comprised of tests of speech perception and speech production. These case study results illustrate individual variation, with five of the six participants recording overall positive change in both these metrics. Results also showed statistically significant improvements for the group as a whole. The objective findings were supported by positive subjective benefits measured using formal and informal questionnaires completed by the participants, their family members and their teachers. The introduction of the new technology resulted in improved hearing aid usage, increased selfconfidence, improved listening skills and global improvements in communication abilities. Differences were particularly marked for those children with extreme ski-slope hearing losses fitted with an open ear hearing aid style.
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ItemUsing new media in the drama classroom(University of Melbourne, 2007)This study explores the ways in which primary school drama students engage with new media technologies in the drama classroom. Specifically this study investigates a multi-media project combining live role- based performance and digital role-based performance. The research addresses whether the drama classroom can operate effectively within a digital framework. In particular the study seeks to clarify whether the virtual world and the real world of the drama classroom can come together to produce new dramatic works. Using an action research approach, I draw on my teaching of nine weeks of drama in an all girls K-12 school in Melbourne, Australia. The data was collected through observing and facilitating the drama workshops, conducting interviews with both student and teacher participants and collecting digital discussion forum reflections. A review of the related literature focuses on the current state of drama education and the ways in which drama educators are adapting to the technological changes in their curricula. In the drama classes the girls were challenged to create improvisations and stories from new media pretexts and stimuli. In their dramas the girls also addressed the ways in which new technologies were present in their everyday lives and how these technologies could be used in the drama classroom. This study addresses the possibilities of building a digitally viable drama classroom that still enables students to learn and express themselves through dramatic form. The findings of this study indicate the importance of drama education to connect young people to their real life technological experiences and also the importance of giving young people physically active opportunities that they do not find in their highly mediated world.
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ItemEvaluation of web site design in online learning : a case study approach(University of Melbourne, 2002)As a result of economic rationalism and technological determinism, it has been argued that a global imperative to adopt Online Learning (OLL) is being driven by "megauniversities" (Bates, 1996, p.6), in order to deliver a mass-produced education (Clark, 1996; Laurillard, 1996). While this may have been enough for its initial justification, many now believe it should provide "value-added" (Leigh, 1997, pp.5-6), benefits that also improve the quality of learning as well (Alexander, 1996; Andres 1996; Laurillard, 1996). To accomplish this, some would argue, requires a paradigm shift away from traditional "Instructional" design approaches towards a model of "Constructivism" where the delivery of education becomes learner-centred (Alexander, 1996, p.5; Jonassen, 1994, pp.1-3). The capacity of the World Wide Web (WWW) to meet these demands is wellrecognised. Not only can it deliver "anytime, anywhere" (Bates, 1996, p.1), but by incorporating interactive hypermedia (IHM) it may be possible to create an environment where opportunities for "deep" learning (through "knowledge construction"), as well as "life-long" learning may occur (Alexander 1996, pp.5-6; Jonassen, 1994, p.2). Hence it is crucial that educators are able to make informed decisions about web design strategies in order to contribute to the process of maximising quality outcomes in OLL. The purpose of this study was to investigate student perceptions of two (2) contrasting OLL sites and any effects web usability design (Nielsen, 1997), may have had upon either site's potential to value-add to a user's learning experience. Conducted within a TAFE(1) setting by a teacher using students as volunteers(2), a qualitative case study approach was applied. Prior to this investigation a specific set of web usability design (WUD) guidelines was created in order to aid in the development a model OLL web site that aimed at promoting an interesting and stimulating learning environment while simultaneously reducing the cognitive load placed upon a user. A second site containing essentially the same subject material but contrasting dramatically in terms of its delivery design was then also produced. So that a comparative evaluation of these two sites could be made twelve volunteers, of mixed gender and generally representative of a TAFE student population, were recruited to act as heuristic usability evaluators. This study demonstrates that to promote the potential for a better quality OLL experience for students, careful consideration of web usability design (WUD) is important. That teachers can play an active role in the design, development and evaluation of an OLL program is also possible given that this case study shows that it is feasible to implement an iterative design strategy that is less costly and more time efficient than traditional computer engineering models. Consequently in the process of conducting this form of inquiry it was found that in the application of these WUD guidelines a strategy that provides a more responsive approach to student needs in OLL is achievable and that in the end this must be one of the key considerations in providing a quality learning experience.
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ItemTranslingual language education: towards the resourceful speaker( 2017)The aim of this research report is to outline a preliminary guide of how to implement translingual language education. Currently, language education is based on modernist ideas about language. Learners are expected to master the same standard form as a native speaker does. Few language students achieve this goal. Minority language students are particularly disadvantaged, as this approach to education hinders their ability to access the majority language. Their home languages are often ignored or forbidden by teachers which has led to academic failure. The translingual approach is grounded in the work of multilingual education researchers, and poststructuralist sociolinguistic scholarship. This report answers questions about how a translingual approach can support language minority and majority students to adopt new attitudes and skills in line with modern research. These skills include being resourceful speakers who are able to adapt to the communication needs of the moment. This report uses a literature review of published academic works describing the translingual teaching practices of teachers in Western contexts. The analysis revealed possible ways for teachers to model a new attitude towards languages, and utilise their students’ language resources. The report provides recommendations for facing future challenges in the field.
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ItemTicking boxes, kicking goals: teacher perceptions of their professional learning within the 2014 Victorian performance and development process( 2016)Australian performance and development processes have been viewed by teachers as having little impact on their teaching and were mainly fulfilled out of compliance, according to a 2009 OECD study. This research details how the current Victorian Performance And Development Guidelines (DEECD, 2014a) represent a change in framing from past policies and how teachers interact with and perceive this new process. This project used a narrative inquiry methodology providing participant teachers with opportunities to articulate and reflect on their learning through a six-month period of their review cycle. The narrative of their experience was analysed using Positioning Theory which was useful in exploring the interplay of factors perceived by teachers to shape their learning over time. These include the negotiation of agreement with leaders, developing understanding of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers, and a focus on the production of evidence within the goal-setting cycle. Factors were also identified that may need addressing to support the full realisation of the policy’s potential in the lives of teachers and students.
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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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ItemThe performance of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) students on a high-stakes writing test( 2016)This study considers the performance of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) candidates compared with L1 candidates on a high-+stakes test of argumentative writing. The test is part of a cross-curricular scaling test used to assist in the ranking of Year 12 students for the purpose of university entrance selection. How do the scores of each subgroup differ and why don’t the CALD candidates achieve in the top score range? The rhetorical strategies used by each subgroup will be considered. The results of this study provide insights into the rhetorical features preferred by each group and may inform the work of secondary teachers, language teacher educators and assessment boards.
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ItemThe academic achievements of language centre students at a secondary college( 2001)What are the academic achievements of adolescent new-arrival English as a Second Language (ESL) students at secondary schools in Victoria, Australia? Research on Non-English Speaking Background (NESB) students in Australia has tended to neglect new arrival ESL students. To examine the academic achievements of this important subgroup of NESB students, the current study will highlight the academic achievements of a cohort of Victorian Language Centre students at a Secondary College over six years with interruption to schooling in their first language (L1) as the key variable linked to academic achievement in their second language (L2). Victorian Language Centres provide new-arrival ESL students with the English skills they need to start their secondary educations in L2. The current study examined the academic achievement of two groups of Language Centre students, those who completed their Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) and those who left the Secondary College prior to completing VCE. Their academic results were summarised into spreadsheets for quantitative analysis. Subsequent to the quantitative analysis interviews were conducted with four ESL students from the Language Centre currently completing their VCE studies to provide further insight into the factors that enabled them to do their VCE. Results indicate that the academic achievements of this cohort of ESL Language Centre students are poor and that interruption to education in Ll had a major impact on the students' ability to achieve academically at the Secondary College. The study suggests that L1 education is the key variable influencing the student's ability to acquire the academic language skills necessary to meet the academic demands of secondary education, particularly the VCE. Other factors such as support for learning and strong motivation were found to help students overcome difficulties encountered in their secondary education. However, students who were unable to overcome these difficulties left the College prior to completing VCE. It was concluded that the majority of Language Centre students faced uncertain economic futures once they left the Secondary College. The results of the study suggest that Language Centre students need more support and assistance to enable them to complete VCE or to access educational alternatives to the VCE. This study also suggests that more research into the effect of L1 education on L2 education be conducted as this was found to be the key variable in the students' ability to acquire the academic language skills necessary to meet the academic demands of VCE.
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ItemSeeing you seeing me : constructing the learners and their target language speakers in Korean and Australian textbooks( 2006)To be successful in real-life communication with their target language (TL) speakers, language learners need to develop a sound knowledge of modern-day target language society, and an understanding of the beliefs and values most commonly shared by TL speakers. Such knowledge forms the basis of what Clark (1996) calls 'common ground', and is essential for interlocutors to exchange meanings. Removed from natural settings, textbooks are one of the principal resources for foreign language learners to construct a conception of their TL speakers in relation to themselves. This project examines the constructs of the learners' TL speakers provided in, respectively, a Korean language textbook for Australian beginner learners and an English language textbook for Korean beginner learners. By analysing how each presents the other set of people in terms of the attributes the other group assigns to itself in its own books, this study assesses how well each book assists their local learners to begin constructing sound common ground with their TL speakers. Analysis is made of the verbal and visual texts in each whole book with respect to topic and attributes; as well, using Gee's discourse analysis framework, close analysis and comparison is made of the information about the TL speakers and the learners themselves in the first three chapters of each book in relation to the three major beginner learner topics: Self-introduction, family and school. While there are a number of similarities in representation of the TL speakers by both sides, even this small examination shows glaring omissions and contradictions in the construct of the TL speakers proposed for the learners of each language compared to how their actual TL speakers project themselves. Furthermore, these differences would easily lead to confusion over meanings if used in real life. If such mismatches persisted over years of language learning, it can be predicted that learners would fail to create some elements of 'common ground' essential for them to understand what their TL speakers mean in interaction and be understood themselves.
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ItemArticulating the theatre experience : ways in which students respond to the theatre experience, individually, collectively & within the context of the curriculum( 2005)This thesis investigates how a class of senior Drama students experience the event that is theatre performance. The theatre experience is at the very heart of this study, both as a personal one, and as it is framed within the parameters of the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) Drama Curriculum. Five themes emerge from the study: the role of cultural contexts; the role of prior experience; knowing versus not knowing measuring the theatre experience; and the impact of curriculum and assessment criteria on student responses. The findings of the study suggest that the subject of Drama provides entry into an aesthetic world that is not necessarily accessible through other subjects. It indicates that a range of cultural contexts and prior experiences create a frame through which students experience new theatre performances. The study indicates that the immediate and transient nature of a performance text is inherently difficult to measure but rather, relies on the measuring of the memory of that experience. Finally, the study suggests that there is a gap between the process through which students make meaning from their experiences, and the process by which the curriculum asks them to respond to the aesthetic experience that is theatre. The implications of this investigation are that the teaching of theatre text and the design of curriculum documents needs to more carefully acknowledge the cultural framing, prior experiences, and personal aesthetics that students bring to that experience. Further, it asks Drama educators to consider whether aesthetic experiences are indeed assessable and, if so, how that can be achieved in ways that acknowledge the complex nature of responses to a text that exists only in the memory of those who have seen it.