Melbourne Graduate School of Education - Theses

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    Global Childhoods in the Asian Century: Connection scholarly habitus, education experiences, and everyday lifeworlds of children in Australia, Hong Kong, and Singapore
    Waghorn, Elise ( 2023-08)
    A majority of countries in East Asia continue to rate highly in their average achievement scores for Year 4 students in the international high-stakes assessments tests; Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS). This study explores the notion that while numerous scholars have attempted to isolate systematic variables to determine why East Asian students continue to outperform other nations, no definite conclusions have been determined as to the factors that most impact performance. This research was supported by the Global Childhoods Australian Research Council (ARC) project scholarship as part of the larger research project on children’s lifeworlds in three global cities (Melbourne, Hong Kong, and Singapore). This study was designed to investigate the lifeworlds of 10-year-old children who were in Year 4 of their schooling and to view some aspects of their everyday lives through a scholarly habitus lens (Watkins & Noble, 2013). The research adopted the perspective that children’s academic outcomes in any educational system are influenced by a wide range of factors that occur in children’s lifeworlds; including, but not limited to, schooling experiences, parental influences, extra-curricular activities, interactions with peers, a sense of belonging and community factors. The research was designed so it could be responsive to, and informed by, events and interactions of the children, as they occurred in their lifeworlds. The initial design included opportunities to collect data and to work with children in their schools, homes, and communities, but had to be abandoned due to the pandemic. The new design incorporated alternative data collection methods adapted to the Covid-19 pandemic context. The data included an analysis of TIMSS and PIRLS context questionnaires which provided important insights alongside the students’ achievement scores across the three locations. A range of exhibits were chosen for analysis that linked to children’s lifeworlds experiences including the scholarly habitus. Secondly, learning dialogues, which compromised a series of four questions, two on Monday and another two on Friday, were used to encourage students to reflect on their time at school and were completed by the children in the final month of their Year 4 schooling. The original plan was to do this in the first half of the school year, but the children did not return to school on a regular basis until late 2021, and no researchers were allowed into schools until mid-way in the following year. In analysing the learning dialogues, the research drew on the concept of scholarly habitus (Watkins & Noble, 2013) to explore what children’s attitudes, and dispositions are toward their learning, how they approach school and how they feel they are performing at school. An innovative study of children’s lifeworld reflections was also undertaken with seven children, to delve deeply into their out of school lifeworlds, including extra-curricular activities, and how they spent their leisure time. The lifeworld reflections were an opportunity to talk with students either in person or via Zoom, to discuss their daily routines and what they liked doing. Throughout this study, the data collected enabled an exploration of dimensions of scholarly habitus to consider practices that might help to contribute to students’ academic engagement in school. A consideration of children’s lifeworlds provides further insight into the diversity of lifeworld experiences between and within locations, including making connections with the local contexts, such as early childhood education and care and parent responses to education reform in the locations. In addition to confirming some potential factors in children’s lifeworlds that might influence their academic success, the data further highlights the attitudes, dispositions, success, community, and a sense of belonging that children experience within their educational systems. The results of this study have important implications for gaining deeper insights into and understanding about why students in different locations perform to varying degrees in high-stake assessments, and how these might connect not only with their location, but their extra-curricular activities, school engagement, and scholarly habitus.
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    What do 'at risk' boys say about their schooling experiences ? : creating agency for boys' views and feelings about school
    Ward, Michael ( 2008)
    The following discussion outlines the theory and operational methods that inform a general ethnographical study, designed to understand the views and perceptions of three 'at risk' boys relegated to a specialised Victorian state school. The methodology hopes to empower the male students taking part in the study by giving emphasis to the didactic importance of their views, opinions and experiences expressed during a series of interviews in which they participate. It is hoped that the boys will be able to identify areas of education that need improvement, and define real life problems within their own learning experiences, so genuine male learning dilemmas and insights are generated and debated in the research. However, Connell (1989, 1995) characterises boys as `inheritors of an all conquering hegemonic masculinity' and this classic feminist perspective seems to be preventing the evolution of a boys' paradigm in education by diverting attention away from boys' educational issues by asking `which girls' and 'which boys' are specifically disadvantaged. This generic ethnographical study attempts a pro-male research project which holds boy's views, opinions and experiences paramount in the research logic processes, and makes use of key foci descriptors conceptualised in recent government research and programmes to discover how young males experience and dialogue about their schooling lives.
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    Defining the characteristics of a good middle school teacher in an Australian setting
    Douglas, Linda Jane ( 1995)
    The purpose of this study is to. identify the characteristics of a middle school teacher that define that teacher as a good teacher in the eyes of their Australian colleagues. A model of the good middle school teacher was developed from the North American literature. This formed the basis for interviews with Australian teachers who have been identified as good middle school teachers by their school community. This has led to the establishment of a model based on the responses from the Australian teachers. The focus centred on the characteristics of the teacher but at times has included reference to curriculum and other structures within the school. The report's results reflect the Australian teacher's approval for child centred teaching but with a subject focus. The teachers feel a need for teachers to retain a passion for a subject area in order to inspire and enthuse their students, but doing this within a context of a curriculum focussed on young people and their needs. This study clearly suggests the strong link between teaching philosophy and curriculum and the need to cater towards the needs of both the staff and students in order to educate successfully.
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    The effectiveness of roleplay in changing disadvantaged students' attitude to schooling and to themselves
    Salter, Ylana Rachelle ( 1994)
    This study sets out to examine the relationship between the development of language and social competence. It draws on the theories of language development proposed by Chomsky, Piaget's cognition development and the sociolinguistic notions of Bruner, Vygotsky and Labov. The educational context of the study is that imposed by the policies developed by the Victorian Ministry of Education which requires schools to provide an inclusive curriculum to meet the needs of all students. For many secondary schools, groups of students, especially those who are disadvantaged by social and emotional difficulties place a great demand upon the existing structures and their needs are unfulfilled. A review of relevant literature on social competence and roleplay was undertaken which indicated that a program of communication and roleplay activities may address the needs of these students. Therefore this study has sought to examine the impact of such activities on the level of social competence of a group of disadvantaged students who were aggressive, cynical, disruptive and not participating in school life. This study was undertaken in a mainstream school in the Western Region of metropolitan Melbourne. Students who participated were pretested to establish their attitudes towards the use of aggression and power, established authority and cynicism level. After participating in a program of communication activities and reflective roleplays the students were tested again to determine the level of attitudinal change. The key findings of this study demonstrated that significant attitudinal change occurred in the participants and that they considered themselves to be better able to understand why existing constraints were in place. The study also indicated that a program which utilises roleplay and implemented within the also found that there communication activities can existing school organisation. It also found that there is a need for change in teacher perception and school structure to accommodate students with social/emotional difficulties.
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    A study of the notion of role in relation to the behaviour of full-time mature students in a regional college
    Ryan, Yoni (1948-) ( 1979)
    The study seeks to analyze the motivations and performance of forty-five mature students in full-time courses in a regional college from the theoretical perspective of role. Role theory and empirical studies based on the literature are outlined and queried; a hypothetical model is set up, to ascertain the supposed behaviour of adults entering 'a re-socialization experience', and this is tested against findings from the study itself. The conclusion is that role theory has a limited validity as in explanation or predictor of adult behaviour, particularly in a complex society, and that many factors, environmental as well as philosophical, must be taken into account in assessing adult behaviour. Nevertheless, role behaviour can be seen as an element of behaviour, particularly the behaviour of older adults; it has less application to younger adults.
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    The political ramifications of changes in the delivery of nursing education in Victoria
    Shepherd, Irwyn A ( 1993)
    The purpose of this research was to determine; whether, between 1974 and 1987, undergraduate Nursing education in the Colleges of Advanced Education tended to politicize the new recruits to the profession via curricula. whether those asked to participate in the research believed that there was a level of information being provided during their Nursing course which they considered to be political in nature. whether those asked to participate in the research believed that this level of information that they considered to be political in nature influenced their subsequent participation in activities which could be considered in turn to be political in nature. what constraints in the workplace were identified by those asked to participate in the research, which may have adversely effected any political activity they may have been involved in, or influenced by. whether there were any other real or conceptual factors not identified or not specifically addressed in the research which could have impacted on the research participants, and possibly influenced their responses, and thus, research outcomes. Subsequent to the research, the information obtained would be scrutinized for possible outcomes, ramifications and commented on. This process is more formerly addressed in the methodology.
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    Student expectations of the future
    Pepper, Laele ( 1992)
    Specific aims of the study To investigate how present-day students view the future and their place in the workforce of the future. To establish whether or not students regard their present educational experiences as an adequate preparation for their future work. To investigate acceptance of unconventional futures scenarios as possible futures.
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    The struggle to achieve : the Vietnamese experience of secondary schools in working class neighbourhoods of Melbourne, 1986
    Mundy, Kieran Graham ( 1990)
    Within the vast scope and complexity of the refugee experience this study deals with a simply defined, yet central issue to the settlement of young immigrants from Viet Nam in Australia. That is, the differing impact of personal factors preconditioning attitudes and values towards education, and school ecology on their educational trajectories and social destinations. To answer this question, the location occupied by this immigrant group within the school system was initially determined, and subsequently the influence of school organizational structure and classroom practice on educational performance in these settings was described and explained. Vietnamese pupils, their teachers and peers in 16 randomly selected government high schools in Victoria, and those persons responsible for the child's welfare in Australia provided rich and varied information for analysis. Detailed interpretation of this comprehensive data-base focused on one school representative of the wider sample. The study found that while educational trajectories and social destinations are largely controlled by the working class location Vietnamese youth occupy in the secondary school system, the impact of this setting is mediated by an exceptional determination, on their part, to escape the influence of multiple social factors which influence the outlooks and achievements of children, whoever they may be, who occupy these sites. Despite an heroic commitment by teachers in these schools and the determination of the Vietnamese to exploit, to the maximum, the limited opportunities available to them, the dependence of these young immigrants and their families on education for social advancement renders them vulnerable to failure. The study demonstrates, that despite the illusion of democratized educational theory and practice that these educational settings suggest, the reality is that educational conservative structures mitigate against social advancement. These institutional barriers, it is shown, operate on two levels. Firstly, the comprehensive curriculum plays a central role by disproportionately directing these young immigrants into the theoretical mathematics and physical sciences, a process consecrating them as an academic elite, while at the same time confirming the lowly position they occupy in the social hierarchy of their school and neighbourhood peers. Secondly, the study demonstrates how academic streaming is an aggravating circumstance coming on top of the other inequalities suffered by all children in these settings. Not only do the out-of-school activities of these young immigrants not support their curriculum placement, but teachers tend to misjudge Vietnamese classroom conformity as scholasticism, not passivity. Thus, rather than viewing this exceptional behaviour in working class settings as an indication of the struggle with which these young people have to cope, teacher definition of their school experience sees it as proof of an effective classroom process and of learning taking place. The study concludes that while the actual relationship that exists between the teachers and Vietnamese youth, and the schools they attend and the neighbourhoods these schools serve, remains unchanged, the price the Vietnamese have to pay for perceived scholasticism is loss of control of their immediate school experience and authorship of their own lives.
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    Gender awareness through discipline and welfare : how teachers change
    Whitehead, R. J ( 1995)
    This thesis explores the considerations for change processes which are effective when gender is an issue in schools. A model is developed, based on literature related to change processes in education, and this model is then tested in a primary school setting across the period of a full school year. Strategies and approaches suggested as avenues to introduce inclusive teaching practices are also trialled, using Discipline and Welfare as .a way into addressing issues around gender in schools. The Working Model for Gender and Change and the approaches used are evaluated and conclusions are drawn, related to the outcomes of the change process conducted in the school. The study shows that the developed model works and that gender issues can effectively be raised by investigating discipline and welfare issues in a primary school. Some recommendations and suggestions for further research are made.
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    Curricula skills valued by parents of students attending special developmental schools
    Skora, Helena T ( 1999)
    This study was undertaken to investigate the values placed on specific curricula skills by parents of intellectually disabled children. The study also examined the relationship between these values and selected background variables. In addition, this study identified the parental preferred length of time that should be spent on particular skills each week in the educational programs of their children. A two part questionnaire was used to collect the data. It consisted of items relating to the background characteristics of the respondents and curriculum items that parents of children with intellectual disabilities were asked to rate. Eighty-six parents in the Northern Metropolitan Region of Victoria provided data for this study. Space was provided for parents to indicate other skills which they felt would be important for their children to learn. Items were spread across four curricula domains: functional life, academic, social/friendship and 'other' skills. T-tests and analysis of variance were employed to determine the significance of differences between means of ratings on the variables. Several findings emerged from the study. Parents were found to prefer independent functional life skills and integrating social/friendship skills throughout their child's school life, while academic skills were consistently rated last. Consistent with these ratings was the further observation that self-help or independent living skills, communication and social skills, were categories highly valued by parents. Significant difference was found related to the age and gender of the children of parents making the ratings. No significant differences were identified for parent age or parent educational level. Independent functional life skills were rated higher for older children, particularly for boys while integrating social/friendship skills rated higher for older girls than for older boys. Recommendations for parent involvement in curriculum decision-making are included.