Melbourne Graduate School of Education - Theses

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    Space to act: Conceptual framework analysis of student agency within innovative learning environments
    Donaldson, Nicholas James ( 2021)
    The substantial societal shifts of the 21st century have supported the development and implementation of innovative learning environments (ILEs) and the endorsement of student agency within the field of education. There exists, however, a resonant gap in knowledge regarding the presence and properties of this learner quality within these teaching and learning spaces. This thesis addresses this gap by encapsulating the nature of student agency within ILEs through the qualitative methodological approach of conceptual framework analysis (Jabareen, 2009). Though limited by its theoretical focus and exploration of secondary data, the resultant framework offers a complex conceptualisation of the phenomenon of student agency within ILEs; its psychological antecedents, the environmental features that may support it, its characteristic actions, and its potential constructive contributions. Beyond establishing a foundational platform for future research, these findings also provide educators with the valuable knowledge and tools that allow them to more effectively understand, identify, and nurture this lauded learner quality within modern educational spaces.
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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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    Parent professional partnerships in IEP development : a case study of a MAPS process
    Morgan, Philippa Teresa ( 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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    The vertical curriculum meeting the needs of students of high intellectual potential
    Ryan, Maree J ( 2000)
    This pilot project investigated one Victorian Independent School's implementation of the vertical curriculum in Grades Five and Six in over a one-year period in 1998. The study sought to evaluate the effectiveness of the vertical curriculum model for students identified as intellectually Gifted, High (Gifted and Bright) and Mainstream (Average, Low Average and Low) students by reviewing the students' progress in mathematics. Using Progressive Achievement Tests in Mathematics at the beginning and end of the year the identified Gifted, Bright and Mainstream students' progress was monitored to track their mathematical development, consisting of - achievement or progress made. The cohort reviewed consisted of eighty eight students incorporating eleven identified intellectually Gifted students, thirty three Bright students and forty four Mainstream students, as identified by the Raven's Progressive Matrices. The findings indicated firstly that an advanced level of mathematical achievement was found for the identified Gifted students. Secondly, it was found that the vertical curriculum assisted the Mainstream students as they showed significant mathematical progress. The findings indicated that the vertical curriculum provided an equitable educational option for the identified intellectually Gifted, Bright and Mainstream students.
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    Paulo Freire : conscientization. the road to freedom
    Sabto, Gina (1938-) ( 1978)
    Freire's chief concern with regard to the oppressed in Brazil involved a view of education as a tool for social and political change. Conscientization is the - method by which he aimed to achieve change. His programme however, should be seen, not as an isolated effort to liberate the oppressed; it should be viewed in the context of other programmes that emerged in Brazil at the time. These were mainly inspired by radical Catholic action groups and characterised by the need to achieve the process of self-realisation along populist lines, that is without interference and indoctrination. Freire's programme came after exploring the traditional methods of adult literacy and rejecting them as bankrupt. His method involved a problematisation of the themes of the life of the oppressed and a representation of that problematic to them for their identification and critical analysis. This was achieved by means of dialogue and in the course of group meetings where co-ordinators and students held equal. status. Concurrently with dialogue, ABC literacy took place; words arising out of discussions of themes formed the basic material for the ABC course. Much depends on the co-ordinator for the success of the method. Generally Freire's critics focus their attention on him as a potentially manipulative agent and as such, no better than the cruel masters from whom he is attempting to rescue the oppressed. Freire's principles governing his theory and method however, are so clearly enunciated, so tightly knit together, that an internal unity emerges from the programme as a. whole, which in itself, acts as a deterrent to abuse and distortion. Finally, two questions arise from the study of Freire's conscientization: one is whether revolutionary action would naturally follow from it; the other is whether Freire's adherence to absolute authenticity is emphasised to the detriment of an essential aspect of the task, which is the mobilisation of the oppressed into an effective task force to bring about revolutionary change, Both questions are closely linked together. It may be more realistic to view Freirets programme, not as a task achieving revolutionary action itself, but as an effective preparation for it and as such an honest and therefore necessary part of it,
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    The educational theory of G.H. Bantock in the context of British educational thought 1965-1975
    Pear, David Adrian ( 1990)
    The 1960s and early 1970s witnessed changes in many social values in Britain; the educational world was not immune to the turbulence of these years. The classifications of `traditionalist', `conservative', `progressive' and 'radical' were attributed indiscriminately to the wide spectrum of party affiliations. As a result, the characteristics of these `parties' became difficult to isolate amid the vague condemnatory generalisations and intense criticism of personalities which characterized the period. G.H. Bantock (b. 1914) was considered a prominent traditionalist of these times, and as such, attempted to swim against the tide of what he believed was an increasing, uncultured progressivism. This study attempts to present a summary of Bantock's principal concerns, and to offer a profile of the main thrusts of the arguments which he advanced in over eighty major publications. As a subsidiary theme, it considers the nomenclature of the period, particularly from the perspective of the traditionalist, and seeks to isolate the foundations of that philosophical stance. Part 1 is a summary of the main concerns which consumed Bantock's attention during his career. Part 2 considers the means by which Bantock believed the problems of contemporary education could be solved, and Part 3 presents the author's evaluation of the ideas outlined in the previous sections.
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    The confused Frenchman : some considerations of 'freedom' in Rousseau's writings and its educational implications
    Sands, Caroline Ann ( 1987)
    The focus in this thesis is the concept of 'freedom' and, more specifically, how this concept is used by Rousseau. An attempt will first be made to clarify the meaning of 'freedom' and then Rousseau's discussions about it will be examined. Particular emphasis will be placed on an analysis of educational freedom and what Rousseau writes about it, especially in Emile. It will also be argued that the ideal political freedom that Rousseau proposes in The Social Contract is an extension of the freedom he talks about in Emile. Some critics have levelled the charge that Rousseau is not consistent in his definitions of what constitutes freedom and Max Rafferty has even referred to him as 'the confused Frenchman'. In this thesis it will be argued that this confusion is only apparent and not real. In this respect, the critical literature about Rousseau's theories on freedom will be analysed in an attempt to show that there is indeed an internal consistency of definition in Rousseau's works and that his view is of positive, rather than negative, freedom.
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    The origins, development and influence of Ursuline pedagogy
    Waters, Peter ( 1984)
    Much of what was taught in Roman Catholic convent schools, and many of the methods used, may be traced to the influence of a religious order of women, the Ursulines, who find the origin of their pedagogical inspiration and a pattern of religious spirituality in the Company of St. Ursula, established by Angela Merici at Brescia some four hundred and fifty years ago. However, religious congregations devoted to the education of women, and those who have been educated by them would be, for the most part, unaware of this influence. Similarly, standard texts of educational history give no more than a passing acknowledgement, if any, of the singular contribution of this religious order, and the significance of this for a comprehensive perspective of general educational history. The object of this study is to present a description of the development of Ursuline pedagogy, with a concentration on the French tradition, illustrating its consolidation as it provided a distinctive intellectual, moral and religious process of formation for young women, and then tracing the different kinds of influence that it exerted, especially as it became a model for later educational initiatives within other religious orders of women. Initially, this thesis explores the circumstances conditioning the emergence of the Primitive Company of St. Ursula, examining the cultural and religious setting of the Italian Renaissance in which it first developed, and for which it was primarily intended as an agent of a perceived necessary transformation of women in that society. It investigates the writings of Angela Merici with an eye to those elements of her thought which have a specific pedagogical importance. It will demonstrate that Angela Merici believed in utilising the home atmosphere and its natural influences as the best means of giving a religious and moral formation, as well as ensuring basic intellectual and social development. Where this would not be possible, she, with her companions, would provide an environment as close as possible to the ideal, promoting a mother-daughter relationship between the member of the Company of St. Ursula and the individual children in her care. The pre-eminently personal quality of her thought is revealed to be in keeping with all the best Renaissance standards. Her "Arricordi"(Counsels) indicate her enthusiasm for focussing attention on the individual, using certain insights of feminine psychology to provide a thorough preparation of each for responsible motherhood and authentic Christian citizenship. A synoptic survey of the educational philosophies of Jean. Jacques Rousseau, Johann Pestalozzi, Johann Herbart and Friedrich Froebel serves to show how the thought of Angela Merici compares with that of each of these writers, emphasising the pedagogical status of her work, and indicating that she ought attract more universal recognition as a significant contributor to the evolution of pedagogical theory. The thesis traces the development of the Company after the death of the foundress, and how it was forced to clarify and modify its constitutions and form of government to meet the requirements of adaptation to new ecclesiastical and societal circumstances. These were occasioned by the impact of the Protestant Reformation, as well as the Catholic reaction to it, culminating in the reforms of the Council of Trent, and further complicated by political and territorial conflicts at both local and national levels. The influence of significant churchmen of the period is also examined. Leading reformers such as Cardinal Charles Borromeo, Cardinal Francois de Sourdis and Archbishop Alessandro Canigiani took initiatives which impinged on the process of adaptation through three successive stages, and which contributed to a clarification of the distinctive apostolate of the Company. The development of the Company in France at the turn of the seventeenth century, and the progress towards the adoption of monastic status whilst maintaining an apostolate of education as its principal "raison d'etre", is given detailed. analysis. It represents the elementary base for the theoretical and methodological structure from which a more highly developed Ursuline pedagogy would take its shape. Foremost among those who brought the Ursuline communities to this stage is Francoise de Bermond, assisted by two influential Provencale priests, Cesar'de Bus and Jean Baptist Romillon, who had already developed catechetical and general elementary educational programmes of their own. Later, Madame de St. Beuve and Madame Acarie introduced the Ursulines to Paris, engaging Francoise de Bermond to instruct the first members of that community in the implementation of the Ursuline Rule, and to form them according to the spirit of Angela Merici. Whilst acknowledging similar developments in various other centres such as Bordeaux, Toulouse and Tulle, the educational tradition of the monastery of Paris has been selected for special study because of the availability of the 1705 reprint of the first edition in 1652 of the Reglemens of Paris. This work, a collection of three small manuals which enshrine Ursuline educational principles and provide a precise methodology to be followed in the monastery schools, allows the student of educational history to reconstruct a vivid picture of the educational practice of a vast network of such monasteries throughout France during the Ancien Regime. It reveals details of the organisation of two separate educational establishments within the monastic complex, a "pensionnat" (boarding school), and a free day-school for poor students. An overview of the Jesuit tradition of education, which developed at the same time, allows for a comparative study of the Reglemens with the Ratio Studiorum. This highlights the unique quality of the former, demonstrating that, although there is evidence of assimilation of influences from a variety of sources, the Ursuline . method is not a mere imitation of the Jesuit system. This study concentrates on the precise nature of Ursuline education until the time of the suppression of the religious orders during the French Revolution. It describes the expansion of the influence of the Paris monastery as it became a prototype for other "f iliated" Ursuline monasteries, and as aspects of its tradition were adopted by other pre-Revolution foundations, such as the "Maison Royale de St. Cyr", and the Irish. Congregation of the Presentation. In the post-Revolution period, the re-emergence of the tradition within in reconstituted Ursuline communities and in other newly founded religious communities devoted to the education of women is treated. The task of tracing the continuing influence of Ursuline pedagogy through the plethora of nineteenth century congregations of teaching women is beyond the scope of this work. I have avoided detailed presentation of the more specifically religious elements of the regimen of Ursuline life except where it serves to illuminate the motivation of the members of the communities in their educational work. It is hoped that this study will provide clearer insight into the phenomenon of Ursuline pedagogy, and its contribution to the extensive educational enterprise of the Roman Catholic Church which, in turn, has its influence on the total intellectual and moral formation of the individual in society.
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