Faculty of Education - Theses
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ItemEquity of access to higher education in Australia : discussion and analysis of issues( 1991)This thesis is concerned with examining policies that have been advocated by successive governments in Australia from 1974-1990 in relation to promoting equity of access to higher education. The thesis outlines the theoretical aspects of equity and reviews the relevant research conducted in Australia and overseas. There have been several attempts to promote equity of access to higher education in Australia: fees were abolished in 1974, TEAS was introduced to replace existing scholarships, AUSTUDY replaced TEAS in 1987, retention rate to year 12 increased from 30% to over 60% in 1990, certain groups were targeted as disadvantaged groups and were afforded special entry, and finally the "White Paper" saw the introduction of the HECS or Graduate Tax in 1988. Research in Australia carried out during the late 1970s and early 1980s suggested that there was a considerable under-representation in higher education of children from the lower SES groups. This pattern appears to have continued despite efforts to promote equity. The analysis carried out in this thesis suggests that there are still many concerns related to equity. It is likely that the HECS will have the effect of increasing the price of higher education and will therefore act as a deterrent to students from less affluent backgrounds, and it may significantly effect part-time and external study. Whilst there appears to be considerable funding for AUSTUDY it may well be not sufficient to encourage students to enter higher education. Of the students entering higher education recent research has suggested that the social mix has remained unaltered. What is certainly not known is the social mix of graduates. If policy has been effective one would expect the social mix to be more balanced. Research needs to be conducted to monitor the impact of HECS to see whether higher education is becoming less available or more equitably available.
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ItemAttendant lords : the role of the chief executives of education in Australia( 1991)This thesis attempts to determine the condition of role change during the period 1979 to 1985 within the chief executives of education in the Australian States. Extant writings of these chief executives were analysed to see what picture of role and role change emerged, then a selection of the interviews and commentaries gathered by Wirt, Harman and Beare in their unpublished Study of Chief Education Executives in Australian States in 1985 was examined. During this period, although the broad picture of the chief executive of education as adviser to government and administrative head of department or system was sustained, the role was clearly becoming increasingly complex and political. General movements such as increasing Commonwealth involvement and the increasing influence of Treasury had an obvious impact on each of the chief executives studied. Within these parameters, however, there is considerable evidence of difference, confirming the diversity masked by reference to the role of the chief executive of education. Their experience, particularly since 1979, highlights significant differences in role between thechief executives of the different sectors of education. if analysts of educational policy making neglect these differences, they obscure rather than enhance insight into the policy making process. This thesis shows that interplay between social and political context, structures and personality can create very different situations despite prevailing trends.
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ItemProvision for longer term residents in the Adult Migrant Education Program : an historical overview from 1947 to 1990( 1991)The aim of this study was to consider the reality of access of longer term resident adult migrants into English language learning opportunities in Australia across the period 1947 - 1990. Chapter 1 describes the background and justification of the research brief and refers to the processes and procedures taken in developing an analytical approach to the consideration of policy development and implementation. Chapter 2 outlines the range of available resource material while Chapter 3 provides a summary of the documentation. This summary is used to analyse the demands and the decisions and actions which impacted on access to the program. A set of basic assumptions is then developed and comments sought from a group of experts. A selection of indicative responses are examined in detail and the reliability of the assumptions is considered. In Chapter 4 the results of the findings are developed into a final statement. In doing so the researcher demonstrates the realities of policy development over a considerable period of time and shows that environmental factors play an important role in shaping the future from past and present experience. The study shows that the Adult Migrant Education Program was originally planned as an initial settlement program and at stages in the last forty years this focus has been restated. The concept of "longer term " residents did not exist in the early years of the program and the issue has emerged as an important factor in the discussions on equity of access to education.
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ItemA context-based evaluation of the Australian overseas student policy( 1991)In this thesis, the implications of "exporting" Australian higher educational services to overseas countries are explored. Since the introduction of the Overseas Student Program (OSP) in 1985, courses have been "marketed", often quite aggressively, by Australian colleges and universities. In most cases, overseas students have responded by coming to study in Australia in existing courses. The cultural implications of the policy are evaluated using a hypothetical case - Hong Kong Registered Nurses undertaking a post-graduate Public Health Nursing course in an Australian higher education institution to prepare for work with the Vietnamese in Hong Kong's refugee camps. The evaluation is based on an application of Dunn's jurisprudential metaphor and transactional model of argument to a consideration of the contextual and cultural issues which arise from a consideration of the impact of the course. Following an examination of the relevant policies in Australia and Hong Kong as applied to three pertinent contexts, several shortcomings of the OSP are identified. Based on a study of the refugee context, comparative education issues including cross-cultural cognition, and the experiences of overseas students studying in Australia, it is concluded that an existing course would not be appropriate; students could have serious difficulties coping with a second language, and with living and studying in a foreign country. More importantly, however, it was shown that an Australian curriculum would not equip the nurses for their roles in the camps. Arguments developed from the hypothetical case were found to be generalizable to the export of other professional courses, and the relevance of many other course offerings was questioned. It was concluded that Australian institutions needed to be aware of the cultural difficulties experienced by students while studying, and the relevance of the course offerings, if their courses were to be viable in the new international climate of aggressive marketing of education overseas. Failure to do so could have far reaching implications for Australian higher education and Australia's relations with countries in the Asian region.
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ItemThe Australian Science Education Project: a case study in curriculum implementation( 1991)The Australian Science Education Project (ASEP) was developed between 1969-74 as Australia's first national curriculum project. ASEP was designed to introduce major changes for years 7-10 science in materials, content and assigned roles for teachers and students. While initial sales of the ASEP materials were excellent in Victoria the extent of implementation was low. This study examines reasons for this unsuccessful implementation from a user (i.e. teacher and schools) perspective. Determinants or causes of the extent of implementation relating to the nature of the ASEP materials, the strategies for implementation and the nature of teaching and schools are examined. The fundamental cause of the low level of implementation in Victoria is related to the development of the ASEP materials from a 'technological' perspective with limited input by classroom teachers. The materials developed in this way could only be successful if the implementation strategies included extensive in-service and curriculum support for science teachers and this did not happen in Victoria. Based on Havelock's 'Problem Solver' perspective of curriculum change a model for effective implementation is proposed which incorporates a 'user' perspective and the notion of mutual adaptation between the innovation and the user system.
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ItemChild competencies and family processes in homeschool families( 1991)This is a study of homeschooling families. It examines firstly, specific family processes as they act as resources for the children in these families and, secondly, specific competencies of children in these families. The report begins by briefly describing the history of schooling in Australia and outlining some of the major influences on the changes that have occurred to schooling since the establishment of the very first schools. Homeschooling theory is then briefly discussed, mainly as it relates to the views put forward by its best known advocate, John Holt. Research into homeschooling is then considered, particularly as it relates to family characteristics, academic achievement and social development. This section concludes with a discussion of the problems associated with homeschooling research generally. The report then focuses on a variety of family process resources which have been identified as important for the development of children generally, and to the development of certain child competencies in particular. The empirical research associated with this report is then described. Thirteen homeschool families participated in the study. The eldest homeschool child within each family was asked to complete an interview schedule which focused on how their family functioned and a questionnaire measuring self-esteem. One parent from each family was asked to complete an interview schedule which asked them to describe their eldest homeschool child and each parent was asked to complete a set of questions which measured social-environmental aspects of their family. Effect sizes were calculated to provide a measure of the difference in mean scores between the homeschool group and a group of families with conventionally schooled children. The homeschool children scored substantially above the conventionally schooled children for two of the five child competency measures - Life Skills and Independence. In terms of family processes the homeschool families rated substantially different on seven of the eleven measures. The largest difference in means was for Mother Support, which rated much higher in homeschool families than in families of conventionally schooled children. The remaining six measures, in descending order of difference, were: Child Autonomy, Family Cohesion, Mother Punishment (negative effect size), Sibling Relations, Father Support and Father Punishment (negative effect size). The data from the present study partially supports the view that there is a relationship between child competencies and family processes. Generally low child competency scores are matched by generally low family process scores, although a similarly strong link is not evident between high competency scores and high family process scores. The strongest link can be found between Mother Support and child competence. When Mother Support is low, child competence is usually low and when Mother Support is high, child competence is usually high. With respect to social-environmental characteristics, large effect sizes occurred for six of the ten variables. The largest difference was for Achievement Orientation where homeschool families scored well below families of conventionally schooled children. Large positive effect sizes occurred for Intellectual-Cultural Orientation, Cohesion and Expressiveness, and large negative effect sizes occurred for Control and Organization. The many differences in mean scores between the present group of homeschoolers and the families of conventionally schooled children suggests that these homeschoolers have a range of characteristics which together identifies them as part of a distinctive group in the total population.
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ItemThe international baccalaureate in Australia( 1991)This study includes a brief historical sketch of the development of the International Baccalaureate (IB) and a survey of the ten schools that currently offer the International Baccalaureate within Australia. The purpose of the research project is to; 1. describe the historical and philosophical background of the IB including the way in which the IB has developed within the context of the international schools movement throughout the world. 2. discuss the status of the IB within Australia. The analysis of the questionnaire on the IB draws together the major concerns about the implementation of the IB in the Australian setting. The concluding section of the project makes a number of suggestions for further research in Australia. These include; 1. a study of the students taking the IB within Australia. 2. the second language requirement of the IB. 3. an evaluation of the assessment methods of the IB. 4. the curriculum of the IB. There is very little research that has been done or is underway on the IB. The need for research is urgent and the opportunity for this research is almost limitless.