Faculty of Education - Theses
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ItemChildren's perceptions of changes in families( 1991)The three studies reported in this thesis take as their subjects over one thousand "ordinary primary school children" from state primary schols in the western region of Melbourne. The sample has not been drawn using methods such as newspaper requests (Burns, 1980), from Parents without Partners groups (Kurdek and Siesky, 1978), from university towns (Franz and Mell, 1981) or through court records (Hess and Camara, 1979; Dunlop and Burns, 1988). The western region of Melbourne is socioeconomically and ethnically diverse and predicted to grow faster than most other areas of Melbourne in the next decades. In essence, these children are that future. Certainly, their perceptions of families and of changes in families will help to shape their own futures. Children have much to say about families as has been noted in studies by Ochiltree and Amato (1985) and Goodnow and Burns (1985). Children in Studies 1 and 2 in this thesis wrote eloquently and often with passion about families generally and about family changes specifically. Previous studies (Csikszentmihalyi and Rochberg-Halton, 1981; Silcock and Sadler, 1980; Wallerstein and Kelly, 1980; Riach, 1983; Ochiltree and Amato (1985) and Cooper (1986) have looked at children's perceptions of families. Some, like Csikszentmihalyi and Rochberg-Halton, (1981) and Cooper (1986) have drawn attention to gender differences; others, like Silcock and Sadler, (1980), to techniques employed in the collection of data. In addition, Selman and his colleagues (1979, 1980, 1986) have focussed on children's developing understanding of social relations. Selman's stages of development of social understanding, like those of Hoffman (1983) for empathy development are based on Piagetian stages of cognitive development. The present studies are an attempt to draw together around a single theme, children's perceptions of families, the impact of a range of techniques for data collection (as Silcock and Sadler, (1980) have suggested is appropriate) and consideration of age/stage differences as defined by Selman et al. Additionally, gender differences are investigated as suggested by Csikszentmihalyi and Rochberg -Halton, (1981). In Study 1, a group of forty Grade 5/6 children completed a questionnaire, Children's Perceptions of Changes in Families. Subsequently, this group of forty was divided into a target and a control group. The target group of children took part in an eight week videotape/discussion program with family matters as content while the control group continued with general classroom activities. At the completion of this, children were presented with the responses they had prepared previously to the questionnaire and invited to change these in any way they considered appropriate. Analysis revealed that elaboration occurred in the responses of children in both target and control groups. Statistical analysis revealed very little in the way of differences between the responses made by those children who had taken part in the videotape/discussion program and those who had not. Coming out of this study, however, were gender differences and tendencies for children to describe parents in stereotypic roles which are reminescent of other larger studies (Goodnow and Burns, 1985; Cooper, 1986; Ochiltree and Amato, 1985). Girls, for example, expressed far more interest than boys in the experience of caring for a new baby; boys referred more than did girls to the fights likely to ensue should a new child come into the family. Father's movement from the children's home to live elsewhere was considered unhappy because of his loss as a playmate; in mother's case, it was her inability to continue caring for the children which was noted. Such patterns were revealed in the content analysis of the children's responses to the questionnaire. The children in this first study served as a window into the other studies reported in this thesis in that the researcher spent considerable time speaking with both groups through their two completions of the questionnaire and with the target group during the videotape/discussion program. In addition, statements made by these forty children were used as the basis of Study 3. In Studies 2 and 3, children prepared written responses to the tasks set them. In Study 3, 1118 Grade 3/4 and Grade 5/6 children drawn from twelve state primary schools in the western region of Melbourne were read statements by their teacher and invited, on one occasion, to indicate their thoughts about each statement and, on another, to indicate their feelings. The phrases from which children were invited to select in indicating their responses were based on the definition of problem and expression of feelings components of the Interpersonal Negotiation Strategies Model (Selman et al., 1986b) and were representative of levels of complexity of thought and feeling described in the model. Girls' marked superiority over boys in their choice of feeling responses representing higher levels of complexity was the most significant finding in this study. This finding coupled with findings from Study 2 that girls made significantly more references than boys in their descriptions of families to emotional aspects of families makes gender differences a powerful finding in the studies presented in the thesis. The emotional aspects of families to which girls referred significantly more often than boys in responses to the question, "What is a Family?" were love, care, sharing/belonging, understanding problems/talking. In contrast, boys and younger children (Grade 3/4) referred significantly more often than girls and older children (Grade 5/6) to family structure. The finding that older children made significantly more references than did the younger children to many aspects of families is not surprising and likely to be due to their general experience and superior verbal ability (Jacklin and Maccoby, 1983). The gender differences in the content analysis was reinforced in coding undertaken of children's responses according to levels based on Bruss-Saunders' levels (1978) of social understanding of parent-child relationships. Here, the descriptions written by Grade 5/6 girls were coded as representing highest levels of complexity and the descriptions written by Grade 3/4 boys as representing lowest levels of complexity. In the studies, levels of complexity of children's responses are considered according to theories of cognitive development. In addition, the influence of contextual factors on the thoughts and feelings children express about families are discussed. Questions about the relationship between these two are raised with regard to the capacity children acquire for coping in their present and future families.
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ItemStudent stress : a preliminary investigation into the school-related stress experience of year 8 students, using a hassles and uplifts approach( 1991)This study sought to develop a hassles and uplifts scale as a measure of the school-related stress experienced by year 8 students in post-primary schools. A draft set of 167 items was developed after reviewing other scales that purport to measure stress, reviewing the broader popular literature on stress in young people and the authors informal discussions with year eight students over a number of years. The 167 items were then subjected to a simple consensual validation procedure using a small group of year 8 male and female students. A draft scale of 87 items emerged from this process. The draft scale was administered to 875 year 8 students in ten varying types of schools, including coeducational, single sex girls, single sex boys, urban, nonurban, government and nongovernment. The instrument was administered by suitably briefed classroom teachers. The responses of students were subjected to factor analysis. Preliminary whole-scale analysis indicated a high level of reliability. As a further indicator of the reliability of factors 14 factors were found to replicate across analyses (orthogonal rotation c.f. oblique rotation) of the whole group. The group was randomly split into two subgroups and the the analysis conducted on each subgroup. Eight factors appeared to replicate or substantially replicate across groups when an varimax solution was computed for each subgroup. Similarly, eight factors were found to replicate across subgroups. Key factors emerged from the analysis. It was concluded that, while further work was necessary in followup to this minor trial, a reliable and valid hassles and uplifts scale can be satisfactorily developed for the specific age group of students. Suggestions for the followup work and further research are outlined in the conclusion of this study.
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ItemPursuing school renewal in the midst of change( 1991)This study considers the implementation of the goals of the St. Bernard's College mission statement. The School Development Project, through which the mission statement was developed, is only considered in terms of its impact on the implementation phase. The mission statement goals are grouped under five headings: (a) faith development, (b) personal development, (c) curriculum, (d) communication, and (e) participation. The research questions group into four key areas: (a) the process of implementation, (b) ownership of the mission, (c) the achievement of goals, and (d) the impact of leadership. The literature suggested that change is difficult to create and sustain because implementing change is centrally concerned with changing people, and people find change difficult. Helping people change in loosely coupled" educational organisations is even more difficult as change then involves a political process of negotiation and agreement. A triangulation approach was adopted to collecting data. The school community was sampled using a questionnaire and those in key leadership roles were interviewed. Documentation linked to implementation was also collected and analysed. Research findings indicated that a planned strategy for implementation was not pursued and that implementation had been affected by major changes in leadership at the local and province levels. A planned strategy for implementation is now being developed at the college. The most effective strategy would require increased external assistance to develop expertise and support implementation at the local level.
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ItemLiterature and English teaching : a study of literature in the teaching of English at Scotch College, Melbourne( 1991)The first chapter of this thesis provides a personal memoir of my teaching career, and places it in the wider historical context of developments within English teaching in England and Australia. It establishes my own position at the key points of these developments in 1966, 1975, 1980 and 1985 and introduces the main area of interest - the place of literature in the teaching of English. The second chapter concerns the vast amount of writing on the nature and teaching of literature in English. It provides an historical review of the main body of this writing and derives some of its focus from the seminal work of John Dixon in 1966, as well as the Bullock Report of 1975. The vigorous yet sometimes slightly artificial debate on the issue of literature teaching is also examined in the review of the important journal, The Use of English. Chapter Three develops the ideas propounded in some of the writings examined in the previous chapter and provides an analysis of my own experience at Melbourne Grammar School. Chapter Four shows the similarities and differences existing between Scotch College and Melbourne Grammar School and details a more critical view of the state of English teaching from 1980 - 1990 at Scotch College. It reviews some of the specific examples of literature teaching and shows the slow progress which has been experienced over a decade within the College. The final chapter brings together the case of Scotch College and reviews possible future progress in the light of perceived difficulties inherent in the structure of the College. The general outlook for English at the College is seen in positive terms and suggestions are provided for further research into both the reading habits of students and the processes involved in the teaching of literature within the current restraints.
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ItemStudents' early understanding in calculus( 1991)Students' Early Understanding of Calculus The study undertaken here looked at difficulties associated with the first principles approach to the derivative of a function and concentrated in particular on the first five lessons in calculus as experienced by a typical group of nineteen year 10 students who were preparing to take calculus at year 11. A traditional teaching approach was contrasted with an alternative computer teaching approach and both approaches were analysed for success in terms of conceptual understanding, skill acquisition and student perceptions of whether the work was easy to understand. As calculus has served as a critical filter for further study in mathematics, teaching methodology and student attitudes to the topic were a focus of the study. It was found that the students in the study had a limited concept image for gradient ('measure rise/run') and that a greater development of the global ideas associated with the gradient of a straight line needed to be a focus of learning before the idea of gradient of a curve should be introduced in beginning calculus. It was found that the use of a tangent to a curve at a point to measure gradient of the curve was not a spontaneous intuition and it is recommended that more time be given to this notion in the first principles approach to differentiation. The traditional first principles approach was found to be too cognitively demanding for the students who demonstrated a 'rush to the rule' for meaning. Students undergoing the computer treatment also demonstrated this 'rush to rule' and therefore very gradual development is recommended for students in their first encounters with calculus.
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ItemTradition and change in the establishment of Mount St Joseph Girls' College 1964-1970( 1991)Social, political and economic influences invariably have bearing on the development of a school's philosophy, policies and practices, and must be considered integral to any school history. This is most evident in the post-war period, when the 'explosion' in numbers in post-primary schooling resulted not only in an expansion of schools but also, in a restructuring of traditional secondary school organisation and practice. For the first time post-primary schooling came to be recognised as a distinct and essential sphere of education. The establishment of Mt St Joseph Girls' College in 1964 by the Institute of the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart was in direct response to changes in Australian society during the 1950s and 1960s. The Sisters of St Joseph, an Australian teaching Order, was established in the 1860s by Father Julian Tenison-Woods and Mary McKillop to provide Catholic primary education to the poor. However, in the 1960s, the Institute was prepared to adapt and meet the demand for secondary education by establishing secondary colleges. This thesis traces the establishment and development of the first secondary Josephite school in Victoria - Mt St Joseph Girls' College between the period 1964 and 1970. The recollections of students reveal that despite the Josephites' efforts to widen educational and occupational opportunities for working-class girls, school organisation, curriculum and practices, implicitly and explicitly directed girls to gender-specific educational and occupational paths; and to the notion that culturally valued womanhood was intrinsically related to marriage and motherhood. The study also indicates that it was not until 1969 that the Josephites introduced curriculum reform by replacing the multilateral form of school organisation (professional, commercial and domestic sciences), with a more integrated and comprehensive curriculum which cut across these divisions and catered for the needs and interests of a wide range of students. Although the benefits of this were not evident until the following decade, it must be emphasized that the Josephites had taken the first steps to remove the limitations placed on girls' aspirations, abilities and opportunities. v
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ItemNurses knowledge of postnatal depression( 1991)Postnatal Depression is a disorder which may occur in some women following childbirth. This research study includes, as a major component, an extensive review of. the literature regarding this disorder. A questionnaire was administered to eighty registered nurses, to survey their level of knowledge about Postnatal Depression. The design used was non-experimental with a descriptive approach to the data. The findings indicated that, (1) a limited amount of information was given to the respondents about the disorder, Postnatal Depression, during their preregistration course; (2) confusion exists between the disorders, Postnatal Depression, postnatal "blues", and puerperal psychosis; (3) many of the respondents failed to recognize the four listed symptoms related to Postnatal Depression, in the questionnaire; (4) further education is needed to enable registered nurses to recognize the disorder, Postnatal Depression, and to differentiate it from postnatal "blues" and puerperal psychosis.
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ItemThe educative role of a parish school and community( 1991)Catholic parishes are undergoing radical changes today. Their mission of education is holistic and embraces a birth to death span. This study focused on the changes which had taken place in families from the time of the initiation of their eldest child into the community until nine years later when that child shared in the first meal ritual of the community. Multiple case studies and the outcomes of interviews were analysed using grounded theory. Interviews were conducted with a population of school families; conclusions were reached and an emergent theory proposed. As expected, the articulation of concepts proved difficult for parents. Growth is related to realms of meaning through which the educative process takes place; to cultural consciousness and to the respective life cycle of parents and their children. Overall, a degree of growth was reported by most respondents especially in terms of self-esteem, positive changes in attitudes towards the church, and access to support systems. The insights revealed by this study indicate that the parish primary school acts as a catalyst for the re-entry of parents into the community; that the climate of the community, the style of leadership, the participative decision-making processes and the pedagogical processes of the parish and the school are determining factors both in the effectiveness of the educational enterprise and in the ultimate survival of the community.
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ItemA survey of the role perceptions and practice of Victorian primary teacher librarians : a research report with implications for education for school librarianship( 1991)A review of the literature on the Role of the School Librarian revealed a perceived discrepancy between the role which was being advocated in the literature and the role actually being undertaken by primary school teacher librarians in Victoria. This research study was undertaken to discover what role Victorian primary school librarians perceived for themselves in the school and whether in fact they were actually performing this role. The problem was identified as:- 1. Do primary teacher librarians perceive their ideal role in the terms of the model presented in the literature? 2. What role are primary teacher librarians following in their school libraries? 3. Is there a discrepancy between their IDEAL and ACTUAL roles and the model role presented in the literature. The research study also hoped to identify areas of need for future planning initiatives in education for school librarianship courses. A questionnaire was constructed in four sections using a five point scale. The first section was to give general background information on the school and the school library of the participating teacher librarian. The second section listed twenty role definitions. All twenty definitions could be perceived as facets of a teacher-librarian's role within the school. The third section contained the same twenty role definitions but participants were asked to identify the importance of the role in their actual school situation. The fourth section contained twenty factors which may affect a teacher librarian from performing their ideal role. The survey instrument was mailed to forty randomly selected Victorian primary school teacher librarians. Responses were received from twenty-three teacher librarians (53%). The danger of making conclusive findings from such a small sample is noted in the report. The responses came mainly from experienced, qualified teacher librarians and the interpretation of the data takes this fact into account. Following a review of related readings on the role of the primary school librarian, a model was devised as a basis for the analysis of the data. Based on the analysis of the survey results in which correlation co-efficients for IDEAL and ACTUAL roles were obtained and on the relationship of these analyses to the model, the following major conclusions were obtained. 1. That primary teacher librarians in Victoria are not following the co-operative curriculum planing and teaching role as outlined in the model. 2. That primary teacher librarians are still performing traditional roles in children's literature and as resource managers. 3. That priamry teacher librarians are not taking a lead in implementing technological change within the school and do not perceive this as their role. 4. That most primary teacher librarians are working in school libraries without any clerical support except for volunteers. 5. That primary teacher librarians are teaching isolated classes to allow class teachers to take their allotted administrative planning time. As an ideal role, primary teacher librarians, participating in this survey,overwhelmingly perceived their role as "developing a love of literature in children" which conflicts with the ideal role perceived by the literature "as having an educational role in curriculum planning and development and in initiating change in the educational processes in the school". Finally, this research study points out the implications of these findings for future initiatives which should be undertaken in planning education for school librarianship courses. Seven areas are identified and conclusions are made, in particular, the urgent need to have information skills and the use of curriculum resources included in all undergraduate teacher training courses. Also the need for greater co-operation between education, librarianship and technology practitioners in the formulation of integrated courses. Areas for further research are indicated. The appendix includes the survey instrument, tables of data results, examples of teacher librarians' timetables and a full bibliography.
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ItemAn evaluation of fleximode as a mode of provision for the VCE to adult students( 1991)Fleximode is the combination of study on-campus(i.e. attending classes) and off campus (i.e. private study using structured study materials). It is designed for people who cannot attend regular classes, but who prefer more support than is available through off-campus, or correspondence study alone. The study examines literature relating to similar modes of provision overseas and in Victoria. It reveals divergent views about the comparative merits of faceto- face and distance learning. The study reviews the provision of the VCE to adults by Fleximode across Victoria in 1987. Key players identified advantages: flexibility for students in pacing their studies, cost-effectiveness, and providing access to VCE studies for a group of adults who would otherwise not be able to return to study. On the other hand, many commented on the difficulties arising from the small size of groups and the lack of stable class composition in establishing a group identity and support system. Questionnaires from students showed that most chose Fleximode because it was seen as better than correspondence, and that employment prevented more frequent class attendance. Most found on-campus and off-campus components of Fleximode equally valuable. A case-study demonstrated that Fleximode students all achieved less than they would have in a regular VCE class. Small class sizes were valuable for addressing specific needs, but meant that less class discussion was possible, and the mode allowed less time for exam preparation and practice. The evidence suggests that Fleximode is a better option than correspondence in terms of student retention, learning outcomes, and successful course completion. Students have the best chance for success in face-to-face programs, but Fleximode should be developed to replace correspondence study for the new VCE for adults, and for carefully targetted groups who cannot participate in on campus programs.