Faculty of Education - Theses
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ItemProfessional development : returning to industry : implications for VET trainers and teachers of hospitality( 2000)This study was designed to investigate the practices of professional development within the vocational education and training, hospitality sector. The study aimed to explore the effectiveness of the learning arising out of a return to industry activity. Qualitative research offered the opportunity to explore the rich contextual elements central to this type of study. Particular methods applied were questionnaires, a group interview and in-depth interviews. Data were collected and collated concerning the experiences of trainers and teachers during a return to industry activity. Findings generally indicated that a return to industry activity was a very valuable form of professional development for vocational education and training trainers and teachers. A model is posed for return to industry activities. However, critical analysis of the data revealed numerous difficulties associated with the accomplishment of a return to industry activity. Among the implications of this study is a suggestion that Registered Training Organisations and the hospitality industry must embrace greater responsibility for the implementation of return to industry experiences. The study furnished findings with important implications to contribute to the understanding of effective professional development practices of VET hospitality trainers and teachers and also identified critical directions for further research.
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ItemThe quality of postgraduate training in Vietnam : definitions, criteria and measurement scales( 2000)Postgraduate training is one of the most important issues in education in Vietnam. However, the quality of such training has recently become a controversial issue. There has never been any appraisal of the quality of postgraduate training in Vietnam's higher education institutions. The purpose of this study was to provide instruments to explore the quality of postgraduate training in higher education institutions in Vietnam. The study employed the Rasch rating model and the confirmatory factor analysis method to define variables. Definitions and criteria of quality were provided. These definitions and criteria were accepted by higher education institutions. The perceptions of quality differed across the group of universities and the group of research institutes. These perceptions also differed across groups of institutions classified by training programmes. The study also indicated that a large proportion of institutions still did not meet the government guidelines and requirements in term of organisation, management and academic staff. Further studies such as an in-depth study of one or more similar universities and research institutes, even nation-wide studies, could usefully make use of the definitions, criteria and measurement scales set up in this study to assess the quality of postgraduate training.
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ItemBeyond teaching : tracing the journey in career transition of a group of experienced teachers who resigned from employment with the state system of education in Victoria( 2000)In the concluding weeks of the school year in 1992, cleaning staffs employed throughout state schools in Victoria were sacked. A short time later, all administrative and teaching staffs were urged to reconsider their future careers with the Directorate through its offer of 'separation packages'; a financial incentive to resignation. A substantial few assessed their options and departed, which in many cases was an unexpected finale to their careers. This study traces the changing fortunes of a group of teachers who accepted the government's offer. They left a profession which they had enjoyed for most of their working lives. To resign constituted a life-changing decision for each of them, the consequences of which have been wide-ranging. The scope of this enquiry followed peoples' journey of self-determination amidst a turbulence of changing conventions of work. Whilst this study found people to be well satisfied with the outcome of their decision to resign from the state system of education, it also found that, in having served with integrity and purpose through their years of employment, they were largely regretful of the circumstances which brought about that decision. The present research seeks to identify and formulate ways by which the talents of mature-aged teachers are well utilised for the future benefit of all who participate in schools. The subjects of this study continue to be contributive to the educational growth of others, be it in secondary schools, through tertiary instruction or in assisting clients with special needs. Their experience in career transition offers a unique opportunity for our learnings, and that of the Directorate, to better manage each school's human resource of seasoned teachers. This research employed a qualitative methodological approach through the agency of a case study: one school's experience and the teachers who formed the vanguard of people who departed their profession from that location.
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ItemEthnic community schools in Victoria : case studies of three after-hours ethnic schools( 2000)In recent years, interest in the state of ethnic community languages in Australia has brought heightened attention to after-hours ethnic schools and the important role they play in the maintenance and development of languages other than English (LOTEs). While the importance of ethnic schools and their language teaching and maintenance role is today widely recognized by the Australian government, these schools also fulfil a number of other functions for their communities in addition to simply being providers of languages. A descriptive analysis of the cases of three after-hours ethnic schools and their current situation and role is presented in this study with the intent to compare and broaden the view of these schools and their roles and functions. This study examines the current situation and roles of ethnic schools in Victoria using a case study approach within a qualitative research method of inquiry. Extensive data were gathered from participant observations, document analyses, and interviews with parents, teachers and administrators associated with the Latvian, Chinese and Somali ethnic schools. The schools chosen for this study emanate from three very different communities, with contrasting cultures and varying histories of development in Australia. Hence, case studies of each of the schools illustrate their unique process of development; their distinct characteristics, curriculum emphases and instructional approaches; the ways in which the schools are organized and maintained; and their stated aims and goals. Findings from this study showed notable similarities and differences among the three schools. When comparing the schools, variations are in terms of the levels of education they offer, the size of their student enrollment, their curriculum emphases and instructional approaches, the ways in which the schools are organized and maintained, their student population and their varying levels of language competency, as well as differences in the degree of involvement of parents and members from their community. While differing in many respects, the prime aim of these schools is to teach and maintain their ethnic community languages and cultures. Their implicit functions are also to assist in family communication; to develop friendship and a sense of community among students, parents and other schools members; and to socialize and promote in students a strong sense of ethnic identity.
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ItemTeaching genres in the primary school : what teachers know and do( 2000)In recent times in Australia much has been written and debated about what literacy is, what schools should teach in regards to literacy and how teachers should teach it. Teachers vary in their approaches to teaching literacy in the primary school, depending on many factors. One important factor is the quality of teacher knowledge of language and the associated capacity to use it to guide student literacy learning. This study focuses on teacher knowledge of genres and its relevance to the teaching of literacy in a Victorian Catholic primary school classroom with students from diverse language backgrounds. The concept of genres is clearly embedded in current curriculum documents, namely. the Curriculum and Standards Framework Il- English (Board of Studies, 2000). The explicitly stated outcomes consistently refer to students being able to use, analyse and control different genres and their related' structures and features. This implies that teachers need to have knowledge of genres as well as a range of strategies for teaching genres. In order to explore what knowledge teachers have about language and genres and how teachers teach this knowledge, this research involves a qualitative case study of an individual teacher in a Catholic primary school. The findings. suggest that the kinds of knowledge the teacher has about language and how to teach literacy is related to the practices adopted in the classroom and to the outcomes of student learning.
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ItemTeaching quadratic functions with a graphical calculator( 2000)Graphical calculators have become an integral part of many mathematics programs. This thesis investigates the teaching of quadratic functions using this technology. 'Teaching quadratic functions using the graphical calculator' was an experimental study, which involved three classes of Year 10 students taught within a two to three week period, from three separate independent schools. Two of the sample classes were from different campuses of the same large coeducational independent school and the third was from a smaller independent girls' school. This study compares the improvement in student achievement across three different classes. A curriculum unit was developed: 1. To encourage positive student attitudes towards using the graphical calculator. 2. To encourage greater teacher confidence and positive attitudes towards using the graphical calculator to teach mathematics. 3. To teach the unit on quadratic functions almost entirely using the graphical calculator. 4. To incorporate a "Scale Plus" learning activity at the start of each lesson that encourages students to confront misconceptions involving scale (Steele, 1994). Three teaching programs were devised which differed in the way in which teachers involved in the study emphasized the critical features of quadratic functions, namely no emphasis, verbal emphasis only and strong verbal and written emphasis. 1. Group A experienced no emphasis of the critical features of quadratic functions and no additional curriculum material on critical features was supplied. 2. Group B experienced verbal emphasis of the critical features of quadratic function by the teacher. No additional curriculum material on critical features was supplied. 3. Group C experienced strong teacher emphasis, both verbal and written, of the critical features of quadratic functions and was provided with supporting curriculum material. A pre-test was used to help establish that at the start of the study the three classes were comparable with regard to their background knowledge of linear functions. My research aims were developed to: 1. Investigate aspects of student use of graphical calculators. 2. Compare the success of the three different teaching programs in relation to the overall improvement in student achievement when identifying critical features of quadratic functions. 3. Seek student opinions on, and determine their attitude to using graphical calculators. Also, to investigate the relationship between attitude and achievement. At the conclusion of the study a post-test was used to compare the three teaching programs; to establish whether there was an association between student achievement and the level of emphasis on critical features. A questionnaire was also administered to each group to investigate student attitudes, understanding, the ease of use of the graphical calculator and how demonstrations were used throughout the teaching program. Despite the difficulties inherent in conducting classroom research, namely controlling the variables, this study found that students from Group C, using the graphical calculator every lesson with strong teacher emphasis of the critical features of quadratic functions, had a better understanding of quadratic functions than students from Groups A and B. In particular, students from Group C could draw quadratic functions with a restricted domain and identifying the domain and range of these functions better than students from Groups A and B. Group C was also better able to detect the intersection of two graphs displayed in the [-10, 10] x [-10, 10] viewing window. The questionnaire showed that student attitudes were positive towards using graphical calculators, particularly amongst weaker students (Group B). The difference in student attitude and the perceived simplicity of the graphical calculator as a technological tool were found to be significant at the 5% level amongst this same group of students. Teachers involved in this study acknowledged the changing role of the teacher, the altered classroom dynamics and the more exploratory nature of the learning environment as a result of the student centered approach to learning quadratic functions with a graphical calculator. In consequence, it is important for the mathematics teacher to embrace the graphical calculator as a learning tool for all students but particularly students with a poor mathematical schema. When using this graphing technology the teacher should emphasise the critical features of quadratic functions every lesson and offer their students many opportunities to learn mathematics using the graphical calculator. Students should be confronted with issues of scale and functions displayed outside the standard [-10, 10] x [-10, 10] viewing window each lesson. This is best achieved with specifically written curriculum material to support the use of the graphical calculator.
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ItemPausing and reciprocity in interactions between deaf toddlers and their hearing mothers( 2000)The subjects of this study were twelve mother-toddler dyads comprised of six normally hearing toddlers and their hearing mothers (1H - 6H) and six profoundly deaf toddlers and their hearing mothers (1D - 6D). Child subjects were matched by language stage based on Brown's stages of morphological development (Brown, 1973) and were aged between 25 and 45 months. Child subjects were observed interacting with their mothers during videotaped free play sessions. A language sample containing up to a maximum of 100 child utterances from each dyad were transcribed, coded and analysed. The relationship between the prosodic feature of pausing (using measured time intervals) and reciprocal factors (i.e., reciprocal utterance units and response types) were compared between the hearing and deaf dyads. A unique coding system was developed by the researcher to classify the reciprocal interaction and response types based on the techniques used by Cole and St. Clair-Stokes (1984) and Blank and Franklin (1980). The results of this study indicate that significant differences existed between dyads having hearing toddlers and dyads having deaf toddlers in regard to the length of pause between reciprocal utterances, the type of reciprocal utterances and the types of responses which were expected and provided. The findings also suggest that there was a significant relationship between the language stage of the toddler and the dyad's use of pause length, reciprocal utterance unit type and response type. Some variations to this general finding are noted. The implications of this study in terms of educational strategies for parents, teachers and speech pathologists are discussed as are suggestions for future research.
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ItemLearning to write scientific discourse( 2000)This thesis describes the perceptions of a group of first year science students about writing tasks during first semester of their tertiary studies. Questionnaires and interviews were used to collect data from students. An interview was also conducted with one key science lecturer. The questionnaire and interview responses were analysed using the framework of four features of scientific academic writing - Generic Structure, Content, Surface Level Features and Access. The students' questionnaire and interview responses provided insights about their perceptions of the differences between writing at school and at university and also about the difficulties they experienced with learning to write scientific discourse. The students came to realise during the semester that they were not adequately prepared to cope with writing across the range of scientific genres or with the more sophisticated level of contextual knowledge required in their university studies. The interview with the science lecturer revealed a gap between the students' and the lecturer's perceptions that may be a factor in the problematic nature of learning to write scientific discourse at university. While the students did not appear to consider the language of science relevant to their contextual knowledge, the lecturer indicated that he perceived the language of science to be intrinsically bound with a command of the content. The students also indicated that the lecturer's expectations about discourse requirements were not sufficiently explicit. The lecturer, on the other hand, indicated that explicit instructions about discourse requirements were provided for students. This study signals the need for closer collaboration between Communication Skills lecturers and science subject lecturers in bringing the perceptions of the students and the lecturers closer together. The Communication Skills lecturer can assist students to learn the required scientific discourse by working alongside science subject lecturers to collaboratively provide in-context, explicit instruction, scaffolding and modelling of specific written tasks.
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ItemThe transmission of the charism of Marcellin Champagnat by principals in Marist schools( 2000)Members of religious orders in Australia face generally declining numbers and aging membership. Some, both within the orders and among their lay partners, have recognised the desirability of transmitting the charisms beyond the members of the order, if those charisms are to continue to inform the vision and culture of the enterprise. The Marist Brothers are no exception. Education is their main focus and the schools that they have established have been recognised as having a particular 'flavour' to them. The Marist way of educating has identifiable characteristics, inspired by the charism of the founder, Marcellin Champagnat. The success of the Marist style of education can be seen in the strong support for the schools. There is a clear desire among many, both religious and lay, to nurture and carry on conducting schools in the Marist way. As more lay people assume responsibility for these schools, it has been acknowledged that attention needs to be formally given to the ways in which the charism can continue to be transmitted. This study has examined the ways in which selected principals in Marist schools have influenced the transmission of the charism within their schools. Through the use of the case study methodology, it has documented actions that have been identified as conducive to passing on the charism to the school community. It has observed that certain characteristics of leadership style are more likely to positively influence the transmission of charism. The study has also identified some factors that may work against such a cause. As a result of the study, certain recommendations have been made which may assist in the process of ensuring that the charism of Marcellin Champagnat continues to flourish in those schools founded in his name.