Faculty of Education - Theses
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ItemVision and practice in Catholic schools( 2000)This research examined the way in which a group of principals, teachers and parents from three Catholic primary schools in the Archdiocese of Melbourne perceive the translation of vision into practice in their schools. This paper provides an account of the background literature examined, the methodology used, the data collected and conclusions drawn.
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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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ItemAn inquiry into the lived experience of women in a group dance therapy program( 2000)This research illuminates the lived experience of five women survivors of sexual assault within a group dance therapy program. The setting of the study is an adult therapy program offered to women survivors at the South Eastern Centre Against Sexual Assault, East Bentleigh, Victoria. Five women, aged in their twenties and all survivors of child sexual assault, agreed to participate in the inquiry. Following a phenomenological-hermeneutic methodology, the study seeks to elucidate meanings attributed by the women to their experiences. The inquiry draws on multi-modal sources of verbal and nonverbal evidence, including audio recordings of session conversations; client journals; one-page summaries written by the women at the conclusion of each session; video recordings; and specific movement observations. In keeping with a phenomenological perspective, analysis incorporates systematic step by step reduction, integration and synthesis of data, all the time remaining true to the women's wording of their experiences. Findings of the study are presented, firstly as a grand narrative that recreates the program, then as a thematic summary of women's experiences. Thematic categories of description include body awareness; memories and associations; transformation; freedom; and group relationship. These findings are discussed in relation to existing literature on sexual assault. Implications for practitioners working with survivors of sexual assault are noted along with recommendations for further research. The thesis closes with the researcher-practitioner's intersubjective poetic depictions of the five women participants as a lasting reminder of their experiences.
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ItemEvaluation of a Cancer/Palliative Nursing Care subject and a comparison of processes and outcomes for traditional classroom and distance education teaching modes of delivery( 2000)This Evaluation is concerned with the educational outcomes of a postgraduate subject, 'Cancer/palliative care nursing 1'. The subject is taught in the classroom as well as by distance education in the print medium and, as well as considering the outcomes for the subject per se, the Evaluation also compares the outcomes for each teaching mode. The questions addressed in the Evaluation are: a) does the delivery of the subject (regardless of the method used) have the outcomes that might be expected of a postgraduate diploma level subject? and b) are students taught by distance education mode disadvantaged by comparison with students who are taught by traditional classroom methods? There is an abundance of literature on distance education, most of which uses, explicitly or implicitly, classroom teaching as a largely unexamined exemplar by which distance education is judged. This thesis critically examines the distance education literature and identifies factors salient to a comparison of these two methods of teaching. The Evaluation method is based on the theory-driven approach advocated by Chen (1990) and incorporates an adaptation of the program logic framework put forward by Funnell (1996). It incorporates two methods of evaluation: the subject's outcomes measured against a prescription; and, a comparison of the distance education outcomes with classroom teaching outcomes. A prescription of how the subject should be delivered and the outcomes that should be expected was developed from stakeholder interviews, informed by a critical review of the distance education literature and the evaluator's knowledge of the discipline. A method of measuring the actual delivery of the subject against the prescription (regardless of the teaching mode) was devised and a minimum acceptable standard of success established. Substantive methods used include both qualitative and quantitative data gathered by questionnaires, interviews, classroom observations and a content analysis of the study guide used by distance education students. The Evaluation findings are that on most, but not all, outcome measures the subject met the set standard of success. One outcome unspecified in the prescription (although implied) was the increased clinical confidence engendered by undertaking this subject. Students taught by the traditional mode gained from classroom interaction although the degree of interactivity was found to depend on the personal qualities of lecturers and students and the structure of teaching sessions. Distance education students were not disadvantaged by this teaching mode and on some measures, such as being able to study at their own pace or the grades they achieved, could be said to be advantaged.
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ItemTIMSS : a question of validity( 2000)The Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), the largest comparative study of its kind, was administered to approximately 500,000 students worldwide. In Australia, the results of this study are being used to compare our students and schools to other students and schools around the world. The results may also influence decisions about curriculum reform and allocation of educational funding within Australia. This thesis sets out to investigate the TIMSS test items for Population 2, with the objective of determining the degree of validity of these test items to Australian mathematics teachers and their students. By eliciting feedback from a sample of Australian mathematics teachers, their thoughts on the validity of the TIMSS test items were documented. This was achieved through a mail out questionnaire that included a representative sample of 32 TIMSS test items from population 2. Four review questions were developed to target teacher beliefs as to whether enough content had been taught to Australian students by the time TIMSS was administered, the validity of including such items in the TIMSS study, the usefulness of the TIMSS test items for ascertaining student competence, and student familiarity with the item styles used in TIMSS. The results from the questionnaire were used to establish the overall validity of the TIMSS test items to Australian Mathematics teachers and the students they teach. In total, 154 teachers, representing Government, Catholic and Independent schools, from around Australia replied to the questionnaire. The study found widespread variability in the type and amount of content taught by teachers to their Australian students. Consequently, differences in content validity of the TIMSS study were found to exist across Australia. These differences appeared to be more apparent between states and territories than between school sectors. Respondents also expressed concern about the general appearance and layout of the TIMSS test items. In particular, some of the language used in test items relating to Proportionality, appeared not to be used in Australian classrooms. In addition to this, teachers reported that the TIMSS test items were not particularly useful for ascertaining student competence. This casts doubt over the value of any inferences made from the results of TIMSS. Furthermore, this research found significant variability in student familiarity with the item formats used in the TIMSS study. Overall, students were found to be most familiar with the short answer format and least familiar with extended response and performance assessment formats. This is a particularly important result as the TIMSS designers placed great emphasis on the use of extended response and performance assessment formats.
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ItemThe use of program clarification to support policy development and implementation( 2000)Program development through program clarification is an emerging field for evaluators committed to developing responsive and clear program designs. In this study, the use of program clarification approaches, designed to assist implementation of a major policy change, was explored at a policy and service level of an organisation. A new service delivery program (SDP) was the focus of program clarification, which was conducted in two phases. In Phase I (policy level), the main aim was to make the essential features of the SDP explicit to those responsible for system level change. This was achieved through evaluability assessment, during which document analyses, 12 semi-structured interviews with senior managers, and a group interview with service site managers were conducted. This resulted in the development of a clear, policy level, program logic model. Phase I revealed a need for the policy level program to be translated at the service sites. Phase II (service level) was conducted to assist managers at one service site in the development of a SDP implementation and monitoring plan, through the use of program logic and participatory approaches. Reflective practice and a small-scale study conducted by the researcher revealed that the program clarification approaches were useful, especially at the service site level where a high degree of stakeholder participation was achieved. This study focused on one organisation and one service site, thus, its findings cannot be generalised. Nonetheless, this study is one of very few which has attempted to apply program clarification techniques at both system and delivery levels, and to link the findings at these levels.
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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.