Faculty of Education - Theses
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ItemPractices of professionalism in Early Childhood Education and Care: Long day care educators at work( 2021)There is an emerging corpus of Australian research, both qualitative and quantitative, inquiring into how early childhood education and care (ECEC) educators experience and understand their work. This qualitative case study traces the lived experience of a group of centre-based long day care educators working in communities experiencing high levels of social and economic disadvantage. Set within the context of the Australian ECEC reform program, the study investigates what constitutes ECEC professionalism and how educators experience and practise it every day. Analysing data drawn from two quality centre-based long day care settings, it was found that educators predominantly frame professionalism in terms of pedagogic practice—what they do, how they use their knowledge and skills and how they enact professional identities they value. Thus, for many of the study’s participants, a commitment to social justice, of wanting to make a difference in the lives of young children and their families and, a belief in quality ECEC services as having the potential to ameliorate the socio-economic inequities many families in their community experience, was the basis on which their practice and professionalism was constructed. Altogether, the argument is made that educators’ understandings of their work practice, value commitments and the qualities and dispositions they privilege offer a nuanced and multifaceted view of professionalism, one that potentially widens the policy-based discourse of ECEC professionalism and requires that acknowledgement be made of the range and complexity of educators’ work in contemporary ECEC. The identity(ies) of relational and ethical professionalism that is both child-centred and family and community-centred most particularly requires recognition and support.
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ItemThe impact of testing on students: Australian students' perspectives on NAPLAN and internal assessments( 2019)National and state testing policies have become an increasingly common feature of the policy landscape in education, both in developed and developing countries. Testing policies can generate a range of emotional responses among students, including high levels of stress. Alternatively, students’ emotional responses may not be discretely associated with large-scale standardised tests, but instead generalise to any testing situation. This study aimed to compare student responses and perceptions of assessment in both NAPLAN and internal tests. This study used an anonymous survey to gather data from 206 Year 7 and Year 9 Australian students on their perceptions of the importance their parents and teachers placed on doing well in tests, and their own self-reported responses to both NAPLAN and their internal tests. We found that the students in this study placed more value on internal tests than NAPLAN and students were also more likely to be confident in internal tests and bored for NAPLAN. A small percentage of students reported negative physical responses, such as crying or feeling sick to both types of tests, however, there were no significant differences between NAPLAN and internal tests in the number of students reporting negative physical responses. Furthermore, individuals who placed a high value on a given assessment and have greater emotional stability were more likely to experience positive responses to assessment. The findings suggest that NAPLAN does not cause significant negative responses in the majority of students. Implications for schools and policymakers are discussed.
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ItemThe development of professionalism in surgeons( 2013)Professionalism underpins the commitment made between a profession and society. This social contract balances the benefits to a profession of a monopoly over the use of its knowledge base, its right to considerable autonomy of practice and the privilege of self-regulation, with responsibilities and accountabilities to the community. However, it is the challenge in further defining professionalism, particularly in day-to-day activities, that has propelled analysis beyond values and beliefs to include behaviours and attributes and the understanding of them within work-based culture and educational programs. This is particularly so in healthcare where unprofessional behaviour ranging from disrespect or rudeness to florid abuse is now being associated with poorer outcomes for the individual client, in this case, the patient. The overall approach to and understanding of professionalism remains variable, patchy and inconsistent in spite of its importance as an area of educational endeavour. This thesis contributes further to this analysis, particularly with regard to surgeons and trainees practising in Australia and New Zealand. This study is an intensive review of the understanding, perceived importance, capacity for improvement and possible educational activities that can support professionalism within the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons and the surgical community of Australia and New Zealand. It combines an extensive literature review, with a questionnaire that was distributed to 3000 Fellows and Trainees. With a commendable 60 per cent return rate, analysis has been undertaken across the categories of Fellows / Trainees, Specialties, Regions, Gender and Age Groups. Following this, semi-structured interviews involved 15 Fellows and Trainees in discussing case studies around issues of reflection and planning, pausing in action, providing feedback, dealing with rudeness and seeking feedback. Key issues that emerged include the importance of the ‘codification’ of professionalism that has seen the development of curricula around a topic that was unclear and even previously regarded as ‘non-cognitive’; the proliferation of assessment tools; and an increasing understanding of the cultural and socialisation issues that are necessarily intertwined with the more normative aspects. Surgeons do regard professionalism as important but vary in the priority they give to the various attributes. This puts ‘at risk’ the attributes that are not rated as highly, but which are nonetheless desirable. Surgeons are immersed in a world where unprofessional behaviour is prevalent and they also contribute to this. The fieldwork showed that the role of educator, mentor and role model is vital, not only in demonstrating professionalism, but also in correcting areas of unprofessional behaviour. To more fully undertake these tasks, relationality, resilience and reflection have been highlighted as important concepts that need deeper understanding by Educators and Trainees. The role of the College needs to be more prominent in this regard. It is not viewed as well engaged, nor as providing effective leadership. This can be addressed in the healthcare sector by more clearly identifying areas where ‘signature pedagogies’ can provide effective experiences and education. Examples of signature pedagogies include morbidity and mortality meetings, ward rounds and operating theatre sessions. The main implication of this study is that the College needs to provide education and professional development to increase capacity across a number of areas. At the individual level, this includes the skills that build resilience; the ability to more effectively ask the pragmatic questions that will assist reflection; and the understanding of the importance of relationality, which acts as a bond between a professional and their more senior and experienced colleague. Within the community of practice, through which much of the learning of professionalism occurs, capacity around these issues also needs to be improved. It is again at this level that the importance of providing leadership to nurture professionalism and address unprofessional behaviour within organisations such as hospitals and the broader environment of healthcare will be profiled. Activities to promote this capacity development can particularly occur within the areas where signature pedagogies flourish. There are important policy issues to be considered, as well as the development of educational programs. The policies will influence and then reflect the importance that the College of Surgeons places on professionalism and addressing unprofessional behaviour. Its commitment to both training and assessment of professionalism needs to be incorporated into a model of lifelong learning that particularly influences the workplace and the multiple communities of surgical practice.