Faculty of Education - Theses
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ItemCrafting wellbeing at work: Analysing the effects of job crafting to guide the development of a new coaching-assisted job crafting program( 2023-12)Job crafting involves employees proactively redesigning their work boundaries to better align with their work needs, skills, interests, and passions. Research on job crafting has increased exponentially in recent years, yet the growing literature on job crafting has become relatively saturated with cross-sectional research. This means that much of the evidence on job crafting is limited in its ability to allow causal inferences. Furthermore, the available work that generally does allow for stronger causal inferences, such as experimental research, has shown somewhat mixed findings, suggesting that a deeper analysis is needed to determine whether causal inferences are currently plausible and also what makes interventions more effective in yielding desired work outcomes. Thus, the aim of this research is to explore and analyse the causal effect that job crafting has with key outcome variables, and to develop and pilot an approach that may help overcome some of the limitations of job crafting interventions. These aims were addressed using three studies and a conceptual review. Study 1 is a systematic review and meta-analysis using longitudinal job crafting literature (k = 66, N = 27,195) that revealed that job crafting at Time 1 had strong, positive associations with a range of desired work outcomes at a later time point. Findings from this study provide evidence of temporal separation, thereby providing stronger evidence for a potential directional relationship than previous reviews which primarily consist of cross-sectional research. However, as longitudinal research does not allow for absolute conclusions about causality to be drawn, Study 2 extended these findings with an analysis for causality to assess whether a causal relationship exists between job crafting, and two key work outcomes: work engagement and job performance. Using Hill’s (1965) framework, the extant literature was appraised against six criteria and showed that there was evidence to suggest that a positive, causal relationship may exist between expansion-oriented job crafting and work engagement. Findings from this study also revealed that job crafting interventions are generally limited by such factors as including isolated job crafting workshops, with participants afforded little ongoing support, structure, and guidance, that have reduced the effectiveness of the interventions. I argue that these limitations could be overcome by integrating workplace coaching into job crafting interventions. Thus, Study 3 conceptually reviewed the feasibility and highlighted the benefits of integrating coaching with job crafting interventions as a way to increase their effectiveness. Study 4 piloted this new integrated intervention empirically in a mixed method pilot study (n = 8 intervention group, n = 6 control group). Qualitative feedback about the intervention delivery and coaching was also obtained. Findings from this study provided promising preliminary evidence regarding the positive effect that the addition of coaching had on job crafting interventions.
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ItemUncovering Student Values and Wellbeing Across Mathematics and Science Education( 2023-09)Over the past few decades, interest in student wellbeing has increased worldwide. However, the literature focuses on general wellbeing rather than subject-specific experiences. Given the pervasive negative attitudes, emotions, under-participation, and disengagement of students in mathematics and science education, I argue for a wellbeing approach that supports students to thrive, which is contextualised to these subjects. This thesis aimed to elucidate value-based student wellbeing experiences specific to mathematics and science education. An exploratory sequential mixed methods approach was employed to uncover diverse students’ values to develop and empirically confirm mathematical (MWB) and science (ScWB) wellbeing frameworks. In total, 13,708 primary and secondary students across three countries (Australia, mainland China, and New Zealand) responded to a survey. Thematic and statistical analyses were undertaken for the qualitative and quantitative components of this survey, respectively. Across diverse age groups, cultures, and countries, findings suggested that the fulfilment of seven core or ‘ultimate’ values fostered students’ MWB: Accomplishments, cognitions, engagement, meaning, perseverance, positive emotions, and relationships. The same seven plus an autonomy ultimate value were associated with students’ ScWB. Despite the similarity of these ultimate values for diverse students, the instrumental values underpinning these ultimate values appeared to be culturally unique. Australian students rated their wellbeing higher in science than in mathematics education. Gender differences in wellbeing were wider in science than mathematics education, with males reporting significantly higher ScWB than females. My research makes subject-specific wellbeing visible. Findings can potentially inform curriculum development, teacher education, and educational policies to support more engaging and meaningful mathematics and science pedagogies.
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ItemWhat is logical deduction, in relation to physics, and how can students improve in this?( 2023-11)This research was done in the context of the increasing emphasis on thinking in education and the contention by many researchers that improvement in thinking leads to improvement in learning. The other context is the difficulty of physics as a subject at high school and the constant search for better methods of teaching the subject. The objective was to investigate the suitability of logic education as a method to improve students understanding of physics. The current state of physics and thinking education was explored in the Literature Review. This included an analysis of methods aimed at improving student performance in physics, improving thinking and improving performance in physics by improving the thinking that occurs in this subject. Consequently, logical deduction in physics was deemed an area with the potential to support such improvement. As well, the process of logical deduction was found to need clarification. The nature of logical deduction was, therefore, explored using a philosophical method. The first outcome of this was that the process usually thought of as ‘logical deduction’ was reconceptualised as ‘deductive inferring’. This was to better reflect its nature as a thinking process. Wittgenstein’s critique of solitary rule-following was then applied to the processes of deductive and inductive inferring, and they were problematised accordingly. Consequently, a more accurate delineation of these processes was given as deductive-like and inductive-like inferring. To assess the suitability of logic education for physics education, the thinking involved in physics problem-solving was investigated empirically using a think-aloud method. It was found that deductive-like inferring played a key role in this thinking. For instance, it was implicated in moving from the information given in a question, alongside assumed knowledge, towards an answer. The results strongly suggested that logical deduction should be an element in a suite of thinking skills explicitly taught to high school physics students, and that more emphasis should be placed on logic and thinking more generally in education. The results of these analyses also motivate further research in this area and suggestions for these were made.
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ItemThe experience of transition and adjustment for mature-age, undergraduate students in their first year of university(University of Melbourne, 2015)
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ItemDevelopmental assessment and metacognition in teachers' professional learning and differentiated teaching(University of Melbourne, 2014)
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ItemMeasurement of the ability to generate higher order learning in MOOCs(University of Melbourne, 2016)
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ItemThe development of a model for the management of major strategic investment decisions in universities(University of Melbourne, 2013)Major investments in infrastructure, growth or productivity enhancement are crucial for a university in shaping its strategic direction and addressing the challenges of a changing landscape. Through a case study of Monash University, supplemented with the investigation of views of practitioners in the field, this research thesis has developed a model to optimise the management of major strategic investment decisions in universities. The model starts from the proposition that effective strategic investment decision making has two primary purposes: � Identifying major investments that are worth doing: Determining the infrastructure, activities and other enablers that are required as major investments to shape the future capacity, capability and operation of the university; and � Prioritising the ones that are best to do: Optimising the prioritisation and allocation of constrained resources to maximise the future benefit that can be achieved consistent with this strategic vision. The research reflects the hypothesis that investment decision making at universities under traditional academic leadership models has had a greater emphasis on the first of these objectives. The research suggests that there are opportunities to learn from business case/cost-benefit financial analysis approaches that are more commonly used in business. It proposes a mechanism (need to do/able to do criteria) for prioritising investments, based on which investments provide the most return given the existing or future capacity of the university to delivery them. In developing the model as mechanism for universities to enhance the management of major investments, the research considers and brings together data and analytical based approaches with the human and organisational dimensions of decision making. The major investment management (MIM) model comprises recommendations for university practices in four areas: Strategic Planning and Prioritising: facilitating effective strategic planning as the context for the identifying major investment needs and to provide a mechanism to evaluate and prioritise a portfolio of major investments. Defining Expected Strategic Outcomes: analysing and articulating the specific expected strategic outcomes for major investments by reference to four major drivers: growth and development of markets and products and services; infrastructure development; productivity enhancement; and improving rankings and reputation. Understanding Financial Implications: enabling the management of information and the development of financial analysis for understanding the financial implications of major investments, setting financial expectations and constructing major investment budgets. Adopting a Governance and Management Framework: establishing roles and responsibilities in an organisational structure that are supported by a framework of policies and processes for the governance and management of major investments, and setting up arrangements for accountabilities, project management and review of investment implementation. The study aims to contribute to the understanding of the context and factors at play in strategic investment decision making at Monash University, as an example of a large Australian public university and, by proposing a structured model, to enhance major strategic investment decision making and the management of an investment portfolio in practice. The study seeks both to add to the body of research on university management and strategic decision making and to inform and assist practitioners in the higher education sector.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableInvestigating the Use of Augmented Reality Game-Based Learning in Classrooms to Support Student Learning in Victoria( 2023-09)In our rapidly changing world, technology has become an inescapable part of people’s lives. Unprecedented availability of cost-effective technology offers opportunities to innovate teaching practices to match the demand for young people to understand and use emerging technologies. Despite the importance of augmented reality as an emerging technology that affords students access to tools and environments not available previously, and the opportunities it offers when combined with game-based learning to form augmented reality game-based learning (ARGBL) for innovative practice in education, there has been limited research conducted into the emerging area of ARGBL. Specifically, there is a lack of research into teachers’ perceptions and use of ARGBL in classrooms in Victoria, Australia. This two-phase qualitative case study that consisted of an online survey and semistructured interviews investigated how ARGBL is used in classrooms across Victoria and identified how teachers use ARGBL in classrooms and for what purpose. The online survey and semistructured interviews had eleven and four participants, respectively. The study found that a range of teachers in different school settings across Victoria use AR and ARGBL across nearly all learning areas. The affordances of ARGBL were focused on the unique presentation that ARGBL facilitates and how this benefits student engagement and learning outcomes. The main areas teachers found challenging when implementing ARGBL were cost, technical issues, easy-to-use technology, and the ability and confidence to employ an emerging technology in their classrooms. This research also demonstrated how the TPACK Framework can be used to model and analyse the knowledges required to integrate ARGBL into the classroom. This study contributes a new understanding of the ways in which teachers integrate ARGBL into their classrooms to support student learning in Victoria, providing a new perspective on Victorian teachers’ practice, experience, and perspectives on using ARGBL in their classrooms.
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ItemComplex syntax use in children with hearing loss( 2023-07)Children with hearing loss (CHL) present with a wide variety of language and literacy profiles unique to this population. Even with advancements in early identification, technology, and early intervention, many CHL continue to show language difficulties when compared to their typically hearing peers. These difficulties are across multiple aspects of language including phonology, vocabulary, and morphosyntax. One area that has been explored minimally is complex syntax. Complex syntax competence is important for language, reading comprehension, writing proficiency, and social relationships. Complex syntax is often mistakenly assumed to be a later developing skill that follows mastery of grammatical morphology and simple sentence structure. However, complex syntax is simultaneously acquired, with grammatical morphology and basic clausal structure (Barako Arndt & Schuele, 2013) emerging at a relatively young age. Complex syntax is shown to be a continuing area of challenge for CHL. The purpose of this study was to describe and profile CHL’s complex syntax use to better understand the vulnerabilities and resiliency in language for these children. This PhD study examined complex syntax use by 8- to 10-year-old CHL as compared to their typically hearing peers. The two groups undertook a range of language and cognitive measures, including elicited language samples. Frequency, variety, and accuracy of complex syntactic productions were compared across the groups. Results indicate that while CHL produce a similar range of complex syntax types, they exhibit less frequent use, less variety, and reduced accuracy across and within complex syntax types as compared to their typically hearing peers. CHL demonstrate a range of error types that suggest challenges across multiple language domains. Greater processing demands are suggested to cause breakdowns across multiple levels of sentence production, with CHL demonstrating differences in a range of cognitive processes, particularly phonological memory. The differences, although somewhat reduced as compared to previous research, and possibly masked by the small sample size, warrant further investigation. This research contributes valuable information for clinicians, educational professionals, and researchers around strengths and challenges in CHL’s complex syntax use. The novel assessment protocol has promise as a comprehensive battery that can provide a deeper analysis of complex syntax in individual CHL. This research also focused attention on the importance of considering the interactions between language domains and the interrelationships between language and cognitive capacities. Further research should continue to investigate this important area of language.
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ItemDemocracy, meaning, and general self-efficacy in democratic and mainstream schools( 2023-11)Meaning in life (ML), meaningful work (MW), and general self-efficacy (GSE) are constructs related to numerous positive life outcomes. Meaning allows individuals to navigate personal and social changes, which is vital at a time of declining democracy, pandemics, political polarisation, wars, climate crisis, and other upheavals. The experience of meaning begins during the school age years; thus, it is imperative that well-being education explores the experience and impact of meaning in school (MS). This comparative thesis is conducted in the context of democratic schools, where students have greater control over their personal study plans and school governance, and mainstream schools, where these features are not central. Through two mixed-method studies involving a case-study approach to distinguish the schools and then a large-scale enquiry into MS in these schools and its impacts on adult ML, MW, and GSE, I aimed to understand how schools can foster democracy and meaning. In Study A, using thematic and content analysis, I analysed four Australian democratic and mainstream schools’ policy documents to identify similarities and differences between them pertaining to the schools’ salient features and beliefs underpinning them and the democratic potential of these policies. Notable were the stark differences in the conceptualisation of community, schools’ beliefs about students, and students’ voices and autonomy. The interrelated impacts of these three themes on other aspects of schooling were also significant. The first part of Study B conceptualised MS. I used Study A’s findings and existing literature on meaning to operationalise MS and develop the Meaning in School Scale (MSS). I then tested the MSS for content validity with experts (N = 5), face validity with non-experts (N = 7), and construct validity with former democratic and mainstream students (N = 641), which resulted in a 3-factor measure consisting of Academic Content, Family Role, and Psychosocial Factors. Study B then explored dissimilarities in the levels of these variables by school type; the role of MS on adult life outcomes; model invariance; and the differences between the effects of MS on the adult variables by school type using online questionnaire data from former students of democratic and mainstream schools (N = 641) using structural equation modelling methods. Findings demonstrated that the structural model for the two school types was invariant. Regarding differences between the two school types, the democratic sample reported higher MS, but ML, MW, and GSE were similar. Next, the effects of schooling on adult life indicated that Psychosocial Factors and Academic Content were associated with adults’ ML, while Academic Content predicted GSE, but MS had no impact on MW. Finally, incidental findings revealed that Psychosocial Factors experienced during school appear to be an important driver of only the democratic sample’s GSE, whereas Academic Content affects GSE only for the mainstream sample. However, this possible moderation effect needs to be investigated further. The research highlights the distinctions between the two school systems. Further, it suggests that democratic school structures can contribute to stronger school and future democracies and provide insights into making schooling more meaningful and the ways they impact upon adult ML and GSE.