Faculty of Education - Theses
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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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ItemVCAL: growth and performance( 2015)This thesis examines a major curriculum innovation that was introduced into the upper secondary curriculum in the Australian state of Victoria in 2002 – the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL). Victoria is the only state in Australia which has developed a separate senior secondary certificate, a vocational certificate to sit alongside the general Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE). The VCAL claims to be a comprehensive attempt to anchor vocational learning within the secondary school environment in Australia. The aim of this study is to investigate whether the VCAL has delivered on its promise to provide an educational opportunity for students for whom the VCE is not appropriate; an opportunity to experience success and move into appropriate pathways into further education and training and employment. It is important to assess the educational impact a vocational program like the VCAL has had within the senior secondary curriculum. To see this in context, the research literature on vocational and applied learning in schools is examined through various approaches that are used in the delivery of vocational and applied learning to school-age students internationally and in Australia. The research focuses on two main models of differentiation – whether they are predominantly school-based or employment-based and the age at which differentiation into academic and vocational programs occurs. The research also examines the effectiveness of these programs and their impact on school retention, student engagement and their ability to create effective pathways into a range of destinations, including further education, training and employment. The story of vocational education and training (VET) in the Australian state of Victoria is seen in an historical context as the researcher explores the history of curriculum change in Victoria over many decades, leading to the senior secondary offerings available today. The thesis concludes that the VCAL has on the whole been successful in engaging the VCAL students who participated in this study. It has also provided strong pathways in apprenticeships. However, pathways into employment in particular, full-time employment are less than optimal. The VCAL also continues to face many challenges, particularly in terms of perceptions and ownership at a local level. The thesis argues for a new educational philosophy and a redefinition of upper secondary curriculum to place VCAL as a credible alternative to the VCE. It argues for a redesign of the VCAL program requiring all VCAL students to enrol in the VCAL as an apprentice or trainee. Finally, it argues for a whole school approach and commitment to the VCAL program with strong leadership support and active involvement in the VCAL program.
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ItemThinking in sound: a survey of audiation in Australian music students( 2015)Music and language are forms of human communication using sound. For millennia, playing an instrument has functioned in a similar way to language, as a means of communication and spontaneous expression of thoughts, emotions and ideas via sound. The way of acquiring that skill has paralleled the acquisition of language: through listening and copying. The process of hearing and recognizing musical sound has parallels with thinking and understanding in language. Also known as audiation, this particular type of cognition is a fundamental aspect of traditional music performance expertise. Relatively recently, in most formal education in Western cultures, the way of learning to play a musical instrument has changed radically. In place of listening-copying, the main way of learning and performing on a musical instrument is now almost uniquely through the visual symbols of notation. This new approach to learning to play an instrument is predicated on the idea that using notation renders musicians literate. Some authors question this assumption, and suggest that many musicians may not be literate, because they are not audiating what they are seeing in notation. Rather, they may be decoding, using the visual cues of notation, or other non-audiation cues, to operate the musical instrument. This is thought to contribute to numerous problems in instrumental music learning. Other research is emerging that suggests some traditional musical practices may lead to more efficient audiation. Although there is a great deal of conjecture about the issue of audiation and musical training, much of it is anecdotal in nature. Very little systematic research exists to confirm it. Although there is a wealth of research into many other facets of music performance expertise, we know very little about audiation in musicians or different training factors that may be associated with it. The aim of this study was to investigate whether claims in the literature about audiation in trained musicians were supported by empirical evidence and what background factors may be associated with these abilities. A survey of tertiary music students in all Australian states and territories was carried out in 2012-13. Responses were obtained from 340 students. Two tests of audiation ability were obtained as well as information about individuals’ learning background and pre-existing traits to examine what factors might be associated with audiation. The findings confirmed some of the claims about limited audiation in trained musicians. Only one in four musicians were able to recognize and transcribe a simple heard melody. Without the benefit of perfect pitch, this figure fell to one in five. Classical musicians performed better than popular musicians. Pre-existing traits such as perfect pitch, rather than formal training, appeared to be primarily associated with effective audiation. These results may provide some support for growing calls for a fundamental change to the teaching and learning of instrumental music.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableIdentity, thought and meaning in the artmaking process( 2015)An examination of the artmaking practices used by both artists and teachers and how these influenced their development of identity, thought and meaning. Through longitudinal case studies, the researcher was able to map the artists’ and teachers’ thinking and making processes in relation to how these inform their pedagogies. The student drew upon the ‘creativity model’ of Wallas and the ‘communicative knowledge’ model of Habermas to reveal both the visible practices and internalised beliefs of these teachers and artists.
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ItemThe experience of transition and adjustment for mature-age, undergraduate students in their first year of university( 2015)The increasingly diverse enrolment of first year undergraduate students at tertiary institutions in Australia, and overseas, raises issues about the transition of different groups of students and the support and services required to make a positive adjustment to university. Using a pragmatic approach, this study examined the experiences of transition of mature-age students to university and has added to understandings of the transition experiences of mature-age students in their first undergraduate university courses. The study adopted a sequential mixed methods approach using qualitative and quantitative research methods. The study addressed four research questions: 1. How well do mature-age, undergraduate students adjust to university? 2. What are the experiences of mature-age, undergraduate students in relation to their academic, social and personal adjustment to university? 3. What are the personal and demographic factors which affect mature-age student adjustment to university? 4. What strategies or services support mature-age, undergraduate students through tertiary transition? The findings suggest that the mature-age students in the current study adjusted well, overall, to university; however, they had lower levels of adjustment in the domains of Social and Personal Adjustment than in the domain of Academic Adjustment. Thematic analyses of the qualitative data provide a comprehensive understanding of students’ adjustment experiences; the factors affecting their adjustment, and the strategies and support required for enhancing university adjustment. Difficulties for students in their academic and social adjustment included concerns about their academic skill levels, assessment and group-work, interactions with other students and loneliness and social dislocation. Family and financial obligations, the ability to maintain an appropriate life/university balance, age and identity as a student, were issues that affected students’ personal adjustment. The implication of this study for tertiary institutions is the need to understand the student demographic and provide appropriate programs and support services to ensure the needs of all first year students, including mature-age students are met.
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ItemAn investigation of the implementation of Victorian smoking cessation guidelines in public antenatal care services( 2015)Background: Modifying smoking behaviour in pregnancy can contribute to a significant improvement in infant health outcomes. Systematic review evidence supports the effectiveness of antenatal smoking cessation interventions to reduce smoking and improve infant health outcomes, such as preterm births and low birthweight. Victorian antenatal smoking cessation guidelines were developed in the early 2000s, and follow a 5As approach (five steps to ask, assess, advise, assist and ask again about smoking behaviour). The annual auditing of Victorian public maternity hospitals, available in State Government reports, indicates that not all women are being offered smoking cessation support, and that variation exists between hospitals in the proportion of women offered initial and follow-up support. At the time of designing this study, no other evidence was available documenting how antenatal smoking cessation guidelines have been implemented in Victoria, and how implementation might be improved. Aim: The overall aim of this PhD study is to examine the implementation of Victorian smoking cessation guidelines in public antenatal care services. The primary research questions are: 1. To what extent, and how, have antenatal smoking cessation guidelines been implemented in Victorian public maternity hospitals? 2. How can implementation be improved? Methods: The study uses a mixed methods approach, with a sequential explanatory research design with two phases: 1. Secondary analyses of data from a Victorian population-based survey of women who gave birth in 2007. 2. An exploratory qualitative study with healthcare providers and managers at two Victorian public maternity hospitals. Results: The survey results show that smoking cessation guidelines in Victoria are poorly implemented, with only 9.4% of women (36/381) reporting that they had received all of the 5As. Most women smoking in pregnancy reported that they had been asked about smoking (352/377, 93.4%), and told about the harmful effects of smoking (290/350, 82.9%). However, less than half of women were offered advice (169/349, 48.4%) or given written information (159/349, 45.6%). One in five women reported being told about stop smoking programs (76/349, 21.8%), and one-third said that caregivers had discussed smoking with them on more than one occasion (135/349, 38.7%). The qualitative study shows that provision of smoking cessation advice and support is inconsistent and varies according to the model of care a woman is enrolled in, her level of medical risk, the timing of the first pregnancy visit, and social circumstances. The study also identified that the provision of smoking cessation support is influenced by organisational systems that support clinicians in their clinical practice; the relationship that develops between health professionals and individual women; health professionals’ knowledge, experience, beliefs, and understanding of risk; and the level of priority that health professionals place on smoking cessation conversations. The survey results show that women experience mixed feelings about being asked by health professionals about smoking. Approximately three-quarters of women were happy to be asked about smoking; however, one-third of women felt like they were being judged. Women who smoke during pregnancy are more likely to experience multiple stressful life events and social health issues. However, tailoring of smoking cessation support to specific populations or women’s social circumstances is not routine practice. Implications for policy and practice: Organisations and health professionals are struggling to provide smoking cessation advice and support according to the guidelines. Currently, apart from the annual auditing of the maternity performance indicator for the hospital provision of smoking cessation support, there is little innovation or guidance from the Victorian Department of Health to support hospitals to implement the Victorian smoking cessation guidelines. Funding constraints have resulted in Quit Victoria having limited capacity to provide ongoing state-wide training to support maternity healthcare organisations and health professionals to implement smoking cessation guidelines. Additionally, the findings from this study show little return on the investment for previous state-wide training initiatives, suggesting that a new approach needs to be considered for future training initiatives. Conclusion: Evidence from this study illustrates major gaps in the provision of smoking cessation support, and identifies organisational, people, and systems barriers to implementation. There needs to be a ‘whole of systems’ approach to thinking about improvements, with careful consideration given to the interactions between different parts of the system and the contextual environment. Key recommendations arising from the findings address six major areas where action is needed to improve the implementation of the guidelines. This includes the development and application of a ‘whole of systems’ approach, training, smoking cessation resources, data systems, flow of communication between GPs and public maternity hospitals, and tailored approaches to specific populations.
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ItemImplementing a whole-school approach to student wellbeing: a study examining the implementation experiences of Bhutanese and Australian teachers in wellbeing leadership roles( 2015)Schools are ideal sites for the promotion of the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that enhance personal as well as collective wellbeing. Schools engage in numerous programmes and activities for the wellbeing of students, including those that are identified as an integral aspect of learning in schools, and those which are seen as peripheral activities used to address distractions to the central aim of academic and intellectual development. This study explored the perceptions and experiences of key implementers in implementing a whole-school approach to student wellbeing promotion in secondary schools in Bhutan and Australia. A whole-school approach to student wellbeing promotion calls for student wellbeing promotion that is embedded in a school’s policies, curriculum, structures, and practices, and as a shared responsibility of all stakeholders. Programmes that addressed the whole school have reported positive effects. However, implementation in schools has been reported to be very challenging as these programmes typically require fundamental changes in the ways in which schools operate and are organized. Very little research has been conducted investigating the experiences and the challenges that middle level leaders face at the school level when working towards a whole-school approach to wellbeing. This study contributes to this gap in knowledge by drawing on the experiences of key implementers, whilst discussing their experiences in the context of research literature about student wellbeing and educational change. This study used a qualitative approach, conducting in-depth interviews to explore the experiences of people who were directly involved in implementation of student wellbeing programmes in schools. It involved participant groups from two very socio-economically and culturally different settings in Bhutan and Australia. Findings suggest that key implementers in schools face numerous interconnected challenges in implementing a whole-school approach to student wellbeing. These challenges revolve around the three themes of meaning, culture, and time. The meaning ascribed to ‘wellbeing’ differed between the two settings with Bhutanese educators favouring an ‘inside-out’ understanding of wellbeing as developed through internal control, and the Australian educators favouring an ‘outside-in’ understanding of wellbeing as something fostered through the relational environment. Key aspects of school organizational culture such as leadership, strategic and policy direction, organizational structure, and competing views and beliefs influenced the implementation of student wellbeing promotion. School cultures in relation to student wellbeing comprised of three themes of control, care, and wellbeing as integral to learning. Both parties favoured positioning wellbeing promotion as integral to education, however they identified that time constraints and lack of consensus about the importance of school-based efforts mean that schools defaulted to the use of reactive approaches. This was seen to be due in part to a lack of a shared valuing of wellbeing promotion as central to the school’s business. Despite variations in the ways in which they manifest in the two school systems, the themes are found to be common across schools. While time constraint is expressed as a key concern, deeper analysis revealed more fundamental concerns relating to the issues of meaning and culture.
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ItemWhite coat literacy: exploring an ‘integrated, dialogic’ approach to medical English pedagogy in Iran( 2015)English for Academic /Specific Purposes courses (EAP/ESP) are designed in response to the demand for mastery of academic English for students in order to enter into global communities of professionals. Within the specific educational context of medicine in Iran, English is highly significant as this is the requirement for national and international, as well as academic and professional, contexts of practice. Despite this significance, the current medical English pedagogy in Iran does not afford students sufficient competence and confidence due to what can be problematized as a fragmented, instrumental and monologic curriculum. This project addresses the challenges, and explores the possibilities of teaching English for Medical Purposes (EMP) in an Iranian university through an ‘Integrated, Dialogic’ approach to EMP pedagogy. This approach brings together critical and pragmatic pedagogical paradigms as well as academic and professional discourses of medicine. Grounded in socio-cultural theories of learning and language (Vygotsky, 1986; Bakhtin, 1981), and synthesised through Wertsch’s (1991) concepts of ‘mediated actions’ and ‘appropriation’, this approach examines ‘critical pragmatism’ as advocated by Pennycook (1997), Benesch (2001), and Harwood and Hadley (2004). This aim for integration involves students’ gaining an awareness of ‘self’ as a medical student and a future doctor, scaffolding their understandings of different types of medical discourses and genres in English, and the facilitation of dialogic interactions with peers at local/global levels and clinical communications with patients. Employing a ‘bricolage’ methodology (Levi-Strauss, 1962; Kincheloe, 2001), the study seeks to identify and explain the possible transformations and challenges that medical students experience through this approach and the way they appropriate processes of personal and professional ‘becoming’ (Bakhtin, 1986) as voiced, agentive members of the medical community. Findings have led to the conceptualisation of an ‘Organic Model’ of ESP/EMP pedagogy which goes beyond the dichotomy of the critical and the pragmatic, and sets out a new typology for ESP pedagogy at three levels: linguistic (instrumental), epistemological, and most importantly, ontological. This model encapsulates deeper levels of learning and offers significant implications for curriculum designers, materials developers and ESP/ EAP practitioners worldwide.
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ItemTransitioning from a Chinese education to an Australia education: a study of foundation studies program students from China( 2015)This study was motivated by the growth of the Australian international education sector, increasing numbers of mainland Chinese students studying in Australian universities, and a lack of research relating to the Foundation Studies Programs (FSP) in which some Chinese students enrolled. In seeking to contribute to this gap in the FSP literature, this study investigated how a cohort of ex-FSP students from mainland China reflected on their transition through various stages of their education. Specifically, the main research question guiding this study asked, 'To what extent do Chinese students' higher education experiences align with their expectations as they transition from secondary schooling in China through to university in Australia?'. To address this question a mixed-methods design was utilised. This consisted of surveys being administered to Chinese and non-Chinese nationals within one FSP at entry and exit from the course, and subsequent semi-structured interviews with a cohort of these Chinese students who were now studying at university. Interview data comprised the bulk of this study's analysis, and revealed that Chinese students' expectations and experiences of education did not remain fixed as they transitioned between schooling contexts in China and Australia. The most salient feature of their transition experiences was the increased importance they placed on the social dimension seen to enhance their educational experiences. That is, where once these students viewed their entry into the FSP and gaining Australian higher education qualifications instrumentally, they later adjusted this view to include also the importance of developing and maintaining social relationships within educational contexts. This study's findings highlight the importance of social relationships across various schooling contexts, and challenge the assumption that FSPs ease international students' social transition into university.