Melbourne Graduate School of Education - Theses

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    The impact of testing on students: Australian students' perspectives on NAPLAN and internal assessments
    Dowley, Mark William ( 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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    Governing universities for the knowledge society
    Barry, Damian ( 2018)
    Australia’s higher education system, and its public universities, have been subject to significant external and internal challenges and changes over the past half century or more. Changes in the external environment for higher education are seen in the rapid expansion in access (“massification”), the growth and infiltration off information and communications technologies (primarily the creation of the internet) and globalisation, to name a few. At the same time, the concept of national higher education systems has emerged across the western world creating a new aspect to the consideration of higher education. The combination of changes and trends have irreversibly changed the role and operations of universities. A key governance change has been the introduction of the New Public Management (NPM) paradigm that implemented a new approach by governments to the governance, development and delivery of public services (including higher education) and pushing the provision of those services towards a more market-based and networked approach. The external environmental changes have moved higher education from the societal and economic periphery to now being the centre of a workforce, social and economic development engine and a more market-oriented education service provider. During this period, higher education in Australia has completed a regulation and funding transition from being mainly state based, to now being substantially a national government funded, driven and regulated activity. Despite these significant changes the governance arrangements of Australia’s public universities have remained substantially unchanged. It is contended that higher education in Australia has reached a point where the current approaches to governance are no longer fit for purpose. Much of the research on higher education governance has focussed on issues relating to the loss of power and engagement of academe; the impact of the market-oriented approach on academic work; power within universities; values and culture. It has been summarised as the rise of managerialism. However, very little research has addressed the fundamentals of the governance arrangements. The research has assumed the structures remain relatively unchanged and has not questioned their current utility or efficacy. In this Thesis I seek to address that gap in the research. Using a mixed methods approach combining a detailed literature review, conceptual analysis and interviews with Australia’s higher education leaders, I identify the key challenges facing the governance of Australia’s higher education system and public universities, and then develop a set of proposals to transition the current approaches to a more fit for purpose approach.
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    Teacher questioning practices across a sequence of consecutive mathematics lessons: a multiple-case study of junior secondary teachers in Australia and mainland China
    Dong, Lianchun ( 2017)
    Question asking is one of the most common strategies used by teachers in their everyday classroom instructional practice. Over recent decades, many attempts have been made to categorise teacher questions asked during classroom instruction and to report on teachers’ skilful questioning strategies. These categorisations consider the context where the questions are asked, the appropriate use of different types of questions, the learning opportunities created in the sequences of teacher-student interactions and so on. This study was designed to extend our understanding of teachers' questioning practices in classrooms through a fine-grained analysis of mathematics lessons taught by four competent junior secondary teachers from mainland China and Australia. The study demonstrates the importance of examining teaching strategies over a sequence of lessons, the power of the IRF (Initiation-Response-Follow-up) framework as a basic structure for investigating classroom interactions, and the complexity of teaching practices, made evident through the focused investigation of the ubiquitous practice of teacher questioning. Based on the IRF framework, a comprehensive coding system was developed to analyse what kinds of verbal questions were initiated by the teachers to elicit mathematical information and in what ways the teachers made use of students’ verbal contributions in order to facilitate student construction and acquisition of mathematical knowledge. In particular, a distinction was made between Q&A question pairs, IRF (single) sequences, and IRF (multiple) sequences. Classification systems were developed for question types within each interactive category. Within IRF (multiple) sequences, the categories: initiating and follow-up represented a fundamental distinction, each category having its own suite of sub-categories. For each participating teacher, a whole unit of consecutive lessons was examined (from 6 to 10 lessons per unit). Analysis of the data suggested that: (1) Across the professional practice of the four teachers, two each in mainland China and in Australia, similarities and differences in the ways in which teachers employ questioning strategies were observed. The differences regarding questioning strategies across the consecutive lessons include: (i) number/frequency of questions asked in each lesson; (ii) the proportions of questions in IRF (multiple) sequences and the proportions of the questions in Q&A question pairs and IRF (single) sequences; and, (iii) the use of subcategories for initiation questions in each lesson. And the similarities are as follows: (i) the proportion of initiation questions in IRF (multiple) sequences out of all questions in each lesson; and, (ii) the use of subcategories for follow-up questions in each lesson. The essential point suggested by the comparison of similarities and differences regarding teacher questioning practices in this study is that the Chinese teachers and Australian teachers employed questioning strategies with similar forms but with distinctly different functions. (2) Regardless of the geographical location of the classroom, teachers’ questioning strategy choice is made rationally based on such contexts as the nature of instructional tasks and the constraints facing the teachers at the time. Those constraints might involve time limit and overemphasis on procedural fluency caused by the need to prepare students for high-stakes examinations, the demands of catering to students’ individual differences, the need for coherent delivery and explanation of sophisticated mathematics and the need to elicit information about student existing understanding. Unlike the two Chinese teachers who valued the achievement of lesson goals above any other factors, both Australian teachers placed greatest emphasis equally on students’ demands and lesson content. (3) In the case of the use of the three kinds of IRF (multiple) sequences (leading, facilitating/probing, orchestrating), the nature of teacher lesson planning – collaborative and institutionalised in the case of mainland China, and individually done in the case of Australia – affects how teachers make use of questions in class. These local educational contexts pose culturally-situated challenges, even though the teacher questioning strategies that are chosen and performed may reflect rational professional decisions by all four teachers, predicated on similar pedagogical goals. Teachers’ adjustment of their questioning routines in response to competing tensions in their classroom practices provided some of the most interesting features of the research. In addition, this study also suggests that teacher professional development program designers should ensure that novice teachers are given an opportunity to observe the teaching of a sequence of lessons and to observe closely how one expert teacher’s questioning strategies are strategically employed according to the demands of the particular lesson and its place in the topic sequence. Such strategic variation of questioning practice cannot be fully or correctly understood without the examination of the teaching of consecutive lessons.
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    Academic staff and international engagement in Australian higher education
    Proctor, Douglas John ( 2016)
    Australian higher education appears to be in the vanguard of internationalisation worldwide. In line with global changes to higher education, Australian universities have adopted comprehensive international strategies across their teaching, research and outreach agendas. By many measures, this strategic approach to internationalisation has been successful. Given the central role of academic staff within the life of the university, and with international strategies now touching on all aspects of a university’s activity, academic staff are important to the further internationalisation of Australian higher education. Yet little is known about the factors which influence the international engagement of Australian academics (that is, their involvement with the international dimensions of all aspects of their work) and the extent to which they consider international activities an important aspect of their academic work. This study has investigated the engagement of academic staff with the international dimensions of their work. It sought to identify the extent to which different aspects of international engagement have been integrated into contemporary understandings of academic work in Australia, as well as to examine the factors which influence academic staff choices in relation to their international engagement. Based on an Adaptive Theory approach (Layder, 1998), the research took case studies of two universities – a younger progressive university and an older research intensive university – which, between them, are broadly representative of one third of the Australian university sector. Qualitative data were collected through document analysis and in-depth interviews with thirty-seven academic staff drawn from Science and Business disciplines. The study found that the international dimensions of academic work are predominantly centred on research, despite the literature on internationalisation pointing to a more comprehensive focus and despite institutional strategies advocating for a more balanced approach to international engagement. In terms of contributions, the study has conceptualised a typology of international engagement to address the gap identified in the literature in relation to a holistic understanding of the international dimensions of academic work. Further findings are presented in relation to the influence of institutional and disciplinary context, as well as personal and individual factors. Particular to the Australian context is a finding in relation to geographic isolation, which is commonly described as both a driver and barrier to the international engagement of Australian academic staff. This study argues that institutions need to recognise the complex and interweaving nature of the factors which influence academic staff in relation to the international dimensions of their work. This recognition is important if institutions seek to foster greater international involvement amongst their academic community. In addition, institutions could review the role of leadership at the local level in fostering greater international engagement beyond research, as well as reconsider the availability of funding and technology to mitigate the barrier to international engagement of Australia’s distance from other countries.
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    Federalism and schooling reforms in Australia
    HINZ, BRONWYN ( 2016)
    This thesis reveals how federalism has shaped schooling reforms and policy making processes in Australia, a portfolio characterized by extensive and contested overlap of state and Commonwealth government roles. This is done through qualitative case studies of two landmark reforms from the 1990s - Victoria’s Schools of the Future reforms and the Commonwealth’s Choice and Equity reforms – based upon semi-structured interviews with policy actors and documentary analysis of material from personal and institutional archives, parliament, media, government and other sources. The thesis traces each of these reforms from their origins through to their implementation with the decisions, motivations and obstacles faced by policy makers examined at each ‘stage’ of the policy making process. Next, the lens is widened to encompass the broader and dynamic intergovernmental context in which each reform was pursued, to consider the direct and indirect ways each reform and the policy making process were shaped by Australian federalism. This is the first close-range, comparative, multi-level qualitative study of schooling reforms from an intergovernmental perspective in Australia. The thesis contributes new knowledge and a deeper understanding of these landmark reforms, of the operation of Australia’s federal system, and of the dominant models of federalism and policy making. This thesis finds that while each reform was pursued unilaterally, each reform was also significantly and indirectly shaped by features of Australia’s federal system. Contrary to widely held views on the restrictive nature of tied grants and perverse effects of overlapping roles, the study found the Victorian government possessed policy autonomy and the capacity to innovate in their response to what they considered state issues. Tied grants from the Commonwealth helped rather than hindered reform. The Victorian reforms were also enhanced by the spread of policy ideas, movement of policy actors and the availability of comparative data on school spending and outcomes in other states. These findings indicate the existence of a policy ‘laboratory’ and the protective ‘insurance’ effects of overlap, two claimed advantages of federal systems. The Commonwealth likewise pursued its reform package unilaterally in line with its own analysis of the policy problem and its own policy agenda. Yet the Commonwealth’s new school funding model was derived from models already in operation at state level, and constitutional provisions meant that the Commonwealth relied on state cooperation to implement its reforms. Vertical fiscal imbalance in its favour enabled the Commonwealth to provide funding to private schools beyond their estimated need. This constitutional, fiscal and political settlement contributed to what was ultimately a sub-optimal policy decision, poor resource allocation and slow, partial implementation. Simultaneous to the Choice and Equity reforms, the Commonwealth unilaterally reengineered tied grants for schooling to the states to make them more prescriptive and punitive, and attempted to extract other school funding from the states. The Commonwealth had very limited success in both instances of coercion. Conversely, evidence of highly productive collaboration was found in the case of the Adelaide Declaration on National Goals for Schooling for the Twenty-first Century. These findings demonstrate that the coordinate and cooperative models of federalism, as well as the collaborative and competitive models of intergovernmental relations, are simplistic and unrealistic reflections of the fluidity and complexity of intergovernmental relations and governance in each of the case studies. The use of these models risks imposing unproductive and artificial boundaries on policy thinking and practices. The thesis supports a reconceptualisation of Australian federalism as concurrent federalism, which recognizes that policy actors act unilaterally and pragmatically in pursuit of their own policy goals within a shared policy sphere, but are still shaped by the contours and institutions of Australia’s federal system. This term also allows for the fact that intergovernmental relations took a variety of forms simultaneously – combative relations on one issue did not prevent constructive work on other issues. This was much more dynamic than previously conceived. This flexibility of Australia’s federal system is likely to be of value in the face of the increasing complexity of public policy problems. Furthermore, the thesis finds that models of policy making, such as the Australian Policy Cycle (Bridgman and Davis 1998) and the ‘streams, entrepreneurs and windows of opportunity’ model (Kingdon 1984), are useful analytical tools in a federal system, even where their descriptive value differed in relation to the two case studies. Findings from this study indicate that state governments are more effective at developing and implementing schooling reforms. Concurrency, tied grants, intergovernmental comparisons and movement of policy actors and ideas can enhance policy making processes and the policy laboratory effect to maximize policy responsiveness and effectiveness. But these benefits are undermined when tied grants become prescriptive and punitive, especially if the conditions are determined unilaterally by the Commonwealth.
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    Transitioning from a Chinese education to an Australia education: a study of foundation studies program students from China
    Teo, Ian Wei Yuan ( 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.
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    Institutional influences on approaches to teaching within a flexible university : a cultural historical investigation
    Mulready, Pamela Anne ( 2010)
    This study investigated the teaching approaches of two business academics located within an Australian university developing its flexible teaching and learning practices over the past twenty years. The interview subjects are highly regarded educators with formative backgrounds in on-campus or off-campus distance teaching. Each has had a long professional relationship with the researcher in her centrally situated position's as an educational developer within the institution. A review of the student learning literature pertaining to teaching and learning approaches in the higher education sector over the last thirty years, shows that "teaching approaches" can influence "student learning approaches"(Ramsden, Paul 2003) and outcomes, (Biggs, J. 2003; Lizzio, Alf, Wilson, Keithia & Simons, Roland 2002) however "institutional influences" upon teaching approaches seems to be substantially overlooked. (Kernber & Kwan 2000) The academics were invited to participate in this study agreeing to retrospectively review and discuss their teaching in three progressive phases of their working history. They were invited to consider their teaching approach using the Approach to Teaching Inventory (Trigwell, Prosser et. al. 2005) in order to reflect upon their personal positioning (Harre September 2004), institutional practice and societal rhetoric in relation to an academic life in various periods of their teaching history. Discursive analysis has been undertaken of the resulting conversations guided by Cultural Historical Analysis Theory, (Vygotsky 1978, Engestrom 1987). This investigation reveals profound institutional influences on the approaches of teachers to their work. Influences on academic life have usually been studied independent of the Higher education teaching and learning literature. This study points to an urgent need to integrate these research interests to inform understanding of material transformative activity for policy makers in higher education.
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    Measuring university internationalisation: an indicator framework
    GAO, YUAN ( 2015)
    This study investigated university internationalisation in different national contexts and developed a set of indicators to measure and compare university internationalisation performance across national boundaries. Internationalisation has been recognised by university policymakers as the key to perform successfully within the new global context. As internationalising a university requires a substantial and long-term investment of an institution’s financial and human resources, assessment and quality control are critical to ensure that it contributes to the relevance and quality of higher education and produces desirable outcomes. The importance of, motives for, and process of university internationalisation have been discussed and documented well in existing research, however, a limited number of studies have focused on measuring university internationalisation. It is not even clear what should and what can be measured with regard to university internationalisation. Through a combination of a critical literature review and qualitative interviews with policymakers from universities in Australia, Singapore, and China, this study established a conceptual framework of university internationalisation. Based on the framework, with the help of university practitioners, a set of internationally applicable indicators was developed to assist universities to systematically monitor and measure their internationalisation performance, and make comparisons with like institutions. The availability of data for the indicator set in different universities was also tested through an institutional survey. This study found that internationalisation is seen as a multi-dimensional phenomenon. The major incentive for institutional internationalisation is the pursuit for academic excellence. Seven key comparable dimensions were identified in university internationalisation strategies: research, student, faculty, curriculum, engagement, governance, and culture. Universities tend to place different priorities on these dimensions. National and institutional characteristics powerfully shape the understanding and practice of internationalisation. The indicator set established in this study provides a possible way for universities to measure their internationalisation performance and benchmark with others. Although the indicators are perceived as feasible, the data are not yet ready to report in most universities. This study contributes to a better understanding of university internationalisation and sheds light on the measurement of the phenomenon. The study suggests that universities may embrace internationalisation in various approaches; however, a holistic approach is highly likely to evolve at a mature stage. The theoretical framework and the indicator set developed in this study are expected to stimulate a more regular data collection mechanism. Policymakers are able to make evidence-based decisions with data generated by the indicator set. In measuring university internationalisation, this study suggests that available measurement instruments are more capable of assessing inputs and outputs rather outcomes.
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    The development of professionalism in surgeons
    HILLIS, DAVID ( 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.
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    Identity, integration, adult migrant English as a Second Language (ESL) programmes and Melbourne Institute Language Centre
    LEITH, MEAGHAN ( 2012)
    This case study used a qualitative dominant mixed methods research (MMR) design to examine the integration of adult migrants in Australia. In adopting a socio-cultural theory (SCT) framework, it examines wider policies, such as immigration and citizenship, but it particularly focuses on government-funded English as a second language (ESL) policy and programmes. In so doing, it seeks to describe the context in which this ESL delivery occurred – a multi-campus language centre in a large and entrepreneurial Technical and Further Education (TAFE) institute in the State of Victoria – and the ways in which migrant students and language centre personnel perceived and experienced ESL programmes delivered at this centre. It also seeks to locate this study within its historical and socio-political context and, as a result, discourses regarding issues related to integration, such as national identity, social cohesion, ‘Australian values’ and multiculturalism, are considered. In recognising that integration is a process that takes time, this study is longitudinal in design, and a core group of migrants (N=14) was researched over a two-and-a-half-year period. The views of some of the language centre’s staff members were also examined over time. The findings from this study suggest that English was perceived by stakeholders – and experienced by migrants – as a significant facilitator of integration, and the language centre’s ESL programmes were seen to provide both psycho-social and economic integrative benefits for migrants and Australian society. Suggestions and recommendations are made regarding possible avenues for future research into integration and adult host language programming, as well as broader, related policy.