Faculty of Education - Theses
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ItemThe effect of evolutionary thought upon selected English and American philosophers who influenced educational thought, 1850-1916( 1963)This thesis has a twofold aim. First, I wish to show that the theory of evolution, especially in its Darwinian form, influenced the development of the philosophies of Herbert Spencer in England, and C.S.Peirce, William James and John Dewey in America. Secondly, I wish to examine critically those portions of these particular philosophies that have been of importance to education. It will be seen that one of these aims is essentially historical, while the other is philosophical. As these two aspects of the task are apt to become confused, they have been treated in separate chapters. The basic chapter is the first, for in it the connection between science and other disciplines is investigated. In some of the later chapters it will be shown that thinkers such as Spencer and Dewey pre-supposed that such connections exist. Chapter one is thus devoted to the discussion of key terms such as "scientific laws", "theory of evolution" and "mechanism", whilst Chapter two deals with Herbert Spencer and his place in the history of education, and Chapter three contains a critical examination of Spencer's ideas in the light of points raised in the first chapter. There is a similar arrangement in the chapters on the pragmatists. The period 1850 to 1916 was chosen for investigation because these two dates mark the years of publication of Herbert Spencer's "Social Statics" and John Dewey's "Democracy and Education" respectively. During the intervening years the theory of evolution had remarkable influence on many facets of intellectual life, and it would be surprising to find that education remained unaffected.
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ItemEstablishing a multi-sited disposition for ethnographic research in the field of education( 2008)This thesis responds to the challenge of how educational research might be practised in a contemporary world that is no longer necessarily organised by nearness and unity. Focusing on ethnography, it argues for what a multi-sited disposition contributes to research in the field of education. By giving prominence to the notion of multi-sited ethnography. as it has been developed by the anthropologist George Marcus this thesis shows how ethnography conceived this way is now necessary in educational research. The study brings together recent concepts from anthropology with Australian educational ethnography, providing an analysis and reconstruction of how to go about doing ethnography in a world that is characterised by partial connections. To highlight the contributions to education of this research disposition, the final part of the thesis provides an exploratory account as an example of how to approach a specific research topic in this field. In sum, this thesis makes a unique contribution' to educational research by providing an ethnographic approach for the study of contemporary educational lives.
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ItemToward a competent society : a critical analysis of H.G. Well's conceptions of social change and the education programme he designed to effect that change( 1989)This thesis developed out of initial research on Raymond Williams's conceptions of culture, society and education. Williams had argued that 'a long revolution' was evident in human affairs, from which a common culture must finally emerge. It was a matter of survival for it to do so. Williams saw culture as 'our common life' and argued that it was the proper field in which criticism and selection of what was of value to the common life should take place. It must eventually be organized on a global basis and deliberately constructed by means of participatory democracy. To achieve these ends, Williams demanded an education that would promote a competent society governed by human needs and not by inherited models. (See particularly, Raymond Williams, The Long Revolution (London, 1961; Penguin edition, 1965), esp. p.174, and Raymond Williams, Towards 2000 (Penguin Books, 1986). It seemed that in the social and political writings of H.G.Wells, there were many antecedents to Williams's ideas. Wells was engaged in promoting a deliberate revolution in human affairs akin to Williams's idea of a 'long revolution'. It was meant to effect profound social change, culminating in the formation of a global society and thereby rescuing the human species from impending disaster, even extinction. It seemed worthwhile to explore some of these antecedent ideas in Wells's writings and to examine the claims he made for them. This thesis accordingly examines the ideas of H.G.Wells on social change with particular reference to his models for world order and the means by which this change was to be achieved - revolution and education. It is argued that Wells posited a competent society as the ultimate goal of human endeavour and effective social change, a society distinguished by full control over its destiny and the ability to extend a life of complete satisfaction to all of its members, yet there are a number of contradictions that would operate to frustrate that realisation.
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ItemA case-study examination of the concept of open access education( 1982)The purpose of this study is to explore means whereby some of the problems currently and commonly encountered by teachers engaged in the teaching and learning processes of secondary education may be eased. This is done by means of an examination of the concept of open access education. As the outcome of a literature review, a definition delineating the ideal is projected. Three schools accepting the philosophical underpinnings of the concept of open access education are investigated and compared with this definition. Criteria are then proposed for the open access education concept to be encompassed within the current system of secondary education in Victoria. From the practice is developed the theory. The examination of the schools accepting the concept of open access education disclosed improved efficiency in teaching and learning due to such factors as:providing the means to cater for individual needs at required levels, decreased stress for teachers and students, a positive motivation and high morale. From the theory engendered through this practice, new practice may be generated.
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ItemVoices from below: family, school and community on the Braybrook plains 1854-1892( 1993)This thesis identifies and documents a number of families and neighbourhoods on the plains west of Melbourne in the years 1854 to 1892. It traces their interaction with each other, with teachers and with the central education bureaucracy. A major aim is to make visible the women and children in these neighbourhoods and, where possible, to let them speak for themselves. The period studied is the latter part of the nineteenth century, from the early years of local control and government aid through the various boards of education to the first two decades of 'free, compulsory and secular education'. Braybrook Shire is divided into different neighbourhoods, ranging from the small and fluctuating industrial community at Maribyrnong and the 'labouring-class' suburb of Maidstone, to the dairying and stock-holding areas at Albion-Braybrook, then further west to the settlement of Kororoit Creek, with its farms and explosives factory, and beyond to the sparsely-settled rural areas of Derrimut, Mt Cotterell and Rockbank. The diversity of the small communities studied and the microscopic approach adopted, challenge the view that local communities are uniform, static, isolated entities and that women and men are passive victims of outside forces. There is oppression and hardship, but also evidence that local people had a range of strategies for survival and some victories in local battles with the State. Schooling was clearly an important issue to these early migrant settlers, despite the need for children's labour in family economies. 'Community' is seen to be complex, including mobility and continuity, conflict and kinship ties, and interaction between the private and the public domain. The thesis demonstrates women's importance in the local culture and the value of searching for local perspectives and the voices of 'ordinary' people. The sources and the methodology used suggest possible approaches for other researchers.