Faculty of Education - Theses
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ItemCultural preservation : the Estonian experience in Australia 1947-1987( 1987)This study is based on an historical perspective which traces the origins and development of Estonian organisations which are viewed as representing the 'conscious' attempts to preserve Estonian culture in Australia. The organisational problems and strategies to preserve the culture are examined in terms of the relationship between strategies used by the Estonian community and those used simultaneously by the wider community in response to changes in social relationships and emerging government policies. A major source for research material has been through oral history sources in interviews and contacts with several ethnic Estonians(primarily immigrants),who have been actively involved with organised Estonian cultural life : extensive interviews were conducted in Melbourne,Sydney, Thirlmere,Adelaide and Canberra; the writer has also spent almost twelve months being actively involved in some of the Estonian organisations including the Melbourne Ladies' Choir, Festivals and concerts. Other important sources of information include the Eesti Paevad Albums(Estonian Festival Albums, 1954-1986),historical writings about Estonia and Estonian people,contemporary publications, research and other projects, an original questionnaire for second generation Estonians,and the writer's participation in the National Research Conference on Ethnicity and Multiculturalism at the University of Melbourne (May 14 - 16) in 1986. Part 1 introduces the underlying concepts of 'culture', 'community' and 'ethnicity',with a section on the relevant historical and geographical background of Estonia and Estonian immigrants. Aspects of the Estonian culture within the Australian context are examined using an adaptation of Raymond Williams' interpretation of culture this study stresses the importance of creating a balanced interpretation of Estonian culture at three levels,that is,the 'living community','recorded' culture and 'selective tradition' in the argument for developing strategies for preserving the Estonian culture through the process of mainstream education. Part 11 follows on from the foundations laid by the 'Old Estonians'(pre-World War ll),and outlines the changing role of major Estonian organisations such as the Festivals,Choirs, Estonian school,the press,and to a lesser extent the Church,in preserving the Estonian culture according to emerging trends within the Estonian community and the surrounding culture. Part 111 highlights the nature of the 'ageing' and diminishing Estonian community in Australia,with - the emergence of the younger generation of ethnic Estonians in Australia as the vehicle for the creation and transmission of Estonian culture. The intercultural context and the nature of contemporary social relationships provide evidence of the change from the ethnic exclusiveness of the earlier period,to the widening framework for Estonian ethnicity and interest in preserving the Estonian culture. Many of the current developments from within the Estonian community and its wider context are presented as evidence of trends which are moving towards the realization of crucial strategies which are needed to preserve the Estonian culture in Australia through the process of education.
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ItemGreek educational system : 1900-1987( 1989)Examining the history of the Greek Educational System in the twentieth century, we discover widespread and constant demands for reform in order to meet the challenges of a modernizing nation-state. Politicians, administrators, parents and students at every period expressed the need for educational reform although fundamental differences in the. proposed remedies-can be observed. Yet, for a variety of reasons - political, economic, ideological, and social - most reforming proposals had very limited success, even though in some cases the related measures were legislated for. Generally, the educational reform impetus in every. period reflected the theoretical and ideological -perspectives and practical concerns of the governments in' power, as well as the 'conflicts ' and contradictions of a rapidly developing society with deeply rooted historical traditions. From its foundation to the present reforms, although it appeared that great efforts had been made to reform the structure and content of the Greek education system, because of circumstances or because of successful counter-reforms following changes in the ruling party, things remained basically unaltered. The movement for educational reform in Greece can be examined in terms of six historical periods when major attempts were made by the government to change the structure and content, of the educational system: (a) 1913 and 1917, under the administration of Eleftherios Venizelos' government; (b) 1929, under the administration of the Liberal Party headed by E. Venizelos; (c) 1957-63, under the first administration of Premier C. Karamanles; (d) 1964-65, under the government of G. Papandreou; (e) 1974-77, under the administration of Premier C. Karamanles and the "New Democracy" political party; (f) 1981-86, under the recent administration of the PASOK (Panhellenic Socialist Movement) government headed by A. Papandreou. Throughout the twentieth century educational reform has been considered imperative for the country's social and economic development. It is significant to note that the major thrust of educational reform has been to bring changes in the elementary and secondary sectors of the school system. Since 1974, however, there has been considerable pressure for the reform of university and other tertiary level institutions. An overview of the reform movement during the twentieth century will provide the necessary historical background and conceptual framework against which the contemporary educational reforms can be analysed and assessed.
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ItemAnton Semyonovich Makarenko and progressive education: a study of Pedagogicheskaya Poema, or, The Road to Life( 1991)The aftermath of the 1917 October Revolution in the U.S.S.R, brought about a climate of radical reforms in the entire education system. The first minister of education, Lunacharsky, introduced experimentation in schools; he encouraged the implementation of a school curriculum influenced by Marxist-Leninist ideology combined with the ideals of John Dewey and the Western Progressive tendencies in education. In Russia, a product of the October revolution was also a multitude of 'bezprizornie', homeless children who needed urgent educational attention. In 1920, a young Ukranian teacher, imbued with the fervour of revolutionary ideals, was given the task of running a colony for 'bezprizornie'. Antonich Makarenko accepted the task with reluctance but also with a firm belief that educational processes could re-educate children. He also believed that the education system could cater for the interests of both the individual and the group. Makarenko's educational experiment became known as 'The Gorky Colony', in honour of his source of inspiration, the Russian writer, Maxim Gorky. In the running of the Gorky Colony, after initial difficulties, Makarenko, experienced fame and success. He recorded his pedagogical experience in a literary work which he called: A Poem of Education, translated into English and thereafter known as: The Road to Life. His work, first published in 1933, coincided with the end of the Lenin-Lunacharsky's influence in education and with the rise of Stalinist policies of return to traditionalism in education. Makarenko survived the party purges of the early Bolsheviks by adopting the Stalinist policies in education. Calling his methodology 'the Soviet Way', and by stressing the belief in 'collective education', he gained favour within the Stalin regime and also during the 'de-Stalinization' years of the Khrushchov regime. Detailed analysis of The Road to Life, reveals that the 'Makarenko method' remains most of all a reflection of the child-centred, progressive approach to education of the early Bolshevik years, the 1920's.