Faculty of Education - Theses
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ItemThe effectiveness of roleplay in changing disadvantaged students' attitude to schooling and to themselves( 1994)This study sets out to examine the relationship between the development of language and social competence. It draws on the theories of language development proposed by Chomsky, Piaget's cognition development and the sociolinguistic notions of Bruner, Vygotsky and Labov. The educational context of the study is that imposed by the policies developed by the Victorian Ministry of Education which requires schools to provide an inclusive curriculum to meet the needs of all students. For many secondary schools, groups of students, especially those who are disadvantaged by social and emotional difficulties place a great demand upon the existing structures and their needs are unfulfilled. A review of relevant literature on social competence and roleplay was undertaken which indicated that a program of communication and roleplay activities may address the needs of these students. Therefore this study has sought to examine the impact of such activities on the level of social competence of a group of disadvantaged students who were aggressive, cynical, disruptive and not participating in school life. This study was undertaken in a mainstream school in the Western Region of metropolitan Melbourne. Students who participated were pretested to establish their attitudes towards the use of aggression and power, established authority and cynicism level. After participating in a program of communication activities and reflective roleplays the students were tested again to determine the level of attitudinal change. The key findings of this study demonstrated that significant attitudinal change occurred in the participants and that they considered themselves to be better able to understand why existing constraints were in place. The study also indicated that a program which utilises roleplay and implemented within the also found that there communication activities can existing school organisation. It also found that there is a need for change in teacher perception and school structure to accommodate students with social/emotional difficulties.
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ItemThe struggle to achieve : the Vietnamese experience of secondary schools in working class neighbourhoods of Melbourne, 1986( 1990)Within the vast scope and complexity of the refugee experience this study deals with a simply defined, yet central issue to the settlement of young immigrants from Viet Nam in Australia. That is, the differing impact of personal factors preconditioning attitudes and values towards education, and school ecology on their educational trajectories and social destinations. To answer this question, the location occupied by this immigrant group within the school system was initially determined, and subsequently the influence of school organizational structure and classroom practice on educational performance in these settings was described and explained. Vietnamese pupils, their teachers and peers in 16 randomly selected government high schools in Victoria, and those persons responsible for the child's welfare in Australia provided rich and varied information for analysis. Detailed interpretation of this comprehensive data-base focused on one school representative of the wider sample. The study found that while educational trajectories and social destinations are largely controlled by the working class location Vietnamese youth occupy in the secondary school system, the impact of this setting is mediated by an exceptional determination, on their part, to escape the influence of multiple social factors which influence the outlooks and achievements of children, whoever they may be, who occupy these sites. Despite an heroic commitment by teachers in these schools and the determination of the Vietnamese to exploit, to the maximum, the limited opportunities available to them, the dependence of these young immigrants and their families on education for social advancement renders them vulnerable to failure. The study demonstrates, that despite the illusion of democratized educational theory and practice that these educational settings suggest, the reality is that educational conservative structures mitigate against social advancement. These institutional barriers, it is shown, operate on two levels. Firstly, the comprehensive curriculum plays a central role by disproportionately directing these young immigrants into the theoretical mathematics and physical sciences, a process consecrating them as an academic elite, while at the same time confirming the lowly position they occupy in the social hierarchy of their school and neighbourhood peers. Secondly, the study demonstrates how academic streaming is an aggravating circumstance coming on top of the other inequalities suffered by all children in these settings. Not only do the out-of-school activities of these young immigrants not support their curriculum placement, but teachers tend to misjudge Vietnamese classroom conformity as scholasticism, not passivity. Thus, rather than viewing this exceptional behaviour in working class settings as an indication of the struggle with which these young people have to cope, teacher definition of their school experience sees it as proof of an effective classroom process and of learning taking place. The study concludes that while the actual relationship that exists between the teachers and Vietnamese youth, and the schools they attend and the neighbourhoods these schools serve, remains unchanged, the price the Vietnamese have to pay for perceived scholasticism is loss of control of their immediate school experience and authorship of their own lives.
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ItemThe attitudes and concerns of Catholic parish primary school principals and teachers toward the integration of students with disabilities into regular schools( 1997)This study was undertaken to identify' and compare the attitudes of Catholic Parish Primary School principals and teachers toward the integration of students with disabilities. The study also investigated variations in attitude toward integration for sub-groups of the principals and teachers. In addition, this study ascertained the concerns these educators have about the implementation of integration in their schools. A three part questionnaire was used to collect the data. It consisted of items relating to the background characteristics of the respondents and their schools, a modified version of the Attitude Toward Mainstreaming Scale (Berryman & Neal, 1980) and an open ended question eliciting educators' concerns about integration. Fifty five principals and 145 full time classroom teachers in the Northern Area of the Archdiocese of Melbourne responded to the questionnaire. T-tests were employed to compare the attitudes of the principals and teachers toward integration., Thematic analysis was used to examine the concerns of educators. Several major findings emerged from the study. Principals were found to hold more positive attitudes toward integration than classroom teachers. Principals were also significantly more positive than teachers toward the integration of students with severe disabilities. Younger principals held significantly more positive attitudes toward integration than older principals. No significant differences were identified for sub groups of the teacher sample. Similarity existed between the two groups of educators in terms of their expressed major concerns about integration. Lack of school based support personnel, funding and training, in that order, were recorded most frequently by both groups of educators.
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ItemA study of religious education in Catholic secondary schools : attitudes of students, content, methodology and gender issues( 1999)The subject of Religious Education (RE) is the one feature distinguishing Catholic Schools from Government Schools. It is a unique subject because its impact on students' lives is long-lasting and important. The factors influencing students' attitudes and perceptions of RE are examined in this study. Two of the main factors researched here include the content of Religious Education lessons and the methodology employed by teachers, as perceived by students. Marked differences in the gender responses of students were observed to be very significant and these are discussed and explored. Recommendations for possible ways of addressing these disparities are also included.
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ItemA case study in identifying institutional influences on why female students at a private co-educational school do not elect to study Information Technology at senior secondary level( 2000)This thesis is a study of the patterns of female enrolment in Information Technology in a co-educational private school in the Eastern suburbs of Melbourne. What makes this school so interesting is that few girls elect to take any of the Information Technology subjects in Years 11 and 12. This study set out to explore the reasons for these striking statistics in the light of the research which has already been undertaken as well as indicating areas for future research. The first chapter provides a basic introduction to the study outlining the context in which the research took place. Chapter Two sums up the theoretical writings and research findings conducted by others in the field of females not studying Information Technology. What emerges is that the literature is categorized into the seven factors and each factor is discussed in turn. Chapter Three outlines the method of evaluation of the history of the introduction of Computer Science at Wrixon Grammar. The method of evaluation was by case study. The case study which is Chapter Four reconstructs the history and development of Computer Science at Wrixon Grammar. Chapter Five analyses the case study in Chapter Four and compares it to the current literature in Chapter Two. The seven factors which became apparent in Chapter Two form the basis for the analysis. The findings suggest that rather than identifying only sociological factors in the reasons why females do not elect to study Information Technology, more research needs to be conducted on school based/institutional factors which have an impact on Information Technology enrolments. In the final chapter, the conclusions and recommendations for further research and practice are presented.
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ItemParents perceptions of enabling practices used by integration teachers in the western region of Melbourne Victorian government schools which have supported integration programs for children with intellectual disabilities( 1998)This study was undertaken to identify and compare the perceptions of 92 parents of children with intellectual disability from the Western Region of Melbourne toward enabling practices used by integration teachers in Victorian government schools. The study then proceeded to an investigation and evaluation of the success of the integration teachers in developing an adequate parent-integration teacher partnership. Details of parent background were found by questionnaire and each parent completed an adapted version of the Enabling Practices Scale (Dempsey, 1995). Enablement was found by factor analysis to be perceived by these parents to be composed of four facets, namely: support, collaboration, empowerment and autonomy. Parents from background other than English were slightly more positive than their Anglo counterparts towards collaboration with integration teachers. Parents in general were found to hold positive attitudes toward the enabling practices of integration teachers. From this, it was concluded that the integration teachers had been successful in establishing effective parent-teacher relationships in all four facets of enablement.
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ItemPerceptions of how year 8 boys in an ethno-centric inner suburban Australian school configure their masculine identities within their school setting( 2008)The purpose for this study is to explore how Year 8 boys in an ethno-centric community school located in suburban Melbourne are `configuring' (Connell, 2000) their ideas about masculinity and to consider the evolving processes and influences informing these gendered identity configurations. A qualitative case study approach was deemed appropriate for addressing the aim of the study and a feminist, poststructuralist perspective was used to frame the research process. Consistent with this perspective was the need to honor the boys' voices. The data collection methods included focus-group discussions over a six-week period with two groups of Year 8 boys. A questionnaire survey was conducted prior to the focus-groups to inform and shape the discussion questions. In the third focus-group, the boys were asked to bring in a personal artifact or totem with which they identified their ideals of being a man. The finding of the study revealed that masculine identity is a highly socialized construct (Davies, 1993) transmitted through male Discourses (Gee, 2004) and resonated with Martins' claim that boys negotiate their masculine configurations (1999) within themselves and between themselves in endless processes of becoming (Walkerdine, 1990). Boys were often fluid in their configurations, with their positionings changing over the focus-group discussions. The configuring of the boys' ideas about their masculinity was mediated by a strong connection to their ethnic heritage that was linked with the past rather than with the present. The boys were strongly opposed towards any signs of effeminacy which they associated with a loss of power and prestige among their peer group - any association with homosexuality being perceived as a threat to their masculinity. The artifacts chosen by the boys as representative of being a male were guarded fiercely and generally it was agreed that these were not to be touched or exposed in a casual manner. Totems such as computer-action programmes, guns and For Him Magazines (FMHs) were forwarded as a means for talking their masculinity into existence - essentialising it. Recommendations that emerged from the study include: the need for more opportunities for boys to talk more openly amongst themselves; to access the thinking and experiences about what it means to be a male in their wider community, and to embed in the curriculum opportunities for boys to challenge stereotypes and to acknowledge that gender identity matters.
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Item"Are you satisfied?": review of parental attitudes towards the curriculum of an independent girls' secondary school( 1985)This thesis examines the attitudes of parents to a range of issues concerning the content and application of the educational programme of a small independent girls' school in Melbourne's eastern suburbs. The material that forms the basis of the thesis was gathered from information supplied in response to questionnaires sent to all parents of daughters in the senior school, supplemented by a limited number of interviews. The intention of this review of the school was to establish the extent to which the school's educational programme reflected the wishes and needs of the present parent-body, to establish whether there were any areas of substantial dissatisfaction that need immediate attention, and to determine whether there were particular reasons why parents chose this school as such information could assist in the development of a particular style for the school. The thesis analyses the one hundred and ninety-eight responses to the questionnaire (with some illumination given by the interviews of twenty-eight parents) and suggests areas for change. However, the overall impression gained from the analysis is that the present parent-body is extremely satisfied with the school.
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ItemSexual harassment and the interplay of masculinities in a secondary school( 1996)This thesis is a qualitative study which draws on elements of feminist post-structuralist theory to research why some boys sexually harass girls in school. In particular, this research explores the interplay of sexual harassment and masculinities. The literature reviewed focuses on the complex and contradictory nature of students' gendered identities and supports the feminist post-structuralist belief that boys are active agents in establishing their identities and that these are organised hierarchically. This study involves the teacher as researcher and the use of ethnographic research methods. It presents the perspectives of five teenage boys who attend the same co-educational school in the Western suburbs of Melbourne and provides as direct evidence to the reader the boys' opinions and beliefs about the sexual harassment of girls by boys at school. The major findings of this research suggest that some boys use sexual harassment in school as a key signifier to position themselves as 'masculine' and that the culture and institutional structure of the school can reinforce this phenomenon.
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ItemVision and reality: what are the experiences and perceptions of overseas students enrolled in a year 13 Foundation Studies course in business offered in a city university?( 2001)Internationalization has become one of the 'buzzwords' in Australian education. For most Australian educational institutions, internationalization meant an unprecedented influx of overseas students enrolling in their courses. This thesis will consider the mismatch of expectations between students from the Asia-Pacific region in a tertiary education institution in Australia. What is the mismatch of expectations? What is its extent? How does it come to exist? How does it manifest itself? These questions have been explored in focus group discussions with students from the Asia-Pacific region currently attending a Year 13 Foundation Studies course in a city university. The research found a mismatch between student and staff expectations due to miscommunication and cultural values.