Faculty of Education - Theses
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ItemThe Victorian Certificate of Education : the change process and teacher practice( 1995)There are two key issues in this study. Firstly, to examine the extent to which teacher practice has changed during the first year of implementation of the Victorian Certificate of Education's Year 11 Legal Studies study design - Unit 1 - Criminal Law and Civil Law. The second key issue is to explore the extent to which any change in teacher practice is due to the new course and the manner in which it was implemented. For this study I have used a case study approach with a series of cross-case techniques when analysing the data. Three cases were selected for study. Several different methods of data collection were employed. Specifically, external observation, systematic interviewing, collection and analysis of documents and checklists were used on a regular basis. To develop the cross-case synthesis I adopted cross-site analysis techniques as suggested by Miles and Huberman (1984) in their text Qualitative Data Analysis: A Sourcebook of New Methods. In order to plan this study, an overview of some of the key writings in this area was undertaken. Specifically, key writings on implementation and the process of implementation in relation to teacher practice were reviewed. This process is explored through the examination of several theories and models on implementation. How teachers perceive a change to existing curriculum programmes and the extent to which that curriculum leads to a modification in teacher practice is examined in detail. Particular attention is paid to the range of variables and interventions that can lead to a modification in teacher practice. The major findings and conclusions drawn from this study indicate that the teachers' pedagogical judgments, plans and decisions reflected a reasonably narrow collection of educational goals. These goals were shaped, in the main, by the realities of their classroom environments. The teachers prioritised most matters on a cost benefit ratio. This was particularly evident in relation to the intervention strategies. They also underwent a period of uncertainty about the change which compounded their reluctance to move away from established classroom practice and adopt certain teaching techniques that complemented the flexible nature of the study design. Decisions regarding teacher practice, therefore, were orientated around 'tried and true' techniques that met a number of preconditions. Specifically the need to balance the competing academic needs and interests of their students; student willingness to cooperate and feel comfortable with the teaching style adopted; perceptions of what the new content and assessment offerings required, and the limitations of time dominated their decision-making process. The end result was a general reluctance to discard established methods of teacher practice given these classroom 'realities'. The major findings, therefore, indicate that an educational change in terms of a modification to teacher practice was difficult to achieve.
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ItemSearching for a fair assessment( 1995)The full implementation of the VCE in 1992 represented significant changes to senior secondary schooling in Victoria. These changes were strikingly evident in the new assessment methods and procedures of the Art test CAT. The difference between the HSC Art Appreciation examination process and the 1992 VCE Art test CAT assessment was more than a difference in practices and methods. The ideological foundations of the two examination systems were vastly different. The HSC system served to rank students so that universities could select the best candidates. The BOS promoted the VCE as more 'equitable', 'accountable' and 'inclusive 'than the HSC. These concepts derived from the recommendations of the Blackburn Report (1985) which advocated major reform of the senior curricula and assessment. I interviewed five experienced Art Appreciation examiners in order to acquire a perspective of the two examination systems during' a time of change (1987-92) and ultimately focused upon the fairness values that were evident in the examination process. I compared published policy statements regarding fairness and equity with the examination practices that the five examiners described and analysed during our interviews. The theories of Foucault and Bourdieu enabled me to understand that examinations are part of a systematic social selection process. How can 'fairness' be defined and embodied in examination practices if examinations inherently represent a form of social power? Bourdieu and Foucault nourished this type of reflection. The Blackburn Report, the views of the five examiners and the social theories of Foucault and Bourdieu led me to consider the Art test CAT (1992) as a representation of the equity values that were defended by the BOS. Fullan's theories revealed that disorder usually accompanies educational change and added -another dimension to this investigation of 'fairness and justice' in the Art Appreciation examination (1987-92). In addition, this research study evaluates the practice of the BOS policy regarding equity and fairness, as evident in the VCE Art test CAT assessment process (1992), because the Board promoted the view that the VCE would provide greater equity and fairness to all Victorian students than the HSC.