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 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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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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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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Item"I had tried everything, but there was nothing left in teaching for me": a small scale study of teacher resignation in Victoria: 1992-1995( 1995)The investigation set out to determine reasons for teacher resignation from the Directorate of School Education in the State of Victoria, Australia between 1992 and 1994. Specifically the study examined why 20 teachers resigned from a single secondary college in the outer western region of Melbourne. The teachers selected were highly competent as judged using criteria recently developed by the Standards Council of the Teaching Profession. Participants were interviewed and the data presented as individual causal maps. These were then analysed across the cases to discover generalisations. Of greatest concern to Victorian policy makers and administrators is the quality of the exit staff and the implications for Victorian education of the loss of such a talented and able group. Lack of mobility emerged as the most prominent factor influencing the resignation decision of the exit teachers. The second most important factor was found to be unmet expectations in teaching. Lack of career structure/opportunities was the third most important factor and lack of professional development the fourth most important factor. Peripheral factors which emerged from the research included changes following the change of government, lack of collegiality, school culture and individual achievement and unsupported post graduate study. It was found that the new career structure for Victorian teachers, the Professional Recognition Program provides some solutions for the factors affecting resignation among the group of exit teachers.