Melbourne Graduate School of Education - Theses

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    The Internet of Toys: Exploring multimodal learning in the lifeworlds of young children
    Ling, Li ( 2023-09)
    Young children are growing up with an array of playthings including those in the category of the Internet of Toys (IoToys). They are not only playing with certain Internet-connected items that are manufactured to be children’s toys, but also turning many Internet of Things (IoT) devices, such as smartphones and tablets, into their playthings. To provide a clear and comprehensive interpretation of what the IoToys might be, and to enable future research on the IoToys to be conducted in a systematic and holistic way, a new conceptualisation of the Internet of Toys is proposed in this work. Based on this novel conceptualisation, an online survey and five case studies were conducted following a convergent mixed methods design, in order to explore young children’s play practices with their IoToys in the home settings and to determine any associated influences on children’s play and learning. Additionally, some elements influencing young children’s play choices with the IoToys were investigated. A total of 730 Chinese parents/caregivers from four different schools participated in the survey. Descriptive analyses and correlational analyses were conducted to analyse the survey data. Five families with six children participated in the case studies. Each participant family was visited on five to eight occasions, with interviews and observations being conducted over a period of four months. Thematic analysis was then employed to analyse the data generated from the case studies. The findings from this research reveal that the IoToys items, with their range of activities, were very popular among young children. Because of the ubiquitous nature of the IoT devices, a majority of the children started to play with the IoToys at a young age. The qualitative data suggested several similarities among the children’s play practices with the IoToys, and demonstrated that the children could acquire varied knowledge from their free play with their IoToys. What the children may learn from their IoToys play was largely determined by the specific content of the play activities conducted (e.g., games and cartoons) rather than the devices themselves. The survey explored whether there existed a relationship between the IoToys play at home and academic performance at school. The data from the case studies and those from the survey together showed some elements that may influence children’s play practices with their IoToys, such as their parents’ mediation strategies and attitudes, and the parents’ own IoToys play habits. Several challenges associated with the children’s IoToys play were revealed, such as a consideration of what is now regarded as being age-inappropriate content in social media. The findings have important implications for future research and make a significant contribution to the current debates in the research literature about digital play. Finally, valuable suggestions for families about IoToys possibilities and for the toy industry about design can also be obtained.
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    Motivations, expectations and experiences of international students from the People’s Republic of China studying in Australian secondary schools
    Lindner, Karen Jayne ( 2018)
    International students in the schools sector are a particularly vulnerable group, due to their age and status as unaccompanied minors. It is vital that these students are understood, in order to cater for their unique needs. Using an exploratory mixed-methods approach, this qualitative study examined the motivations, expectations and experiences of international students from the People’s Republic of China studying in Australian secondary schools. Data were collected in two phases from 116 international students, 25 parents, 10 teachers and three homestay providers using questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, and descriptive analyses employed. Six key findings were identified that suggest overall satisfaction with the experience of studying in Australia across most areas. School to school connections are increasingly influencing students in their choice of study abroad, while education agents and family/friends remain a commonly accessed source of information for international students, despite some concern over the reliability of this information. The choice to study in the Australian secondary school sector is driven more by lifestyle reasons, including preparation for living and working globally, than dissatisfaction with the educational opportunities available in China, although learning outcomes are considered greater in Australia due to an emphasis on the application of information and skill development. International students both expect and experience increased independence in Australia, but significant tensions exist in balancing this independence with guardianship requirements. Discrepancies between experiences and expectations were found in two areas: English language development is a key concern that persists longer than expected into the period of study in Australia, and international students from China are seeking more opportunities to form relationships with Australian peers.  To reduce dissonance between expectations and experiences of studying in Australia, it is recommended that Australian schools work with both international and domestic students to provide authentic opportunities to build relationships; that substantial English language support is offered for international students in Australian secondary schools; that Australian curriculum and pedagogical practices are reviewed; that parents are provided with ongoing information during the study experience; and that accurate pre-departure information is provided including, in particular, guardianship requirements.
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    Acting with care: how actor practice is shaped by creating theatre with and for children
    Andersen, Jennifer ( 2017)
    Research has investigated the backgrounds, dispositions and skills of artists working with children in both school and in out-of-school contexts (Ascenso, 2016; Brown, 2014; Galton, 2008; Jeanneret & Brown, 2013; Pringle, 2002; Pringle, 2009; Rabkin, Reynolds, Hedberg, & Shelby, 2008; Waldorf, 2002). Actors make a significant contribution to this work but few studies focus in depth on how they create theatre with and for children. Incorporating constructivist, phenomenological (Van Manen, 1990) and case study methodologies, this research investigates the practice of nine actors who create theatre with and for children in diverse contexts. Drawing on document analysis, surveys, semi-structured interviews and performance observations, the research explores two key questions: What characterises the practice of actors who create theatre with and for children? and How is actor practice shaped by working with children? This thesis explores actor practice in relation to being, doing, knowing and becoming (Ewing & Smith, 2001). Shaped to be outward facing and ‘pedagogically tactful’ (Van Manen, 2015), actor practice gives emphasis to four key qualities: listening, reciprocating, imagining and empathising. When creating theatre with and for children, pedagogically tactful actors are guided by a sense of care and respect. This thesis adds to the discourse about artists working with children, making actor practice visible and drawing attention to their beliefs, goals, motivations and acting techniques.
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    Shaping futures, shaping lives: an investigation into the lived experience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in Australian boarding schools
    O'Bryan, Margaret (Marnie) ( 2016)
    The role of boarding schools in helping to overcome education disadvantage for First Australian young people has received increasing attention, and funding, from government, the media, and private sector investors in recent years. Notwithstanding policy approaches encouraging, and for some populations even mandating, that students leave home to attend boarding school, little research has sought to understand how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students experience ‘mainstream’ boarding school and what impact it has on later life outcomes for them, their families and communities. It is well understood that a wide range of social factors, ranging from the macro-social to the individual, influence the health of populations generally, and Indigenous populations specifically (Saggers 2007, Anderson 2007). Education attainment levels are recognised as one of the social determinants of Indigenous health (Dunbar 2007). By contrast, in education policy, scant regard is paid to the social factors that underpin education engagement and success for First Australian students in predominantly non Indigenous schools. This thesis uses a narrative, multiple case study method to examine the experience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students in Australian boarding schools, and in their post school years. In all, seventy-four interviews were conducted, across every state and territory except Tasmania. These include interviews or focus group discussions with alumni of boarding schools (35); parents or community members (27); and school leaders or staff in boarding schools (12). Interview data were analysed to identify what participants sought to achieve through boarding school; what constrained or enabled positive outcomes; and what were the actual outcomes achieved by alumni in the short, medium and, in some cases, long terms. This research presents the most comprehensive evidence to date on the lived experience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people in Australian boarding schools. It establishes that as well as being determinants of health, racism, trauma, and social connectedness were also fundamentally important to education success for participants in this study. Data presented here indicate that when schools engaged authentically and proactively with these issues they assisted these young people to maximise the benefits they derived from education. Findings challenge the narrow and exclusively empirical measures currently used to define education ‘success’. Whereas schools and scholarship providers focus on preparing students to fit into school systems, research findings indicate that more critical attention should be paid to the systems themselves.
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    Post: 9/11: hidden pedagogy: the positional forces of pedagogy in Victoria, Australia
    Thomas, Matthew Krehl Edward ( 2015)
    This qualitative study charts the lived narratives of twelve participants, six teachers and six students from urban and rural Victoria, Australia. The study examines in detail the question ‘How do teachers teach, post 9/11?’. 9/11 has become accepted shorthand for September 11th 2001, in which terrorist attacks took place in the United States of America. The attacks heralded a ‘post- 9/11 world, [in which] threats are defined more by the fault lines within societies than by the territorial boundaries between them’ (National Commission on Terrorist Attacks, 2011, p. 361). The study is embedded in the values that have come to the fore in the wake of the 9/11 attacks and the ideological shifts that have occurred globally. These values and ideologies are reflected via issues of culture and consumption. In education this is particularly visible through pedagogy. The research employs a multimethodological (Esteban-Guitart, 2012) form of inquiry through the use of bricolage (Kincheloe & Berry, 2004) which is comprised at the intersectional points of critical pedagogy (Kincheloe, 2008b), public pedagogy (Sandlin, Schultz, & Burdick, 2010b) and cultural studies (Hall, Hobson, Lowe, & Willis, 1992). This study adopts a critical ontological perspective, and is grounded in qualitative research approaches (Lather & St. Pierre, 2013). The methods of photo elicitation, artefact analysis, video observation and semi-structured interviews are used to critically examine the ways in which teacher and student identities are shaped by the pedagogies of contemporary schooling, and how they form common sense understandings of the world and themselves, charting possibilities between accepted common sense beliefs and 21st century neoliberal capitalism. The research is presented through a prototypical form of literary journalism and intertextuality which examines the interrelationship between teaching and social worlds exposing the hidden influence of enculturation and addressing the question ‘How do teachers teach, post 9/11?’
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    Good digital video practices for novice education researchers
    SHRIMPTON, BRADLEY ( 2015)
    This thesis explores good practices for using digital video as a data collection technique in qualitative school-based research, with a specific focus on practices that can guide the use of video by novice and postgraduate researchers. Interest in using video in education research has become wide-spread in recent years following major technological advances, and increased consumer demand that have resulted in dramatic improvements in recording quality, simplification of video recording and editing processes, and reduced equipment costs. Although the literature concerning uses of video in school-based research is growing, consolidated practicable advice for neophyte researchers regarding good procedural choices, key decision points and appropriate steps when using video in school settings has yet to emerge fully. To identify effective digital video practices for novice researchers, a rigorous and systematic study was undertaken using a Delphi process, a knowledge building and consensus technique. In the first stage of the Delphi activity, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 25 researchers with expertise in using video in education research. These interviews produced more than 250 suggestions of effective digital video research practices. Using survey techniques, in stage two and three of the Delphi the experts then rated these suggestions twice, which produced a final consensus list of 158 good practice recommendations. The recommendations underline that using video requires the same degree of attention to practical, procedural, ethical and philosophical issues as other approaches to data collection. Moreover, the Delphi experts particularly emphasized that novice researchers should: • be methodological in the choice and use of video; • understand that quality audio-visual data is contingent on attending to technical and procedural aspects of video-data construction; • value the significance of respect and rapport in video research for building trusting relationships and achieving trustworthy data; • appreciate the obtrusive nature of video, and be reflexively aware of the mediating role of the researcher and technology in video-based studies; and • take a rigorous but also empathic and caring approach to ethical dimensions of video-based education research. The good practice suggestions cover an extensive range of topics including (but not limited to) considerations when choosing to use video, steps associated with project planning and preparation, actions when gathering digital recordings in the field, matters concerning data management and analysis, ways of enhancing the trustworthiness of video-based research, and good practices when reporting results from digital video studies. Moreover, these appear to be among the few consolidated sets of recommendations for neophyte researchers regarding how high standards of video-based research in school settings can be achieved. Nonetheless, there is scope for the practices to be elaborated and improved, and so recommendations are provided for further research to enhance the comprehensiveness, comprehension and applicability of the video good practice suggestions.
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    New femininities: young women, education and employment
    Crofts, Jessica Ann ( 2015)
    It is commonly argued that young women in Australia today have reached equal status with their male peers, particularly in the education realm. Representations of women’s equality in the mainstream media is summarised in images of ‘can-do’ ‘top girls’ with high levels of education and successful careers. However, despite the apparent educational success of young women, the labour market and workplace remain remarkably impervious to change along gender lines. The aim of this research is to explore young women’s experiences of the education and labour systems in terms of how social conditions affect young women’s identities and understandings of gender inequality within a post-feminist framework. This thesis addresses these developments through a feminist analysis of the structural and subjective contradictions in young women’s discourse and everyday practices. The thesis borrows conceptually from the field of sociology of youth, particularly the ideas of individualisation and social generations to understand young women’s lives. This is a mixed-methods research project using surveys and semi-structured interviews with young women in their early and mid-twenties. The data presented in this thesis demonstrates how gender is experienced, enacted and embodied in the lives of young women, frequently in ways that are competing and contradictory. It explores the complications of subject formation and what it means to be a ‘young woman’ in neoliberal, post-feminist, late modern times.
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    Quality talk interactions in preschools
    PATTON, DEREK ( 2014)
    Teacher-child interactions in early childhood education settings can have a strong influence on children’s emerging literacy and language abilities which are essential for life-long learning and productive engagement in society. In this study, teacher-child quality talk interactions were examined from videos of three different teacher-led literacy activities in 23 preschool rooms in the children’s year before primary school - rooms selected for the preschools’ excellent reputation. A socio-cultural approach focusing on children learning to think is followed throughout. Specifically, participation by turns during episodes of Sustained Shared Thinking (SST) (Siraj-Blatchford et al., 2003) and complexity of talk in terms of Mean Length of Utterance (MLU) and Type Token Ration (TTR) were compared to ordinary talk. Teachers’ use of questions, acknowledgments, Gricean maxims and leadership of child concept development, or blending, were also counted. Based on these measures, six quality indicators were selected, averaged and used to rank rooms for further comparisons. Coded transcripts were subjected to a quantitatively dominant mixed methods analysis which found significant relationships within and between classes. Children’s MLU and TTR increased in SST talk, whereas teachers ranked higher tended to decrease their complexity of language while using a higher ratio of words in relation to the children, especially at the start of SSTs. Other indications of intentionality led to the conclusion that teachers higher on the overall ranking were more systematically purposeful in adjusting their goals, activities, and language than those of lower ranking. Quality talk in three distinct patterns emerged from among these same top ranked teachers. The approach used by the majority of teachers had high numbers of open questions and blends and was termed “Expansive” to capture the dialogic process and goal of concept development. A clearly defined minority approach using high numbers of closed questions and Gricean maxims was termed “Focusing” to capture the dialogic process and goal of refining the clarity of thinking encapsulated at the level of the utterance. A third approach did both, but with low levels of acknowledgements. The usefulness of distinguishing and gaining further understanding of these approaches for measuring and improving teacher-child talk interactions is discussed.
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    Storyboard: primary school students designing and making explanatory animations
    JACOBS, BRENDAN ( 2014)
    This practitioner action research project involved eight students from an inner Melbourne Primary School who created explanatory animations in 2011. Third generation activity theory was used in this study as a methodological lens to examine the explanatory animation process at various stages as both a tool and an object. The explanatory animation creation task was initially the object of activity but as reflexive practice, the project itself became the unit of analysis. My claim here is that the children’s mental models, as depicted through the animation key frames, functioned as both flexible models and diagnostic tools. Vygotsky and Sakharov's dual stimulation method was used as a theoretical framework to conduct the current study due to the close unity between conceptual tasks and their resolution. The dual stimulation method requires that “the subject must be faced with a task that can only be resolved through the formation of concepts” (Vygotsky, 1987, p. 124). Vygotsky explained the nature of this link by stating that “the path through which the task is resolved in the experiment corresponds with the actual process of concept formation” (ibid, p. 128). This research provides a chronology of the children's conceptual consolidation by providing a tangible insight into the children's evolving mental models.
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    The alignment of valued performance types in assessment practices and curriculum in year 5 mathematics and science classrooms
    ZIEBELL, NATASHA ( 2014)
    Curricular alignment can be defined as the degree to which the performance types valued in curriculum statements (intended curriculum), instruction (enacted curriculum) and assessment (assessed curriculum) at all levels form a coherent system. This thesis reports on six key performance type categories that were used to examine the alignment of assessment practices with the intended and enacted curriculum. The six categories are knowing, performing, communicating, reasoning, non-routine problem solving and making connections. The research was undertaken as a comparative case study of two science and two mathematics primary classrooms. The methods employed were video-recorded lessons and interviews, questionnaires, document analysis and classroom observations. This study sought to determine the scope of practice (variety of performance types) evident in mathematics and science classrooms by examining the vertical and horizontal alignment of performance types. The vertical alignment analysis determined the correspondence among valued performance types in assessments at different levels of the schooling system (national, state and school levels). The horizontal alignment analysis consisted of making comparisons of performance types between classrooms at the same level and across two domains; mathematics and science. Ultimately, the classroom implementation of assessment of the curriculum is the responsibility of the teacher, so it can be argued that those performance types valued in the classroom are determined by the teacher. However, the teacher will inevitably be influenced by factors beyond the classroom, such as the state mandated curriculum, school curriculum requirements and high stakes testing. The major assertion of this study is that if performance types are not evident in classroom practice, then they are not available for formative assessment purposes and should not be summatively assessed. The findings show that in mathematics, ‘knowing’ and ‘performing procedures’ are consistently privileged in the national assessment program and through school-‐based assessment practices. These performance types were dominant in the enacted and assessed curriculum at the classroom level. The science data analysis showed that the scope of practice in the science classrooms consisted of all six performance type categories; knowing, performing, communicating, reasoning, non-routine problem solving and making connections. The relative diversity of science performance types could reflect the nature of the science curriculum at the school level and the fact that it is not subjected to the same testing, monitoring and auditing process as the mathematics curriculum. This provides teachers with the autonomy to select activities more frequently on the basis of their investigative appeal. Mathematics and English are the two domains that are assessed through the national standardised testing program and tend to dominate the primary school curriculum. Another key finding is that different school structures influence who has authoring responsibilities for the intended curriculum. The responsibility given to authorship of internal and external curriculum documents and assessment has significant implications for classroom practice and assessment. It is a recommendation of this study that monitoring programs, such as the national assessment program, are carefully aligned with the performance types valued in curriculum standards. The authority afforded to the intended curriculum and assessment documents, such as standardised testing, can be a restricting factor in the performance types that are evident in classroom practice.