Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Catholic Boys’ Secondary Schools'
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Griffiths, William Robert, and res cand@acu edu au. "Parent Expectations of Catholic Secondary Education: A study over time in one particular school." Australian Catholic University. Department of Educational Leadership, 1998. http://dlibrary.acu.edu.au/digitaltheses/public/adt-acuvp206.10082009.
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This thesis explores the expectations that parents had of a particular Catholic secondary school for boys during the first half of the 1990s. By exploring in some detail the expectations of one group of parents whose children attended one particular Catholic secondary school in suburban Adelaide (South Australia), the research illuminates the larger issue of the changing nature of parent expectations of Catholic secondary schooling, and how these expectations were being shaped in the last decade of the twentieth century. The social, educational and ecclesial context within which Catholic secondary education operates has altered in the three decades following the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965). The literature reviewed in this thesis indicates that parent expectations of Catholic secondary education in the 1990s were increasingly shaped by a complex variety of factors beyond traditional religious or denominational loyalty. The post-1973 organisational and administrative structures established for the delivery and development of Catholic schooling in Australia reset the centralisation/decentralisation balance. These changes in administrative centre of gravity have of themselves created a climate in which a greater range of parent expectations is evident. This research used an established questionnaire to gather data from parents about their expectations of the school as their sons entered the first year of secondary schooling. The same parents were then surveyed four years later to gauge the extent to which they believed the school had met their expectations. Exploratory analyses were conducted to investigate if there were significant statistical differences in parent expectations, or in parent perceptions of the school's meeting their expectations, that were due to different parent characteristics. In particular, the research investigated whether parent gender, religion, religious practice, level of education, or length of parent association with the school played a significant role in parent expectations. A further important research aim was to investigate the statistical properties of the research questionnaire, first used to explore parent expectations of Catholic secondary education in the early 1980s, and to suggest appropriate changes to the way in which the items and scales of the questionnaire were constructed. Eight of the nine scales of the research instrument, whether used in the first round of the survey (as the student entered Year 8, and parents were asked what their expectations were in anticipation of their child's Catholic secondary education) or the second round (as the student entered Year 12, and parents were asked to indicate the degree to which the school had met their expectations) were found to be reliable. The results from the research reported in this thesis indicate that the parents believed that the school in large measure met their expectations. The results also demonstrate that, for these parents, there was no significant relationship between their expectations of the school and the sample characteristics of parent religion, gender, or level of education. Only two parent characteristics were found to demonstrate a significant relationship with parent expectations as measured by the questionnaire scales: the frequency of parent religious practice (as measured by reported church attendance) and whether the parents had earlier enrolled their sons in the primary section of the school. A more finely-nuanced examination of the data indicated that parent religion and parent gender may indeed have an influence on parent expectations of the school, but that the influence of these parent characteristics on parent expectations of the school are mediated by the degree to which the parents practice their religion. This research appears to confirm that parent expectations of Catholic secondary schooling are not a simple function of parent religion. The research indicates that parents, whether Catholic or not, whether practising church goers or not, tend to share a reasonably coherent view of what a Catholic secondary education should include, and of what constitutes a
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Price, Damien Faust, and res cand@acu edu au. "An Exploration of Participant Experience of the Service Learning Program at an Australian Catholic Boys’ Secondary School." Australian Catholic University. School of Educational Leadership, 2008. http://dlibrary.acu.edu.au/digitaltheses/public/adt-acuvp192.04032009.
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This research explores participant experience of the Service Learning Program in the context of an Australian Catholic Boys’ Secondary School. The research aims to explore what is happening as adolescent participants engage in working and relating with homeless people over an extended period of time. What are they learning? What sense or meaning are they making of their experiences, and are they deepening their value and belief system towards existential change? Service Learning is a curriculum initiative that Australian Secondary Schools are implementing to assist in the development of both the ethos of schools and in attempts to meet the needs of Twenty-first Century youth for a relevant education. While the benefits for participants in Service Learning are well documented, the effects upon recipients of the services provided, and whether the benefits for participants are the result of prior learning, family factors, or predispositions to this type of experiential learning, remain unclear. While Service Learning Programs are proving to be increasingly popular for school administrators, there appears to be a lack of clear models for Service Learning, its links to academic curriculum, or clearly articulated goals to assess success and achievement. A real danger of an adhoc approach to Service Learning in schools exists. The discussion of benefits to participants has not clearly identified links between program elements and hoped for benefits, nor has it examined the process or journey that participants have engaged in. Critical reflection on these issues has informed the purpose of this research and helped to shape the following research questions that focus the conduct of the study: Research Question One What features of the Service Learning Program at Holy Family College impact on participant experience? Research Question Two What changes are there in the meanings participants give to their experiences in the Service Learning Program over time? Research Question Three How do participants perceive their Service Learning experience in terms of their personal world view and the world view promoted by the school? The theoretical framework for this study was that of Constructionism as the criteria for judging that neither ‘reality’ nor ‘validity’ are absolute; rather they are derived from community consensus of what is ‘real’, what is useful, and what has meaning. In exploring participants’ experience as they served and related with homeless people ‘reality’, ‘usefulness’ and ‘meaning’ were derived from the student’s reflection upon their experience and their communal dialogue. Hence this study used Symbolic Interactionism as the perspective to explore experience. An interpretive approach was utilised, as humans interpret their environment, evaluate beliefs in terms of their usefulness in situations, select what they notice in every situation and focus on human action and interaction. A case study approach was used as it acknowledged the unique setting of a ‘van site’ for homeless people. Using personal journaling and focus groups data was collected from fifty-three Year 11 students who had volunteered to participate on the van for a period of six months. All fifty-three participants in the Service Learning Program experienced particular phases regardless of prior service experience, variables linked to family or personality type. These phases were: Expectations, Exposure, Reframing, Disillusionment, Awareness and Agency. This study concluded that within these phases, participant experience was influenced by the length of time of the program, the presence of active mentors facilitating the experience, ongoing reflection upon experience and situating the experience in a clear ideological framework. While each participant experienced the phases mentioned above no two students derived the same meaning or level of meaning from their experiences. The research concluded that each participant will exit a Service Learning Program with varying levels of internalisation of the core values of the program. Some will exit with a surface appreciation of what the program was about; others deeper, others tacit; some will arrive at a point of existential change. While acknowledging the influence of family and personality factors in this journey, this research shows that the presence of active mentors, reflection upon experience, a clear ideological framework and a significant length of time to allow for the maturation of both reflection and experience will move participants further along towards existential change than would otherwise have occurred. A model; the Spiral Model of Service Learning is proposed to support these findings.
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Winslow, Mary Ann. "Where the boys are: The educational aspirations and future expectations of working class girls in an all-female high school." Diss., The University of Arizona, 1995. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/187399.
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The purpose of this study was to ascertain the educational aspirations and future expectations of working class youth in an all-female Catholic high school. The ethnographic methods of primarily interviews and participant observation were used to discover the plans and the decision processes of approximately 21% of the senior class. Sixty girls were interviewed four weeks before graduation, as well as 20 teachers and administrators. Almost 100% of the sample (59) planned to attend college the following fall. While most institutions were competitive, only one planned to attend a most competitive, most selective institution, although several met the admissions requirements to do so. One-fourth of the sample planned to attend community colleges. The institution helped to facilitate the process of college entrance. However, many of the girls' decisions were determined before high school, and most were influenced by family members, most of whom had never attended a finished college. It was observed and reported by the girls that the all-female environment enhanced their educational experiences.
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White, Greer, and res cand@acu edu au. "A Call for a Level Playing Field A Study of Masculinity 1999–2000." Australian Catholic University. School of Educational Leadership, 2004. http://dlibrary.acu.edu.au/digitaltheses/public/adt-acuvp61.29082005.
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The impetus of this study was a concern for the education and general welfare of boys. The interest in boys’ education has grown notably over the past ten years. This interest is evident in media reports, popular psychology texts, education reports and scholarly writing. Academic research on boys’ experience of education is less prolific although it does include studies conducted by Australian and international researchers. Central to this commentary on boys’ education is the concept of masculinity. Here there is a strong claim that boys’ academic performance and behaviour is influenced by the way they construct and live out masculine expressions. This research study is situated in a Catholic secondary school for boys (referred to as the College) and seeks to illumine the school experiences of students at the school. As school Counsellor I noted that some boys were displaying a lack of motivation for learning, resisted independent thinking and seemed to be opposed to authority. These characteristics, in turn, contributed to diminished academic performance and troublesome classroom behaviour. This observation raised issues in respect to the boys’ perceptions of masculinity and the various expressions of masculinity within the school. An analysis of historical and contemporary documents identified a mismatch between the stated vision and mission of the school and the structural organization it creates. This mismatch pointed to a critical gap between the stated purpose of its education and the social reality of boys’ educational experience. This critical gap was particularly evident in the school’s commitment to educating boys within a social justice framework. It seemed that investigation into the gender regime of the school and the implications this has for students was warranted. A review of literature in respect to the concept of masculinity and boys’ education served to further clarify the research problem and the purpose of this study. This review identified the various contemporary understandings of masculinity. It also explored the current debate about what is happening to boys in education and provided an outline of particular elements of the social constructionist’s understanding of collective masculinity expressions within a school setting. Commentary on how a school can configure its particular gender regime was of particular interest to this study. This review identified three research questions to guide this study. These questions are: Research Question 1: How do the students of the College understand masculinity? Research Question 2: What is the College’s gender regime? Research Question 3: What are the implications for students of the College’s gender regime? This research study was informed by a pragmatic understanding of the epistemology of constructivism and the principles associated with the theoretical framework of symbolic interactionism. A two-stage research design of exploration and inspection was employed to aid data collection, analysis and interpretation. In the exploratory stage data was collected through a questionnaire to 255 of the 301 Year 12 cohort. These data were analysed using both quantitative and qualitative methods and the results gave direction to the type of data needed in the second stage of the study, the stage of inspection. In the stage of inspection, data were obtained through two processes, one-to-one interviews and focus group discussions. An analysis of data collected in the second stage of the study led to the identification of a number of key findings in the way boys understand masculinity and the school has organized its gender regime. These findings highlight the domination of playing sport and the subordination and marginalization of other masculine expressions. They also give evidence of the existence of a critical gap between the school’s stated purpose based on Christian values, justice, holistic development, respect for the dignity of the individual, human striving and so on, and the reality it produces. The study concludes by outlining a number of recommendations that suggest themselves for the future development of the College. It recommends that the school introduce a gender education programme for students, review the gender regime that supports playing sport as the dominant masculine expression, and provide structures and opportunity for other masculine expressions to find approval and acceptance. Finally it is recommended that the vision that the school holds for the education of boys and its structural organization be open to scrutiny and exploration in order that what the school holds to be most important in the education of boys will be intentionally pursued.
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McEachern, Kirstin Pesola. "Building a brotherhood?: A teacher researcher's study of gender construction at an all-boys Catholic secondary school." Thesis, Boston College, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/2345/3827.
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Thesis advisor: Marilyn Cochran-SmithDespite renewed interest in single-sex education, these classrooms remain relatively unstudied, even in Catholic schools, which have a long history of single-sex education. Although there are over 460 single-gendered, Catholic K-12 schools in the United States, which educate roughly 215,000 students (McDonald and Schultz, 2011), these schools are often ignored in educational research. Practitioner research in this area is almost nonexistent, yet it can generate and disseminate insider knowledge that directly improves the educational sites from which it emerges. For the past 11 years, I have taught English at "St. Albert's Preparatory School," an all-boys suburban secondary school serving over 1,100 students in the Northeast. The school regularly speaks of fostering a brotherhood among the students, and I see evidence of this on a daily basis. However, St. Albert's has not always been an easy place to work. My own experience is consistent with research studies that have found all-boys schools to be more sexist environments than all-girls schools (Lee, Marks, and Byrd, 1994) where students generally afford their female teachers less respect than their male teachers (Keddie, 2007; Keddie and Mills, 2007; Robinson, 2000). Based on my experiences as a female teacher at this school, I conducted a teacher research study on how my students and I constructed gender in the context of our English classroom. Drawing on a wealth of qualitative data sources, this study builds three main arguments: the school community built a brotherhood in part by engaging in silence and othering; the all-boys environment acted as a double-edged sword in that it contributed to a comfortable setting for the students to explore gender issues, but it also encouraged the students to shed their unique, multi-faceted masculinities and enact hegemonic gendered behavior that perpetuated an unjust order; and though I was well versed in issues of gender equity, I, too, was affected by the all-boys classroom space and contributed to the hegemonic gender order at the school
Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2014
Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education
Discipline: Teacher Education, Special Education, Curriculum and Instruction
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McGoran, Neil Alexander, and res cand@acu edu au. "Making “Magic”: an exploration of the relationship between teacher leadership and boys’ academic motivation in the Year 8 classroom at a Catholic school." Australian Catholic University. School of Educational Leadership, 2005. http://dlibrary.acu.edu.au/digitaltheses/public/adt-acuvp85.09042006.
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This research explored the understandings and perceptions of teacher leadership in the Year 8 classroom, as expressed by teachers and students at a Catholic school, and the relationship between this leadership and boys’ academic motivation. The researcher assumed that the classroom is an organisation (Cheng, 1994) where all teachers, perhaps even unknowingly (Crowther, 1996), exercise leadership and, furthermore, that this leadership results in positively influencing boys’ willingness to learn. The research was targeted at Year 8, the first year of high school in South Australia, because academic motivation is considered most problematic during and after transition into high school (Maehr & Midgley, 1991). The research was interpretivist, with symbolic interactionism as the theoretical perspective. The methodology adopted was case study, and data were collected using: a) Focus group interviews with eight members of the Year 8 ‘core’ teaching team on issues pertaining to teacher leadership in the classroom and how this positively influences boys’ academic motivation. b) A survey questionnaire about academic motivation, distributed to thirty-nine specially identified Year 8 students. c) Interviews with five key Year 8 student informants about teacher leadership and its impact on boys’ academic motivation. Data were analysed using a “general analytic strategy” (Yin, 1994, p.102), which included the adoption of a method of “successive approximation” (Neumann, 1997, p.427). Five categories of teacher leadership in the Year 8 classroom were identified: service; authenticity; transformation; empowerment; and community. The research also established that each category involves an array of qualities that help teacher leaders strengthen relationships in the classroom, and a set of actions that enable teacher leaders to help boys complete classroom tasks. Further, results indicate that by strengthening relationships and supporting boys to complete tasks, teacher leaders positively influence boys’ academic motivation. In addition, the research presents a framework for understanding and discussing the relationship between teacher leadership and boys’ academic motivation. This framework draws attention to the relational qualities and task specific strategies in each category of classroom leadership that positively influence boys’ academic motivation.
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Abakah, George Gustarve Kwesi. "Boys' perspectives of peer-bullying in Ghanaian secondary schools." Thesis, University of Edinburgh, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/1842/19532.
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This research explores boys’ perspectives on peer ‘bullying’ in one Ghanaian secondary school. Since the 1970s, empirical studies on bullying in the UK (and other global north countries where the term bullying is commonly used) have received increasing attention (Sondergaard, 2012). This extensive body of work, which is often multidisciplinary, has examined bullying in schools and focused particularly on harassment and aggression amongst peers (Sercombe and Donnelly, 2012). To date however, no empirical studies on understanding bullying in schools in Ghana have been conducted. This exploratory qualitative study is positioned within a constructivist paradigm using a case study design. Twenty boys from one secondary school in Ghana were interviewed using one-to-one semi-structured interviews, which were supplemented by using a vignette (hypothetical scenario) in order to stimulate discussion among boys. In addition, group interviews, observations, school mapping exercises, and interviews with adults were conducted. Data was analysed using thematic analysis. The key findings of this research include the observation that while the boys engaged in interactions and competitive behaviours that have been readily associated with ‘bullying’ in other national settings such as the UK, boys who participated in this study did not use the term bullying (or any similar word) to describe such behaviour. Many of ‘bullying-like’ behaviours amongst the boys were not construed as negative; rather, they tended to be normalised and viewed as a ‘natural’ way in which children mature and grow up. They were also interpreted by boys as a way of gaining status which warranted little or no adult intervention. This study suggests that ‘bullying’ acts were not named or labelled as such because they happened in a friendly and generally supportive atmosphere, where the boys related to each other as members of a cohesive community. The boys coped with such ‘bullying’ behaviours by acting in ways defined as masculine, as expected in their socio-cultural (as well as institutional) context. It followed that those boys who did not play out the expected and quintessential masculine roles were disadvantaged in such interactions. The informal socio-cultural conventions of the current case study school dictated a hierarchical environment where boys (men) were placed on a socially advantageous platform that also expected them to be tough and to hide their vulnerabilities. The current study emphasizes the need to thoroughly examine the socio cultural setting when understanding the phenomenon of ‘bullying’ and related behaviours. This study’s approach, informed by symbolic interactionism (Goffman, 1959), has unveiled an alternative understanding of ‘bullying’ behaviours in the case study school which has some implications for understanding the phenomenon of bullying behaviour more generally in other national settings.
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Al-Afnan, Ali Abdullah. "The climate of secondary schools for boys in Saudi Arabia." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2000. https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.535525.
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This study sought to explore the current school climate in secondary schools for boys in Saudi Arabia. Its main focus was on factors relating to school climate, such as: interrelationships, school organisation and decision-making, school buildings and facilities, and school security. Questionnaire data were collect from a sample of teachers (n=400) and students (n= 1,860). Supporting data were collected from interviews with 20 headteachers and 35 teacher-supervisors. Teachers, students, headteachers and teacher-supervisors were found to be largely satisfied with the interrelationships in schools, although most agreed that these were rather formal, particularly those between students and teachers. Both headteachers and teacher-supervisors considered that the teacher-student relationship began and ended with the delivery of the syllabus. Teacher-student relationships were conditioned by an information transmission process, which gave students little or no opportunity to contribute. School operations were largely governed by regulations, handed down from the top, and which were seen as inviolable. A formal school administration style was dominant in secondary schools. Many factors associated with this style loomed large in the interviews with headteachers and teacher-supervisors. Such a traditional approach to administration, it is argued, hindered the creation of an effective school climate. Heavy teaching loads adversely affected teacher effectiveness and morale. The majority of teachers expressed dissatisfaction with their workload. In-service training was considered limited. However, neither teachers, headteachers, nor teacher-supervisors complained about their salaries. It was found that the physical conditions under which teachers taught limited their teaching strategies. Quite apart from class-sizes, facilities, such as reprographics and audio-visual aids, were either not available or insufficient. Headteachers and teacher-supervisors broadly agreed that newly built schools were well equipped, although this was not the case in the older ones. Standards of maintenance of buildings and equipment (especially air-conditioning) and cleaning were poor. Students complained about the quality of the school cafes, as well as toilets. There were few concerns about security and safety in school, although there was some carelessness on the part of students, and school property sometimes subject to vandalism. Chapters One to Three establish the context. Chapter One introduces the study. Chapter Two considers the Saudi Education System and secondary schools in particular. Chapter Three reviews literature on school climate. Chapter Four considers the research design, including theoretical and practical factors influencing the construction of the fieldwork. It also reports on instrumentation and sampling, and the conduct of the fieldwork and data analysis. Chapter Five presents the student and teacher questionnaire findings, Chapter Six the interview findings. Chapter Seven offers an interpretation of the findings, relating these to the research questions. A series of recommendations, addressed to the Saudi Ministry of Education among other parties, are presented in Chapter Eight, together with ideas for further related research.
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Balliett, Timothy R. Stevens Robert J. "Motivated by grace? exploring achievement motivation in catholic secondary schools /." [University Park, Pa.] : Pennsylvania State University, 2008. http://etda.libraries.psu.edu/theses/approved/WorldWideIndex/ETD-2559/index.html.
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Leung, Hin-ki Stella. "The teaching of English in Hong Kong secondary schools : a sociolinguistic approach /." Hong Kong : University of Hong Kong, 1998. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkuto/record.jsp?B20353844.
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Bradford, Wendy Ann. "Assessing and enhancing the experience of boys in secondary school." Thesis, University of Huddersfield, 1999. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.323775.
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Laffan, Carmel Therese, and res cand@acu edu au. "An Ethnographic Study of a Victorian Catholic Secondary School." Australian Catholic University. School of Religious Education, 2004. http://dlibrary.acu.edu.au/digitaltheses/public/adt-acuvp46.29082005.
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This thesis constitutes a study of a Catholic secondary school in the State of Victoria, Australia, in the year 2001. It addresses the issue of the nature and purpose of Catholic schools in situ, the focus of the research being an in-depth analytical description of the participant school. Consequently, the findings are of potential relevance to those interested in the issue of the nature and purpose of the Catholic school in situ from a general and holistic perspective. Specifically, given the concern of the research with the nature and purpose of a Catholic school in situ, two anticipated areas of focus for the study were identified. These were the defining features of the school, in relation to the concern of the study with the nature of the school, and the ends of the school, in relation to the concern of the study with the purpose of the school. The study was thus governed by 2 two-part general research questions. 1. What are the defining features of the school, and how are they maintained? 2. To what ends is the school oriented, and how is this orientation sustained? In the form of an ethnographic study, the research describes and interprets the participant school from the perspective of those who constitute the day-to-day community. The findings of the study are located within a contextual understanding involving historical and prescriptive perspectives for, and literature pertaining to, the contemporary Catholic school. Given the concern of the ethnography with the development, as opposed to the verification, of theory, data gathered from five major sources over the period of a school Section headings for the Introduction through to the References have necessarily been deleted for electronic presentation. Likewise, page numbers have necessarily been deleted for electronic presentation. year were focused and analysed, through the method of grounded theory, to arrive at the findings of the study. These five sources were participant-observation, in-depth interviews conducted with a number of the school personnel, observation of various school meetings, school documents, and a survey of the student body. The findings of the study, in their descriptive and analytical dimensions, are presented in four chapters. Specifically, these are presented in Chapters Five through to Eight, in relation to four main organising principles pertaining (a) to the description of the school, (b) to predominant perspectives on the school from within its day-to-day community, (c) to the prevailing characteristics upon which the perspectives of the day-today community turn, and (d) to the theoretical construct consequent upon the description, the predominant perspectives, and the prevailing characteristics. As with the descriptive aspect, to which the first two organising principles predominantly pertain, the interpretive dimension of the findings is largely undertaken in two chapters. The first of these chapters (i.e., Chapter Seven), pertaining to the delineation of the prevailing features evident within the perspectives of the day-to-day community, provides an interpretation of the descriptive findings in terms of an autocratic hegemony, a managerial administrative focus, and a bureaucratic organisational culture. Thus, this chapter signifies the primary analysis of the findings of the two previous chapters through completion of the descriptive dimension. The second of these chapters (i.e., Chapter Eight) places this preliminary analysis of the descriptive findings within a theoretical construct pertaining to concepts of disparity and congruity, opposition and compliance. The concepts of disparity and congruity relate to the school's adherence to ideological and primitive imperatives respectively. Those of opposition and compliance relate to the degrees of consonance, within the day-to-day community, in terms of assent to the prevailing order within the school. Consequently, it is to be observed that the elements of description and interpretation, essential to the in-depth analytical description demanded of the ethnographic methodological approach, decrease and increase, respectively, across these four chapters. Section headings for the Introduction through to the References have necessarily been deleted for electronic presentation. Likewise, page numbers have necessarily been deleted for electronic presentation. The study concluded that the nature and purpose of the school were consequent upon its prevailing autocratic hegemony, its pre-eminently managerial administrative focus, and its profoundly bureaucratic organisational culture. These interconnected elements of the school's practices, disparate from the ideological imperatives advocated for the Catholic school, were found to effect a latent opposition within the school community, principally in relation to the teaching personnel, masked by the overall compliance of the day-to-day community with the prevailing order.
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Al-Jabri, Nayyaf Rasheed. "Quality and efficiency of Saudi education: an investigation into boys' secondary schools." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2003. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.488447.
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This study was conducted to investigate the quality and efficiency of Saudi Education, using three approaches: (1) production function, (2) comparison of outliers and (3) cost analysis, drawing on quantitative and qualitative data collected through two field trips. The main line of inquiry, production function analysis, was based on quantitative data collected during the first field visit to 37 schools (one private urban school, 17 urban public schools and 19 rural public schools) affiliated to one education district, Medina. The outcome variable was student attainment in examinations of the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE). The sample students were drawn randomly from among the 12th graders in schools (one science-track class; and one arts-track class, if the arts track option was available in the school). Information about teachers, principals and schools was also collected by purposefully designed questionnaires. The second approach, comparison of outliers, was based mainly on qualitative data collected during the second field trip, through interviews with principals, teachers and students from six public schools out of the 37 schools. The value-added analysis of school effects on student attainment (i. e. the effect of attending a particular school after controlling for non-school influences statistically) showed these six schools to be either unusually successful (positive outliers, three schools) or unusually failing (negative outliers, three schools). In the third approach, cost analysis, the per-student cost was estimated and decomposed to its various components. A cost function was fitted, using multiple regression, with the per-student cost as a dependent variable. In the production function analysis, the non-school variables (e. g. parents' education, education of older siblings, attainment level at 9th grade, student age, grade repetition, study time at home, and days of absenteeism) were the main influences on attainment. School-related variables accounted for a smaller proportion of the variance in student attainment, but the overall school value-added effect (shown in quality differences between schools) was notably large. The findings from production function analysis and outlier comparisons suggested rural schools were inferior in quality. School management, mainly the principal, showed notable influence on quality. The physical conditions of the school buildings were better in the positive outliers, but they are influenced by the quality of principals. Good principals could also attract good teachers, and also positively influence teacher commitment and student motivation. Experience, training, concern with the education process, and leadership skills were attributes of the good principals. The existence of adequate management staff was also important. Deputy principals and student counsellors could also play influential roles. Teachers differed remarkably in quality (value-added effects), but the attributes of good teachers could not be identified. Inefficiency was prevalent in the school system, as indicated by the production function and cost analyses. Some of the resource variables (such as teacher experience and student-teacher ratio) showed negative or non-significant effect on attainment in the production function analysis. Indications of inefficiency, however, were clearer in cost analysis, and the student-teacher ratio was the main cause of inefficiency. Improvement recommendations were made in relation to the issues of. recruiting and rewarding teachers; management staffing in schools; improving the quality of rural schools; improving the quality of school buildings; and raising the student-teacher ratio.
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Morris, Andrew Bernard. "School ethos and academic productivity : the Catholic effect." Thesis, University of Warwick, 1996. http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/36338/.
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This thesis is a study of the comparative academic effectiveness of Catholic schools in England. It uses a combination of quantitative and qualitative approaches to investigate the hypothesis that, pupils who attend Catholic comprehensive schools will, all things being equal, achieve higher levels of academic attainment in GCSE examinations at the age of sixteen than similar pupils attending other maintained comprehensive schools. The study reviews the published findings of research in this field in England and the United States of America and reports previously unpublished analysis of the results of school inspections made under Section 9 of the Education Act 1992 by OFSTED. There has been very little empirical research into the academic effectiveness of Catholic schools in England. Findings that have been reported have arisen from studies which were focused on other issues and this facet of the results has not been investigated further. In contrast, in the USA there has been a significant quantity of large scale research indicating the academic superiority of schools in the Catholic sector. The research uses a simple form of multi-level modelling as the main analytical tool to compare the performance of pupils (n = 2335) attending eighteen comprehensive schools in a medium sized shire county. In addition, a case study approach is used to compare two different models of Catholic school in the sample to highlight factors which may contribute to their differing levels of academic productivity. The findings partly confirm previous research that has indicated the superiority of Catholic schools in England and extends understanding of the possible causes of that superiority. The study suggests areas for further research and possible applications of the findings for Church authorities and other providers of maintained schools.
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Fincham, David William. "Personal, social, health and citizenship education in Catholic secondary schools : stakeholders' views." Thesis, University of Surrey, 2003. http://epubs.surrey.ac.uk/2242/.
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Carroll, Michael John, and res cand@acu edu au. "An Investigation Into Students’ Perceptions of Multicultural Classroom Environments in Queensland Catholic Secondary Schools." Australian Catholic University. School of Education, 2006. http://dlibrary.acu.edu.au/digitaltheses/public/adt-acuvp119.25102006.
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Australia continues to become culturally diverse. This diversity is being witnessed in Catholic schools. This thesis reports research which employed quantitative data collection methods in investigating students’ perceptions of their multicultural classroom environment. By drawing on Catholic school literature, multicultural literature, previous learning environment research and the perceptions of stakeholders, an instrument, known as the Multicultural Classroom Environment Instrument (MCEI), was developed to assess psychosocial dimensions of classroom environments in Queensland Catholic secondary schools. These dimensions were: Collaboration, Competition, Teacher Authority, Teacher Support, Congruence, Deference, Teacher Directedness and Gender Equity. The use of the instrument with a sample of 1,460 students in 24 Catholic secondary schools in Queensland revealed some statistically significant differences in students’ perceptions of their classroom environment. Differences were revealed according to the country of birth of the student and those of the parents. Investigations examining school type, subject, year level and gender were also undertaken. Single-sex schools were shown to be more concerned with Teacher Authority and Competition compared to coeducational schools. Religion and Study of Religion classes were perceived as very similar, irrespective of school type. There were differences in students’ perception of the classroom environment across different year levels, with year 8 students’ perceptions significantly different to that of years 10 and 12 students. Girls generally perceived their classroom environment more positively than boys, with greater Collaboration, Teacher Support and Gender Equity and less Competition and Teacher Authority. The results of this thesis suggest that differences in students’ perceptions of multicultural classroom environments in Queensland Catholic secondary schools do exist. It also suggests that in order to continue to provide quality education, Catholic schools must acknowledge these differences. They must also ensure that curriculum initiatives, staff professional development and training, and other educational and pastoral initiatives are designed to incorporate the differences identified in this thesis. Further investigation into a variety of multicultural classroom environments is recommended.
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Roy, John J. "Catholic identity of primary and secondary schools in the United States in light of canon 803." Theological Research Exchange Network (TREN), 1998. http://www.tren.com.
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Dietrich, Lars. "Bullying in Schools| How School and Student Characteristics Predict Bullying Behaviors Among Boys in American Secondary Schools." Thesis, Brandeis Univ., The Heller School for Social Policy and Mgmt, 2016. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10010595.
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This dissertation argues that bullying is a fundamental response to bullies’ feelings of insecurity. Past research has found factors associated with bullying to include socioeconomic status and propensities towards violent behavior. Contextual factors posited here that produce the feelings of insecurity, which lead to bullying, include peer group dynamics, school climates, and teaching.
In relationship to peer groups, the theoretical framework of this dissertation draws primarily from the theories of Robert E. Crosnoe and Dorte M. Sondergaard. The assumption is that students are socially embedded in peer groups in which they struggle for social status (Crosnoe 2011) and in many cases experience the threat of social marginalization (Sondergaard 2012). Sondergaard, in particular, theorizes that the more insecure students feel about their social status in peer groups, the more likely they are to resort to bullying behavior.
All multivariate analyses in this dissertation are limited to white, black, and Latino boys. The resulting sample comprises N=6,491 student observations nested within 153 schools. The nested sampling structure requires multi-level modeling (MLM) for the calculation of unbiased estimates.
I find that individual-level student background characteristics are stronger predictors of bully identification than the school context, as measured by student body composition and teaching style factors. In addition, social status insecurity is a mediating factor for many of the student- and school-level predictors of bullying.
The dissertation distinguishes four types of schools, each of which is above or below average on two major dimensions. The first dimension is academic support (i.e., how caring and responsive teachers are), while the other is academic press (i.e., how strict and demanding they are).
I find that black male students are more likely to self-identify as bullies in schools that are below average on both academic support and academic press, compared to those that are above average on both. The pattern for Latino boys is different. For them, self-reported bullying is higher when the school rates high on academic support, but low on academic press.
I find no statistically significant role for teaching styles in predicting the amount of bully identification among white males.
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Mtumbuka, Martin Anwel. "An empirical study of Catholic secondary schools in Malawi : strengths, weaknesses and challenges." Thesis, University College London (University of London), 2003. http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/10020411/.
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Barclay, Daryl James, and res cand@acu edu au. "The Sound of Many Voices: investigating how principals view and influence massed singing in secondary boys’ schools." Australian Catholic University. Educational Leadership, 2008. http://dlibrary.acu.edu.au/digitaltheses/public/adt-acuvp226.13012010.
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This research focused on how three principals in Melbourne boys-only schools view and influence the place of massed singing within their respective school cultures. The views of the principals themselves and their own capacity for self-reflection were critical to the thesis. The study was underpinned by three theoretical propositions: principals, although not usually involved in the teaching of massed singing, nevertheless exert an influence on it; massed singing has a unique power to enhance the broader school culture; and, cultural assumptions about gendered participation in music-making can affect student attitudes towards massed singing. The review of literature highlighted three themes which informed the conceptual framework underpinning the research: organisational and educational leadership; the construct of masculinity in boys’ education and in leadership; and the nature and benefits of massed singing. Given the themes of the review, it seemed appropriate to undertake a study which would be essentially qualitative, interpretive, and based on indepth interviews with the key stakeholders. In the case of each of the three participating principals, data was collected from key documents produced by the schools, from a written questionnaire, and from a semistructured interview. The questionnaire was designed both to collect data and to raise participants’ consciousness prior to the interview. The questionnaire’s 17 questions, structured so as to address the three themes identified through the review of literature, were designed to create a flexible framework for an in-depth exploration of key issues in the context of the interview itself. Findings from the study indicated that there was a very strong belief amongst the participating principals that massed singing affects the overall culture of their schools in a range of profound and significant ways; that they themselves exercise a sponsorial or support role in relation to the singing programs in their schools, and rely on experts for the effective delivery of musical content; that traditional stereotypes of gender can be challenged and debunked through student participation in massed singing; and that their own personal histories of singing, and their favourable disposition towards it, are significant factors in how effectively they are able to promote and support it. The study findings have implications for school leaders and their boards; the teaching profession in general, and choral and vocal educators in particular; parents and the arts community; government education authorities and policy makers; and this researcher himself. Recommendations for further research have also emerged out of this study.
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McEvoy, Francis Joseph, and res cand@acu edu au. "How is Religious Leadership Understood and Practised by Principals in Catholic Secondary Schools in South Australia?" Australian Catholic University. School of Educational Leadership, 2006. http://dlibrary.acu.edu.au/digitaltheses/public/adt-acuvp125.25102006.
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This thesis explores the religious dimension of the role of the principal in the Catholic Secondary Schools of South Australia. The study is set in the context of a complex and changing environment. Society is becoming increasingly secular, and religious values are on the wane. The role of the principal has become progressively more encumbered by government regulation and policy and an increased level of accountability for a wide range of school outcomes, many of these outside the core purposes of the school (Fullan, 2003). In Catholic schools, the numbers of the professed religious men and women, traditionally the backbone of those schools, has declined dramatically in the last two decades and lay persons have taken over from members of religious congregations as principals in most Catholic Secondary Schools in South Australia This represents a paradigm shift in leadership in the Catholic schools. It has resulted in an increased focus from within both the Church and the Catholic Education System on the essential Catholic nature of those schools, and the role of the Principal in nurturing and managing this. The study found that principals had a deep sense of the importance of this dimension of their role, but that they felt a real need for more support and formation, especially in the scriptural and theological aspects of leadership. Most felt pressured by the ‘normal’ routine of principalship, and were looking for ways to ‘make time’ for reflection in order to better ground their actions and decisions in the core values of the schools, the System and the Church. As a result of this research, a series of recommendations are offered to Church and System authorities, to principals and to those aspiring to be principals in the Catholic Secondary Schools in South Australia. These relate to professional practice in such areas as defining the nature of the Catholic schools, and recognizing their particular charisms; developing leadership succession strategies and preparation courses for aspiring leaders; exploring alternative approaches to the principal selection process, and developing a mentoring program and professional support networks.
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De, Souza Marian, and res cand@acu edu au. "Students' and Teachers' Perceptions of Year 12 Religious Education Programs in Catholic Schools in Victoria: Implications for curriculum." Australian Catholic University. Department of Religious Education, 1999. http://dlibrary.acu.edu.au/digitaltheses/public/adt-acuvp201.02072009.
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This research study aimed to explore and describe students' and teachers' perceptions of religious education programs for Year 12 students in Catholic schools in Victoria in light of theoretical concepts of religious education. It sought to discover how appropriate these programs were in meeting the needs of today's students and achieving the aims of religious education for senior secondary students in Catholic schools in Victoria. The purpose was to propose guiding principles that could inform a review of Year 12 religious education curriculum in Catholic schools. There were two broad areas of investigation to this study: the theory and the practice of religious education in Catholic schools, with special attention given to the Year 12 programs. With the first area, there was an examination of religious education theory as revealed in the literature. This was concerned with the nature and purpose of religious education in Catholic schools. Different approaches to religious education were explored and their strengths and weaknesses for senior secondary programs were highlighted. In addition, recent approaches to teaching and learning at the broader curriculum level were investigated to highlight possible relevance to religious education. Thirdly, the theory of and approaches to religious education were considered in relation to some aspects of the context of contemporary classrooms. The second area was an investigation into current practices in the compulsory or core Year 12 religious education programs since these were accessed by all or most students in Catholic schools. Eleven schools were involved in the study. They were drawn from the four dioceses in Victoria and were chosen because they displayed certain characteristics which were seen as representative of the wider range of Catholic schools. In order to gain an insight into classroom practices, three sources of data were collected from these schools and examined. Firstly, through the use of questionnaires and interviews, data was collected on students' perceptions of their experiences in their religious education program. Secondly, questionnaires were used to gather information on the teachers' experiences of the program, their perceptions of their students' experiences and their background in religious education. Teachers' perceptions were used as a point of comparison with students' perceptions. Thirdly, religious education documents were examined and analysed to discover their aims and objectives, the content and topics included and their assessment strategies. In general, the various approaches (in terms of content and method) to Year 12 religious education classroom programs in Catholic schools in Victoria either emphasized cognitive learning or it focused on affective learning. With the former, an intellectual study of religion through a study of different religious traditions was offered which, it was hoped, would lead to an increased understanding and appreciation of the subject. With the latter, more attention was given to the personal dimension in religious education in terms of interpersonal and intrapersonal learning. The findings of this research study indicated that, in the perceptions of a majority of students, the religious education programs were not meeting their needs. This raises the question of the pertinence of the aims for senior secondary religious education as proposed in curriculum guidelines for Catholic schools in Victoria. The findings, therefore, suggest a need for a review of such programs in Catholic schools. The study concluded with the proposal of thirteen guiding principles that could inform the development, implementation and evaluation of future Year 12 religious education programs in Catholic schools. The principles, drawn from key insights from both the theory and current practice of religious education, could have relevance for Catholic school administrators, policy makers and religious education teachers. In addition, other areas were identified which could be useful for further investigation to enhance existing knowledge in this field of study.
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Harney, Peter John, and res cand@acu edu au. "Changing the Social System of a Catholic Secondary School: An examination of salient design features pertinent to the change process from a permacultural perspective." Australian Catholic University. Department of Educational Foundations, 1997. http://dlibrary.acu.edu.au/digitaltheses/public/adt-acuvp209.13082009.
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The purpose of the research documented in this thesis is to identify and investigate the organisational design principles that influence change processes in a school context. The study analyses the various design features of the system which impinge on the processes of organisation change. Organisational design for the purpose of this study is defined as the beneficial assembly of organisational components in their proper relationships, a notion derived from studies in the natural order - permaculture (Mollison, 1990). There are four design principles that provide a perspective for the study of salient features that impinge on the processes of organisational change. These four perspectives are - site, social, energy and abstract. This conceptual framework based on a
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Dubayan, Abdalaziz M. H. "Improving the management of boys' secondary schools in Saudi Arabia through the competencies approach." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2004. https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.535524.
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Headteachers play a pivotal role in the education of young people through the leadership they offer to their school. At the same time, headteachers running public schools are an important link in an education administration chain, of Ministry of Education, local district office network and the school. This study sought to explore the opinions of headteachers in Saudi secondary boys' schools on headteacher competencies and their experience of headship. The objective was to identify the most useful competencies to help inform the professional training of headteachers in Saudi boys' secondary schools. It was further hoped that a competencies-based approach might help inform headteacher appointments and performance evaluation. A review of the literature on educational administration, school management and headteacher competencies helped inform both the context of the present study and the fieldwork instrumentation. The principal data collection instrument was a headteacher questionnaire administered to a representative sample of Saudi boys' secondary school headteachers (n=160), supported by semi-structured interview schedules for headteachers (n=10) and school management supervisors (n=10). Human Resources Management competencies, including promoting staff teamwork, were among the most important ones (field mean 4.43). Competencies in 7 of the other 8 fields attracted field means ranging between 4.22 and 4.43, suggesting that they were almost as highly rated. The somewhat lower field mean on the Use of Time items (3.71) was interpreted as indicating that headteachers appreciated the need to prioritise their work. On their exercise of headship, respondents considered that they would be more effective if they had greater powers over decisions concerning their schools. Their personal qualities, including planning and communication skills contributed to the success of their schools. Despite satisfaction with their schools, headteachers found headship less satisfying as the years went by because of their limited powers. As many respondents disagreed as agreed with the suggestion that their school had excellent buildings. The interview evidence, especially that from the school management supervisors, confirmed the less than satisfactory accommodation for some boys' secondary schools, some problems with specialist teacher shortages, and with the slow response from the local district office on matters that headteachers had to refer. Recommendations for the Saudi Ministry of Education concerning boys' secondary schools, and headteacher appointments, training and evaluation are made, including the need to increase headteacher powers. A number of suggestions are made for further research into headteacher training and the benefits of a more decentralised approach. In light of the study, a detailed model for improving Saudi boys' secondary school management is proposed.
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Gosai, Nisheet. "Perspectives on the educational experiences of African/Caribbean boys." Thesis, University of Birmingham, 2009. http://etheses.bham.ac.uk//id/eprint/425/.
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This thesis critically explores: “Perspectives on the educational experiences of African Caribbean boys”. It draws upon the earlier literature in the field of secondary schools (Mac an Ghaill, 1988 and 1994, Gillborn, 1995, Sewell, 1997, Blair, 2001, LDA 2003). But this study adopts a comparative approach, specifically focusing on Black boys current experiences of both state secondary schooling and other areas of education, namely, a supplementary school and a youth organisation. Recent statistics have indicated a continuing high level of underachievement among African-Caribbean boys studying in British schools. The DFES 2006 reports that only 39% of Black pupils achieve 5+ A*-C GCSE grades which denotes that Black boys are among the lowest achievers at secondary school level as compared with pupils of other ethnic minority communities. The DFES further reports that Black pupils are more likely to be excluded from schools than pupils from any other group (Education and Skills, 2006). This study will go beyond the statistics by examining the reasons as to why Black boys have negative experiences in their secondary school education which is linked to their historically-based underachievement in secondary schools. The literature review of the study explores the academic literature/reports concerning African-Caribbean pupils’ underachievement (Mac an Ghaill, 1988, Wright, 1992, Benskin 1994, Gillborn, 1995, Sewell 1997, Ofsted, 1999, Blair 2001, LDA 2003, Education and Skills, 2006). The discussion reflects a number of inter-related issues that are shaped by the intersection of race, class and gender. These issues include: racialisation and accompanying negative stereotypes of the Black community and more specifically portraying Black masculinity as a problem, lack of respect for Black boys and their culture, peer group influence, and differences in treatment by teachers towards Black boys, as some of the significant factors affecting Black boys’ negative experiences at secondary schools and their resulting underachievement. In addition to examining the impact of these factors, as indicated above, this thesis critically examines two other areas of education, a supplementary school and a youth organization. Earlier studies have identified such sites as a powerful source of positive experiences for secondary school Black boys. This comparative, multidisciplinary approach enables original data to be gathered, in probing into the reasons as to why these institutions are successful in making Black boys educational experiences more meaningful. Over a course of six months, 36 participants were involved in this research study. The boys, their parents and their teachers were interviewed at the secondary and supplementary school. At the youth organisation, the Black boys and their youth workers were interviewed. The research used a wide range of methods, such as semi-structured interviews, participant-observation and non-participant-observation. This process provided the researcher with the bigger picture, giving insight into why Black boys have negative and positive experiences of education. The study makes a number of recommendations based on the findings, which include: actively recruiting more Black teachers to provide Black pupils with positive role models who understand their culture; employing Black culture/history in schools for the benefit of Black boys and teachers in state secondary schools learning from the other educational sites in terms of curriculum, pedagogy and relations between educators and Black male pupils. Such recommendations have been proposed in potentially being a step towards removing institutional racism within schools and promoting the career paths of these boys into successful professions.
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Maroney, Michael, and res cand@acu edu au. "An Exploration of a Contemporary Youth Spirituality Among Senior Students in Three Catholic Schools." Australian Catholic University. Religious Education, 2008. http://dlibrary.acu.edu.au/digitaltheses/public/adt-acuvp177.11112008.
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The theory and practice of Catholic schooling, particularly with respect to religious education, have the purpose of promoting the spiritual and moral development of young people. This includes a special emphasis on acquainting them with the religious traditions and spirituality of the Catholic Church. Because Catholic schooling has always endeavoured to meet the religious and personal needs of students, there has been an ongoing interest in monitoring the spirituality of youth to inform the development and planning of a relevant and effective religious education. Hence, there has long been an interest within the Catholic education sector in research on youth spirituality. A significant volume of research has been conducted on the spirituality of contemporary youth within the last decade. This has included a number of major studies in Australia (Crawford and Rossiter, 2006; Flynn and Mok, 2002; Hughes, 2007; Mason et. al. 2005, 2007) and in North America, Smith & Denton (2004). This project reports on an empirical investigation of the views of senior school students in three metropolitan Catholic schools in Australia. The first part of the study, a literature review, provided an opportunity to review research on the spirituality of young people to give a broad perspective on developments and issues, particularly for young people in westernised cultures. The first section of the review considered the way in which structural development theories have been used to interpret young people’s spirituality. The second section explored research related to the components and development of youth spirituality. The third section examined a number of cultural influences on young people’s spiritual and moral development. The second part of the project canvassed the views of all 207 Year 12 students in three metropolitan Catholic high schools about their understanding of spirituality and about the links between their spirituality and the experience of Catholic schooling. Each school has its own gender, charism, and multicultural dynamic. A systematic questionnaire provided quantitative data, a summary of which was then discussed in focus groups of students in each of the three schools. In this way, students were invited to interpret the empirical data and to attempt to explain why young people thought and felt as they did – yielding qualitative data. The focus groups also responded to an innovative use of cartoon caricatures of God which prompted participants to talk about the ways in which they and other teenagers imagined God and God’s role in the world and in their own lives. The study contributed to the current body of research information on youth spirituality, especially in a sample group of senior school students in Catholic schools. The key findings were: Evidence that youth spirituality is both eclectic and diverse; Evidence of some non-religious elements to spirituality; it is not linked exclusively with religion; Young people are conscious of their roles in ‘choosing’ and ‘constructing’ a spirituality, rather than just accepting a ‘traditional’ pattern of spirituality; Acknowledged a strong parental influence; also the importance of friends; While a number of students identified their spirituality as ‘religious’, the trend was a spirituality that was not as strongly rooted in religious traditions as was the case for previous generations; The most prominent image of God for this sample of young people was a God of unconditional love and forgiveness. There was less emphasis on a ‘checking’ and ‘punishing’ God that seemed more prominent for earlier generations of Catholics. In discussing the meaning and significance of the empirical data, a comparison was made between the results of this study and those of five recent major studies of youth spirituality examined in the literature review. In conclusion, the project explored a number of issues and implications for educators interested in the spiritual and moral education of young people, especially in the Catholic education sector. These included: In the light of a significant and continuing increase in both ‘individualism’ and ‘moral selfreliance’ in children and adolescents, there is a need for refinement in the ways developmental theories (such as those of Kohlberg and Fowler in particular) are used for interpreting the spiritual and moral development of young people; There is a need for further understanding of how cultural factors like ‘postmodernity’, ‘individualism’ and ‘relativism’ affect young people’s spirituality, particularly as regards linkage with religious traditions; Young people’s images of God and their ideas about how God might ‘work’ within the world are key transcendent elements to youth spirituality; Planning for a ‘relevant’ religious education – which helps young people negotiate contemporary spiritual/moral issues, as well as provide access to spiritual heritage – needs to take into account the findings of research on youth spirituality.
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Voss, Kenneth E. "Perceptions of the Correlates of Academic Achievement in Selected Union and Non-union Catholic Secondary Schools in Pennsylvania." Youngstown State University / OhioLINK, 2004. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ysu1181565305.
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Jassas, Rashid. "The promotion of physical activity within secondary boys schools in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia." Thesis, Loughborough University, 2012. https://dspace.lboro.ac.uk/2134/10252.
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Background There are concerns over the low proportion of young people in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia [KSA] who regularly participate in physical activity [PA] (Al-Hazzaa, 2004; Al-Hazzaa, et al., 2011). Schools have a unique opportunity to promote PA and provide adequate PA opportunities for young people via the formal/informal curriculum, school sports programmes, and out-of-hours PA (Dobbins et al., 2009). However, implementing effective PA promotion programmes in schools is a challenge and requires consideration of a range of factors. In Saudi Arabia context, the secondary boys school PE programme comprises two main elements: 1) the PE curriculum which is compulsory for all students and includes one 45 minute PE lesson per week; 2) the extra-curricular programme which is optional and comprises the Internal Physical Activity Programme (IPAP) and the External Physical Activity Programme (EPAP). The IPAP activities occur during breaks between lessons whilst the EPAP takes place after school. Both are delivered by PE teachers. Research Aims The aims of this study were: 1) To investigate the nature and extent of the promotion of PA in boys secondary schools in Saudi Arabia. 2) To explore physical education teachers perspectives on the promotion of PA in boys secondary schools in Saudi Arabia. 3) To identify the factors that influence the promotion of PA in boys secondary schools in Saudi Arabia. Theoretical Framework The theoretical framework for the study was based on Social Cognitive Theory (Bandura, 1997) which presumes that PA behaviour is influenced by: personal characteristics; behavioural factors; and environmental factors. In addition, the Active School model (Cale, 1997; Cale & Harrris, 2005) was utilised as a conceptual framework, guiding the investigation of PA promotion within schools and the analysis of data. Methodology In order to investigate the research questions, a two phased mixed method (Creswell, 2009) research project was carried out. Phase one involved a detailed survey questionnaire, informed by the Active School model, which was designed to gather information about PE teachers policies, practices and views with respect to the promotion of PA. The questionnaire s validity was enhanced via a number of Saudi experts who confirmed its appropriateness for use in the Saudi context. Moreover, a pilot study was undertaken to obtain valuable feedback relating to the format, content and clarity of both the survey questionnaire and interview schedule before the main study. The questionnaire was distributed to all secondary boys schools in Riyadh in KSA (N=181 schools). The response rate was 52%. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 17 was employed in the analysis of the data. Phase two involved semi-structured interviews. Prior to conducting these, the interview schedule was piloted at one secondary school. Six PE teachers drawn from the survey sample were interviewed and the interview data were then transcribed and analysed using MAXQD10 software. Research Findings The survey revealed that two thirds of the secondary boys schools had a plan or policy for the promotion of PA, and almost 70% of PE teachers thought that their school significantly contributed to the promotion of PA. Games activities (e.g. football) dominated the PE curriculum, and the majority of schools also organised inter-school games competitions (e.g. league). In contrast, exercise and fitness-related activities (e.g. circuit training) were less common within the schools PE curricula. The PE curriculum was viewed by the teachers as the most important avenue to promote PA, followed by the IPAP and EPAP (95%, 91% and 73% respectively). Sports/activity facilities varied between schools, particularly in terms of indoor facilities, and over half of the PE teachers considered their indoor and outdoor facilities to be inadequate for promoting PA (54% and 57% respectively). The vast majority (90.3%) of the schools did not offer PA opportunities to parents/families. Furthermore, three quarters of the teachers expressed a need for professional development specifically in the area of PA promotion. On a positive note, headteachers and local PE supervisors were reported to be supportive of efforts to promote PA in the schools and provided support for both the IPAP and EPAP. All PE teachers, who were interviewed, considered the time allocated to PE programme to be insufficient for promoting PA amongst pupils. Further, some teachers viewed PE lessons as time off from serious school subjects and entertaining time . Most teachers reported that parents considered PE as unimportant and/or playtime . Discussion/Conclusion PE teachers views on role of schools in the promotion of PA were generally positive. The ways in which the teachers practiced the promotion of PA varied and maybe have been due to their narrow understanding of the whole school approach to PA promotion. The teachers focused on the PE curriculum and the PE extra-curricular programmes as the main avenues through which to promote PA within their schools, and gave less attention to other avenues such as the whole school environment. Almost all of the teachers had a sporting philosophy for PE leading them to privilege competitive sports. Although the teachers reported to have support from head teachers and local PE supervisors, many schools were not as conducive to PA promotion as they could be due to the narrow range of physical opportunities on offer, and the teachers lack of relevant professional development, the limited sports facilities and the insufficient maintenance of these. In addition, the status of, and time allocated to PE were found to be an issue influencing the promotion of PA in schools. It was concluded that actions could be taken to broaden PA promotion within Saudi schools. For example, policy update and development for PA promotion could be improved to address clothing and changing, traffic/transport, and playground bullying; establish links with outside sports agencies and professionals; and increase PA opportunities before or after school, or at weekends. The findings suggest that if the descriptor comprehensive which is widely used to distinguish whole school approaches from curriculum-only models of PA promotion is to be fully realised, schools need to make a clear and explicit effort to promote PA within the social/cultural environment. Further that research is needed on the social and cultural values, norms and perspectives affecting PA promotion in schools.
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Leung, Hin-ki Stella, and 梁顯奇. "The teaching of English in Hong Kong secondary schools: a sociolinguistic approach." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 1998. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B31952124.
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Grace, Michael James, and res cand@acu edu au. "The Use of Scripture in the Teaching of Religious Education in Victorian Catholic Secondary Schools." Australian Catholic University. School of Religious Education, 2003. http://dlibrary.acu.edu.au/digitaltheses/public/adt-acuvp31.29082005.
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This thesis examines the use of scripture by religious education teachers with their students in Victorian Catholic secondary schools in late 1999. The aims of the research were: to present a picture of the incorporation of scripture into the religious education program of Victorian Catholic secondary schools in 1999, and in particular the incorporation of the historical-critical method of modern biblical scholarship (focus will also be placed on the purpose for which scripture is used, the extent to which it is used and the methods employed in its use); to investigate how and to what extent VCE Texts and Traditions1 Units 1 to 4 have been adopted by senior Victorian Catholic secondary students and its influence on Years Seven to Ten religious education curriculum; and to extend the work of Stead (1996b) into the use of scripture in Victorian Catholic primary schools. This study is built on an understanding of religious education based on an educational rationale, and it examines the use of scripture in the light of modern critical biblical scholarship, particularly the historical-critical method. Religious Education Coordinators from 67 of the 99 Victorian Catholic secondary schools and 61 teachers of Years Seven to Ten religious education in these same schools completed self administering questionnaires in this area. The research demonstrated that while there is an extensive range of good modern biblical scholarship material present in these schools, there is no policy concerning how scripture is to be used in the curriculum, questionable translations of the bible are used, and there is a limited use of many sections of the bible. A key finding of the research is that a thematic, proof-texting use of scripture is prevalent in these schools. This thematic use can lead to a literal, fundamentalist use of scripture within Catholic secondary religious education. This approach is linked with many religious education teachers. predominantly catechetical understanding of the nature of religious education. The self administering questionnaires asked for an indication of the personal practice of respondents in their own religious education classrooms. The data indicated the presence of the historical-critical method in the classrooms of Victorian Catholic secondary schools, however there was an over-reliance on the student text and the predominance of a thematic, literal, non-critical use of scripture. This thesis indicates that this misuse of scripture comes about from teachers. catechetical understanding of the nature of religious education. In particular the study of scripture in Years 11 and 12 is an area of concern. Except for a small percentage of students studying Texts and Traditions (13%), the use of the historical-critical method of biblical studies is almost non-existent.
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Beaumier, Casey Christopher. "For Richer, For Poorer: Jesuit Secondary Education in America and the Challenge of Elitism." Thesis, Boston College, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/2345/bc-ir:104064.
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Thesis advisor: James O'TooleIn the 1960s American Jesuit secondary school administrators struggled to resolve a profound tension within their institutions. The religious order's traditional educational aim dating back to the 1500s emphasized influence through contact with "important and public persons" in order that the Jesuits might in turn help direct cultures around the world to a more universal good. This historical foundation clashed sharply with what was emerging as the Jesuits' new emphasis on a preferential option for the poor. This dissertation argues that the greater cultural and religious changes of the 1960s posed a fundamental challenge to Catholic elite education in the United States. The competing visions of the Jesuits produced a crisis of identity, causing some Jesuit high schools either to collapse or reinvent themselves in the debate over whether Jesuit schools were for richer or for poorer Americans. The dissertation examines briefly the historical process that led to this crisis of identity, beginning with the contribution of Jesuit education to the Americanization of massive numbers of first and second-generation immigrant Catholics as they adjusted to life in America in the first half of the twentieth century. As Catholics adapted, increasingly sophisticated American Jesuit schools became instrumental in the formation of a Catholic elite, and many of the institutions found themselves among elite American schools. This elite identity was disrupted by two factors: the cultural volatility of the 1960s and the Jesuits' election of a new leader, Pedro Arrupe. While some Jesuit educators embraced Arrupe's preferential option for the poor, others feared it would undercut the traditional approach of outreach to the elite. Through a case study of one Jesuit boarding school, the dissertation seeks to expand our understanding of the impact of 1960s social change into the less-explored realms of religion and education
Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2013
Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Discipline: History
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Lee, John Robert, and res cand@acu edu au. "Teenage Boys’ Perceptions of the Influence of Teachers and School Experiences on their Understanding of Masculinity." Australian Catholic University. School of Religious Education, 2003. http://dlibrary.acu.edu.au/digitaltheses/public/adt-acuvp36.29082005.
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There is widespread interest shown in the education of boys in school as evidenced in research, education initiatives and discussion in the general community. Research undertaken by Connell (1989, 1995, 1996, 2000), Laberge and Albert (1999), Mac an Ghaill (1994), Martino (1998), West (1999, 2002) and others suggests that there is a range of masculinities displayed by teenage boys. Some of the masculinities with which boys identify are in conflict with accepted ideas of educational achievement. This doctoral study investigates the contribution of teachers and school experiences to teenage boys’ understanding of masculinity. There are two components to the study. The first part is a systematic review of the literature to highlight findings about boys’ perceptions of relationships between masculinity and schooling. The second part is a qualitative empirical study of the views of a sample of Year 11 high school boys in two single sex Catholic schools. The interviews focus on their understandings of masculinity and their perceptions of influential aspects of school life. It includes an analysis of the boys' views of the impact of teachers, sport, discipline and classroom experiences. Participants in the study indicated that masculinity is changing and the community is requiring men to be more expressive of emotions. The majority of teenage boys interviewed stated that teachers and school experiences influenced their understanding of masculinity. Pupil - teacher relationships, conversations, exhortations and non-verbal communications are all perceived as means by which teachers influence students. Some teachers were regarded as good role models, making a positive contribution the boys’ masculinity. Interviewees reported that the schools promoted two masculinities, ‘sporting’ and ‘academic’. They spoke of contrasting interpretations of the appropriate expression of emotion. One finding of the study is that some of the teenage boys experienced a ‘spirituality of connected masculinity’ through singing, cheering and participation in school activities including sport, liturgies and retreats. Implications are drawn from the study and recommendations are made for improving the education of boys including how schools can encourage a diversity of ‘reflective’ masculinities rather than reinforcing ‘hegemonic’ understandings of masculinity.
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Flack, Emma. "Exploring boys' experiences of ADHD and good practice in mainstream secondary schools : a multi-informant study." Thesis, University College London (University of London), 2018. http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/10054183/.
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Despite ADHD being one of the most widely studied conditions, there is scarce literature on the views of young people with ADHD about their diagnosis, its impact and how they should be best supported. This research aims to: give young people with ADHD a voice in relation to their experience of ADHD and systems that impact on them; explore successful strategies and interventions from a range of perspectives; and test the use of tools aimed at helping vulnerable young people express their views. This research enlisted a critical realist position and a qualitatively-driven mixed-method research design. Twenty-three participants were interviewed: nine male pupils age 11-15, six SENCos, and eight parents. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were supplemented by participant characteristic data gathered through the Conners 3 self-report questionnaires. This research was conducted in a large town in the south of England, UK. The findings highlight the complexity of ADHD, heterogeneity of its symptoms and pros and cons of the impact of the label on young people and their families. Strategies and interventions were suggested as good practice but are not always ADHD-specific and are likely to benefit pupils with a range of SEN. A trial-and-error, tailored approach is needed to account for an individual’s strengths and difficulties. Teachers, TAs, SENCos, EPs and CAMHS all have an important role to play in helping young people with ADHD and their families. Local Authority support was found to be lacking in several areas. Tools to gain pupil views were used and described so they can be used by school staff or other professionals including EPs. A range of tools should be used and selected based on the young person’s strengths and needs. Appropriate support for pupils with ADHD is needed in schools to avoid negative life consequences frequently reported in adolescent and adult ADHD.
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Al-Zeer, Nasser Marshad. "Analysis of the spatial distribution of public secondary girls' and boys' schools in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia." Thesis, University of Leicester, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/2381/30408.
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This thesis examines the spatial distribution of secondary schools in Riyadh. It considers both public girls and boys sector provision and assesses the efficiency of the spatial distribution of secondary schools. Since the establishment of the Ministry of Education (MOE) in 1953 and General Presidency for Female Education, (GPFE) in 1960, there has been a great expansion of education services in Saudi Arabia, particularly during the 1980s. However, recent years have seen much slower rates of growth increase in the public sector but there continues the a rapid growth of population. This thesis investigates the spatial distribution of schools through the use of questionnaire surveys and applied GIS. Overall, the results indicate a shortage of public secondary schools, especially in the north of the city. It is clear that there is overcrowding in the majority of secondary schools. The establishment of new schools has been suggested to solve the problem of overcrowding. A number of socio-economic and demographic factors are associated with differences in the utilization of the public secondary schools. A GIS was applied in this study in order to assess the spatial distribution of secondary schools including the modification of existed catchment area boundaries and locating new schools. This modification could also reduce the pupil pressure on certain schools and further benefits could probably be gained.
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Chambers, David. "Using Assessment Data for Informed Decision-Making in Catholic High Schools." Thesis, Loyola Marymount University, 2017. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10688584.
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School leaders and principals have an obligation to use every tool at their disposal to maximize student achievement. All students deserve the best use of data to inform the decision-making of those entrusted to deliver the finest education available to them. The purpose of this study was to ascertain the perceptions of principals in Los Angeles Archdiocesan high schools about the use of assessment data in their schools by finding how they were using assessment data to inform curricular and pedagogical decisions, and then determining what factors affect the use of assessment data to inform their curricular decision-making.
This study was a mixed-method investigation using a quantitative survey to find processes in Archdiocesan high schools that capture and utilize assessment data to inform decision-making, as well as to determine the principals’ perceptions of the benefits and challenges related to assessment data usage. The qualitative aspect of this study consisted of interviews of Archdiocesan high school principals meant to expand upon the findings of the survey. The findings of the study, viewed through the lens of a conceptual framework, suggest a breakdown in the use of data from the very beginning of the process. Standardized assessment data are the information used to drive curricular decisions while data from formative assessments and curriculum maps, are utilized less frequently. The study also found that, while principals feel that their teachers valued the use of data, there was room for growth in the protocols enlisted to analyze assessment data, and in the cultivation of a culture of collaboration and learning.
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Burley, Stephanie. "None more anonymous? : Catholic teaching nuns, their secondary schools and students in South Australia, 1880-1925 /." Title page, contents and abstract only, 1992. http://web4.library.adelaide.edu.au/theses/09EDM/09edmb961.pdf.
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Knowles, Catherine. "Moral education in Catholic secondary schools : a statistical study of student responses in England and France." Thesis, University of Kent, 2005. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.433123.
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Collins, Caron L. "A study of the instrumental music programs in the secondary Catholic Schools of the United States." The Ohio State University, 2007. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1180115929.
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McKenzie, Meagan Louise, and res cand@acu edu au. "Stories of Buoyancy and Despondency: five beginning teachers’ experiences in their first year in the teaching profession." Australian Catholic University. School of Educational Leadership, 2005. http://dlibrary.acu.edu.au/digitaltheses/public/adt-acuvp97.29052006.
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This case study research explores the experiences of five beginning teachers within four Catholic secondary schools in Australia. The research employs a qualitative approach framed within an interpretative paradigm, drawing on perspectives of symbolic interaction to interpret interview and journal data. These perspectives are used, in conjunction with a conceptual framework derived from the relevant literature, to interpret the experiences of five new teachers against the relevant data. The literature typically investigates the stages of teacher development, where the first year is often seen by researchers as a survival year. Key literature themes include the development of self image and the impact school culture has on beginning teachers. There are two other features less often present in the literature but central in this research. One is the life history of the beginning teacher. A second, which is the major notion employed in this study, is that of professional identity and specifically how identity develops once the novice teacher is immersed within the school organisation. Each teacher was interviewed several times during their first year and each kept a journal. The discussion includes matters of comparison and contrast between the five teachers’ experiences. The symbolic interactionist framework seeks to identify the meanings individuals construct of their experiences. These meanings are located from the journal and interview data gathered. Each text is examined both independently, in relation to other texts and in the light of the conceptual framework. A key procedure is to identify critical events which are then analysed and connections made to the experience of other teachers and literature themes. The key findings of the research include developing a new model for understanding the experience of beginning teachers. The research suggests that the current literature on beginning teachers is limited. It neglects beginning teacher individuality and in particular agency and competency and centrally the dynamic and complex interaction between culture and identity. This research seeks to add significantly to the beginning teacher literature.
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Holmquist, Ann Louise Conley. "Walking the Labyrinthine Pathway: An Ethnographic Perspective on Forming Persons-In-Community in a Catholic Secondary School." Digital Commons at Loyola Marymount University and Loyola Law School, 2008. https://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/etd/549.
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Catholic schools make distinct claims about their mission and the identity of their schools as communities - places where teachers and students are to be formed as "persons-in-community" (Bryk, Lee & Holland, 1993; National Conference of Catholic Bishops [NCCB], 1972). Yet, there is a paucity of qualitative research that has explored the experiences of beginning teachers' induction into Catholic school communities. One way to address this lacuna is to use ethnographic methods to explore the experiences of beginning teachers and write a thick description (Goeertz, 1973) of the newcomers' experiences. I conducted such a qualitative inquiry at Our Lady of Grace Academy (OLGA), an independent, Catholic girls day and resident college-preparatory school. I spent one semester with a group of six newcomers-four classroom teachers, an academic counselor, and a librarian/technology specialist-as a participant observer in their daily work lives.
Implementing qualitative ethnographic methods, encompassing life history interviews, participant observation, and journal writing, newcomers described their experiences and dispositions on topics germane to Catholic school mission and community, in particular, what brought newcomers to OLGA in the first place and their experiences of a sense of membership in the community by way of their socially mediated participation in multiple communities of practice.
Time constraints and my insider status were limitations. The goals of the study were met, but more conclusive findings would have resulted from a longer study. There were limits to what I could ethically report due to the fact that I conducted fieldwork on my own workplace. Ethnographic inquiry is a viable way for a practitioner to conduct research because the workplace is where the practitioner will need to exercise his or her best observation and listening skills.
Using creative analytic processes (CAP) ethnographies (Richardson & St. Pierre, 2005), the findings of the study take shape around the participants' walk along a metaphorical labyrinthine pathway. Vignette's of newcomer's experiences unfold to dialogic interplay with theory. The dissertation culminates with insights and multiple truths that surfaces along the way, additional questions that resulted, and recommendations for implementing ethnographic methods as a way into induction practices in Catholic secondary schools.
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Casson, Ann Elizabeth. "Perceptions of Catholicity in a plural society : an ethnographic case study of Catholic secondary schools in England." Thesis, University of Warwick, 2010. http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/35207/.
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This is an ethnographic study of a small sample of Catholic secondary schools in England evaluating their role within the Catholic faith tradition and their contribution to community cohesion. The research is firmly based within an ethnographic framework; it explores the perception of Catholic schools by members, in particular the young people, of the Catholic school community. The ethnographic data was collected through semi-structured focus group interviews and observations. The understanding of religion is developed from the work of Hervieu-Léger on religion as a chain of memory. The concept of social capital in the form of bonding and bridging, and both religious and spiritual capital provides a framework to understand the factors within Catholic schools, which are perceived to create a Catholic community and those which are perceived to develop or hinder cohesion in plural society. The students’ understandings of their Catholic identity were diverse and fragmentary, with precarious links to the Catholic Church as an institution. However, there was a valuing of aspects of the Catholic faith tradition which were used to construct their own understanding of Catholicism, leading to a conclusion that the Catholic school is a source of spiritual capital for its members. The participants perceived their schools to have a Catholic nature, a strong ‘sense of community’. The Catholic schools were good generators of bonding capital, although this was focused on the school rather than the wider Catholic community. Perceptions of the boundaries of the school focused on everyday encounters with outsiders such as ‘the school next door’ rather than members of other faith communities. This research has implications: for the faith school debate and issues concerning social cohesion; for the Catholic school’s role in the transmission of the faith tradition and for an understanding of young people’s Catholic identity.
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Degenhardt, Leoni Marilyn, and res cand@acu edu au. "Reinventing a School for the 21st Century: a case study of change in a Mary Ward School." Australian Catholic University. School of Educational Leadership, 2006. http://dlibrary.acu.edu.au/digitaltheses/public/adt-acuvp99.29082006.
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The focus of this study is the attempt of one school, Loreto Normanhurst, to draw from its values base and traditions to develop and implement a new holistic paradigm of schooling, more relevant to the needs of its 21st century students. Loreto Normanhurst is a Catholic secondary day and boarding school for girls in the northern suburbs of Sydney, Australia. It is a school over 100 years old, associated with the 400 year old, Mary Ward, international tradition of educating women. The aims of the study were threefold: to document and analyse the process of reinvention from a ‘living systems’ perspective (Senge et al., 2000; Sergiovanni, 2000), while it was happening, thereby enhancing the reinvention process itself through a reflexive approach; to document and acknowledge the efforts of the members of the school community in seeking to meet the needs of its students in a 21st century context; and, through its blend of theory and practice, to contribute both to the literature on educational leadership and school reform, and to practice in schools. The study was limited to Loreto Normanhurst, the school in which the researcher is principal. A mixed methodology was adopted, although the study was chiefly qualitative. As an ethnographic case study, it incorporated phenomenological data from the school community, as well as some quantitative data. The particular situation of the researcher, however, as an insider researcher in a position of power within the community studied, necessitated some innovative methodological strategies in order to protect both the participants and the integrity of the research. The situation of the researcher led also to the incorporation of the research traditions of autoethnography and transpersonal research methodologies. The researcher drew from the literature on change, culture and leadership to analyse and interpret data gathered, predominantly, over a five-year period. The study traces the process of reinvention within the school from 2001 to 2005. Most of the data were gathered between 2001 and 2004, although antecedent data, particularly from 1994 to 2000, were included, as well as some data from 2005, by which stage the new paradigm had been implemented for two years within the school. The study presents findings in three main areas: change processes in schools; educational leadership; and insider research methodology. Findings related to change processes are addressed in two parts. The first of these relates to the development, implementation and evaluation of the new educational paradigm, while the second relates to the school’s attempt to ‘continually reinvent’ itself, thus institutionalising change (Schein, 1992). The school’s values played an important role in both of these aspects of change. Findings related to educational leadership are derived from the study of the school’s reinvention processes. These findings include insights into how a range of leadership theories supported, or failed to adequately support, leadership of the reinvention process as well as the identification of twelve dilemmas associated with leadership for change in a Mary Ward school. Findings related to methodologies for insider researchers in positions of power address the need for techniques, methods and research traditions which will protect participants and the research, as well as assisting the researcher in managing the multiple roles entailed in research of this kind. The study concludes with important contributions to the fields of school reform, educational leadership, and insider research methodology. First, it offers a framework for the reinvention of a school and the development of a culture of continual reinvention. This is the eight-step ‘Framework for Reinventing a School’. Second, it proposes a model of leadership for such a reinvention, identified as ‘Contemplative-reflexive leadership for reinvention’. Third, it presents a more fully developed method for conducting insider research, which can be used by school principals and others in positions of authority. This is known as ‘PIRM – Powerful Insider Research Method’: a research method for use by insider researchers in positions of power in their own organisation.
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Corry, Val. "Academically able boys' perceptions of their learning : a grounded theory analysis." Thesis, University of Glasgow, 2017. http://theses.gla.ac.uk/8094/.
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In one secondary school in Scotland, there was a trend that girls performed significantly better than boys at the more challenging levels of external examinations. The focus of this thesis has been an exploration of 16 to 18-year-old, academically able boys’ perceptions of their learning in this school, to seek an explanation for this phenomenon. The literature review considers the concept of gender in education; the policy landscape and national attainment data in relation to gender and attainment; and the key reviews/studies carried out in this field to provide governments with a deeper understanding of gendered performance, and recommendations for educational professionals to bring about improvements. These reviews/studies focused on all boys and not on this particular subset of academically able boys. A central issue in gender equity in education is the lived experiences of different groups of learners in schools. The stance taken in this research is to consider the learning of selected boys (who are high attaining, or who have the potential to achieve highly academically) from the senior year groups in one school by exploring, through interview, their personal experiences, views, perceptions and opinions about learning: the factors that facilitate and hinder progress in learning. For the case study approach adopted, groups of girls, teachers and parents in the school were also interviewed to triangulate the findings from the boys’ interviews. A grounded theory approach, using methods developed by Strauss and Corbin (1990, 2008) and Glaser (1992), and supplemented by techniques advocated by Charmaz (2014), was used for the interviewing and the analysis of the empirical data collected: using line-by-line coding, conceptualisation, categorisation and theory generation. The advantage of grounded theory is that it is ‘grounded’ in the empirical data. This interpretative approach makes no attempt to select and ‘test’ factors that could be influencing the phenomenon, rather exploring widely to seek understanding from the perspective of the subjects. The grounded theory that emerged from the case study in School A was that these boys realise what is required of them to be successful in their learning, and what hinders their learning, but their success is limited by adopting an essentialist construction of their gender with gender stereotypical characteristics. The phenomenon is not unique to this one school and so a similar case study approach was undertaken in two further schools, Schools B and C, to consider the transferability of the theory emerging from the data collected in School A. School B had a similar gendered attainment profile to School A, whereas in School C there was little or no difference in attainment by gender. The thesis concludes with some recommendations for policy and practice: professional learning of teachers, working with parents on understanding gender, and the privileging of ‘pupil voice’ as a way of exploring issues such as gender.
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Stewart, Dalys A. "Principals' post-observation feedback and its influence on teacher professional growth at two Southern California Catholic high schools." Thesis, Pepperdine University, 2013. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3588574.
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The principal plays a key role in establishing a culture of collaboration and ongoing learning, and his/her actions related to effecting change are vital to the success of the school. A principal can contribute to the advancement of teacher expertise by engaging in specific behaviors. One such behavior is focused feedback, which leads teachers to reflect on their instructional routines. Given with intentionality, it is a powerful tool. Therein lies the motivation for this study.
The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study was to examine the practices in which principals engage during classroom post-observation feedback, and their effect on teacher professional growth. Seven teachers at 2 Southern California Catholic high schools were interviewed to capture their perceptions of the effect that principal feedback has had on their professional growth. Although much research has revolved around the impact that principals' actions have on the enhancement of teacher practice, very little research has focused on these effects from the perspective of the teacher. Capturing teachers' perceptions about the way their principals' actions impact their instructional practice may add to the existing body of knowledge in the field of education related to the way principals promote the use of effective practices at their schools. It may also shed light on the need for the teacher's voice to be heard and taken into consideration when making decisions on and implementing policies that are directly related to improving teacher practice.
Three main ideas emerged from a review of the existing literature: (a) there is a direct connection between the principal's actions and teachers' professional growth; (b) principal feedback produces lasting changes in instructional practice, especially when given immediately following the teaching; and (c) teachers are reflective practitioners seeking to improve their practice on an ongoing basis. Educational institutions may be able to utilize the findings of this study to inform their practice, and or to re-examine their policy on evaluation processes.
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Blackett, Norman. "Developing understanding of trigonometry in boys and girls using a computer to link numerical and visual representations." Thesis, University of Warwick, 1990. http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/2307/.
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Davison, Liam G., and res cand@acu edu au. "Lay Principals Under Contract: ‘Going Down for the Good Turf’: An exploration of the perceptions of selected secondary lay principals in relation to the religious and spiritual dimensions of their role." Australian Catholic University. School of Educational Leadership, 2006. http://dlibrary.acu.edu.au/digitaltheses/public/adt-acuvp122.25102006.
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The purpose of this research study was to consider the understanding and experience of a selected number of lay principals of diocesan secondary Catholic schools in Victoria as to the religious and spiritual dimensions of their leadership role and to identify what supported them in the discharge of their responsibilities in these domains of their leadership. Based on this purpose, I identified three research questions: 1. What is the understanding of lay Catholic secondary principals in Victoria, of their role as a ministry within the Catholic Church? 2. In what ways have principals experienced the spiritual and religious dimensions of their leadership role? 3. In what ways have principals sought and/or experienced formation beyond academic study which has enriched their practice of principalship? The theoretical perspective of the research is Interpretative Constructionism and the methodology adopted is Multiple Informant Case Study. The researcher has taken the stance of ‘interrogatory fellow traveller’ in relation to the research informants. The methods used to gather data are (a) focus group, (b) biographical written statements, (c) document analysis and (d) personal reflection in response to the previous three methods. In general, the findings of this research study suggest that lay principals of Catholic secondary schools who were informants in the study understand the role of principal of a diocesan secondary school as a ministry within the Catholic Church. While the informants did not use overtly theological terms to articulate this understanding, the accounts of their experience in principalship and the insights gained through reflection on their leadership behaviour have led them to believe that they are in fact exercising a legitimate ministry within the field of Catholic secondary education in Victoria. This research has brought to light a body of knowledge about the work of a group of principals which has not previously been subject to critical scrutiny. While the study is of intrinsic merit in recognising and describing the work of secondary lay principals, from an instrumental perspective these findings raise a number of issues relating to the preparation, induction and support available to newly appointed and continuing principals in diocesan Catholic secondary schools in Victoria. As a consequence the following propositions are offered: Further study using a wider informant group of principals is warranted to confirm the findings of this enquiry and to expand on the knowledge already gained. Such study might include parallel studies of lay principals in congregation-owned schools, in other states of Australia or in other countries where the Catholic Church has established schools as an agency of its evangelising mission in education. This study is of potential assistance to aspiring principals, principals and system authorities in the planning and development of appropriate professional learning and support, including formal academic study and formational opportunities. The findings confirm the importance for leaders and aspiring leaders in Catholic education of sound theological and spiritual education as a necessary part of their preparation for leadership, both pre-service and in-service. The findings confirm the significance of appropriate liturgical induction or commissioning for principals. It is suggested that one practical form of support for principals is the provision of access to regular professional supervision and spiritual direction. It is recommended that the process of appointment and induction of principals be undertaken more systematically, perhaps using the principles of project management, especially in relation to the identification of enhancing and inhibiting factors present within the staff community at the time of the appointment of a new principal. The findings indicate that schools have had varied experiences of developing a distinctive ethos and charism, based on a particular founder or group of founders. It is recommended that all diocesan secondary schools be encouraged to develop an appropriate charism and spirituality, based on the character of the local faith community and the history of the particular school. The findings point to the need for further development of an authentic spirituality of educational and faith leadership, based in the reality of principals’ lives as family and community members and educators in faith of their staff and wider community. Informants to the study indicated their awareness of the tension between occupying a leadership role in the Church and personal positions in conscience on matters of Church teaching. Some further study of this issue may be warranted.
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Fleming, Gerard Patrick, and res cand@acu edu au. "An Analysis of Religious Education Coordinators’ Perceptions of their Role in Catholic Secondary Schools in the Archdiocese of Melbourne." Australian Catholic University. School of Religious Education, 2002. http://dlibrary.acu.edu.au/digitaltheses/public/adt-acuvp17.16082005.
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This thesis analysed Religious Education Coordinators’ perceptions of their role in Catholic secondary schools of the Archdiocese of Melbourne from 1970 – 2000. The theoretical framework for the study, which was reported on in this thesis, was drawn from Catholic Church documents on religious education at both international and national levels, and from the work of researchers within the field of religious education. In particular the study investigated the diversity of language used to describe religious education and religious education theory and analysed the significance that this has had in the development of an understanding of the role of the Religious Education Coordinator. It was argued that there were significant factors in the development of the role of the Religious Education Coordinator that included changes in the understanding of the nature and purpose of religious education during the second half of the twentieth century. In addition there were historical factors peculiar to the Archdiocese of Melbourne that played an important part in the understanding of the RECs role. Quantitative data in the form of annual survey material (1988-1999) from the Catholic Education Office Melbourne provided a framework for the empirical component of the research. The empirical component involved the interviewing of Religious Education Coordinators from a deliberately selected sample that covered the range of skills and experiences deemed necessary in the research. The purpose was to ascertain from the perspective of the Religious Education Coordinators themselves how they analysed their role. Grounded theory methodology was used as the basis for the inductive analysis of the data that emerged from the in-depth interviews. Theory that was generated on the role of the Religious Education Coordinator includes: the importance of an understanding of the theoretical dimensions of religious education and the role of the Religious Education Coordinator; an elaboration of the role of the Religious Education Coordinator in the school context and the necessary skills and attributes that are required to meet the challenges in the role; and the complexity of the challenges that are faced by the Religious Education Coordinator.
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Williams, David Andrew. "What has been the impact of re-sitting AS-Level examinations in Economics and Business Studies on students at a boys’ independent school in the West Midlands?" Thesis, University of Warwick, 2009. http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/2803/.
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This dissertation examines the impact that AS-level re-sits have had on a selective independent boys’ school in the West Midlands, which in the interest of anonymity is referred to throughout as ‘School X’. Significantly, and as reflected in the title for this dissertation, unlike the vast majority of secondary schools, A2-level examinations at School X are not sat by students until the final summer of the two year course; therefore, re-sits at this level are not possible. The opening chapter provides an outline of how the introduction of unlimited re-sits can be perceived as being a logical progression as one of a number of developments in the A-level qualification, especially over the past two decades or so, which have invariably contributed to higher pass rates and levels of attainment, as measured by its six point (‘A’ to ‘U’) grading system. In the next chapter, secondary research has been divided into two sections. The first considers the robustness of the qualification, which has existed for well over half a century and the extent to which its survival has reflected the interests of the key stakeholders who have benefited from its reputation as the nation’s educational ‘gold standard’. On one hand, the introduction of re-sits itself can be understood as one in a relatively long line of incremental changes in the structure of A-level, which have helped to prolong its shelf-life by making it a more accessible and quantifiably successful qualification. On the other, this can be contrasted against the extent to which the opportunity for students to re-sit might have contributed to, arguably, the implosion of the qualification in its Curriculum 2000 form, as pass rates nudge towards 100 per cent, and the subsequent need for either its fundamental restructuring or abandonment altogether. The second section examines literature which is relevant to supporting a challenge against the popular notion that a modular course such as A-level contains few, if any, characteristics which are embodied in the ‘elements’ of a formative approach to teaching and learning as outlined by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD, 2005, p.15). A case is subsequently made for how a course which allows unlimited re-sits and where candidates have access to their marked scripts, still provides opportunities for interaction between teachers and students which are not normally associated with summative forms of assessment in the learning process. Chapter three explains how primary data were gathered through various techniques, including an approach that involved a mixture of a structured group interview and self-completion questionnaire, which two broad categories of students at School X participated in over a two year period. One of these consisted of students studying either A-level Business Studies or Economics (and in a few cases, both subjects). The other consisted of ‘pre-Alevel’ students, back in school at the end of the summer term after sitting their GCSEs, for a few ‘taster lessons’ in their chosen subjects for A-level. A combination of questions which elicited both quantitative and qualitative responses was used in this instrument of research which represented something of an unconventional approach to methodology, but it proved to be an appropriate technique for efficiently amassing data from scores of students each year, at various stages in their post-16 studies. Interviews were also conducted with numerous members of the teaching profession, mainly, but not exclusively, at School X and for the purpose of comparison with similar institutions, three discussions took place on an annual basis with staff from other independent schools, guided by me on a ‘focus group’ basis. Supplemented by information from examination performance documents produced by senior management at School X, commercial publications, the examination boards themselves and a variety of governmental and quasi-governmental sources, this allowed me to adhere to a ‘data triangulation’ approach, as classified by Denzin (1988) and summarised by Robson (2002, p.175), which “help[ed] to counter…the threats to validity.” The one-to-one interviews on the other hand became more tightly structured with each round, to reflect the sharper objectives for the dissertation which emerged over time and were thus orientated towards a ‘within-method triangulation’ approach (Denzin, 1988). Turning more specifically, in chapter four, to the main objectives of the study, the analysis of results and findings from my empirical research attempts to establish the main motives for re-sitting A-level Economics and Business Studies, as well as the costs and benefits of so doing. The latter objective primarily concerns students, but other factors, such as the impact on the teaching process, are also examined. Chapter five considers the future role of A-level re-sits in the context of the restructuring of the qualification from September 2008 and the alternatives in the post-16 curriculum that exist. The study concludes with a brief, reflective chapter, on how re-sits can contribute to teaching and learning.
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Clark, Paul 1965. "A study of two Philippine high schools : a cross-cultural look at the education of girls and boys." Thesis, McGill University, 2001. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=36893.
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While most schooling in the Philippines currently takes place in a coeducational setting, it seems apparent that, although they are attending the same high schools, boys and girls are not getting the same education. In many areas of the Philippines, boys' dropout rates are almost three times that of girls'. As more females graduate from college, women are rapidly replacing men in many fields.However, this does not mean that women are leaving their traditional responsibilities in the home. Quite the opposite, women are now finding themselves faced with double the work while men essentially find themselves without the training or skills to adapt to a changing society.
This dissertation looks specifically at the schooling of two communities in the central Philippines. Looking at one school from a very rural village and another in a larger city, I examine the historical and sociological traditions of the Philippines and the island of Panay specifically. I investigate the reasons for girls' success while also looking at some reasons for boys' failure. I look closely at students' relationships with their schools, their teachers, their families, and with each other; I am trying to get a sense of how they perceive themselves and their world.
This dissertation uses qualitative research methods including lengthy observation and interview of students, families and teachers. It draws from the traditions of phenomenology and grounded theory, and is constructed in an interpretive anthropological tradition in which the narration is in first person singular and, where possible, the present tense.
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Dauguet, Kathleen, and res cand@acu edu au. "Understanding the ‘Mixed Ability’ Program in Catholic Secondary Schools in Mauritius: Perceptions of educators for best practice in the middle years of schooling." Australian Catholic University. School of Education, 2007. http://dlibrary.acu.edu.au/digitaltheses/public/adt-acuvp181.20112008.
Full textAbstract:
The mission of Catholic Education in Mauritius is to ‘humanise’ education and pedagogies to be consistent with Catholic values. The vision of a ‘humanised’ education explicitly teaches collaboration and cooperation. In January 2005, the Catholic Education Bureau (BEC) opted for a ‘mixed ability’ philosophy whose articulation fosters inclusiveness in all Catholic secondary schools. To achieve this, schools need to re-invent and restructure themselves into learning organisations to make obvious the ‘mixed ability’ philosophy at the middle level of schooling from Form I to Form III.The first purpose of this study is to explore an integral model for an effective education for Catholic secondary schools in Mauritius that acknowledges diversity in the classroom particularly in Form I. The second purpose is to investigate the beliefs and understandings of educators in Catholic secondary education in Mauritius of this model.For the first purpose, a review of the literature was undertaken to understand the concepts of middle schooling, differentiation, learning theories and implications for practice, the enabling structures for Catholic secondary schools to develop into learning communities and the leadership role of key actors. For the second purpose, the perceptions of educators were investigated using a predominantly qualitative, interpretative methodology around an instrumental multi-site case study.The study found a number of challenges faced by Catholic educators in Mauritius regarding the implementation of the integral model. These challenges present a new direction for these schools to focus on the human person, leading to the development and implementation of the ‘mixed ability’ program. The study concluded with a cogent set of recommendations and directions which need to be put in place in order to improve student learning outcomes at the middle level of schooling and achieve the vision of a human-centered education within the espoused Catholic mission.