Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Computers and literacy Australia'
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1
Applebee, Andrelyn C., and n/a. "Attitudes toward computers in the 1990s: a look at gender, age and previous computer experience on computer anxiety, confidence, liking and indifference." University of Canberra. Education, 1994. http://erl.canberra.edu.au./public/adt-AUC20060206.123119.
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The purpose of this study was to investigate the
relationship between computer attitudes held by tertiary
students and the selected variables of gender, age and
previous computer experience. It was hypothesized that no
statistically significant differences would be found within
the relationships tested. A questionnaire comprising the
Computer Attitude Scale (CAS), demographic and other
questions was administered to the population enrolled in an
introductory computer unit at the University of Canberra,
Australian Capital Territory in Semester 1, 1992. The
results were subjected to t-test and one-way analysis of
variance testing.
Statistically significant findings were noted between both
gender and computer anxiety, and gender and computer
confidence, with female students being more anxious and
male students being more confident. Students with previous
computer experience were found to be significantly less
anxious and more confident with computers.
More research on possible causes of these relationships and
ways of overcoming computer anxiety is needed before the
findings can be fully implemented.
2
Jones, Janet. "Multiliteracies for academic purposes : a metafunctional exploration of intersemiosis and multimodality in university textbook and computer-based learning resources in science." University of Sydney, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/2259.
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Doctor of EducationThis thesis is situated in the research field of systemic functional linguistics (SFL) in education and within a professional context of multiliteracies for academic purposes. The overall aim of the research is to provide a metafunctional account of multimodal and multisemiotic meaning-making in print and electronic learning materials in first year science at university. The educational motivation for the study is to provide insights for teachers and educational designers to assist them in the development of students’ multiliteracies, particularly in the context of online learning environments. The corpus comprises online and CD-ROM learning resources in biology, physics and chemistry and textbooks in physics and biology, which are typical of those used in undergraduate science courses in Australia. Two underlying themes of the research are to compare the different affordances of textbook and screen formats and the disciplinary variation found in these formats. The two stage research design consisted of a multimodal content analysis, followed by a SF-based multimodal discourse analysis of a selection of the texts. In the page and screen formats of these pedagogical texts, the analyses show that through the mechanisms of intersemiosis, ideationally, language and image are reconstrued as disciplinary knowledge. This knowledge is characterised by a high level of technicality in image and verbiage, by taxonomic relations across semiotic resources and by interdependence among elements in the image, caption, label and main text. Interpersonally, pedagogical roles of reader/learner/viewer/ and writer/teacher/designer are enacted differently to some extent across formats through the different types of activities on the page and screen but the source of authority and truth remains with the teacher/designer, regardless of format. Roles are thus minimally negotiable, despite the claims of interactivity in the screen texts. Textually, the organisation of meaning across text and image in both formats is reflected in the layout, which is determined by the underlying design grid and in the use of graphic design resources of colour, font, salience and juxtaposition. Finally, through the resources of grammatical metaphor and the reconstrual of images as abstract, both forms of semiosis work together to shift meanings from congruence to abstraction, into the specialised realm of science.
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Sylla, Fatimata Seye. "Computers and literacy in Senegal." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1985. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/77676.
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Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1985.MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ROTCH.
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 109-110).
This thesis reports two exploratory studies on the use of compute:-s in education in a third world context. One study looks at elementary school children in Dakar in order to elucidate a set of research questions such as whether there are gender differences and whether these are the same as what has been observed In the United States, whether there are differences related to social status or to degree of assimilation of French education and, more generally, whether it is possible to identify influences of Senegalese culture on the way children learn to use computers. The second study looks at two groups of illiterate adult women: one In Dakar and the other made up of immigrants from Latin America living in Boston. I believe that my results cast some light on scientific questions about how cultures affect learning. But my own interest goes beyond simply understanding. I want to develop educational methods that will use our diverse cultures as sources of strength for new educational methods rather than seeing them as "obstacles" to the exportation of ready made educational methods from "developed" to "developing" countries. My explorations are chosen with this intent and my thesis is colored with preliminary speculations about how to realize it.
by Fatimata Seye Sylla.
M.S.
4
Carlson, Andrea. "Computers, literacy and the bilingual/bicultural child." Thesis, University of Kent, 2006. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.432828.
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Miles, Martin Paul. "Using talking computers to help children experiencing literacy difficulties." Thesis, University of Exeter, 2000. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.312069.
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An, Jianhua. "Cultural factors in constructivist design : computer literacy for the workplace /." Access Digital Full Text version, 1994. http://pocketknowledge.tc.columbia.edu/home.php/bybib/11714025.
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Thesis (Ed.D.)--Teachers College, Columbia University, 1994.Typescript; issued also on microfilm. Sponsor: Florence McCarthy. Dissertation Committee: John Black. Includes tables. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 170-180).
7
Britton, Katherine F. "A model of employment literacy: Young people in Western Australia." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2009. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/158.
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This exploratory study aimed to examine the meanings of employment literacy among young people undertaking vocational education or training (VET), trainers, funding representatives and employers in Western Australia. A further objective was to develop a model of employment literacy that would inform training or educational organisations. Employment literacy incorporates the personal and social dimensions that young disadvantaged people require to secure and maintain employment. It also includes the understandings and capacity to access infonnation from a variety of sources and negotiate with a range of people in employment related settings. In-depth interviewing was the main method used so that different interpretations of employment literacy could be examined. In total ninety two interviews were undertaken. These included sixty six with young people, nine involving trainers, eight representatives of funding bodies and nine employers. The young people were interviewed on two occasions to consider the implications of the education or training . programs. Nvivo was used to assist in the analysis of the data across and between the four groups included in the study.
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Skulkhu, Jaruwan. "Computer Literacy Levels and Attitudes toward Computers of Thai Public University Students." Thesis, University of North Texas, 1989. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc330671/.
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The purpose of this study was to investigate and analyze computer literacy and general attitudes toward computers of students at Thai public unversities. The comparative study of computer literacy levels and attitudes toward computers among Thai students with various demographic classification was performed followed by the study of relationships between the two variables among the samples. A fifty-eight-item questionnaire was adapted from the computer literacy questionnaire developed by the researchers at the Minnesota Educational Computing Consortium. The items were designed to assess knowledge and attitudes relative to computers. The questionnaire was administered to a random sample of 492 students who took at least one computer course from thirteen public universities in Thailand. Statistical tests used to analyze the data included t-test, one-way analysis of variance, and Pearson product moment correlations. Based on the research findings, the following conclusions were drawn: (1) Thai university students exhibited a moderate computer literacy level. (2) While a higher proportion of female students enrolled in computer classes, male and female students reported similar computer literacy levels. (3) Graduate students had higher computer literacy levels than did other students from different educational levels. (4) Academic majors and academic performance (GPAs) were also factors affecting computer literacy levels. Education majors displayed higher computer literacy levels than mathematics majors and science majors. (5) Students with higher GPAs had higher levels of computer literacy than the groups with lower GPAs. (6) Computer literacy was not age dependent. (7) Generally, Thai university students showed positive attitudes toward computers. (8) Males and females both showed positive attitudes toward computers. (9) Graduate students exhibited more positive attitudes toward computers than all other groups. (10) The groups of students with lower GPAs displayed lower positive attitudes toward computers. (11) There was a strong positive relationship between students' knowledge and their attitudes toward computers. It is recommended that computer education should be viewed in relation to its contribution to educational process as a whole. It should be relevant to the local environment, work, individuals and. society needs sis well as development of positive attitude toward manual skills. More research is needed in the areas of teacher education, evaluation techniques to assess students' progress in a new teaching context, and ethical values relative to computers.
9
Borchers, Tracy Schneider. "A study to define secondary computer literacy programs: Implications for restructuring vocational education policy directions." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 1995. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/1059.
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Salleh, Arfah. "The role of computers in the enhancement of accounting education." Thesis, University of East Anglia, 2000. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.327408.
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Comaskey, Erin M. "A kindergarten intervention study comparing rime and phoneme based programs and their effects on early literacy through computer literacy software : ABRACADABRA." Thesis, McGill University, 2006. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=99582.
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This study investigates the use of a new literacy software ABRACADABRA with pre-reading kindergarten students. The participants ( n=27) from one school were assigned randomly to one intervention group (rime or phoneme) and (n=17) school two served as a control. Ten hours of either a rime or phoneme ABRACADABRA intervention were employed to compare overall effectiveness of the software with regular classroom instruction. All participants were pre-tested at the onset of the study and post-tested following the intervention using eight highly sensitive measures to detect change in word reading strategies and phonemic skills specific to the two delivery methods. Measures were developed from previous studies and included blending and segmenting of matched CV (consonant-vowel), VC (vowel-consonant) words, high and low rime nonsense word reading, rime and coda articulation tasks. The results showed improvement in both interventions over the control on Letter-Sound knowledge and a combined reading task with a large advantage to the phoneme intervention in blending of VC words.
12
Downes, Toni. "Children's use of computers in their homes /." [Campbelltown, N.S.W.] : University of Western Sydney, Macarthur, Faculty of Education and Languages, 1998. http://library.uws.edu.au/adt-NUWS/public/adt-NUWS20030627.095435/index.html.
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Jayatilaka, Jennifer A. "An investigation of family literacy practices of eight families with preprimary children and a family literacy program conducted in a low socio-economic area." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 1998. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/991.
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Study of the research literature showed that literacy skills are socialised in young children along with their learning of oral language. This socialisation process occurs within a child's home environment long before they enter formal schooling. Family literacy has been shown to have the potential to impact powerfully on children's perceptions about literacy use through role models and support provided by various family and community members. Literacy activity is often deeply embedded in daily family practices. For some children, differences between home and school literacy practices can occur. Where this mismatch occurs for children in low socio economic homes the problems associated can be compounded. In the present study a formative experimental design was used to investigate and describe some of the literacy practices of eight families living in a low socio-economic environment as identified by the parents of children attending a preprimary centre. Some family literacy programs designed to reduce the effect of the literacy mismatch between home and school have been found, in research literature, to be unsuitable for certain communities because of their inability to address the needs of individual families. The present study reports on the results of a family literacy program jointly planned by the teacher/researcher and parents of eight families from a low socio-economic community. It describes the nature of the family literacy program and the perceptions of the program held by the eight participants. Issues arising from this family literacy program design are highlighted and some implications for educational practice and further research are presented.
14
Webster, Linda D. "Measuring change in computer self-efficacy and computer literacy of undergraduates in an introduction to computers course /." free to MU campus, to others for purchase, 2004. http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/mo/fullcit?p3164548.
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Mason, Jean S. "From Gutenberg’s galaxy to cyberspace : the transforming power of electronic hypertext." Thesis, McGill University, 2000. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=42297.
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Literacy, as we have come to understand and teach it, is currently in a situation of critical change. New and increasingly complex electronic technologies are creating new literacies; however, our present concepts of literacy are heavily grounded in Gutenbergian print. This traditional understanding is inadequate for the new and complex literacy of digital discourse. This dissertation foregrounds the issue of how literacy, as manifest in the writing process, is affected when composing in hypertext, most especially in the context of the Internet. This research takes the form of an emergent, field-based, modified case study approach. It is shaped in response to the overarching research question: How are writer's perceptions of the new rhetorical situtations presented by hypertext affecting thelr attitudes towards writing and the consequent decisions they make in response to these perceptions? Information was collected in the form of interviews, observations, journals, correspondence, and artefacts. Methods for collection included both personal contact and technology-assisted remote contact, including email, instant messaging, telephone, traditional mail, and fax. The experiences of seven major informants form the central focus of this study; the experiences of approximately ninety minor informants are included in a more peripheral way. This study offers a detailed description of the complex and dynamic ways in which these writers perceived hypertext as a new rhetorical space, and the consequent writing decisions they made in response to these perceptions. It interprets their experiences in the immediate context of writing theory and hypertext theory, suggests practical applications based on these interpretations, and projects a direction for further study.
16
Conrad, Deborah Jacqueline. "The teacher, the writing curriculum and computers: Planning and practice in pedagogy in two second-grade classrooms." Diss., Virginia Tech, 2002. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/27871.
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This study describes the planning, teaching, and challenges of one classroom teacher during writing time in two second grade classrooms. The study looks at how this teacher planned for and implemented a writing curriculum in which computers played a role and what this teacher did in an attempt to influence children's development as writers. Data collected included four formal interviews with the teacher and observations over a period of two semesters of the teacher as she worked in the classroom and computer lab during writing time. The constant comparative method as described by Maykut and Morehouse (1994) was used to analyze the data. Analysis revealed that this teacher's approach was influenced by state standards and policy guidelines, as well as her early experiences with literacy. In the lab, she focused on helping students develop keyboarding skills through keyboarding exercises, a computer game, and occasional word-proceeding of writing pieces done in the classroom. In the classroom she used a routine that consisted of three pre-writing activities. These involved students in reading materials related to the topic, brainstorming ideas they recalled, mapping relationships among brainstormed ideas, and writing group and individual accounts of their reading. Her approach to teaching in the city was quite similar to the approach she used in the county school. It differed insofar as in the county school she introduced the students to using the computer to conduct information searches about topics in the official state curriculum. Among the challenges she identified in her teaching were time and management problems. Based on these findings, the study identified four foci that might contribute to more effective use of computers in writing instruction. These include the teacher conceptions of literacy, effective planning, effective implementation and classroom management.Ph. D.
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Beilharz, Susan M. "The literacy-related knowledge of the children in two Western Australian preprimary centres and the literacy-related practices in their homes." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 1999. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1267.
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This study investigates both the literacy-related knowledge of two groups of children beginning their preprimary education and the literacy-related practices identified by their parents as taking place in their homes. The two groups of children were attending preprimary centres located in different suburbs of Perth; one was in a low socio-economic status northern suburb and the other was in a high socio-economic status inner metropolitan suburb. The results of a questionnaire about family literacy practices showed that there was a wide range of literacy-related practices and materials available in the majority of the households involved in the study. The results of assessment of the literacy-related knowledge of the children showed that the children had begun to develop knowledge in some areas of emergent literacy which have been shown by previous research to predict success in learning to read. These areas of knowledge were: recognition of letters of the alphabet, vocabulary, environmental print, concepts of print and grammatical and phonological awareness. Statistically significant differences were found between the mean scores for both groups of children for each of the assessment tasks measuring literacy-related knowledge. Observation of the parent responses to the questionnaire, indicated that there were also differences between the home literacy practices of the two groups in the frequency of joint book reading, the number of classes (other than preprimary) attended by the children, computer use and the parents' expectations of their child's eventual level of education. Several aspects of the children's literacy-related knowledge (identification of letters of the alphabet, vocabulary, phonological awareness and grammatical awareness), were found to have statistically significant relationships with the home factors of frequency of joint book reading, teaching the letters of the alphabet, playing word and letter games, computer use and parent's level of education. The results of this study have implications for teachers who are attempting to implement early intervention programs or planning for individual children in their classes. The methods of assessment of young children's literacy-related knowledge need to be carefully chosen to be appropriate to the age and developmental level of the children. The tasks involved should measure specific areas of knowledge identified as predicting success in learning to read. The results of this study indicate that teachers may have children with a wide range of literacy-related knowledge entering their preprimary classes. In order to build on the skills and knowledge which these children bring with them, teachers need to acknowledge the rich and diverse context of home literacy practices rather than attempt to overcome the differences.
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Mansourian, Lida. "The Association Between Exposure to Computer Instruction and Changes in Attitudes Toward Computers." Thesis, North Texas State University, 1987. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc331898/.
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The problem with which this study was concerned is the association between exposure to computer instruction and changes in attitudes toward computers.
The study had a two-fold purpose. The first was to determine the attitudes of undergraduate students toward computers. The second was to determine whether exposure to information about computers and their uses is associated with changes in students' attitudes toward computers.
A computer literacy test was administered to subjects as a pre-and post-test. The major findings of the study indicate that there were significant, positive attitude changes among students exposed to computer instruction. There were also significant increases in knowledge about computers among participants exposed to computer instruction. The major conclusions are that attitudes are not fixed and develop in the process of need satisfaction. Participants in the study experienced attitude changes, which supports the suggestion that attitudes are developmental. Futhermore, the attitude changes observed in the study occurred in the process of learning about computers, a process assumed to be rooted in the educational and/or career needs of the participants. Attitudes are shaped by the information to which people are exposed. Attitude modification seldom, if ever, occurs in a vacuum. Instead, it most often takes place in the context of information dissemination and exposure. In this study, attitudes toward computers changed positively and significantly as participants were exposed to information about computers.
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Phaup, Kristen Michelle. "Striving toward a critical theory of technology pedagogy in literacy education /." Electronic version (Microsoft Word), 2003. http://dl.uncw.edu/etd/2003/phaupk/kristenphaup.html.
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Clarke, Robert I. "Computers: A guide for the small elementary school district." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 1986. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/333.
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Larson, Susan Hatlestad Fossey Richard. "Computer-assisted instruction in literacy skills for kindergarten students and perceptions of administrators and teachers." [Denton, Tex.] : University of North Texas, 2007. http://digital.library.unt.edu/permalink/meta-dc-3651.
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Johnson, Penelope Gail. "Contexts for writing : understanding the child's perspective." Thesis, Durham University, 1998. http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/4906/.
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The integration of social theories into a cognitive explanation of the composing process enlarges our notion of context, calling attention to the historical, social and ideological forces that shape the making of knowledge in educational settings. These approaches suggest that context cues certain actions and that students gain entry into academic contexts if they learn the appropriate forms and discourse conventions. However, methodological approaches to teaching do not address how individuals construct meaning, use knowledge for their own purposes, or engage in reflective processes that influence how individuals will act in a socially-governed situation. Nor do they address the issue of how school-acquired knowledge may be transformed to enable individual students to take ownership of their writing. These concerns motivate the attempt to form a cognitive-social epistemic that acknowledges and explains the role of the individual in constructing meaning within culturally-organized activities in primary educational systems. Through questionnaires, interviews and classroom observations, and applying qualitative analytical procedures, the study discloses layers of complexity in a multi-level description of the ways context and cognition interact. At the general level, a comparative analysis of teachers' and pupils' rationales underlying given writing tasks produces converging references to the educational purposes for writing. At a deeper level, findings that writing possibilities and social possibilities are dynamically interlinked with the emergence of identity, suggest that learning is a constructive process of meaning-making which is uniquely manifested in diverse ways. Studies of classroom interaction determine the impact of strategies deployed within classroom communication to control the meaning-making process and make it possible to discuss the efficacies of peer-interaction in the classroom. A second strand of contextual-oriented research in a non-school setting, which incorporates the computer as a writing tool, reinforces the view that children are primarily social players negotiating roles and relationships by whatever mediational means are made available to them. In light of these results, the thesis acknowledges the complexity of a largely implicit cultural architecture for directing the context of action, and concludes that this structure will be explicated only by adopting an inclusive research strategy to encompass simultaneous acting influences.
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Manowaluilou, Nongluck. "The importance of undergraduate's computer competency and information literacy skills marketing faculty's perspectives in Thailand /." Diss., Columbia, Mo. : University of Missouri-Columbia, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10355/5588.
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Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2008.The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on June 9, 2009) Vita. Includes bibliographical references.
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Hill, John Orford. "Scientific literacy and the reform of science education in Australia a chemistry perspective /." Connect to this title online, 2006. http://eprints.unimelb.edu.au/archive/00001298/.
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Orford, Hill John. "Scientific literacy and the reform of science education in Australia : a chemistry perspective /." Connect to thesis, 2005. http://eprints.unimelb.edu.au/archive/00001298.
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au, sandy heldsinger@uwa edu, and Sandra Heldsinger. "Accounting for unit of scale in standard setting methodologies." Murdoch University, 2006. http://wwwlib.murdoch.edu.au/adt/browse/view/adt-MU20070717.160817.
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Substantial sums of money are invested by governments in state, national and international testing programs. Australia in particular engages at all three levels. There are number of purposes served by these programs. One of these is to report student performance against standards.
Standard setting exercises with respect to a particular assessment are commonly used by testing programs where there is a requirement to determine the point at which it can be said that students have demonstrated achievement of a standard. Several methodologies have been devised that use expert judgements to derive a numerical cut-score on an achievement scale. A commonly used standard setting methodology is one proposed by Angoff (1971).
The kernel of the Angoff procedure is the independent judgement of the probability that a minimally competent person can or cannot answer a dichotomously scored item correctly. This methodology typically involves three stages: orientation and training, a first round of performance estimation followed by feedback, and then a second round of performance estimation. In the orientation session, judges are asked to define a hypothetical target group. This definition is dependent upon the judges tacit understanding of the standard. For example, in the context of a mathematics test, judges would be asked to agree the skills the students should be expected to have mastered. Then they would be asked to envisage a student with those skills and to estimate the proportion of a hypothetical group of equally competent students (as defined by the expected standard) who would answer each item correctly. This proportion is the estimate of the required probability. Then the sum of these probabilities is taken as the raw cut-score on a test composed of the items.
Several studies, however, question the validity of the Angoff methodology because of the finding that judges were unable to perform the fundamental task required of them: to estimate the probability a student would answer an item correctly, (Shepard, 1995) even for groups of students who are well known to them (Impara and Blake, 1996).
In addition, standard-setting exercises invariably take place in situations where the reporting of educational standards has a high profile and is of political importance. To address the accountability requirements that accompany such a task, a wide range of stakeholders are invited to act as judges in the exercises. Inevitably, however, variability between the judges conception of the standard, as represented by the cut-score set by each of them, causes concern. Can the public have confidence in the standard set if the judges themselves cannot agree? Several studies report the introduction of further rounds of performance estimation and more refined feedback in an attempt to obtain greater consistency between the judges ratings (Impara and Blake, 2000; McGinty and Neel, 1996; Reckase, 2000).
In more recent studies Green, Trimble and Lewis (2003) report a study in which three standard setting procedures were implemented to set cut-scores and which required judges to synthesise the results to establish final cut-points. Green et al report studies such as Impara and Blake (2000) where convergence of results among multiple standard settings are used as evidence of validity of cut-scores, but note that while convergence may occur to a reasonable degree when variations of the same method are used, there are few reports of convergence when different procedures are used.
The distinguishing factor between the standard-setting exercises reported in the literature, which rely on judges tacit understanding of the standard and this study, is the existence of an explicitly and operationally defined standard. In 1996 the Australian Ministers for Education agreed to a national framework for reporting of student achievement in literacy and numeracy and arising from this decision was the drafting of benchmark standards against which the achievement of students in years 3, 5, 7 and 9 could be reported. The benchmark standards are articulated in two components. Criteria describe the skills that students need to have acquired if it is to be said that they achieved the standard and sample work exemplify these criteria.
The setting of standards independently of placing them on a scale permitted a more rigorous assessment of the effects of different designs on the setting of cut-scores. Two different standard-setting methodologies have been employed in this study to translate descriptions of the standards into cut-scores. One draws on the Angoff method and involves the use of a rating scale. Judges consider the items of a test and indicate the probability that a student at the cut-score will answer each item correctly. The probabilities are in increments of 0.10, ranging from 0.0 to 1.0. The sum of the probabilities that a judge gives to the items is taken as the raw score cut-score from that judge. The second study involves a method of pairwise comparison of the same items together with items that are operationalised to be benchmark items. The judge has to decide which of each pair of items is the more difficult.
The results of the two benchmark setting designs appear to support findings from other standard-setting exercises reported in the literature. Namely,
i. Judges were unable to estimate absolute item difficulty for a student of prescribed ability.
ii. Where two different designs were used, there is no convergence in results.
iii. Ratings from different judges within each design varied widely.
To indicate the resultant discrepancy in setting the benchmark on the same test, the rating methodology gives a value of 16.08 and the pairwise a value of 7.10 on ostensibly the same scale. A closer examination of the judges ratings, however, suggests that despite the evidence of dramatically different cut scores between the two exercises, the judges were highly consistent in their interpretation of relative item difficulty. Two lines of evidence indicate this high level of internal consistency: (i) the reliability index for the pairwise data; and (ii) the correlation between the item estimates obtained from the rating and pairwise exercises, which was 0.95. In addition, the correlation of the relative item difficulties with those obtained from students responding to the same items was a satisfactory 0.80 and 0.74 for the ratings and for the pairwise designs, respectively.
The high correlation between judgements across the two exercises, in conjunction with the relatively high correlation of the item difficulties from the judges data and from the student data, suggests that problems observed in the literature do not arise because judges cannot differentiate the relative difficulties of the items. Accordingly, the unit of scale as assessed by the standard deviations of the item difficulties were calculated and examined.
The standard deviation of the items from judges in the likelihood design was half that of the item difficulties from the student responses, and the standard deviation of the items from the pairwise design was over twice that of the student scale. The substantial difference between the standard deviations suggests a difference between the units of scale, which presents a fundamental problem for common equating. In general, and in the literature, it seems that the unit of scale as evidenced from the standard deviations is not considered and it seems that it is simply assumed that the unit of scale produced by the students and the judges is the same and each design should be the same. Then if the results of different modes of the data collections do not arrive at the same or very similar cut-scores, it is not considered that this might be only a result of different units of scale.
In retrospect, it is not surprising that different formats for data collection produce different units of scale, and that different cut-scores result. In addition, it is not surprising that these might also produce a different unit of scale from that produced by the responses of the students. The reasons that the different designs are likely to produce different units of scale are considered in the thesis.
Differences in the unit of scale will inevitably have an impact on the location of the benchmark or cut-score. When the difference in standard deviation is accounted for, and the cut-scores are placed on the same scale as that produced by the students, the two exercises provide similar locations of the benchmark cut-score. Importantly, the thesis shows that these locations can be substantiated qualitatively as representing the defined standard. There are two main conclusions of the study. First, some of the problems reported in the literature in setting benchmarks can be attributed to difference in the units of scale in the various response formats of judges relative to those of students. Second, this difference in unit of scale needs to be taken into account when locating the standard on the student scale.
This thesis describes in detail the two cut-score setting designs for the data collection, and the transformations that are necessary in order to locate the benchmark on the same scale as that produced by the responses of the students.
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Bean, Carol. "Meeting the Challenge: Training an Aging Population to Use Computers." Southeastern Library Association, 2003. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/106048.
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Older adults present a special challenge to libraries offering computer training. Many of those seeking training have little, if any, prior experience with the concepts and skills necessary to use computers, yet their ability to learn those concepts and skills is hampered by the aging process. This article summarizes the factors in aging which most affect learning computer skills, and how those factors can be mitigated.
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Twee, Pam, of Western Sydney Macarthur University, and Faculty of Education and Languages. "Literacy learning of adolescent students with intellectual disabilities : a case study." THESIS_FEL_XXX_Twee_P.xml, 2001. http://handle.uws.edu.au:8081/1959.7/310.
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This study explores the learning, and specifically literacy learning, of intellectually disabled adolescent students. Factors that have influenced this learning throughout the adolescent's education are identified. Nineteen case studies of the literacy development of adolescent students with mild and moderate intellectual disabilities were developed through observations in their classrooms, and of related activities. The results of the study show that there were three main influences on literacy development for these students. These were the unique nature of the learner, home and family factors and the impact of school on the literacy learning of these students from their early learning and through their years of formal education. This research adds to the current research on the learning of adolescent students with intellectual disabilities by looking specifically at literacy development and using qualitative approaches to search within and beyond the classroom for issues which affect their learning.Practitioners in education and in the care of disabled children can use the study's findings to build a framework of knowledge to develop appropriate educational placements, programs and support for learning by drawing on significant aspects of the child's personal, social and educational development.Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
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Williams, Rewa Colette. "Patterns Of 4th Graders' Literacy Events In Web Page Development." [Tampa, Fla.] : University of South Florida, 2003. http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/SFE0000203.
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Watson, Rashmi. "Linking assessment and pedagogy: Pre-primary teachers' literacy practices in Catholic schools, Western Australia." Thesis, Watson, Rashmi (2010) Linking assessment and pedagogy: Pre-primary teachers' literacy practices in Catholic schools, Western Australia. Professional Doctorate thesis, Murdoch University, 2010. https://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/6209/.
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International interest in the body of research concerning teachers’ practices in literacy education, specifically during early childhood, has grown consistently. In Australia, a number of recent initiatives and increased funding have brought substantial changes to early childhood literacy education affirming and paralleling the increased focus internationally. In this climate of change in early childhood literacy education, the goal of this study was to document the pedagogical and assessment practices currently being utilised in Pre-primary Western Australian classrooms to examine how teachers link these aspects of their teaching in planning and monitoring their literacy programs. A mixed-method research approach was applied using both qualitative and quantitative data gathering and analyses to portray and interpret the day-to-day pedagogical and assessment practices in literacy of a select group of Western Australia early childhood teachers. Data were gathered using three methods: survey questionnaires, interviews and classroom observations. Participants included Pre-primary teachers from the Catholic sector in Western Australia. All teachers were invited to participate in a survey and a smaller number of participants were involved in being interviewed and observed.
Using the three dimensions of conceptual focus, namely, pedagogy, assessment and monitoring and planning. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses identified a number of consistent terms used within each dimension when examining the practice of effective teachers of literacy. In this way, key findings in literacy teaching and assessment were extracted to uncover and elevate consistencies in effective teacher practices. Briefly, effective early years’ teachers of literacy implement a variety of pedagogical and assessment methods; are intentional and explicit in what they do; systematically spend regular, consistent and significant time on both instruction and assessment; apply an iterative approach in their practice; share responsibility; interconnect the dimensions of pedagogy and assessment and provide a safe and nurturing environment for their learners. Effective teachers of literacy implement these characteristic practices in their day-to-day literacy programs. In summary, this study demonstrates that early childhood teachers in Western Australian Catholic sector are actively applying a range of instructional and assessment practices in their own contexts and are open to increased awareness and professional learning in the areas of literacy pedagogy and assessment. Two implications for practice arise from the current study. The first is a strong need for development of a set of guidelines articulating how to facilitate effective early childhood literacy pedagogy, assessment and monitoring, and planning. The second implication for practice involves the dissemination of this information, implementation of its suggested practices and the provision of ongoing support to teachers through professional learning frameworks.
Greater support for early years’ teachers through the development of a set of guidelines around effective literacy practice within a supportive professional learning framework are two avenues likely to enhance the pedagogical and assessment practices in early years’ literacy. A grounded understanding of intentional pedagogy, intentional monitoring and assessment and intentional planning is necessary for early years’ teachers regardless of teaching experience. To achieve this across schools and systems, professional development within these key dimensions of literacy needs to be forthcoming. The continued development of early childhood literacy education in Western Australian schools could be bolstered by attending to findings and recommendations of this research.
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Watanabe, Tetsuta 1962. "Biliteracy practices of Japanese-English bilingual children in Melbourne, Australia." Monash University, School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics, 2003. http://arrow.monash.edu.au/hdl/1959.1/5592.
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Turner, Elisabeth. "Factors in the development of early childhood distance education curriculum materials for language and literacy in Western Australia." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2001. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1079.
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Many factors influence the changing nature of education: family structures, cultural diversity, rapid technological change, social conditions. In response to these changes the Curriculum Framework for Western Australian schools has been developed to establish the learning outcomes expected of all students from K-12. Students in isolated and distance education settings are supplied curriculum materials designed to meet their diverse educational needs. This study presents one snapshot of an ongoing research project in which new language and literacy curriculum materials for early childhood distance education learners were developed, trialled and further developed. Some factors that appear to be important in the development of early childhood distance education curriculum materials for language and literacy in Western Australia were identified through the use of grounded theory and explored through the development of draft and final curriculum materials for K-3 students in distance education. These factors include; state government mandated Curricufrm1 Framework and Outcomes and Standards Framework, federal government initiatives, the impact of information and communication technologies, the needs of home tutors, the diversity of students enrolled in distance education and factors related to early childhood language an literacy needs identified through the literature review. The implications highlight the need to continue to seek feedback from all stakeholders, especially home tutors and the need for frequent reviews and rewriting of curriculum materials, taking into account current literature, technologies and pedagogical change.
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Biggs, Brandi L. "Basic computer literacy training to increase comfort levels with computers and improve behaviors of technological integration." Diss., Click here for available full-text of this thesis, 2006. http://library.wichita.edu/digitallibrary/etd/2006/t014.pdf.
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Rao, Sudha Suzanne. "Literacy as a learner variable in the use of salient letter codes for dedicated speech computers." Thesis, University of British Columbia, 1989. http://hdl.handle.net/2429/27622.
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Literacy level is an important user variable in the process of selecting an appropriate augmentative communication device for a nonspeaking individual. This study investigated how much literacy was sufficient for a child to learn and remember salient letter codes to access prestored communicative messages from the memory of dedicated speech computers. Recent investigations (Light et al., 1988) have demonstrated that salient letter codes are the type of code most easily and accurately remembered by nonspeaking, literate adults.
The present study examined the use of the salient letter encoding technique by children with varying degrees of literacy. The performance of three groups of normal children (19 literate, 21 emergent literate and 21 preliterate) was measured in terms of error rate and strategy use as a function of literacy ability after specific codes and the salient letter encoding strategy were explicitly taught for accessing ten communicative messages. Error analysis showed that the emergent literate and literate groups used the salient letter encoding strategy whereas the preliterate group used two ineffective visual strategies. Mean accuracy scores indicated mastery of the salient letter encoding technique by literate subjects (89% correct), sufficient performance by emergent literate subjects (66% correct) and very poor performance by preliterate subjects (27% correct). The accuracy scores and patterns of strategy use indicated that emergent literacy skills were sufficient for use of salient letter codes. It seems likely that future research using personalized codes with emergent literate children may demonstrate improved accuracy.
The generalizability of these results to disordered populations and application to iconic systems was discussed. Extrapolated to the nonspeaking population, the results indicate that literate or emergent literate nonspeaking children would be capable users of salient letter codes. The performance of the three experimental groups was compared from the heuristic of a procedural view of memory with regard to opposing views of the nature of psycholinguistic and literacy development.Medicine, Faculty of
Audiology and Speech Sciences, School of
Graduate
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Oliverius, Thomas Michael. "Developing a middle school unit on computer literacy." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 1995. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/1225.
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Williams, Alexandra L. Gilbert Juan E. "SimBuilder Science an approach to enhancing reading literacy through visual programming /." Auburn, Ala., 2006. http://repo.lib.auburn.edu/2006%20Summer/Theses/WILLIAMS_ALEXANDRIA_34.pdf.
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Fluckiger, Beverley, and na. "Childrens cross-cultural literacy experiences in three worlds: Enacting agency." Griffith University. School of Cognition, Language and Special Education, 2007. http://www4.gu.edu.au:8080/adt-root/public/adt-QGU20070814.144647.
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The literacy experiences of a small group of culturally-diverse children were examined in this study. The experiences, too, were diverse and influential. The children, five girls aged four five years, attended the same Preschool, in an inner suburb of a large city in Australia. Data were gathered at home, during the last two months of the preschool year and, for three of the children, during writing sessions in the first six months of Year One. Vygotskian ideas on meaning-making were integrated with other perspectives on development, literacy learning and teaching from a sociocultural, theoretical framework. The purpose was to identify dimensions of childrens literacy experiences and provide insight into ways in which children negotiate culture, literacy, and schooling, challenge current perspectives, contribute to research knowledge and determine how teachers might take account of cultural diversity in classrooms to better support children in literacy learning. A grounded theory method was employed using multiple data collection tools and techniques in both home and school contexts. Data were coded using a process of constant comparison to identify features, characteristics and dimensions of childrens literacy experiences. Independent inter-rater agreement on the coding of features at home, Preschool and school was 98.4%. Findings included a variety of values, beliefs and perspectives amongst parents and between teachers in relation to literacy learning, roles and relationships, and home-school connections. Childrens literacy experiences at home differed in terms of nature, frequency and resources and experiences in each of the settings were very different. A major finding was that children acted as agents of their own learning: mixing, transferring, trying out, adapting, and experimenting to determine appropriate practices and make decisions including when to exercise choice to enact agency. These assimilation and accommodation adaptations were identified as akin to code-switching, labelled as culture-switching, and identified as areas requiring further research.
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Schneider, Grace Rose. "Books or Bytes: Media Format and Literacy Education." Miami University Honors Theses / OhioLINK, 2005. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=muhonors1113878337.
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Madej, Krystina. "Characteristics of Early Narrative Experience : Connecting print and digital game /." Burnaby B.C. : Simon Fraser University, 2007. http://ir.lib.sfu.ca/handle/1892/9751.
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Thesis (Ph.D.) - Simon Fraser University, 2007.Theses (School of Interactive Arts & Technology) / Simon Fraser University. Senior supervisor: Dr. John Bowes -- School of Interactive Arts & Technology. Also issued in digital format and available on the World Wide Web.
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Pollard, Anna, and apollard@parade vic edu au. "The Professional Development and Training Needs of Literacy Coordinators in Secondary Schools in Victoria, Australia." RMIT University. Education, 2008. http://adt.lib.rmit.edu.au/adt/public/adt-VIT20080514.122251.
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The research presented in this thesis investigates the professional development and training needs of Literacy Coordinators in secondary schools in Victoria, Australia. This study augments the extensive body of research pertaining to knowledge about literacy programs, theory and pedagogy and it aims to explore a further dimension relating to the skills and knowledge that Literacy Coordinators need to acquire and apply in order to successfully manage their programs. The research paradigm of this study, as described by Guba and Lincoln (1994), uses constructivist (naturalistic) inquiry methodology and a case study approach. The collection of the data in these case studies has been achieved using a semi-ethnographic approach described by Denzin and Lincoln (2000) where the researcher observes the classroom program as a non-participant observer and engages in active collaborative reflection and analysis of the key knowledge and strategies required for successful p rogram management, in conjunction with the Literacy Coordinator participants. This study has also employed purposeful sampling (Patton, 1990) in the selection of the Literacy Coordinator participants and their schools and incorporates the use of teacher's voice in the construction and interpretation of key issues. The literature review examines the conceptualisation of literacy learning with a focus on the past three decades and explores current leadership and management theory as an integral component of program provision. A historical background to the industrial and political influences on the provision of literacy support for the purpose of raising the literacy achievement of students in secondary schools in Victoria is also provided. The value and relevance of having a theory that informs the Literacy Coordinators' practice is explored. The importance of professional development through participant observation and shared retelling and collaborative interpretation of the events is also examined. The case studies highlight the need for training in program design, diagnosing of student needs and for training for the leadership component of the role. The data collection involved six school sites and six Literacy Coordinators employed in secondary schools in the Northern metropolitan region of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Data included key informant interviews, curriculum and strategic planning documents and program materials. A number of key skills and knowledge criteria emerged as key factors in successful program management. They include the need for time and appropriate resources to effectively manage the program; the need for Literacy Coordinators to be trained in selecting and designing content, the need to master pedagogical knowledge related to literacy program provision and the need for training in the use of testing instruments and interpretation of testing data. Other key knowledge and skill requirements include training in management, the ability to develop effective partnerships and the ability to build and maintain teams. Recommendations for enhancing professional practice flow from this thesis; they have most relevance to Literacy Coordinators and other program leaders and for principals, policy makers and tertiary educators.
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Ng'ethe, George Gitau. "Design of a Mobile Support and Content Authoring tool to Support Deaf Adults Training in Computer Literacy Skills." Thesis, University of Cape Town, 2016. http://pubs.cs.uct.ac.za/archive/00001081/.
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This dissertation investigates the challenges that Deaf adults encounter at the task of learning computer literacy skills. Deaf adults who communicate using South African Sign Language (SASL) come from poor socio-economic backgrounds are not familiar with the written form of English. They rely on interpreters and Deaf teachers to translate written text into SASL for them to learn computer literacy skill.
We present our theme of support, in which Deaf people learn via an intermediary, a teacher or facilitator, in intermediated supported learning. We propose a shift from intermediated supported learning to multimedia supported learning which is most appropriate for the context.
Using Community-based co-design we implement two systems: an authoring tool to support lesson content creation by the teacher and a mobile prototype that uses sign language videos to provide computer literacy instruction. We evaluate the two systems to evaluate if they support multimedia-supported learning.
The authoring tool allowed the facilitator to create tailored lessons for the Deaf learners using pre-recorded SASL videos and images. The Deaf learners demonstrated ability to do self-paced learning while using the mobile system, better suited to Deaf learners with basic exposure to computer literacy skills.
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Cullity, Marguerite Mary. "A case study of employees' motivation to participate in a workplace language and literacy program." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 1998. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1735.
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The reasons why non-English speaking background (NESB) shopfloor employees participate in workplace language and literacy classes and the factors that affect their motivation to participate are relative unknowns. This study investigates NESB shopfloor employees' motivation to participate in a Communication Skills Development Program (CSDP) course and the factors that affected their motivation. An inductive analysis of findings revealed that all of the employees participated in one of the CSDP courses for a variety of pre-determined life-specific reasons. These reasons are represented by three main categories of goals (i.e., 'Self-improvement through language and literacy development', 'Work', 'Outside work'). Of these goals, all of the employees reported 'Self-improvement through language and literacy development' as the underlying reason why they participated in one of the CSDP courses. Further, each employee reported a language/literacy practice that is peculiar to all of his/her goals and most sub-goals. An extended analysis of the employees' motivation to participate identified the employees as being 'transactional-', 'vocational-', 'fellowship-', 'social camaraderie-' and/or 'self-satisfaction- oriented' learners. Findings also revealed that a variety of 'personal', 'course-related' and 'context-related' factors either positively or adversely affected the employees' motivation to participate. A qualitative case study design was implemented. Data was collected through interviews, observations, field notes and the review of artifacts. Data was inductively analysed by classifying patterns of relationships into categories that represent the employees' motivation to participate and factors that affected their motivation. ii This study's findings have implications for theory and practice. At a theoretical level, these findings add to the existing theoretical understanding of why English as second language adults participate in workplace language and literacy classes and the factors that affect their motivation. At a practice level, these findings illustrate the need for Food Products management and program teachers to have an understanding of the reasons 'why' NESB shopfloor employees participate in workplace language and literacy classes and the factors that affect their motivation. For with such an understanding, first, Food Products management will be able to implement organisational practices that positively affect the employees' motivation to participate in future CSDP classes. Second, teachers will be able to assist the employees to set realistic goals, and design and implement course content that assists the employees to attain these goals.. For it is when employees attain their goals that they will form and hold positive perceptions of the course in which they participate.
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McGhie-Sinclair, Tracy-Ann Samantha. "THE INTEGRATION OF TABLET COMPUTERS IN PREPARING STUDENTS FOR THE GRADE FOUR LITERACY TEST: PERCEPTION VERSUS REALITY." Diss., Temple University Libraries, 2017. http://cdm16002.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p245801coll10/id/439042.
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Educational LeadershipEd.D.
ABSTRACT The goal of this qualitative study was to gain an understanding of the perception that exists for fourteen Jamaican instructional leaders as they integrate Tablet Computers (TCs) into the pedagogical process to prepare grade four students for the Grade Four Literacy Test (G4LT). The research was conducted in four schools; three rural primary schools in the parishes of Trelawny, Manchester and St Elizabeth and an urban primary school in Kingston. The focal group comprised four principals, three vice principals, three grade four coordinators and four grade four teachers from the scope of schools that were piloting the Tablet in School (TIS) initiative. Structured interviews and observation were used as data sources. Findings from the data revealed that the instructional leaders, while receptive to the initiative of utilizing the TCs in the pedagogical process, were unable to speak to how effective its usage was in preparing students for the G4LT. Furthermore, although the devices were somewhat facilitated in the teaching and learning process, the majority of instructional leaders did not use them to teach the components of the examination. Finally, results suggested that the usage of the TC as an instructional tool had encouraged more favourable responses from students in the classroom learning environment. As the first study to investigate the integration of TC to teach literacy in the Jamaican Primary Classroom, the current study provided novel insights and a springboard for more qualitative investigations into this particular phenomenon. It is also anticipated that the emerging data will influence and inform decision making within the Ministry of Education (MoE).
Temple University--Theses
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Kindler, Michael, of Western Sydney Nepean University, and Faculty of Education. "Human literacy: liberal neglect in A Statement on English for Australian Schools." THESIS_FE_XXX_Kindler_M.xml, 1996. http://handle.uws.edu.au:8081/1959.7/272.
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This thesis critiques A Statement on English for Australian Schools (1994) for what it does, and what it does not, say in respect of literature education. It argues the need to reconceptualise the way literature education is thought to benefit adolescent readers. The initial discussion identifies the issues which are raised in that document. This yields the need to redefine literature education as Human Literacy. It does so on the basis of a theoretical exploration of reader and text. Human Literacy is able to define reader response to show certain orientations which have either been left out, misunderstood or inadequately portrayed in A Statement. This thesis places Human Literacy within real world educational aims of homo economicus as well as homo sapiens sapiens. Such a context recognises liberal and utilitarian value positions, and is able to balance these in a manner which A Statement does not. In placing Human Literacy within educational philosophies of competing models of practice, literature education becomes nested within a more comprehensive understanding of education. Human Literacy provides a way by which educational value of literature is maximised. However, this projects a paradigm shift for A Statement, by identifying a liberal neglect through flawed assumptions, omissions, and contradictions. The presence of these in A Statement inhibit literature from working to best advantage. Human Literacy provides a more comprehensive way by which current theory is accommodated within an English curriculumDoctor of Philosophy (PhD)
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Dennis, Andrea L. "Children in the net the use of technology and the Internet in the classroom /." Online pdf file accessible through the World Wide Web, 2009. http://archives.evergreen.edu/masterstheses/Accession89-10MIT/Dennis_AMITthesis2009.pdf.
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Oladunjoye, Olayemi Kemi. "iPad and computer devices in preschool : A tool for literacy development among teachers and children in preschool." Thesis, Stockholms universitet, Barn- och ungdomsvetenskapliga institutionen, 2013. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:su:diva-92600.
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The title of this thesis is "iPad and Computer devices in Preschool: A tool for literacy development among teachers and children in preschool." The study was an exploration of how teachers and their pupils put iPad and other computer devices into use in early childhood education. This study was a qualitative research study, based on the observation of the pupils and the interviews of the teachers. In this study, observation of the children and interviewing of the teachers over a period of five weeks produced significant results. The children participants in the observation were approximately 60 and they were between the ages of 3 to 6,5 years. Four preschool teachers and one preschool teaching assistant were interviewed in an attempt to substantiate the use of ICT in early childhood education. The overall result of the study was that the teachers’ positive attitude towards iPad helped to enhance and facilitate the development of literacy skills in the children. This study provided evidence of how children created their own learning environment by actively practising their reading, writing, and comprehension skills. It also showed how ICT enhanced social interaction and developed intra-action activities among the children, to a situation that eventually led to the development in their learning.
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Almjeld, Jennifer Marie. "The Girls of MySpace: New Media as Gendered Literacy Practice and Identity Construction." Bowling Green, Ohio : Bowling Green State University, 2008. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc%5Fnum=bgsu1212610595.
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Iqbal, Javed. "Digital literacy and access for educational inclusion : a comparative study of British Muslim girls schools." Thesis, University of Huddersfield, 2012. http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/id/eprint/18095/.
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The educatiuonal achievements of British Muslims, particularly South Asians, have been studied in past decades, but, unfortunately, the impact of digital technologies on young Muslim children has not recieved sufficient attention. In addition, past studies mostly relied on quantitative methods to gain knowledge on the educational achievements of British Muslims. The thesis is grounded in a qualitative approach within a social constructionist paradigm, to elicit the views of young British Muslim girls on their use of digital technologies for educational achievements. The data presented were obtained by carrying out semi-structured interviews with a sample of young (14-19 year old) British Muslim girls at three single-sex Islamic faith schools, and were analysed using mainly template analysis, and also matrix analysis and cross-case analysis within and cross the case studies. It was found that most of the female Muslim students interviewed for this research study were satisfied and performed competently at case Islamic faith schools. Furthermore, the educational success at school A was attributable to educational norms and values relative to the provision of digital resources and skilled teaching staff. The educational experiences of school B and C were problematic, largely because of access to digital technologies, and provision of digital content and skilled teaching staff. Another factor of students’ underachievement was found to be that parents had limited levels of education and inadequate understanding of the education. Most of the students had a positive attitude towards the technologies. The thesis concludes that the educational achievement of British Muslim girls in schools is closely related to access to digital technologies, digital academic content, skilled academic staff and the technological, infrastructure in schools. The net effect of digital technologies is positive on Muslim girls in the increasingly competitive nature of the education system. The thesis is original and the first study of this kind that offers an insight into the access to digital technologies and educational attainment of young British Muslim girls that is reflected in key concepts through the usage and incorporation of technologies in education. Other aspects of this research include the issues of provision of technologies at home and parents’ educational level, contribution to knowledge, and the need for further broader and longitudinal study.
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Howard, Peter T., of Western Sydney Nepean University, and Faculty of Education. "Primary teacher's attitudes toward the student use of calculators in primary (kindergarten-year 6) mathematics classes." THESIS_FE_XXX_Howard_P.xml, 1991. http://handle.uws.edu.au:8081/1959.7/133.
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The last fifteen years has seen an increase in the availability of calculators for use by schools and students. Educational authorities in Australia, the United States of America and the United Kingdom have come to recommend the student use of calculators from Kindergarten upwards. This recommendation has attracted continuing controversy, specifically regarding the use of, calculators in primary schools. Such controversy prompts an important question: What views do primary teachers themselves hold on this issue? This report examined the findings of a study into primary teachers' present attitudes toward the student use of calculators in primary mathematics classes. Data were collected from a questionnaire administered during 1990 to a sample of teachers undertaking their fourth year of study for a Bachelor of Education (Primary) at three university campuses in New South Wales, Australia. Those teachers who supported the primary student use of calculators believed that calculators are a technological tool for use in mathematics, that they increase childrens' confidence, they take the focus off computation in doing problems and that children use them outside the classroom. It was found that of these teachers, 55% supported the introduction of calculators before the end of Year 2. A total of 4% did not support their use at all in primary mathematics classes. This study concluded that there was not overall support from primary teachers for the introduction of the calculator into Kindergarten as recommended in the National Statement on the use of Calculators for Mathematics in Australian SchoolsMaster of Education
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Andrew, Monica, and n/a. "The internet experiences of women living in rural and regional Australia." University of Canberra. Professional Communication, 2004. http://erl.canberra.edu.au./public/adt-AUC20060410.122445.
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This study explores the internet experiences of women living in rural and regional
Australia, their motives for internet uptake and use, the benefits they gain from using the
internet, the difficulties they encounter in using the internet and whether the benefits are
affected by technical factors, such as computer equipment and telecommunication
infrastructure, availability of opportunities for developing online skills, and perceptions
of the internet. Data was collected via an email snowball technique to contact women
living in rural and regional Australia, resulting in participation by 40 women from
throughout rural and regional areas.
The research drew on the literature of internet research and media uses-and-gratifications.
Although the internet is a relatively new communication technology, it has attracted a
large amount of scholarly interest. However, there has been little research into internet
use by individual populations. Women living in rural and regional areas of Australia
experience geographical and social isolation, with limited access to goods, services and
information, and could be expected, therefore, to gain significant benefits from use of the
internet. However, the potential benefits of the internet could be offset by difficulties
with internet use in rural and regional areas. A narrative approach was used to determine
the motives for internet use by women living in rural and regional Australia, the benefits
they gain from using the internet, the difficulties they encounter in using it and whether
the difficulties affect the benefits they gain from internet use.
The research findings show that, more than anything else, women living in rural and
regional Australia use the internet to build and maintain relationships, including keeping
in touch with family and friends, re-connecting with friends for the past and making new
friends online. They also use the internet to facilitate involvement in community
organisations, to contribute to social issues at the national, state and local level and to
participate in community projects and events. In addition, women living in rural and
regional Australia use the internet to undertake business and education related activities,
pursue personal interests, seek emotional support and undertake practical tasks, such as
finding and disseminating information, banking and shopping. However, the many
benefits of the internet are offset to some extent by the many frustrations encountered in
using it, particularly in regard to technical factors and developing online skills. Spam
mail and viruses also cause considerable inconvenience.