Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'English language in New South Wales, Australia'

Calls for increased attention to subject-specific histories have been somewhat insistent in the last two decades. An important emphasis in these calls has been for attention to the history of the 'preactive curriculum' as represented, for example, in Syllabus documents. English has been a particular case in these arguments- a case which often revolves around defining the subject itself. Others have argued further that subject-specific history is usually centred in detailed local, historical studies of the recent past. In attempting to address these issues, this study sets out to answer the questions: 1/. How was Years 7-10 English defined from the early 1970s to the early 1990s in NSW? 2/. What was the relationship between the concepts 'English' and 'literacy' in NSW in the given period? The study focuses specifically on constructions of English in Syllabus documents, professional journals, textbooks and examinations. The particular methodology used to address the study questions is an in-depth study of two selected years during, viz. 1977 and 1992, accompanied by detailed discussion of contextual aspects of these years.

Calls for increased attention to subject-specific histories have been somewhat insistent in the last two decades. An important emphasis in these calls has been for attention to the history of the 'preactive curriculum' as represented, for example, in Syllabus documents. English has been a particular case in these arguments- a case which often revolves around defining the subject itself. Others have argued further that subject-specific history is usually centred in detailed local, historical studies of the recent past. In attempting to address these issues, this study sets out to answer the questions: 1/. How was Years 7-10 English defined from the early 1970s to the early 1990s in NSW? 2/. What was the relationship between the concepts 'English' and 'literacy' in NSW in the given period? The study focuses specifically on constructions of English in Syllabus documents, professional journals, textbooks and examinations. The particular methodology used to address the study questions is an in-depth study of two selected years during, viz. 1977 and 1992, accompanied by detailed discussion of contextual aspects of these years.
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

This thesis is about the genesis and development of the first pidgin English in Australia, called here New South Wales Pidgin. It presents a detailed analysis of the history of the language and a diachronic analysis of developments in the grammar and lexicon of the language. 'Melaleuka' refers to the model devised for the purposes of this thesis to explain the hypothesis on which the work is premised—that NSW Pidgin existed in two dialect forms. The time frame addressed is from the late eighteenth century when the language had its inception to the middle of the nineteenth century when it was consolidated. The geographical area of study encompasses the states of New South Wales and Victoria. The area was known as the colony of New South Wales until the middle of the nineteenth century.

This thesis is about the genesis and development of the first Pidgin English in Australia, called here New South Wales Pidgin. It presents a detailed analysis of the history of the language and a diachronic analysis of developments in the grammar and lexicon of the language. 'Melaleuka' refers to the model devised for the purposes of this thesis to explain the hypothesis on which the work is premised—that NSW Pidgin existed in two dialect forms. The time frame addressed is from the late eighteenth century when the language had its inception to the middle of the nineteenth century when it was consolidated. The geographical area of study encompasses the states of New South Wales and Victoria. The area was known as the colony of New South Wales until the middle of the nineteenth century.

Thesis (PhD)--Macquarie University, Australian Centre for Educational Studies, School of Education, 2008.
Bibliography: p. 159-177.
This thesis examines student identity construction and teacher identity construction in the context of secondary English Years 7-10 classrooms in a comprehensive high school in Western Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The research journey chronicles the teaching and learning experiences of a small group of students and teachers at Heartbreak High. The narrative provides insights into the factors responsible for creating teacher identity(s) and the identities of both engaged and disengaged students. -- Previous studies have tended to focus on the construction of disaffected student identities. In contrast, this case study tells the stories of both engaged and disengaged students and of their teachers utilising a unique framework that adapts and combines a range of theoretical perspectives. These include ethnography as a narrative journey (Atkinson, 1990), Fourth Generation Evaluation (Guba & Lincoln, 1990; Lincoln & Guba, 1989), reflexivity (Jordan & Yeomans, 1995), Grounded Theory (Strauss & Corbin, 1990; Sugrue, 1974) and multiple realities (Stake, 1984). -- The classical notion of the student-teacher dynamic is questioned in this inquiry. Students did not present powerless, passive, able-to-be motivated identities; they displayed significant agency in (re) creating 'self(s)' at Heartbreak High based largely on 'desires'. Engaged student identities reflected a teacher's culture and generally exhibited a "desire to know." In contrast, disaffected students exhibited a "desire for ignorance," rejecting the teacher's culture in order to fulfil their desire to belong to peer subculture(s). The capacity for critical reflection and empathy were also key factors in the process of their identity constructions. Disengaged students displayed limited capacity to empathise with, or to critically reflect about, those whom they perceived as "different". In contrast, engaged students exhibited a significant capacity to empathise with others and a desire to critically reflect on their own behaviour, abilities and learning. -- This ethnographic narrative offers an alternate lens with which to view pedagogy from the perspectives that currently dominate educational debate. The findings of this study support a multifaceted model of teacher identity construction that integrates the personal 'self(s)' and the professional 'self(s)' that are underpinned by 'desires'. Current tensions inherent in the composition of teacher identities are portrayed in this thesis and it reveals the teacher self(s) as possessing concepts that are desirous of being efficacious, autonomous and valued but are diminished by disempowerment and fear.
Mode of access: World Wide Web.
266 p. ill

THE PROFESSIONAL LIFE-CYCLES AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF ADULT TEACHERS OF ENGLISH TO SPEAKERS OF OTHER LANGUAGES (TESOL) This thesis focuses on the findings of a research study conducted in Geneva and Sydney to examine the career cycles of TESOLs. It explores many of the issues investigated in Huberman???s study of 160 secondary school teachers in Geneva (1989, 1993). Seventy-three in-depth interviews were conducted with teachers and trainers / administrators in adult TESOL, and professional development issues were examined in greater detail than in the Huberman study. The central purpose of the study was to test the universality of the Huberman model of career phases. TESOLs were found to have far more variations during their career cycles than school teachers, who were in a more stable and predictable situation. The study focused on particular moments in the career cycle, exploring TESOLs??? levels of satisfaction. TESOLs in the present study were found to have similar intrinsic satisfactions and concerns about working conditions as the findings of other TESOL studies. Although the occupation was reportedly becoming increasingly more professional, its unpredictable nature made it stimulating and rewarding. In spite of the instability of the TESOL career, TESOLs appeared to have more positive career experiences overall than many school teachers with more stable career paths. The study also examined professional development issues by comparing the perceptions of TESOLs and their trainers / administrators. They had many divergent opinions as to the professional development requirements of TESOLs. While there was no conclusive evidence that professional development could be linked to stages, TESOLs in a phase of diversification were found to have different professional development requirements from other phases. Personal, professional and environmental factors also affect the professional development requirements of TESOLs at any stage. In summary, it appears that the traditional career phase model is inappropriate when applied to TESOLs, and perhaps for other similarly unstable careers. With the recent changes in people???s professional lives, requiring increasing mobility and adaptability in the changing job market, other career path models to guide counselling, professional development and other staff management programs will need to be explored.

This is an historical investigation into the provision of education services for deaf children in the State of New South Wales in Australia since 1860. The main focus is those deaf children without additional disabilities who have been placed in mainstream classes, special classes for the deaf and special schools for the deaf. The study places this group at centre stage in order to better understand their educational situation in the late 1990s. The thesis has taken a chronological and thematic approach. The chapters are defined by significant events that impacted on the education of the deaf, such as the establishment of special schools in New South Wales, the rise of the oral movement, and aftermath of the rubella epidemic in Australia during the 1940s. Within each chapter, there is a core of key elements around which the analysis is based. These key elements tend to be based on institutions, players, and specific educational features, such as the mode of instruction or the curriculum. The study found general agreement that language acquisition was a fundamental prerequisite to academic achievement. Yet the available evidence suggests that educational programs for most deaf children in New South Wales have seldom focused on ensuring adequate language acquisition in conjunction with the introduction of academic subjects. As a result, language and literacy competencies of deaf students in general have frequently been acknowledged as being below those of five their hearing counterparts, to the point of presenting a barrier to successful post-secondary study. It is proposed that the reasons for the academic failings of the deaf are inherent in five themes.
PhD Doctorate

This is an historical investigation into the provision of education services for deaf children in the State of New South Wales in Australia since 1860. The main focus is those deaf children without additional disabilities who have been placed in mainstream classes, special classes for the deaf and special schools for the deaf. The study places this group at centre stage in order to better understand their educational situation in the late 1990s. The thesis has taken a chronological and thematic approach. The chapters are defined by significant events that impacted on the education of the deaf, such as the establishment of special schools in New South Wales, the rise of the oral movement, and aftermath of the rubella epidemic in Australia during the 1940s. Within each chapter, there is a core of key elements around which the analysis is based. These key elements tend to be based on institutions, players, and specific educational features, such as the mode of instruction or the curriculum. The study found general agreement that language acquisition was a fundamental prerequisite to academic achievement. Yet the available evidence suggests that educational programs for most deaf children in New South Wales have seldom focused on ensuring adequate language acquisition in conjunction with the introduction of academic subjects. As a result, language and literacy competencies of deaf students in general have frequently been acknowledged as being below those of five their hearing counterparts, to the point of presenting a barrier to successful post-secondary study. It is proposed that the reasons for the academic failings of the deaf are inherent in five themes.
PhD Doctorate

This thesis examines English immigration to eastern Australia between 1815 and 1860, dealing predominantly with the colonies of New South Wales and Victoria. I focus on the English because of their relative neglect in Australian immigration historiography, despite their being in the majority among the immigrants. I uncover evidence of origins, class, gender, motivation and culture. To provide a rounded picture of these immigrants, I use statistics and contemporary literary sources, principally correspondence, diaries and official and private archives, and compare the English immigrants in eastern Australia with English immigrants to the United States and with Scottish and Irish immigrants to New South Wales and Victoria in the same decades. To analyse the origins, motives and skills of the immigrants, I employ demographic data and case studies and examine separately immigrants with capital and assisted immigrants. Overwhelmingly, for both sets of immigrants, the motive was to seek material success in the colonies, faster than they believed they could at home. For the majority, this overcame scruples about the primitive state of the colonial societies and the taint of convictism. Land was a major attraction for many self-funded immigrants, who began to come into New South Wales in increasing numbers in the 1820s, initially mainly in family groups, but later larger numbers of single men were attracted to seek wealth prior to marriage. Many settled on the land as their primary source of income; others who came to practice in middle class professions were also keen to acquire town and country land for the status and wealth it promised, but lived and worked in urban areas. Chain migration was a common feature among middle class families in all decades. The gold rushes of the 1850s throw into stark relief the gambling element propelling so many people drawn from all but the poorest classes to chase fortunes. In the promotion of the Australian colonies to labouring people through government-assisted passages, the period 1831-1836 was experimental. I analyse the steps taken, the lessons learned and the background, motivations and skills of the English people attracted by this early scheme. Revised recruitment criteria were put into action in 1837 and I examine a profile of the assisted immigrants from a one in sixty sample from that year to 1860. This longitudinal study shows that, despite contemporary and subsequent criticisms of the quality of the assisted immigrants, they fitted the categories demanded by the colonists and predominantly came from regions of England suffering economic decline. To examine the culture and values of the English immigrants, I develop an extended case study of one family over two generations and analyse key themes emerging from the private papers of a cross-section of people. These two perspectives illustrate the contribution English immigrants made to the culture in eastern Australia and show how many of them maintained contact with family in England over a long period, while engaging actively in their new society.

Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
This thesis argues that foreign and second language teaching productivity can only reach its proper potential when it is accorded priority, second only to language learner productivity, amongst the many competing productivities which are always asserted by stakeholders in educational institutions. A theoretical foundation for the research is established by examining the historical concept of productivity, and its more recent manifestation as knowledge worker productivity, especially as applied to teachers. The empirical basis of the thesis is sourced from a chronological series of twenty biographical case studies in language teaching venues in Australia, New Zealand, Oceania and East Asia. The biographical case study methodology, although rare in applied linguistics, is justified by reference to its wide and growing application in other fields of qualitative research. The case studies are analysed for common patterns of productivity, as well as teaching productivity inhibition or failure. It was affirmed across all of the case studies without exception that external parties could not control or even reliably predict what individual students might learn, and how well, from instances of instructed language teaching. This was regardless of the power of institutional players, external resources, curriculums or the teacher. Student belief in the immediate value of what was to be learned in a given lesson, and personal confidence in an ability to learn it were the most critical factors. Teaching productivity was found to turn, ultimately, on the teacher's ability to influence the probability of student learning. The teacher could best influence learning probability by enhancing student motivation. The most effective environments for teaching productivity were seen to be those where the teacher was professionally equipped and politically enabled to exercise judgements which maximized opportunities for student language learning productivity. A negotiated pact concerning both curriculum and method often proved effective, especially with mature students, and at times required some deception of institutional authorities. Empirically, the encouragement of reciprocal learning relationships between teacher and students was found to be powerfully enabling for language teaching productivity in the case studies. In many venues a small but effective minority of 'intimate learners' were also able to leverage their language learning productivity by forging more personal relationships with the teacher. The wider cultural paradigm within each of the countries represented in the case studies sanctioned different paths and limitations for both language learners and teachers, and hence was seen to influence teaching productivity in critical ways. It was found that under certain conditions, notably (but not exclusively) those prevailing in many East Asian educational institutions, that certification of foreign language skills had a higher cultural, employment and monetary value than the actual ability to exercise foreign language skills. A negative influence on teacher productivity in many of the case studies was an ignorance about language learning and teaching amongst institutional players. The disregard of language teacher professionalism was fed by a belief that being able to speak a language was all that was necessary to teach it, and reinforced by misinterpreting the meaning of test results. Related to this, an imbalance of power relationships between teachers or students with other institutional interests was consistently found to interfere with teaching and learning productivities. Overall, the model of productivity understood in institutions instanced by the case studies tended to reflect a 19th Century economic paradigm of capital, raw materials (students) and labour (dispensable classroom workers) rather than any more sophisticated grasp of knowledge worker productivity. It was demonstrated in the context of the case studies that productivity, and in particular knowledge worker productivity, is a complex concept whose facets require detailed analysis to arrive at a proper understanding of the role that foreign and second language teachers play in educational institutions.

I was engaged as a Volunteer Teacher-Researcher (VTR) of Mandarin in New South Wales Department of Education and Training (NSW DET) schools as part of a partnership between the NSW DET (Western Sydney Region), Ningbo Municipal Education Bureau (NMEB) and the Centre for Educational Research, the University of Western Sydney (UWS). As a bilingual teacher with no previous educational background teaching Mandarin bilingually in NSW, I was concerned to document and analyse my experiences through a self-study research method and to investigate my professional learning as a beginning second language (L2) teacher. Self-study is a burgeoning area of teacher education and teacher research. My research question is the following: What is it like to be a bilingual teacher teaching a second language (L2) in a first language (L1) environment, but where this L1 is my L2? Sources of data collected for this study included: programming and planning notes, documents from methodology training courses, reflection journals, classroom observations, students’ written feedback and test results, and interviews with teachers. I also drew on memories of my prior learning experiences as a school- and tertiary-level learner of English in Zhejiang Province, China. Content analysis was adopted to analyse the evidence in this study. The theoretical interpretation draws on the work of Loughran (2004 and 2005) and Hamilton (1998) in self-study, as well as comparisons and contrasts with current trends in L2 education and beginning teaching research, such as the work of Watzke (2007), Marland (2007) and Arends (2004). Key categories of analysis, including identity, experiencing a mentoring relationship, language class size, classroom management and impacts of pre-existing knowledge, emerged as significant evidence from the analysis of my data. In general my development trend was consistent with previous research in the literature about beginning teaching. The process of becoming a teacher-researcher through self-study was professional, beneficial and meaningful.

This research reports on the experiences of a Volunteer Teacher-researcher (VTR) from Ningbo China, who taught Mandarin in a voluntary capacity in three NSW public schools. The study focuses on her development as a teacher-researcher. The purpose of this investigation is to analyse the process of her constructing, observing and understanding her own multiple Zones of Proximal Development (ZPDs). As a self-study, the research involved recording, analysing and discussing the creation of and journey through multiple ZPDs for a novice L2 teacher. It investigated the use a beginning L2 teacher makes of the guidance and assistance provided by more capable others in constructing ZPDs. In addition, it highlights the value of research for a teacher solving idiosyncratic novel problems. The theoretical concept of the ZPD was first used by Lev Vygotsky, who saw it as a means of describing the process of learning rather than the product of learning (Vygotsky, 1978). Vygotsky died before he could complete formulation of his theory, and more recent interpretations of his concept diverge in varying degrees from his conception (Daniels, 2001; Kell, 2005; Lantolf, 2000; Wertsch, 1985). Essentially, most research has been on learning in the early years, with the novice assumed to be a student and the expert assumed to be the teacher. There are few, if any, research studies on the notion of the ZPD in the development processes of beginning teachers. Using the ZPD as a conceptual tool to analyse evidence of professional learning, this research examines the value of mediational tools in the context of a beginning L2 teacher and the events that lead to learning. The guiding question was: How are physical and psychological tools internalised and mediated by the VTR (Volunteer Teacher-researcher) in resolving multiple idiosyncratic novel problems in the process of learning while also teaching and researching. Data sources included a reflective journal and observation feedback. This self-study of the ZPD identifies a range of interactions and reflective writing as key mediational tools to professional learning. In doing so it, questions the identities of experts and novices, expanding current understandings of Vygotsky‘s original theoretical concept. This study concludes that it is possible for the adult learner, as a beginning teacher-researcher, to construct her own ZPD, arguing that active participation from a mentor, and reflective writing as mediational tools for internalisation, are necessary for an adult learner to construct his/her own ZPD.

This study is an action research project conducted by a teacher-researcher who is teaching Chinese as a foreign language to students in NSW public schools. It involves two action research cycles in order to investigate how a beginning teacher can improve Communicative Language Teaching (CLT) practice through continuous reflective teaching. The first action research cycle employs the NSW Quality Teaching (QT) pedagogical model as a tool to support reflective teaching. The second action research cycle aims at testing out and further improving the findings of the first action research cycle by drawing on principles of intercultural language teaching (ILT). This study seeks to contribute to current language education research in several areas. Firstly, it generates data about Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language (TCFL) which is an emerging field. Secondly, it includes theoretical and practical understanding about CLT and ILT as foreign language pedagogies. Thirdly, while using action research as the methodology, the reflexivity of action research was further developed in this study through the integration of reflective teaching cycles into action research cycles. Fourthly, an approach to reflective teaching, namely, ‘tension-focused reflective teaching’ has been developed. Fifthly, tension-focused reflection has also given rise to a method for enhancing foreign language teaching via a communicative approach, which I termed Quality Intercultural Communicative Activities (QICA)—in which QT elements are incorporated into the design of classroom activities for intercultural communicative competence development. Sixthly, QICA also constitutes a mode of implementation of QT in the context of CLT and ILT to improve the quality of foreign language pedagogy. Seventhly, this study evaluates and tries to develop QT as a self-reflection tool for teachers.

The learning of Chinese characters is considered to be one of the most challenging problems faced by learners of Chinese as a Foreign Language (CFL). The visual nature of characters is not fully used in CFL classes in Australia. This study aims at contributing to an understanding of the significance of Chinese character learning and exploring the effectiveness of visual pedagogy on non-background Australian students' learning CFL. It is also expected to find out the existing problems in Chinese character teaching. A variety of qualitative and quantitative research methods are adopted in this study. Classroom observations, interviews, documents and students' quiz results are the four main data sources. Nine Stage 2 students from a primary school in Western Sydney Region and two volunteer teacher-researchers were interviewed for their CFL learning and teaching experience. Data collected shows that visual pedagogy in Chinese character teaching can improve students' understanding and retention of Chinese script, and promote their learning interest, creativity and visual literacy. However, its negative influences on students' writing sequence and written form of Chinese characters are also found in this study.