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1
Booth, Sarah. "Teaching Aboriginal curriculum content in Australian high schools." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2014. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1522.
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Many misconceptions about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders stem from Australia’s period of colonisation in the 18th and 19th centuries when Indigenous people were believed to be inferior by European settlers. It is disturbing that after 200 years these negative ideas still exist and are often perpetuated through the mass media. Even though schools are well positioned to challenge these colonial values; unfortunately there are many factors which affect the depth and quality of teaching Aboriginal content, such as culture, history and contemporary issues.
The government has aimed to disperse the inconsistencies associated with teaching Aboriginal perspectives by implementing a new Australian Curriculum with prescribed Aboriginal content. However, these changes will only have an impact if teachers are equipped and motivated to implement them. Therefore, understanding what influences teachers’ choice of content and approach to teaching Aboriginal Studies was a key aspect of this study. To explore these influences, non-Aboriginal teachers were interviewed at both government and independent schools. A desktop audit analysing the courses at Western Australian universities placed the participants’ responses into context of the pre-service and in-service learning available. An audit of the Australian Curriculum explored the expectations placed on teachers and the depth to which Aboriginal perspectives can be taught or avoided in secondary schools.
This study identified four key issues that affected the teaching of Aboriginal curriculum content by non-Aboriginal teachers. These factors are: time management, school culture, teacher interest and preconceived ideas of both teachers and students. These issues must be addressed in order to improve the quality teaching of Aboriginal perspectives by standardising in-service learning and pre-service learning. Furthermore, improving cultural competency and acknowledging Aboriginal culture is critical at every school, regardless of the number of Aboriginal students. This study also revealed that the presence of an Aboriginal and Islander Education Officer could have a big impact in providing support, information and an Aboriginal presence at the school. Without these changes it will be difficult to disperse colonial values and challenge negative stereotypes
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Elliott, C. S. "Leadership and Change in Schools : the Case of District High Schools in Western Australia." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 1990. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1676.
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The focus of the research was on the manifestation of leadership that emerged in one district high school in Western Australia undergoing both imposed and self-determined change. Given the phenomena, which were deemed to involve complex human behaviour, a decision was made to locate the research within the naturalistic paradigm. The research was established in the “bounded case study” mode in which the school was regarded as an instant draw from a class within which issues would be discovered the described and studies in order to achieve understanding. A second district high school was used as a reference point from which developments in the case study school might be judged. A bounded case study of a second district high school as its school development plan was ratified by the district superintendent, was conducted. The school development plan was considered to be the product of the changes this school had undergone. A three phase research design was adopted in order to formulate research questions and procedures, undertake trialing and collect data. Data was collected by formal and informal interviews, direct observations and weekly three day visits to the case study school and periodic visits to the reference school. The Principal of the later school was used as an “external auditor” for the data analysis and interpretations. Data were analysed using a data content analysis system based upon a single frame of reference - interventions - and a preliminary categorization taxonomy developed as an initial conceptual framework. Data were ‘mapped” using two techniques based on chronologies of action and events (interventions) and leadership approach. Analysis of data indicated that the cultural difference between the secondary, upper primary and junior primary sections of district high schools should be taken into account when change is implemented in those schools. A clear and unambiguous definition of the tasks, functions and powers of district superintendents and principals of self-determining schools within the reform Ministry of Education should be developed so that conflicting understandings by Ministry of Education staff no longer exist. To develop a non-adversary relationship with principals, district superintendents should move from the use of legitimate and coercive power bases and use export and referent power. A system of professional support for principals, independent of the Ministry of Education hierarchy, should be implemented at Education District level. A principal need not exhibit all of the levels of leadership in the proportions suggested by Sergiovanni (1984) to aspire to be the principal of an excellent school, so long as the aggregate of the leadership behaviour in the school includes leadership in all levels, in the proportions suggested. In situations where individuals are permitted by peers to exercise leadership roles, their behaviour will not be consistent with that suggested by Sergiovanni (1984), as constituting excellent leadership. Effective leadership is fluid. As subordinates expectations vary, as they become more familiar with the task, an effective leader will monitor the situation and make fine adjustments to exert the necessary coordinations, control and motivation of staff. Individuals in leadership positions will vary their behaviour in response to situations where there is actual conflict or the potential for conflict. Individuals in leadership positions will vary their behaviour to accommodate changes in their perception of the flexibility of the task. The potential for conflict exists when the cultural situation changes. This conflict will, most often, be between “tribal” groups created on the bases of social, shared and vested interests. In cases where the tasks traditionally performed at executive or managerial levels, such as by deputy principals, the individuals at that level will be subject to diminished legitimate power and become without roles.
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Carter, Pauline J., and pjcarter@chariot net au. "Factors affecting the engagement of experienced teachers in schools." Deakin University. School of Education, 2007. http://tux.lib.deakin.edu.au./adt-VDU/public/adt-VDU20080404.105756.
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With the changing age profile of teachers in Australian schools, considerable numbers of experienced teachers need to feature as educational leaders, before their workplace knowledge and expertise will be lost to schools with retirement. Stereotypes of veteran teachers depict individuals, wearied by decades of work experiences, entering professional decline when educational systems need these experienced practitioners to remain connected, communicative and motivated in their work.
This thesis explores the careers and contemporary professional lives of experienced practitioners predominantly classroom teachers currently working in a school with a long standing commitment to student-centred education. The research identified the factors that influenced their career pathways and affected their engagement with their work. Critical incidents in the teachers careers and professional lives are discussed in relation to the theories of motivation and the nature of Professional Learning Communities. The study showed that necessary factors for engagement were: mutual alignment with a well-articulated and practised ethos; supportive leadership; experiencing professional influence; opportunities for learning; and variety in work. Disillusion resulted if school actions were contrary to the espoused ethos. Severely negative experiences of performance management were survived by withdrawing, and enduring management tenures but these remain very poignant memories. The teachers had few career regrets yet reflection revealed the arbitrary nature of their career progression.
The research identified a need to recognise the global and societal factors influencing the nature of teachers work. It is argued that schools and systems need to have a greater alignment between these external forces and their internal goals whilst recapturing the moral purpose of education. Furthermore, it is asserted that educational systems need to provide better human resource management for the teaching workforce through emphasising life-balance and well-being. Additionally, professional appraisal and staff management would benefit from strong recognition and deployment of the workplace knowledge and expertise of experienced teachers. A serendipitous outcome of the research was the benefit participants gained from reflecting on their careers which proved extremely affirming, and contributed to enhanced professional identities and changed career plans.
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Burgis, Paul Lindsay Education Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences UNSW. "The role of secondary schools in the development of student knowledge about poverty in Australia, The Philippines and Zimbabwe." Awarded by:University of New South Wales. School of Education, 2006. http://handle.unsw.edu.au/1959.4/25483.
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This thesis examined student knowledge about the nature, scope, causes and responses to poverty, student perceptions of the emphasis in the school curricula on poverty and development, student attitudes to poverty and the factors that influence such knowledge and attitudes. Knowledge and attitudes at the end of primary school were compared with those after four years of secondary school in three nations, Australia. The Philippines and Zimbabwe, involving 1296 surveys and 188 interviews. The investigation draws on earlier work in Ireland (Regan, 1996). and is a response to the recent emphasis on the role of schools in development education in Europe (Lemmers, 2001) and the call for a greater emphasis in Australia on this area (Simons. Hart and WTalsh, 1997). The survey compared student understanding with current 'knowledge' in the literature and the interview allowed an examination of the stories students constructed about people in poverty, including their cognitive and affective responses to people in poverty. Results showed that whilst almost all students recognised that poverty exists, they were more likely to define it simply as a lack of income than as a phenomenon involving social power and self esteem. Few students were aware that the majority of the world's poor are female. Nationality was an important predictor of student knowledge and values. Australian students considered nationally based causes (e.g., government, education) to be more important than personal qualities (e.g., laziness) or international causes (e.g., powerful countries). Australian students were also more likely to value hedonism, but it could not be demonstrated conclusively that this affected the ways that they defined poverty and its causes. Filipino students were more likely to perceive poverty as being the fault of the person experiencing poverty and were more pejorative towards the poor. Whilst Filipino and Zimbabwean students considered that they had learnt a lot about poverty, few Australian students thought this to be the case. Students in senior secondary school were not well informed of current understandings about poverty and development and did not possess a significantly greater knowledge than primary school students on these matters. Specifically. current school practices allow students to perceive poverty as primarily income related and do not place due emphasis on internationally related causes.
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Deece, Alan T., University of Western Sydney, of Arts Education and Social Sciences College, and School of Education. "Secondary school organisation : a view through the lens of a principal." THESIS_CAESS_EDU_Deece_A.xml, 2004. http://handle.uws.edu.au:8081/1959.7/583.
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The research articles presented in this portfolio originate from questions and concerns about the organization, leadership and practices of government secondary schools in NSW. There are presently 395 high schools and 66 central schools providing secondary education in government schools (DET, 2004 Directory, p.55). Of these high schools, 98 are specialised in some way – selective, performing arts, sports, technology, senior and multi campus (Vinson, 2002, p. 126). Over one quarter of schools are now specialised in some way, leaving just under 300 comprehensive high schools. Of these, 30 are single sex. The Department of Education and Training in NSW now says that it does not offer a system of comprehensive high schools, but a comprehensive system of high schools (Vinson, 2002, p.127). The specific focus of the research is to examine how NSW government secondary schools came to be where they are today. Change in secondary schools from both the systemic and school level is examined. The issue of the selection of a school by parents and students is also considered. And finally, development of an initial learning culture in a new high school was also a focus for researchDoctor of Education (D. Ed.)
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Wilson, Philip. "Neither freedom nor authority : State comprehensive secondary education and the child-centred curriculum in South Australia 1969-79." Title page, contents and abstract only, 2000. http://web4.library.adelaide.edu.au/theses/09EDM/09edmw752.pdf.
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Bibliography: leaves 113-135. This thesis investigates change in secondary schools in South Australia during the 1970s. Public concern about the purposes and organization of schools, and about education in general led to the establishment of a government enquiry in 1969, chaired by Peter Karmel. Its report, Education in South Australia, ushered in a period of rapid change. High schools and technical high schools were reshaped into comprehensive secondary schools. A significant element in this reform was the human capitalist idea that education is an investment in the development of the individual resulting in social and economic progress. This thesis examines the human capitalist basis of the reforms, the way in which child-centred open ideas were used in the reform of the curriculum and the impact of these on the schools.
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Robinson, Janean. "A journey in (re)claiming teaching : A critical ethnography of Cape Neal High School." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2005. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/643.
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This thesis is a journey reflecting on my professional practice as a teacher. It also captures the lived experience of other teachers' stories as they were gathered from the ethnographic site; a secondary senior high school.
These collections draw out common themes, issues and dilemmas that teachers face within a dominant managerial discourse. These conversations also provide a 'voice' for those who are often controlled by their own labour into silence. "Dialogue is a moment where humans meet to reflect on their reality as they make and remake it" (Shor & Freire, 1987, p. 98).
I use the 'school effectiveness movement' as a window of investigation to study closely the impact of technical and rational thinking on the lives and work of teachers.
I provide emphasis throughout this thesis on the reclamation process of teaching, as I use my own personal biography of writing, reading, and critical investigation to challenge the disproportionate power relationships being experienced. This reclamation also highlights the moral and ethical dimensions of teachers' work. This provides a stark contrast to the 'corporate culture' continually inflicted on teachers, which denounces the presence and significance of the many sophisticated personal relationships that exist within learning communities.
It is intended that this thesis provide hope and encouragement for others interested in schools to pave their own way forward and reclaim a space of their own.
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O'Brien, Patrick. "A critical analysis of devolution and the corporate reform of teachers' work." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 1999. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1214.
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The corporate transformation of bureaucratic public education in Western Australia commenced in the late 1980s. The reforms announced in the Better Schools Report (1987) aimed to devolve responsibility to schools for the purpose of improving the efficiency and effectiveness of public education. Designed to be responsive, adaptable, flexible and accountable, the administrative style accompanying the reforms is described as corporate managerialism. Devolution has impacted heavily on schools and teachers' work. Evidence presented in this thesis suggests that the corporate values and practices that dominate the organisation and management of schools create personal and professional conflict for many classroom teachers. Devolution and corporate managerialism have not only marginalised and in many cases alienated teachers, but failed to improve student learning. In short, the reforms aimed at improving efficiency and effectiveness have in fact created additional dilemmas and tensions for classroom teachers. Using teachers' stories this qualitative study examines the perceptions of Level Two secondary classroom teachers about the impact of corporate reforms on their work. It highlights a number of crises that exist for teachers and which threaten their sense of professional autonomy and job satisfaction. Based on the findings the study makes a number of recommendations for creating a critical, collaborative learning environment for classroom teachers.
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Fittock, Simon. "The socialisation of early career principals in Western Australia." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2020. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/2309.
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This research aimed to investigate and understand the socialisation of early career principals in Western Australian public schools. It is widely acknowledged that school principals are critical in the successful education of students and delivering on this is seen to be the core purpose of the role. It is evident that the development of effective principals has great value. As a result, the socialisation of principals during the formative early career stage, whereby they learn the necessary knowledge, skills and understandings of the role, is important in the educational experiences of students. Due to the impact principals have on student learning, research into the socialisation of early career principals holds significance.
The Department of Education (DoE) is the largest employer of school principals in Western Australia. DoE see effective leadership as a key priority and is committed to the development of effective principals through the provision of professional learning. In the past, research (including Clarke et al., 2011; Gurr et al., 2014; Wildy & Clarke, 2008a, 2008b) has reported that Western Australian early career principals have faced many complex challenges during their socialisation. Much of this research was conducted over 10 years ago and it is problematic that the topic of principal socialisation in Western Australia has received little attention since. My research sought to address this problem by providing a current insight and investigate the extent of which the findings from previous studies are still relevant. Furthermore, this research provided an opportunity to investigate whether DoE’s professional learning provision had addressed the challenges faced by early career principals as suggested by previous studies.
The participant cohort for this research was comprised of seven early career principals of Western Australian public schools. The participants were located in multiple regions across the state of both metropolitan and rural areas. This research used a qualitative methodology because it aimed to develop an understanding of the meanings that the participants attached to their experiences. To gain this understanding, individual semi-structured interviews were used as the data collection method.
Findings from the data suggest that during the initial stages of their career, the participants felt unprepared, unqualified and isolated. Unpreparedness came from a lack of understanding of what the principalship would entail and inexperience in school management tasks. The feeling of being unqualified emerged from an increase of focus in the area of school management in comparison to other roles the participants had held prior to becoming a principal. Feelings of isolation were evident as a result of being an outsider to the school community and, for the rural participants, the geographical location. The significance of this study can be seen in the alignment between its findings and with those of previous studies. The findings also have provided a current insight into the challenges faced by early career principals and the type of support they perceive to be most beneficial. This information could be seen to be valuable to DoE and their ongoing provision of professional learning to early career principals.
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Parker, Pauline Frances, and paulinefparker@gmail com. "Girls, Empowerment and Education: a History of the Mac. Robertson Girls' High School 1905-2005." RMIT University. Global Studies, Social Science and Planning, 2007. http://adt.lib.rmit.edu.au/adt/public/adt-VIT20080516.164340.
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Despite the considerable significance of publicly funded education in the making of Australian society, state school histories are few in number. In comparison, most corporate and private schools have cemented their sense of community and tradition through full-length publications. This history attempts to redress this imbalance. It is an important social history because this school, Mac.Robertson Girls' High School can trace its origins back to 1905, to the very beginnings of state secondary education when the Melbourne Continuation School (MCS), later Melbourne High School (MHS) and Melbourne Girls' high School (MGHS) was established. Since it is now recognised that there are substantial state, regional and other differences between schools and their local communities, studies of individual schools are needed to underpin more general overviews of particular issues. This history, then, has wider significance: it traces strands of the development of girls' education in Victoria, thus examining the significance and dynamics of single-sex schooling, the education of girls more generally, and, importantly, girls' own experiences (and memories of experiences) of secondary schooling, as well as the meaning they made of those experiences. 'Girls, Education and Empowerment: A History of The Mac.Robertson Girls' High School 1905-2005', departs from traditional models of school history writing that tend to focus on the decision-makers and bureaucrats in education as well as documenting the most 'successful' former students who have made their mark in the world. Drawing on numerous narrative sources and documentary evidence, this history is organised thematically to contextualise and examine what is was like, and meant, to be a girl at this school (Melbourne Continuation School 1905-12; Melbourne High School 1912-27; Melbourne Girls' High School 1927-34, and Mac.Robertson Girls' High School from 1934) during a century of immense social, economic, political and educational change.
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Saker, Leslie G. "A study of 1st and 2nd year Catholic university students' perceptions of their senior religious education classes in Catholic schools in Western Australia." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2004. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/797.
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The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of 1st and 2nd year university students of their years eleven and twelve religious education classes at a Catholic school. A secondary purpose was to understand students’ acceptance or non-acceptance of official Catholic Church doctrine/dogma and why. Four research questions were asked to direct the study. 1. Are Catholic schools in Western Australia carrying out the mandate for their existence, that is, the Catholic education of their students? 2. Did students perceive their religious education classes as aiding their religious development? 3. Are students accepting or rejecting important doctrinal teachings of the Catholic Church? If so, why is this the case? 4. How do students perceive their lived experience and the Catholic Church's teaching on morality? Catholic students who had spent their senior years (11 and 12) at a Catholic school, who had studied religious education and who are now 1st and 2nd year students in the School of Education at Edith Cowan University constituted the participants for this study. The study centred upon descriptive research using the interpretative paradigm with a variety of methods to build upon the descriptive approach. With the collection of data, there were two stages. Stage one of the study used the quantitative method of research, the questionnaire, which consisted of six constructs and 75 items administered to 133 1st and 2nd year university students. The analysis of the questionnaire allowed the researcher to prepare for stage two, the interview stage (qualitative research). This stage involved one-to-one interviews. The questions for the interview stage were developed from the analysis of the questionnaire data. To enhance the validity and reliability of the study triangulation of the data was undertaken
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Harwood, Georgie. "What is the meaning of sport for young people from refugee backgrounds? A case study of a state high school in Brisbane, Queensland." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2019. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/132321/4/Georgie%20Harwood%20Thesis.pdf.
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This thesis was an ethnographic case study exploring the meaning of sport for young people from refugee backgrounds within a state high school in Brisbane, Australia. The findings showed the field of sport reduced bi-cultural stress and simultaneously, caused cultural tensions for some young people. Sport was a platform on which some young people from refugee backgrounds could acquire capital that was not as freely attained in other areas of the educational setting. The study makes a significant contribution to understanding the sporting experiences of young people from refugee backgrounds in addressing resettlement challenges within a school setting.
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Wells, Shannon L. "What is English now? The construction of subject English in contemporary textbooks for Australian secondary schools." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2017. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1963.
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Australian educators are currently engaged in widening debates about the performance of the nation’s schools, teachers and students. Perceived literacy deficits among secondary students have fuelled the debate, and this has precipitated reforms to English curricula at both National and State levels. The newly revised curricula attempt to improve student achievement through more systematic teaching about the English language and language skills. In response to the changes, major education publishers in Australia have released revised textbooks for English that purport to engage with the new curriculum.
This research study considered whether such new resources offer genuinely fresh and effective approaches to English, or whether they reproduce established conceptions and methods in new packaging. Guided by Michel Foucault’s concepts of social technology and discursive practice, and Ian Hunter’s detailed historical-theoretical analysis of English, this inquiry used a combination of content analysis and theorisation to identify the models of English embodied in textbooks. Five recent publications were studied to expose both the content and the underlying ideas and pedagogical assumptions about English contained within. Hunter’s historical matrix was applied to categorise the content and quantify the overall proportions of rhetorical, ethical and aesthetical instruction evident in the resources. The findings were interpreted according to Hunter’s genealogy of English and its prevailing discourses, in an effort to offer some clarification about the assumptions that shape school English, and its direction now and in the future.
The findings suggest that despite attempts to reconstruct English around the teaching of language skills, established conceptions of English have resurfaced, pulling the subject back toward the ethical domain and distorting the overall balance of content. While the data appears to reflect an apparent prominence of rhetorical skilling, analysis of the content demonstrates how this initiative is obscured by a superficial and mechanical treatment of language and a subsequent preoccupation with the ethical. The oscillation between rhetoric and ethics further reveals a visible circumvention of aesthetics, which is unvaryingly the most neglected category. The thesis concludes that change in English is likely being impeded by teaching materials, conceptual frameworks and assumptions that continue to frame English as a primarily ethical activity, in which linguistic skilling is subordinated to self-formation.
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Glynn, Warrick. "Non-hegemonic masculinities and sexualities in the secondary school : construction and regulation within a culture of heteronormativity /." Connect to thesis, 1999. http://repository.unimelb.edu.au/10187/1007.
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This project looks at the ways in which masculine identities are constructed and perceived in secondary schools. It identifies some of the links between broader gender politics and the more specific area of masculinities as they apply to the lives of gay-identified and non-identified secondary school students. Through focussed discussion with groups of students the research describes types of behaviours that are characterised by students as desirable or undesirable and the perceived relationship of such behaviours with particular sexualities. In this thesis I interrogate the treatment (including bullying, harassment and lack of acknowledgment of the gay experience), in schools, of boys who express gender unorthodoxy/non-hegemonic masculinities. In order to understand this behaviour I look at the means of control of such expressions as exercised by other students and teachers and explore the motivation behind this control. Through listening to the stories of students I identify the need to evaluate school policy and pedagogical practices with a view to making the educational experience more inclusive of a broad range of masculinities and sexualities and therefore a more relevant, positive and productive one.
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Malik, Ranbir Singh. "Influence of home and school environments on the academic performance of Chinese-Australian and Anglo-Australian students studying at an academically-oriented high school in Perth, Western Australia." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2000. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1390.
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Although minority status has been associated with low academic achievement, the “high Asian achieving syndrome" remains as one of the unresolved sociological puzzles. Consistent evidence suggests that regardless of the family status, children from the Asian migrant families, settled in the industrialised countries, tend to perform academically better than their counterparts from the dominant group. This disparity is attributed to a number of factors, which taken separately, do not address this complex issue. In Australia little research has been done to compare the home environment and school experiences of children coming from Chinese-Australian and Anglo-Australian families even though the number of children from the Southeast Asian region has steadily increased. This thesis investigates the influence of home and school on the academic performance of high school students coming from Chinese-Australian and Anglo-Australian families who resided in a predominantly middle class suburb and their children attended one particular state school in Perth, Western Australia. By studying children in their homes and classrooms I have attempted in this ethnographic study to construct some theoretically coherent explanations to understand the disparity in academic performance of Chinese-Australian and Anglo-Australian high school students. In order to capture what teachers, parents, and children say and do as a product of how they interpret the complexity of their world this study explores how macro and micro processes are linked to children's academic performance. As this study aims to understand social events from each individual's point of view it assumes that human behaviour is the result of indispensable and continuous interactions between persons and the situations they encounter. The findings of this study, with no claim to generalise beyond these families, suggest that the reason why Chinese-Australian and Anglo-Australian children have different educational outcomes is that these families socialise their children differently. From this study emerge two different models: and academic oriented Chinese-Australian model and a sports oriented Anglo-Australian model. At the start of high school there was no marked difference in ability and performance based on ethnicity. By the time they completed lower secondary school all Chinese-Australian students had improved in English and enrolled in a normal stream in English. Except for one student, they had selected TEE subjects with a university education as their main goal. At this stage, Anglo-Australians, with the exception of two students (who had selected TEE subjects), had decided to study either a mixture of TEE and TAFE subjects or easier TEE subjects. At the end of Year 12 all Chinese-Australian, except for one, had qualified to study at university. From Anglo-Australian group, only two students had qualified to study at university. This pattern of performance is consistent with the high Asian achieving syndrome and lack lustre performance of Anglo-Australian students. However, this study serves some sober reminder about the narrow focus by Chinese-Australians and lack of effort by Anglo-Australian students.
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Watt, Margaret Wendy. "Maintaining the difference: The disadvantaged schools program and its implementation in a Western Australian high school." Thesis, Watt, Margaret Wendy (1989) Maintaining the difference: The disadvantaged schools program and its implementation in a Western Australian high school. PhD thesis, Murdoch University, 1989. https://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/51390/.
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This thesis is about the Disadvantaged Schools Program of the Australian Government's Schools Commission. It operates on two levels: the general rationale and objectives of the Program, and a case study of its implementation in a Western Australian High School.
The Program was set up primarily as an attempt to improve the schooling, and hence the life chances, of disadvantaged children. The research was undertaken on the assumption that the most obvious connection between schooling and life chances in Australian society concerns the gaining of educational credentials needed for access to jobs and further education. Therefore improving the life chances of disadvantaged children through schooling must amount primarily to helping them gain those credentials. The central question addressed in this research is whether the D.S.P. as implemented in that school achieved this goal.
The central conclusion is that the Program activities over the period did not lead to improved scholastic attainment, and, further, that they were not designed to do so. Two related explanations are offered for this. The first is a lack of clear direction in the guidelines provided by the Schools Commission. The second concerns the freedom given to the staff, under the Commission's implementation policy, to determine the direction of the school's goals. The staff were found to have used this freedom to modify the school's curriculum in ways that tended to reduce students' opportunities to gain educational credentials. This was related to generally held beliefs about the students' limited capacity to gain those credentials.
The researcher had a participant status as a member of the school's staff and a resident of its neighbourhood. The approach to gathering and analysing data varied according to the nature of the material. National D.S.P. policy was examined through an analysis of Schools Commission documents. Data about the case study school was obtained in a variety of ways: examination of documentary records held in and out of the school, and observation and interviewing within the school.
The significance of this study goes beyond the apparent failure of the Commission's reform initiative to improve the life chances of the students in that school at that time. The conclusions point to the obstacles in the way of any attempt through schooling to improve the position of the least privileged groups in the class structured Australian society. The obstacles highlighted are those which arise from the class-based ideology of teachers, who must be responsible for the implementation of any such liberal educational reform.
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Wilson, Steve, of Western Sydney Nepean University, Faculty of Education, and School of Teaching and Educational Studies. "Student participation and school context: a case study of Barracks High School." THESIS_FE_TES_WILSON_S.xml, 1988. http://handle.uws.edu.au:8081/1959.7/30.
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This thesis reports the results of a single site case study conducted in Barracks High School, a comprehensive High School in metropolitan Sydney. The focus of the study was the relationship between student participation and school context in Barracks High. Underpinning the study is the notion of 'meaningful' participation: that is, participation by students that has real meaning to them, to teachers, and for the real work of the school. This notion is explored in the review of related literature, and in the results of the study as they are presented in the thesis. The study involved persistent researcher engagement in school life, leading at times to forms of 'intervention research'.A highlight of the research was the identification and dissemination by the researcher of participant 'voices' within Barracks High as a means of drawing attention to participation issues in the school. The study found that contextual dimensions at Barracks High operated at a ratio of two to one against the achievement of meaningful forms of student participation. The thesis concludes by suggesting that complex problems require holistic solutions, and suggests a framework of principles and strategies for building meaningful participation in schoolsDoctor of Philosophy (PhD)
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Overton, Deidre, and n/a. "Understanding teachers' responses to educational change in ACT high schools: developing professional voice and identity." University of Canberra. Education & Community Studies, 2004. http://erl.canberra.edu.au./public/adt-AUC20051205.130321.
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This research identifies those practices and/or conditions that facilitate (or hinder) school and/or system based innovation in ACT high schools. It examines teachers� ways of making meaning of change in their working lives. It draws on narrative inquiry and teacher in-depth interviews. The work story is used to engage teachers� individual agency as a way to conceptualise the requirements of innovation. The data is represented as teachers� narrative categorized as the Red Hots and Unfreezables. The primary themes or motifs emerging in the teachers� talk�teacher agency, resistance and leadership�provide collective insight into teachers� working lives and the capacity of schools to cope with change. Analyses of the �lived experiences� of teachers suggest that innovative practice is linked to teacher agency and the presence of professional learning communities, and that those leading change must focus on the realities of the teachers implementing change. This study also explores the culture of teacher resistance, supporting the research that school cultures are characteristically and strongly resistant to change from within the organization. As a result of this study, we have an improved understanding of the conditions that
contribute to effective school change, and the importance for teachers to conduct their own research. This study contains important recommendations for governments and education systems implementing change initiatives.
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David, Veronica Anne, and n/a. ""A gleam in the eye..." : An investigation : self-esteem of high school teachers in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Government Schools." University of Canberra. Education, 1988. http://erl.canberra.edu.au./public/adt-AUC20060704.120747.
Full textAbstract:
This study attempted to investigate the
self-esteem of high school teachers in the Australian
Capital Territory (ACT). Its purpose was to measure the
self-esteem of high school teachers in the ACT, identify
perceptions of life-stage factors that might contribute
to teachers' self-esteem and to identify teachers'
perceptions of job-related factors that contribute to
their self-esteem.
The sample consisted of 219 teachers (94 male,
124 female, one of unidentified sex) in 12 of the 17 high
schools in the ACT. A questionnaire based on that used
by Swafford Jolley (1985) was used. It consisted of 4
parts - Part 1 demographic data, Part 2a Barksdale
Self-Esteem Index No. 69, Part 2b Life-stage
Characteristics, Part 3 Job-related characteristics, Part
4 - three related questions for open responses.
Data were analysed using the SPSSX data recording
and analysis system (Norusis 1983). Means and
differences between means were computed to establish
discrepancies. Pearson product moment correlations were
employed. Multiple linear regression analyses were used
to isolate the best predictors of self-esteem from among
the 34 work-related factors. A rank discrepancy index of
affect on self-esteem was also computed.
Findings show that eighty per cent of the
teachers may be hindered by low self-esteem. There is no
difference between male and female average age (39) nor
between the male and female average self-esteem index
(62.2). Younger teachers were found to be just as likely
to have low self-esteem as older teachers. The factors
which most affect teacher self-esteem and which are
closest to the ideal were found to be feelings of
competency as a teacher, pride in one's work,
establishment of specific personal goals and the
opportunity to determine one's own teaching methods. The
factors with the greatest discrepancies were found to be
the opportunity to advance professionally, positive
representation by the media and prestige of the teaching
profession.
It was concluded that in no one area are the
self-esteem needs of high school teachers in the
Australian Capital Territory being adequately met.
Responsibility lies with the individuals themselves and
with the ACT Schools Authority to work out joint ways of
enhancing teacher self-esteem and development. It is
argued that this cannot be left to chance by the
organisation but must be planned for as a matter of
urgency. Recognition of the individual is seen as the
key in any such planning but organisational objectives
also need to be considered.
20
House, Valerie. "School to work transition experience of Year 12 school leavers." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 1998. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/990.
Full textAbstract:
As a consequence of increased retention rates in post compulsory schooling, educational systems have attempted to expand their curricular offerings. The aims of this study were twofold. The first was to examine a process of transition from school to work and the second considered the implications for improvement of the post compulsory school curriculum in facilitating transition. A semi structured, open ended interview was developed to gain information about the transition experience of seven Year 12 students. Interviews, recorded by audio tape, and the coded transcripts were the major data source. Results indicated that students coped well with the transition from school to work, enjoying the increased responsibilities and being treated as grown up by employers and parents. Part time work, school based work experience, and through Work Studies learning job search skills, self-responsibility and self-confidence were seen as of value. This suggests post compulsory education should make learning relevant to students by linking work based learning with classroom education and creating educational pathways that prepare all students to navigate their way through the changing job market.
21
Paul, Anne, and n/a. "Maintaining teacher morale in amalgamating schools : factors which have a positive effect on teacher morale & factors which have a negative effect on teacher morale." University of Canberra. Education, 1998. http://erl.canberra.edu.au./public/adt-AUC20061031.143504.
Full textAbstract:
This study arose out of an experience with an amalgamation of two high
schools in the ACT in the early 1990s. The amalgamation process took two and
a half years from the time the decision was made to close one of the schools
until the new school was consolidated on one site. The change processes
impacted on many areas of teachers' work and this, combined with the
emotional aspects of being in a school which was closing, flagged teacher
morale as an issue requiring attention.
The study involved seeking responses to a questionnaire and interviewing
teachers involved in the amalgamation. The interview data was then grouped
by issue and the responses from teachers analysed and compared with related
research literature.
Research indicated that leadership style and effectiveness impacts most
heavily on the morale of teachers undergoing major change such as school
closure/amalgamation. This was substantiated by this study. The decision, by
the principal, to close both schools and create a new school, retaining aspects
of the culture of the original schools was clearly favoured over the alternative
suggestion, by the ACT Government, of the swift closure method and the
absorption of students into an existing school. The outward signs of a new
school; name; logo; uniform; the involvement of the community, the degree of
shared decision-making, the refurbishment of the buildings, the new curriculum
and associated policies and the management of resources were found to
contribute positively to teacher morale.
A lack of consultation prior to announcing the closure decision, a failure to
acknowledge the need of some teachers to grieve for the loss of their school
and a lack of activities to mark the final days of the schools involved have been
identified as having the greatest negative effect on teacher morale in this study.
Maintenance and effective use of the buildings vacated by a closing school has
also been raised as an issue affecting the morale of the teachers from that
school.
This study has implications for future school closures or amalgamations from
the points of view of maintaining of the morale of teachers, and also that of
students
22
Dashlooty, Ashraf. "Sexual coercion among year 11 and year 12 high school students." University of Western Australia. School of Human Movement and Exercise Science, 2008. http://theses.library.uwa.edu.au/adt-WU2008.0079.
Full textAbstract:
Adolescence is a time of accelerated physical and sexual growth, and many students become sexually active before they finish secondary schooling. Unfortunately, many adolescents and young adults experience sexual coercion in their intimate relationships. Sexual coercion is defined broadly as verbal or physical pressure to engage in sexual activity. This study sought to examine sexual coercion experiences of Year 11-12 high school, male and female students in their peer dating and relationships. Before retrieving such information, a modified Sexual Experiences Survey (SES) questionnaire was designed. This was named the Adolescent Dating and Relationship Survey (ADRS) which, subsequently, was examined by experts in the area, and validated via a pilot study using 30 university students. Thirdly, the study administered the ADRS to 341, Year 11 and Year 12 students to examine how they responded to their sexually coercive experiences. The participants were actively engaging in relationship behaviours, with nearly 50% of the females and 70% of the males reporting a relationship with a partner of the same age. However, significantly more females dated older partners and, conversely, more male students were involved with younger partners. The female students tended to have longer relationships than the males, especially for relationships of 9 to 12 months or longer. Participants did not report sexual coercion experiences via threat or blackmail, nor were the males threatened with a weapon. The most frequently cited forms of coercion by both female and male students were: made to feel guilty, being plied with alcohol and/or other drugs, being pressured by begging and/or arguing, and being lied to. However, the female students reported being physically restrained significantly more than the males. As a group they responded to these sexually coercive acts via all forms 2 measured except the males, who did not resort to either fighting off or yelling. Talking about the experience later was the response commonly reported by the students. Further, female students responded to sexual coercion by saying either,
23
Parks, Margaret Clare. "Teacher Relationships in an Australian High School Staffroom: Reconceptualising the significance of teacher relationships during non-contact time in a high school staffroom." Thesis, Griffith University, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10072/371984.
Full textAbstract:
This study concerns teacher relationships in a high school staffroom in suburban Australia. It emphasises the emotional dimensions of collegiality as expressed and experienced by a professional staff group who occupy a single staffroom during their non-contact [that is, their non-teaching] times of the working day. The study seeks to identify and describe elements; physical, social, cultural, spiritual and micro-political that affects the emotional milieu of the staffroom. This focus is important because the role of staffroom relationships in the professional and personal well-being of a high school teacher is largely missing from the research literature. A qualitative research paradigm is used to investigate how participants felt about the emotional quality of collegial affiliations in the staffroom. The design of the study is social constructionist and participants talk about the relationships that they have with their colleagues and how they interact with the space that they as a staff group occupy. A case study methodology is adopted as the data originate from a single high school. Seventeen staff volunteers participated in two informal interviews conducted over approximately six months. The researcher was employed at the school during the time of data collection and had a personal and professional relationship with the participants. The ramifications of these relationships are acknowledged and discussed in the study. Analysis of the transcribed interview data uses an interpretive paradigm so that each participant has a voice concerning how they negotiate relationships in the staffroom setting provided for them. The two dominant themes that emerge from this study are that of the influence of space and the role of relationships, both collegial [lateral] and hierarchical, on staffroom relationships. Participants reveal a strong sense of purpose for the staffroom in their daily lives. There are multiple perspectives, both positive and negative, that highlight the importance of the staffroom space and the adult interaction contained within it. The size and design of the staffroom materialised as an important contributor to the emotional quality of daily life for these teachers. The size, configuration and equipping of the staffroom influenced the emotional understandings and interactions that take place between colleagues. Staffroom relationships are regarded positively and there are several interlocking factors, such as friendliness, trust and the use of emotional labour, that affect the quality of the relationships that are formed and maintained there. Although not resident in the staffroom, managers have a noticeable impact on how staff members feel about themselves and their colleagues; the influence of managers has a noticeable impact on staffroom collegiality. The objective of the study is to promote a change in the way the non-contact component of a high school teacher’s working life is comprehended and appreciated. Such an understanding is sought for the teachers themselves and for those who do not occupy a high school staffroom but whose decisions affect how a staffroom operates. The study draws on literature concerning teacher emotion in schools and builds on the recent research reports that show unequivocally that how teachers feel about the relationships that they have with their peers and managers influences their sense of individual fulfilment and professional efficacy. This study is important because research on the role of staffroom relationships on the professional and personal well-being of a high school teacher is largely missing from the research literature.Thesis (Professional Doctorate)
Doctor of Education (EdD)
School Educ & Professional St
Arts, Education and Law
Full Text
24
Karginoff, Simon P. "A study of attendance and classroom participation among Aboriginal (Nyungar) students in a West Australian metropolitan senior high school." Thesis, Curtin University, 1999. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/74.
Full textAbstract:
My thesis combines an analysis of the reasons behind changing attendance and participation of Aboriginal students at a West Australian metropolitan senior high school with an appraisal of the role of Aboriginal students in its school curriculum, 1993-1997. This study also incorporates an examination of teacher attitudes towards Aboriginal students and culture with an ethnographic study as well as a qualitative survey of the attitudes of Aboriginal students towards school and the curriculum process. This thesis begins with an explanation for the choice of Aboriginal students and their experience at school as my research topic. Some autobiographical details of the author and my position on staff at school, 1994-97, then follows. A general background to Aboriginal Education and metropolitan senior high school is provided, with a specific discussion of the role of Aboriginal students and the place of Aboriginal Studies in the life of the school. A concise analysis of the secondary literature is then undertaken which provides, inter alia, a knowledge base for the 'ethnographic' interviews. The various strategies introduced in an attempt to improve the attendance and participation at school of Aboriginal students are then analysed, including an assessment of the success of the Aboriginal Studies programme.The next section focuses on the attitudes and actions of Aboriginal students and their teachers, giving a detailed account and appraisal of a series of interviews. My thesis then concludes by outlining some of the major factors influencing Aboriginal attendance and participation at school, as well as examining some of the key areas where Aboriginal education may be improved. My thesis does not purport to provide definitive answers to these issues, but rather points to an embryonic strategy for improvement, based upon the necessarily limited focus provided by this research. A ++ series of appendices follow my written conclusions. No manuscript collections were consulted in the course of undertaking this research. However, many interviews and questionnaires have been extensively used with a voluminous selection of secondary source material, a selection of which is detailed in the bibliography.
25
McKenzie, Anna, and n/a. "An Investment in Being Human EXPLORING YEAR 9 STUDENT EXHIBITIONS AN ACT CASE STUDY." University of Canberra. n/a, 2008. http://erl.canberra.edu.au./public/adt-AUC20081216.140527.
Full textAbstract:
ACT Year 9 Exhibitions Program aligns curriculum, pedagogy and assessment
in the design and implementation of rich learning tasks, which are focussed on transdisciplinary,
problem-based, community-centred issues. It provides an authentic
assessment model through a panel assessment process of demonstrated student
achievement.
This case study research examines the uptake of an Exhibitions approach in three
ACT high schools. It discovers, through their own telling, what inspires commitment
by participants to the program and the ways that they measure success. The study
draws on a rich data set of narrative inquiry and semi-structured interviews with
teachers and students from the case study schools.
Analysis of the 'lived experiences' of the participants indicates that how individuals
profit by the program is determined by five critical factors which are realized
differently for them. Further, for the Year 9 Student Exhibitions Program to succeed
in meeting its goals of providing for teacher renewal and improved student learning
outcomes, and of promoting high school reform, certain conditions must prevail.
These conditions converge around the support afforded teachers to build their
capacity for curriculum and pedagogical change, and the opportunities for
engagement and agency of both teachers and students in the design of the
Exhibition task and its implementation.
This study investigates the realities of implementing change in schools and its
findings augment what theorists would predict for school change. It indicates that the
extent to which Exhibitions can drive a wedge into the 'business-as-usual' approach
of the ACT's more traditional high schools, and provide an alternative view of what it
means to educate for the 21st century, depends ultimately upon the human and
structural conditions created in the school, and the authenticity of the approach to
uptake. This study contains important recommendations for government and
education systems alike as they pursue school change.
26
Weddell, Peter, and n/a. "Student perceptions of decision making in A.C.T. high schools." University of Canberra. Education, 1990. http://erl.canberra.edu.au./public/adt-AUC20061110.114343.
Full textAbstract:
The purpose of the study was to survey students in
Australian Capital Territory High Schools regarding
their perceptions of who makes and who should make
decisions in their schools, the effectiveness of
present decision making structures and the relative
importance of a range of concerns that might be
affected by decisions made in their schools.
The survey instrument comprising of five separate
questionnaires (Parts A, B, C, D and E) was
administered to a random, stratified sample of 384
students drawn from three A.C.T. High Schools.
Variables included (a) School, (b) Year Group and (c)
Gender.
Part A and Part B of the survey instrument were
developed specifically to explore the perception of
students towards the involvement of parents, teachers,
the principal and students in school decision making
processes; particularly as this is evidenced in School
Board operations.
The results for each of the five questionnaires were
compiled into separate frequency and ranked percentage
tables. The tables were analysed in terms of the total
responses recorded for each questionnaire and as a
school by school comparison of responses. Use of the
Cochran Q Test indicated a positive statistical
significance in the overall shift of student
perceptions of decision making from Part A (What
happens in my school) to Part B (What should happen in
my school) of the survey instrument.
The findings of the study indicate that students are
concerned about their role in the decision making
process, and issues that affect their schooling and
would like a greater say in how their schools are run.
In particular, students would like to participate to a
greater degree than at present in decision making that
affects homework, the timetable, how teachers teach,
subjects offered, text books, and school sporting
activities.
As regards knowledge about decision making structures
within the school and about student representatives,
the findings indicate that the students surveyed are
not fully aware of the purpose or function of the
school board or its representatives. However the
majority of students surveyed indicate they would like
to have a greater say in how their schools are run.
In the comparative analysis of data recorded for each
of the schools surveyed, a considerable degree of
similarity is found in the responses to all Parts of
the survey instrument. Of major concern is the uniform
lack of knowledge and interest in survey items
connected with the School Board in each of the schools
surveyed. A more encouraging result is that in all
three schools respondents perceive that they are
encouraged to become involved in the School Board and
the Student Representative Council (SRC).
The survey findings demonstrate that the students would
like greater participation in a wide variety of issues
and concerns. However current official structures
which are designed to include students as equal
partners in school based decision making do not appear
to interest the majority of students surveyed in this
study.
27
Moore, Peter Joseph, and n/a. "Two school-based evaluations at a Catholic high school in the ACT a review." University of Canberra. Education, 1986. http://erl.canberra.edu.au./public/adt-AUC20061019.091214.
Full textAbstract:
The completion of two school-based evaluation reports at a
Catholic High School in the ACT highlighted the need for
support structures both for evaluating staff and for the
management of an evaluation report. The writer (a school
principal) felt a need to review school-based evaluations
in a more professional manner, and to ensure that
evaluations were managed with greater support for the staff
involved.
In the absence of known Australian checklists, designed to
review school-based evaluations, two recognised evaluation
checklists, those of Russell and Maling-Keepes, are tested
as instruments of review, by applying them to the two
school evaluation reports. Four evaluation reviews are
documented, in all. The main purposes of this research
were:
(1) to determine the merits of the completed evaluations by
applying the checklists of Russell and Maling-Keepes,
(2) to test the relevance of the evaluation checklists of
Russell and Maling-Keepes as instruments of review at
the school level,
(3) in the light of this research, to be in a better
position to recommend
a) a suitable review method for use by Catholic
School Principals,
b) support structures, both at a system level and a
school level, to assist the development of
school-based evaluations.
28
Rogerson, Linda. "Adapting to change: An exploration of students' transition experiences in a senior college in Western Australia." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2011. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1729.
Full textAbstract:
This research sought to explore the experiences of students during their transition to a senior college. The senior college was established in response to the amendments to education policy in Western Australia that made it compulsory for students to remain in full-time education, training or employment until the age of 17 years (Department of Education and Training, 2008). Senior colleges were established to teach Years 11 and 12 exclusively, to promote a school environment that suited the maturity of senior students. Students attending senior colleges experience an additional transition during their senior school years and, as previous research has shown, this has the potential to influence their educational attainment and physical and mental health (Eccles, Midgeley, & Adler, 1984). By investigating the experiences of senior college students as they undertook the additional transition, the impact of the amendments to educational policy was examined. In phase one of the research, 16 Year 11 students were asked to share their transition experiences in personal interviews. The interviews were transcribed and analysed using grounded theory analysis processes. The findings that emerged indicated that the participants had transitioned successfully. The participants identified aspects of the school structure and environment that had contributed to their experiences. The participants credited the four-day week timetable, the open school policy allowing students to leave campus during lesson-free time, the mentor program, the accessibility and support of staff and the respectful relationships between staff and students with positively influencing their transition experiences. In phase two of the research, these findings were incorporated into a transition survey, which was administered to 91 Year 11 senior college students. Survey respondents were asked to rate their level of agreement with statements describing the beneficial aspects of the college using a five-point Likert scale. The results of the survey indicated that phase two participants had transitioned successfully and confirmed the beneficial influence of the college aspects as identified by phase one participants. The survey results were subjected to a multiple regression analysis with successful transition being the dependent variable and mentor program, lesson-free day, open school policy, teacher support and relationships the independent variables. The analysis indicated that the most significant contributors to successful transition were teacher support (t (85) = 3.40, p < .001) and relationships (t (85) = 3.46, p
29
Hughes, Eleanor Maree. "Entry planning : a key aspect in preparing for school leadership in Western Australia." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2014. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/928.
Full textAbstract:
Through my work in various contexts, as a senior leader, a curriculum improvement officer, a deputy principal, a project manager for professional learning and now as principal, I recognised from experience and dabbling in research that there were gaps in professional learning offered to aspirant and beginning secondary school principals in the public system. Undertaking research in this field would either confirm or refute my theory that support for secondary principals through professional learning in the Western Australian Department of Education was limited. The premise that quality leadership enhances quality teaching was a driver in establishing my goal, which is to inform and influence the system to better support secondary principals in public schools in Western Australia. Therefore, this is a unique study of beginning principal preparation in the public secondary education sector in Western Australia. The specific purpose of the study was to investigate the level of preparation undertaken by new and experienced principals for their role and to explore to what extent entry planning could assist in the preparation for principalship.
A comprehensive literature review was undertaken and to date the majority of the literature investigates the challenges facing beginning principals and how well prepared they felt they were to meet those challenges. Clarke, Wildy and Styles (2011) argue that:in educational settings where generations of school principals have taken up their appointments without any prior preparation, who have learned to do the job while on the job, and whose professional development has been driven mainly by their own initiative, it is unlikely that incumbents have an understanding of what might have been different for them in their work had they experienced a formal preparation program prior to appointment. (p. 174)
The study sought to ask questions of practitioners that would either validate the global research or support the view of Clarke, Wildy and Styles. The findings were consistent between the literature and the case studies. The participating principals articulated the components of effective principal preparation programs and they have a keen desire to see these implemented in support of public education in Western Australia.
The study found that professional learning and preparation for secondary principals in the public sector is adhoc, and often developed, or not, at the personal level. There were three main findings: effective principal preparation can reduce the perceived complexity of the role and therefore minimize the expectations experienced by the beginning school principal; formal implementation of informal learning opportunities such as mentoring, coaching and networking can reduce the drift from the profession; and that entry planning has a significant effect in assisting in preparation for the principalship. Principals from a range experience, from 18 months to 20 years, agree that a systemic, coordinated approach would more adequately prepare secondary principals for the complexity of expectations from local, state and national perspectives, and encourage aspirant school leaders to move into the principalship during a time when a predicted shortage in the teaching profession is making the role even more complex.
30
Sharkey, Kevin T. "An exploration of the use of Web 2.0 to enhance teaching and learning in an Australian Catholic secondary school." Thesis, Australian Catholic University, 2012. https://acuresearchbank.acu.edu.au/download/ca3a17a03853e633b4a3b065dd04c2e174e91f8eb3b5157bcc2aff5f5321e9a4/2479771/65083_downloaded_stream_308.pdf.
Full textAbstract:
The rapid development of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) over recent years presents educators with significant challenges. There are many options emerging to enhance the process of teaching and learning, particularly through the use of Web 2.0 Internet sites. These have become part of the lifestyles of today's students yet schools are struggling to come to terms with the effective use of these emerging technologies. Although Web 2.0 offers significant potential to enhance learning this is proving to be difficult to implement effectively. The general research question is What factors influence Secondary School teachers to use Web 2.0 effectively to enhance learning? This research was conducted in the interpretive paradigm using a case study methodology involving me as researcher in the role of senior secondary school teacher with a position of leadership as learning technology facilitator. The study was conducted in the Years 10 to 12 Sandhurst Diocese co educational campus of a Catholic Secondary School of approximately eight hundred students. The contextual characteristics of the case study at the college were identified through a questionnaire distributed to teachers and source documents relating to the curriculum and the ICT resources in place at the college. Teachers participated in interviews and a series of workshops to promote the advancement of pedagogy with Web 2.0 leading to enhanced student learning. Data analysis was done manually which resulted in the production of a series of conclusions and recommendations. The research highlighted the importance of the formation and articulation of a vision of the place of Web 2.0 in schools. Having this vision can lead to an improved understanding amongst teachers of curriculum frameworks for teaching and learning with Web 2.0. The promotion of a collegial and collaborative environment amongst teachers was found to be important in enabling them to improve their practice.;This collaboration includes the cultivation of on-line personal learning networks for teachers. Teachers' effective use of Web 2.0 was found to depend largely on a pedagogical focus to foster higher order thinking, individualised learning and information literacy in students. The research involved an exploration of the effectiveness of senior leaders and teachers in leading whole school change in promoting the effective use of Web 2.0 to enhance teaching and learning. Recommendations based on these findings have been made for professional learning leaders, curriculum leaders, school leadership teams and systemic authorities. The research findings have implications for further research into improvements in effective teaching practice with Web 2.0 to enhance learning. More research is needed to investigate personal learning networks for students and teachers, semantic aware applications, the re-definition of the mission of schools in this digital age and drivers for sustainable technological change in schools.
31
Mauragis, Rasa Emilija, and n/a. "Arts education access in high school scheduling." University of Canberra. Education, 1993. http://erl.canberra.edu.au./public/adt-AUC20060907.102648.
Full textAbstract:
The purpose of this study was to investigate the implementation of curriculum policy
regarding eight key learning areas in ACT government high schools with particular
analysis concerning the Arts.
The study sought to identify the discrepance between school curriculum policy and
timetable allocation to the mandated curriculum areas.
Analysis of time allocation to learning areas as defined by the timetable allocation of
time was considered to be an appropriate method of examining curriculum practice in
ACT government high schools. Fifteen ACT government high school timetables were
analysed in conjunction with school curriculum documentation. Mandatory time
requirements for the eight key learning areas was identified. Timetable structures were
analysed in terms of allocation of time to key learning areas, pastoral care, assemblies,
activities and electives. Formulae were developed in order to make comparisons
between schools possible.
Results indicated that disparities existed between time allocation to key learning areas
within key learning areas and mandatory time (i.e. minimum guaranteed access time)
requirements for key learning areas.
32
Baxendale, Sarah. "An examination of gender differences in violence-related behaviours of Western Australian secondary school students." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2010. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1831.
Full textAbstract:
The Child Health Promotion Research Centre at Edith Cowan University conducted the Violence-Related Behaviours and Young People’s Project to assess the frequency and severity of violence-related behaviours and associated risk factors in Western Australian young people. The sample for the project comprised 16 randomly selected Western Australian Government primary (n=8) and secondary (n=8) schools which were stratified by socioeconomic status and geographic location. Nine urban and rural youth agencies and organisations also participated in the project.
This study was a component of the Violence-Related Behaviours and Young People’s Project and focused on the data collected from the secondary school students. The data were collected via the students completing an anonymous self-report questionnaire. The aim of this study was to determine whether gender is associated with Western Australian secondary school students’ (aged 13-17 years) involvement in violence-related behaviours.
Three objectives were developed to address this aim, and the data were analysed against each objective. Analyses for the first objective found more male than female secondary school students reported being a victim of threatening and physical violence in the last 12 months at school and in the community. This difference was statistically significant for being a victim of threatening and physical violence in the last 12 months at school. Female students were more likely than male students to be a victim of physical violence in the last 12 months at home. Analyses for the second objective found male students were significantly more likely than the female students to be a perpetrator of physical violence in the last 12 months at school and in the community.
To address the third objective, interactions between previously identified risk factors, gender and Western Australian young peoples’ involvement in violence-related behaviours were investigated. The ‘animal cruelty’ risk factor was significantly associated with all violence-related behaviours examined. The only risk factor for which there were differential gender effects was ‘students’ academic results’ and being threatened in the last 12 months in the community. Male secondary school students who report their academic results were ‘about the same’ or they were ‘unsure’ were the least likely to be threatened, whereas for female secondary students it was those who reported their academic results were ‘better than most’.
Limitations associated with this study included threats to internal and external validity. A temporal sequence of causality between the risk factors and violent behaviour was unable to be established due to the cross-sectional research design. This study also did not examine protective factors for violent behaviour, which may have influenced the findings.
The findings from this Masters research will provide information on violence-related behaviours specific to Western Australian young people. Most previously published research has been conducted overseas, and as such, may not be directly applicable to the experiences of young people in Western Australia.
As a result of this study, a number of recommendations are outlined for policy makers and practitioners to develop effective violence-related policies and programmes suitable for young people in Western Australia. These include, but are not restricted to the following: establish ongoing and routine data collection systems with standardised methods for defining and measuring youth violence; encourage intervention studies to determine the impact of promising strategies to reduce violence that protect and support victims of violence; and the differences between genders in: being involved in violence-related behaviours, coping strategies, and the interrelationship between gender and other risk factors need to be identified and understood prior to the implementation of policies and programmes.
33
Cheung, Chun-ming, and 張俊明. "New roles of school principals in school-based management reform: a comparative study." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2000. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B31961502.
Full text
34
Mazza, Rose, and n/a. "Multicultural education and A.C.T. government high schools : an investigative study." University of Canberra. Education, 1987. http://erl.canberra.edu.au./public/adt-AUC20060907.142249.
Full text
35
Suliman, Rosemary, University of Western Sydney, of Arts Education and Social Sciences College, and School of Psychology. "The motivational and linguistic context of the school achievement of Lebanese-background students in high schools in South-western Sydney." THESIS_CAESS_PSY_Suliman_R.xml, 2001. http://handle.uws.edu.au:8081/1959.7/94.
Full textAbstract:
The purpose of this thesis is to examine the educational outcomes of Lebanese-background students in high schools in South-western Sydney, and to investigate some of the factors contributing to their pattern of achievement. The main thrust of this study is to empirically examine in detail two factors which are strong contributors to school achievement. The first is the motivational goals of these students. The second is the Language proficiency of Lebanese-background students in their first language (Arabic) and their second lanaguage (English). The study involves quantitative analyses of two sets of questionnaires administered to all the Year 9 students in three South-western metropolitan Sydney high schools. The Year 10 School Certificate results of this same group of students was then used to measure their level of achievement. Four groups were established for comparison: the non-Lebanese-, English-, Chinese- and Vietnamese- background groups. This study is contextualized within a discussion of some of the family factors which contribute to the achievement of migrant children in schools. Of particular relevance to Lebanese-background students are the socio-economic and educational background of parents, and the historical and social context of the Lebanese in Australia. The thesis concludes by putting forth some recommendations which involve the collaborative efforts of the home, the school and the community, suggesting that part of the solution lies in this collaborative effort. Boundaries can be crossed and stereotypes changed only through a concerted effort by the three sidesDoctor of Philosophy (PhD)
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Karginoff, Simon P. "A study of attendance and classroom participation among Aboriginal (Nyungar) students in a West Australian metropolitan senior high school." Curtin University of Technology, Faculty of Education, 1999. http://espace.library.curtin.edu.au:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=9561.
Full textAbstract:
My thesis combines an analysis of the reasons behind changing attendance and participation of Aboriginal students at a West Australian metropolitan senior high school with an appraisal of the role of Aboriginal students in its school curriculum, 1993-1997. This study also incorporates an examination of teacher attitudes towards Aboriginal students and culture with an ethnographic study as well as a qualitative survey of the attitudes of Aboriginal students towards school and the curriculum process.This thesis begins with an explanation for the choice of Aboriginal students and their experience at school as my research topic. Some autobiographical details of the author and my position on staff at school, 1994-97, then follows. A general background to Aboriginal Education and metropolitan senior high school is provided, with a specific discussion of the role of Aboriginal students and the place of Aboriginal Studies in the life of the school. A concise analysis of the secondary literature is then undertaken which provides, inter alia, a knowledge base for the 'ethnographic' interviews. The various strategies introduced in an attempt to improve the attendance and participation at school of Aboriginal students are then analysed, including an assessment of the success of the Aboriginal Studies programme.The next section focuses on the attitudes and actions of Aboriginal students and their teachers, giving a detailed account and appraisal of a series of interviews.My thesis then concludes by outlining some of the major factors influencing Aboriginal attendance and participation at school, as well as examining some of the key areas where Aboriginal education may be improved. My thesis does not purport to provide definitive answers to these issues, but rather points to an embryonic strategy for improvement, based upon the necessarily limited focus provided by this research.A ++series of appendices follow my written conclusions. No manuscript collections were consulted in the course of undertaking this research. However, many interviews and questionnaires have been extensively used with a voluminous selection of secondary source material, a selection of which is detailed in the bibliography.
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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.
Full textAbstract:
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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McKinnon, Gregory Colin, and n/a. "Supply of faculty teachers to individual high schools within the A.C.T. Schools' Authority, over the period 1983-1984 : an analysis of needs satisfaction." University of Canberra. Education, 1985. http://erl.canberra.edu.au./public/adt-AUC20061003.122421.
Full textAbstract:
This dissertation investigates the supply of
and demand for High School teachers, working in
prescribed faculty areas in Government schools in the
A.C.T., over the period from January 1983 to July
1984, for all new temporary teachers appointed to the
Service.
Statistical details of vacancies for assistant
teachers, in the 12 defined faculties of this study, were
obtained from the Assistant Principals (Staffing) of the
17 A.C.T. High Schools, as well as from records
maintained by the Staffing Officers of the A.C.T. Schools
Office.
The levels of High School teacher demand, for
the period under investigation, are compared with similar
statistics obtained for previous years in the A.C.T., as
well with other Australian and international figures on
teacher supply and demand. Through these comparisons,
suggestions are made regarding emerging trends of teacher
shortage, in particular faculty areas. Historical
parallels are presented to supplement these arguments
and to give underlying reasons for the projections that
are made.
The potential supply of faculty teachers over
the period is investigated through an analysis of
teacher faculty waiting lists. Numbers from these
lists are compared with the actual demand statistics
previously collected and a potential supply to vacancy
ratio collected for each faculty area.
A major part of the study is the construction
of supply satisfaction indices, under the headings of:
"Overall Satisfaction, Teaching Skills, Academic
Qualifications, Other Requirements and Recruitment".
These indices were derived from Likert type rating scales
completed by the Assistant Principals, in respect of
each of the 397 temporary teachers employed.
After obtaining an average rating in each faculty,
for the five measures of satisfaction, as determined by
the Assistant Principals, observations are made as to how
closely these indices match the corresponding potential
supply indices.
Particular emphasis is placed on the comparisons
between the recruitment satisfaction index (i.e. - how
quickly recruitment was expedited) and the potential
supply ratio for each faculty. Reasons are advanced for
any significant differences detected, and the overall
findings interpreted in terms of possible future trends.
The study concludes with an analysis of
factors affecting the market for teachers. Recommendations
are made for future planning that may offset problems
which were detected in the A.C.T. market for High School
teachers.
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Kirkpatrick, Denise. "The transition from primary to secondary school: Self-regulated learning and achievement motivation." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 1995. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/467.
Full textAbstract:
This research investigated changes in students' academic performance during the transition from primary to secondary school. Students' perceptions of their experience during the transition were investigated in an attempt to to provide an explanation for any changes that occured in academic performance.
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Ugochukwu, L. C., and n/a. "Catholic education in practice : a case study of a Catholic high school." University of Canberra. Education, 1988. http://erl.canberra.edu.au./public/adt-AUC20061109.161949.
Full textAbstract:
An aspect of Australian education is the continued presence
of the Catholic schools including those in the Archdiocese of
Canberra and Goulburn. They have continued to be a
significant part of Australian education after decades of ups
and downs. The question today is not whether Catholic
schools will survive but rather how effective they will be
despite the changes which have taken place over the last few
decades. Catholic schools still aim to provide all the
elements of a State education, and in addition, to offer them
within a Catholic setting. They have tried to create an
environment that will continue to reflect the cultural values
of its members.
The Theses is on Catholic Education in Practice: A Case
Study of a Catholic High School in the A.C.T. The Theses is
based on historical and analytical approach. The results of
a case study involving random sampled students, their
parents/guardians and teachers in a Catholic High School in
the A.C.T. sets out to investigate what factors still attract
them to the Catholic school despite the significant changes
that have taken place since Catholic education was introduced
into Australia. By examining these three groups of
people who are directly involved in Catholic schools, it
is hoped that a more balanced assessment of the extent
to which ideals and practices of Catholic education have
been retained.
The results show that students attend Catholic schools
for a variety of reasons including academic and
religious and because of the traditional approach to
areas such as discipline. The religious values continue
to be an important part of the school which makes it
distinctively Catholic, but the integration is not as
pervasive as previous due to the change in the nature of
staff and students at the school.
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Griffiths, Steven Robert. "EXPLORING AUSTRALIAN EARLY CAREER TEACHERS' IMPLEMENTATION OF FLIPPED LEARNING IN JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL SCIENCE." Thesis, Griffith University, 2019. http://hdl.handle.net/10072/388656.
Full textAbstract:
There is widespread support in the educational reform literature for learner-centred teaching practices and these practices are typically emphasised during teacher training. However, when faced with the myriad challenges of beginning to teach, the early career teacher will often avoid ambitious, learner-centred pedagogies and revert to less challenging, teacher-centred practices.
The aim of this study was to investigate how early career science teachers implemented flipped learning when supported with flipped learning curricular resources. Through a critical review of the learner-centred pedagogy literature, four key principles of learner-centred pedagogy were developed: (a) differentiated instruction, (b) positive relationships, (c) student choice and control, and (d) active learning. Flipped learning is one learner-centred pedagogy that has gained popularity over the last 10 years, and a critical review of the flipped learning research demonstrated flipped learning supports the four key learner-centred principles.
This study used a longitudinal, case study research design, guided by a constructivist research perspective, and explored how three early career science teachers utilised flipped learning curricular resources to implement flipped learning in Year 9 Science. Three data sources were used to provide evidence for analysis and interpretation. The data sources included semi-structured interviews, observations of teaching practices, and written and digital curricular artefacts. Data analysis involved evaluating the learner-centredness of the early career teachers’ practices and identifying the factors that influenced their practices. The study implemented a range of techniques to ensure the validity of data analysis in accordance with trustworthiness criteria.
Results indicate that the teachers were successful in implementing flipped learning and learner-centred practices in their first year of teaching. The extent to which flipped learning was implemented was influenced by two factors: (1) the nature of the flipped learning curricular resources, and (2) the teachers’ beliefs about teaching and learning. The flipped learning curricular resources supported the professional learning and learner-centred teaching practices of all of the early career teachers. The teachers who held more constructivist beliefs about learning implemented the most learner-centred practices. An evaluation of the effectiveness of the flipped learning curricular resources has informed recommendations for future implementation of flipped learning curricular resources and for future research.Thesis (Masters)
Master of Education and Professional Studies Research (MEdProfStRes)
School Educ & Professional St
Arts, Education and Law
Full Text
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Brown, Maryann University of Ballarat. "Contemporary ways of learning in secondary teacher education : towards a deeper understanding of teacher learning." University of Ballarat, 2006. http://archimedes.ballarat.edu.au:8080/vital/access/HandleResolver/1959.17/12779.
Full text
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Brown, Maryann. "Contemporary ways of learning in secondary teacher education : Towards a deeper understanding of teacher learning." Thesis, University of Ballarat, 2006. http://researchonline.federation.edu.au/vital/access/HandleResolver/1959.17/58681.
Full text
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Brown, Maryann. "Contemporary ways of learning in secondary teacher education : towards a deeper understanding of teacher learning." University of Ballarat, 2006. http://archimedes.ballarat.edu.au:8080/vital/access/HandleResolver/1959.17/14615.
Full text
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Lowe, Geoffrey Masterton. "A study into year 8 student motivation to continue class music in Perth, Western Australia." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2008. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1820.
Full textAbstract:
Post compulsory music education courses in Western Australia have undergone major curriculum reform. Reform has included a shift from a prescriptive curriculum based upon the Western canon to a more embracing practical and creative one, due for full implementation in 2009. As the numbers of students undertaking elective post compulsory music in Western Australia has been traditionally low, education authorities anticipate that more students will elect to undertake the new course. However, given previous research into motivational issues associated with the transition to secondary school, low post compulsory enrolment numbers may be reflective of retention issues arising from lower secondary class music, as much as the previous post compulsory course structure. Large numbers of students opt to discontinue music studies beyond their first year in secondary school.
This study examined the motivation of students to elect.to continue class music studies beyond their first year in secondary school (Year 8). Following an extensive review of the current literature on achievement motivation in education, the study employed Expectancy-value theory as its theoretical basis for examining the values and competence beliefs of 276, Year 8 students across eight secondary schools in Perth, Western Australia. The study included the development of an instrument to examine student values and beliefs towards class music activities at the commencement and conclusion of Year 8. In addition, for triangulation, the study employed focus groups to examine issues arising from findings associated with the instrument.
The study found that while Year 8 student values declined over the course of Year 8, their beliefs remained relatively stable. These findings implied that in many instances, students increasingly devalued the activities they undertook in class music over the course of the year, regardless of their competence beliefs. This in tum impacted upon their subsequent enrolment choices into elective music courses from Year 9. Therefore, declining valuing of class music in lower secondary school may be the major determinant of enrolment numbers in post compulsory class music, as values have been demonstrated in previous research to be accurate predictors of subsequent emohnent decisions.
The implications of this study suggest that curriculum reform may not necessarily succeed in increasing participation rates in post compulsory music education courses in Western Australia until motivational issues associated with the teaching of class music in lower school are addressed.
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Mansfield, Caroline. "The influence of student perceptions about school experience on non-university bound students' motivation to succeed." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 1997. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/911.
Full textAbstract:
In Australiari high schools today there. are increasingly greater numbers of students completing a final two years of post-compulsory secondary schooling Without the intention of progressing to a university tertiary education. Educators acknowledge that the comparative lack of motivation displayed by these students poses problems within the classroom and the educational system and most are concerned about how best to cater for the distinct and unique needs of this group of students. This thesis investigates the influence of student perceptions about school experience on Year 12 non-university bound students' motivation to succeed. The study focuses on the perceptions students hold about the classroom processes and curriculum they experience in their final year of school and. then explores how these perceptions influence the motivational goal orientations students adopt.
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Armsden, Sandra R. "The effect of a 5 day residential outdoor educational experience on the self-efficacy of selected Australian high school students." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 1995.
Find full textAbstract:
This study seeks to investigate the effect of a 5 day outdoor educational experience on the generalised self-efficacy of four Australian high school students. Specifically, it explored how the students conceptualise self-efficacy and whether they perceive a change in their own self-efficacy as a result of their experience. A key focus of the study was an investigation of the factors in their experience to which they attribute this change and if such a change is maintained.
To reconstruct the complex story of the outdoor educational experience for each student, a research design consisting of multi-method data collection in the form of a case study was used. Data collection techniques included participant observation,informal interviews, repertory grids and the use of a perceptual record (video, audio)of the students overt behaviours to conduct stimulated recall interviews. Through the process of triangulation of the data, the story emerged.
The data collection methods tend to reveal personal data of an affective nature and as such did disclose the student's personal reflections on their outdoor educational experience and generalised self-efficacy. Although distinctions in how the students construed their experience and generalised self-efficacy are evident, there are some
commonalties.
The students tend to construe confident people and confidence as being predominantly determined by aspects of the affective domain. Students use personal attributes such as caring, smart, sensitive and humorous as well as aspects of interaction with others to describe efficacious people. Constructs relating to attaining goals and achievements are used sparingly.
Immediately after the outdoor educational expe1ience the students perceive an increase in their generalised self-efficacy either through a closer association with their
'confident' people or through a disassociation with their people 'lacking confidence' or changes in both precepts. The changes in generalised self-efficacy were not necessarily maintained three months after the camp.
The students, when considering the outdoor educational expe1ience globally, focused on their level of emotional arousal, pa1ticularly enjoyment, as well as the need to
cooperate as a group. The group becomes a dominant factor in the student's outdoor educational expe1ience. The students recognise the power of the group through group
decisions and group support at stressful times. The concern for others becomes evident throughout the week. Whilst the four students recognise the group factor their reactions vary from wanting to be an active dominant member of the group to challenging the group at every opportunity.
The combined results indicate that a short term camp, that includes some adventure components, has the potential to be a powerful source of efficacy infonnation and thus increase a student's self-efficacy. The maintenance of increased generalised selfefficacy upon returning to the school environment remains a central issue. This study presents some evidence that increases can be maintained although it is acknowledged that further research is required.
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Nield, Robert, and n/a. "Alientated students' perceptions of school organizational health." University of Canberra. Education, 1990. http://erl.canberra.edu.au./public/adt-AUC20060824.130208.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis explores alienated students' perceptions of the organizational health of a
Year 7 to 10 A.C.T. high school. The study emerged at the theoretical level from a
concern that school effectiveness studies focussed too narrowly on student academic
attainment as an indicator of an effective school. A broader view of effectiveness
would hopefully show that in the case of comprehensive co-educational government
high schools, student alienation could have a powerful effect in undermining the
achievement of academic goals in such schools.
Because these schools have little control over their student clientele and require
compulsory student attendance until age 15, it seemed a degree of alienation was
inevitable. The task for high school administrators, it was hypothesized, lay in
minimizing these alienation levels in order to reduce the impact such student
alienation might have on other school effectiveness indicators like teacher
commitment, teacher morale and time on task in classes.
My experience as a practitioner, in the Student Welfare area of a large ACT
government high school, also indicated that the traditional "top down" strategy of
much research in the field of Educational Administration that concentrated on the
perspectives of principals and teachers only gave one view of the processes within a
school. The other, complementary "bottom up" view came from students. In
particular, it was hypothesized, the perspectives the most alienated students in a
government high school held towards the organizational health of the school might
represent an unusual test of school effectiveness.
This was because the commitment of such students towards the school and its stated
academic goals was most problematic. The promotion of a school "culture" or
"ethos" that could integrate low level and high level alienation students, and thereby
foster school effectiveness, appeared to be possible only to the extent that high level
alienation students could be kept on side or neutralized by high school
administrators.
These speculations were largely confirmed in this study. Apart from the interaction
of sex and year level with alienation, the other major finding was that teacher
consideration, or the extent to which teachers show concern for students as
individuals, was the only organizational health dimension that produced a significant
difference between students on the basis of alienation level.
In short, the study is not concerned with student alienation as such. Rather it is
concerned with understanding how alienated students perceive a relatively effective
school. This would hopefully enable that alienation to be minimized and managed.
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O'Meara, James. "Policies, practices and professional development : A study of curriculum implementation within an Australian high school." Thesis, University of Ballarat, 2005. http://researchonline.federation.edu.au/vital/access/HandleResolver/1959.17/40383.
Full textAbstract:
The overall aim of this portfolio is to discuss [...] understanding of the curriculum process surrounding the development of the Health and Physical Education Curriculum and Standards Framework II (HPE CSFII) and its implementation in a Victorian secondary school. The unit of analysis was a group of physical educators from Newviews Secondary College. Throughout 2002, interviews, surveys and document analysis were used to see how 'how and if' the HPE CSFII was being adopted and 'implemented' by the group.Doctor of Philosophy
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Chalmers, Ronald F. "An evaluation of the deputy principals' leadership development program." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 1992. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1133.
Full textAbstract:
The Deputy Principals' Leadership Development Program (DPLDP) was researched and developed by the Calgary Board of Education from 1983 to 1987. It was conducted for the first time in Western Australia when deputy principals from schools in the Narrogin Education District participated in the program during the period 1989-91. This study is an evaluation of the DPLDP. It was designed to determine whether there is justification for the continued use of the program as a means of enhancing the instructional leadership capacities of deputy principals in the Narrogin Education District. This research is located within the naturalistic paradigm. It can best be described as a qualitative case study based mainly upon ethnographic methods of data collection. The organisation and analysis of the data, however, was structured largely by utilising Stufflebeam's CIPP (context, input, process, product) framework of program evaluation and a typology of instructional leadership developed from a review of the literature. This typology presents instructional leadership as a process based on three components: vision, information and action. The data for this evaluation was collected during a twenty two month period between April 1989 and November 1990. A variety of data gathering techniques was used. In depth, semi-structured interviews and participant observations generated most of the data. Document analysis and unstructured, informal interactions provided supplementary material. Data validation formed an integral component of the research design. A thorough and wide-ranging validation process involving the participants was utilized to check the accuracy and relevance of the research findings. The major conclusions of the study, that emerged within the CIPP framework of program evaluation and the typology of instructional leadership, were: 1. Participation in the DPLDP leads deputy principals to examine their role in schools, and builds a commitment to their role as instructional leaders. 2. The DPLDP has the potential, more than other available programs examined, to meet the professional development needs of deputy principals in key areas associated with instructional leadership. 3. Collegial support is the single most important element of the DPLDP for the development of deputy principals as instructional leaders. 4. The DPLDP can be implemented successfully in the Narrogin Education without significant modifications. Based on these results, and other subsidiary findings of the study, it was concluded that, on balance, there is justification for the continuation of the DPLDP in the Narrogin Education District.