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Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Middle Years of Schooling'
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1
Webb, R. "Developing information skills in the middle years of schooling." Thesis, University of East Anglia, 1987. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.380974.
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Demarte, Adele Louise, and adele@rahna com. "Middle Years of Schooling: The pressures on rural adolescents to achieve academically." RMIT University. Education, 2007. http://adt.lib.rmit.edu.au/adt/public/adt-VIT20080208.145838.
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Within a climate of continual change this study offers insights into the academic pressures experienced by rural adolescents to achieve at school. In the often challenging transition from childhood to adulthood expectations from others place additional pressures on adolescents' lives. To better understand these pressures, I conducted a qualitative study of six students (ages nine to 15) and their teachers in the Middle Years of Schooling within rural Victoria, Australia. Students were studied prior to the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) in order to examine the pressures on students facing the Middle Years of Schooling. The study was carried out over a 6 month period using a Naturalistic Inquiry process with semi-structured interviews and participant observation. This allowed access into the participants' subjective insights. A Collective case study approach was employed to situate the information in its holistic environment and offer thick and information rich narratives depicting the experiences of these early adolescents. The case studies also involved examination of the school experiences of the early adolescents. Academic pressure was then broadly viewed in light of these experiences and recommendations offered. The findings from this research revealed that the early adolescents in the study all experienced degrees of academic pressure and demonstrated varied abilities to cope with these pressures. External support provided by parents, the school, teachers and peers tended to provide support more than fostering resilience.
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Priest, Hardev K. "Parent involvement in middle years schooling : a comparison of student and parent perceptions." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 1996. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk2/ftp04/mq23463.pdf.
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Copping, Warren. "Middle schooling and scientific literacy : bringing the students to science." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2012. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/63597/1/Warren_Copping_Thesis.pdf.
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This study is about young adolescents' engagement in learning science. The middle years of schooling are critical in the development of students' interest and engagement with learning. Successful school experiences enhance dispositions towards a career related to those experiences. Poor experiences lead to negative attitudes and rejection of certain career pathways. At a time when students are becoming more aware, more independent and focused on peer relationships and social status, the high school environment in some circumstances offers more a content-centred curriculum that is less personally relevant to their lives than the social melee surrounding them. Science education can further exacerbate the situation by presenting abstract concepts that have limited contextual relevance and a seemingly difficult vocabulary that further alienates adolescents from the curriculum. In an attempt to reverse a perceived growing disinterest by students to science (Goodrum, Druhan & Abbs, 2011), a study was initiated based on a student-centred unit designed to enhance and sustain adolescent engagement in science. The premise of the study was that adolescent students are more responsive toward learning if they are given an appropriate learning environment that helps connect their learning with life beyond the school.
The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of young adolescents with the aim of transforming school learning in science into meaningful experiences that connected with their lives. Two areas were specifically canvassed and subsumed within the study to strengthen the design base. One area that of the middle schooling ideology, offered specific pedagogical approaches and a philosophical framework that could provide opportunities for reform. The other area, the construct of scientific literacy (OECD, 2007) as defined by Holbrook and Rannikmae, (2009) appeared to provide a sense of purpose for students to aim toward and value for becoming active citizens.
The study reported here is a self-reflection of a teacher/researcher exploring practice and challenging existing approaches to the teaching of science in the middle years of schooling. The case study approach (Yin, 2003) was adopted to guide the design of the study. Over a 6-month period, the researcher, an experienced secondary-science teacher, designed, implemented and documented a range of student-centred pedagogical practices with a Year-7 secondary science class. Data for this case study included video recordings, journals, interviews and surveys of students. Both quantitative and qualitative data sources were employed in a partially mixed methods research approach (Leech & Onwuegbuzie, 2009) dominated by qualitative data with the concurrent collection of quantitative data to corroborate interpretations as a means of analysing and developing a model of the dynamic learning environment.
The findings from the case study identified five propositions that became the basis for a model of a student-centred learning environment that was able to sustain student participation and thus engagement in science. The study suggested that adolescent student engagement can be promoted and sustained by providing a classroom climate that encourages and strengthens social interaction. Engagement in science can be enhanced by presenting developmentally appropriate challenges that require rigorous exploration of contextually relevant learning environments; supporting students to develop connections with a curriculum that aligns with their own experiences. By setting an environment empathetic to adolescent needs and understandings, students were able to actively explore phenomena collaboratively through developmentally appropriate experiences. A significant outcome of this study was the transformative experiences of an insider, the teacher as researcher, whose reflections provide an authentic model for reforming pedagogy. The model and theory presented became an adjunct to my repertoire for science teaching in the middle years of schooling.
The study was rewarding in that it helped address a void in my understanding of middle years of schooling by prompting me to re-think the notion of adolescence in the context of the science classroom. This study is timely given the report "The Status and Quality of Year 11 and 12 Science in Australian Schools" (Goodrum, Druhan & Abbs, 2011) and national curricular changes that are being proposed for science (ACARA, 2009).
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Hunter, Lisa Therésè. "Young people, physical education, and transition : understanding practices in the middle years of schooling /." [St. Lucia, Qld. : s.n.], 2002. http://www.library.uq.edu.au/pdfserve.php?image=thesisabs/absthe16654.pdf.
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Beutel, Denise. "Teachers' understandings of pedagogic connectedness." Queensland University of Technology, 2006. http://eprints.qut.edu.au/16229/.
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This thesis explores the nature of pedagogic connectedness and reveals the qualitatively different ways in which teachers in the middle years of schooling experience this phenomenon. The researcher defines pedagogic connectedness as the engagements between teacher and student that impact on student learning. The findings of this phenomenographic-related study are used to provide a framework for changes to pedagogic practices in the middle years of schooling. Twenty teachers of years 7, 8, and 9 boys in an independent college in South-East Queensland participated in this study. Data were obtained through semi-structured interviews with these teachers and the interview transcripts were analysed iteratively. Five qualitatively different ways of experiencing pedagogic connectedness emerged from this study. These categories of description are linked hierarchically and are delimited from each other through six common dimensions of variation. Teachers' conceptions of pedagogic connectedness range from information providing through instructing, facilitating, guided participation to mentoring. The five different conceptions may be classified broadly as teacher-centred, transitional or student-centred. In the information providing conception, pedagogic connectedness between teachers and students is limited with teachers perceiving themselves as subject experts and providing few opportunities for student-teacher engagements. The most complex conception, mentoring, is characterised by partnerships between teachers and students in which teachers view themselves as more experienced equals. These partnerships extend beyond the confines of the classroom and beyond the years of schooling. In this conception, teachers describe teaching as an emotional activity with teachers demonstrating passion for teaching and learning. The findings of this current study extend earlier understandings of teacher-student mentoring relationships in the middle years of schooling. These expanded understandings may contribute to enthusing middle years students and re-engaging them with schooling during these vital years.
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Owens, Rick. "A number sense approach to written calculation: Exploring the effects in the middle years of schooling." Thesis, Australian Catholic University, 2012. https://acuresearchbank.acu.edu.au/download/5f6d90fdac781dc0b71033c0ed6b5e47aef60d621db25305f8c4323c324bee07/1610774/Owens_2012_A_number_sense_approach_to_written.pdf.
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The purpose of this research was to investigate some of the effects on teachers and students of positioning written calculation within a commitment to building students’ number sense. The focus on number sense took shape initially through explicit teaching of a strategies approach to mental computation, followed by an exploration of approaches to written calculation which made use of effective mental computation strategies. The impetus for this research came from the following observations of many classrooms and a review of the available literature: the dominant aspect of calculation in many schools in the primary and middle years of schooling (here deemed as up to Year 8 in schools in the Australian Capital Territory) is the teaching and using of formal written algorithms for many students this emphasis works against overall facility with calculation and the development of number sense. This study investigated the following research question: What are some of the effects on teachers and students within a junior high school setting, of aligning written calculation with a strategies approach to teaching and using mental computation?
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Dauguet, Kathleen, and res cand@acu edu au. "Understanding the ‘Mixed Ability’ Program in Catholic Secondary Schools in Mauritius: Perceptions of educators for best practice in the middle years of schooling." Australian Catholic University. School of Education, 2007. http://dlibrary.acu.edu.au/digitaltheses/public/adt-acuvp181.20112008.
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The mission of Catholic Education in Mauritius is to ‘humanise’ education and pedagogies to be consistent with Catholic values. The vision of a ‘humanised’ education explicitly teaches collaboration and cooperation. In January 2005, the Catholic Education Bureau (BEC) opted for a ‘mixed ability’ philosophy whose articulation fosters inclusiveness in all Catholic secondary schools. To achieve this, schools need to re-invent and restructure themselves into learning organisations to make obvious the ‘mixed ability’ philosophy at the middle level of schooling from Form I to Form III.The first purpose of this study is to explore an integral model for an effective education for Catholic secondary schools in Mauritius that acknowledges diversity in the classroom particularly in Form I. The second purpose is to investigate the beliefs and understandings of educators in Catholic secondary education in Mauritius of this model.For the first purpose, a review of the literature was undertaken to understand the concepts of middle schooling, differentiation, learning theories and implications for practice, the enabling structures for Catholic secondary schools to develop into learning communities and the leadership role of key actors. For the second purpose, the perceptions of educators were investigated using a predominantly qualitative, interpretative methodology around an instrumental multi-site case study.The study found a number of challenges faced by Catholic educators in Mauritius regarding the implementation of the integral model. These challenges present a new direction for these schools to focus on the human person, leading to the development and implementation of the ‘mixed ability’ program. The study concluded with a cogent set of recommendations and directions which need to be put in place in order to improve student learning outcomes at the middle level of schooling and achieve the vision of a human-centered education within the espoused Catholic mission.
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Hamilton, Mauricette Ann, and res cand@acu edu au. "We Grow in the Shade of Each Other: A study of Connectedness, Empowerment and Learning in the Middle Years of Schooling." Australian Catholic University. School of Education, 2005. http://dlibrary.acu.edu.au/digitaltheses/public/adt-acuvp95.29052006.
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Learning is enabled in an environment that promotes connectedness. This belief led me to an exploration of connectedness and the discovery that connectedness has more than one connotation in the literature. For some it means making connections within curriculum areas, which is closely associated with the understanding that connectedness means teaching and learning within a community of learners. Another body of literature understands connectedness as a person’s sense of belonging within the family, school and wider community. Embedded in all these understandings of the term is either implicit or explicit reference to empowerment.An exploration of learning necessarily involves an exploration of students and teachers perceptions of effective learning. The exploration of learning focuses on: teacher and students understanding of learning, student expectations and achievements within the classroom, the opportunities for participation and contribution. The various understandings of connectedness, empowerment and learning are linked in the exploration of the following themes within the classroom: Building caring relationships, Setting high and achievable expectations and Providing opportunities for participation and contribution (Bernard, 1991; 1997; MindMatters, 2000). The context is the middle years of schooling as the last 10 years has produced research that delivers findings asking teachers in the middle years to negotiate a curriculum that is based on people. Effective teaching and learning is essential if students are to achieve their potential, should be cooperative and be fostered within a reflective community atmosphere. Relationships are to the fore in all concepts of effective middle schooling and this case study explores relationship as they exist at Garden College in year seven. It is these relationships that promote a sense of belonging to and empowerment within the learning community, thus enabling learning. If schools are to “expedite the development of effective middle schooling” (Schools Council, National Board of Employment, Education and Training, 1993, p. 65), by addressing the issues highlighted above, I believe the concepts of connectedness, empowerment and learning must be fully explored by the community of learners in each school.
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Hamilton, Mauricette Ann. "We grow in the shade of each other: A study of connectedness, empowerment and learning in the middle years of schooling." Thesis, Australian Catholic University, 2005. https://acuresearchbank.acu.edu.au/download/22de170c1fd76442d060171ac912ad07919f57e379a0c089a86f46753f1d3511/3475008/64899_downloaded_stream_124.pdf.
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Learning is enabled in an environment that promotes connectedness. This belief led me to an exploration of connectedness and the discovery that connectedness has more than one connotation in the literature. For some it means making connections within curriculum areas, which is closely associated with the understanding that connectedness means teaching and learning within a community of learners. Another body of literature understands connectedness as a person's sense of belonging within the family, school and wider community. Embedded in all these understandings of the term is either implicit or explicit reference to empowerment. An exploration of learning necessarily involves an exploration of students and teachers perceptions of effective learning. The exploration of learning focuses on: teacher and students understanding of learning, student expectations and achievements within the classroom, the opportunities for participation and contribution. The various understandings of connectedness, empowerment and learning are linked in the exploration of the following themes within the classroom: Building caring relationships, Setting high and achievable expectations and Providing opportunities for participation and contribution (Bernard, 1991; 1997; MindMatters, 2000). The context is the middle years of schooling as the last 10 years has produced research that delivers findings asking teachers in the middle years to negotiate a curriculum that is based on people. Effective teaching and learning is essential if students are to achieve their potential, should be cooperative and be fostered within a reflective community atmosphere. Relationships are to the fore in all concepts of effective middle schooling and this case study explores relationship as they exist at Garden College in year seven. It is these relationships that promote a sense of belonging to and empowerment within the learning community, thus enabling learning.;If schools are to 'expedite the development of effective middle schooling' (Schools Council, National Board of Employment, Education and Training, 1993, p. 65), by addressing the issues highlighted above, I believe the concepts of connectedness, empowerment and learning must be fully explored by the community of learners in each school.
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Dauguet, Kathleen. "Understanding the 'mixed ability' program in Catholic secondary schools in Mauritius: perceptions of educators for best practice in the middle years of schooling." Thesis, Australian Catholic University, 2007. https://acuresearchbank.acu.edu.au/download/9737f34f590e58a2546a4191bac33c50e306a453d4fe3f4c66a2353917063cb5/1894262/64837_downloaded_stream_62.pdf.
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The mission of Catholic Education in Mauritius is to 'humanise' education and pedagogies to be consistent with Catholic values. The vision of a 'humanised' education explicitly teaches collaboration and cooperation. In January 2005, the Catholic Education Bureau (BEC) opted for a 'mixed ability' philosophy whose articulation fosters inclusiveness in all Catholic secondary schools. To achieve this, schools need to re-invent and restructure themselves into learning organisations to make obvious the 'mixed ability' philosophy at the middle level of schooling from Form I to Form III.
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Lincoln, Mary Elizabeth. "Academic rigour in science assessment tasks." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2010. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/33209/2/Mary_Lincoln_Citation.pdf.
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The critical problem of student disengagement and underachievement in the middle years of schooling (Years 4 . 9) has focussed attention on the quality of educational programs in schools, in Australia and elsewhere. The loss of enthusiasm for science in the middle years is particularly problematic given the growing demand for science professionals. Reshaping middle years programs has included an emphasis on integrating Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and improving assessment practices to engage students in higher cognitive processes and enhance academic rigour. Understanding the nature of academic rigour and how to embed it in students. science assessment tasks that incorporate the use of ICTs could enable teachers to optimise the quality of the learning environment. However, academic rigour is not clearly described or defined in the literature and there is little empirical evidence upon which researchers and teachers could draw to enhance understandings. This study used a collective case study design to explore teachers' understandings of academic rigour within science assessment tasks. The research design is based on a conceptual framework that is underpinned by socio-cultural theory. Three methods were used to collect data from six middle years teachers and their students. These methods were a survey, focus group discussion with teachers and a group of students and individual semi-structured interviews with teachers. Findings of the case study revealed six criteria of academic rigour, namely, higher order thinking, alignment, building on prior knowledge, scaffolding, knowledge construction and creativity. Results showed that the middle years teachers held rich understandings of academic rigour that led to effective utilisation of ICTs in science assessment tasks. Findings also indicated that teachers could further enhance their understandings of academic rigour in some aspects of each of the criteria. In particular, this study found that academic rigour could have been further optimised by: promoting more thoughtful discourse and interaction to foster higher order thinking; increasing alignment between curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment, and students. prior knowledge; placing greater emphasis on identifying, activating and building on prior knowledge; better differentiating the level of scaffolding provided and applying it more judiciously; fostering creativity throughout tasks; enhancing teachers‟ content knowledge and pedagogical content knowledge, and providing more in-depth coverage of fewer topics to support knowledge construction. Key contributions of this study are a definition and a model which clarify the nature of academic rigour.
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Stein, Sarah Jane. "Students' conceptions of science across the years of schooling." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 1996.
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The alternative frameworks movement has in the last ten to fifteen years emphasized that having knowledge of the variety of ways students conceptualize science assists
teachers to tap into students' current understanding of science concepts. This enables teachers to apply their science knowledge together with their teaching and
learning knowledge most appropriately. Using a phenomenographic research approach, this study examined students' conceptions of the nature of science.
Categories of description about how students conceptualize science were derived from the writings of students' experience of science in Years 4, 7, 9, 11 and 12. Four outcome spaces that indicated links across a range of the categories of description were outlined. The results suggest the need for educators to be concerned about the experience of science being portrayed to students, including the more experienced years 11 and 12 students, and to ensure that a modem philosophical view of the nature of science is made explicit in curricula they implement.
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Litke, Cary Del. "Virtual schooling at middle grades, a case study." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 1998. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk2/ftp03/NQ34683.pdf.
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Wilson, Leigh Herbert Alexander. "Keeping up and keeping out: Mapping middle class schooling." Thesis, Wilson, Leigh Herbert Alexander (1996) Keeping up and keeping out: Mapping middle class schooling. PhD thesis, Murdoch University, 1996. https://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/51379/.
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This thesis investigates the role of middle class schooling in patterns of social disadvantage and privilege. The outstanding performance of a group of government secondary schools at tertiary entrance examinations is widely recognised in Western Australia and is reflected when these schools are popularly described as "Superschools". The practices behind the success of these schools and the systemwide effects created by that success provoke the consideration of a range of issues.
A critical methodology is used in providing a comprehensive explanation of the phenomenon of high achieving government schools and involves: Conceptual and economic analyses of class in Australia; a geographic analysis of urban space in the Perth metropolitan area as it relates to class and government secondary schools; an historical analysis of changing government policies for school boundaries and curricula, and; an ethnographic analysis of one of the Superschools in the form of locally-based interviews and document analysis.
Evidence is presented identifying a middle class which has been able to exploit opportunities in creating non-fee-paying "Superschools" as educational sites where tertiary entrance examination performance is optimised. The achievement at a level comparable to expensive private schools by these middle class government schools has influenced wider patterns of privilege and disadvantage in education. It masks the real discrepancy in the overall performance between private fee-paying and government non-fee-paying secondary school systems and at the same time is related to the constraints on educational opportunities available to students in other government schools in less affluent areas. Significantly, despite the rhetoric of meritocracy and freedom of choice, urban space provides an arena where economic structures and social practices intersect producing differentiated opportunities and choices in education.
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Paris, Lisa. "Visual arts history and visual arts criticism : Applications in middle schooling." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 1999. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1240.
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Visual arts history and criticism occupy central positions in visual arts curriculum statements in Western Australia. This status is sustained by the belief that the study of visual arts history and criticism actively contributes to the education of the student as a "whole person". In reality however, rather than attending to the holistic education of students, the application of visual arts history and criticism in Western Australian schools tends to be pragmatic and instrumental - visual arts teachers often use visual art works as "learning aids" because they don't have time, interest or experience in dealing with visual arts works in any other way. While visual arts history and criticism offer the student a valuable life-skill worth acquiring for the contribution they could make to the student's autonomy and personal welfare, this understanding often seems a foreign concept for many classroom teachers. The difference between theorists' and teachers' understandings of the place and purpose of visual arts history and criticism provides an important area of inquiry requiring urgent attention. This research makes a foray into this domain with the purpose of shedding light on the content and methods used by middle school visual arts teachers and their students' perceptions of the content and methods. A qualitative descriptive study was selected for the research taking the form of semi-structured interviews with six teachers. An interview guide was used and transcripts deriving from this methodology were coded by way of reference to the original research questions and classifications which emanated from emergent themes. The teacher interviews were complemented by a questionnaire administered to one class of students from each of the six schools. Participating teachers were selected through a stratified sampling technique. Analysis of data was undertaken from a qualitative stance in the case of interview participants. Narrative-style reporting of interview content was employed to facilitate accurate representation of the teachers' perceptions of visual arts history and criticism at the middle school level. A quantitative analysis of students' questionnaires provided triangulation of methodology, ensuring greater levels of validity than would be afforded by qualitative methods alone. With pressure being applied by the impending implementation of the Curriculum Framework for Kindergarten to Year 12 Education in Western Australian Schools (1998) for the formal inclusion of Arts Responses (aesthetics, art criticism) and Arts in Society (art history), a pressing need exists for clear information about current professional practice. Findings indicated that a misalignment appears to exist between theoretical assumptions embedded in documentation supporting the implementation of the Framework and actual classroom teaching practice. The implications of such misalignment, albeit illustrated on a small scale, are that the initiatives of the Framework may not be sustainable in the longer term, precisely because they are built upon invalid assumptions about what teachers actually do. Whilst the size of the sample and scope of the research limits the generalisability of findings, this first foray may provide impetus for a more comprehensive and evaluative study at a later date.
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Paterson, Anthony Mason. "Glasgow Citizens' Theatre 1957-1969 : the middle years." Thesis, University of Strathclyde, 1989. http://oleg.lib.strath.ac.uk:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=21287.
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The early years of the Glasgow Citizens' Theatre were dominated by its founder, James Bridie, and by the influence which his legacy exerted over those who worked there in the time immediately following his death. This period can be said to last from the Theatre's opening (1943) until the arrival of Peter Duguid, the first director not immediately influenced by Bridie's aims and objects (1957). From 1969 until the present day, Giles Havergal and his associates have been in charge, and they have created, in its international-style motivation, something unique in British theatre, famous outside these shores, but totally at variance with the founder's aspirations. These two eras bear their own recognisable stamps, but in between stretch the 'middle years' - twelve seasons parcelled out among seven directors, an extraordinary series of lofty peaks and corresponding valleys, but comprising, in spite of - or because of - their diversity, a remarkable sum total of achievement. And yet thi s is the period when - many believe - nothing really happened. Why were these years so fragmented? Three of the directorships lasted for one season only, and the others had individual styles of their own: Duguid was in sympathy with American plays, Callum Mill with European; Michael Meacham and Michael Blakemore were, on the whole, more English orientated, and the work of Iain Cuthbertson probably came nearer than anyone's, in content, to the Citizens' of James Bridie's vision. Every individual regime of these twelve seasons had its glories, and it is perhaps, the series of 'new beginnings' which give the 'middle years' their lasting impact. Relationships between Director and Theatre Board were frequently difficult; both were true to their principles, but these were times when the whole moral and social climate of Britain, its type of 'media appreciation', were in flux. The ideas of 1943 were no longer valid twenty years later and the problems of adjustment between 1957 and 1969 came close, in the end, to wrecking the whole enterprise. It is only now, with the dust of battle cleared away, that it is possible to see the era in the importance of its true perspective.
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Dickson, Anisah. "International Baccalaureate’s Middle Years Programme: Liberation or suffocation?" Thesis, Dickson, Anisah ORCID: 0000-0003-4063-4457 (2019) International Baccalaureate’s Middle Years Programme: Liberation or suffocation? Professional Doctorate thesis, Murdoch University, 2019. https://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/55765/.
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While an increasing number of schools worldwide are offering the International Baccalaureate’s Middle Years Programme (MYP), at least 10% of Australian schools that offer the MYP have recently chosen to discontinue it. The reasons why schools terminate the program are not well understood, however. To address this research gap, I examined the benefits, opportunities, challenges and limitations of teaching and learning the MYP at three public and private Australian schools that have discontinued this programme. Using a qualitative case study design, I interviewed 17 participants: four principals and/or deputies, three former MYP Coordinators (one from each school) and 10 teachers. While the small sample is not generalizable, the findings provide unique insight that can guide schools on whether to adopt and sustain the MYP. Analysis identified the following benefits of teaching the MYP: more opportunities for international professional development and interdisciplinary teaching; and more accountability and standardisation within the curriculum and assessments. Teaching challenges included: organisational complications with aligning the MYP with the Australian national curriculum; reduced teaching time; limited leadership support; difficulties with promoting inquiry-based teaching; and assessing with two varying grading formats. Benefits of learning the MYP were: increased inquiry-based learning opportunities; exposure to holistic learning through the development of students’ academic and social skills; and a healthier balance between core and elective learning areas. The challenges for students learning mostly stemmed from operational, systems-level limitations, and confusing MYP jargon and grading styles. While participants identified many benefits and opportunities of the MYP for teaching and learning, the participating schools chose to discontinue the MYP because the organizational challenges that they faced greatly outweighed the positives. Recommendations for action on the part of the IB and school leaders are suggested.
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Rogers, Geoffrey Arnell. "A Case Study of Design and Technology in the Early Years of Schooling." Thesis, Curtin University, 1997. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/238.
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Design, make and appraise (DMA) activities form a major component of the relatively new primary curriculum area of technology education. This case study is a descriptive and interpretative account of one teacher's attempt at implementing a DMA program in a class of children in their first year of formal schooling. The study seeks to discover and explore some of the factors and structural and organisational issues that arise during the implementation of a DMA program. The research aims to expand the knowledge base of the DMA strand of technology education as the teacher attempted to grapple with the problem of translating the theoretical technology education curriculum statements into practical realities in the classroom. This study highlights the importance of the teacher, her organisation and planning and selection of appropriate teaching strategies.Group work, continuous assessment and the provision of adequate and appropriate resources were also found to be important contributing factors. Three further issues were found to emerge from the study. Firstly there was a weak link between the children's designing stage and their making and appraising stages. Secondly, DMA has the potential to assist schools to work towards a more gender-neutral curriculum in which both girls and boys have equal access. Special education children were found to be assisted by involvement in DMA activities. And thirdly, the setting of DMA tasks was seen to be an issue that could cause difficulties. Finally, a number of implications for teachers arose out of these findings and they have the potential to improve DMA teaching and learning.
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Rogers, Geoffrey Arnell. "A Case Study of Design and Technology in the Early Years of Schooling." Curtin University of Technology, Science and Mathematics Education Centre, 1997. http://espace.library.curtin.edu.au:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=14266.
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Design, make and appraise (DMA) activities form a major component of the relatively new primary curriculum area of technology education. This case study is a descriptive and interpretative account of one teacher's attempt at implementing a DMA program in a class of children in their first year of formal schooling. The study seeks to discover and explore some of the factors and structural and organisational issues that arise during the implementation of a DMA program. The research aims to expand the knowledge base of the DMA strand of technology education as the teacher attempted to grapple with the problem of translating the theoretical technology education curriculum statements into practical realities in the classroom. This study highlights the importance of the teacher, her organisation and planning and selection of appropriate teaching strategies.Group work, continuous assessment and the provision of adequate and appropriate resources were also found to be important contributing factors. Three further issues were found to emerge from the study. Firstly there was a weak link between the children's designing stage and their making and appraising stages. Secondly, DMA has the potential to assist schools to work towards a more gender-neutral curriculum in which both girls and boys have equal access. Special education children were found to be assisted by involvement in DMA activities. And thirdly, the setting of DMA tasks was seen to be an issue that could cause difficulties. Finally, a number of implications for teachers arose out of these findings and they have the potential to improve DMA teaching and learning.
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Menzies, Victoria Jane, and n/a. "Artist-in-Residence: A Catalyst to Deeper Learning in Middle Phase Schooling." Griffith University. School of Vocational, Technology and Arts Education, 2005. http://www4.gu.edu.au:8080/adt-root/public/adt-QGU20051130.101749.
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The study sought to investigate the nature of learning that occurs in two different approaches (integrated and non-integrated) to an artist-in-residency program. The program was conducted in middle phase schooling, and adopted the principles of authentic learning. Two year five classes and their teachers participated in the study. The residency provided learning experiences that connected to the curriculum unit theme for one year five class (integrated), but not for the other year five class (non-integrated). These experiences were designed to relate to the learner's lived experiences and promote higher-order thinking processes. The study sought to explore the potential for visual arts residencies to foster more 'authentic' modes of learning. The study examined children's ability to transfer knowledge, gained through the visual and verbal analysis of images, by manipulating and integrating diverse information and ideas. Grounded Theory was deemed to be an appropriate research methodology for this study as it involves gathering data in field settings and applying inductive methods to analyze this data. Diverse data collection strategies were implemented including: teacher stories, interviews, student reflection, researcher observations and student artworks. LeximancerTM software was selected as an instrument for analyzing data. This software was considered appropriate as it fosters a descriptive and interpretive approach to analysis. The findings of the study indicated that children who participated in the integrated artist-in-school's curriculum program demonstrated more evidence of higher-order thinking processes than children who participated in the non-integrated program. The participants undertaking the integrated approach were able to establish relatively complex relationships between the central residency concepts, demonstrating an ability to use visual and verbal codes of communication to articulate their ideas, knowledge and experiences. A further important finding identified positive student behavioural outcomes, where the integrated residency approach appeared to connect group members as small supportive learning communities. The study also identified a transition in the teacher's perspectives on teaching and learning after participating in the integrated approach. This research project has significance both nationally and internationally by investigating current practices in artist-in-schools programs that both enhance and hinder educational outcomes. The study has significance to the broader educational community in terms of its focus on the role of visual arts specialist adjuncts in maximising learning outcomes. The findings of this study could provide insight into the interrelationship between visual arts and other curriculum areas to heighten student learning outcomes. The findings of the study illustrate how particular approaches to visual art in education can enhance children's learning and development. These insights can assist artists undertaking residencies in schools, and the teachers involved, to provide richer learning experiences. The findings provide ifirther evidence to support an approach that involves close collaboration between resident artists and educators. It is recommended that the residency learning experiences are connected to the children's lived experiences and that there is social support from teachers, parents and peers. It is also argued that for a residency to be considered 'authentic', the approach requires a number of essential and valuable attributes. These essential and valuable attributes have two tiers of application which coalesce to contribute to the efficacy of a school art residency.
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Faulkner, Val, and N/A. "Adolescent literacies, middle schooling and pedagogic choice: Riverside's response to the challenge." University of Canberra. Education, 2002. http://erl.canberra.edu.au./public/adt-AUC20050411.094459.
Full textAbstract:
This study looks at the ways in which middle schooling initiatives (particularly notions
such as 'authentic pedagogy') are impacting on teachers' pedagogic choices and
practices especially in the area of literacy teaching. There has been no research to
date which explores the linkages between curriculum/school reform such as proposed
in middle schooling initiatives and choices/practices demonstrated by teachers caught
up in this initiative in particular schools. My research attempts to theorise the
connection between crucial features of middle school reform, teacher decisions and
practices in the classroom and their impact on students' own learning/adolescent
literacies. I assume that if the reform is to have continuity and to contribute to higher
levels of adolescent engagement and deep learning, it needs to support and facilitate
certain kinds of decisions and practices in the school and classroom environments.
Where I find evidence of engagement, sustained/substantial conversation across
lessons, within lessons and 'deep learning' in transdisciplinary work by students, then it
is fair to say that middle schooling is working for students and teachers. Where I find
little or no evidence of these things, then it is necessary to apply a critical and
constructive reading of reform initiatives. This critical and constructive reading
attempts to outline the necessary and sufficient conditions which must be in place in
schools if middle schooling is to thrive and to make the difference in young peoples'
school lives it claims to make. My research is a contribution to the sustained and
substantial conversation that is so necessary to middle schooling reform.
Many previous studies surrounding middle schooling have remained at the level of
"description". These commentaries either support or oppose the reform initiative. In
making a commitment to move beyond description, generated by participant
observation and ethnographic conversations, to also involve extensive D/discourse
analysis (Gee, 1999; Bernstein, 1990) of pedagogic practice, this thesis sought to
develop an awareness of the notion of authentic literacy pedagogy through close
analysis of pedagogic choice enacted in three middle school homerooms. A further
significance lies in the perspectives that it offers on adolescent literacies.
The data collected raised questions about the "actual" impact of the middle school
reform initiative at one school, Riverside', how this approach to schooling for young
adolescents impacts on the way that teachers and students construct literacies; and
whether or not these constructions are mindful of the range of those "private" and
"public" literacies found in the multiple life-worlds of adolescents (Phelps, 1998). It
challenges some "myths" about literacy pedagogic transformation linked to middle
schooling, as well as, highlights those factors, both physical and intrinsic, that impact
on reform initiatives and change.
Acknowledgement of the need to engage in a theorisation of adolescent literacies that
moves beyond the current narrow macro-level D/discourse agenda, which focuses on
the "public" school-based literacies, also emerged. This highlights those tensions that
exist between the macro, meso and micro educational environments when considering
what it means to be "literate" for young adolescents.
The study also highlights those disjunctions and tensions found within the progressivist
middle school approach. As a result there are a number of implications that emerge.
These are linked to the preparation of pre-service teachers; a concern for the
physical/material landscape of middle schools; the establishment of Learning Circles as
critical in creating the "ferment of change"; the need to continue theorising the notion -
adolescent literacies; the need to link professional learning for teachers to those
phases of pedagogic change highlighted as part of the reform process; as well as an
acknowledgement of the importance of the need to support the development of more
authentic pedagogies.
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Kopanke, Richard J. "Focusing vision for churches in their middle-aged years." Theological Research Exchange Network (TREN), 2004. http://www.tren.com.
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Oladimeji, Chinoyerem Ekwutosinam. "Distributed Leadership in International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program Implementation." ScholarWorks, 2018. https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/5394.
Full textAbstract:
The International Baccalaureate (IB) organization promotes distributed leadership as the ideal leadership model for implementation of all of its 4 programs, and researchers have noted that this leadership model in private international schools with multiple IB programs has been vital to school wide success. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how distributed leadership influenced the implementation of the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program (IBMYP) in a public middle school that has been successful in meeting academic goals. Spillane's distributed leadership model served as the basis for identifying the organizational structures, routines, and tools that influenced the implementation of the IBMYP and improvement in students' academic achievement. Data included interviews with 2 administrators, 3 teachers, 2 support staff, and 1 coordinator, and documents collected from participants, a district leader, and the school's website. Data analysis entailed coding to identify emerging patterns and themes. Findings from this study indicated that distributed leadership had a positive influence in the implementation of the IBMYP. Major themes included effective distributed leadership practices of positional and informal leaders; collaboration amongst faculty members; positive relationships between administrators and others; shared academic vision; effective organizational structures, routines, and tools; shared learning; and students' behavioral challenges. Positive social change may come from providing leaders in the IB organization, as well as district leaders, strategies for distributing leadership that were found in this study that may increase successful implementation of the IBMYP in public schools and improvement in student academic achievement.
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Weston, Carrie. "Quality physical education in the early years of compulsory schooling : from praxis to axiology." Thesis, University of the West of Scotland, 2008. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.494770.
Full textAbstract:
This study investigates how teachers of young children (4-7 years, traditionally the infant age range) plan and teach Physical Education (PE) in order to identify where concerns for Early Years pedagogy are evident. Teacher training has eroded the depth of knowledge concerning Early Years pedagogy. On entry to compulsory schooling, children become part of a national system of learning based on a prescribed curriculum, but Early Years educators need to understand more than disciplines. PE has an eclectic inheritance derived from diverse origins. The games and sports model has become increasingly prominent in recent years, due to a number of sports and health-related agenda. The direction in PE is now problematic for young children, offering a praxis that does not reflect Early Years pedagogy. Training currently given to student teachers in PE is scant, leading to directional teaching styles and reliance on secondary sources. The movement philosophy of Veronica Sherborne arguably epitomises many of the concerns of Early Years pedagogy. Facilitators of Sherborne Developmental Movement (SDM) are, themselves, profoundly changed in their views on movement and learning. This research focused on three groups of teachers: 'Early Years' trained, 'primary' or 'secondary' (non-Early Years) trained, and those with SDM training. All teachers were qualified and currently teaching children in the 4-7 age range. Using mixed methods of questionnaire survey and in-depth interviews, the study sought quality PE by identifying where Early Years pedagogy was evident in planning and teaching PE, and to ascertain any barriers existing. Following a pilot study, questionnaire survey data from teachers of 4-7 year olds was analysed. In-depth interviews were then conducted with teachers from the original population. Triangulation was achieved through an in-depth interview of a senior governmental policy maker as an expert witness. Results identify that (1) SDM supports Early Years pedagogy in the planning and teaching of PE, (2) both Early Years and non-Early Years trained teachers are influenced by curriculum and strategy documents and popular concerns in planning and teaching PE, (3) these influences are barriers to planning and teaching PE with concern for Early Years pedagogy, (4) Early Years trained teachers are more likely than non-Early Years trained teachers to recognise that curriculum documents and strategy do not reflect Early Years pedagogy. The findings of this research contribute towards an axiology of PE in the Early Years of compulsory schooling by identifying commensurate values.
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Suggett, Ernest N. "A view from the inside : an ethnographic study of three years in the life of a primary school." Thesis, Loughborough University, 1986. https://dspace.lboro.ac.uk/2134/25622.
Full textAbstract:
"A view from the inside" is based upon my three years as headteacher of Redland Primary School. A participant-observational, ethnographic methodology is employed to communicate the richness, complexity and reality of the headteacher's existence and my overarching aim is to "tell it like it really is". Chapter One introduces the principal actors involved in the ensuing social drama and describes the nature of the stage and the props. In short, the human and non-human components of the situation. Chapter Two maps the positive interaction of intra-institutional participants, providing an account of curriculum change and staff development. The headteacher's evolving management style is also catalogued. The negative aspects of these social processes are examined in Chapter Three and a number of conflict biographies are considered in some detail. A discussion of the headteacher's conflict management strategies provides a natural postscript to this section. Chapter Four marks a change of focus, moving from analysis of Redland School as a self-contained microcosm to a consideration of its location within its broader social context. The influence of extra-institutional personnel upon the school is rehearsed. Chapter Five involves a reversal of the same telescope, analysing how intra-institutional actors influence significant others within the supporting social network, by creating an "image". The disparate threads of the study are drawn together in Chapter Six and the headteacher's view from the inside is presented. A natural history of my research and an overview of ethnographic methodology is provided in Chapter Seven. Finally, the Conclusion summarises the main findings of the study and identifies fruitful directions for future research.
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Scagliarini, Richard. "Reforming the middle years curriculum in an international school: a naturalistic inquiry." University of Southern Queensland, Faculty of Education, 2008. http://eprints.usq.edu.au/archive/00006610/.
Full textAbstract:
This dissertation reports on the experiences of a small group of teachers and administrators as they endeavoured to reform the middle years curriculum of an international school in Japan. This single case study is based primarily upon the observations of the researcher, a middle school teacher at the school and a key participant in the reform process. This study is positioned in the naturalistic paradigm which allows for the accumulation of sufficient knowledge to lead to a holistic understanding of middle years curriculum reform within this context.Reforming the middle years of schooling has received renewed attention in recent years. A new paradigm is emerging about the nature of schooling in this significant stage of life that is now recognised as crucial to the formation of attitudes, values, and habits of mind that shape the individual‘s identity and development as an adult. Despite the growth and status of international schools, very little is known about the nature and processes of middle years curriculum reform in this context. The central aim of this study was to provide a detailed and authentic account of the process of curriculum reform that can validate, guide and extend the current body of knowledge on middle years curriculum reform and is meaningful and useful to educators in the international school context.Three dimensions of reform emerged in this study: the process of reform, identified as a multidimensional and interconnected process that ventured through six identifiable phases; the product of the reform, the Humankind Curriculum, was found to have its core features grounded in shared understandings of effective middle schooling; and the dynamics of change, which revealed a professional learning community as the catalyst for change, with the interplay of relational trust, leadership, interpersonal relationships and collaboration as empowering the capacity for reculturing the middle school. While the findings contribute to the current body of knowledge on middle school reform in the international school context, they also provide direction for further discussion, exploration and research.
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Varughese, Jincy. "Environmental Inequities in U.S. Public Schooling." Scholarship @ Claremont, 2016. http://scholarship.claremont.edu/cmc_theses/1416.
Full textAbstract:
Several studies and local accounts have documented elevated levels of air pollution and toxics on or near US public schools. The low cost of brownfield lands and lands near major sources of air pollution have made siting schools on these areas enticing. Histories of using toxic chemicals in building materials explain their presence in school environments. The impacts to academic achievement associated with air pollution and exposure to lead as well as the health implications of regular, high exposure to air pollution and toxic chemicals necessitate policy changes. In this paper, the extent of these health and achievement impacts will be analyzed along with the current work being done by government and nongovernmental organizations to mitigate pollution in public schools. This study will also offer policy recommendations to address these issues and advance environmental equity in public schools.
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Akwesi, Christian Kofi. "Teacher assessment in the early years of secondary schooling in Ghana and the United Kingdom." Thesis, University of Nottingham, 1994. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.240731.
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Ani-Asamoah, Marbuah Dina. "Influence of Parental Income and Educational Attainment on Children’s Years of Schooling : Case of Ghana." Thesis, Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för pedagogik, didaktik och utbildningsstudier, 2016. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-321395.
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It has been widely acknowledged that high socioeconomic status provides better living conditions and vice versa. This study examines the impact of parents’ income and educational attainment on their children’s years of schooling in Ghana by utilizing the Ghana Living Standards Survey 2012/2013 which provides detailed information on respondents at the household level. Pearson correlation analysis showed a positive association between parental income, father’s and mother’s educational attainment with the child’s years of schooling. The positive correlation was further confirmed through multiple regression analysis which revealed a significant relationship between parental educational level and child’s years of schooling. It was observed that father’s educational attainment is a stronger predictor of a child’s years of schooling at the basic level compared to mothers. At the secondary and higher educational levels, both parents’ educational attainments are significant with father’s being the stronger predictor of male child years of schooling and mother’s for females. The resources of parents also influence the years of schooling of the children. Household size and place of residence were also shown to have significant influences on years of schooling. Larger household size meant shorter years of schooling for the child and smaller household size meant longer years of schooling, all things being equal. Children living in the rural areas have less years of schooling compared to children residing in urban areas. We conclude that parents’ educational and income levels are factors that determine the unequal opportunities among children as these resources are transferred from parents to children.
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Giatsi, Clausen Maria. "Occupational therapists' perceptions of preterm children's academic difficulties in the early years of mainstream schooling." Thesis, Queen Margaret University, 2011. https://eresearch.qmu.ac.uk/handle/20.500.12289/7405.
Full textAbstract:
Preterm infants born before 37 weeks of gestation constitute up to 10% of all births, and can display development that, frequently, differs from those of full- term infants. Studies indicate that school children born preterm present with a, generally, higher incidence of performing poorly academically. The present study investigated the perceptions of paediatric OTs regarding the type of difficulties with which children born preterm present, and explored the role of OT. In the first, quantitative part of this study, paediatric OTs completed a postal questionnaire (N=353). The second, qualitative part, used asynchronous, online discussions (N=13), by utilising the virtual environment of WebCT, to further explore the topic. The survey was also designed to capture: • information on the extent of this paediatric population within OT services, and how identifiable and accessible it is • OT practices when working with these children • what informs therapists’ clinical decision making. The discussion groups provided a forum for OTs’ “reflexive comment” on the issues emerging from the questionnaire analysis. Despite sensorimotor and attentional difficulties reaching the highest frequencies, the findings revealed rather a combination of problems in most developmental domains. Writing emerged as the predominant problematic area within the school curriculum. A “persistence” of sensorimotor difficulties throughout the preschool years also emerged. More frequent and/or severity difficulties, more medical issues, a higher co morbidity of SLD with other conditions for the preterm group, were other findings. These insights could lead to a further exploration of the need for differentiating assessment and treatment practices for this group. Occupational therapy was highlighted as particularly “advantageous” for this population due to a number of OTspecific contributions e.g. ability to “detect “subtle” difficulties at a young age. The implications of a “shift” of more OTs into the area of early intervention, are discussed. The findings of the study constitute tacit, professional knowledge, and they are based on subjective clinicians’ views. They could, however, help frame hypotheses to be further explored verified with the use of empirical research. KEYWORDS: Prematurity; Specific Learning Difficulties; Early Intervention; Paediatric Occupational Therapy; School; Clinical Decision Making; Assessment; Intervention; Survey; WebCT; Asynchronous Online Discussions
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McFadden, Amanda T. "The experiences of teachers teaching children with Down syndrome in the early years of schooling." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2014. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/72559/1/Amanda_McFadden_Thesis.pdf.
Full textAbstract:
This innovative collective case study research documented teachers' experiences of teaching children with Down syndrome in the early years of schooling in Australia. Results indicated differences in teachers' conceptualisation of children with Down syndrome as learners and how these variations impacted the way the child was included within the class. Unique to this research was the utilisation of a mind-mapping technique of data collection which effectively captured the individual nature of teachers' experiences, making implicit knowledge explicit through description and interpretation of these experiences. Overall findings indicated that teachers were more likely to include children with Down syndrome into general education classrooms if they operated within a contemporary understanding of disability, had positive support from key stakeholders such as school principals and parents/caregivers, and had access to current information on Down syndrome from professional bodies.
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Emerson, Scott Daniel. "Life satisfaction among middle-years children of various language backgrounds." Thesis, University of British Columbia, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/2429/64147.
Full textAbstract:
BACKGROUND: Understanding the measurement of life satisfaction and its association with social supports among children from diverse language backgrounds is a key step of measuring healthy child development in British Columbia (BC). The Satisfaction with Life Scale adapted for Children is a self-report measure of child life satisfaction and has exhibited sound psychometric properties for a representative population of children in BC. If found to show measurement equivalence (ME) across subgroups, SWLS-C means and correlates can be meaningfully compared across such subgroups. Peer and adult support positively relate to SWLS-C scores for BC children overall but such relationships are unknown for specific language background groups. Using language background as a proxy for cultural background, this thesis examined: 1) the cross-cultural ME of the SWLS-C; 2) cross-cultural differences in SWLS-C means; 3) the cross-cultural ME of peer support and adult support scales; 4) cross-cultural associations of peer and adult support with SWLS-C scores.
METHOD: Participants were 20,119 BC children (Mage 9.2; 50.2% male) who completed the SWLS-C, peer support, and adult support scales as part of a child health survey (the Middle-Years Development Instrument). ME of the SWLS-C, peer support, and adult support scales was examined across eight cultural (i.e., language) background groups. Means and inter-relationships of the SWLS-C, peer support, and adult support scales were estimated across cultural background groups.
RESULTS: Findings supported ME between the English group and: all other cultural background groups for the SWLS-C, three other cultural background groups for the peer support scale, and six other cultural background groups for the adult support scale. Relative to the English group, SWLS-C means differed for several cultural background groups - variation consistent with mean differences for the peer support and adult support scales. Within each cultural background group, peer and adult support scale scores positively related to SWLS-C scores.
DISCUSSION: This thesis provided evidence for meaningful comparison of life satisfaction, peer support, and adult support means across diverse cultural background groups, highlighting differences in life satisfaction between cultural background groups of children, but underscored the importance of fostering adult and peer support to promote healthy child development.Medicine, Faculty of
Population and Public Health (SPPH), School of
Graduate
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Constantinides, Adonis C. "Provision of education in the middle school years in Cyprus." Thesis, Durham University, 1994. http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/5851/.
Full textAbstract:
The aim of this study is to examine the type of education offered during the middle school years in Cyprus. At first an attempt is made to define middle school years and relate this concept to the educational system of Cyprus and other countries. The History of Education in Cyprus is briefly surveyed to set the background against which the Gymnasium, a distinct educational unit catering for the middle school years, has evolved and reached its present form. The aims, objectives, structure and content of the Gymnasium are examined in detail. Qualitative and quantitative measures are employed to investigate the role of the Gymnasium within the educational system and the degree to which this role is successfully accomplished. The results reveal that on the whole, content and time span of the Gymnasium are satisfactory. There is, however, a strong feeling that there is scope for improvement in the content of the curriculum in order to make it more effective. On the basis of the findings of the present survey a model of a new educational unit is presented which intends to bridge the gap between the primary and secondary education at its lower end and pave the way to the smooth transition from the free compulsory to the upper secondary level of education. The programme of the new unit is hoped to serve more effectively the primary aim of the concept of the democratisation of education, namely the provision of equal educational opportunities to all according to individualised goals, needs, abilities and talents. Finally certain recent developments in the educational system of Cyprus and their implications for the future of the Gymnasium are discussed. A proposal for the reorganisation of secondary education is developed and its merits are presented.
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Moulthrop, Dorothy Russo. "Retaining and Sustaining Mid-Career Teachers: The Middle Years Matter." The Ohio State University, 2018. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1521788878644674.
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Mallett, Daren G. "Challenging mathematically gifted middle years students: A mastery learning model." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2019. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/129872/2/Daren%20Mallett%20Thesis.pdf.
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Studies reveal that although teachers are extensively in-serviced on how to differentiate the curriculum and instruction for gifted students, many fail to do so. This explanatory case study explored the classroom experiences, achievement, interest and engagement of five mathematically gifted students while participating in a differentiated mathematics program framed by Bloom’s Mastery Learning Model adapted for gifted students. Findings suggested positive outcomes in terms of achievement and attitudes. Hence, this study supports using Bloom’s Mastery Learning model to differentiate learning for gifted students, enabling the effective use of data to guide ability-, and interest-appropriate instruction.
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Abraham-Radi, Debra L. "Middle years' teacher practices and attitudes in the teaching of poetry." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 1997. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk2/tape16/PQDD_0005/MQ32043.pdf.
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Mayne, Teresita. "Understanding and improving parent-teacher partnerships in a middle years classroom." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 2000. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk1/tape3/PQDD_0016/MQ54729.pdf.
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Quintana, Robert Charles. "Empowering pre-adolescent second-language learners in the middle school years." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 2005. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/2875.
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The thesis explores sociolinguistic issues facing pre-adolescent English-as-second-language learners. Topics covered include literacy issues, communicative competence issues at the intermediate and advanced English language development (ELD) levels, language and power relationships that affect pre-adolescent English language learners, politeness as a sociolinguistic tool, and the benefits of students acquiring the language of cooperative learning. The implications of these topics culminate in the development of a social studies curriculum unit designed for the middle-school classroom.
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Wood, Duncan Michael. "Improvement of students’ scientific writing in a middle-years science classroom." Thesis, Curtin University, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/1774.
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This thesis illustrates a mixed-methods action-research evaluating impact of selected intervention strategies on writing skills of Science students in a mixed ability year 6 class. Scaffolding, peer/self-assessment and metacognitive journaling were implemented as part of the students’ scheme of work over 3 months. Using interviews, work-samples and anecdotal records, it was established that the students improved their writing skills and self-efficacy towards writing in Science as a result of the use of these strategies.
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Kidman, Gillian C. "Middle years school students' area judgement rules: A cross-sectional study." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2002. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/36667/1/36667_Digitised%20Thesis.pdf.
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This study explored Years 4, 6 and 8 students' understanding of the area concept. In particular, it identified and explained students' intuitive judgement rules, that is, the method by which a person integrates information about perceived stimuli when comparing area of rectangular and near-rectangular regions when no length dimensions were given.
The study was based on the work of Anderson and Cuneo (1978) and the method of Information Integration Theory (IIT). IIT is a technique that classifies area judgement rules as additive, Area = Height + Width, where salient dimensions are added, or multiplicative, Area = Height x Width where salient dimensions are added.
Thirty-six students aged 9 to 13 years, twelve at the beginning, 12 at the middle, and twelve at the end of the area-formulae instructional sequence (Years 4, 6 and 8), were given three exercises. The first exercise involved the students estimating the sizes of rectangular regions on a graphic rating scale. The second and third exercises also involved estimation and the graphic rating scale, but used near-rectangular regions. An additional exercise containing area calculation tasks similar to those found in many text books and classrooms was also presented to the students.
The results of the study found that approximately one half of the students perceived area as being related to the sum of the rectangle's linear dimensions. Such students perceived that doubling the lengths of the sides of a rectangle doubles the area and were referred to as predominantly 'additive thinkers'. In estimating the size of rectangular regions, these students showed a preference for three strategies: vertical alignment of the test piece, use of a ruler (to measure the test piece), and use of the index finger (to measure the test piece informally). They also did not attempt many of the area calculation tasks, and for the ones they did attempt, they concentrated on boundary counting. Boundary counting included either grid line counting around the four sides of the figure or a count of the spaces around the four sides of the figure.
The proportion of additive students remained largely the same across the Years. That is, the students at the end of the area-formulae instructional sequence who had increased levels of instruction had not advanced beyond the students in the middle of the area-formulae instructional sequence. These students in turn did not appear to have advanced much beyond the capability exhibited by students at the start of the area-formulae instructional sequence. It was clear, particularly from the classroom tasks, that many of these students experienced confusion between area and perimeter irrespective of their level of area-formulae instruction. However, the proportion of students exhibiting additive thinking reduced for the near-rectangular regions. These regions appeared to divert some students' attention from the linear dimensions to the surface area of the regions.
Students who think multiplicatively in terms of their judgements of area were equally likely to use a form of perimeter to calculate area as were students who think additively in terms of area. Students who used a predominantly multiplicative integration of the stimulus cues should have been capable of correctly using multiplication to calculate the area of rectangles from the dimensions of the rectangles. This was found not to be the case in the area calculation tasks closely resembling classroom textbook area formula exercises. Over 65% of the multiplicative students were found to add the salient dimensions. They seemed to employ an additive integration of the dimensions indicating confusion with perimeter. Most students who employed multiplicative judgement rules were found to be more likely to draw a diagram and be able to calculate the area than students who employed additive judgement rules.
The majority of students experienced 'intra-individual' rule changes. In the case of the additive thinkers, for one of the three exercises they thought multiplicatively. Similarly for the multiplicative thinkers for one of the three exercises they thought additively. The area calculation task strategies for the additive thinkers and the multiplicative thinkers in this group were the same. They attempted all tasks and these attempts included calculations of perimeter, half perimeter as well as calculations of area through direct 1 to 1 counting of the congruent sub-regions. Computational errors also prevented these students from obtaining a correct area solution. For this group also, there was a lot of confusion between area and perimeter.
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Kobylinski-Fehrman, Margaret J. "The International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme and its Effect on Students in Poverty." Digital Archive @ GSU, 2013. http://digitalarchive.gsu.edu/eps_diss/104.
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The achievement gap between middle class white students and black or Hispanic students living in low income households continues to be a persistent problem in education even ten years since the authorization of No Child Left Behind in 2001. This study examined the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme and how students from low income households preformed on the Criterion Referenced Competencies Test (CRCT) mathematics and reading subtests when compared to similar students at a school with a traditional instruction program. Analysis of covariance was employed using scores from students’ fifth grade composite Cognitive Abilities Tests as the covariate. The analysis did not detect a significant difference (p=.410) on the eighth grade adjusted means reading CRCT scores, but did detect a significant difference (p
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Cloonan, Anne, and anne cloonan@deakin edu au. "The Professional Learning of Teachers A Case Study of Multiliteracies Teaching in the Early Years of Schooling." RMIT University. Education, 2008. http://adt.lib.rmit.edu.au/adt/public/adt-VIT20080716.161254.
Full textAbstract:
This study is a response to shifts in literacy education produced by the new affordances of multimodal texts and changing social dynamics as a consequence of an increasingly digitised, networked communications environment. Acknowledging the powerful influence of the teacher on student outcomes, the study involved intervention in teacher professional learning as a means for influencing print based literacy pedagogy to incorporate multimodality literacy practices. This study is a case study of the professional learning of four teachers of primary school students over the course of eight months in a workplace based research project instigated by the researcher in her role reviewing early years literacy policy, programs and resources within the Department of Education, Victoria. Professional learning interventions deployed within a participatory action research methodology were found to be efficacious in involving case study teachers as researchers of their own practice and in enhancing teachers' professionalism in the operationalisation of multiliteracies. They also had the effect of impacting on professional knowledge, practice and identity. The study indicates that schemas emanating from the New London Group's multiliteracies theory acted as stimuli for expanding teacher repertoires of multimodality pedagogies, thereby addressing disjunctures between digitised multimodal literacy and the existing print based literacy pedagogical knowledge. The deployment of a 'multimodal schema' influenced teachers to expand the modes of meaning taught as literacy meaning-making resources. Deployment of a 'pedagogical knowledge processes schema' influenced teachers' reflective practices resulting in more knowing and purposeful pedagogical practices. Used as an analytical tool, a 'dimensions of meaning schema' also illustrated patterns in teachers' choices, revealing an arbitrary character in the development of a metalanguage for different modes of meaning making. Recommendations arising from the study addressed the areas of educational consultancy; educational filming; literacy policy development; multimodality; pedagogical knowledge processes; and participatory action research methodology. Future research agendas indicated by the findings were presented.
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Hudson, Sue M. "Preservice teachers’ perceptions of their middle schooling teacher preparation : a sample of the Australian context." Thesis, Southern Cross University, 2011. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/57068/1/Hudson_Sue_Thesis.pdf.
Full textAbstract:
Reviews into teacher education and reform measures, such as implementing professional standards for teachers, are designed to raise the quality of education. Such reviews and reforms also target preservice teachers; hence universities examine their teacher education programs to address these issues, including developing programs that are current with the literature. Over the past fifteen years, concerns have arisen about Australian early adolescents and their disengagement from the schooling system, their “at risk” behaviour and their need for social, emotional and academic support. These concerns have prompted a middle schooling movement in Australia with the literature recognising a need for specialised middle school teachers. As a result, various universities have responded by developing courses specifically designed to graduate teachers who possess the theoretical and pedagogical knowledge for engaging early adolescent learners. This mixed-method study analysed the responses of preservice teachers from three universities across two states in Australia near the completion of their middle years teacher preparation program. The three aims of the study were to: (1) investigate final-year preservice teachers’ perceptions of their confidence to teach in the middle years of schooling; (2) analyse the experiences included in their teacher preparation course that made them feel confident; and (3) describe strategies for enhancing middle schooling teacher education preparation. Data were gathered from final-year preservice teachers (n=142) using a survey that was developed in response to middle schooling literature and the Professional Standards for Queensland Teachers (Queensland College of Teachers, 2006). A questionnaire collected extended information about the participants’ (n=142) experiences that made them feel confident. It also gathered information about strategies for enhancing middle years teacher preparation. One-to-one, 45-minute interviews (n=10) were conducted to elicit in-depth responses aligned with the research aims. Quantitative results indicated that the majority of preservice teachers (n=142) claimed confidence associated with survey items relating to creating a positive classroom environment (range: 70-97%), developing positive relationships for teaching (71-98%), pedagogical knowledge for teaching (72-95%), and implementation of teaching (70-91%). Qualitative findings suggested that the experiences that assisted them to be confident for teaching were practicum and associated field studies coursework, a positive mentor teacher, specifically designed middle years subjects, the pedagogical approaches of university staff, and other real-world experiences such as volunteering in schools and participating in professional development alongside their mentors. This study demonstrated that universities presenting middle years teacher preparation need to consider: the quality of the practicum experience; the suitability of mentor teachers; the significance and practicalities of middle years subjects; university lecturers’ modelling of pedagogical practices; and the inclusion of real-world learning experiences. Although the findings of this study provided evidence as to how preservice teacher confidence for teaching has been influenced by their middle schooling teacher preparation, further research is required to investigate how confidence translates into practice within their first years of teaching.
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Perry, Ernestine Medcalf. "Women in the middle years assessing internal careers and linkages to work and family /." Access abstract and link to full text, 1993. http://0-wwwlib.umi.com.library.utulsa.edu/dissertations/fullcit/9318177.
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Arnold, Bradley A. "The Characteristic Mobile Learning Engagement Strategies of International School Middle-Years Students." Thesis, Capella University, 2018. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10745617.
Full textAbstract:
The purpose of this qualitative case study was to develop descriptions of how teenage students remain engaged in learning while using mobile technology. Developments in technology have expanded learning contexts and provided learners with improved capacities to connect with others to exchange, gain, and construct knowledge. Developments in technology have also created challenges for instructional designers to create learning activities that promote engaged learning and complex thinking skills in students. The ability to access, share, and create knowledge through connected networks has thus presented opportunities to reevaluate how learners motivate themselves to engage in learning. The study was guided by the following research question and subquestions: RQ1: What strategies do students in international school middle-years programs use to remain engaged in learning while utilizing mobile technology? RQ1a: What learning activities do these students engage in while utilizing mobile technologies? RQ1b: What actions do these students take to remain connected to their learning environment? Narratives of student actions were framed and analyzed through the lens of reciprocal determinism, which states that learning is determined by the relationships between behaviors, thinking processes, and situational factors. Information was gathered to show how students used their technology tools to interact within their environment, access and analyze information, and adapt to changing situations. A nonprobability sampling of ten international school students aged 13–14 and a purposeful sampling of seven of these students’ teachers was used to select the study participants. Information was gathered through student focus group discussions, student interviews, teacher interviews, teacher observation logs, and network data logs. Transcripts were coded through an inductive approach and information analysis occurred through the constant comparative method to help identify evolving themes and patterns. The narratives that developed provided examples of how students maintain connections to networks and how their learning actions, thinking processes, and learning situations can be influenced by the use of mobile technology tools. The findings suggest that students can identify knowledge gaps and then use technology to devise learning strategies to fill these gaps and develop advanced thinking skills. Further research should look at different demographics, attitudes, and school settings to better understand how students adapt their engagement strategies while using mobile technology to remain connected to the learning environment.
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Davis, Heather A. "DEVELOPMENTAL TRAJECTORIES OF EXCESSIVE EXERCISE AND FASTING ACROSS THE MIDDLE SCHOOL YEARS." UKnowledge, 2015. http://uknowledge.uky.edu/psychology_etds/80.
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Repeated excessive exercise (EE) fasting behavior, in the absence of binge eating and purging, are important eating disorder behaviors that are not captured by the current diagnostic system. Though they appear to be harmful and distressing for adults, little is known about these behaviors in youth. To begin to understand their development, I studied the course of the behaviors across the three years of middle school (n = 1,195). Both behaviors were present in middle school girls and boys, and youth progressed along different developmental trajectories of engagement in the behaviors. Youth involved in either behavior experienced elevated levels of depression and some forms of high-risk eating and thinness expectancies. Their distress levels did not differ from those of youth engaging in purging behavior or low levels of binge eating. EE and fasting behavior can be identified in the early stages of adolescence, youth differ in their developmental experience of these behaviors, and they are associated with significant distress very early in development.
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Robertson, John Eric. "An analysis of the role of International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme Coordinator." Thesis, University of Bath, 2011. https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.555746.
Full textAbstract:
International Baccalaureate (IB) programmes are increasingly prevalent, yet lack systematic study of their implementation and leadership. This enquiry analyses the role of IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) coordinator in implementing the MYP in a variety of school settings. Empirical research involved interviews with experienced coordinators and case studies of an international private, a national private, and a national public school. It focussed on school setting and its impact on coordination, curriculum implementation, key functions of coordinators, and approaches to accountability and professional development. The research found, first, that a primary aim of MYP coordination, facilitating links between subjects and between middle and high schools, was viewed by coordinators as compelling though ambitious. Second, schools' pre-existing organizational, resource, and external accountability settings often presented coordinators, particularly in national public schools, with difficulties, primarily logistical. Third, the subject-based structure of respondents' high schools provided avenues for disciplinary implementation but also presented structural and cultural barriers to collaborative interdisciplinary planning. Fourth, coordinators typically had much responsibility with little formal authority. They sought therefore to overcome above barriers through key functions, termed 'guide alongside', 'facilitator', and 'professional developer'. These functions were effective in developing trust and credibility with teachers, fostering constructive discourse, and enlisting the authority and structural support of senior managers. Fifth, MYP's approaches to accountability and professional development were viewed as complementary and constructive. The MYP emphasized collaborative partnership with participating schools in the evolutionary development of its curriculum framework. Accordingly, coordinators demonstrated 'creative professionalism' with this nascent programme, taking leadership opportunities within their schools and for lB. This approach differs from many depictions in middle management literature, in which subject leaders struggle with conflicting, externally-imposed, responsibilities for collaborative school improvement and teacher evaluation. Significant implications of this study include: for middle management research, the importance of school setting for understanding structural and cultural barriers to curriculum implementation; for education policy, greater consideration of 'collaborative partnership' as a means for school improvement; and for practice, the value of 'creative professional' development opportunities.
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Gillborn, David. "The negotiation of educational opportunity : the final years of compulsory schooling in a multi-ethnic inner-city comprehensive." Thesis, University of Nottingham, 1987. http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/13674/.
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This thesis reports a case study of the final years of compulsory schooling in a multi-ethnic inner-city school (City Road Comprehensive). Data was collected during two years of intensive ethnographic field work, principally via informal interviews and participant observation. Pupils in two mixed ability form groups were studied as they moved through the subject options process of the third year, throughout their fourth year and into the final year of compulsory education. A third mixed ability form group were also studied during the subject options process. The thesis explores some of the school-based influences which shaped the pupils' experience of City Road. Following a consideration of my research methodology, and a brief description of the social composition and academic organization of the school, Chapters 2, 3 and 4 offer a detailed -analysis of the subject options process. Although the pupils' gained access to a majority of their original option choices, it was the senior staff who came to dominate the options system. However, form tutors and subject teachers also retained some influence over pupils' decisions. The options process represented a form of academic selection, resulting in significant differences between pupils' upper school curricula. Gender and the senior staff's perception of pupils' 'ability' were particularly important. Chapters 5 and 6 turn to the pupils' experience of the upper school. In a modified form the processes of differentiation and polarization, described in previous case studies (Hargreaves, 1967; Lacey, 1970; Ball, 1981), were seen to operate within City Road. The complex, negotiated character of pupil adaptations is examined, analysing the factors in the teacher-pupil relationship which placed West Indian pupils in a relatively disadvantaged position within the pupil population. I conclude by considering aspects of the 'micro-macro' problem and highlighting the need for further research arising from this study.
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Kelso, Katrina. "Identification, profiling, and interventions for “poor comprehenders” in the middle-upper primary years." Thesis, Curtin University, 2022. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/88695.
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Poor comprehenders are a significant subgroup of poor readers who have difficulty with reading comprehension despite adequate word reading accuracy and fluency. Following identification and profiling of a group of poor comprehenders, two interventions were designed and evaluated: the first a novel higher-level language strategy-based intervention, and the second a novel vocabulary intervention. Both intervention studies provided promising preliminary results and direction for future research to inform the theoretical underpinnings of this population.