Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Queensland secondary schools (QLD)'

Australia continues to become culturally diverse. This diversity is being witnessed in Catholic schools. This thesis reports research which employed quantitative data collection methods in investigating students’ perceptions of their multicultural classroom environment. By drawing on Catholic school literature, multicultural literature, previous learning environment research and the perceptions of stakeholders, an instrument, known as the Multicultural Classroom Environment Instrument (MCEI), was developed to assess psychosocial dimensions of classroom environments in Queensland Catholic secondary schools. These dimensions were: Collaboration, Competition, Teacher Authority, Teacher Support, Congruence, Deference, Teacher Directedness and Gender Equity. The use of the instrument with a sample of 1,460 students in 24 Catholic secondary schools in Queensland revealed some statistically significant differences in students’ perceptions of their classroom environment. Differences were revealed according to the country of birth of the student and those of the parents. Investigations examining school type, subject, year level and gender were also undertaken. Single-sex schools were shown to be more concerned with Teacher Authority and Competition compared to coeducational schools. Religion and Study of Religion classes were perceived as very similar, irrespective of school type. There were differences in students’ perception of the classroom environment across different year levels, with year 8 students’ perceptions significantly different to that of years 10 and 12 students. Girls generally perceived their classroom environment more positively than boys, with greater Collaboration, Teacher Support and Gender Equity and less Competition and Teacher Authority. The results of this thesis suggest that differences in students’ perceptions of multicultural classroom environments in Queensland Catholic secondary schools do exist. It also suggests that in order to continue to provide quality education, Catholic schools must acknowledge these differences. They must also ensure that curriculum initiatives, staff professional development and training, and other educational and pastoral initiatives are designed to incorporate the differences identified in this thesis. Further investigation into a variety of multicultural classroom environments is recommended.

This thesis examines the patterns of parents and student interaction, and how the attitudes of parents affect the attitudes of their children towards computing in a Queensland Rural State Secondary School. Data for this illuminative case study was gathered using a number of structured questionnaires and a series of semi-structured audio-taped interviews between parents and their children. The report explores, in some depth, a range of issues and perceptions which recur in the theoretical and research literature about parents' and students' anxieties towards computing. Readers may therefore gain insight by comparing this case study with their own experiences with computers. To interpret the report, conclusions are drawn regarding the influences of the students' gender, and that of their individual parents and the results that the combined influences have in fostering children's attitudes towards computing.

Australia continues to become culturally diverse. This diversity is being witnessed in Catholic schools. This thesis reports research which employed quantitative data collection methods in investigating students' perceptions of their multicultural classroom environment. By drawing on Catholic school literature, multicultural literature, previous learning environment research and the perceptions of stakeholders, an instrument, known as the Multicultural Classroom Environment Instrument (MCEI), was developed to assess psychosocial dimensions of classroom environments in Queensland Catholic secondary schools. These dimensions were: Collaboration, Competition, Teacher Authority, Teacher Support, Congruence, Deference, Teacher Directedness and Gender Equity. The use of the instrument with a sample of 1,460 students in 24 Catholic secondary schools in Queensland revealed some statistically significant differences in students' perceptions of their classroom environment. Differences were revealed according to the country of birth of the student and those of the parents. Investigations examining school type, subject, year level and gender were also undertaken. Single-sex schools were shown to be more concerned with Teacher Authority and Competition compared to coeducational schools. Religion and Study of Religion classes were perceived as very similar, irrespective of school type. There were differences in students' perception of the classroom environment across different year levels, with year 8 students' perceptions significantly different to that of years 10 and 12 students. Girls generally perceived their classroom environment more positively than boys, with greater Collaboration, Teacher Support and Gender Equity and less Competition and Teacher Authority. The results of this thesis suggest that differences in students' perceptions of multicultural classroom environments in Queensland Catholic secondary schools do exist.;It also suggests that in order to continue to provide quality education, Catholic schools must acknowledge these differences. They must also ensure that curriculum initiatives, staff professional development and training, and other educational and pastoral initiatives are designed to incorporate the differences identified in this thesis. Further investigation into a variety of multicultural classroom environments is recommended.

In the last decade of the 20th century, organizational change in public service provision in Queensland impacted broadly upon the culture of public education. The focus of this thesis was to describe the effects of that change on the role of heads of department in public secondary schools. The approach taken was to examine those change effects, in the light of policy documents, and from the perspective of participants, that is heads of department and principals. The thesis also described the changing skills the emerging role appeared to demand and to draw implications for professional development. The thesis is a descriptive multi case study. The principal and two heads of department from each of four public secondary schools in South East Queensland took part in the study. Data were collected through policy documents and semi structured interviews. The study employed Leonard-Barton's (1995) methodology which blended real time and a longitudinal study. To that end, two heads of department were reinterviewed four years after the initial interviews. Interviews focused upon the role, change, and the importance of leadership. The research generated eight specific themes each of which was considered consistent with the nature of the role in a period of significant cultural change. These were the difference in perceptions regarding the head of department role, held by principals and heads of department; head of department leadership in terms of a curriculum framed department, or whole school leadership; how individuals perceived leadership, and how they learned of leadership; the impact of the changing culture upon the individual head of department; the growing influence of situational factors upon the role; the impact of managerialism; the changing nature of a secondary school department; and a growing and more complex workload, and the need for different skills. The themes painted a picture of a long established role within a process of evolution. While broad cultural change underpinned change in the role, it was the change process, and the consequent structural and organizational change that individuals in the study focused upon. Consistent with the literature on heads of department and change, the study indicated a gap between the skills that the emerging role demanded, particularly leadership and management skills, and those skills which heads of department possessed. A need for a broad range professional development to bridge that gap was evident. The findings also pointed towards the need for effective change processes and a reconceptualized head of department role. The study concluded with recommendations for future research. Particular focus was directed towards the nature and function of secondary school departments, and the consequent role of the heads of department. Potential exists for research that further explores the effect of cultural change upon individuals, particularly heads of department, in the area of public education.

In the last decade of the 20th century, organizational change in public service provision in Queensland impacted broadly upon the culture of public education. The focus of this thesis was to describe the effects of that change on the role of heads of department in public secondary schools. The approach taken was to examine those change effects, in the light of policy documents, and from the perspective of participants, that is heads of department and principals. The thesis also described the changing skills the emerging role appeared to demand and to draw implications for professional development. The thesis is a descriptive multi case study. The principal and two heads of department from each of four public secondary schools in South East Queensland took part in the study. Data were collected through policy documents and semi structured interviews. The study employed Leonard-Barton's (1995) methodology which blended real time and a longitudinal study. To that end, two heads of department were reinterviewed four years after the initial interviews. Interviews focused upon the role, change, and the importance of leadership. The research generated eight specific themes each of which was considered consistent with the nature of the role in a period of significant cultural change. These were the difference in perceptions regarding the head of department role, held by principals and heads of department; head of department leadership in terms of a curriculum framed department, or whole school leadership; how individuals perceived leadership, and how they learned of leadership; the impact of the changing culture upon the individual head of department; the growing influence of situational factors upon the role; the impact of managerialism; the changing nature of a secondary school department; and a growing and more complex workload, and the need for different skills. The themes painted a picture of a long established role within a process of evolution. While broad cultural change underpinned change in the role, it was the change process, and the consequent structural and organizational change that individuals in the study focused upon. Consistent with the literature on heads of department and change, the study indicated a gap between the skills that the emerging role demanded, particularly leadership and management skills, and those skills which heads of department possessed. A need for a broad range professional development to bridge that gap was evident. The findings also pointed towards the need for effective change processes and a reconceptualized head of department role. The study concluded with recommendations for future research. Particular focus was directed towards the nature and function of secondary school departments, and the consequent role of the heads of department. Potential exists for research that further explores the effect of cultural change upon individuals, particularly heads of department, in the area of public education.

This study qualitatively analyses students' and teachers' perceptions on the effectiveness of formative and summative feedback, using a Critical Systems Theory theoretical framework. By considering feedback content, comparison and mode, this research uncovers perceptions of the strengths, weaknesses and effectiveness of different feedback types. Teacher feedback to students is one of a number of important school-based influences on student achievement. Pre-existing research highlights the benefits and impact of feedback, and the characteristics of effective feedback. However, few studies have investigated students' and teachers' perceptions. This study outlines potential opportunities and strategies to support effective formative and summative feedback practices for secondary school students.

An exploratory study of Board-Registered School Subjects was undertaken in 1989 to investigate the impact of this category of subjects on the curriculum for Year 11 and 12 students in Queensland secondary schools. The study was undertaken at two levels -the Systems and the Schools levels. At the Systems level, analysis of Reports and other documents was supplemented by interviews with key personnel in the education authorities. The segment at the Schools level consisted of interviews with administrators or teachers in ten schools in South East Queensland and a small student survey. Board-Registered School Subjects, first developed in that State in 1982, broadened the Senior curriculum from its traditionally academic base. The development of this category of subjects also heralded the beginnings of school based curriculum development in many secondary schools in that State. However, in the latter years of the 1980's, policies and syllabuses developed by the Queensland Department of Education indicate that a shift to systems based curriculum development is probable in the 1990's. Four sub-categories of Board-Registered School Subjects were identified in the sample schools. These were alternatives to core subjects, such as English and Mathematics, vocationally oriented subjects, those related to life/leisure skills and subjects which reflected the nature of the geographical area. The response by many schools to the development of these subjects was enthusiastic; most schools in the sample offered six to eight Board-Registered School Subjects to students in Years 11 and 12. Although many of these subjects were developed initially for students of "lower ability", a reported recent trend was for "academic" students to select one Board-Registered School Subject. The enthusiastic response by schools was curbed to some extent by the reaction of some teachers, students and parents to these subjects. Several Board-Registered School Subjects offered in 1989 were not implemented because insufficient numbers of students selected them. The major factor which mitigated against successful implementation of Board-Registered School Subjects was that students' results in these subjects could not be used in the calculation of the Tertiary Entrance Score, the basis for selection to tertiary institutions. For many students and parents, the Tertiary Entrance Score appeared to be the major goal of Senior secondary education.

In rethinking how education systems can best address the needs of students, the focus of policy makers has broadened to encompass the whole school as an entity in its own right within the context of the entire organizational system. School-Based Management is one response which reflects contemporary organizational theory, provides for greater flexibility and accountability of schools within educational systems, and can be accommodated within a broader context influenced by economic rationalism and corporate managerialism. It is an organizational principle based on the convergence of two concepts, decentralised decision-making and participatory management. This thesis examines a school community's perceptions of School-Based Management. The study reconstructs these perceptions to provide an understanding of the stakeholders' thinking and expectations existing in a particular school community when this organizational management strategy was implemented to facilitate the merger of two state secondary schools. Evolving from a constructivist paradigm, the qualitative case study design incorporated in-depth interviews, focus group workshops, a survey, document analysis, and participant observation to provide for a more sophisticated and substantiated reconstruction of these perceptions. The study draws on knowledge originating from organizational theory and educational change, in particular, the aspect of systemic restructuring. From this theoretical background one particular perspective of conceiving and managing an organization is drawn to facilitate the analysis. Through the use of four different frames of reference, structural, human resource, political, and symbolic, this community's perceptions of School-Based Management are analysed. This study revealed that, regardless of motives behind the merger, the merger process provided the impetus for involvement by the community resulting in the educational outcome of a School Advisory Council. An initial focus on the use of School-Based Management to implement the merger revealed that the strategy provided opportunities to redirect the resistance to the closure of one site and create motivation in the other. The findings showed that the School-Based Decision-Making committees coordinated by a Project Officer afforded both a structure and a focus for the management of the merger. The study found that while participating parents were satisfied with the decision-making process, classroom teachers questioned the power of the administration and were sceptical of the real value of their participation. On the basis of this study the evidence would suggest that School-Based Management can be a powerful tool in shifting the mind-set of stakeholders and in creating a proactive context more conducive to implementing local change within a school community. Whilst supporting literature advocating the success of top-down initiation of change, this inquiry indicated that the continued involvement of a higher level of authority without clear role definitions and without open, honest communication will give rise to negative overtones and perceived lack of ownership by the local stakeholders. With respect to the community's perceptions of the notion of School-Based Management, the study found that, while positively acknowledging the rhetoric of the concept, the administrators and teachers of this community had grave doubts that the rhetoric would match the reality. Aspects of structure, participation, representation, training, power, resourcing, and communication were revealed as sources of concern in stakeholders' perceptions of the future implementation of School-Based Management in public sector education in Queensland. As this case study has shown, lack of clarity and definition of the adopted form of School-Based Management will result in apprehension and concern on the part of classroom teachers and will be expressed in terms of scepticism towards this strategy's function in facilitating successful outcomes in school management.

This thesis examines the interpretations of various explicit and implicit art assessment policies by eight heads of art departments in Queensland government and non-government high schools. Specifically, data were gathered by the use of in-depth interviews and document analysis, and examined using qualitative methods of analysis. The thesis also examines a range of interpretations and issues which recur in some of the literature related to assessment in art education. As well as exploring the association of policy initiatives with policy interpretation, this study discusses the consequential impact that these interpretations have had on assessment in art education in Queensland It presents specific discussions on a variety of assessment techniques and procedures that enable the participant teachers' assessment practices to be an integral part of the teaching and learning process. These discussions on assessment practice reveal how this group of teachers has answered the demands of accountability by using a variety of assessment methods. These methods are shown to take into account even the obscure and indeterminable art learning that is an important part of the art-making process. When making decisions on standards to be assigned to student work, teachers not only discuss how the context of the student's work is considered, but also how other factors including isolation, subjectivity, dialogue and moderation practices can impact on the assessment decisions that teachers make. This study has revealed how the accountability demanded by some policies has encouraged growth and development in teachers' thinking, with respect to teaching, learning and assessment. It also discusses the impact of local school policies, as well as policies which are delivered to schools from the 'top-down', from a higher systems level. With respect to local school policies, the study reveals how on one hand, the explicit and implicit demands at this level can allow assessment to be a flexible and manageable part of the teaching and learning process but, on the other hand, how policy written by teachers at this level can be restrictive and stressful for both teaching and learning. The study also reveals that, regardless of the national curriculum developments that have been taking place at both state and national levels, teachers are more concerned with assessment policies that are directly related to their local and current practice. This study provides examples of policy and assessment which are not opposed to standards but quite opposed to standardisation. This could have major implications for national curriculum reform that has standardisation as a major goal. Some of the discussions on the various forms of assessment that have been outlined by the participants of this study may prove informative in the development of assessment practices and future policies.

This thesis reports on a multiple case study of the actions of three Queensland secondary schools in the context of Year 9 NAPLAN numeracy testing, focusing on their administrative practices, curriculum, pedagogy and assessment. It was established that schools have found it both challenging and costly to operate in an environment of educational reform generally, and NAPLAN testing in particular. The lack of a common understanding of numeracy and the substantial demands of implementing the Australian Curriculum have impacted on schools' ability to prepare students appropriately for NAPLAN numeracy tests. It was concluded that there is scope for schools to improve their approaches to NAPLAN numeracy testing in a way that maximises learning as well as test outcomes.

This research focuses on the origins and nature of one cohort of students' computing experience as they progressed from their isolated rural junior setting to senior schooling in urban locations. The study investigated the influence of parents, teachers, peers and the wider rural community on their development as students in general. The data collection concentrated especially on how their rural upbringing influenced their educational outcomes, but serendipitously revealed the considerable effects of the religious beliefs held by many in their community. This further enhanced the capacity of the thesis to identify strategies needed to address the dilemmas that these students experienced. The study followed those members of a single cohort of students as they ended their compulsory education in a rural school and proceeded to post-compulsory, senior secondary, education in 'their nearest regional city. Some students entered the state schooling system while others opted for a senior education embedded within the religious boundaries of their Christian upbringing. The researcher maintained contact with these students socially, and also by meeting them weekly as they returned to their home town from their forays into the city. The research employed a phenomenographical approach in which regular meetings with the cohort were audio taped and later transcribed using a computer voice recognition package. The transcripts were then returned to the participants for validation and correction. These corrected transcripts were then analysed to reveal students' conceptions of their lived experiences of computing as part of their senior schooling, and these conceptions were then placed within an outcome space which illustrates the inter-relationships between them. The thesis reveals a complex relationship between rural families, how they live, how they interact with each other and how they perceive outsiders from the city. and illuminates the many quandaries they face in both their daily lives and their educational experiences. including communication problems between rural feeder schools and their urban counterparts; depth of curricula; and the impact that religious affiliations have on rural families. It concludes with a range of recommendations regarding the strategies that could be employed to help other teachers/educators who are placed in similar rural situations to understand the physical/developmental and cultural/spiritual inequalities that isolated rural families encounter.

The Queensland Workplace Health and Safety Act 1995, Regulation,Compliance Standards and Advisory Standards provide a framework for improving levels of workplace health and safety. The Act outlines particular health and safety obligations placed on all members of the workforce. In 1995, the Workplace Health and Safety (Hazardous Substances) Compliance Standard was released. This compliance standard was based on National Model Regulations for Hazardous Substances. This legally binding compliance standard has prompted the Department of Education, Queensland to begin appraising its position in light of new regulations. The aim of this study was to examine the most appropriate method for achieving compliance with Hazardous Substances legislation in the Educational Environment. The population of the study was drawn from the Department of Education, Queensland which is diverse in both educational environment and geographical location. The study consisted of the distribution and analysis of a survey to two sample populations of school Principals (n=90) and regional Occupational Health and Safety Advisers (n=11) of which 77 and 11 surveys were completed and returned respectively. The results highlighted the fact that although 87% of school Principals sampled were aware of Hazardous Substances Legislation only 62% had altered their practices in order to comply with the law. Major barriers were identified to achieving compliance including insufficient resources, insufficient time and the complexity of the legislation. The literature highlighted the nature of hazardous substances in the educational setting as opposed to that in heavy industry. The differences emphasising the probable time, resources and interpretation of law when numerous substances in small controlled amounts are in use as opposed to large volumes of a few substances. Principals and Regional Occupational Health and Safety Advisers identified methods of assistance that would be of most benefit to educational facilities. They were eager to receive assistance that would minimise time and resource expenditure such as generic assessments of risk, a state wide systems approach in the form of a support document and access to training. Access to disposal assistance and advice was another form of assistance sought . Although disposal is not specifically addressed in the Workplace Health and Safety (Hazardous Substances) Compliance Standard, 1995, the ultimate outcome of compliance requires the disposal of excess quantities of substances not in current use.It was concluded that although the hazardous substances legislation is mandatory, many schools in Queensland are currently unable to comply without a statewide strategy of assistance. The use of the theory of Participative Management in the collection of information was useful in obtaining relevant and meaningful data. Recommendations drawn from this study based on the requirements for legislative compliance and the requirements of educational locations within the Department of Education (Queensland) were as follows: • Development of a support document providing a clear process for the management of hazardous substances in schools. • Provision of a coordinated, statewide approach to purchasing and disposal of hazardous substances. • Development of generic strategies through the shared use of knowledge and expertise available. • Development of policy reflecting the response of the Department of Education to the requirements of school locations. The effectiveness of the implementation of these recommendations and the benefits of participative management in the development of policy may provide topics for further research within this area.

The 'lack' of women in higher-level administrative positions within the Australian schooling system has long been a subject of debate and concern. Although women comprise over seventy percent of the teaching population in Queensland schools, they are generally represented in twenty five percent of principal positions. Attempts to address this 'problem' have met with little success. In many cases these theories and solutions proposed (based on phallocentric binaries which positions women as the same as complementary to or different from), do little to recognise differences within and among individual women educational leaders.

Drawing on a theoretical framework known as nomadic feminism provided by Rosi Braidotti, this thesis moves away from these traditions by working to identify three levels of difference within a particular group of six women principals in Queensland Australia: differences between women and men within similar positions; differences among the women and differences within individual women.

To begin, I conceptualise and present this thesis as a collective metamorphosis because it highlights a commitment to working at the political or collective level of moving beyond restrictive definitions of women and because it is fundamentally a mapping of change:

• change within the lives of these six women
• change within the concept of the principalship
• change within social attitudes to women principals
• change within me as a feminist nomadic researcher
• changes in the way the subject position Woman-principal is understood.

This charting is mapped out across seven chapters. The first chapter outlines the significance of focusing on difference and employing a feminist nomadic framework. Chapter two establishes the context of this research by laying out an analysis of feminist theory and educational leadership research and substantiates the need for research that focuses specifically on women principals and difference. Chapter three is divided into two sections. Section one provides a map for this research in the form of a feminist nomadic methodology and for this I draw heavily on the work of feminist theorists such as Braidotti, Grosz, Hekman, Irigaray and Haraway. Section two outlines the design of the research and discusses the research methods used-making vital links between theory and practice.

The data analysis is carried out over the next three chapters. Chapter four explores the differences between men and women in the principalship and establishes the need to connect this research to the bodily experiences of individual women and to the political project of feminism. Chapter five charts the differences among these six women and in the process it establishes the political significance of the recognition of signs of difference such as age, race, sexuality, class, religion and other more personal differences. The last data analysis chapter maps the differences within individual women of this research and argues for the fluidity rather than fixity of the identities of women principals.

This thesis ends by looking forward, suggesting questions to be addressed in the future, as well as providing an overview of the benefits such a nomadic reading can provide. Highlighting the differences between women and men, among women and within individual women principals' challenges entrenched myths/scripts of the principalship by drawing attention to the complexity of these six women and moves to encourage a diversity of teachers to consider the possibility of becoming principals.

This thesis explores the transformative potential of art education. In particular, it argues that art education can be a productive site to explore the multiplicities of subjectivities and to adopt the transformative principles of feminist poststructuralism. To illustrate this notion, I researched a number of key spaces and texts related to art education. Firstly, I documented the art that was created by senior art students in three Queensland secondary schools. In addition to students' art, I documented their visual journals as a way of constructing meanings around their art. Secondly, I conducted interviews with three senior art teachers, which were aimed at exploring their personal philosophies to teaching and art education and their attitudes towards subjectivity in art. Finally, as a means of providing a context for these texts, I also undertook observations of the school and classroom spaces. From these data, I used the poststructuralist tool of discourse analysis to explore how schools, teachers and students take up, mobilise and occupy transformative spaces and discourses.

In adopting a feminist poststructuralist framework, this thesis opens by stressing the importance of writing from my body, subjectivity and lived experiences. I do so by exploring my own art and how I have used this space to explore my lived experiences and subjectivity. I also situate my methodology, research sites and participants. From this discussion, in Chapter Two, I discursively position my research within the literature. As such, in Chapter Two I focus on three key texts that allow my review to move between educational discourses, the gendering of art education and the transformative potential of art education. In Chapter Three, I explore in more detail poststructuralism's notion of subjectivity and the politics of transformation. As I argue, this perspective enables my research to adopt a productive way of seeing and understanding subjectivity and provides strategies of transformation. In Chapter Four, I outline how this lens has influenced the way I have constructed, designed and approached my research. After establishing the theoretical premise and design of my research, the next four chapters focus on the analysis of my research data. In Chapter Five, I analyse how students create art that resonates with the transformative principles of feminist poststructuralism. In doing so, I highlight how students use the potential of art education to explore their multiple subjectivities, embodiment and lived experiences. However, I believe this tells only part of the transgressive story, as the transformative potential of art education is a multi-layered and complex issue. Therefore, in the following three data analysis chapters, I explore some of the complexity surrounding art education and outline some of the possible factors or reasons that may contribute to students creating transformative art. In Chapter Six, I argue that the curriculum documents that relate to art education (such as the Visual Art Senior Syllabus and the teachers' work programs) provide spaces for students to explore their subjectivity and equip them with strategies of transformation. In Chapter Seven, I outline some of the differences that art education embodies and, by doing so, I suggest that these differences may contribute to the transformative possibilities of art education. In Chapter Eight, I discuss how art education can provide a space for students to explore and express emotions that have been traditionally edited out of the school environment. In the final chapter, I summarise my findings and suggest spaces for further research. Through this process this thesis advocates for art's importance in education. As such, it contributes to the ways in which teachers and schools recognise, accommodate and celebrate the role art has in the ongoing construction and negotiation of subjectivity.

Thesis (PhD) -- Australian Catholic University, 2006.
Submitted in total fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Bibliography: p. 262-312. Also available in an electronic version via the internet.

This qualitative study examines the issues 20 North Queensland secondary teachers face when students with disabilities are included in the school. Current educational policy in Australia has placed a strong emphasis on including students with disabilities in their neighbourhood schools. What began with primary schooling has now flowed on to secondary. Consequently all teachers now play a role in helping students with and without disabilities to develop and learn. This change makes it especially critical to investigate the viewpoints of teachers working with students with disabilities in secondary schools. Three questions helped guide the inquiry. The first relates to the attitudes and professional beliefs of the teachers. The second focuses on the challenges faced by these teachers when including students with disabilities. The third explores whether the perceived challenges when working with students with disabilities add to perceived stress levels. During the study the researcher was both a secondary school special education teacher and the mother of a son with disabilities. This made her an insider researcher. To assist authentic inquiry while working as an insider researcher, the researcher kept a journal for systematic reflection on identities, roles and relationships. The 20 mainstream and special education teachers in the study worked in one of two urban or two rural schools. Data collection began with a short written questionnaire to obtain personal biographical information. Semi-structured interviews were then conducted in order to gather information on the teachers' experiences when including students with disabilities. The themes, which emerged from the analysis of the questionnaire and semi-structured interviews, were correlated with the reflective journal and the personal experience of the researcher. The results of the study revealed that the majority of teachers interviewed were supportive of the philosophical ideals of an inclusive approach. However, they had mixed feelings about including students with disabilities in secondary school classrooms. It was obvious that the teachers were strongly influenced by the nature of the disabilities, the educational problems they would encounter and their teaching area. In spite of their unease, there was recognition of the potential for social, academic and professional benefits for students with and without disabilities as well as for staff. The concerns expressed by the teachers focused on structural, curricular, instructional, professional efficiency and expectancy factors. The culture of the secondary school often meant there was a clash of expectations between the mainstream teachers and the special education teachers, which centered on the nature of teaching and learning within the classroom. There was a dissonance between a collectivist focus on standards and individualist focus on needs. Increasing workloads, the multiplicity of work roles and the restrictions of the school timetable were especially identified as hindering teacher collaboration. Access to ongoing professional development contributed to the challenge as a number of the teachers in the study had limited pre-service knowledge of the impact of different disabilities on learning. The teachers in the study believed that inclusion in the secondary school environment continues to be complex and challenging; highlighting what appeared to be a large gap between rhetoric and reality. There were conflicting views about whether the challenges involved in the inclusion of students with disabilities added to existing stress levels. However the words 'frustrated', 'discouraged', 'overwhelmed', 'anxious', 'tired' and 'exhausted' were repeated often in the interviews. Analysis of transcripts revealed that the changes attributed to the inclusion process, the socially unacceptable behaviour of specific students with disabilities and the lack of support, particularly in rural areas, had caused a considerable impact on the teachers in the study personally and on their teaching practices. While it is not possible to generalise from the qualitative results of interviews of this small sample of teachers, a range of cautious observations can be made about the teacher's role in the inclusion of students with disabilities in the secondary schools. Responsibility for students with disabilities remains a complicated professional issue with mainstream and special education teachers. The difficulties with collaboration and support meant that when students with disabilities were included in the classroom, many teachers in this study expressed serious concern at the ever-increasing demands of their work. The study concludes with a number of recommendations for practice and future research with regards to successfully including students with disabilities in secondary schools and for the preparation of secondary school teachers for inclusive schooling.

Projects aims to provide school administrators and policy makers with the results of educational change - in this case the introduction of a vertical timetable and its impact on the school community, in particular the teachers.. This thesis presents an examination of the way in which an educational initiative, delivery of the curriculum using a vertical timetable, impinges upon the education community concerned, in particular the teachers. The research aims to provide school administrators and policy makers with insights into the impact of an educational change. The investigation was conducted over the period of 2 years in a group of schools where the vertical timetable was introduced. Teachers, administrators, students and parents/guardians participated in the study. The researcher adhered to a constructivist approach to the research and employed a case study method. Responses were gathered using questionnaires and a focus group interview. The study identified key issues for students and teachers. Analysis of these themes yielded several practical recommendations for administrators who plan to implement vertical timetabling.

The introduction of a new computerised School Management System (SMS) into Queensland school offices in 1996 is linked to broad shifts in public sector workplace reform under the rhetoric of flexibility and efficiency through new information technologies. This study provides a socio-technical exploration of how the globalising interests of the capitalist state materialise as work practices through the institution of a new, computerised management system, with a focus on the 'engineering' work efforts of the female administration workers in specific school sites.

The study takes place during the initial phase of the introduction of SMS into two school offices in regional Queensland, taking advantage of the rare opportunity to see the innovation before it becomes normalised practice. The research was conducted first as policy analysis and then in two school offices with the researcher working as participant/observer during the initial phase-in of SMS. The data is presented as ten 'stories' which are analysed in three data chapters whose foci are state networks, the work of innovation and gendered work. Using the framework of Actor Network Theory (e.g.Callon 1986; Latour 1991; Law 1986,1997), it is possible to see the early policy phase of SMS as globalising networks of the state working to stabilise sociotechnical relations that promote initiatives for Information Management Systems in public sector administrations, including schools. By following the actors, the work of the government-led initiative at this early stage is visible as translations taking place through multiple 'nested networks' of the state including supra-national organisations, government policies, Prime Minister's speeches and school policy. Once SMS is introduced into school offices, the study shows how workers become enrolled in the state agenda for administrative work reform, enabling SMS to establish itself as an Obligatory Passage Point for school administrative work. The 'articulation' work of the female school office workers is seen as central to the success of SMS in schools as their work relationships with SMS produces 'well-drilled bodies' in the service of the state. A feminist post-structuralist analysis of the female SMS workers, as historically constituted, specifically sexed 'bodies', is then employed to take into account the politics of the gendered, embodied, cyborg worker and her role in the formation and normalisation of a 'new work order' in school administrations.

In this study, the new technology is made visible as socio-technical relations shaping work in ways that have to do with the exercise of power between the representative body/technology networks. The study's significance lies in the way it makes visible the processes of the politics of the state becoming embodied in SMS in local sites or networks of humans and computers, a cyborg entity whose relations are developed and maintained by the female administrative workers in schools. SMS is thus explained not as a neutral 'tool' to achieve state policy, nor as technologically determined; nor is a human-centric approach taken to explain the emergence of the specific forms of work at the local site. The 'new work order' in schools has emerged out of the socio-technical relations performed by specific body/technology networks of humans and machines in multiple local work sites. Through IT, globalising local networks employ women's working bodies to institute a new reform agenda for school administrative work that facilitates closer regulation and steerage from a distance.

碩士
國立暨南國際大學
國際文教與比較教育學系
106
Under the tide of globalization, the relationship between countries is becoming closer and closer, and country’s politics, economy and culture are also affected by others. Many countries cultivate people's relevant international literacy through international education, while others cover the concept of international education with global education, and international education is viewed as an industry. The purpose of this research is to explore Australian policies related to international education and to explore strategies and practice of promoting international education in Queensland through participants observation and semi-structured interview. Meanwhile, to understand the effect of the study tour program, this study also interviewed the teachers and students participating in this program. It is expected that this research coud provide an example to Taiwan when facing the problem of insufficient funds, manpower allocation, and match up media platform while promoting international education exchange. The conclusions derived from this research are: 1.The Strategy of international education in Australia focuses on innovation, cooperation and partnership, aiming to consolidate and enhance the development of its international education. 2.In addition to responding to the international education strategy in Australia, Queensland International education strategy as a comprehensive plan, responds to the needs of various departments and regions. 3.Queensland Government Department of Education International, trading as Education Queensland International is responsible for promoting international-education-related program. It manages the programs and establishes all relative procedures and standards. The study tour program is co-constructed by it and with its partners. 4.The features of EQI study tour program are school integration, school buddies, designated school contact, homestay, English lessons, specialized lessons, welcome and farewell function. The itinerary of this program can also be customized. 5.The feedback of this program can be learnt through participants’s observation, the impact of this program on Australian and Taiwanese teachers and students, and the suggestion from Taiwanese teachers participating in the program. Based on the findings and results, this research submits some suggestions as following: 1.The government, as a coordinating unit, can promote study tour program with partnerships, and supervise the program’s quality. 2.There are some common features among schools’ study tour program. However, each school can also develop its characteristic to do professional exchange. 3.The suggestions of promoting study tour program in primary and secondary school in Queensland include: (1) The relevant pre-departure and orientation of the study tour program can help participants get more understand to this program. (2) There are relevant considerations for organizing activities and lessons of the study tour program. (3) Take student’s grade (age) and permission of student’s portrait using as considerations to match up school buddies. (4) Take safety and student’s right as considerations to arrange homestay. 4.Future researches are suggested to study other international education programs in Queensland or in other states to comprehensively understand international education in Queensland or Australia. Keywords: Australia, Queensland, International Education, Study Tour Program

By examining the example of its operation in one (1) secondary college in Central Queensland this thesis examines issues surrounding the performance reviews of middle managers holding Positions of Added Responsibility in the Catholic Diocese of Rockhampton in the context of teacher appraisal generally.

The Rockhampton Diocese of Catholic Education represents a large, diverse and unique body of school environments, spread across a vast area of regional central Queensland. The Diocese provides Catholic education to approximately 11,500 students in 27 Primary Schools and 8 Secondary Colleges located from Bundaberg in the south to Mackay in the north and from the Capricorn Coast in the east to Longreach in the west.

Over recent years the Rockhampton Diocese of Catholic Education has been investigating and embracing information and communication technology (ICTs) in the provision of Catholic education. The use of ICTs has clearly enhanced the teaching and learning processes and assisted with the efficient administration and management of both the Catholic Education Office (CEO) and schools. However, as technology use has grown, there have been increasing and continuing requests from many staff throughout the Diocese for leadership and guidance to be provided by CEO.

In response to these requests, CEO embarked upon a Diocese wide Technology Planning Initiative (WI) intended to provide a systematic approach towards ICT planning. Integral to the Technology Planning Initiative was the need for development of a systemic Technology Master Plan for the Diocese. It was considered essential that CEO base future directions for the adoption and use of ICTs on the 'real' situation and the actual problems being faced by schools and staff throughout the Diocese.

This report is the result of an investigation of technology needs throughout the Diocese as a basis for development of a holistic Technology Master Plan. This study involved a range of strategies to provide alternate sources of data upon which to base recommendations for future direction. The project included extensive interaction with staff in the Diocese and the embedding of the research component into the culture, committee structures and practices of the organisation. This has included collaboration with stakeholder groups before, during and following the actual research component of the project, thereby ensuring organisational acceptance of the processes being followed, understanding of the findings and ownership of the future directions.

Site visits and ICT audits have revealed valuable information about access, equity and availability of various technologies within school environments. The current technology-related skills of school staff (Principals, Teachers, and Library staff) was determined, which revealed considerable variation in the abilities of staff at all levels and across all aspects of school operations. The study revealed that staff attitudes towards the use of ICTs across all schools was extremely positive, with considerable enthusiasm among school staff towards the use of technology.

The study revealed that very few schools have performed formalised ICT planning for their school and that the majority of schools do not have a planning group or committee that focuses on ICT-related issues for the school. Many areas were identified as barriers to ICT adoption in the Diocese, with many respondents also providing suggestions and proposing initiatives to overcome these barriers. The study has pinpointed limitations in the current provision of ICT-related staff development across schools, and identified specific focus areas for future staff development activity.

The study has revealed the current situation within the Rockhampton Diocese of Catholic Education and enabled the translation of the current state into an action plan for future directions. The 'product' of this study is a series of sixty-two recommendations that have provided the core themes for development of a holistic Technology Master Plan for the Rockhampton Diocese of Catholic Education.

This report also provides a retrospective evaluation of progress made with implementation of the Diocesan Technology Master Plan. This reveals that significant progress has been made with the adoption and use of technology throughout the Diocese, along with substantial organisational learning.