Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Specialist studies in education'
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1
Childerhouse, Helen. "Supporting children with 'Social, Emotional and Behavioural Difficulty (SEBD)' in mainstream : teachers' perspectives." Thesis, Sheffield Hallam University, 2017. http://shura.shu.ac.uk/16546/.
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In this small-scale, qualitative study, the experiences of nine teachers who support learners identified with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD) in mainstream primary schools are considered. A narrative approach enabled teachers to share their complex portrayals of practices and feelings about their roles. Perspectives on models of disability and disability rights, performativity, professional identity for teachers, and SEBD, have informed analysis and understanding of the stories teachers told. The study explores how the relationship between teachers’ professional identity and well-being and the expectations imposed upon them in a neoliberal influenced education system brings about pressures and concerns. Attempts by the teachers to achieve a balance between what they feel they ought to do (to meet policy expectations) and what they feel they should do (to meet the entitlements of children) has led to excessive workloads and complex emotional responses. Reflections on the way these teachers constructed discourses about why some children exhibit disruptive and challenging behaviours provide an understanding of how their negotiation of this challenging context impacts on the relationships they form with the children. The findings suggest that teachers experience confusion due to the complexities and contradictions they are faced with when trying to support learners identified with SEBD in an education system which incorporates policies guided by different models of disability. The study concludes by suggesting that teachers’ critical reflection on the discourses they have constructed in relation to models of disability could bring about a new way of shaping their practice. It is argued that a rights-based approach to teaching children who exhibit challenging, disruptive and concerning behaviours would emancipate children from the restrictive views and beliefs teachers seem to have developed. Approaches which focus on children’s rights to inclusive learning opportunities, which reflect their entitlement to an education, would go some way to addressing the confusion, contradiction and pressures these teachers described.
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Alzaidi, Faten Abdulhadi. "An exploratory study on educating learners with ASD in primary inclusive setting in Saudi Arabia : issues, attitudes, and challenges." Thesis, University of Lincoln, 2017. http://eprints.lincoln.ac.uk/28651/.
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The purpose of this research is to facilitate the development and understanding of inclusive education for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Saudi Arabia. The study is located within Riyadh, a city in Saudi Arabia. The culture and religion of Saudi society are central themes in this study. ASD is a complex disorder due to its characteristics, which include a lack of social skills, communication difficulties, and behaviour problems. A range of qualitative methods were adopted; interviews with twenty general education teachers (GT) and special education teachers (SET) as well as participant observation in five schools. The research seeks to identify the attitudes and practices of primary school teachers in terms of their support for children in mainstream schools. The study shows that teachers are mostly supportive and have positive attitudes toward the inclusive education of learners with ASD. The study shows barriers to inclusive education, for example, lack of time, overcrowded classrooms, curriculum, attitudes, lack of training, teaching methods and school environments and the extent to which mainstream school buildings and classrooms are suitable for inclusion of students with Special Educational Needs (SEN) in general and, more specifically, for students with ASD. Another factor that emerged from the study to support inclusive education was peer tutoring. All the teachers involved in the study are qualified in education but they need additional training and knowledge about inclusion and ASD. Finally, the study provides some practical recommendations as well as some ideas for future research and other activities.
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Tynan, Fionnuala. "Experiencing educational inclusion : children with Williams syndrome in Ireland." Thesis, University of Lincoln, 2014. http://eprints.lincoln.ac.uk/26376/.
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This thesis explores the educational inclusion experiences of children with Williams syndrome (WS) in Irish primary schools from the perspectives of the children, their parents and teachers. Almost equal numbers of parents chose mainstream and special-education placements for their child with WS, although this choice was complex. Parents were very satisfied with their child’s education regardless of setting. Parental and teacher perceptions of the WS educational profile differed little. Teachers presented a slightly broader profile, yet showed less awareness than parents of anxiety in the children. Findings indicate a capacity in the children to learn Irish and other languages successfully, despite their entitlement to exemptions from language learning in the Irish educational system. Some features associated with WS (such as sociability) enhance the inclusion of learners with WS, while certain maladaptive behaviours impede it. Evidence suggests that maladaptive behaviours may be caused by high anxiety and poor expression of emotion due to poor comprehension of negative emotions. In addition, these children display more internalizing and self-regulatory behaviours, when parent and teacher data is compared, than has previously been noted in the literature, which may actually negatively impact on the child’s educational inclusion. Both parents and teachers support the children’s learning but teachers’ special education experiences and professional development influenced quality of supports and, hence, quality of educational inclusion. Some strategies used successfully by individual teachers to support learners with WS are those traditionally associated with autism, despite the sociability associated with WS. The children had clear images of themselves as learners and could identify personal learning strengths and challenges. Their liking for physical and social activities may be important aids to concentration, participation and, hence, inclusion. Different interpretations of inclusion were evident from parents and teachers. A definition of inclusion was proposed to compare educational placements. Such a comparison showed that Irish mainstream placements should not necessarily be viewed as the most inclusive educational setting for learners with WS. Consequently, a framework, based on the individual education planning process, proposes a way to maximize the educational inclusion of children with WS, regardless of setting.
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Roberts, Lesley. "The challenges facing leaders and managers in the independent special school sector : a changing agenda." Thesis, University of Lincoln, 2008. http://eprints.lincoln.ac.uk/1844/.
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This study investigates the challenges facing leaders and managers of independent special schools during the period during when inclusion of SEN students in mainstream schools has been government policy. The challenges investigated centre around ascertaining the key role of these schools at this time, the general challenges they have faced, and the implications for them in the years ahead. This has included research on how independent special schools respond to external demands and expectations and how they balance these with their own internal imperatives. The research was carried out using an empirical phenomenological approach, with the objective of gathering qualitative data through the undertaking of interviews at both the micro and meso level of the organisational structures involved in SEN education. Participants were drawn from three approved independent special schools and three non-maintained special schools from the south east regions of England. Schools represented varying medical forms of SEN such as deafness, physical disabilities, severe learning difficulties and specific learning difficulties. Interviewees consisted of the headteacher, a deputy and classroom teacher from each school and the data was triangulated through documentation analysis using the participating schools’ recent OFSTED and CSCI reports as well as interviews with three SEN Caseworkers employed by three different LEA regions. The findings revealed that a key role for independent special schools is propping up a seemingly failing national strategy. Challenges arise from educational matters when internal visions of what good special education should mean are over-ridden by external ideologies. External accountability tends to suppress innovation and change within the school by making the change process unwieldy. External accountabilities are inclined to conflict when they encroach upon the professionalism of staff, yet complement internal interests by effecting motivation to question objectives more closely. Balancing internal/external accountabilities is no problem for these leaders and managers, because their internal imperatives will always come first. Implications for the years ahead will arise from the success or failure of the national inclusion strategy to accommodate a rising number of SEN students under limited state provision.
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Thomas, Meurig Owen. "Perceptions of the actions, initiatives, policies and successes, or otherwise, of the post 1997 UK Government for the education of gifted and talented children, as outlined in its Excellence in Cities proposals." Thesis, University of Lincoln, 2002. http://eprints.lincoln.ac.uk/1865/.
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This paper enquires into the implementation of the Government’s directives for the education of the ‘gifted and talented’, as specified in the ‘Excellence in Cities’ (EiC)document. The term ‘gifted and talented’ (GaT) has been determined by government diktat and its appropriateness is examined, as are the arguments about precise definitions, the identification of such children and the rationale for the Government choice. The current concern has its roots in the past, demanding an examination of the political and educational raison d’être for the evolving policies. The assessment of the results of such policies and arrangements sheds light on their suitability and relevance for the future and are thus considered. The experience of others to provide an appropriate education and the arrangements needed to facilitate the process justify a consideration of an international perspective. The examination of the philosophy, current arrangements made elsewhere and innovative proposals for the future of the education of the able aids the establishment of the criteria with which to judge the viability and implementation of the EiC arrangements. The methodology used to obtain research data involves interviews with those responsible for implementing the EiC directives at both City and school/college level. Their answers illuminate their approach and aspirations for the education of the GaT. The success of the policy and its implementation is assessed by means of a critical analysis of the management decisions taken, and the consequences at both City and School/College level. Triangulation is accomplished by the additional use of the data gained from expert witnesses, thus helping to determine the viability and practicality of the arrangements made and envisaged. The post modernist stance of the author, coupled with a qualitative methodology, and a possible initial bias towards a revisionist view of how the education of the able should be organised, should not necessarily invalidate the conclusions reached.
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Peach, Deborah. "Improving the provision of learning assistance services in higher education." Thesis, Griffith University, 2003. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/45464/8/Deborah%20Peach%20Thesis.pdf.
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This study is motivated by the need to look continually for ways to improve Griffith University's learning assistance services so that they meet the changed needs of stakeholders and are at the same time cost-effective and efficient. This study uses the conceptual tools of cultural-historical activity theory and expansive visibilisation to investigaate the developmenet and transformation of learning assistance services at Griffith University, one of Australia's largest mult-campus universities.
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Mukherjee, Michelle M. "Technological tools for science classrooms : choosing and using for productive and sustainable teaching and learning experiences." Thesis, The University of Queensland, 2013. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/66862/1/s41236307_phd_thesisfinal.pdf.
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In this age of rapidly evolving technology, teachers are encouraged to adopt ICTs by government, syllabus, school management, and parents. Indeed, it is an expectation that teachers will incorporate technologies into their classroom teaching practices to enhance the learning experiences and outcomes of their students. In particular, regarding the science classroom, a subject that traditionally incorporates hands-on experiments and practicals, the integration of modern technologies should be a major feature. Although myriad studies report on technologies that enhance students’ learning outcomes in science, there is a dearth of literature on how teachers go about selecting technologies for use in the science classroom. Teachers can feel ill prepared to assess the range of available choices and might feel pressured and somewhat overwhelmed by the avalanche of new developments thrust before them in marketing literature and teaching journals. The consequences of making bad decisions are costly in terms of money, time and teacher confidence. Additionally, no research to date has identified what technologies science teachers use on a regular basis, and whether some purchased technologies have proven to be too problematic, preventing their sustained use and possible wider adoption.
The primary aim of this study was to provide research-based guidance to teachers to aid their decision-making in choosing technologies for the science classroom. The study unfolded in several phases. The first phase of the project involved survey and interview data from teachers in relation to the technologies they currently use in their science classrooms and the frequency of their use.
These data were coded and analysed using Grounded Theory of Corbin and Strauss, and resulted in the development of a PETTaL model that captured the salient factors of the data. This model incorporated usability theory from the Human Computer Interaction literature, and education theory and models such as Mishra and Koehler’s (2006) TPACK model, where the grounded data indicated these issues. The PETTaL model identifies Power (school management, syllabus etc.), Environment (classroom / learning setting), Teacher (personal characteristics, experience, epistemology), Technology (usability, versatility etc.,) and Learners (academic ability, diversity, behaviour etc.,) as fields that can impact the use of technology in science classrooms.
The PETTaL model was used to create a Predictive Evaluation Tool (PET): a tool designed to assist teachers in choosing technologies, particularly for science teaching and learning. The evolution of the PET was cyclical (employing agile development methodology), involving repeated testing with in-service and pre-service teachers at each iteration, and incorporating their comments i ii in subsequent versions. Once no new suggestions were forthcoming, the PET was tested with eight in-service teachers, and the results showed that the PET outcomes obtained by (experienced) teachers concurred with their instinctive evaluations. They felt the PET would be a valuable tool when considering new technology, and it would be particularly useful as a means of communicating perceived value between colleagues and between budget holders and requestors during the acquisition process. It is hoped that the PET could make the tacit knowledge acquired by experienced teachers about technology use in classrooms explicit to novice teachers. Additionally, the PET could be used as a research tool to discover a teachers’ professional development needs. Therefore, the outcomes of this study can aid a teacher in the process of selecting educationally productive and sustainable new technology for their science classrooms.
This study has produced an instrument for assisting teachers in the decision-making process associated with the use of new technologies for the science classroom. The instrument is generic in that it can be applied to all subject areas. Further, this study has produced a powerful model that extends the TPACK model, which is currently extensively employed to assess teachers’ use of technology in the classroom. The PETTaL model grounded in data from this study, responds to the calls in the literature for TPACK’s further development. As a theoretical model, PETTaL has the potential to serve as a framework for the development of a teacher’s reflective practice (either self evaluation or critical evaluation of observed teaching practices). Additionally, PETTaL has the potential for aiding the formulation of a teacher’s personal professional development plan. It will be the basis for further studies in this field.
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Rauschenbach, James Walter. "Case studies of effective physical education specialists : relationships among curricular values, teaching strategies, and student involvement /." The Ohio State University, 1992. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1487779120908921.
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Daniels, Ardela. "The practice of school systems consultation by the educational psychologist : a reflection on the process at a school for specialised education." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 1995. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/17450.
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Bibliography: pages 71-78.Educational Psychology has been defined in the past as an interventionist profession, mainly focused on the alleviation of educational problems that interfere with the educational process. Currently a paradigm shift seems to herald new opportunities for the profession to develop whole school approaches and devote less of its time to individual case work. Educational psychologists world-wide foresee a broadening in the focus of their work to include a larger commitment to consultancy and school systems development. The benefits are seen in terms of the more efficient use of time, eliciting wider ranging change and the opportunity for offering a preventative approach to service delivery. School systems consultation represents such an approach. This study explores the practice of school systems consultation using an action research approach. It is argued that action research methodology provides a framework to contain and guide the complex developments which emerge once the consultation gets under way. Central concepts in an action research approach such as collaboration, participation and reflection are analysed and reflected upon in terms of the opportunities and constraints they presented to school systems consultation as a service delivery option for the educational psychologist. The role of the educational psychologist in South Africa has been conservative and the shift towards a more socially accountable one seems inevitable if such services are to be regarded as appropriate. The role of the educational psychologist as change agent in the transformation process in the South African education system is explored in this study.
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Nalwasky, Celeste DiCarlo. "The middle school concept case studies exploring the assumed role of the school library media specialist /." 1990. http://books.google.com/books?id=V6zgAAAAMAAJ.
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Nicoll, Camilla. "An examination of predictors that increase educational aspiration to attend university: a longitudinal study of high school students from low socioeconomic backgrounds." Thesis, 2018. https://vuir.vu.edu.au/40004/.
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Considerable resources have been funnelled into designing and implementing effective intervention programs aimed at reducing student attrition. However there is a lack of knowledge regarding the impacts of these programs. There are numerous studies on outreach programs designed to widen student participation; however, these have been criticised for failing to demonstrate independence and that they are limited to qualitative analysis and small sample sizes. Additionally, effective intervention programs that address socioeconomic deficits in educational attainment are inadequate. Moreover, the psychometrically- evaluated measures designed to assess high school student educational aspiration lack the appropriate rigour in relation to randomised designs utilising treatment and control groups. In response to these challenges, this thesis had four aims.
Aim 1 was to design a survey to measure high school student educational aspiration and related student characteristics. Aim 2 was to assess the correlations between educational aspiration and relevant student characteristics (i.e., educational engagement, educational self-efficacy, achievement goal setting, perceptions of school quality, school friendships and life satisfaction). Aim 3 was to assess the effectiveness of differing university-high school partnership intervention programs, using pre-post treatment-control designs. Aim 4 was to measure how educational aspiration and student characteristics changed over the first four years of high school. To achieve these aims, a series of five studies were conducted.
Addressing Aims 1 and 2, Study 1 involved the development and refinement of a measurement tool that assessed factors related to student attrition, retention, and educational aspiration. This resulted in the development of six student scales measuring student characteristics that were subsequently correlated with educational aspiration. Factor analysis, reliability analysis, as well as qualitative assessment of items, were used to refine the set of items used to measure the six scales.
Addressing Aim 3, Studies 2, 3 and 4 assessed the effectiveness of three Year 7 intervention programs designed to increase low socioeconomic high school students’ educational aspiration to complete school and attend university. Participants were assigned to a treatment or control group, with the measure developed in Study 1 administered before and after the intervention. Analyses indicated that none of the interventions had a significant effect on educational aspiration or the other measured student characteristics.
Addressing Aim 3 and 4, Study 5 used a longitudinal design to examine four intervention programs and the cumulative effects of these on one student cohort tracked over 4 years from Year 7 to Year 10 of high school. This study also sought to examine how student characteristics (i.e., educational engagement, educational self-efficacy, achievement goal setting, perceptions of school quality, school friendships and life satisfaction) changed over this period. Results showed student characteristics and aspiration levels declined as students progressed through high school. The greatest declines occurred at the start of high school and tended to plateau around Year 8, 9, with small increases in Year 10. The interventions showed no significant influence on student characteristics and there was no evidence of a cumulative effect of these interventions.
In summary, these five studies formed a four-year longitudinal examination of the educational aspirations of students at low socioeconomic high schools in Australia, Victoria, within the Melbourne and the Greater Geelong area. Taken together, these five studies make an important contribution to the national and international literature on educational aspiration. First, the need to develop a psychometrically sound instrument was identified. Second, significant moderate correlational relationships were found between educational aspirations and key predictors of educational aspiration. Third, although no positive effects were found from the intervention programs, these studies demonstrated that simple and relatively short interventions such as the ones examined are often insufficient to lead to lasting aspirational change for students. Fourth, although educational aspiration and the predictors of educational aspirations did not increase as students progressed through high school, this study provided a detailed picture of how educational aspiration and related student characteristics changed from Year 7 to Year 10 in a low socioeconomic school environment. A valuable contribution was made to research pertaining to educational aspirations, predictors of educational aspirations and intervention programs aimed at increasing the educational aspirations of low socioeconomic students. Although no positive effects were found from the intervention programs offered, these five studies contributed to our understanding of which interventions work and how best to design and implement future intervention programs such as these. Furthermore, this series of studies increased our understanding of student characteristics predictive of educational aspiration, in addition to how these characteristics change over the trajectory of high school. It was found that simple intervention programs were insufficient in leading to lasting aspirational change for students. These findings, therefore, inform on intervention design and implementation.
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Tunnecliff, Sheryl. "St Albans Network of Schools : an unapproved absence or an absence with reason : students reasons for missing school without explanation." Thesis, 2001. https://vuir.vu.edu.au/32994/.
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The purpose of this study is to gain some insight and understanding into what students
who have unexplained/unapproved absences from school provide as the reasons for
their non-attendance. It is the second part of another research project 'An
Examination of Unapproved Absences' completed for the Network in November
2000.
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Pitard, Jayne. "An exploration of an Australian teacher educator working with a group of vocational education professionals from Timor Leste to develop their knowledge and practice in vocational education." Thesis, 2016. https://vuir.vu.edu.au/38630/.
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This study researches the coming together of difference in an educational setting between an Australian teacher and students from Timor Leste (TL). In 2012/13, on behalf of my university, I delivered a Graduate Certificate in Vocational Education and Training to a group of twelve Technical and Vocational Education and Training professionals from TL. TL is classified by the United Nations as a least developed nation. It has a history of invasion and turmoil. I travelled to TL initially to meet the students and gain an understanding of their vocational education system. The twelve students then travelled to Melbourne for three months to study on campus, and I returned to TL nine months later for their final assessment. The interaction between these students and me as their teacher is the subject of my PhD research, which seeks to understand the impact of cultural difference on the teacher-student relationship. I conducted a two part study, firstly from the perspective of myself as an Australian teacher (autoethnography) and secondly from the perspective of the students from a least developed nation (case study). My autoethnography highlights fifteen existential crises in my cultural adaptation using a six step framework which I have labelled a structured vignette analysis. The result is a rich, unfolding journey of a teacher enlightened by her encounters with a culture different from her own. The case study of the students was conducted through a focus group followed by four individual interviews. The students’ previous experience of a collectivist culture and a teacher centred pedagogy produced shock, confusion and anxiety when confronted with a culture different from their own. Their journey towards adapting to an individualist culture and student centred pedagogy produced data from which all teachers of international students could benefit.
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Dakich, Eva. "Towards the social practice of digital pedagogies: teachers' ICT literacy in contemporary primary schools." Thesis, 2009. https://vuir.vu.edu.au/30068/.
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Information and communication technologies (ICT) have been introduced to schools without fundamentally changing learning and teaching. In most cases they have been adapted to traditional school structures, classroom organisation and existing pedagogical practices, falling short of facilitating significant educational and cultural shifts. The promise of ICT to transform teaching and learning in schools has not yet been realised due to a range of barriers including teachers' lack of confidence and pedagogical understanding in drawing on the potential of digital technologies. This dissertation explored connections between teachers' ICT literacy and pedagogical practices. The aims of the research were to study the situated nature of ICT integration and to portray the knowledge and skills that would help teachers facilitate new, ICT-rich social practices of teaching and learning in contemporary primary schools.
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Chalman, Casie-Anne. "Resilience, Adolescents and Outdoor Education: Is Resilience Context Specific?" Thesis, 2019. https://vuir.vu.edu.au/40050/.
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This exploratory study investigated the impact of participation in a three-week journey style outdoor education program upon levels of resilience attributes and coping skills of adolescents. Globalisation and modernisation has increased the social burdens of the 21st century and amplifies pressures to conform to unrealistic expectations in society, resulting in negative impacts on young people’s mental health and well-being. These life stressors, along with the excessive amount of time that young people spend using technology, is impacting their development and causing young people to experience increased amounts of psychological distress.
In order to manage these stressors, young people often require the development of adaptive coping skills and resilience attributes. Schools can assist their students by supporting the development of resilience attributes and coping skills which are crucial for the future success of young people, to thrive, cope with adversity, and live at an optimal level of human functioning.
Outdoor education programs are regularly delivered by schools to students worldwide as an effective method to facilitate the development and enrichment of personal and social attributes. However, this field is undermined by ad hoc theory and limited research that supports the ability to enhance levels of resilience and coping skills through outdoor education programs with adolescents in mainstream school settings.
The purpose of this longitudinal study was to investigate the effects of an extended journey style outdoor education program on levels of resilience attributes and coping skills with adolescents. Specifically, the study used a mixed method approach to investigate if the resilience attributes and coping skills were context specific to the setting in which they were developed. The research is framed around particular theories including experiential learning, transactional theory, optimal arousal theory of play, the adventure experience paradigm theory, developmental theory and behaviouristic theories.
This research examined two groups of Year 10 boys who were aged between 14 and 17 years (N = 111). The program group (n = 69), who participated in an extended journey-style outdoor education program, and the control group (n = 42), who did not participate in any outdoor education programs, completed the same survey measures. To identify which particular attributes of resilience and coping that were strengthened and developed through participation in the three-week program, both groups answered the Resilience Scale and the Brief COPE scale questionnaires within a similar timeframe.
Post-positivist theory was used to analyse the quantitative data, and constructivist theory was used to analyse the qualitative data. The quantitative results revealed that the program group reported higher scores of resilience and resilience attributes compared with the control group following participation in the outdoor education program. Repeated measures t-tests showed significant increases in Overall Resilience and the Existential Aloneness, Perseverance and Purposeful Life subscales. A mixed-design analysis of variance model (ANOVA) revealed a main effect for group and Self-Reliance, F (1, 109) = 7.31, p = .008, and an interaction effect for both time and group was also found for Overall Resilience, F (1, 109) = 3.86, p = .043 and Existential Aloneness, F (1, 109) 9.40, p = .003. Compared to the control group, the program group showed reductions in coping skills that have the potential to undermine well-being in youth, such as Substance Use and Behavioural Disengagement, while increasing in adaptive coping skills such as Active Coping, and Planning after the program.
The qualitative phase of the research addressed the question of whether the resilience attributes and coping skills developed during the program were transferred and drawn upon by the participants in their lives back at school six-months after the program. Qualitative data was collected through two means; observation data, and small group semi-structured interviews. The researcher conducted field observations of one group's experience during the three-week program. The observation data provided an insight into the goals and activities of the program and helped to inform the design of the semi-structured interview guides. Small group semi-structured interviews were conducted with the program group (n = 18) immediately after completion of the outdoor education program. Follow-up semi-structured interviews were then conducted with the same 18 participants six-months after the program.
Semi-structured interviews conducted immediately after completion of the program highlighted that participants increased their capacity to demonstrate Overall Resilience, as well as Self-Reliance and Independence, Mental Strength, Determination, and various Developmental Tasks. The students also reported developing positive relationships with their peers, leaders, and the natural environment. An awareness and increased levels of appreciation was shown towards their relationships with family members and technology. A range of coping skills were also developed and applied by the boys during the program, including Putting Things into Perspective; Removing Oneself from the Stressor; Ability to Accept Social Support; Addressing the Issue; Chunking; Coming to Terms with Difficulties; Cognitive Reframing and Applying Positive Thinking; Distraction and Avoidance. Thematic analysis of researcher observations and both sets of semi-structured interview responses revealed three main themes that impacted the development and transference of resilience attributes and coping skills during and after the program. These themes included the program design, the group leader and the learner. The findings showed that most participants struggled to make links between the different contexts of learning. Some of the attributes and skills developed did transfer; however, a common finding was that most participants felt their learnings had dissipated in the six months after the program.
This research supports the notion that outdoor education programs are an effective method to develop resilience attributes and coping skills in young people, however, for the transfer of learning to occur in other contexts, it is recommended that practitioners re-assess their intervention’s program design and implement more strategies to improve the transfer of learning. Overall, the findings of the thesis are discussed in terms of the development and refinement of program design of extended outdoor education programs which aim to foster the transference of resilience and positive coping skills into other contexts. Future research directions and implications of the results in relation to professional practices associated with the development of resilience and adaptive coping skills through outdoor education programs are also presented.
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Hallett, Rhonda. "Working knowledge of academic practice : implications for professional development." Thesis, 2012. https://vuir.vu.edu.au/21440/.
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This study sought to investigate the working knowledge of academics in a ‘new’ university in Australia. Working knowledge, or knowledge ‘put to use’ in day-to-day work, describes what academics actually do. What knowledge academics use day to day is vital for those concerned in the development of academic staff. Academic development has of late focused on supporting academics to respond to the changing demands of new forms of work, and has been accused of lacking an epistemological base or a clearly articulated position. The findings of this study make suggestions concerning a philosophical and practical way forward for the development of academic staff.
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Kitiyanusan, Roongfa. "Facilitating the questioning skills of student teachers through action research." Thesis, 2004. https://vuir.vu.edu.au/15620/.
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The study was designed to investigate the development of the teaching of questioning, reflective practice for development of teaching competence and systematic inquiry
and reflection on the university lecturer's teaching and learning to implement change for improvement in practice. This study employed an Action Research methodology. The participants were student teachers of in the Faculty of Education, Burapha University, Thailand.
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Graham, Victoria K. "An Indigenous Perspective in Wilderness Experiential Learning: Enhancing Relationships with Nature and Place." Thesis, 2005. https://vuir.vu.edu.au/33012/.
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Modem Western society has grown apart from a close relationship with nature and
place. There exists a need to re-establish a connection with nature and place in an
effort to enrich the health and well-being of individuals, community, and society. A
different perspective on this human/nature/place relationship is held by other cultures
within Australia. This study explores one of these Indigenous perspectives and
investigates how Western society can learn to better relate to nature and place from
this alternate perspective through wilderness experiential learning.
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Harris, Anne. "Cross-marked : Sudanese-Australian young women talk education." Thesis, 2010. https://vuir.vu.edu.au/15544/.
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This thesis draws upon the various knowledges of Sudanese students from refugee backgrounds, and upon the principles of critical pedagogy. Cross-Marked critiques current educational practices which marginalise, exclude and objectify those who are emerging from refugee pasts; seeks to re-frame refugeity as a state of being rather than a fixed identity; and foregrounds ways in which all ethnographic and pedagogical collaborators can share in an evolving criticality, using multiple and creative methodologies and contexts. The seven films (six co-participant films and my own reflexive film) and exegesis which comprise Cross-Marked comment on the complexities of the performance of identity for both the researcher and her co-participants. Taken together, the films and the exegesis seek to offer new methods and an evocative depiction of how to move further toward an engagement with 21st century intercultural collaboration, both inside and outside of the classroom.
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Barber, Paul. "An exploration of relationship development through outdoor education." Thesis, 2021. https://vuir.vu.edu.au/42454/.
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As a field of study and practice, Outdoor Education has a tradition of being ill-defined with a diverse range of understandings regarding its form, function and place in secondary school curriculum. This has resulted in Outdoor Education being neglected as a mandated component of formal curriculum for middle school learning in secondary schools.
Outdoor Education provides many learning outcomes beyond the scope of specified curriculums. One of the purposes of this research is to support the acknowledgement of theseoutcomes in the context of formal curriculums; to document and record them; and to providean analysis of their benefit for students undertaking holistic Outdoor Education programs.
The framework for this thesis consists of a review of relevant literature, a domain evaluation and a case study. The totality of these findings support the general discussion for this research project which is followed by a summary, conclusions and recommendations for further research and improved practice. Through the exploration of Definitions, Curriculum and Outcomes for middle school Outdoor Education, this research aims to address ongoing debates regarding the nature of Outdoor Education in secondary schooling.
To provide both an overview of the field in general and a specific contextual analysis, the research has been conducted as two separate studies. Study 1 is a domain evaluation consisting of two phases, a curriculum content analysis and interviews with recognised and respected experts in the field of Outdoor Education. Study 2 is a contextual case study based on data drawn from interviews with specific teachers and a targeted focus group. Data generated throughout all phases of this research was coded and analysed thematically using NVivo data management software.
This research revealed that defining Outdoor Education as a field of study and
practice is complex and that there is an array of differing perspectives for Outdoor Education.
The current research identified Outdoor Education as an experiential, holistic pedagogy which immerses students in outdoor environments to build relationships with the self, others and environment.
This study found that due to the rich diversity of experiences it offers, Outdoor Education can be used to inform educational outcomes in any subject area. Regardless, it was highlighted that because these experiences are unique, it should stand alone as an alternative to regular classroom learning and not be subordinate to any other discipline area. It is evident in the data generated from the curriculum analysis that Outdoor Education is under- represented in curriculums compared to other, more traditional learning areas. This was also reflected in the interviews with participants asserting that Outdoor Education is undervalued in some areas and should be acknowledged for its contribution to holistic development. All participants asserted that it has a place in the formal curriculum of secondary schools, advocating that it be embedded within the curriculum at all year levels.
The data also revealed that Outdoor Education has many outcomes beyond the realm of formal mandated curriculum requirements and that these outcomes are important whether they are included in official curriculum or not. Data generated from this study revealed that Outdoor Education provides social and emotional learning (SEL) outcomes which contribute to both wellbeing and academic progress in other areas.
Although Outdoor Education is interdisciplinary in nature it was found to be a holistic learning area which provides authentic experiential learning opportunities and distinct outcomes which are not found in any other discipline areas. The findings of this study affirmed that Outdoor Education contributes to the development of a positive relationship with the self by providing opportunities for learning outcomes through the explicit development of independence, self-direction and resilience. It also contributes to the development of positive relationships with others and the environment simultaneously through direct practical experience with a variety of social situations and environments. Participants in this research advocated that the provision of such opportunities should be recognised as legitimate outcomes of Outdoor Education with the proposition that school is the only place where students in this context can access these types of experiences.
As an outcome of the findings from this research, it is recommended that due to the unique personal and social development opportunities that Outdoor Education provides, it be included as compulsory curriculum within all school year levels in Australia. This research advocates that the unrecognised outcomes of Outdoor Education programs be regarded as legitimate irrespective of their inclusion or exclusion as formal curriculum. In relation to Outdoor Education theory and future research, further development and explication of the philosophical foundations for Outdoor Education as a field of study and practice is recommended. In addition, it is proposed that the Outdoor Education community of practice develop a concise and unified basis for service provision (Wenger, 1998). Building on the current study, additional research exploring the relationship between Outdoor Education, student wellbeing and academic achievement is recommended.
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Kerr, Rosemary. "Planning and practice: factors impacting on the development of initial education in Nepal, with special reference to English language teaching, 1950-1995." Thesis, 1999. https://vuir.vu.edu.au/15349/.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis sets out to examine the planning and practice of the goals for the development of initial education in Nepal between 1950 and 1995. Firstly the thesis sets out to explore the historical, religious and cultural background of the development of initial education in Nepal against
which the modernization of Nepali education was attempted. The thesis elaborates on the profusion and confusion of educational aims of Nepali government planners and foreign aid workers, and the ways in which these plans impact on Nepali classroom practice and conditions, teacher training
programs and the teaching of English as a foreign language.
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Spittle, Sharna. "An examination of teacher confidence and motivation to teach primary school physical education." Thesis, 2015. https://vuir.vu.edu.au/32302/.
Full textAbstract:
Primary school physical education can provide important opportunities for children to be active in environments that support the development of movement and sports skills. Research has highlighted that many Australian children display low levels of physical activity and motor co-ordination (Morgan et al., 2013), making the delivery of quality physical education at a primary school level even more important. In Australia, primary physical education is regularly delivered by generalist primary school teachers, who may have limited training in the curriculum area. It appears, however, that the pre-service and in-service generalist teachers who constitute critical factors in the delivery of quality physical education have low levels of confidence and also potentially lower motivation to teach in this domain. Although research consistently confirms lower levels of confidence, the measures used often lack detail of their development and supporting psychometric evaluation. Validity and reliability is not often assessed or reported and measures tend to be narrowly focused on particular areas of physical education. Although confidence has been explored, motivation has rarely been investigated in relation to teaching primary physical education, despite a range of measures of general motivation for teaching. For this reason, validated and psychometrically evaluated instruments to assess the motivation to teach physical education warrant construction.
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Bhatnagar, Nisha. "Attitudes and concerns of Indian teachers towards integrated education." Thesis, 2009. https://vuir.vu.edu.au/30087/.
Full textAbstract:
Education is the right of all children, and integrated education aims to ensure that all
children have access to an appropriate, relevant, affordable and effective education within
their community. The recent educational policies of inclusion of students with disabilities
in mainstream classrooms have created significant changes in practices for teachers. The
inclusion of students with special educational needs in mainstream schools is a focus of
debate in education systems all across the world.
It has been suggested by eminent educators that successful inclusion is largely dependent
upon a reconceptualisation of teachers' roles and responsibilities and therefore, it is
essential to explore the attitudes and concerns of the mainstream teachers towards
integration in their classrooms.
In developing countries like India, the integration movement is a new concept for the
educators and therefore, it is essential to restructure the policies and practices of the
teachers to make integration as successful as it is in the developed world. Efforts to
integrate disabled students into the least restrictive milieu, generally the neighborhood
school, are fast becoming the dominant educational ideology in all the schools in India.
This study was undertaken to identify and explore the attitudes and concerns of secondary
school teachers regarding the integration of students with disabilities into their regular
classroom programs in New Delhi and, to determine whether the attitudes and concerns
of the teachers were significantly related to their background variables. Furthermore, the
study also sought to identify different approaches and strategies which could modify
teachers' attitudes and decrease their concerns for integrated education ·in their regular
classroom programs.
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Be, Thi Tuyet. "Developing Students’ Employability in Internationalised Curriculum Programs in Vietnamese Higher Education." Thesis, 2020. https://vuir.vu.edu.au/42243/.
Full textAbstract:
With the increasing trend towards internationalisation of curriculum (IoC) in higher education, questions about quality and outcomes of students’ future employment are under-researched in Vietnam. This study contributed to the scarce information on understanding employability skills and how these skills are developed in IoC programs in Vietnam.
Designed as quantitative and qualitative mixed methods, this research employed two methods of data collection: a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews with three stakeholder groups. A total of 375 final year students in their final year in four public universities participated in the survey. Twenty-six interviews were conducted with students, graduates and employers of IoC employees. The study engaged with the dimensions of employability skills adopted from Assessment and Teaching of 21st Century Skills (ATC21S) combined with the Knowledge, Skills, Attitudes, Values and Ethics (KSAVE) model of Binkley et al. (2012).
The findings of this research identify variability in the employability skills IoC programs are developing for their business students. The results show that IoC programs could help students develop ways of thinking and working, equip them with tools for working, enrich cultural understanding, enhance career identity and improve personal attributes but that there is no one systematic approach. This research highlights strategies to enhance students’ skills development, which may provide some guidance for IoC educational providers, academic staff and IoC students. My research also indicates several problems related to IoC programs reported by the above mentioned stakeholders. These require reviewing and resolving where possible. Finally, my research proposed a practical employability skills framework, developed and validated from a Western model, to suit the context of IoC program institutions in Vietnam.
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Carroll, Jeanne. "Primary school teachers' views of mathematics teaching and learning." Thesis, 1997. https://vuir.vu.edu.au/24365/.
Full text
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Hughes, Mary. "Pedagogical leadership: a case study of the educational leader in an early childhood setting in Australia." Thesis, 2019. https://vuir.vu.edu.au/40540/.
Full textAbstract:
Over the last decade, the Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) sector in Australia has undergone major reform with both federal and state governments introducing learning frameworks to address the quality of early education and care. The National Quality Framework (NQF) (Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority [ACECQA], 2018a) was established to raise quality and ensure that every Australian child receives the best possible start in life. As part of these reforms, the National Quality Standard (NQS) (ACECQA, 2018a) stipulates a requirement for the appointment of an Educational Leader in all prior to school settings: someone who will support, guide, and build the capacity of educators. The role of Educational Leader in ECEC is relatively new and there is a limited amount of research in this area.
The aim of this research was to gain a deeper understanding of, and insight into, the day-to-day pedagogical leadership enactment and decision-making of Educational Leaders, with a view to broadening current definitions and understandings of the role. A constructionist approach that ascribes to an interpretivist theoretical perspective underlies the qualitative single-case study design adopted in this study. The research was conducted within the context of one early childhood education setting in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It involved participants with different roles in the setting, aimed at exploring how pedagogical leadership is understood and enacted.
A qualitative single-case study design was selected to generate thick descriptions of how the Educational Leader gives direction, professional insight and informed expertise to educators in an ECEC setting, with major attention given to the uniqueness and complexity of the single case. Multiple methods of data collection were used over a six-month period: semi-structured interviews, shadowing, and the analysis of documents, artefacts and social media posts. Shadowing is not a commonly used method in early childhood research but was used in this study because of the richness of descriptive data that it offered and because of its suitability to the setting.
The study sought to address two research questions: ‘How does the Educational Leader provide pedagogical leadership to early childhood educators in a particular early childhood setting?’ and ‘What are the influences that determine how the Educational Leader provides pedagogical guidance to educators in a particular early childhood setting’? Analysis of the data identified two main findings that addressed these questions. The first highlights the main features of the day-to-day functions of the Educational Leader at the setting. The second highlights some factors that influence the work of the Educational Leader. At times, these factors encourage success in their work and at other times they constrain success.
The findings from this study provide a better understanding of the Educational Leader role in early childhood education and have the potential to inform policy. Of scholarly significance is the contribution of the shadowing method in research methodology, which is particularly useful in small-scale studies such as this one. Furthermore, the study contributes knowledge to the ECEC sector by providing insight into factors that influence how leadership practice is shaped and how the role of the Educational Leader is enacted in an ECEC setting.
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Rhema, Amal. "An analysis of experiences and perceptions of technology-based learning in higher education institutions in Libya : informing the advancement of e-learning." Thesis, 2013. https://vuir.vu.edu.au/26002/.
Full textAbstract:
E-learning is increasingly becoming a vital component of education worldwide, and educators acknowledge the importance and potential of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in facilitating the educational processes. Developing countries, including Libya, are lagging behind the expansion of e-learning, mainly because they lack the necessary infrastructure and resources to support it. While the adoption of e-learning in higher education has been well researched internationally, research relating to the Libyan higher education is very limited, and studies exploring the experiences and perceptions of students and instructors involved in e-learning are particularly scarce. This study investigated how ICTs and e-learning were experienced and perceived at two higher education institutions in Libya: University of Tripoli in Libya's capital, and a regional University of Al-Jabal Al-Gharbi.
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Sakulsumpaopol, Natcharin. "The roles of school principals in implementing change in elementary and secondary schools in Thailand." Thesis, 2010. https://vuir.vu.edu.au/15842/.
Full textAbstract:
This project investigates the role of the school principal in implementing school wide change that fosters a positive school climate while adopting New Education Reform in Thailand. This study shows how a principal can support change in a school in the context of educational reform in Thailand. The purpose of this investigation was to examine the activities and behaviours of three elementary and three secondary school principals and how they influenced change. It also addresses issues that affected school change reflected by school principals and teachers.
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Hosking, Bernadette. "An Investigation of Practitioners’ Conceptualisations of Quality Academic Work in Higher Education Offshore Programs." Thesis, 2018. https://vuir.vu.edu.au/39498/.
Full textAbstract:
A manifestation of the globalisation and internationalisation of higher education has been the growth of offshore programs conducted by Australian universities, especially in the Asian region. A concern with quality assurance and quality improvement has accompanied this trend. There have been relatively few studies about offshore programs from the viewpoint of academics. The prime purpose of this study, therefore, was to gain insights into the nature of quality academic work in offshore programs as conceptualised by academics. Through a deeper understanding of their perspectives, the researcher sought to determine the factors that participants identified as having crucial influences on the quality of their offshore work.
A constructivist methodological perspective, with its underpinning ontological and epistemological position that reality is formed within a social construct and concepts are constructed by the researcher and participants, was chosen as the most appropriate match to both address the central research question, and to align with the stance of the researcher. A qualitative interview-based design was employed, the main objective of which was to gather and analyse detailed accounts from a purposeful sample of 16 lecturer level academics from Australian higher education institutions, who had taught in offshore programs in Hong Kong. The main data collection method was individual in-depth semi-structured interviews, and thematic analysis was utilised to unearth the themes in the data.
The guiding conceptual frame for the research was informed by: concepts of academic work, internationalisation of higher education, and of quality, along with Schwab’s (1973) four commonplaces of education, and learning and cultural lenses. The findings and conclusions were supported by theoretical insights and verbatim interview extracts which highlighted the voices of participants. Three sets of factors were revealed: the contextual environment factors of contemporary academic work and notions of quality; the extrinsic factors of curriculum, student and institution; and the factors intrinsic to the academic. The confluence of these factors, interlinked through notions of learning, represented the conceptualisations of quality offshore academic work found in this study.
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Giri, Ram Ashish. "The adaptation of language testing models to national testing of school graduates in Nepal : processes, problems and emerging issues." Thesis, 2005. https://vuir.vu.edu.au/15597/.
Full textAbstract:
The school education system in Nepal is chronically under-resourced, severely lacking in infrastructure and school teachers are often untrained and demoralised. The isolation
of remote areas in the mountainous terrain, the effects of a ten-year civil war, and a culture impregnated with respect for traditional hierarchical, rule- and memory-based
modes of instruction exacerbate this situation. This research is a study of the current SLC English test and how it may be adapted to better suit the testing and educational needs of secondary school education in Nepal. Further, it makes a contribution to knowledge about how ESL/EFL language tests may be adapted and applied in order to meet the system-wide needs for EFL testing in developing countries more generally.
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Islam, Md Kabirul. "A case study of student participation in discussion in an online higher education course." Thesis, 2003. https://vuir.vu.edu.au/15351/.
Full textAbstract:
This research used a mixed method research design to investigate online participation on discussion tasks by students. The research also explored the relationship between online participation and academic performance, and the teacher's role in designing the tasks and providing support for students. Ninety-five paramedic students were
participants in this study. They were enrolled in a course that was delivered through the TopClass system in 2000.
The research observed message posting by students and teachers' support of discussion for five subjects. Students' expectations of online participation in discussion and perceptions of studying online were collected through questionnaires and telephone
interviews. These data were compared with the actual number and nature of the messages posted. Teachers' perceptions of students' engagement in online discussion were gained through interviews.
The study found that student message posting in online learning situations is likely to be related to the cognitive demand and accessibility of discussion tasks that staff design and to the quality of teacher facilitation of discussion. These factors are likely to influence students' willingness to participate in online discussion and to encourage interaction with peers, although situational and personal differences between students are also factors affecting participation. Online message posting is perceived by staff and students to contribute to knowledge building among students and may be associated with improved academic performance. Further research conceming the engagement of students in online discussion is needed.
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Livesay, Karen. "Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Simulated Patients: Otherness and Intersectional Identity Transformations Revealed Through Narrative." Thesis, 2016. https://vuir.vu.edu.au/34050/.
Full textAbstract:
Simulation aims to replicate the important aspects of a situation to aid learning. Simulated patients (SPs) should ideally represent the diversity of patients encountered in clinical practice. Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) people are underrepresented in simulated patient groups in comparison to population demographics. Little is known about CALD SPs. The research aim was to explore the experience of CALD people who have worked as simulated patients.
The methodology is narrative. In accordance with the intention to reveal values, beliefs and actions embedded in a particular context, participant stories were explored to reveal rich and meaning-making content. This approach offered motivations, rationales and driving emotions rather than outcomes. Participant stories were developed preserving the coherence of their account using a modified version of Emden’s (1998b) process. The theoretical framework of intersectionality was used as this supported the complexity of individual identities whilst reflecting contexts and cultures. Using an interpretive scheme of significance, value and intention a thematic analysis was undertaken. This analysis was intensified through intersectional analysis.
Five themes and four intersectional identity groups emerged. The five themes: The SP experience, The SP imperative, Otherness, Learning and Identity emerged. These themes encapsulate the changing selves of the SP through their life journeys and more poignantly their simulated journeys. The four intersectional identity groups: shielding emotion, taming stigma, influencing image and overcoming ignorance represented the dynamic way the SPs identities were represented to themselves as well as to others through simulation. A CALD SP model named “BLOSSOM” was developed that demonstrates the movement of identity through simulation akin to the liminal processes described by van Gennep and modified by Turner (1987). The model is crosscut by intersectionality and the pluralism of otherness. The outcomes of this model have implications for the recruitment, retention and simulation scenario development incorporating CALD SPs and form the basis for the recommendations.
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Vu, Jo. "Quantitative requirements in undergraduate business courses: the case study of Victoria University of Technology." Thesis, 2004. https://vuir.vu.edu.au/15350/.
Full textAbstract:
Business educators and employers recognize the importance of quantitative methods to business professionals, and subjects in quantitative methods are among the most frequentiy required in the business undergraduate curriculum. However, both business employers and graduates have expressed some dissatisfaction with business education and comment that school ttaining fails to prepare graduates
adequately for the particular needs of business organisations. Because of recent changes in technology in the business environment, business educators need to understand what employers consider important, what quantitative methods are required in industry, and how education in quantitative methods can best be prepared in order to meet the needs of business in the 21st century.
This research study attempts to answer these questions by investigating the content of quantitative programs offered at the Victoria University of Technology, the effectiveness of associated teaching methods in undergraduate business comses and the viewpoints of final-year students, graduates, educators and business employers about the courses.
34
Scott, Wendy. "Adaptive teaching practice : teacher response to upper primary students (years 5-6) who experience difficulty with reading." Thesis, 2002. https://vuir.vu.edu.au/15684/.
Full textAbstract:
Adaptive teaching is the modification of instructional processes or procedures in response to individual student need. The aim of the research was to investigate the
adaptations made by teachers in response to the perceived needs of students in Years 5 and 6 who experienced difficulty with reading. The study was undertaken in six
Victorian classrooms. Data were collected on a range of factors that might influence adaptive teaching. Contextual factors included teacher education, experience, teacher
beliefs and level of administrative support. Student factors included the degree and type of reading difficulty experienced by students in the classroom.
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Herbert, Shirley Marion. "Motivating male primary underachievers through a technoliteracy curriculum." Thesis, 2000. https://vuir.vu.edu.au/17902/.
Full textAbstract:
Boys of primary school age growing up on family farms frequently make
a significant contribution to the labour force of the farm. Observation suggests,
however, that boys from such families who have knowledge, skills and talent
beyond their years in relation to farm life, often have poor academic skills and
low motivation within the school environment.
The question of why such students with obviously bright minds did not
reflect their perceived potential in terms of motivation and academic
achievement needed to be examined and an appropriate curriculum for their
needs devised.
As a result of early action research, a change in the teaching-learning
style was developed, using a student-centred approach with technology as
the medium of presentation. This approach overcame the frustration of the
focus students and they began to participate in classroom activity. This thesis
reports on an intensive study of the response to this innovative curriculum by
four students from farming families.
36
Richardson, Elizabeth. "Monitoring the development of communication and literacy skills among learners with an autism spectrum disorder." Thesis, 2019. https://vuir.vu.edu.au/40060/.
Full textAbstract:
This research study aimed to design and empirically validate an assessment instrument for identifying the communication and literacy skills of learners with ASD. Additionally, the research aimed to explore potential correlations between communication and literacy development for these learners.
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Bosquet, Laval Michel Jean-Francois. "Conceptions of the Quality of Teaching in Higher Education in Australia: An Investigation." Thesis, 2018. https://vuir.vu.edu.au/36762/.
Full textAbstract:
In this study I have investigated the ways academics experience the quality of teaching in the higher education sector in Australia. Having an understanding of what quality of teaching means to different categories of academics in important for both university management and the academics. A literature review revealed that ‘quality’ is a contested concept and academics’ divergent opinions over its meaning; the scant attention that the research literature has paid to this notion led this research study to address the gap in this body of knowledge. The study used a phenomenographic approach and a metaphor analysis to elicit and describe the qualitatively different ways that academics experienced the quality of teaching.
A purposeful sample of nineteen teaching academics – nine permanent and ten sessional employees in the Business School of a prominent Australian University – participated in the study. The data, which were gathered through individual and focus group interviews, were subjected to both phenomenographic and metaphor analysis. Initially, the interview transcripts were analysed using an inductive data reduction procedure; a phenomenographic analysis resulted in an outcome space consisting of a finite set of categories of description which explained the different ways academics in the sample experienced quality phenomena in their world. As a result, nine ways of experiencing the quality of teaching were identified:
• quality as student satisfaction;
• quality as compliance with standards;
• quality as control and assurance;
• quality as blended learning and delivery modes;
• quality as scholarship and professional practice;
• quality as information and communication;
• quality perception and language games;
• quality as community of practice and peer-partnership;
• quality as students’ academic success and job-readiness.
Subsequently, I subjected the data obtained from each of two separate focus group interviews of the permanent and the sessional academics were also subjected to inductive data reduction analysis; this resulted in establishing a set of ’emergent metaphors’ associated with the quality of teaching that emerged from the experience of the two groups of academics. Finally, I paired the categories of description from the semi-structured interviews with the ’emergent metaphors’ from the focus group interviews; similarities and differences arising between the two groups of academics were compared and contrasted. The findings highlighted the fact that academics experienced the quality of teaching in different ways, including individual interpretations and the understanding of the term ‘quality’.
I found that the results of the study challenge a commonly-held assumption that the concept of ‘quality’ may only be communicated through the use of exact language and that it needs to be measured substantively, through a proper audit method. I also found that both similar and different ’emergent metaphors’ were embedded within communication between the two groups of stakeholders; overall, the existence of these ‘emergent metaphors’ suggests that there are viable alternative ways of dealing with the notion of ‘quality’ in teaching within the higher education sector.
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Bak, Geert. "Negotiating Difference: Steiner Education as an Alternative Tradition within the Australian Education Landscape." Thesis, 2021. https://vuir.vu.edu.au/42217/.
Full textAbstract:
Steiner education, also known as Waldorf education, has represented a form of education “against the grain” in the Australian education landscape since its introduction as a practice in Sydney in 1957. Now with sixty schools or programs nationally, and an accredited Australian Steiner Curriculum Framework, Steiner education has shown that educational roots can be sunk into a different educational soil and can prosper. Contributing to the history of education in Australia, as well as to the contemporary understanding of educational alternatives in the Australian context, this study examines the localised development of Steiner education between the years spanning approximately 1970-2010, predominantly in Victoria. Three periods are covered, comprising a founding school phase (1970s), a second-generation Steiner school phase (1980s) and a publicly funded Steiner “streams” phase (approx. 1990 – 2010). Interviews with forty Steiner educators are drawn on, in addition to documentary sources such as school newsletters and newspaper articles, to examine the creation of six Steiner schools or programs. The thesis by publication comprises five papers – four already published and one under review – and an exegesis. Three of the papers are historical, one explores the ethical and methodological considerations stemming from the insider-outsider positioning of the researcher, and one examines the place of Steiner education in the contemporary education landscape in Australia.
The orientations of each paper draw on different elements of the methodology, including: practice theory, Gee’s D/d discourse analysis, oral history, biographical sociology, and auto-ethnography. The basis of Steiner education in an epistemology of movement, representing a foundational interest in dynamic performative discourse and concepts, in contrast to representational, static ones, represents a further red thread throughout this study. The exegesis places these papers in a broader context of debates on education and Steiner education more broadly, pulling together some of the literature and the methodological orientation as a whole. The focus for this study is firstly on the local circumstances of the creation of the schools and programs being examined, from the perspective primarily of Steiner educators involved, and secondly on the evolving external socio-political and bureaucratic contexts for these initiatives. The significance of this study lies in how it shows that while policies such as ‘choice’ may afford important opportunities for the creation of new Steiner schools and programs, they also constrain the conceptualisation of Steiner education. Secondly, it demonstrates that neoliberal approaches to education has narrowed conceptions of epistemological diversity within schooling, contributing to a glossing over of philosophical alternatives in contemporary scholarship on alternative education. Thirdly, the value of examining alternative education to highlight ideological and philosophical tensions and fault lines is shown, particularly in relation to the challenges of philosophical educational change. And finally, the case is made that contemplative inquiry, as well as philosophical and theoretical developments emphasising dynamic concepts of enactment and performance, such as socio-materialism, present helpful new framings for the notion of applied inner- life activity as recognised within Steiner education.