Dissertations / Theses: 'Teaching (Higher) Australia'

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Weeks, Patricia Ann. "Facilitating a reflective, collaborative teaching development project in higher education : relections on experience." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 1994.

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A rapidly changing social, educational, political and economic context has meant that there are calls for teaching processes in universities to change from the traditional didactic, lecture method to a more problem-based, student centered active approach to learning, in order to promote and encourage the development of creative, analytical, flexible, lifelong learning skills in graduates. In Australia in recent times there has been an emphasis placed on improving the quality of teaching in higher education. Recently teaching in higher education has been nominated by the Government as an area of national priority. Many universities have responded by establishing Academic Staff Development Units part of whose brief is to assist with the improvement of university teaching practices. University lecturers are well trained in their own disciplines but it is unusual for them to have received any pre-service formal education in teaching methodology. This study was based in and limited to the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) where teaching is a valued part of the mission, and an Academic Staff Development Unit (ASDU) was established to provide support and assistance to lecturers. Part of the brief of the unit is to provide programs, courses, projects and individual consultation to assist lecturers to make changes and improvements to their teaching practices. This study explored the processes involved in encouraging lecturers to join and sustain their involvement with a voluntary collaborative, cross faculty teaching development project (TRAC) which promoted an alternative method of teaching development. This teaching development project offered academics an opportunity to move out of the traditional forms of teaching development by becoming reflective practitioners (Schon, 1983, 1987). The fact that some lecturers were becoming involved and making improvements to their teaching practice by reflecting on and researching their own teaching suggested a need to focus on the processes required to foster and sustain this involvement. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to examine my process of facilitation in the teaching development project. The study is descriptive and interpretive, it was designed to reveal the processes involved in facilitating the project. Narrative inquiry was used as the mode of research in this study as it was an appropriate means of understanding an experience in which the researcher was an active participant and for capturing the complexity of improving teaching in higher education. As facilitator of the project the researcher kept a journal and data was collected through a series of unstructured conversations with lecturers involved with the TRAC project. Observations were made of group meetings and the documents relating to the reflective, collaborative teaching development project were collected. This study aimed to add to the literature on the role and concerns experienced by the facilitator of a teaching development project in higher education. By engaging in reflective inquiry, the researcher learned more about her role and responsibility as a teaching developer and the potential promise and possible pitfalls of helping others engage in studying their teaching practice in higher education. She came to understand more about engaging in reflective practice. The narrative highlighted the processes involved in facilitating a university-wide collaborative, reflective teaching development project for lecturers in higher education, which was aimed at improving the quality of university teaching. By giving a detailed analysis of the individual experiences of the facilitator the study provided a portrayal of the barriers to change and the discussion extended to the implications for supporting lecturers in their quest to become "reflective practitioners" or "teacher-researchers" of their own lecture rooms, laboratories, tutorial rooms and studios in order to improve their pedagogic practice. This study has not aimed to portray a "perfected" process of facilitation, but rather to explore various processes involved in one particular situation. Inquiry into teaching in higher education increasingly focuses on how students learn. While there are many reports in the school sector of teachers examining their own teaching practice, we read very little information about self-reflection either among lecturers or among teaching developers in higher education. The narrative focused on the exploration of my daily practice. The emerging portrayal was characterised by complexity. In this study, I observed that for lecturers to venture beyond the security of former patterns of teaching, to extend their vision and to engage in the change process to improve their teaching practice, I had to create the opportunities and provide support for lecturers whilst they became involved in questioning their teaching practice. I had to provide a 'safe haven' as they entered into a process of thinking, talking and writing about their experiences as lecturers. I found for many lecturers, telling their stories (either through writing or talking) and sharing their concerns with colleagues produced a remarkably fresh and personalised awareness of the experience of being a lecturer.

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Addison, Patricia A. "Receptivity to a proposed change in accounting education." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 1995. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1196.

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This cross-sectional correlation study is concerned with accounting practitioners' receptivity to a propose change in accounting education; specifically, that the existing three year degree course be extended to four years. This change is proposed by the Accounting Profession in Australia. A model of accounting practitioners' receptivity towards the proposed change, at the adoption stage, was revised and adapted from a general model of teacher receptivity to any system-wide change. The revised model has one dependent variable, receptivity, which is measured in three aspects; overall feelings, attitudes, and general behaviour intentions towards the proposed change in accounting education. It has eight Independent variables, and a number of situation variables. These independent variables are; attitudes towards the structure and content of the proposed change, general beliefs about the change based on the expanding scope of accounting practice, overall feelings about the strengths and weaknesses of accounting graduates, overall feelings about alleviating fears and uncertainties of the proposed change, overall feelings about the practicality of the proposed change in the lecture room and tutorial room in two aspects, general behaviour intentions about expectations and achievements for the proposed change, and general behaviour intentions to support instructors and the accounting profession. The relationships between the dependent variables and the independent variables are examined in the context of a number of situation variables.

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Buckingham, Elizabeth Ann. "Socialisation to higher mathematics : men's and women's experience of their induction to the discipline." Monash University, Faculty of Education, 2004. http://arrow.monash.edu.au/hdl/1959.1/5425.

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Dooey, Patricia. "Issues of English language proficiency for international students." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2005. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/628.

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In the last 20 years or so, there has been a phenomenal increase in the number of international full-fee paying students applying to study in Australian universities, The revenue provided in this way has helped to address the problems faced by cash-starved universities facing recurring funding cuts over the same period. Furthermore, the presence of such students on any university campus provides immeasurable enrichment to the student body in terms of cultural diversity and research potential, and indeed it is very tempting in an ever,-increasing global market, to be as flexible as possible with prospective international students. However, the process of admission also demands careful consideration on the part of the various stakeholders involved. Although several factors need to be taken into account, the most obvious and certainly of primary importance would be the need to prove proficiency in the English language, Given that English is the dominant means of communication in the university, all students are required to draw from a complex web of linguistic resources to construct meaning and to complete the range of tasks required of them during their tertiary studies, This volume deals :with the overarching theme of issues of English language proficiency for overseas students studying in an Australian university. This focus can be viewed from many angles, and there are certainly many key facets involved, a selection of which is explored in the papers of the portfolio. These include the following broad areas: recruitment and admissions, language testing and technology, curriculum and inclusivity, English language support, academic conduct and finally the specific needs of international students, as viewed from their own perspective.

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Santhanam, Elizabeth. "Investigation and innovation of teaching and learning genetics at the introductory level in the University of Adelaide /." Title page, contents and abstract only, 1996. http://web4.library.adelaide.edu.au/theses/09PH/09phs2338.pdf.

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Shaw, Peter. "The conceptions of art practice held by tertiary visual art students." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 1993. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/36703/1/36703_Digitised%20Thesis.pdf.

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This study explores student learning in a tertiary visual arts institution. Students' conceptions of art practice are described using the phenomenologically based educational research method of phenomenography. The study addresses the intentional content of student art practice in the contexts of the visual arts institution and the status of visual arts in the 1990s. Data collection was carried out through interviews with Honours Year visual arts students, which was processed using textual analysis to examine understandings related to the visual arts.

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Veal, David. "An investigation into computer and network curricula." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2003. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1331.

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This thesis consists of a series of internationally published, peer reviewed, journal and conference research papers that analyse the educational and training needs of undergraduate Information Technology (IT) students within the area of Computer and Network Technology (CNT) Education. Research by Maj et al has found that accredited computing science curricula can fail to meet the expectations of employers in the field of CNT: “It was found that none of these students could perform first line maintenance on a Personal Computer (PC) to a professional standard with due regard to safety, both to themselves and the equipment. Neither could they install communication cards, cables and network operating system or manage a population of networked PCs to an acceptable commercial standard without further extensive training. It is noteworthy that none of the students interviewed had ever opened a PC. It is significant that all those interviewed for this study had successfully completed all the units on computer architecture and communication engineering" (Maj, Robbins, Shaw, & Duley, 1998). The students' curricula at that time lacked units in which they gained hands-on experience in modern PC hardware or networking skills. This was despite the fact that their computing science course was level one accredited, the highest accreditation level offered by the Australian Computer Society (ACS). The results of the initial survey in Western Australia led to the introduction of two new units within the Computing Science Degree at Edith Cowan University (ECU), Computer Installation & Maintenance (CIM) and Network Installation & Maintenance (NIM) (Maj, Fetherston, Charlesworth, & Robbins, 1998). Uniquely within an Australian university context these new syllabi require students to work on real equipment. Such experience excludes digital circuit investigation, which is still a recommended approach by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) for computer architecture units (ACM, 2001, p.97). Instead, the CIM unit employs a top-down approach based initially upon students' everyday experiences, which is more in accordance with constructivist educational theory and practice. These papers propose an alternate model of IT education that helps to accommodate the educational and vocational needs of IT students in the context of continual rapid changes and developments in technology. The ACM have recognised the need for variation noting that: "There are many effective ways to organize a curriculum even for a particular set of goals and objectives" (Tucker et al., 1991, p.70). A possible major contribution to new knowledge of these papers relates to how high level abstract bandwidth (B-Node) models may contribute to the understanding of why and how computer and networking technology systems have developed over time. Because these models are de-coupled from the underlying technology, which is subject to rapid change, these models may help to future-proof student knowledge and understanding of the ongoing and future development of computer and networking systems. The de-coupling is achieved through abstraction based upon bandwidth or throughput rather than the specific implementation of the underlying technologies. One of the underlying problems is that computing systems tend to change faster than the ability of most educational institutions to respond. Abstraction and the use of B-Node models could help educational models to more quickly respond to changes in the field, and can also help to introduce an element of future-proofing in the education of IT students. The importance of abstraction has been noted by the ACM who state that: "Levels of Abstraction: the nature and use of abstraction in computing; the use of abstraction in managing complexity, structuring systems, hiding details, and capturing recurring patterns; the ability to represent an entity or system by abstractions having different levels of detail and specificity"(ACM, 1991b). Bloom et al note the importance of abstraction, listing under a heading of: “Knowledge of the universals and abstractions in a field” the objective: "Knowledge of the major schemes and patterns by which phenomena and ideas arc organized. These are large structures, theories, and generalizations which dominate a subject or field or problems. These are the highest levels of abstraction and complexity'' (Bloom, Engelhart, Furst, Hill, & Krathwohl, 1956, p. 203). Abstractions can be applied to computer and networking technology to help provide students with common fundamental concepts regardless of the particular underlying technological implementation to help avoid the rapid redundancy of a detailed knowledge of modem computer and networking technology implementation and hands-on skills acquisition. Again the ACM note that: “Enduring computing concepts include ideas that transcend any specific vendor, package or skill set... While skills are fleeting, fundamental concepts are enduring and provide long lasting benefits to students, critically important in a rapidly changing discipline" (ACM, 2001, p.70) These abstractions can also be reinforced by experiential learning to commercial practices. In this context, the other possibly major contribution of new knowledge provided by this thesis is an efficient, scalable and flexible model for assessing hands-on skills and understanding of IT students. This is a form of Competency-Based Assessment (CBA), which has been successfully tested as part of this research and subsequently implemented at ECU. This is the first time within this field that this specific type of research has been undertaken within the university sector within Australia. Hands-on experience and understanding can become outdated hence the need for future proofing provided via B-Nodes models. The three major research questions of this study are: •Is it possible to develop a new, high level abstraction model for use in CNT education? •Is it possible to have CNT curricula that are more directly relevant to both student and employer expectations without suffering from rapid obsolescence? •Can WI effective, efficient and meaningful assessment be undertaken to test students' hands-on skills and understandings? The ACM Special Interest Group on Data Communication (SJGCOMM) workshop report on Computer Networking, Curriculum Designs and Educational Challenges, note a list of teaching approaches: " ... the more 'hands-on' laboratory approach versus the more traditional in-class lecture-based approach; the bottom-up approach towards subject matter verus the top-down approach" (Kurose, Leibeherr, Ostermann, & Ott-Boisseau, 2002, para 1). Bandwidth considerations are approached from the PC hardware level and at each of the seven layers of the International Standards Organisation (ISO) Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) reference model. It is believed that this research is of significance to computing education. However, further research is needed.

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Alderman, Gwendolyn. "From policy borrowing to implementation : an illuminative evaluation of learning and teaching in higher education in Australia (2002 to 2008)." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2014. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/75865/1/Gwendolyn_Alderman_Thesis.pdf.

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This study documents and theorises the consequences of the 2003 Australian Government Reform Package focussed on learning and teaching in Higher Education during the period 2002 to 2008. This is achieved through the perspective of program evaluation and the methodology of illuminative evaluation. The findings suggest that the three national initiatives of that time, Learning and Teaching Performance Fund (LTPF), Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC), and Australian Universities Quality Agency (AUQA), were successful in repositioning learning and teaching as a core activity in universities. However, there were unintended consequences brought about by international policy borrowing, when the short-lived nature of LTPF suggests a legacy of quality compliance rather than one of quality enrichment.

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Baird, Craig A. "Cognitive apprenticeship in a building design office." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2001. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1065.

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This thesis presents a research study that investigated student learning in a mentor supported design office situation, using a cognitive apprenticeship learning approach that utilised authentic design project tusks. In this study, 29 final year Technical And Further Education (TAFE) building design students undertook authentic building design projects with expert building designers, who acted as mentors, in commercial design office situations. The mentors guided student learning by using a cognitive apprenticeship approach to learning, implemented with authentic design projects designed to replicate the everyday culture of practice activities typical of commercial design office operations. This study follows the progress of these students as they worked in collaboration with their mentors in the design and presentation of design solutions developed for the projects. Data about the students' learning experiences in this setting were collected and analysed to determine their learning outcomes, the kinds of knowledge acquired and the means through which knowledge was transferred in the study situation. A holistic interpretivistic approach was used to collect data in three phases. The first of these was a pilot-study with the other two phases providing the main data gathering parts of the study. Much of the focus of the third phase of this study was on verifying findings emergent from analysis of data collected in the first two phases, as well as seeking greater understanding of the study phenomena. Throughout each of the three phases, data were collected from multiple sources, which included interviews, direct observations, personal journals and drawings. Analysis of the data showed that using cognitive apprenticeship learning methods organised around mentor supported authentic projects implemented in authentic commercial design office situations provided successful transfer of declarative, tacit and procedural knowledge from the mentor to the students. This thesis concludes with recommendations for the classroom application of cognitive apprenticeship learning methods, as used by the expert building designers who participated in this research.

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Sebastian, Dipu, and dipu_sebastian@hotmail com. "Enhancing student learning in a first year business program." Deakin University. Education, 2009. http://tux.lib.deakin.edu.au./adt-VDU/public/adt-VDU20100401.122742.

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The central purpose of this study was to investigate whether specific teaching and learning activities, such as concept mapping and reconceptualising the assessment criteria, could improve student learning outcomes in a first year Business program. The rationale for designing such strategies was based on a preliminary study, which examined the specific characteristics of the student cohort, and relevant literature. Overall, findings of this research suggest that these measures can improve student learning outcomes on a written task and further lighlighted the importance of engaging the student within the learning process.

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Puhl, Les. "An evaluation of the procedures used to assess and remediate the perceived writing difficulties of undergraduate students in the Faculty of Education at Edith Cowan University." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 1992. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1127.

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The standards of written literacy of teacher-education students at Edith Cowan University are perceived by many staff to be inadequate. The Faculty of Education's response to this perceived inadequacy is to carry out a mandatory skills-based remedial writing programme for students whose literacy competencies are judged to be deficient, The instrument used to assess the students' literacy competencies is the English Skills Assessment test. The students' performances in the various skills which the test purports to measure, also determine the area in which they are given remedial instruction if the results of the test suggest this is necessary. However, many Faculty of Education staff are concerned that there are important conceptual, structural, and organisational inadequacies in students' writing which are not identified by the English Skills Assessment test and, therefore, are not attended to in remediation programmes based on the results generated by this test. This study was an evaluation of the remedial literacy programme conducted by the Faculty of Education at Edith Cowan University. The programme was evaluated from two perspectives (a) a theoretical perspective and (b) a practical perspective. Firstly, the study evaluated the procedures used by the Faculty of Education to diagnose and remediate writing difficulties among its first year student intake by comparing the assumptions underlying those procedures to the assumptions underlying a contemporary perspective of writing and the teaching of writing. This comparison revealed that not only were many of the procedures used by the Faculty ineffectual, but also some of the procedures used had the potential to inhibit the literacy development of its students. Secondly, the study investigated whether the English Skills Assessment test was able to identify (a) all the areas in which students experienced difficulties inwriting and (b) the students who were likely to experience the difficulties. The performances of 426 first year primary and secondary teacher education students attending the Mount Lawley Campus of the Edith Cowan University in the English Skills Assessment test were compared with their performances in a research-essay assignment, carried out as a normal part of their course work. The results of this aspect of the study reinforce the findings of an earlier study (Holbrook & Bourke, 1989) which reported that the English Skills Assessment test neither identified all the areas in which tertiary level students experience difficulty in their real writing nor the students likely to experience difficulties, This study shows that Holbrook and Bourke's findings, which related to narrative text, also applied when students wrote expository text. These results challenge the validity of the Faculty's use of the English Skills Assessment test as a means of identifying students with writing problems and show that any remedial writing programme based solely on the areas identified by the test will have a limited impact on the development of students' written literacy. In addition to the data originally sought for this study, other information came to light which showed the limitations of the way in which the Faculty conceptualises students' literacy needs. The emphasis of this programme is diagnosis and remediation. This conceptualisation has produced a literacy unit which is peripheral to the mainstream academic programme and which teaches the surface features of language in decontextualised, skills-based lessons. As a consequence, the unit: (a) is accorded marginal status by lecturers and students alike, ( b ) bears little relationship to what is happening in other units of the course, and (c) contributes little, if anything, to students' literacy development. It is clear from the findings of this study that the Faculty of Educator's remedial literacy programme contains serious flaws which cannot be rectified by attempting to modify the existing programme, The study concludes by recommending that the Faculty of Education should abandon its existing programme, along with its remedial emphasis, and institute a new programme designed to cater for the literacy needs of all its students. That is, all incoming students should be required to undertake a foundation unit which outlines the Faculty of Education's requirements and expectations of students, and teaches them the structures and processes (reading, writing, and thinking) required for successful learning in Bachelor of Arts (Education) courses.

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Delahunty, Susan. "Portraits of Middle Eastern Gulf female students in Australian universities." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2013. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/585.

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This research explores the experiences and insights of ten Middle Eastern Gulf women as they cross international borders to study in Australian universities. The literature indicates that international students in Australia establish their identity within the context of their overseas existence. This is particularly important as Muslims may feel they are being placed in a precarious situation due to, more often than not, terrorism being linked to Islam. Also, when Muslim women wear Islamic or traditional attire, the general public tends to look upon them with curiosity. With this in mind, the complex and changed contexts faced by ten Middle Eastern Gulf female post-graduate students are investigated using qualitative research methods. Utilising a grounded theory approach to interpret data and identify themes from two online questionnaires and personal interviews, individual portraits are created to illuminate their experiences. The research findings reveal new knowledge indicating that education is a structured mechanism for the participants, resulting in the creation of a new hybrid self as a key instrument for survival. This enables them to better understand cultural contexts and barriers arising from class, tradition, religion and learning. The participants indicate that a two-way agreement between educators and learners is paramount to a smooth transition into the Australian education system and a positive return to their home communities.

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Wood, Leigh Norma. "Graduate voices the nexus between learning and work /." Phd thesis, Australia : Macquarie University, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/1959.14/47704.

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"2006"
Thesis (PhD)--Macquarie University, Australian Centre for Educational Studies, Institute of Higher Education Research and Development, 2007.
Bibliography: p. 167-173.
Introduction -- Experience and expression -- Becoming a professional -- Study design -- Graduates' experiences: a narrative -- Reflections on communication -- Examples of texts -- Reflections on learning and teaching -- Reflections and implications.
The aim of this study is to inform curriculum change in the mathematical sciences at university level. This study examines the transition to professional work after gaining a degree in the mathematical sciences. Communication is used as the basis for the analysis of the transition because of the importance of language choices in work situations. These experiences form part of the capabilities that become part of a person's potential to work as a professional. I found a subtle form of power and, of the opposite, lack of power due to communication skills. It is not as obvious as in, say, politics but it is just as critical to graduates and to the mathematical sciences. -- There were 18 participants in the study who were graduates within five years of graduation with majors in the mathematical sciences. In-depth interviews were analysed using phenomenography and examples of text from the workplace were analysed using discourse analysis. Descriptions of the process of gaining employment and the use of mathematical discourse have been reported in the thesis using narrative style with extensive quotes from the participants. -- The research shows that graduates had three qualitatively different conceptions of mathematical discourse when communicating with a non-mathematical audience: jargon, concepts/thinking and strength. All participants modified their use of technical terms when communicating with non-mathematicians. Those who held the jargon conception tried to simplify the language in order to explain the mathematics to their audience. Those who held the concepts/thinking conception believed that the way of thinking or the ideas were too difficult to communicate and instead their intention with mathematical discourse was to inspire or sell their ability to work with the mathematics. The strength conception considers the ethical responsibility to communicate the consequences of mathematical decisions. Not one of the participants believed that they had been taught communication skills as part of their degree. -- Participants gained a 'mathematical identity' from their studies and acquiring a degree gave them confidence and a range of problem-solving skills. Recommendations are made about changes in university curriculum to ensure that graduates are empowered to make a high-quality transition to the workplace and be in a position to use their mathematical skills. Mathematical skills are necessary but not sufficient for a successful transition to the workplace. Without the ability to communicate, graduates are unable to release the strength of their knowledge.
Mode of access: World Wide Web.
xi, 195 p. ill

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Paul, Suzanna. "Comparative assessment of the effectiveness of online vs paper based post graduate courses in occupational and environmental safety and health at Edith Cowan University, Perth, Western Australia." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2006. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/88.

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Although online / e-learning is shifting the teaching paradigm at tertiary institutions, there are limited studies that assess the effectiveness of online courses, particularly in the occupational and environmental health field and among mature aged students. The main aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of online "Blackboard" units as compared to traditional "paper based" units taught as part of the Professional Masters in Occupational and Environmental Health at the Edith Cowan University. Unit commencement and completion questionnaires were designed and distributed over two academic semesters (in 2004 and 2005) to evaluate students' perceptions of the effectiveness of the modes of delivery. Some questions about characteristics of the students, their knowledge of technology and their expected learning outcomes were included. To obtain more detailed information, a focus group meeting was conducted. In addition lecturers were interviewed prior to and after teaching in the courses. The interview questions from lecturers provided information about their expectations from the unit content, rationale for selecting online as opposed to traditional paper based methods and their experience in teaching in traditional paper based mode versus virtual teaching methods.

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Medley, Stuart. "Less realism : more meaning : evaluating imagery for the graphic designer." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2008. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/232.

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Typography' as a defining term has become interchangcable with 'graphic design'. and while font choice and application is seen as of paramount importance. image choice, virtually half , . of the communication design equation, is neglected in the theory and in pratice is left to the instinct of the designer. In this thesis I try to find approaches for graphic designers to understand image to the degree that they understand type. These approaches are tested through assignments for graphic design students and the results recorded and analysed. I seek to address the paradox that we are able to communicate more accurately through less accurately rendered images. I will explain how the human visual system. evolved over time by looking only upon the natural world in all its reality. can look upon a stick-figure and make an emotional and intellectual connection. I examine the design implications of this strange faculty of the visual system. Gombrich. Arnheim and others have explored realism in, and applied psychology to, art in order to become better art historians. I explore the implications in the more pragmatic. economically imperative field of design of moving away from realism in the visual aspects of communication.

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Garner, Stuart K. "Exploring a technology-facilitated part-complete solution method for learning computer programming." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2005. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/668.

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Learning to program is now a requirement in many courses of study in such areas as computer science, information technology, information systems, multimedia. engineering, and science. However, research indicates that many students have great difficulties in learning to program and this results in high failure rates and high levels of withdrawal from academic courses. It is accepted that programming is an intrinsically difficult subject however the teaching and learning methods used in many programming courses have changed little over the years. The literature indicates the importance of reducing the cognitive load that students experience when learning programming and that one method that has potential to do this uses part-complete program solutions. This study sought to explore a technology supported part-complete solution method (TSPCSM) for the learning of computer programming. A teaching and learning framework for programming was developed and a technology supported “COde Restucturing Tool” CORT, was then designed around the learning framework and developed to support the part-complete solution method and provide a suitable learning environment. A quasi-experimental research design framework was utilised in the study which used both qualitative and quantitative research methods. A series of programming problems was developed for CORT and an experiment was undertaken with students who were studying introductory programming. Experimental and control groups were utilised in the experiment which took place over a 14 week semester at an Australian university The data were analysed and they provided rich information concerning three research questions relating to the part-complete solution method (PCSM) through CORT: how students engaged with CORT; how CORT supported the learning process; and how CORT impacted upon their learning outcomes. Results from the study indicated that the PCSM within CORT imposed a low cognitive load on students; provided high levels of cognitive support; strong scaffolding for learning; and students engaged well with the system and generally used a thoughtful and considered strategy to solving programming problems. No differences in learning achievement were found between the experimental and control groups, however other findings indicated that the students who used the PCSM within CORT required significantly less time and less help than the control group and the students who benefited most from the use of CORT appeared to have well developed mental models of program execution, More research is clearly needed to further explore the best ways to implement CORT so that learning advantages can be gained e solution method and provide a suitable learning environment. A quasi-experimental research design framework was utilised in the study which used both qualitative and quantitative research methods. A series of programming problems was developed for CORT and an experiment was undertaken with students who were studying introductory programming. Experimental and control groups were utilised in the experiment which took place over a 14 week semester at an Australian university The data were analysed and they provided rich information concerning three research questions relating to the part-complete solution method (PCSM) through CORT: how students engaged with CORT; how CORT supported the learning process; and how CORT impacted upon their learning outcomes. Results from the study indicated that the PCSM within CORT imposed a low cognitive load on students; provided high levels of cognitive support; strong scaffolding for learning; and students engaged well with the system and generally used a thoughtful and considered strategy to solving programming problems. No differences in learning achievement were found between the experimental and control groups, however other findings indicated that the students who used the PCSM within CORT required significantly less time and less help than the control group and the students who benefited most from the use of CORT appeared to have well developed mental models of program execution, More research is clearly needed to further explore the best ways to implement CORT so that learning advantages can be gained to solving programming problems. No differences in learning achievement were found between the experimental and control groups, however other findings indicated that the students who used the PCSM within CORT required significantly less time and less help than the control group

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Saltmarsh, David L. W. (David Lloyd William). "National review of nursing education : student expectations of nursing education." Canberra, A.C.T. : Commonwealth Department of Education, Science and Training, 2001. http://www.dest.gov.au/highered/nursing/pubs/student_expect/1.htm.

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Booth, Sarah. "Teaching Aboriginal curriculum content in Australian high schools." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2014. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1522.

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Many misconceptions about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders stem from Australia’s period of colonisation in the 18th and 19th centuries when Indigenous people were believed to be inferior by European settlers. It is disturbing that after 200 years these negative ideas still exist and are often perpetuated through the mass media. Even though schools are well positioned to challenge these colonial values; unfortunately there are many factors which affect the depth and quality of teaching Aboriginal content, such as culture, history and contemporary issues. The government has aimed to disperse the inconsistencies associated with teaching Aboriginal perspectives by implementing a new Australian Curriculum with prescribed Aboriginal content. However, these changes will only have an impact if teachers are equipped and motivated to implement them. Therefore, understanding what influences teachers’ choice of content and approach to teaching Aboriginal Studies was a key aspect of this study. To explore these influences, non-Aboriginal teachers were interviewed at both government and independent schools. A desktop audit analysing the courses at Western Australian universities placed the participants’ responses into context of the pre-service and in-service learning available. An audit of the Australian Curriculum explored the expectations placed on teachers and the depth to which Aboriginal perspectives can be taught or avoided in secondary schools. This study identified four key issues that affected the teaching of Aboriginal curriculum content by non-Aboriginal teachers. These factors are: time management, school culture, teacher interest and preconceived ideas of both teachers and students. These issues must be addressed in order to improve the quality teaching of Aboriginal perspectives by standardising in-service learning and pre-service learning. Furthermore, improving cultural competency and acknowledging Aboriginal culture is critical at every school, regardless of the number of Aboriginal students. This study also revealed that the presence of an Aboriginal and Islander Education Officer could have a big impact in providing support, information and an Aboriginal presence at the school. Without these changes it will be difficult to disperse colonial values and challenge negative stereotypes

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Jones, Janet. "Multiliteracies for academic purposes : a metafunctional exploration of intersemiosis and multimodality in university textbook and computer-based learning resources in science." University of Sydney, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/2259.

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Doctor of Education
This thesis is situated in the research field of systemic functional linguistics (SFL) in education and within a professional context of multiliteracies for academic purposes. The overall aim of the research is to provide a metafunctional account of multimodal and multisemiotic meaning-making in print and electronic learning materials in first year science at university. The educational motivation for the study is to provide insights for teachers and educational designers to assist them in the development of students’ multiliteracies, particularly in the context of online learning environments. The corpus comprises online and CD-ROM learning resources in biology, physics and chemistry and textbooks in physics and biology, which are typical of those used in undergraduate science courses in Australia. Two underlying themes of the research are to compare the different affordances of textbook and screen formats and the disciplinary variation found in these formats. The two stage research design consisted of a multimodal content analysis, followed by a SF-based multimodal discourse analysis of a selection of the texts. In the page and screen formats of these pedagogical texts, the analyses show that through the mechanisms of intersemiosis, ideationally, language and image are reconstrued as disciplinary knowledge. This knowledge is characterised by a high level of technicality in image and verbiage, by taxonomic relations across semiotic resources and by interdependence among elements in the image, caption, label and main text. Interpersonally, pedagogical roles of reader/learner/viewer/ and writer/teacher/designer are enacted differently to some extent across formats through the different types of activities on the page and screen but the source of authority and truth remains with the teacher/designer, regardless of format. Roles are thus minimally negotiable, despite the claims of interactivity in the screen texts. Textually, the organisation of meaning across text and image in both formats is reflected in the layout, which is determined by the underlying design grid and in the use of graphic design resources of colour, font, salience and juxtaposition. Finally, through the resources of grammatical metaphor and the reconstrual of images as abstract, both forms of semiosis work together to shift meanings from congruence to abstraction, into the specialised realm of science.

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Rutledge, Janine E. "The global market and its impact on an Australian university's pathway programs : policies, pragmatics and personal realities." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2009. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1877.

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The story of this study is of the influences of the global market narrative on higher education, the policy responses by one Australian university (Tyler University) and the impact on English language education, the Tyler Foundation Studies pathway program and the staff in that program. The literature points to patterns and commonalities across the sector (globally and nationally) in regard to the ways in which an almost unquestioning adoption of market principles is shaping higher education policy. Universities have become synonymous with economic growth and a nation'‟s ability to compete in the global knowledge economy. As English is the language of the global market so an English medium degree provides access to the knowledge economy. Students from developed and developing nations are increasing their participation in higher education and create a ready market of consumers. Competition for revenue and for students is influencing the ways in which universities operate. The marketability of an institution, in terms of its courses, research and staff are seen as integral to increase ranking and status in the sector. The research presented in this portfolio is a case study of the Tyler Foundation Studies Program in 2007. The approach taken draws on Ball‟s (1993) trajectory studies approach and involves an analysis of the „bigger picture‟ of global and national policy contexts, before focusing on the ways in which these influences impact on the university, the program itself, and the staff in the program. As such, it makes a contribution to an area of scholarship which is under-represented in the literature on English language education, in that it focuses on policies, pragmatics and personal realities, rather than the more conventional focus on pedagogy and curriculum. Data for the research comes from interviews with staff and policy documents. In particular, a series of interviews with staff from „top to bottom‟, from Pro-Vice- Chancellor to lecturer, to reveal the Tyler „storylines‟. The influences of market ideology and government funding shortfalls emerge as critical factors shaping Tyler‟s operations and organisational culture. Increasing the university‟s competitive position and targeted internationalisation initiatives to attract full fee paying international students are also significant. The influences that impact on the positioning of the Foundation Studies Program are part of the bigger picture of Tyler‟s strategic positioning within the university sector. Institutional reform and competition from the private sector emerge as factors that impact directly on its positioning. Interviewees describe the focus on the commercial applications of internationalisation; award pathways, streamlined articulation and a new policy position on English language with the goal of „global‟ language competency for all students. Taken together, these mean that a non-award university pathway like the Foundation Studies Program is first marginalised and later closed. For Foundation Studies staff the key positioning factors are those that stem from an organisational culture where conformity to corporate values and interests is crucial to strategic positioning and define what is required of an academic at Tyler. The lack of academic credibility and marginal status attributed to English language education, and the view that pathway programs are service functions to be run on a strictly commercial basis, contribute to the view that English language teaching staff should be employed under different work conditions. The context of university education is set to change with the implementation of the recommendations of the Bradley Review of Australian Higher Education (2008). In particular, universities may be forced to re-examine the ways they support students from non-traditional backgrounds, and induct them into the culture of the university: issues which parallel those faced by the Foundation Studies Program. As such, the conclusions reached and the questions raised in the research have relevance for the future. This issue is discussed in the final chapter.

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Riebe, Linda Margaret. "Understanding factors affecting the teaching of teamwork in Australian higher education business schools." Thesis, Riebe, Linda Margaret (2022) Understanding factors affecting the teaching of teamwork in Australian higher education business schools. PhD thesis, Murdoch University, 2022. https://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/65762/.

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Integrating teamwork into higher education (HE) curricula has been part of the employability skills agenda for decades. Whilst HE academics have published widely on a variety of strategies utilised to implement teamwork in their teaching, there is little evidence of the interrelated factors associated with teaching teamwork and the paradoxes of critical tension points arising from challenges encountered by educators in their efforts to integrate teamwork in their courses. This thesis explores the salient influences affecting the teaching and learning of teamwork in the Australian HE business school context. The outcomes are presented in a thesis by compilation, which includes the traditional structure of introduction, literature review, methodology, findings/discussion, and conclusion chapters, along with three published articles demonstrating original, primary research. A published global systematic literature review (SLR) identified that temporal, fiscal, psychological, and human resource transaction cost interactions for HE educators, students and institutions affected the uptake of HE teamwork. Interactions are predicated on the way in which educators derive benefits or costs from developing, coordinating, monitoring, participating in, interacting with, and evaluating HE teamwork. Transaction costs, for example, whether to engage with the employability agenda, or provide instruction in team skills, collaborative learning, curriculum design, and assessment of teamwork, represent the return on investment to educators when undertaking the teaching of teamwork. These findings are an original contribution to the HE teamwork literature as there is scant evidence of costs associated with affording or constraining HE teamwork. A second published SLR article was confined to a more rigorous review of the Australian HE teamwork literature. Numerous factors were identified as constraints to HE teamwork, with findings thematically indicating that Australian business discipline educators were mainly concerned with team formation and management, teaching and learning approaches to HE teamwork and challenges influencing teaching and learning practices, thus providing an original contribution to knowledge of the salient issues affecting the teaching and learning of teamwork in the Australian business school context. These findings were used to inform semi-structured interview questions for a case study of business educators from a range of disciplines across four public universities in Australia. Grounded in a social constructivist paradigm, and using the case study approach, findings from 30 qualitative interviews with Australian business educators identified that performative demands on HE educators resulted in a range of critical paradox tension points, highlighting the salient influences contributing to understanding educator factors affecting the teaching of HE teamwork. Specifically focusing on the performativity paradoxes of performing/organising, performing/learning, and performing/belonging, illuminated the lived experience of business educators navigating performativity with HE teamwork and their reactions to critical tension points in their required or perceived performativity. In this thesis the third published article presented in Chapter Five, conceptualises how business school educators negotiated the inherent stresses, conflicts, and tensions in their teaching to understand, react and influence their approaches to HE teamwork. Theoretically, the utility of transaction cost and paradox theories as heuristic conceptual lenses to understand the dynamic interactions for educators’ facilitating the teaching of teamwork is demonstrated. Conceptual understandings are expanded through the application of paradox theory in the educational context, contributing to the advancement of knowledge and/or professional practice acknowledged by the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (2018) as a core aspect of HE scholarship. This is a unique feature of this study, generating original contributions to the understanding of the scholarship of teaching and learning in the field of teamwork in the Australian business school context. Implications for theory and practice have wider application within HE and provide a sound basis for the development of teamwork as a requisite skill to satisfy not only the broader aspects of the employability agenda, but also advancement of knowledge in the field which has implications for future research, providing opportunities to broaden the scholarship of teaching and learning as it relates to the functionality of teamwork pedagogy.

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Robinson, Janean. "A journey in (re)claiming teaching : A critical ethnography of Cape Neal High School." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2005. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/643.

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This thesis is a journey reflecting on my professional practice as a teacher. It also captures the lived experience of other teachers' stories as they were gathered from the ethnographic site; a secondary senior high school. These collections draw out common themes, issues and dilemmas that teachers face within a dominant managerial discourse. These conversations also provide a 'voice' for those who are often controlled by their own labour into silence. "Dialogue is a moment where humans meet to reflect on their reality as they make and remake it" (Shor & Freire, 1987, p. 98). I use the 'school effectiveness movement' as a window of investigation to study closely the impact of technical and rational thinking on the lives and work of teachers. I provide emphasis throughout this thesis on the reclamation process of teaching, as I use my own personal biography of writing, reading, and critical investigation to challenge the disproportionate power relationships being experienced. This reclamation also highlights the moral and ethical dimensions of teachers' work. This provides a stark contrast to the 'corporate culture' continually inflicted on teachers, which denounces the presence and significance of the many sophisticated personal relationships that exist within learning communities. It is intended that this thesis provide hope and encouragement for others interested in schools to pave their own way forward and reclaim a space of their own.

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Carter, Pauline J., and pjcarter@chariot net au. "Factors affecting the engagement of experienced teachers in schools." Deakin University. School of Education, 2007. http://tux.lib.deakin.edu.au./adt-VDU/public/adt-VDU20080404.105756.

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With the changing age profile of teachers in Australian schools, considerable numbers of experienced teachers need to feature as educational leaders, before their workplace knowledge and expertise will be lost to schools with retirement. Stereotypes of veteran teachers depict individuals, wearied by decades of work experiences, entering professional decline when educational systems need these experienced practitioners to remain connected, communicative and motivated in their work. This thesis explores the careers and contemporary professional lives of experienced practitioners predominantly classroom teachers currently working in a school with a long standing commitment to student-centred education. The research identified the factors that influenced their career pathways and affected their engagement with their work. Critical incidents in the teachers careers and professional lives are discussed in relation to the theories of motivation and the nature of Professional Learning Communities. The study showed that necessary factors for engagement were: mutual alignment with a well-articulated and practised ethos; supportive leadership; experiencing professional influence; opportunities for learning; and variety in work. Disillusion resulted if school actions were contrary to the espoused ethos. Severely negative experiences of performance management were survived by withdrawing, and enduring management tenures but these remain very poignant memories. The teachers had few career regrets yet reflection revealed the arbitrary nature of their career progression. The research identified a need to recognise the global and societal factors influencing the nature of teachers work. It is argued that schools and systems need to have a greater alignment between these external forces and their internal goals whilst recapturing the moral purpose of education. Furthermore, it is asserted that educational systems need to provide better human resource management for the teaching workforce through emphasising life-balance and well-being. Additionally, professional appraisal and staff management would benefit from strong recognition and deployment of the workplace knowledge and expertise of experienced teachers. A serendipitous outcome of the research was the benefit participants gained from reflecting on their careers which proved extremely affirming, and contributed to enhanced professional identities and changed career plans.

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Burgis, Paul Lindsay Education Faculty of Arts &amp Social Sciences UNSW. "The role of secondary schools in the development of student knowledge about poverty in Australia, The Philippines and Zimbabwe." Awarded by:University of New South Wales. School of Education, 2006. http://handle.unsw.edu.au/1959.4/25483.

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This thesis examined student knowledge about the nature, scope, causes and responses to poverty, student perceptions of the emphasis in the school curricula on poverty and development, student attitudes to poverty and the factors that influence such knowledge and attitudes. Knowledge and attitudes at the end of primary school were compared with those after four years of secondary school in three nations, Australia. The Philippines and Zimbabwe, involving 1296 surveys and 188 interviews. The investigation draws on earlier work in Ireland (Regan, 1996). and is a response to the recent emphasis on the role of schools in development education in Europe (Lemmers, 2001) and the call for a greater emphasis in Australia on this area (Simons. Hart and WTalsh, 1997). The survey compared student understanding with current 'knowledge' in the literature and the interview allowed an examination of the stories students constructed about people in poverty, including their cognitive and affective responses to people in poverty. Results showed that whilst almost all students recognised that poverty exists, they were more likely to define it simply as a lack of income than as a phenomenon involving social power and self esteem. Few students were aware that the majority of the world's poor are female. Nationality was an important predictor of student knowledge and values. Australian students considered nationally based causes (e.g., government, education) to be more important than personal qualities (e.g., laziness) or international causes (e.g., powerful countries). Australian students were also more likely to value hedonism, but it could not be demonstrated conclusively that this affected the ways that they defined poverty and its causes. Filipino students were more likely to perceive poverty as being the fault of the person experiencing poverty and were more pejorative towards the poor. Whilst Filipino and Zimbabwean students considered that they had learnt a lot about poverty, few Australian students thought this to be the case. Students in senior secondary school were not well informed of current understandings about poverty and development and did not possess a significantly greater knowledge than primary school students on these matters. Specifically. current school practices allow students to perceive poverty as primarily income related and do not place due emphasis on internationally related causes.

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Sharkey, Kevin T. "An exploration of the use of Web 2.0 to enhance teaching and learning in an Australian Catholic secondary school." Thesis, Australian Catholic University, 2012. https://acuresearchbank.acu.edu.au/download/ca3a17a03853e633b4a3b065dd04c2e174e91f8eb3b5157bcc2aff5f5321e9a4/2479771/65083_downloaded_stream_308.pdf.

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The rapid development of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) over recent years presents educators with significant challenges. There are many options emerging to enhance the process of teaching and learning, particularly through the use of Web 2.0 Internet sites. These have become part of the lifestyles of today's students yet schools are struggling to come to terms with the effective use of these emerging technologies. Although Web 2.0 offers significant potential to enhance learning this is proving to be difficult to implement effectively. The general research question is What factors influence Secondary School teachers to use Web 2.0 effectively to enhance learning? This research was conducted in the interpretive paradigm using a case study methodology involving me as researcher in the role of senior secondary school teacher with a position of leadership as learning technology facilitator. The study was conducted in the Years 10 to 12 Sandhurst Diocese co educational campus of a Catholic Secondary School of approximately eight hundred students. The contextual characteristics of the case study at the college were identified through a questionnaire distributed to teachers and source documents relating to the curriculum and the ICT resources in place at the college. Teachers participated in interviews and a series of workshops to promote the advancement of pedagogy with Web 2.0 leading to enhanced student learning. Data analysis was done manually which resulted in the production of a series of conclusions and recommendations. The research highlighted the importance of the formation and articulation of a vision of the place of Web 2.0 in schools. Having this vision can lead to an improved understanding amongst teachers of curriculum frameworks for teaching and learning with Web 2.0. The promotion of a collegial and collaborative environment amongst teachers was found to be important in enabling them to improve their practice.;This collaboration includes the cultivation of on-line personal learning networks for teachers. Teachers' effective use of Web 2.0 was found to depend largely on a pedagogical focus to foster higher order thinking, individualised learning and information literacy in students. The research involved an exploration of the effectiveness of senior leaders and teachers in leading whole school change in promoting the effective use of Web 2.0 to enhance teaching and learning. Recommendations based on these findings have been made for professional learning leaders, curriculum leaders, school leadership teams and systemic authorities. The research findings have implications for further research into improvements in effective teaching practice with Web 2.0 to enhance learning. More research is needed to investigate personal learning networks for students and teachers, semantic aware applications, the re-definition of the mission of schools in this digital age and drivers for sustainable technological change in schools.

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Brown, Maryann University of Ballarat. "Contemporary ways of learning in secondary teacher education : towards a deeper understanding of teacher learning." University of Ballarat, 2006. http://archimedes.ballarat.edu.au:8080/vital/access/HandleResolver/1959.17/12779.

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Brown, Maryann. "Contemporary ways of learning in secondary teacher education : towards a deeper understanding of teacher learning." University of Ballarat, 2006. http://archimedes.ballarat.edu.au:8080/vital/access/HandleResolver/1959.17/14615.

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Britton, Katherine F. "A model of employment literacy: Young people in Western Australia." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2009. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/158.

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This exploratory study aimed to examine the meanings of employment literacy among young people undertaking vocational education or training (VET), trainers, funding representatives and employers in Western Australia. A further objective was to develop a model of employment literacy that would inform training or educational organisations. Employment literacy incorporates the personal and social dimensions that young disadvantaged people require to secure and maintain employment. It also includes the understandings and capacity to access infonnation from a variety of sources and negotiate with a range of people in employment related settings. In-depth interviewing was the main method used so that different interpretations of employment literacy could be examined. In total ninety two interviews were undertaken. These included sixty six with young people, nine involving trainers, eight representatives of funding bodies and nine employers. The young people were interviewed on two occasions to consider the implications of the education or training . programs. Nvivo was used to assist in the analysis of the data across and between the four groups included in the study.

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Mansfield, Caroline. "The influence of student perceptions about school experience on non-university bound students' motivation to succeed." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 1997. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/911.

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In Australiari high schools today there. are increasingly greater numbers of students completing a final two years of post-compulsory secondary schooling Without the intention of progressing to a university tertiary education. Educators acknowledge that the comparative lack of motivation displayed by these students poses problems within the classroom and the educational system and most are concerned about how best to cater for the distinct and unique needs of this group of students. This thesis investigates the influence of student perceptions about school experience on Year 12 non-university bound students' motivation to succeed. The study focuses on the perceptions students hold about the classroom processes and curriculum they experience in their final year of school and. then explores how these perceptions influence the motivational goal orientations students adopt.

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Brown, Roger George, and rogergbrown@mac com. "The impact of the introduction of the graphics calculator on system wide 'high stakes' end of secondary school mathematics examinations." Swinburne University of Technology, 2005. http://adt.lib.swin.edu.au./public/adt-VSWT20051117.121210.

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There has been widespread interest in the potential impact of the graphics calculator on system wide 'high stakes' end of secondary school mathematics examinations. This thesis has focused on one aspect, the way in which examiners have gone about writing examination questions in a graphics calculator assumed environment. Two aspects of this issue have been investigated. The first concerns the types of questions that can be asked in a graphics calculator assumed environment and their frequency of use. The second addresses the level of skills assessed and whether with the introduction of the graphics calculator has been associated with an increase in difficulty as has been frequently suggested. A descriptive case study methodology was used with three examination boards, the Danish Ministry of Education, Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority and the International Baccalaureate Organization. Four distinct categories of questions were identified which differed according to the potential for the graphics calculator to contribute to the solution of the question and the freedom the student was then given to make use of this potential. While all examination boards made use of the full range of questions, the tendency was to under use questions in which required the use of the calculator for their solution. In respect to the level of skills assessed, it was found that both prior to and after the introduction of the graphics calculator, all three examination boards used question types that primarily tested the use of lower level mathematical skills. With exceptions, where graphics calculator active questions have been used, the tendency has been to continue to ask routine mechanistic questions. In this regard, there is no evidence of the introduction of the graphics calculator being associated with either lowering or raising of the level of the mathematical skills assessed. For all cases studied, the graphics calculator was introduced with minimal change to the curriculum and examination policies. The role of the graphics calculator in the enacted curriculum was left implicit. The resulting examinations were consistent with the stated policies. However, the inexperience of some examiners and a general policy of containment or minimal change enabled examiners to minimise the impact of the introduction of the graphics calculators on assessment.

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Townsend, Arthur. "Educative curricula and improving the science PCK of teachers in middle school settings in rural and remote Australia." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2015. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1748.

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Science is one of seven-mandated Key Learning Areas (KLAs) Foundation to Year 10 of the new Australian National Curriculum (ACARA, 2012). Not only, therefore, is science to be offered in every school as part of the curriculum, there is also the expectation that science is to be taught well to all students regardless of location, gender, cultural background or socio-economic status (ACARA, 2012). Studying science provides benefits to individuals by developing their scientific literacy skills (Goodrum, Hackling & Rennie, 2001; Hackling & Prain, 2008). Its study also benefits the national economy by equipping students with the innovative, inventive, and creative skills to generate and apply new ideas as knowledge workers in an interconnected and interdependent global economy (Marginson, Tytler, Freeman & Roberts, 2013; Productivity Commission, 2007). A study of recent literature, including the national and international data on the middle years of school (ACARA, 2012; ACER, 2011, 2013; Goodrum et al., 2001; Goodrum, Druhan, & Abbs, 2012; Hackling & Prain, 2007; Marginson et al., 2013; Office of the Chief Scientist, 2012; Productivity Commission, 2007), could reasonably be expected to show rural and remote students doing well in science if not at least as well as their metropolitan counterparts. Sadly, this is not the case. Science performance in national and international assessments overall is flat-lining (ACARA, 2011; ACER, 2011, 2013) and the gap between metropolitan, rural and remote students in some assessment data indicates as much as 18 months of difference in schooling in favour of metropolitan students and with the gap increasing with increasing remoteness. What are the causes of this inequity and how can it be addressed? Science teachers hold the key (Australian Council of Deans of Science, 2005; Dow, 2003a; Goodrum et al., 2001). Improving the effectiveness of science teachers helps improve science learning outcomes for students. One way to improve the effectiveness of science teachers is to improve their Pedagogical Content Knowledge (Kind, 2009b; Magnusson, Krajcik & Borko, 1999; Loughran, 2010; Loughran, Berry & Mulhall, 2006; Shulman, 1986) through professional learning experiences. However, improving teachers’ science PCK in the middle-school years in rural and remote settings through traditional face-to-face professional learning activities poses a number of challenges. These include lack of casual relief teachers, difficulties in attracting and retaining science teachers, the provision of experienced mentors and coaches and, the provision of fewer professional learning opportunities compared with metropolitan areas (Australian Council of Deans of Science, 2005; Australian Secondary Principal’s Association, 2006; National Centre of Science, Information and Communication Technology, and Mathematics Education for Rural and Regional Australia, 2006). Educative curricula designed to improve teachers’ science PCK as well as learning outcomes for students provide an alternative to traditional face-to-face professional learning for teachers in rural and remote locations (Davis & Krajcik, 2005). Can educative curricula help address the inequity in student science outcomes in rural and remote areas? The Middle Years Astronomy Project (the Project) is an example of one educative curriculum currently in use in the middle years of some rural and remote schools (McKinnon, 2005). This educative curriculum is aligned with the Australian Science Curriculum. It comprises access to telescopes and digital cameras located in NSW (Australia) and Wyoming (USA) that students can control remotely to take photographs of many astronomical phenomena, which can form the basis of further investigations. It also comprises a teachers’ guide designed to improve teachers’ science PCK by providing guidance on designing instructional strategies for science projects with knowledge of five factors in mind. These factors are knowledge of the science content, knowledge of students’ alternative conceptions, knowledge of instructional strategies and the most appropriate assessment strategies to employ, knowledge of the science curriculum, and knowledge of personal beliefs and orientations toward science teaching and learning. This thesis explores the potential for this educative curriculum to improve the PCK of teachers of science in the middle school years in rural and remote settings. It does this by employing a Type IV multiple-case, embedded mixed-methods design (Yin, 2014) over two phases in two states of Australia collecting a range of data from four remote sites in Western Australia and four rural sites in Victoria. Participants comprised 12 teachers, four principals, four teaching principals, one Science KLA Consultant, one Cluster Coordinator and over 200 students. Data were gathered from interviews; archival records; researcher direct observations; an astronomy diagnostic test; student artifacts; and school based documents. A framework, developed from the works of Davis & Krajcik (2005), Kind (2009b) and Magnusson et al. (1999), is used to analyse the data for evidence of changes in teachers’ science PCK. The results of this research indicate that the Project improved teachers’ science PCK for most teachers. Reasons for this are presented. An emerging phenomenon from the research was the ability of experienced science teachers to move holistically and fluidly between components of PCK to make in the moment pedagogical decisions to improve student learning. This has been referred to as ‘pinball pedagogical reasoning’ (Mitchell, Pannizon, Keast & Loughran, 2015). The findings of this research have implications for both current practice and future research, providing guidance to teachers and designers of professional learning experiences, including educative curriculum designers, on the areas to target when seeking to develop components of PCK for experienced teachers and on assisting less experienced teachers to acquire the ‘pinball pedagogical reasoning’ skills of experienced teachers. The findings also suggest that PCK development takes time and requires a planned and systematic approach to teacher career development with support from the employer. This thesis suggests further areas for research and concludes by arguing that a poor science education, which results in poorer scientific literacy skills and a reduced ability to contribute to, and thrive in, the national and international knowledge economies, adds to the education disadvantage students in rural and remote locations experience relative to their metropolitan peers. It advocates a moral imperative to ensure this does not happen. It also suggests that using educative curricula to improve the PCK of rural and remote science teacher, as well as science student learning outcomes, is a strategy worthy of pursuit.

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Hartwig, Kay, and n/a. "Music in the Year 8 Classroom: An Action Research Project." Griffith University. School of Cognition, Language and Special Education, 2004. http://www4.gu.edu.au:8080/adt-root/public/adt-QGU20040701.115435.

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The number of students electing to study music at the Senior Level in Queensland State High Schools has declined over recent years. Year 8 is the last time that students experience music lessons before being faced with subject choices. This study investigates the year 8 music program - its content and delivery. What can be done to improve music teaching in year 8? How can we present experiences at this level that will stimulate students' interest; improve their knowledge and skills; and develop students' aesthetic sensitivity to the art of music? This study involved conducting an action research project in a year 8 music class. This was done in collaboration with the classroom music teacher and her class of 25 students. The cyclical process as described by Zuber-Skerritt - acting, observing, reflecting, planning - was adopted. The study aimed: (a) to document positive experiences that could be used in the year 8 music classroom; (b) to stimulate new interest in the studying of senior music; (c) to discover ways to encourage music teachers to become reflective practitioners with a view to improving their practice; (d) to offer an action research model that other music teachers could implement in their classroom. The data collection involved the keeping of journals by the teacher and researcher; recorded interviews with the teacher and students; videos and photographs of the class; as well as interviews with other year 8 music teachers. The study identified a negative attitude by music teachers to the teaching of year 8 music. The dominant theme being taught at this level is Pop Music with a foundation unit being the starting point. Year 8 students also revealed a negative attitude to music lessons. This research project has demonstrated that it is possible to set up a program which engages year 8 students in music making and provides them with worthwhile learning experiences. However, at the end of the project, there was not a significant increase in the number of students electing to study music at the senior level. The study also set up a model for action research that could be adopted by other music teachers in their classrooms. The results of reflective practice employed by the researcher and the music teacher provided positive attitudes for other music teachers and encouragement for others to implement this practice in their classroom. Further studies are needed to involve other music teachers in reflective practice; collaboration in action research (especially in the year 8 classroom); and also the implementation of the new syllabus that will have a positive effect on the future of the subject of music and a positive effect on students' attitudes to the music subject.

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Kurup, Premnadh M. "Secondary students beliefs about, understandings of, and intentions to act regarding the greenhouse effect." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2003. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1324.

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The greenhouse effect (GHE) is a concern to everyone on this planet. To understand the GHE, students and citizens need an understanding of the chemical processes underlying this environmental phenomenon. Citizens need to be scientifically literate in relation to this phenomenon in order to participate in democratic decision-making and to take appropriate actions in their daily lives. As the GHE is a global issue it will require collective and individual actions to prepare for the likely climatic changes and to reduce the further impact of the GHE. This study focused on high school students' beliefs about, understandings of the GHE and their intentions to act in ways that would reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Aspects of the GHE that are taught in high school science were also investigated. The study was conducted in five schools each in Western Australia (Australia) and Kerala (India) and data were collected from 438 Year 10 and 12 students representing compulsory and post-compulsory stages of education in both states. Two hundred and thirteen students from Western Australia and 225 students from Kerala completed a questionnaire and a sample of students and heads of science were interviewed. A Propositional Knowledge Statement (PKS) was developed, which is a set of propositions that outline science concepts necessary for an understanding of the GHE in terms of its causes, effects, mechanism and actions that can be taken to reduce greenhouse gas emission. In this study the PKS is considered to be the essential knowledge necessary to interpret the GHE, to take appropriate environmental action, and to make informed decisions as a scientifically literate member of society. The questionnaire and interviews were based on the PKS. The study revealed that high school students strongly believe that the GHE is real and affecting the climate at present and will also affect it in the future. They consider that the GHE is a relatively important social issue and they believe that governments should conduct programmes to raise community awareness and enact strict laws to reduce the release of greenhouse gases. Students' understanding of the GHE is inadequate to make informed decisions and take appropriate environmental actions as a scientifically literate member of society. The majority of students and their families are already taking or are considering taking 10 accepted actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by household activities. The majority of students are not prepared to sacrifice their personal comforts or conveniences to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and they have strong reasons for that, however, they believe that governments should enact strict laws to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and should sign the Kyoto protocol. The GHE is not adequately represented in Western Australian and Kerala science and chemistry curricula. The heads of school science departments in Western Australia and Kerala consider that school science should do more to teach the GHE, as it is an important aspect of scientific literacy. An ideal scenario for students’ beliefs about, understanding of the GHE and commitments to take action that would enable individuals and communities to reduce greenhouse gas emission was developed based on the PKS and reports such as lPCC (2001), UNEP (2001), AGO (1999; 2000) and UN (1992). The actual scenario was based on the data from this study. The differences between ideal and actual scenarios were discussed and implications for improving education about the OHE were developed. Information about the curriculum and students' sources of information about the GHE, students' beliefs, understandings and intentions to act were mapped against the theory of reasoned action (Ajzen & Fishbein, 1980).

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Punch, Renee J., and n/a. "Career Development and Adolescents Who are Hard of Hearing: Career Maturity, Career Decision-Making and Career Barriers Among High School Students in Regular Classes." Griffith University. School of Education and Professional Studies, 2005. http://www4.gu.edu.au:8080/adt-root/public/adt-QGU20060608.124321.

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In Australia, as in most English-speaking countries, increasing numbers of children with significant hearing loss are being educated in regular classes with the support of itinerant teachers of the deaf, rather than in segregated settings. These students primarily use their amplified residual hearing and communicate orally, and may be functionally defined as hard of hearing. This thesis reports on a study investigating the career development of hard of hearing high school students attending regular Year 10, 11, and 12 classes with itinerant teacher support in the Australian states of Queensland and New South Wales. The students had bilateral sensorineural hearing losses ranging from mild to profound. The study sought to identify and analyse the key factors that influence the career development of this population. The design of the study was informed by Social Cognitive Career Theory (Lent, Brown, & Hackett, 1994), with its emphasis on cognitive variables, personal agency, diversity, and contextual influences, and the developmental theory of Donald Super and its associated concept of career maturity (Super, 1980; Super, Savickas, & Super, 1996). The study also investigated the social participation of hard of hearing adolescents and the relationship among the students' perceptions of their social participation, their social self-concept, and their career decision-making. The research was conducted using a three-phase, mixed methods approach incorporating two major phases, one quantitative and one qualitative, preceded by a minor, preliminary phase. The preliminary, exploratory phase of the study was included in order to guide the design of the survey instrument, and in particular the section covering perceived career barriers, an area not discussed in the literature for this population. Interviews were conducted with four hard of hearing Year 12 school students and four hard of hearing first-year university students who were recent school-leavers. In phase two, sixty-five hard of hearing students were compared with a matched group of normally hearing peers on measures of career maturity, career indecision, perceived career barriers, social participation and three variables associated with Social Cognitive Career Theory: career decision-making self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and goals. In addition, predictors of career maturity were tested for both groups. Phase three comprised the collection and analysis of qualitative data from interviews with a proportion of the survey respondents to explore the quantitative results in greater depth. Twelve students with hearing losses ranging from moderate to profound participated in these interviews. Results of the quantitative analysis indicated that (a) the two groups did not differ on measures of career maturity or social participation, (b) the Social Cognitive Career Theory variables were less predictive of career behaviours for the hard of hearing students than for the normally hearing students, and (c) perceived career barriers related to hearing loss predicted lower scores on the measure of career development attitudes for the hard of hearing students. The quantitative data also showed that survey respondents reported high levels of anticipation of some hearing-related barriers to achieving their educational or career goals, particularly 'people not understanding my hearing loss.' The results of the qualitative analysis extended many of the quantitative findings, yielding information and insights inaccessible through traditional quantitative methods. The qualitative findings revealed ways in which students perceived potential barriers, how they felt about them, and ways in which their perceptions of barriers influenced their career choice and decision-making. In addition, the qualitative findings revealed a complex interaction among students' social participation with their peers, their experiences of other people's negative reactions, their self-consciousness about their hearing loss, their fears about mishearing people, and their career decision-making. In sum, the study identified potential career barriers as a key factor influencing the career development of this group of hard of hearing students, and clarified understanding of the way in which their social self-concept interacted with their career development. The study's findings contribute to current knowledge and understanding of the career development of adolescents with significant hearing loss who attend regular classes with itinerant teacher support in two states of Australia. The thesis discusses implications for theory and for practice that have arisen from the study, and sets out recommendations for ways in which the career development and transition of this population might be improved.

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Thomas, Laura Tennille. "Extra-curricular activity participation, connectedness to school and cigarette and alcohol use : how the relationships work." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2010. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1865.

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The Extra-curricular Project (ECP) was a group randomised control trial which sought to explore the impact of extra-curricular activity (ECA) participation on health and educational outcomes for secondary students attending 18 Government and non- Government schools in Perth, Western Australia. This naturalistic observation study (2004-2006) monitored students‟ participation in ECA provided by their school, perceived connectedness to school, teachers and peers and cigarette and alcohol consumption. In this study, ECA are defined as activities students choose to do (not compulsory), are fun and are not part of normal classroom work. The four main types of extra-curricular activities in this study are: sport, recreation, the arts, and other. The main aim of this doctoral study was to test if a reduction in smoking and alcohol use occurred amongst students who participated in ECA compared to non-participants. Three sub-studies were conducted to explore the research concepts. First, student and school-level characteristics associated with students‟ ECA participation in Year 8 were explored. Second, the contribution of connectedness to teachers and peer support to students‟ perceived connectedness to school in Year 8 was investigated. Third, the longitudinal relationship between ECA participation in Years 8 and 9 and perceived connectedness to school in Year 10 was examined. Much research in the field of ECA has been cross-sectional in study design, limiting the investigation of causal relationships between key variables. This study sought to address this gap by examining the impact of ECA participation in Years 8 and 9 on students‟ perceived connectedness to school in Year 10. Consistency of students‟ ECA participation across Years 8 and 9 positively influenced students‟ later connectedness to school. Hence, participation in both Years 8 and 9 (consistent participation), not only in Year 8, yields beneficial outcomes for students in relation to their perceived connectedness to school. The three sub-studies contributed to the overarching research question exploring the relationship between ECA participation and cigarette and alcohol use, and the role of connectedness to school as a mediator in this relationship. Students who reported a higher perceived level of connectedness to school were less likely to report recent or lifetime cigarette use and recent or recent hazardous alcohol use in Year 10. Moreover, mediation analyses identified that while consistent participation in ECA was not in and of itself protective of recent cigarette smoking, if through consistent ECA participation students‟ perceived connectedness to school was enhanced, this was protective of students‟ reported recent cigarette use in Year 10. These findings suggest much can be done to reduce adolescents‟ risk of cigarette and alcohol use. First students should be assisted to develop a strong connectedness to their school to reduce their likelihood of cigarette and alcohol use. ECA participation is one way to enhance students‟ connectedness to school, but every opportunity to do so should be explored. In addition, the modification of ECA programs in Western Australian schools to encourage continued participation in multiple activities is likely to enhance students‟ connectedness to school and thus reduce the likelihood of cigarette and alcohol use.

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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/.

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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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Errington, Sharyn. "Interactive multimedia in Australian university science teaching : a new toy or a useful tool?" Master's thesis, 1997. http://hdl.handle.net/1885/145270.

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Bitmead, Jan. "Communications in industry - university interactions : some tips (of icebergs)." Master's thesis, 1997. http://hdl.handle.net/1885/145190.

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Guillot, Blandine. "Les repr{u00E9}sentations sociales de l'{u00E9}criture et le rapport {u00E1} l'{u00E9}criture en langue {u00E9}trang{u00E8}re : une approche didactique pour l'enseignement et l'apprentissage de l'{u00E9}crit en FLE en milieu universitaire australien = Social representations in students' writing and the relation to writing in a foreign language : a didactics-based approach to the teaching and learning of written French as a foreign language in an Australian tertiary institution." Phd thesis, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/1885/150714.

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This thesis examines the ideas of social representations and the "relation to writing" (Barre-De Miniac 2000) in a multilingual context. Firstly, the thesis examines these ideas, arising from the research field of didactics of teaching French as a first language, in the multilingual context of a French program at an Australian university. Secondly, it analyses the progress in writing ability made by students from the second to the fourth year of French studies, and compares the ways in which they describe the process of writing in their first language and in a foreign language. The objective is to understand the process of writing in its psychological, social and cognitive dimensions. An analysis of the topic (Berthoud 1996) carried out on the discursive corpus of teachers (based on individual interviews) illustrates the limitations of the concept of "relation to writing" in a multilingual context, and makes it possible to identify an idea specific to this teaching situation: the "relation to the foreign language" being learned. An analysis of the topic carried out on the discursive corpus of learners (discussion groups) indicates that their written work in a foreign language originates with ideas, and that the "transposition to writing" in a foreign language can be recognised as a key point in the awareness of linguistic phenomena insofar as this as moment of writing engages knowledge of at least two languages. The situation of transition between languages, made more explicit through the process of writing, is akin to the "zone of proximal development" (ZPD) in Vygotsky's sociocultural theory in that the development of learning strategies and the internalisation of the language are apparent in this negotiation process. A comparison of the processes of writing in a foreign language and writing in a first language shows that the student's level of ability influences the attention given to different aspects of writing. The analysis of written data is divided into three parts. First, those elements in the guidelines for written assignments that reinforce literacy in the foreign language through writing are identified. Secondly, the students' written work enables exploration of another possibility in their "relation to writing". Adopting an analytical approach based on M. K. Halliday's systemic-functional linguistics to determine the writer's investment in his or her output, the data show that the investment varies depending on the stage the student has reached in their foreign language learning. Finally, an analysis of. the comments made by those reading or marking the work establishes a certain continuity of the topics between spoken and written discourse, and highlights the fact that these comments mainly confirm the importance of the "relation to language". The thesis contributes empirical oral and written data in a multilingual university context in which the "relation to writing" can be observed through a grasp of the continuity of the topic. It also constitutes a theoretical contribution to the teaching methodology of writing in a foreign language in that it highlights ideas including the "relation to language", the "relation to learning" and the "transposition to writing".

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Sandery, Peter. "A critical analysis of existing and potential use of computer based technology to deliver and support undergraduate physics education in Australia." Thesis, 1996. http://hdl.handle.net/2440/110184.

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Schmidt, Gabriele. "Re-examining the profile and motivation of German studies students in Australian universities." Phd thesis, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/1885/150548.

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The last comprehensive data on the profile and motivation of German Studies students in Australian universities was collected in the late 1980s and hence does not reflect changes to the Australian higher education sector introduced in the late 1990s. This lack of current data constrains German Studies programs in their options to prepare for the future. The main objective of this thesis is not only to fill the gap of recent data but at the same time to analyse the new data in the context of relevant theories of language learning motivation. The analysis establishes a theoretically informed and data-based platform for future course design which will assist German Studies programs in designing their courses. The thesis begins with a review and critique of former research on German Studies students in Australian universities as well as pertinent models of language learning motivation. It will be argued that previous studies related their findings to Gardner's dichotomy of integrative and instrumental motivation without testing whether their data matched Gardner's model. The thesis' centrepiece is the analysis and discussion of new data collected for this thesis. The data focuses on students' demographic backgrounds, their motivation to learn German, and on their expectations towards course content. Where possible, the new data is compared with data from former studies in order to investigate what changes have occurred over the last two decades. In this context, it will be shown that these changes are primarily a reflection of changes to higher education policies. The data-based analysis of student motivation will reveal that students' reasons for choosing German as part of their degree are more complex than Gardner's dichotomy of integrative and instrumental motivation.

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Clark, I. F. (Ian F. ). "An analysis of geology curricula in secondary and tertiary education / Ian Clark." 1996. http://hdl.handle.net/2440/18909.

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Errata is tipped in after contents.
Bibliography: p. 249-264.
iv, 264 p. : ill. ; 30 cm.
Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library.
Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Geology, 1997?

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Clark, I. F. (Ian F. ). "An analysis of geology curricula in secondary and tertiary education / Ian Clark." Thesis, 1996. http://hdl.handle.net/2440/18909.

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Ward, Helen 1963. "The "adequacy of their attention": gender-bias & the introductory law course in Australian law schools." 1999. http://web4.library.adelaide.edu.au/theses/09LM/09lmw258.pdf.

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Includes bibliographical references (leaves 220-229) Considers to what extent feminist theoretical and critical perspectives have been incorporated into law. A law course or law textbook that uncritically presents legal doctrines, or representations of men's and women's social roles, risks adopting and perpetuating the unstated point-of-view of a particular cultural group in society. Argues for a legal education that has an open self-consciousness of the culturally specific and inevitably partial point-of-view of the law and, consequently, a conscious recognition of the unavoidable point-of-view of legal education.

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Wallis, Louise. "The studio concept and its forms in architectural education in Australia and New Zealand (2007–2011)." Thesis, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1337619.

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Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
For many centuries the studio concept has been intimately linked to architectural education, being considered the “heart” of the discipline’s education. It was the preferred model when architectural education was first accepted into higher education across the western world, including in Australia and New Zealand, where since its introduction it has been adapting in response to context. In recent years the landscape of higher education in Australia and New Zealand has been undergoing significant changes due to global trends of massification, which have led to the decline in resources, insufficient space and increasing student enrolments. It is in this landscape that architecture academics, in 2007, reported concerns for the studio’s future despite its prominent position and enduring legacy in architectural education. However, confusion ensues, as different studio forms make it difficult to define. Therefore, the aim of the study is to understand how the studio concept and forms are responding to the changing higher education landscape in Australia and New Zealand over the period of 2007 to 2011. For the purpose of reaching the defined aim of this study, a review of literature relating to both current and past studio meanings in architectural education was conducted, also other disciplines were considered in the review for the purpose of establishing the impact of the higher education landscape being experienced in Australia and New Zealand. Also, the mapping of literature documents the extent of the studio concept and its forms according to place, culture, teaching approach and curriculum. Many concerns relating to the effectiveness and suitability of studio places, studio culture and past instruction methods are documented, which indicate the need for an evidence-based scholarship in the changing climate. It is clear that a knowledge gap exists in how the term studio is conceptualised and the studio models present. This dissertation explores these knowledge gaps and potential implications for the architecture studio’s future in Australia and New Zealand. A mixed method approach was employed in this study, largely based on qualitative inquiry with a purposeful sample group of six schools and 10 academics, and embedded with quantitative data. The group of study participants reflects the maximum variations from a secondary analysis of Ostwald and Williams’s studio (2007a & b) and Australasian school data (AIA, 2008b). Multiple methods were used to understand the studio form in which each academic involved in the study was employed, including a series of interviews relating to a recent design unit they taught, as well as the analysis of the unit outline and supporting materials. These approaches were supported by an observation of the teaching facilities in which the academic participant worked. Biggs’s (2003) framework of constructive alignment system for quality learning and teaching was used to analyse the schools’ studio forms and implications. Four studio models have been developed from the analysis for the purpose of defining the studio diversity and relationship between the curriculum structure, teaching methods, environment and assessment which exist in the teaching of studio. It is clear that academics understand the studio concept holistically but also in a pluralistic way as the term is used interchangeably to denote design teaching, design unit and the physical place, despite the absence of established traditions such as studio places. This dissertation contributes new insight into how the diversity of studio models, largely driven by the institutional climate, are creating a considerable divide between schools in Australia and New Zealand which may, in turn, lead to a distinct two-tier system. Another significant outcome from the study was the development of a typology of studio models to support debate about studio forms in practice.

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Ellison, Mark J. "The communication of chemistry : how effective is current practice?" Phd thesis, 2003. http://hdl.handle.net/1885/148686.

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Steen, Tangikina 'Utumeimoana Moimoi. "Students' adjustments to use of information technology (IT) in their university studies." 2003. http://arrow.unisa.edu.au:8081/1959.8/25015.

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The current thesis is concerned with investigating students' adjustments to the use of IT in their university studies, through three specific foci: Viz, (a) to document students' patterns of IT usage, (b) to identify factors which influence students' use of IT in a university environment, and (c) to investigate problem solving strategies that students use when encountering difficulties in IT. Three empirical studies were conducted. The current thesis found that given appropriate opportunities, students do make successful adjustments to use of IT during their university studies. Although indigenous students rated their competencies lower than non-indigenous students, no significant differences were found between ethnicity and the types of problem solving strategies that students used in IT.
thesis (PhD)--University of South Australia, 2003.

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Armstrong, Irawati Raharjo. "The acquisition of the syntax of negation and adjectives by adult Australian learners of Indonesian." Phd thesis, 2003. http://hdl.handle.net/1885/151282.

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Kato, Akiko. "An acoustic analysis of Japanese vowels produced by Australian learners of Japanese." Master's thesis, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/1885/148693.

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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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Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Teaching (Higher) Australia'

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