Digital Commons Network^™

Investigating Self-Efficacy: Early Childhood Teachers’ Understanding Of Self-Efficacy, Dimity Franks

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Students are experiencing an increased pressure to perform academically at a younger age with reports of the narrowing of curriculum and student disengagement. Current research literature suggests curricula should reflect the increased pressures students are facing. A focus on the social and emotional skills to support student learning is recommended to increase student engagement and enrichment and prepare students for their future. Self-efficacy is one element of social and emotional learning that demands attention. Self-efficacy is considered important for teachers to understand as it can predict how students approach their tasks as well as influence their levels of motivation and …

Teacher Educators’ And Pre-Service Teachers’ Preparedness To Use Ict: A Western Australian Perspective, Huifen Jin

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

With the ongoing development of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT), a wide variety of devices, software and apps are available that could be used in education. As a result, universities and schools are adopting different policies and strategies for integrating these new technologies. As teachers are a key element in the implementation of educational innovation, teacher educators and pre-service teachers need to be confident in using ICT effectively in teaching and learning.

This study proposed to investigate how teacher educators’ and pre-service teachers’ integration of ICT in their teaching and learning. A mixed methods design, that included both quantitative …

Teacher Identity Construction In A Tesol Graduate Certificate Of Education In Western Australia, Arman Abednia

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This research project explored the potential of a second language teacher education course for fostering teacher identity negotiation. It was found that classroom conversations provided a rich space for teacher identity negotiation; however, no substantial changes were observed in most aspects of their identities during the course, except for a growth in a few teachers’ selfconfidence. The implications are that conducting teacher education in an interactive manner is highly beneficial, but deeper engagement with practice of teaching is recommended. These insights should facilitate positive outcomes for teacher education programs.

Exploring The Impact Of Postgraduate Preservice Primary Science Education On Students’ Self-Efficacy, Christina Maria Norris

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The effectiveness of science teaching in primary school is dependent upon teachers’ self-efficacy to teach science. Low self-efficacy has been linked to avoidance of teaching primary science; therefore, preservice teacher self-efficacy requires fostering to have graduates keen to teach primary science. Through an embedded mixed method intrinsic-case study, this research explored the impact of postgraduate preservice primary science education on students’ self-efficacy. This research examined the postgraduate students’ self-efficacy as the lens to determine the effectiveness of the design and pedagogical instruction of the unit and its tutors. Data sources included the use of pre/post surveys encompassing the Science Teaching …

Gifted Students: Perceptions And Practices Of Regular Class Teachers, Tracy Taylor

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The purpose of this research was to examine provision of differentiated learning experiences for gifted students in regular classes in Western Australian primary schools. Specifically, it was intended to explore differentiation strategies used with gifted students, issues faced by teachers in their efforts to provide for their gifted students, and teachers’ suggestions on solutions for these issues.

Presently reality in Western Australia is that gifted primary students spend at least 90% of their time at school in regular classes. Therefore, the regular class teacher’s role in implementing appropriate learning opportunities for these students is critical. Relevant literature clearly identifies the …

Educative Curricula And Improving The Science Pck Of Teachers In Middle School Settings In Rural And Remote Australia, Arthur Townsend

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

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 …

The Teaching And Learning Of Word Problems In Beginning Algebra : A Nigerian (Lagos State) Study, Omolola A. Ladele

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

At both the junior and senior secondary school levels in Nigeria, student performance in mathematics examinations has been poor. Within the context of large classes, with inadequate facilities, and teaching and learning in a second language, algebra and algebra word problems are introduced to students during their first year of junior secondary school. The transition from primary school arithmetic to the use of the algebraic letter is challenging to students and it is important that teachers should know the likely difficulties and misconceptions students may have as they begin algebra (Welder, 2012).

In this study, the impact of a teacher …

Exceptional Connections : A Cross-Cultural Exploration Of The Actual Teacher Behaviours That Contribute To Positive Relationships With Gifted Secondary Students And Secondary Students With Emotional/Behavioural Disorders, Trevor Capern

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This cross-cultural study examined the teacher behaviours that contributed to positive student-teacher relationships with gifted secondary students and secondary students with Emotional/Behavioural Disorders (EBD) in Western Australia and Canada. The study also examined which categories of social support (emotional, instrumental, informational, appraisal) were considered most important in developing positive relationships according to the exceptional students and their teachers. Behaviours were identified through a mixedmethods approach that included surveys, teacher interviews, and student focus groups. Participants included gifted secondary students (N = 133) and their teachers (N= 49), and secondary students with EBD (N = 89) and their teachers (N=23) in …

Teacher Professional Development In An Online Learning Community : A Case Study In Indonesia, Eunice R. Sari

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Over the past decade the rapid pace of technological innovation has changed the knowledge-based society and gradually changed the way teaching and learning are conducted (Hargreaves, 2003). Teachers are increasingly viewed as not only the knowledge providers, but also the facilitators of a learning process. These changes have been difficult for teachers to adapt to, requiring substantial amounts of professional development. In Indonesia, the government has continually developed a number of strategic education policies and implemented various pathways to improve the professionalism of teachers. Nonetheless, there are still a large number of teachers who struggle to access the professional development …

Effects Of Parenting Styles, Academic Self-Efficacy, And Achievement Motivation On The Academic Achievement Of University Students In Ethiopia, Abesha A. Gota

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The prime purpose of this study was to propose and test an integrated parental and social-cognitive model of academic achievement and examine the effects of parenting styles, academic self-efficacy, and achievement motivation on academic achievement by employing an ex-post facto prospective research design. The data on demographic characteristics, parenting styles, academic self-efficacy and achievement motivation were collected through self-report questionnaires from a sample of 2116 (763 females and 1353 males) undergraduate first year students selected via multi-stage cluster random sampling technique from Addis Ababa University, Kotebe College of Teacher Education, and Wolayta Soddo University in Ethiopia and accessing their second …

Developing A Common Understanding Of A Teacher Competency Framework Through Video Analysis : Experiences Of Victorian Regional Independent Middle School Teachers, Christopher J. Brown

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study was deliberately focussed upon the careful examination of a model of professional learning for Middle School teachers, which has at its core, a Teaching and Learning Framework depicting essential elements of effective teaching practice. Set within the context of Middle School classrooms in a Regional Independent school, the intent was to research the impact of the framework on the professional learning of a group of teachers. Research was also undertaken to investigate the effectiveness of feedback and analysis structured around the framework, using video recordings taken from classroom observations.

A group of eight Middle School teachers participated actively …

The Graduate-Mentor Project In Visual Arts Education: Mentoring Within The Western Australian Curriculum Framework: A Study Of The Impact Of Mentoring On Beginning-Teachers' Perception Of Their Success In Visual Literacy Education During The First Year, Lisa F. Paris

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Western Australian tertiary graduates who enter the visual arts education profession are often well acquainted with the theoretical underpinnings of the Western Australian Curriculum Framework. This knowledge base, in combination with their own visual arts training, typically enables them to enter teaching theoretically well equipped to support students in the development of arts ideas and studio works. The important outcome areas of visual arts history and visual arts criticism often present major challenges for graduates. In the absence of significant post-university support and more importantly, within the context of limited pre­service training where visual conceptual understandings and studio skills repertoires …

Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers Today, Jeniffer M. Lane

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This portfolio documents the learning journey of a preservice teacher educator in Western Australia. The problem investigated is how should we best to prepare preservice teachers for teaching in future contexts. This document has several sections, firstly the literature review discusses topics that have relevance for teacher educators preparing teachers of the future to work in a knowledge-based economy. Then four phases of research both quantitative and qualitative are presented interlinked by a personal narrative. The narrative describes how the studies and research impacted on the teaching practices of the researcher. The powerful findings of the research with teachers in …

The Relationship Between Individual Differences, Training In Second Language Aural Comprehension Strategies And Performance In Year 9 Indonesian Language Students, Wendy L. Young

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

There are three distinct but interrelated parts to this research. The first part measures language learning strategies (LLS) and other individual differences (IDs), as well as the relationship between LLS and the other IDs of year 9 students of Indonesian as a foreign language (L2). The second part measures differences in use of LLS between the control and experimental groups, and then over time. The third part measures the effects of training in LLS on listening comprehension. The study had three main aims. One was to determine the relationship between participants' LLS use and their language learning background, affective factors, …

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, Suzanna Paul

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

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 …

An Exploration Of Student Performance, Utilization, And Attitude To The Use Of A Controlled Content Sequencing Web Based Learning Environment, Justin A. Brown

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Universities, traditionally places of teaching and research, have seen and are continuing to see radical changes occur in the area of teaching and the methods of teaching delivery. The World Wide Web, or ‘Web’ has begun to subsume the classroom as the preferred means by which students access their tertiary learning materials, and ultimately, how academic staff deliver those materials. The delivery of learning via the Web takes many forms and is generically, and usually inaccurately, referred to by such names as e-learning, online learning, web-based training and web based education, using such technologies as virtual learning environments, learning management …

Professional And Continuing Education In Hong Kong: An Analysis Of The Characteristics And Job Satisfaction Of Part-Time Teachers Of English Language Courses, Joe Wai-Kin Ching

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

In order to have a better understanding or the Professional and Continuing Education in Hong Kong, the purpose of this research is to assess the job satisfaction or part-time English language teachers with respect to their work, pay, opportunities for promotion, supervision, and colleagues. The PCE departments in a total of six institutions with diversified characteristics, namely, Hong Kong University, Hong Kong Chinese University, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, City University of Hong Kong and Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education were involved in the present study. The first part is a quantitative study adopting a cross-sectional …

Teaching And Learning In Higher Education : Nurturing Critical Reflection For Bridging Theory/Practice Links : A Case Study In Social Work Education, Gary Keith Ovington

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The 1990s has witnessed two 'institutions' in 'crisis': higher education and social work. In higher education. government has brandished its quality sword and the long-neglected area of teaching is prominent in the war cry. In social work, major stakeholders have constructed the crisis as the 'theory/practice problematic' and the systemic intervention has been the prima facie increasing power of non-academic bodies to shape social work curriculum. This study is set within this context of quality teaching and theory/practice issues. It is an action research study of the teaching and learning dynamic of a first year social work subject which seeks …

Professional Development And Practice: A Study Of Early Childhood Teachers Of Mathematics, Wendy Hawthorne

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

In the past twenty years there has been increased interest in the ways in which teachers construct their professional lives. It is no longer assumed that preservice education alone will enable teachers to meet the challenges of their teaching lives. Ongoing professional development is seen as an essential component of contemporary teachers' lives but remains a challenge for professional development planners and providers. The nature and extent of teachers' participation in professional development was a significant dimension of the investigation of professional development contained in this thesis. The research questions which formed the basis for the data collection in this …

The Leadership Roles Of The Child Care Centre Supervisor In Singapore, Winnie Tan

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The purpose of this study was; (a) to describe the current situation of child care provision in Singapore; (b) to define the meaning of leadership and the responsibilities involved in effective leadership in a child care setting; and (c) to investigate and describe the leadership roles that child care centre supervisors need to perform in the day to day running of their centres from the perspective of the child care supervisors. A total of 15 supervisors from the private sector were interviewed in-depth. They were asked to describe all facets of their leadership roles in their centres. The results of …

Dramatic Role-Play As A Process Of Exploration With Adolescents : A Phenomenological Study, P. R. Wearne

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The purpose of this research study is to describe the lived experience of adolescents with dramatic role-play as a process of exploration. The responses of the participants are compared with the proposed learning objectives of the researcher. A comparison is provided which occasionally reflects a difference in actual or perceived learning and expected learning. The process of exploration about self and society is undertaken by using dramatic role-play as a specific methodology of process drama. The current theories of 'drama education', 'process drama' and 'role-play' are discussed and evidenced through the drama experience of the research participants. Although generalisations are …

Pre-Primary Children's Progress And The School Development Plan, Elizabeth A. Moulin

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

In recent years several policy changes have occurred in Western Australia regarding the provision of pre-compulsory education, particularly for children turning five. These changes have led to education of such children centred largely in full-time, on-site classes rather than in sessional, independent community centres, resulting in pre-primary education becoming mainstream school business. As such it is incorporated in the administrative, managerial and educational policies of the school including school development planning. The school development plan (SDP), a major tool of accountability within the school, provides a planning framework in selected priority areas in which methods of assessment and evaluation of …

Differential Outcomes Of Various Models Of Work Experience, Peter Sinclair

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

In Western Australia an increasing number of secondary school students participate in work experience programs. Different models of work experience are becoming more common. The Ministry of. Education promotes the use of four such models. The purpose of this study was to examine the outcomes of work experience, as perceived by secondary school students in selected Government Schools, to see if there were any differences according to the model of work experience used. These perceptions were further examined to see if there was a significant difference in perceived outcomes according to other independent variables of student gender, year level, geographic …