Digital Commons Network^™

Measuring The Quality Of Service Within Challenge Bank, George M. Gilchrist

Theses : Honours

This research project looks at how the management and counter staff of four branches of the Challenge Bank define quality of service and asks them to judge if they deliver that quality. lt also examines the climate for service in which staff operate. The project simultaneously explores the customers' idea of what constitutes quality service, and whether or not customers consider they receive it consistently. A review of the most recent literature on customer service from Australia and overseas, has provided a theoretical framework for the interpretation of the data. It was necessary to first define quality of service then …

Secondary Non-Art Teachers' Perceptions Of Characteristics Of An Effective Art Teacher, Christine M. Morton-Lo

Theses : Honours

Since 1986, the offering of art in secondary schools as a Tertiary Entrance Examination subject has secured its position as a school subject. However, there is increasing pressure on art and on other subjects offered in secondary schools in Western Australia, to demonstrate a contribution to Australia's social, economic and cultural priorities. In an increasingly competitive educational environment, all subjects need to negotiate viable positions as courses of study. As a result of the implementation of the Better Schools Report 1987, school-based decision-making groups have been established to assume responsibility for matters which had previously been the concern of a …

Teachers' Concerns About Implementing Environmental Education Through Their Classroom Programmes, Karen Malone

Theses : Honours

This study examined the concerns of teachers when implementing environmental education into classroom programmes. A metropolitan district of Perth was used for data collection. Four schools and thirteen teachers participated in the study. The measure of concern was calculated using the Stages of Concern Questionnaire. The concerns were then subjected to a SAS computing analysis· programme to determine the relationship between level of concern and predetermined factors. These factors were personal factors: teaching experience; knowledge of the principles of environmental education; colleague support and year level taught; and school-level factors: the presence of school policies; participation in inservices or workshops; …

Someone's Daughter, Someone's Worker, Someone's Girlfriend, Someone's Wife: Young Women And Multiple Transitions, Jennie Buchanan

Theses : Honours

Although obviously involved in the life of their communities, young women have been largely overlooked in youth studies specifically and sociological research in general. Where young women are mentioned in the literature they are discussed using theories and frameworks designed to explain young men's position. It is assumed within these studies that somehow one's gender has little impact on their social situation. Clearly traditional theoretical approaches to the study of youth do not take into account the multiple transitions experienced by young women. This thesis sets out to question existing literature in youth studies. The notion that youth is a …

Prose Fiction Preferences Of Lower Secondary Urban Aboriginal Boys, Stephen James White

Theses : Honours

The purpose of this study was to investigate the prose fiction preferences of lower secondary urban Aboriginal boys. The Likert scale scores from the 2 x 4 factorial design were analysed using an ANOVA test of significance. It was found that the research group significantly preferred action genres to non-action genres, Aboriginal characterisations to white Australian characterisations, and contemporary story extracts to traditional story extracts.

Teacher Backgrounds, Resources, Facilities, Personnel And Time Allocation: A Survey Of Music Education In Metropolitan Pre-Primary Schools, Anna-Therese Kania

Theses : Honours

The pre-primary year of schooling, the first year of formal education for many children in Western Australia, has the potential to capitalize upon young children's rhythmic and auditory responsiveness and can provide a solid foundation upon which further musical understandings may be built. Music educators such as Kodaly and Orff have stressed the advantages of children's early exposure to music. (Lawrenoo, 1978, p. 108; Leak, 1985/86, p. 8). The Western Australian music syllabus "Music in Schools K-3” (1980, p. 3) highlights the significance of music education in early childhood and warms that "to neglect music at this tine may limit …

In Search Of The Expert Pedagogue: How Is The Expert Physical Education Teacher Perceived?, Christine Albert

Theses : Honours

Like most professions, teaching needs to be concerned with the notions of expertise and effectiveness. This study aimed to determine how the expert physical education teacher is perceived by pupils, student teachers, and teacher educators. Perceptions were compared and contrasted to identify both areas of discrepancy and consensus with respect to subjects' views of expertise. Subject groups involved in the study consisted of 30 year 10 pupils, 30 student teachers completing a BArts degree majoring in physical education (3rd year), and 28 teacher educators (physical education specific). Perceptions of expertise were determined through the administration of a questionnaire which specifically …

Consumer Attitudes Toward The Advertising Of Professional Services By Accountants, Lawyers, And Physicians, In Perth, Western Australia: An Exploratory Study, Damien W. Millen

Theses : Honours

The accounting, law and medical professions in Australia have resisted using advertising as part of a marketing strategy until the late 1980's. Unlike their colleagues in the United States, the majority of professionals in Australia have yet to explore the benefits of utilising advertising to develop and maintain a high quality reputation, as well as informing potential clientele of available services and other necessary information that customers may use to select a professional practitioner. It is the aim of this research to investigate consumer attitudes toward accountants, lawyers, and physicians with respect to professional service advertising in Perth, Western Australia. …

The Marketing Orientation Of The West Australian Wine Industry, Michael J. Stansby

Theses : Honours

Marketing academics and practitioners have been studying the effects of marketing orientation on the level business performance for many years. To date, there has been little effort to develop a valid measure of marketing orientation, and analyse its impact on business performance. Because of the lack of such a measure, companies possess no specific guidelines how they may become more marketing orientated. This study presents a valid measure of marketing orientation and analyses its effect on business performance. A conceptual model for marketing orientation is presented. This model comprises of four components: customer orientation; competitor orientation; interfunctional coordination; and long-term …

Strategies Used By Beginning Class Iii And Iv Rural School Principals In Dealing With Problems Encountered In The Initial Stages Of Their Appointments, Gail Marguerite Mclay

Theses : Honours

In Western Australia, in the last decade, there can be little doubt that educational leaders at all levels have faced substantial changes in their roles. New dimensions have been added to the role of principal and this emergent role is yet to be clearly identified. Principals are no longer solely conduits for centrally determined policies. They are now expected to undertake responsibilities such as school development planning, school based decision making and managing school grants. The appointment of a teacher to the principalship of the smaller rural school, in this study a Class III or IV school, is a significant …

A Gender Analysis Of Teacher Feedback In Coeducational Secondary Physical Education Lessons, Paul R. Watson

Theses : Honours

The purpose of this study was to examine whether the verbal feedback distribution patterns of teachers in coeducational secondary physical education lessons were gender equitable. Previous literature indicated that inequality in verbal interaction and feedback existed in coeducational secondary physical education classes. This inequality tended to favour males to the disadvantage of females.

Fourteen lessons by male teachers and fourteen lessons by female teachers were video-recorded. The study utilized a modification of the systematic behaviour observation instrument developed by Siedentop (1983). Data obtained were categorized for analysis and interpretation. Statistical procedures were applied to establish the significance of the findings. …

Student Perceptions Of The Transition From Year 10 To Year 11, Tim Mcdonald

Theses : Honours

Issues associated with the transition from Year 10 to Year 11 have largely been ignored by researchers. Previous research has predominantly focussed on the primary to secondary transition experience. The existing problem of lower school to upper school transition has been compounded by the increased importance of upper school and the rising retention rates. This study investigated student perceptions of the transition from Year 10 to Year 11. It explored student concerns encountered in the transition and the differences they perceived between Year 10 and Year 11 after having entered Year 11. A case study approach, incorporating both qualitative and …

A Case Study Of Two Year Six Classes Involved In A Health-Related Fitness Intervention, Andrew T. Medland

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Children are not as active as they may appear and they do not voluntarily engage in moderate to high intensity activity as commonly perceived by the general public. With coronary heart disease risk factors now found to have origins in childhood there is a real need for children to adopt lifestyles that will produce healthier adults. In Perth the Western Australian Schools Physical Activity and Nutrition project (WASPAN) has been implemented, as a Year 6 intervention, addressing the problems of poor nutritional habits and low activity levels. The focus of this case-study was to describe the physical activity component of …

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, Les Puhl

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

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 …

An Evaluation Of The Deputy Principals' Leadership Development Program, Ronald F. Chalmers

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The Deputy Principals' Leadership Development Program (DPLDP) was researched and developed by the Calgary Board of Education from 1983 to 1987. It was conducted for the first time in Western Australia when deputy principals from schools in the Narrogin Education District participated in the program during the period 1989-91. This study is an evaluation of the DPLDP. It was designed to determine whether there is justification for the continued use of the program as a means of enhancing the instructional leadership capacities of deputy principals in the Narrogin Education District. This research is located within the naturalistic paradigm. It can …

Reasons For The Underrepresentation Of Females At Head Of Department Level In Physical Education In Government Secondary Schools In Western Australia: Perceptions Of Female Physical Education Teachers, Regina D. Bloot

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study focuses on reasons why so few females hold Head of Department positions in physical education in government secondary schools in Western Australia. Despite the almost equitable proportion of females and males teaching the subject, and the absence of Ministry of Education policy constraints on female promotion since 1972, females remain grossly underrepresented in leadership roles. In 1991, women held only five (7%) of the 70 substantive Head of Department appointments. Individual indepth interviews were used as the means of data collection to document female teachers' own accounts of their lives, career aspirations, and what they perceived to be …

The Effect Of Equal Employment Opportunity Policies On The Promotion Of Women To The Position Of School Principal In The Western Australian Government School System (1985-1991), Jacquie Hutchinson

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The purpose of this study was to analyse and explain the effect of the introduction of equal employment opportunity policy on the Ministry of Education with reference to the promotion of women teachers to the position of principal during the period 1985 to 1991. This research represents a case study of the Western Australian government primary and secondary school system conducted through a review of relevant government and Ministry of Education policies, analysis of employment statistics and interviews with key policy actors. Four questions which directed the research sought a conceptual framework through which to analyse and explain events, policies …

Youth Worker Perceptions Of Abused Young Women, Suzie Omelczuk

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Youth workers across Australia are coming into contact with young women who have been abused. However, the nature of that contact, and the ways in which youth workers are responding to these young women is not known. The aim of this study is to determine how youth workers in the metropolitan area of Perth perceive and act upon issues of abuse faced by the young women using their services. The study draws upon literature dealing with issues of abuse facing children and young people. Within the study issues such as problems arising from trying to define abuse are examined, as …

Performance Attributes Of Talented Schoolboy Australian Rules Football Players, Philip R. Badock

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between selected psychological characteristics and performance of a group of talented young Australian Rules football players. The study group consisted of 50 of the best identified schoolboy 15 year old Australian Rules football players in Western Australia. From this group 25 boys were selected to represent Western Australia at the Australian School Sports Council National Football Championships. The selected psychological characteristics were competitive anxiety (trait and state), competitive sport orientation (competitiveness, win and goal orientation) and sport confidence (trait and state). Performance was measured, first, by the selection or non …

The Effect Of Canteen Menu On Nutritional Knowledge, Attitudes And Behaviour Of Year Five Students, Sharon Mcbride

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Eating habits are learned during childhood, and patterns of behaviour established in childhood have important health ramifications throughout life. Over half of all deaths in Australia are linked to diet with over-consumption of saturated fat, sugar and salt, and lack of fibre being identified as particular problem areas. Nutrition education is an important component of primary health education curricula, and yet school canteens, and integral part of the school environment, do not necessarily offer healthy food choices that support nutrition instruction in the classroom. This study investigated the effect of canteen menu on student knowledge and attitudes toward nutrition and …