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Full-Text Articles in Education

School Registration And School Improvement: Rasch Measurement Of School Administrators’ Beliefs, Harm (Pete) Witten Jan 2012

School Registration And School Improvement: Rasch Measurement Of School Administrators’ Beliefs, Harm (Pete) Witten

Research Journeys in Education

No abstract provided.


A Theoretically Grounded Exploration Of The Social And Emotional Outcomes Of Transition To Secondary School, Stacey Waters, Leanne Lester, Elizabeth Wenden, Donna Cross Jan 2012

A Theoretically Grounded Exploration Of The Social And Emotional Outcomes Of Transition To Secondary School, Stacey Waters, Leanne Lester, Elizabeth Wenden, Donna Cross

Research outputs 2012

Adolescent development involves a complex interplay between genetics, biology, and social and emotional relationships within multiple contexts of home, school and the broader community. The transition from primary to secondary school, coupled with the onset of puberty, can therefore be a difficult period for young people to negotiate at a critical period of their developmental pathway. Using a social ecological perspective, this article examines the impact of the transition experience on adolescent social and emotional health, both immediately following transition to secondary school and at the end of the first year in this new school environment. This 1-year prospective study …


Adolescent Bully-Victims: Social Health And The Transition To Secondary School, Leanne Lester, Donna Cross, Therese Shaw, Julian Dooley Jan 2012

Adolescent Bully-Victims: Social Health And The Transition To Secondary School, Leanne Lester, Donna Cross, Therese Shaw, Julian Dooley

Research outputs 2012

This study aimed to investigate the causal pathways and factors associated with being involved in bullying behaviour as a bully-victim using longitudinal data from students aged 11-14 years over the transition time from primary to secondary school. Examination of bully-victim pathways suggest a critical time to intervene is prior to transition from the end of primary school to the beginning of secondary school to prevent and reduce the harm from bullying. Negative outcome expectancies from bullying perpetration were a significant predictor of being a bully-victim at the end of the first year of secondary school. The findings show an association …


The Invisibility Of Covert Bullying Among Students: Challenges For School Intervention, Amy Barnes, Donna Cross, Leanne Lester, Lydia Hearn, Melanie Epstein, Helen Monks Jan 2012

The Invisibility Of Covert Bullying Among Students: Challenges For School Intervention, Amy Barnes, Donna Cross, Leanne Lester, Lydia Hearn, Melanie Epstein, Helen Monks

Research outputs 2012

Covert bullying behaviours are at least as distressing for young people as overt forms of bullying, but often remain unnoticed or unacknowledged by adults. This invisibility is increased in schools by inattention to covert bullying in policy and practice, and limited staff understanding and skill to address covert behaviours. These factors can lead to a school culture that appears to tolerate and thus inadvertently encourages covert bullying. This study explores these dynamics in Australian primary and secondary schools, including the attitudes of over 400 staff towards covert bullying, their understanding of covert bullying behaviours, and their perceived capacity to address …


Developmental Trajectories Of Adolescent Victimization: Predictors And Outcomes, Leanne Lester, Donna Cross, Julian Dooley, Therese Shaw Jan 2012

Developmental Trajectories Of Adolescent Victimization: Predictors And Outcomes, Leanne Lester, Donna Cross, Julian Dooley, Therese Shaw

Research outputs 2012

Chronic victimization negatively affects mental health, making it crucial to understand the key predictive social health (e.g., loneliness, isolation) factors. Evidence suggests that the effects of victimization are worse over the transition from primary to secondary school. Longitudinal data from 1810 students transitioning were used to identify victimization trajectory groups, classified as low increasing, low stable, medium stable, and not bullied. Adolescents with poorer social health were more likely to be in the increasing and stable victimized group than in the not bullied group. Students in the low increasing victimized group had poorer mental health outcomes than those in the …


Principals' Strategies For Improving The Academic Achievement Of Students Of Disadvantaged Rural Junior High Schools In Ghana, Erasmus Kormla Norviewu-Mortty Jan 2012

Principals' Strategies For Improving The Academic Achievement Of Students Of Disadvantaged Rural Junior High Schools In Ghana, Erasmus Kormla Norviewu-Mortty

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The academic performance of students in public basic schools in rural Ghana during the past two decades has declined significantly (Akyeampong, 2007). Government efforts to remedy this have not yielded any sustainable result (Atta-Quayson, 2007). The Saboba District Junior High Schools are among the lowest-performing rural schools. Generally, inadequate funding and resourcing are blamed for poor academic achievement of disadvantaged, rural students. During eight years of teaching in the Saboba District, the Researcher observed that the academic achievement of students in some schools remained high while that of others in the same locality remained low. Further, the Researcher’s experiences suggested …


Reengineering The Academic Unit's Research Practice: A Stages Model, Dieter Fink Jan 2011

Reengineering The Academic Unit's Research Practice: A Stages Model, Dieter Fink

Research outputs 2011

The paper presents a stages model that guided the efforts of an academic unit at an Australian university to improve its research performance. Aiming to grow the research culture it used the re-engineering approach to bring about a transformation. There are four stages in the model used: establishing the current research presence, facilitating research interaction, increasing research transactions and achieving research transformation. Part of stage 1 was a survey to establish significant gaps between staff research expectations and perceptions. Progress for stages 1 and 2 were able to be managed within the academic unit but stage 3 was largely influenced …


Enhancing Psychology Students' Experiences: The Development Of An Undergraduate Leadership Programme, Lynne Cohen, Paul Chang, Joyce Hendricks, Vicki Cope, Bronwyn Harman Jan 2011

Enhancing Psychology Students' Experiences: The Development Of An Undergraduate Leadership Programme, Lynne Cohen, Paul Chang, Joyce Hendricks, Vicki Cope, Bronwyn Harman

Research outputs 2011

Leadership is a practical skill, highly valued by employers but not formally taught in Australian psychology curricula. The Edith Cowan University School of Psychology and Social Science developed a programme aimed at addressing the lack of leadership training in undergraduate psychology students. This 12-month extracurricular programme provided theoretical and practical experience in leadership, and incorporated a formal series of workshops and seminars with three curricular components: leadership knowledge, leadership skills, and leadership in action. Students were then provided with the opportunity to develop and practise their leadership skills by participating in a series of expert-driven seminars, through role-playing, perspective taking, …


A Process For Transition To Sustainability: Implementation, Sandra Wooltorton, Marilyn Palmer, Fran Steele Jan 2011

A Process For Transition To Sustainability: Implementation, Sandra Wooltorton, Marilyn Palmer, Fran Steele

Research outputs 2011

This paper reports the outcomes of the second action cycle of an ongoing project at Edith Cowan University (ECU) called "Transition to Sustainability: ECU South West" which is located in a small, single faculty regional university campus. The overall project has comprised three action research cycles, the first of which was the planning cycle which established the importance of building a community of practice with a learning stance for sustainability transition. It also highlighted the issue of a common definition of the term sustainability; of including cross-disciplinary perspectives; and of working with the local community. The second action cycle which …


Staff Perspectives On The Role Of English Proficiency In Providing Support Services, Sophia Harryba, Andrew Guilfoyle, Shirlee-Ann Knight Jan 2011

Staff Perspectives On The Role Of English Proficiency In Providing Support Services, Sophia Harryba, Andrew Guilfoyle, Shirlee-Ann Knight

Research outputs 2011

A case study approach was applied to understand the challenges of offering support services to international students (IS) within a university setting. A social constructivist theoretical framework informed the collection and analysis of data. Perspectives from service providers - general and academic staff members and international students were triangulated. To date, 63 participants have been interviewed and preliminary findings show that although international students encounter a number of academic and socio-cultural difficulties during university transition, many do not access support services offered by university for various reasons including; perceived language and cultural barriers, unawareness, feeling uncomfortable; and avoiding any stigma …


Steering In The Same Direction? : An Examination Of The Mission And Structure Of The Governance Of Providers Of Pathway Programs, Rodney A. Gillett Jan 2011

Steering In The Same Direction? : An Examination Of The Mission And Structure Of The Governance Of Providers Of Pathway Programs, Rodney A. Gillett

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The purpose of the study was to examine the mission and structure of governance of three providers of pre-university pathway programs based in Australia and operating on a global basis. The aim of the research was to investigate changes, if any, to the purpose and form of governance in this sector for which virtually no research has been undertaken. The literature review of governance in the higher education sector on a global scale in relation to universities revealed an increasing trend toward a corporate style of management. The literature also revealed that the distributors of pathway programs are operating in …


Directions For Change In H.E. In The Mekong Region: Pasts-Thinking To Futures-Thinking, And City Universities To Village Colleges, Martin Allinson Jan 2008

Directions For Change In H.E. In The Mekong Region: Pasts-Thinking To Futures-Thinking, And City Universities To Village Colleges, Martin Allinson

EDU-COM International Conference

Written by a retired university and college engineering teacher, who (at 73) is now Khon Kaen University‘s oldest student, doing a PhD study of Sustainable Development‘s Curriculum Effects, the paper is directed primarily to young members of faculty who are looking forward to their careers in universities as those universities will be in the future. The paper provides a challenge to universities in response to geopolitical change. While at first glance the scenario of global resource depletion and impact on the local Mekong Basin community presents a depressing picture, the paper provides an optimistic option based on forward thinking led …


The Introduction Of Recurrent Funding To Non-Government Schools In Western Australia : National Statesmanship Or Provincial Pragmatism?, Heather De Leuil Jan 2007

The Introduction Of Recurrent Funding To Non-Government Schools In Western Australia : National Statesmanship Or Provincial Pragmatism?, Heather De Leuil

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

State aid to private schools has been a controversial issue in Australia since the beginning of European settlement. This was true in all colonies' and remains a national issue in the twenty-first century. At various times colonial governments chose to provide to private schools, principally those operated by the Catholic and major churches. However as the colonies grew and statehood loomed, the of the day sought to withdraw their aid from private schools and their funding on the growing non-denominational, public school systems.


The Islamic Azad University And Iran’S Social Development, Ratchaporn Simbar Jan 2006

The Islamic Azad University And Iran’S Social Development, Ratchaporn Simbar

EDU-COM International Conference

Higher education in an era of emerging organizational model, being recognized as one of the principal social affairs and a delicate endeavour, can not and should not be left with the government alone. In an attempt to lighten the government‘s responsibility to provide the nation with higher education, Islamic Azad University was established in Iran. With the growing tendencies of Iranian families in making their children enter university along with the soaring demand for higher education, the government itself could not have been able to satisfy the needs. Meanwhile, training and education can be seen as the main factors in …


An Exploratory Cross-Cultural Investigation Of The Organisational Strategies Employed To Prevent And Ameliorate Workplace Bullying In University Settings, Dragana Krestelica Jan 2005

An Exploratory Cross-Cultural Investigation Of The Organisational Strategies Employed To Prevent And Ameliorate Workplace Bullying In University Settings, Dragana Krestelica

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Workplaces abound in conflict. Individuals within organisations are therefore vulnerable to a wide range of intimidating interactional tactics. These tactics can have an extremely negative impact upon individual workers and upon subsequent organisational performance. Consequentially, the diverse forms of organisational social harassment, and specifically bullying, place a large financial burden upon both organisations and nations. Therefore, the identification of strategies used to prevent and ameliorate workplace bullying and an examination that highlights their comparative success or failure is of great importance for all employers, employees and government. This study focuses upon those strategies used to prevent and ameliorate such workplace …


Children And Healthy Eating: A Global, Policy And School Curriculum Perspective, Erica Logan Jan 2005

Children And Healthy Eating: A Global, Policy And School Curriculum Perspective, Erica Logan

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Healthy eating is a topic most people would consider they have an understanding of, yet it is an area which is not often addressed from a critical perspective. Healthy eating is freely discussed in society. It is a dominant discourse used commercially and frequently appears in educational 'texts', however the discourses surrounding healthy eating for children are not well analysed and are most often controlled by the media and often not challenged. A critical perspective to children's eating is adopted for this portfolio and multiple perspectives bought to bare regarding the globalisation of food cultures, and governance and policy influences …


Quality Management In Australian Higher Education : A Critical Review, Trudi Cooper Jan 2004

Quality Management In Australian Higher Education : A Critical Review, Trudi Cooper

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Quality management in higher education is a politically contentious issue in Australia. as it is in North America, New Zealand, and many European countries. The Australian government has instituted a quality management system for higher education that it claims will improve university efficiency, accountability and quality. Critics assert that the current quality management system is detrimental to universities and undermines the capability of universities to deliver maximal benefits to individuals and to society. Evaluation of the basis of conflicting claims is necessary to enable decisions about the usefulness of current practices and decisions about whether existing quality management arrangements should …


Bullying And The Inclusive School Environment, Chris Forlin, Dianne Chambers Nov 2003

Bullying And The Inclusive School Environment, Chris Forlin, Dianne Chambers

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

As Australian education departments and teacher education institutions become aware of international trends, they are keen to implement quickly pedagogical and curriculum changes that are being promoted as best practice for schools of the twenty-first century. One such recent change has been the inclusivity movement. There remain, however, many unresolved issues for teachers that fall outside these new paradigm shifts but still require urgent attention.


An Exploratory Study Into The Relationship Between Moral Judgement And Academic Ability By School, Gender, And Socio-Economic Status, Kathleen Bancroft Jan 2001

An Exploratory Study Into The Relationship Between Moral Judgement And Academic Ability By School, Gender, And Socio-Economic Status, Kathleen Bancroft

Theses : Honours

Society appears to be exhibiting an innate belief that the private school system provides a better education, a moral education and the opportunity to secure a place in the workforce more so than its counterpart, the public school system (Australian Council of Educational Research, 1980). A 1.5% shill of Australian school students from the public school system to the private school system each year has been reported (Kemp, 1997). Previous research indicates that parents are choosing the private system as they perceive an educational advantage over public schools (Australian Council of Educational Research, 1980). The purpose of this study is …


Aid Administration Of Bilateral, Multilateral And Non-Government Organisations In The Primary Education Sector: A Comparative Case Study Analysis Of Zambia, Patrick Nkhoma Jan 2001

Aid Administration Of Bilateral, Multilateral And Non-Government Organisations In The Primary Education Sector: A Comparative Case Study Analysis Of Zambia, Patrick Nkhoma

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This is a study of the administration of aid by bilateral, multilateral and non-government organisations in Zambia during the period 1990 to 2000. The particular purpose of this study is to compare the aid programs administered by the above organisations to the primary education sector using a case study approach. The study critically analyses how the performance of these organisation is or is not influenced by setting clear objectives, by elaborating planning processes and implementation arrangements. The study uses a matrix table developed through a NUD*IST retrieval reports generated from the data collected from each organisation’s documentation and in-depth interviews …


When Teachers Are Victims : A Study Of Support In Western Australian Government Schools For Teachers Who Have Been Assaulted By Students, Rebecca Evans Jan 2000

When Teachers Are Victims : A Study Of Support In Western Australian Government Schools For Teachers Who Have Been Assaulted By Students, Rebecca Evans

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The aims of this study were to determine the personal effects of student assault upon a teacher and what assaulted teachers feel that they need in the way of support. In particular, I wanted the study to focus on the personal aspects of the cases as I was convinced that assaulted teachers experience similar anxieties, fears and barriers to support and similar difficulties in having those feelings recognised. Many clinical studies of assault victim support have been conducted, however, seemingly none of them are specifically related to assault by a student upon a teacher. This specific type of assault involves …


Thoughts And Feelings Of A Beginning Tertiary Group Of Adult Learners In A Human Resource Development Course, Bryan W. Smith Jan 2000

Thoughts And Feelings Of A Beginning Tertiary Group Of Adult Learners In A Human Resource Development Course, Bryan W. Smith

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This is a study of a case of adults entering tertiary study for the first time, and their mental life concerning their own self-performance, constructed across four instances. The purposes of the study were to identify some characteristics of the four participants’ covert behaviour during their learning in a course on Human Resource Development (1-IRD), to gain some insight into the conception of self-performance held by the participants and the attributions of this self-performance, to examine the approaches to learning held by each participant, and to contribute to closing the gap between adult education and educational psychology. Three consecutive three-hour …


The Teaching Portfolio Project: An Evaluative Case Study Of A Portfolio-Based Approach To The Development Of University Teaching, Martijntje M. Kulski Jan 2000

The Teaching Portfolio Project: An Evaluative Case Study Of A Portfolio-Based Approach To The Development Of University Teaching, Martijntje M. Kulski

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study on the use of teaching portfolios arose from a number of converging trends and policy initiatives within the higher education sector that led to demands for the improvement of, and a more reflective scholarly approach to, university teaching. In Australia, and overseas, institutions have responded to these demands by implementing teaching development and evaluation programs for academic staff that arc based on the use of portfolios. A teaching portfolio is essentially a documentary record of selected aspects of a teacher's work across a range of instructional settings. According to some proponents, portfolios can capture the complexity of university …


A Comparative Study Of Controversy In The Education Systems Of Western Australia, Victoria And New Zealand: Community Participation In Government Schools 1985-1993, Anne M. Coffey Jan 1998

A Comparative Study Of Controversy In The Education Systems Of Western Australia, Victoria And New Zealand: Community Participation In Government Schools 1985-1993, Anne M. Coffey

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The release of Better Schools in Western Australia: A Programme for Improvement (1987), in line with other public sector agency reforms; contained a prescription for the restructuring of the Education Department of Western Australia from 11 bureaucratic to a corporate management system of school administration. These changes were intended to render the education system, and especially schools more flexible, responsive and accountable. Among the proposals for educational restructuring was a new opportunity for community participation through ''school based decision making groups." Contemporaneously, the education systems in Victoria and New Zealand were undergoing similar reforms. The research agenda for this thesis …


Senior Teacher Classification For Teacher-Librarians In Western Australian Catholic Schools : An Investigation, Kathryn L. Salt Jan 1997

Senior Teacher Classification For Teacher-Librarians In Western Australian Catholic Schools : An Investigation, Kathryn L. Salt

Theses : Honours

This research study utilised the principles of Survey Research to determine the current knowledge base and status of teacher-librarians employed in Western Australian Catholic schools in relation to Senior Teacher classification. It also examines the perceived barriers to achieving Senior Teacher classification. The questionnaire Senior Teacher Classification for Teacher-Librarians (STCTL) was constructed and mailed to every Catholic primary and secondary school throughout Western Australia for completion by the teacher-librarian. A 70.45 per cent response rate was received (93 respondents). The primary statistical analysis method used was descriptive statistics; frequencies, percents, means, modes and standard deviations. Based on the data analysis …


The All Encompassing Role And Function Of The Computing Coordinator In Western Australian Government Senior High Schools, Diana C. Brown Jan 1997

The All Encompassing Role And Function Of The Computing Coordinator In Western Australian Government Senior High Schools, Diana C. Brown

Theses : Honours

The purpose of this study was to determine the role and support afforded Computing Coordinators at Western Australian government senior high schools by undertaking a census survey. Previous studies performed by Weber and Kershaw (1990) and Kershaw and Weber {1991), portrayed the role of Computing Coordinators at Australian high schools as demanding a diversity of knowledge and skills in computer technology together with excellent management qualities. The literature also suggested that time management skills were a major factor in how effectively coordinators carried out the myriad of tasks expected of them. This study found that most Computing Coordinators considered their …


The Interplay Of Formal And Informal Rule Systems In Government Primary Schools, Raymond Knight Jan 1996

The Interplay Of Formal And Informal Rule Systems In Government Primary Schools, Raymond Knight

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The aim of this dissertation is to examine the effects of regulation upon the practice and behaviour of teachers within a bureaucratic educational organisation. More specifically, the study had been designed to understand how teachers make sense of the rules and regulations of their organisation and identify strategies that they apply to make these rules serve these interests. The rule system theory of Swedish sociologist, Burns and Flam, was employed to inform the study. Thirty teachers, employed at two school sites, were included in this qualitative study. The initial data were collected by questionnaires and a survey of formal rules. …


Investigation Of The Ashenden Proposal For Redesigning Teachers' Work: The Case Of Secondary Teacher Librarians, G. A. Hornsby Jan 1995

Investigation Of The Ashenden Proposal For Redesigning Teachers' Work: The Case Of Secondary Teacher Librarians, G. A. Hornsby

Theses : Honours

This thesis documents the implications of the Ashenden proposal for the work of teacher librarians in particular, and teachers in general. The participants are eight practising teacher librarians ‘in charge', from Perth metropolitan secondary schools. Data for this qualitative study was collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed using the constant comparative method. The study identifies the main strength of Ashenden's proposal as his orientation\ towards the professional ideology of teachers which implies trust in the professional intentions, knowledge and discretionary judgements of teachers. The study also finds that the Ashenden proposal is incompatible with the work of teaching as a …


The Participant's Summative Perceptions Of The Quality Function Deployment (Qfd) Process As Used To Review A School Policy, Les Tiede Jan 1995

The Participant's Summative Perceptions Of The Quality Function Deployment (Qfd) Process As Used To Review A School Policy, Les Tiede

Theses : Honours

This study investigated a recent development in the quality management area, namely, quality function deployment (QFD) and its relevance to education. QFD has shown itself to be very useful as a tool for understanding, prioritising and planning the way in which organisations perform their functions; however, its application has, to date, been very limited in education. This study concerned itself with the use of the QFD process in a high school to review a behaviour management policy. The literature is extensively examined to review the development of quality management leading up to the advent of QFD. The study explored QFD’s …


The Professional Background And Perceptions Of Principals On Their Leadership Role In Preprimary, Elizabeth Stamopoulos Jan 1995

The Professional Background And Perceptions Of Principals On Their Leadership Role In Preprimary, Elizabeth Stamopoulos

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The incorporation of pre-primary centres into Western Australian government primary schools has shifted the responsibility for administrative, managerial and educational leadership from the kindergarten director to the primary school principal. Several pre-primary teachers and specialists in Early Childhood Education have expressed concern that principals lack theoretical and practical background in early childhood, have not been provided with professional development assistance, are providing inadequate educational leadership to pre-primary teachers, and yet a responsible for appraisal of pre-primary teachers. Similar concerns have been expressed in the United States, and resulted in the swing towards early academics and acknowledgment of the significant differences …