Education Commons^™

A Pilot Study To Test The Effectiveness Of Education Queensland's 'Schooling 2001' Project From The Lote Teachers' Point Of View., Margaret Murphy, Cristina Poyatos-Matas.

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The study described in this article, uncovered the realities and expectations of computer use by Languages Other Than English (LOTE) teachers in language classrooms in state high and primary schools in metropolitan Brisbane. The expectations of LOTE teachers concerning computer use by teachers are listed as part of the Education Queensland initiative called 'Schooling 2001', implemented in 1997. This bold, generously funded three year project had, as one of its major goals, the improvement of computer technology skills and professional development in the teaching workforce. It had, as part of its blueprint, the stipulation that all teachers across the state …

"I Only Wish I Had Known It Sooner." Education Students' Changing Conceptions Of Learning Strategies., Irene Styles, Susan Beltman, Alex Radloff

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

One of the cornerstones of student learning is the ability to use appropriate learning strategies. Awareness and orchestration of learning strategies are central to self-regulation of learning. Effective learners have a range of strategies and use them appropriately for different tasks. Effective learners are flexible and can adapt their strategy use to achieve their learning goals. If we expect prospective teachers to help their students become effective learners, they themselves need to be aware of and manage their own learning. But are our prospective teachers themselves effective learners in terms of strategy use? Using a qualitative approach, we examined the …

The Empty Centre : Power/Knowledge, Relationships And The Myth Of 'Student Centered Teaching' In Teacher Education., David R. Geelan

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The notion of ‘student centred learning’ is a popular and influential one in education at all levels. Questions of exactly how this may be defined, and what it would look like in practice are, however, much more difficult to address. During second semester 1998, I was involved in teaching a Masters level unit on teacher action research to a group of middle school teachers. I placed a high value on the knowledge, values and experience of these students, and attempted to allow them considerable freedom to construct their own learning activities and assessment procedures. Some students accepted the offered challenges, …

A Disjunction Between Personal, Professional And Societal Values In Pre-Service Teacher Education, Peter Reynolds

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Following the development of the Common and Agreed National Goals for Schooling (Australian Education Council, 1989) the Western Australian Curriculum Council was established and it has subsequently developed a Curriculum Framework for eight learning areas as well as for the values identified as implicit within those learning areas and within the governance of schools (Curriculum Council, 1998). These values have been called the shared core values of Australian society. Within the context of an analysis of these values, this paper presents the findings from a survey of the personal and the perceived societal values of Australia held by a sample …

Developing Classroom Discourse With Aboriginal Literacy Learners, Lee Simpson, Susan Clancy

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Literacy theorists Freire and Macedo (1987) linked literacy success with the ability to ‘read the world’ before being able to ‘read the word’. This ability is critical for young learners to navigate the transitional phase from their home culture into new education based settings. Such transitions are particularly difficult for young Aboriginal learners, who need to adjust to a range of different experiences, demands and expectations relating to their cultural, language and social skills. Research has clearly shown that Aboriginal learners are a group that generally, will not succeed in the area of literacy and who are at greatest risk …

"Watch This Spot And Whose In It" : Creating Space For Indigenous Educators?, Patricia M. Johnston

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Within Aotearoa/New Zealand, a bicultural relationship between Maori and Pakeha has produced a number of initiatives that are striving to be more inclusive of Maori needs, interests and language within the education system. The education system is attempting to ‘create space’ for Maori to be more proactively involved in decision-making forums with the integration of Maori knowledge and practices also occurring in areas like policy, research and teaching.

Reaching The Digitally Disadvantaged. Australia's Educational Neglect Of Indigenous Learners In The Information Age., Max Lenoy

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

In a country that boasts one of the highest computer and technological penetration rates in the world, Indigenous Australians still suffer significantly lower levels of access, participation, outcomes and educational success. With the growth of the Information age and the need for technological skills there is a concern that new technology will further increase the ongoing disadvantaged position of Indigenous learners in today’s educational environment. Are Indigenous learners destined to assume the same disadvantaged position in a new information society that they have been forced into in the past? Is information technology a solution to bridge this educational divide? This …

Digital Transmission : An Innovative Strategy To Improve Quality In Education., Vijaya Gururajan

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

In 2000 the Australian government, recognising the need for educational equality for Australian Indigenous people has commissioned a taskforce to identify various factors affecting Indigenous Education. One of the factors identified by the task force included the need for strategies to deliver quality education to various Indigenous communities. Research studies conducted on the delivery of education highlight the importance of the Internet for the flexible delivery of education. However, government reports indicate that Australian Indigenous communities have problems in utilising this technology for reasons such as access, infrastructure, training, etc. Therefore a new model based on the recently introduced digital …

Book Reviews, Lennie Barblett, Tony Fetherston

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Briggs, F. & McVeity, M. (2000) Teaching Young Children to Protect Themselves. Sydney:NSW: Allen & Unwin.

Robbins. B. (2000). Inclusive mathematics 5-11. London: Continuum.

Attitudes Of Aboriginal Students To Schooling, John Godfrey, Gary Partington, Mort Harslett, Kaye Richer

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

In this paper the attitudes of Aboriginal students to schooling are examined. Aboriginal children from upper primary and lower secondary years responded to a questionnaire related to various aspects of their schooling experience, their intentions about remaining at school and their future education. The questionnaire contained 73 items constructed primarily with a four-point Likert scale. An analysis indicated that the questionnaire was highly reliable as a whole and in its components. The paper reports that these Aboriginal students responded highly positively on a number of significant issues in regard to their attitudes to schooling. They generally had positive attitudes to …

Alienation From School Among Aboriginal Students, Jan Gray, Quentin Beresford

Research outputs pre 2011

It is difficult to overstate the depth of the educational disadvantage which continues to be experienced by Aboriginal young people in the Swan District. While encouraging signs can be found in the genuinely positive attitudes towards school among many of the Aboriginal students who are regular attenders, it is still the case that considerable differences in educational outcomes between Aborigines and non-Aborigines remain.

For example:

• Only one of the students interviewed was found to be undertaking a full Tertiary Entrance Examination course in the district during the Year 2000.

• Few students (especially boys) remain at school to study …

Supporting Students With Learning Difficulties In A School Of The Air, Judith Rivalland, Mary Rohl, Pru Smith, Centre For Inclusive Schooling Learning Difficulties Team, Department Of Education

Research outputs pre 2011

This project was funded by Edith Cowan University and the Centre for Inclusive Schooling (Department of Education, formerly Education Department of Western Australia) as an Institute for the Service Professions Collaborative Grant. It was carried out in order to examine the following questions:

• What are the ways in which identification, assessment and teaching processes make provision for students with learning difficulties who are enrolled in a School of the Air?

• In what ways do Support Officers Learning Difficulties support these children, their home tutors and their teachers?

The State Of Science In Australian Secondary Schools, Mark W. Hackling, Denis Goodrum, Leonie Rennie

Research outputs pre 2011

Presents research which sets out to establish two pictures: one of the ideal regarding the teaching and learning of science, the other of the reality of what is actually happening in Australian schools. Identifies issues and implications for science teachers and the profession.

Teaching And Learning Online: A Beginner's Guide To E-Learning And E-Teaching In Higher Education, Ron Oliver, Jan Herrington

Research outputs pre 2011

The move to online learning has a huge groundswell of approval and support across all sectors of education and it is likely that this level of interest which has been growing steadily will continue to grow even further in the immediate future. There are a number of clear reasons that can be seen to sit behind the popularity of this form of technology-based education. Some of the more common factors and influences driving the uptake of online delivery include:

• Flexibility: In many institutions, administrators are seeing advantage in the flexibility that online learning settings create for course delivery. The …

Pedagogical Challenges For The World Wide Web, Tony Fetherston

Research outputs pre 2011

The World Wide Web (Web) is the latest in a long line of technological tools which can be used in teaching and learning at universities. Current interest regarding its use coincides with increased use of different methods of teaching and learning at universities and with increasing use of the Web to deliver courses to internal and external students.

Developing Schools' Capacity To Make Performance Judgements, William Loudy, Helen Wildy

Research outputs pre 2011

No abstract provided.

Aboriginal Parental Involvement In Early Childhood Education, Rosalyn M. Frecker

Theses : Honours

Aboriginal parent and community participation in the education process has been identified as a priority for educators of Aboriginal children in Western Australia. The priority is one strategy aimed at addressing the inequity of student outcomes for Aboriginal children. This study set out to investigate the opinions of school staff and Aboriginal parents regarding the opportunity for, and value of Aboriginal parental involvement in the education process. Also, similarities and differences of opinion between school staff and parents were identified and discussed. The study employed qualitative methodology and included triangulation for internal validity. Semi-structured interview schedules were used to collect …

What Features Of Interactive Multimedia Technology Maximise The Motivation Of Primary School Aged Children Learning Music Theory?, Nick Netis

Theses : Honours

This study was conducted to find out what features of interactive multimedia elements best engage children between the ages of 8 and 12 in the process of learning music theory. Previous research into similar areas has indicated that multimedia technologies, such as CD-ROM, arc advantageous in teaching musical theory. A commercially available software application, Musicolour, that uses multimedia delivery of musical theory lessons, was analysed to identify the elements that the students found motivating. These features included the use of a combination of audio cues, graphical cues and interactivity. The findings were analysed to determine which multimedia elements or combination …

Adolescents And Sport : A Case Study Of Boys' Drop-Out From Basketball, P. N. A. Jelovsek

Theses : Honours

This thesis was designed to acquire comprehensible awareness of specific drop-out cases from basketball, specifically adolescent boys between the ages of twelve and fifteen, at Cockburn Basketball Stadium and hence abate the incidence of adolescent drop-out. My intention was to uncover what happened to these adolescents and what led them to decide to stop playing basketball. I also wished to ascertain what meaning these adolescents ascribed to the events that occurred whilst playing which led them to decide to stop playing. The Cockburn Basketball Association had 190-plus junior teams in semester 1, 1996 and only 86 junior teams in semester …

Hpe Teachers' Collection Of Information On Student Physical Activity Levels, S. A. Tonkin

Theses : Honours

This exploratory study sought to identify whether Health and Physical Education (HPE) Heads of Department (HODs) used a process of reflection to identify students' physical activity levels in compulsory general HPE (years 8-1 0) at secondary schools in the northern metropolitan suburbs of Perth. This study used a questionnaire, administered by research assistants, to learn what teachers believe students should be taught about physical activity. It utilised the Pollard & Tann (1993) reflective teaching process to determine if teachers collected written information on students' physical activity levels. It asked whether they analysed, evaluated, reflected, planed, made provision and acted on …

The Development Of A Valid And Reliable Instrument To Assess Constructivist Practices In Primary Classrooms, Bianca Herlihy

Theses : Honours

This study investigates the development of an instrument to measure teachers' constructivist practices in their classrooms. The Department of Education Curriculum Framework for Western Australia is based on a constructivist learning environment, and this study has sought to develop an instrument for exploring individual Western Australian teachers utilisation of a constructivist learning environment in their classrooms. While there are a number of studies relating to constructivist classroom practices, the literature review indicates that there is little research about actual practice in a Western Australian primary school context. The instrument was developed from an extensive review of the literature. Key theorists …

An Evaluation Of A Web-Based Tool To Assist Transition To University, Jack Seddon

Theses : Honours

This study sought to evaluate the user experience of the Race Around ECU (NAHCU) Web site (Seddon. Grant, Kosh, White & Hunt, 2000) http://www.ecu.edu.au/pa/raecu, in an attempt to understand the extent that a web-based solution can enhance high school students prior knowledge of the issues that students encounter during transition to university and how effective the site is in raising their aspirations to attend university. It sought to determine the extent to which the provision of Web promoted engagement and to explore the extent to which teaching strategies that support the integration of Web site use within existing class structures …

Number Sense In Urban Aboriginal Primary Students, Kathryn J. Lyon

Theses : Honours

This paper examines the number sense of urban Aboriginal primary students attending school in Perth. The subjects were asked to complete a test designed to assess their number sense, which has been defined as "[a] propensity for and an ability to use numbers and quantitative methods as a means of communicating, processing and interpreting information" (McIntosh, Reys, Reys, Bana & Farrell, 1997, p. 61). It involves an intuitive understanding about numbers and how to use them in practical ways. Some subjects were also interviewed, so that a greater understanding of their number sens8 could be gained. It was found that …

School-Community Links : Taking Cricket In Sport Education Beyond Bell Times, Adrian Lister

Theses : Honours

The aim of this study is to provide an in-depth analysis of several schools and their attempts to forge school-community links with local clubs during a season of SEPEP Cricket. This research complements ongoing research of the SEPEP curriculum model by focusing on the type of school-community links possible during a season of SEPEP Cricket. Teachers suggested a range of school-community link strategies that sought to increase the participation of students in community sporting programs through links developed with school sport and physical education programs. Adopting quantitative and qualitative research methods, mainly survey and interview data collection procedures, the perceptions …

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 …

Teaching Practices Which Enhance Rhythm Development In Junior Primary Students : Case Studies In The South West Region Of Western Australia, Natalie Oddy

Theses : Honours

This thesis has arisen from a desire to enhance the benefits of musical development, in particular, rhythm, for children in junior primary classrooms. Music plays an important role in the overall development of the child as it ''aids a child's development in other areas such as overall academic achievement, ability to concentrate, creative and artistic expression, social skills and emotional stability" (Parkinson, 1989, p. 3). Therefore music education plays an important part in the academic curriculum. The researcher selected rhythm as the element of music to focus on as it is "the most basic element of music" (Latham and Sadie, …

Communicative Interaction In The English Language Classroom : A Field Study Of A Western Teacher As Change Agent In Two Chinese Primary Schools In Zhong Shan, People's Republic Of China, Monika Trittibach-Andres

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of a 'Change Agent' in teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in Chinese primary schools, and to determine whether changes were perceivable in the number and type of communicative interactions that occurred in EFL classrooms. The Department of Education of Zhong Shan, People's Republic of China, welcomed this research as the communicative approach to teaching English is sanctioned by the authorities. However, the formality of the actual classroom in primary schools often precludes much use of this method. An Investigation of the influence of a Westerner in the role …

Teacher-Class, Teacher-Group And Student Interactions : Opportunities For Learning In Primary Science Classrooms, Christine A. Coulstock

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Many studies have investigated learning in science classes, examining various influences on the understandings that students develop. The purpose of this study was to investigate the interactions that took place in upper primary science lessons, and the teacher and student behaviours affected these interactions and the opportunities for learning. The three classes that were selected for the study were similar and the teachers were all experienced primary teachers. The teachers were supplied with a set of science lessons on the topic of electric circuits. The resources included background information for the teachers and suggested activities, demonstrations, analogies and focus questions …

Factors Influencing Students Who Continue Or Discontinue Their Music Studies From Year 8 To Year 9: A Survey Of Selected Western Australian Secondary Schools, Wendy-Cara Frisina

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This research examined the most significant factors which influence students' decisions to continue or discontinue their music studies from Year 8 to Year 9, in selected Western Australian Secondary Schools. The research was conducted during term 4, 2000. Results from the questionnaires were analysed and interpreted to determine the most significant factors which contribute to the discontinuation or continuation of instrumental music studies. Analysis of data examined factors as to why students continued or discontinued learning music or studying an instrument. Findings indicated that students' self-concept and music ability levels strongly influence the success or failure of a student undertaking …

Creating Non-Representational Art By Students Who Are Severely Intellectually Disabled Through A Pictorial And Musical Program, Jane Riddoch

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The main purpose of this research study was to investigate the worth of a recently developed Pictorial and Musical art program for severely intellectually disabled students, and to compare the non-representational art work produced by lower primary students in a special education school to similar art work being produced by lower primary students in a regular school, when taught in the same program. A subsidiary purpose of the study was to investigate teacher reactions in the art classroom of each participating school, and to observe the extent of the Pictorial and Musical program interventions on the students' attitudes and production …