Education Commons^™

Children’S Knowledge, Identity And Right To Participation In Driving Curriculum Decision-Making, Vanessa Wintoneak

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The research study investigated why and how educators make use of knowledge about children and their interests for the purpose of curriculum decision-making, and the subsequent influence on children’s involvement. The study took a Participatory Action Research approach and examined curriculum construction in childcare-based and school-based Kindergarten settings. Data were collected over a six-month period in 2018 from settings in the metropolitan area of Perth, Western Australia. Initial interviews were conducted with four Kindergarten educators to find out how they gathered and used information about children and their interests for curriculum purposes. These interviews were followed by a curriculum intervention …

Teaching Aboriginal Curriculum Content In Australian High Schools, Sarah Booth

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

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 …

Philosophy For Teenagers: Finding New Relevence In Old Concepts, Andrea Monteath

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

In 2008, the Curriculum Council of Western Australia launched a formal curriculum of philosophy and ethics education for upper secondary students. This thesis is a writing project that provides a new teaching text in support of this course. The thesis is composed of two components, a creative project and an essay. The creative project is a work of non-fiction entitled, Philosophy for Teenagers: Finding New Relevance in Old Concepts, and has been researched and designed employing the Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE) Philosophy and Ethics course model. Philosophy for Teenagers aims to provide an innovative introduction to concepts such …

The Influence Of Gender-Role On Upper Primary School Students' Graphic Representations, Tamara Frederiks

Theses : Honours

The aim of this research was to study the effect of gender-rule on Year Six students' graphic representations completed during a visual transformation task. The influence of gender on learning has become a significant issue in primary schools and research in the area is needed to inform teachers about gender differences. The significance of the issue relates to the equality of opportunity for girls and boys in the classroom. Drawings are of significance because they provide teachers and parents with a glimpse of the developing child in terms of his or her creative and mental growth, feelings, emotions and world-view. …

Attitudes Of Lower Secondary School Students Toward Social Studies At An Independent School : A Case Study, Diane M. Hobbs

Theses : Honours

There is a dearth of research on student attitudes toward social studies, especially in Western Australian secondary schools. The purpose of this case study was twofold. Firstly it was to determine the attitudes of lower secondary school students toward social studies at one Independent high school in the Perth metropolitan area. Secondly, it was to investigate the factors that influence student attitudes toward social studies. The case study school was selected as a convenience sample. A total of 203 students from Years 8, 9, and 10 completed a questionnaire designed to determine attitudes toward social studies and to identify factors …

What Are The Important Elements Of The Pre-Primary Curriculum? : The Views Of Parents And Teachers, Ann Hyde

Theses : Honours

The delivery of pre-primary education in Western Australia has undergone dramatic and rapid change since its tentative beginnings in 1911. During the 1990's we have seen the most tumultuous period of change with the implementation of the government's Good Start Program. It is timely that we investigate what the primary stakeholders expect from pre-primary programs. Are parents and teachers expecting the same things? Is there harmony between the curriculum of the home and the school? This study addressed these questions. A survey was conducted, involving 150 parents and 60 teachers (30 pre-primary teachers and 30 year one teachers). Schools were …

K-1 Children's Understandings Of Selected Child Abuse Prevention Concepts, Samantha Wynne

Theses : Honours

Over the past decade, child sexual abuse has gained increasing recognition as a problem of social consequence and significant proportion in Australia. Children have the right to be safe at all times and adults have the responsibility to preserve this basic right for all children. The risk and the growing statistics on the prevalence of abuse has led Australia to follow the United States and develop child sexual abuse prevention programmes. The programme used in WA schools is the WA Health Syllabus, Prevention Education Supplement (1990). Prevention education relies on children recognising when they feel unsafe. The aim of this …

The Literacy-Related Knowledge Of The Children In Two Western Australian Preprimary Centres And The Literacy-Related Practices In Their Homes, Susan M. Beilharz

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study investigates both the literacy-related knowledge of two groups of children beginning their preprimary education and the literacy-related practices identified by their parents as taking place in their homes. The two groups of children were attending preprimary centres located in different suburbs of Perth; one was in a low socio-economic status northern suburb and the other was in a high socio-economic status inner metropolitan suburb. The results of a questionnaire about family literacy practices showed that there was a wide range of literacy-related practices and materials available in the majority of the households involved in the study. The results …

The Journey Of Making Meaning In Drama : A Case Study In A Metropolitan Priority School, Heather A. Timms

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Children with a low socio-economic background frequently fail within our schools. The school milieu is a potential contributor to this scenario, as schools are generally designed for the attributes, needs, and skill levels that are characteristic of middle• class children. It is therefore important to explore alternative learning frameworks that will enable these children to function within the school system. Drama offers unique and exciting possibilities in this field. Previous research endorses the use of drama in education for this specific purpose; and the theories propounded by learning and language theorists and drama educationalists provide a strong theoretical framework.

Student Preferences Towards Law Becoming A Tertiary Entrance Score Subject, Penelope Preen

Theses : Honours

In Western Australian schools, student subject selection during Year 10 determines the future career path to which students aspire. Subjects offered in Year 11 and Year 12 Upper School studies are classified as Tertiary Entrance score Subjects or certificate of Secondary Education subjects, and students are given the opportunity to select six subjects which may comprise all Tertiary Entrance score Subjects, all Certificate of Secondary Education Subjects, or a combination of both. Law is classified as a Certificate of Secondary Education subject. It is the student's intention to study Law that is the focus of this research project. The major …

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; …

Factors That Impinge Upon The Implementation Of A Formally Structured Pastoral Care Programme In A Government School, Eleanor Watson

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

There is substantial evidence to indicate that societal ills have entered the schools and become manifest in the school environment in the forms of student alienation from the mainstream of the school community and pressures upon schools to provide a range of care related services Although schools are not responsible for the ills of society there is a general community expectation that they will act to counteract any of the social or educational disadvantages that accrue to the young as a consequence. In order to address such issues, Pastoral Care programmes, appear to have been developed in an ad hoc …

The Nonparticipation Of Year 10 Female Students In Coeducational Physical Education In A Metropolitan Senior High School, Lisa Fardell

Theses : Honours

The nonparticipation of girls in coeducational physical education and physical recreation is of continuing concern to physical educators. It is apparent through observation that numerous girls opt out of physical activity by providing a variety of excuses or simply by remaining unchanged for physical education classes. The purpose of this study was to explore the stated reasons for the nonparticipation by Year 10 girls in coeducational physical education at Lynwood Senior High School. The primary technique utilized in ascertaining information was the structured interview format. Each Year 10 girl who presented to physical educ3tion classes as a nonparticipant was interviewed …