Education Commons^™

Power, Perspective And Affordance In Early Childhood Education, Amelia Ruscoe

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The position of a young child beginning school is unique and precarious. Children are capable of making their own decisions about what to participate in and contribute to, but often guided by adults charged with the responsibility of their education and care. The beliefs and values of these adults are pivotal to what a child may experience but are seldom examined to ascertain what they may or may not afford young children in their early education.

Through examination of the literature, neoliberal reform, developmentally appropriate practice and the quality agenda have surfaced as particularly strong discourses influencing early childhood education. …

A Public Health Perspective Of The Higher Education Experiences Of Women Studying Nursing: A Hermeneutic Inquiry Into Commencement And Progression, Lesley Jane Andrew

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

While student retention is a central goal across higher education, the projected shortage in the Australian health workforce has intensified its importance to undergraduate nursing.

Nursing degrees attract a higher proportion of mature-age women students than ever before. More are therefore beginning university at life stage characterised by marriage (or co-habitation) and traditional family structures. Nursing retention strategies require an understanding of the unique university experiences of these women, however, this is missing in the nursing literature. This study is the first to explore the experiences of these women students, doing so from the perspective of Bachelor of Science (Nursing) …

Chinese Nursing Students At Australian Universities: A Narrative Inquiry Into Their Motivation, Learning Experience, And Future Career Planning, Carol Chungfeng Wang

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study presents a narrative inquiry of Chinese nursing students at Australian universities in order to examine these students’ motivations, learning experiences and future career planning. Australia seeks to attract international nursing students from China to maintain its economic advantage and alleviate its projected nursing shortage. In contrast, China desperately needs its best and brightest citizens who have trained abroad as nurses to return to China in order to cope with its current challenges in the healthcare system and nursing education. Little is known about the underlying factors that motivate Chinese nursing students to study in Australia, these students’ learning …

Investigating The Relationships Between Education And Culture For Female Students In Tertiary Settings In The Uae, Beverley Mcclusky

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This research is about the higher education of Indigenous Emirati women and how they balance the intricate demands of higher education with the social customs of a traditional society and the expectations placed on women. The study sought to identify and comprehend the issues which have affected the educational changes that are taking place, including culture, gender, religion, the influence of Western education processes, and the desire of an Indigenous population to raise their educational practices to an internationally recognised benchmark.

The research was aimed at providing insights into the distinctiveness of this group of women from their social and …

Motherhood First: An Interpretive Description Of The Experience Of Mature Age Female Students With Dependent Children At One Regional University Campus In Australia, Amanda Draper

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study explored the experience of mature age female students with dependent children at one regional university campus in Western Australia, Edith Cowan University South West (ECUSW). These students are one of many student groups whose experience differs to that of more traditional students such as young, unmarried, and well-supported school-leaver students. Although all students enter university with experiences that make them valuable to the university institution, mature age female students with dependent children enter university with unique knowledge, experiences and attitudes making them potentially valuable contributors to their own and others’ learning (Martins & Anthony, 2007). Whilst at university, …

Ethical Research In Indigenous Contexts And The Practical Implementation Of It, Graeme Gower

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Research in Indigenous Australia has historically been controlled and dominated by non-Indigenous researchers. However, recent national research guidelines which have been developed by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) and together with a number of other research guidelines that have been developed by other institutions, including the Australian Institute for Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS), have signalled a shift towards Indigenous ownership and control over research. However, despite these revised guidelines, researching in Indigenous contexts can still result in cultural insensitivities, neglect or disregard by researchers and mistrust by Indigenous participants. Similar issues have also been …

The Construction Of Alienated Students And Students At Educational Risk : A Study Of The Justice And Education Discourses In Western Australia, Melanie Zan

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This thesis locates, examines and interprets the written sources of information guiding how delinquent school-aged young people are viewed in relation to their education in Western Australia. The study involved an examination of texts discussing post industrial socio-historical events and currently policy, practice and research in relation to students who are alienated from school, including those who have criminal histories. An exploration of the discourses assembled around the costruction of Western Australian school-aged offenders as alienated students revealed an ongoing assumption that children and youth from low socio-economic backgrounds are often governed as low school achievers who are less likely …

Exploring Community Development In Online Settings, Christopher Brook

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

As educators and training providers embrace online technologies, some researchers posit that the development of a learning community is perhaps the most fundamental goal of online instructors (Hiltz, 1997). The process for developing and maintaining learning communities, however, remains unclear (Bonk & Wisher, 2000; PaJloff & Pratt, 1999). This study sought to provide insight into factors that influence community development through an exploration of the community experience in online settings. To do this, it was necessary to establish an understanding of the community construct through an extensive review of contemporary literature. A review of the online learning community literature was …

Learning To Belong: A Study Of The Lived Experience Of Homeless Students In Western Australia, Simone Glasson-Walls

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This is a phenomenological study of the lived experiences of homeless young people in Western Australia. Its focus is the reasons why homeless young people leave education, although many of them make a serious effort to complete post-compulsory schooling. The study was qualitative, and was designed as an in-depth analysis of the experiences of five young people aged between 15 and 17, all attending the same school. Data collection consisted of two in-depth interviews with each participant, and a focus group discussion with all five. Although the study’s focus as the issue of homelessness and schooling, it quickly expanded when …

The Experiences Of Mothers Studying At University Who Have Pre-School Aged Children, Alison Welsh

Theses : Honours

This study of three women's experiences ·with studying at university whilst bearing the responsibilities of family and work, investigated the unique situations and problems that these mothers encountered. A qualitative research approach was utilised, using a narrative inquiry method to give voice to the student mothers, which has proved to be lacking in academic research. In addition to an auto-ethnographic case study, two case studies were formulated by conducting conversational interviews with two other student mothers. Common themes were identified and discussed, with reference to the literature. The findings of this study suggested that the experiences of mothers studying at …

A Study Of Children's Drawing Types And Factors Influencing Choice Of Subject Matter, Stella Clark

Theses : Honours

The main purpose of this study was to determine what children draw when given a free choice of subject in the context of the classroom. The social Influences believed to affect children's drawings were also investigated. Another research interest related to Whether or not gender was a significant factor in the production of different drawing types. The significance of this study is connected with the desirability for teachers to have an understanding of children's perceptions of the world and the factors which influence them, as it is accepted that awareness of children's interests and influences may lead to more relevant …

The Effect Of Assigning Specific Roles In Science Groups On The Gender Behaviour Of Primary School Children, Janet F. Bant

Theses : Honours

This thesis reports on an investigation into the effects on gender behaviour of assigning specific roles (Manager, Tracker, Recorder, Communicator) to primary aged members of a cooperative learning group in science. The study was: carried out in a Year 4 and a Year 5 classroom in a Perth primary school. Both classes used a six lesson programme on a physical science topic prepared by the researcher and taught by the classroom teacher. The target subjects were randomly chosen from students meeting certain criteria defined by the researcher. All other subjects were allocated to either single- or mixed-gender groups of four. …