Education Commons^™

Enhancing Teachers' Knowledge For Using Multiple Representations In Teaching Chemistry In Nigerian Senior Secondary Schools, Bolanle Omotoke Olaleye

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The quality of the teaching and learning of chemistry in Nigeria is of great concern to parents, teachers, and students and has been tied to various factors such as a lack of teaching resources, learning materials and well qualified teachers, large class sizes and poor funding. This resulted in poor student performance and lack of interest in chemistry. Also, learning chemistry concepts tends to be by rote and memorising of content, and as such, students do not perceive learning chemistry as relevant to their lives. These issues motivated the Researcher to explore how teaching and learning of chemistry could be …

Alignment Of Intended Learning Outcomes, Curriculum And Assessment In A Middle School Science Program, Reid J. Smith

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study focused on the intended learning outcomes, curriculum and assessment in the science curriculum offered at a regional independent Middle School in the state of Victoria, Australia. In-school assessment has indicated that the current science curriculum of this Middle School may not develop students' skills in scientific literacy as effectively as intended. One hypothesis to explain this deficit is that there is a misalignment of intended outcomes, curriculum materials and assessment. This study aimed to determine the extent to which the intended curriculum and assessment in this Victorian middle years' science program is aligned to its stated goals and …

A Model Of Employment Literacy: Young People In Western Australia, Katherine F. Britton

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This exploratory study aimed to examine the meanings of employment literacy among young people undertaking vocational education or training (VET), trainers, funding representatives and employers in Western Australia. A further objective was to develop a model of employment literacy that would inform training or educational organisations. Employment literacy incorporates the personal and social dimensions that young disadvantaged people require to secure and maintain employment. It also includes the understandings and capacity to access infonnation from a variety of sources and negotiate with a range of people in employment related settings. In-depth interviewing was the main method used so that different …

The Graduate-Mentor Project In Visual Arts Education: Mentoring Within The Western Australian Curriculum Framework: A Study Of The Impact Of Mentoring On Beginning-Teachers' Perception Of Their Success In Visual Literacy Education During The First Year, Lisa F. Paris

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Western Australian tertiary graduates who enter the visual arts education profession are often well acquainted with the theoretical underpinnings of the Western Australian Curriculum Framework. This knowledge base, in combination with their own visual arts training, typically enables them to enter teaching theoretically well equipped to support students in the development of arts ideas and studio works. The important outcome areas of visual arts history and visual arts criticism often present major challenges for graduates. In the absence of significant post-university support and more importantly, within the context of limited pre­service training where visual conceptual understandings and studio skills repertoires …

Cultivating The Civic Scientist: Science Communication & Tertiary Biotechnology Education, Joanne Edmondston

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Biotechnology is one of the most rapidly growing industries of the 21st Century and governments worldwide have invested significant funds to support research and development in this area. The belief that the commercialisation of biotechnology will offer significant social and economic benefits to the communities investing in this industry, however, is not a universally accepted view. Surveys of attitudes towards biotechnology in a number of countries have indicated that there are widespread concerns about the risks presented by the industry and the application of biotechnology products (Smith, 2001). These public concerns have resulted in a stronger focus being placed on …

Exploring A Technology-Facilitated Part-Complete Solution Method For Learning Computer Programming, Stuart K. Garner

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Learning to program is now a requirement in many courses of study in such areas as computer science, information technology, information systems, multimedia. engineering, and science. However, research indicates that many students have great difficulties in learning to program and this results in high failure rates and high levels of withdrawal from academic courses. It is accepted that programming is an intrinsically difficult subject however the teaching and learning methods used in many programming courses have changed little over the years. The literature indicates the importance of reducing the cognitive load that students experience when learning programming and that one …

Creating A Creative University, Robert Ely

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The research focuses on an auto-ethnographic case study of the creation of a new university specialising in creativity in Singapore between 2003 and 2005. The author is the President and CEO of that institution and the Vice Chancellor designate of the University of the Arts Singapore (UARTS@). Through the personal application of knowledge and documentary research, the context for the study is explored, together with the conceptual framework within which it will operate.

Some of the social, economic and political issues are described, as they relate to the Singapore Education System, drawing direct comparison with the two systems from which …

Language Learning Strategies Of Botswana Students : An Exploratory Study, Joel M. Magogwe

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The purpose of this research is to explore the learning strategies used by Botswana students acquiring English as a second language. It also examines whether the choice of strategies is affected by the factors of different age/level of education, proficiency and gender. The research also explores whether the students’ self-efficacy beliefs correlated with their use of language learning strategies. Specifically this research examined the types of strategies used by primary, secondary and tertiary students. It also examined the types of strategies used by the students deemed by their teachers to have good, fair or poor levels of English proficiency. The …

The Education And Training Of Accounting Technicians In The Sultanate Of Oman : The Accounting Diploma Program At Sultan Qaboos University, Anthony R. Bright

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The discovery and subsequent commercial exploitation of oil in the Arabian Gulf region has brought profound and far-reaching change to the peoples of the area. What has happened has been nothing short of a transformation from desert sheikdoms into modem nation states;The Sultanate of Oman is one of those states. Although Oman is not a major oil producer in world terms, it has been able to use its oil revenues over the past three decades to finance the establishment of a modem infrastructure and to develop its social and economic systems. Notwithstanding the success of Oman's national development efforts thus …

A Study Of Intercultural Discourse Between Mainland Chinese Speakers Of English And Anglo-Australians, Leng Hui

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Intercultural communication between mainland Chinese speakers of English and Anglo-Australians is receiving ever-increasing attention in many fields. These fields include intercultural communication. English language teaching, education and business. This study approached the intercultural communication between mainland Chinese speakers of English and Anglo-Australians from a cognitive perspective by applying the theoretical framework of cultural linguistics. The intercultural discourse produced by mainland Chinese speakers of English in the context of them interacting with Anglo-Australians was analysed. The analysis was made by employing key concepts such as schemas, cultural schemas, discourse scenarios and discourse indexicals. A body of 39 audio-taped conversations between mainland …

Aspects Of Current English Language Teaching Practices With A Special Focus On Task, Valerie Kollmann

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This portfolio is written with the intention to explore current English language teaching practices in global as well as Australian contexts, with emphasis on task-based language teaching. As a result of the forces of globalisation, the number of learners involved in English language instruction has increased throughout the world and with it the necessity of language programs that would facilitate instruction in accordance with the needs of the market. Since the task-based language syllabus is founded on needs generated by the learners, there is potential for this language teaching methodology to become the recommended mode of instruction in the future. …

Character Cars : How Computer Technology Enhances Learning In Terms Of Arts Ideas And Arts Skills And Proceses In A Year 7 Male Visual Arts Education Program, Gemma E. Scarparolo

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

'The possibilities that the technology can offer are seemingly endless and remain to be fully explored in [visual] art education." (Callow. 2001. p,43) The aim of this research is to investigate whether the integration of Visual Arts Technology Tools (TECH-TOOLS) into Traditional Visual Arts Programs (TRAD-['ROG) enhance the students' learning in terms of Arts Ideas (AI) and Arts Skills and Processes (ASP) and whether it is a cost effective option for Western Australian primary schools. To determine whether it is worth the inclusion of TECH-TOOLS in terms of enhancing learning. this research will statistically state whether the combination of TECH-TOOLS …

An Exploratory Case Study Using An Expert Learning Process Designed To Promote Number Sense In A Year 6 Classroom, Paula Mildenhall

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

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Suburbia : A Postmodern Artistic Investigation And An Examination Of How Postmodern Approaches Can Be Effectively Adopted In The Context Of The New Western Australian Post-Compulsory Visual Arts Course Of Study, Lisa Young

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

In 2007, Western Australia art educators will be required to teach a new post-compulsory visual arts curriculum. This course written in a postmodern context, will need a paradigm shift in approach. As a visual arts educator and a visual artist working in a contemporary context what are valid and effective methods of creatively investigating the postmodern world? How can postmodern themes be taught and strategies employed effectively and with integrity in a visual arts curriculum? What are effective and valid approaches to teaching visual arts in the context of the post-complusory Visual Arts Course of Study?

Developing The English Oral Competency Of Tourism Industry Students By Means Of A Genre-Based Esp Approach, Taweesak Kunyot

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The purpose of this study is to establish a theory-based process for the improvement of the English oral competency of Thai tourism industry students and determine how far practical needs superseded theoretical demands. It was done firstly, by examining an, blending genre and ESP theories in order to establish a genre-based ESP oral English teaching method, and secondly, identifying the specific features of the most common genres in the target language used by Thai tourist guides by means of genre analysis. Thirdly, the perceptions of the personnel managers of tour agencies and tourists towards the oral competency of Thai tour …

An Investigation Of The Impact Of Visual Culture On Visual Arts Practice And Visual Arts Education, Robyn Roper

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This research project is based on the premise that school students have a right to an education that assists them to "develop a sense of personal meaning and identity, and be encouraged to reflect critically on the ways in which that occurs." (Curriculum Frameworks, 1998, Values, Statement 2.2 Personal meaning: 325). Not only should education offer students a sense of well being, it should make a difference to their lives and foster an appetite for life long learning. A key ingredient that makes for a rich, fulfilling and rewarding life, is an understanding of visual culture, that according to Freedman …

Issues Of English Language Proficiency For International Students, Patricia Dooey

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

In the last 20 years or so, there has been a phenomenal increase in the number of international full-fee paying students applying to study in Australian universities, The revenue provided in this way has helped to address the problems faced by cash-starved universities facing recurring funding cuts over the same period. Furthermore, the presence of such students on any university campus provides immeasurable enrichment to the student body in terms of cultural diversity and research potential, and indeed it is very tempting in an ever,-increasing global market, to be as flexible as possible with prospective international students. However, the process …

English Reading Comprehension Of Thai Undergraduates : L1/L2 Usage, Texts, Strategies And Problems, Rapeeporn Sroinam

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

English Ianguage has been taught as a foreign language in Thailand for more than a century and now occupies an important place at all levels of the Thai education system. This study investigates the influence that the Thai language has on intermediate level undergraduate sludents while they are engaged in individual unaided reading of a variety of English texts and determines what aspects of reading texts caused problems. It aims to compare how often and for what purposes students resort to Thai with texts about culturally familiar texts and culturally unfamiliar texts, as well with different genres and question types. …

Autonomy In Foreign Language Learning: An Exploratory Analysis Of Japanese Learners, Miyuki U. Surma

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Learner autonomy has received increased attention: in the recent language teaching and learning literature. Although Holec (1981) proposed a somewhat categorical definition of learner autonomy, this concept can be viewed in various ways depending on factors such as context and culture. One may posit, for example, that learner autonomy is based on Western values and as such, is not as easily accessible in the Asian context. With such variables in mind, the purpose of this study is to gain a greater understanding of Japanese students' beliefs regarding foreign language learning in a particular context. This is undertaken by utilising multi-modal …

Student Beliefs About Learning In Religion And Science In Catholic Schools, Philip F. Cox

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The focus of this study is the impact of student perception of the validity of content on student learning. It is proposed that, if the content of a subject is perceived by students as being different to the content of another subject, a result of this perceived difference is that students will treat their learning in these subjects differently. To test this proposal, student beliefs about items from the content of the religious education course are compared with student responses to items of content of their science course. A sample of 1418, year 11 students from nine co-educational Catholic secondary …

Facilitating Teacher Professional Learning : Analysing The Impact Of An Australian Professional Learning Model In Secondary Science, Rachel Sheffield

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

In education, innovations are frequently introduced to promote changes to the curriculum, teachers' practice, and the classroom environment, however, these initiatives are often implemented without sufficient evaluation to monitor their impact and effectiveness in bringing about the desired changes. This thesis analyses the impact of a teacher professional learning program on lower secondary science teachers' practice. It examines the relationship between teachers' concerns about the strategies incorporated in the Collaborative Australian Secondary Science Program (CASSP) and teachers' ability to understand the strategies, on their ability to utilise those strategies in the classroom. It also seeks to determine teachers' beliefs about …

The Effect Of Cross-Linked Learning On Visual Arts Education, Cassandra Zervos

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study examined how computer technology had an effect on a Year 9 visual arts education class with regard to the Western Australian four Arts Learning Outcomes (WA 4ALO). The research was administered concurrently with a learning approach called Cross-Linked Leaming (CLL) (Zervos, 1997), which consisted of three components: (1) the subject (e.g., visual arts education in relation to the WA 4ALO); (2) the learner (i.e., a target group and how they learn); and (3) the tool (e.g., computer technology). This study addressed the problem of how to promote learning in visual arts education, especially with visual arts theory. Historically, …

Aquatic Programmes And Swimming Activities In Health And Physical Education : A Case For Differentiation, P. R. Whipp

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This research study provides a 'snap-shot' of the current status of teaching aquatic programmes in Western Australian secondary schools. This study also encapsulates the thoughts and feelings of the teachers and the students engaged in these programmes, scrutinises the outcomes of existing programmes and advances practical recommendations to address the problems identified. The study was conducted within a contemporary context where little innovation in aquatic education has accompanied the Australian and state-wide curriculum development based on outcomes-focused education. The research was underpinned by a conceptual framework which conforms to the principles of constructivist learning (Kirk & Macdonald, 1998; Wittrock, 1978; …

Year 7 Students' English Reading Comprehension And Attitudes And Behaviours: Collaborative Genre-Based Versus Traditional Teaching Methods In Thailand, Sanguansri Torok

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

A new system-wide educational change has been introduced in Thailand that requires English as a foreign language (EFL) to be taught from primary to university level. This study investigates a genre-based method of teaching English to grade 7 secondary students in Thailand. The study was conducted in three phases. In phase 1, Rasch measures of reading comprehension (based on three kinds of genre texts) and of attitudes and behaviour towards genre-based learning of English were created for use in phase 2. An interval scale of 36 items (18 real and 18 ideal perspectives) was created from an original attitude and …

Nigerian Science Teachers' Beliefs About Effective Science Teaching, Their Pedagogical Content Knowledge, And How These Influence Science Teaching, Morris A. Benjamin

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study investigated Nigerian junior secondary science teachers' beliefs about effective science teaching, their pedagogical content knowledge and how these influence their classroom teaching behaviour. The research is underpinned by a conceptual framework, which establishes a strong relationship between teachers' beliefs about teaching, teachers' pedagogical content knowledge and classroom teaching practices. The study was carried out in two phases. The first phase involved a survey of all junior secondary science teachers (N=70) from the 30 secondary schools in two Local Education Districts of Lagos State, Nigeria. The second phase involved in-depth case studies of three science teachers who were purposively …

The Construction Of A Business English Curriculum, Relevant To The Workplace, And Making Use Of Word Processing In Place Of Handwriting, Ladawan Wattanaboot

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Since the Thailand economic crisis in 1997 there has been a sense of urgency expressed in many areas of the society that businesses must modernize their practices and focus more on international trade and communication. Two important components of the changes required are better use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and better use of the English language for business communication. In the education arena this has translated into the need to provide graduates with better skills in the use of English and computers. These two skill areas come together naturally in the study of Business English. In Thailand Rajabhat …

Cultural Hybridity And Visual Practice: Towards A Transformative-Repair Multicultural Pedagogy For Visual Arts Education, Kim Le

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This research project examines how transitional multiculturalism, cultural hybridity and transformative-repair are practiced by a professional artist-researcher and novice artists. Transitional multiculturalism and cultural hybridity are examined through a series of artworks by a Vietnamese-born artist-researcher. This series of artwork, which reflects 35 years of creating art in both Vietnamese and Australia, demonstrate a personal engagement with issues of cultural diversity, upbringing, and related aesthetic studies. The intention of this exhibition is to chart the characteristics of the artist's expression, which is culturally hybridised. This part of the study aims to identify those artistic conventions associated with specific visual traditions …

Reading Comprehension, And Attitude And Behaviour, Of Students Taught Esl By Cooperative Learning In Prathom (Grade)6 Classrooms In Thailand, Sutaporn Chayarathee

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

A system-wide educational change has been implemented in primary, secondary and tertiary education in Thailand. One major aspect of the change was the requirement for all students from grade I onwards to study English as a second language (ESL). The change requires new methods of teaching and learning, such as cooperative learning, to be introduced in Thai ESL classrooms. This study aims to determine if cooperative learning improves English reading comprehension, and attitude and behaviour to learning ESL, compared to a Thai communicative methodology. The study was conducted in three phases. Phase 1 involved creating a linear scale of English …

An Examination Of Socially Constructed Whole Group Storybook Reading In Three Pre Primary Classrooms, Anne Drabble

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study examines the socially constructed context of whole group storybook reading in pre primary classrooms. The study is centred in the shared communications that occur between pre primary teachers and students before, during and after the storybook reading. In particular, insights are sought on the nature and extent of the pre primary teachers' and the pre primary students' communicative contributions and the opportunity provided for the inclusion of personal knowledge and personal experience in the communication. Whether there is a change in the nature of the contributions over time is also examined. The study seeks to extend current understanding …

Nature Of Talk And Interaction In The Singapore History Classroom, Pamela Chellappah Thuraisingam

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

History is a complex subject. It is more propositional than procedural in nature (Nichol, 1984), and involves adductive thinking (Booth, 1983), where historical evidence and facts are 'teased out' and a convincing account of the past is then reconstructed through speculation, imagination and empathy (Nichol, 1984; Booth, 1983). The teaching and learning of history should not just be the transmission of knowledge, but rather it should involve a process whereby students and teachers interact in order to analyze evidence, raise questions and hypotheses, synthesize facts, and communicate their ideas, understand others' viewpoints, consider values, reflect and engage in moral reasoning …