Education Commons^™

"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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

"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 …

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 …

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.

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?

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 …

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.

Young Children's Collaborative Interactions In An Educational Computer Environment, Mohamad I. Shahrimin

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study investigated the collaborative interaction patterns exhibited by five-year old pre-primary children in an educational computer environment. The case study method was used in one pre-primary centre in metropolitan Perth, Western Australia, to examine the patterns of collaborative interaction among young children whilst engaged with the computer. The one event case study was of the interactions exhibited by pre-primary children whilst engaged, in dyads, with the computer within a naturalistic classroom environment. This study involved three phases of data collection. Phase I consisted of observations and videotaping sessions, compilation of written observations, narrative descriptions and relevant field notes on …

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.

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, …

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 …

The Role Of Children's Talk In Writing Development, Belinda Nelson

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study is a 'snap shot' into the interactions and utterances of developing writers. It provides insight into the usefulness of talk, the need to model and encourage talk in the composing processes of children and also into the factors that impact on such talk making it more or less effective for young writers. The study observed six middle primary school students during the writing of two texts and recorded the accompanying talk. Classroom observations provided insight into the pedagogical and cultural influences within the writing contexts. Writing samples enabled each student's writing development to be analysed and became a …

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 …

An Evaluation Of The Orientation Program For Newly Appointed Catholic Primary Principals, Samuel G. Fontaine

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The structure and operation of Catholic schools in Western Australia have been in a process of change since the early 1970’s. Prior to 1971, most Catholic primary schools were administered by religious orders and much of the religious character of the school reflected the charisma of the particular religious order that operated the school. In the Year 2000 most Catholic primary schools former part of a state-wide system in which the Catholic Education Office (CEO) plays a major administrative and co-ordinating role.

Early Childhood Teachers' Knowledge Of Children With Disabilities And Teaching Children With Disabilities, Pamela A. Kilgallon

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Trends to integrate students with disabilities into general education schools, rely on early childhood teachers utilising their knowledge and skills to provide successful induction into the education system, and fully including students with disabilities in the teaching program. This study describes early childhood teachers' knowledge of children with disabilities, and the teaching of these children, through teachers recounting their sources of knowledge and experiences in teaching children with disabilities. This study was conducted in the northern metropolitan teaching districts of Perth, Western Australia. Using both quantitative and qualitative methodology, 22 early childhood teachers completed a survey involving open-ended questions, followed …

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 …

Student Empowerment In A Primary School Classroom : A Descriptive Study, Anna M. Sullivan

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Empowering students to take control to lead functional and fulfilling lives should help them meet their needs for power and belonging, and enable them to realise their social goals. Such an outcome should positively affect students' achievement motivation. However, there is little understanding and research on the construct of student empowerment particularly in the primary school context from the teacher and student perspective. Teachers have a power-over relationship with students and arc in a position to decide how they exercise that power. Teachers who choose to enable student empowerment can share power with students to establish positive forces of power, …

Early Childhood Teachers' Perceptions Of Their Leadership Roles, Glenda Boyd

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Early childhood education has long been regarded as having the lowest status in the education system. Recent government reforms in Australia based on financial rather than education concerns means early childhood education will continue to face declines in status, conditions and appropriate resources, unless educators exercise leadership skills in advocating for appropriate programs and curriculum for young children. A new model of Early Childhood Teacher Leadership was created to measure leadership skills, including leadership in advocating for young children, and tested in Phase One of the study. The model involved General Leadership (Classroom Leadership, Self-directed Leadership, Program Leadership and School …

Factors In The Development Of Early Childhood Distance Education Curriculum Materials For Language And Literacy In Western Australia, Elisabeth Turner

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Many factors influence the changing nature of education: family structures, cultural diversity, rapid technological change, social conditions. In response to these changes the Curriculum Framework for Western Australian schools has been developed to establish the learning outcomes expected of all students from K-12. Students in isolated and distance education settings are supplied curriculum materials designed to meet their diverse educational needs. This study presents one snapshot of an ongoing research project in which new language and literacy curriculum materials for early childhood distance education learners were developed, trialled and further developed. Some factors that appear to be important in the …

Girls Playing Netball : Factors Influencing Participation In Community Sport During A Transition Phase, Suzanne Sharp

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study describes the influences on continued sporting participation in netball for a group of adolescent girls as they make the transition from primary to secondary school and between sub-junior and junior sporting structures. A qualitative research design using one to one and semi structured focus group interviews was applied. The research describes how these meanings and identities both influence decisions about ongoing sporting participation and are influenced by situations, events and people as the participants move from primary to secondary school. Individual and focus group interview and survey data, indicate that for this group of young adolescent girls a …

The Derivation Of Principles For Appropriate Vocational Education In Papua New Guinea, Calvin Graydon

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Restructuring an education system provides an opportunity to select appropriate programmes for schooling. This thesis develops principles to select an appropriate vocational education for schools in Papua New Guinea. History and past programmes in developed and developing countries have provided a comparison of examples where successful elements and problems have been associated with acceptance of vocational education. Developed countries have highly advanced vocational education systems catering to a range of industries. The United States of America, Britain and Australia have begun an integration of general and vocational subjects to improve cross-disciplinary relationships of subjects to students. Transnational transfer of programmes …