Education Commons^™

The General Board Of Education In Western Australia 1847-1871: Its Establishment And Performance, Derek Jowle

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This thesis is a history of the politics of education in nineteenth century Western Australia with a particular focus on educational administration. It traces the activities of the educational pioneers in Western Australia and in particular synthesises research material from a wide variety of sources to demonstrate and explain: •How and why these pioneers established an education system in Western Australia; •The difficulties faced by the pioneers and how they overcame those difficulties; •Why the General Board of Education ("the Board"), which was formed by the early pioneers, was established in 1847; •How and why the Board was terminated in …

Influence Of Home And School Environments On The Academic Performance Of Chinese-Australian And Anglo-Australian Students Studying At An Academically-Oriented High School In Perth, Western Australia, Ranbir Singh Malik

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Although minority status has been associated with low academic achievement, the “high Asian achieving syndrome" remains as one of the unresolved sociological puzzles. Consistent evidence suggests that regardless of the family status, children from the Asian migrant families, settled in the industrialised countries, tend to perform academically better than their counterparts from the dominant group. This disparity is attributed to a number of factors, which taken separately, do not address this complex issue. In Australia little research has been done to compare the home environment and school experiences of children coming from Chinese-Australian and Anglo-Australian families even though the number …

What Does A Child's Story Tell You?, Tamara Anne Bromley

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The stories that students tell in the classroom have the potential to be an invaluable resource for teachers. Through a focus on the language used, these stories can provide teachers with information about their students' sociocultural backgrounds and therefore, the knowledge that students bring to the context of the classroom. In today's diverse classrooms, teachers need to discover this information about their students to enhance the planning process for students' learning. The stories that students tell provide teachers with one avenue by which they can begin to meet the requirements of the Curriculum Framework for Kindergarten to Year 12 Education …

From The One-Room Schoolhouse To The One-Person School Communication Office, Monica A. Faulkenbery

Theses

Definition: School community r elations is effective communication between the school district, the individual schools and the public. Good school public relations seeks to gain the public's favorable attention by building goodwill and understanding about the work, mission and activities of the school district.

The Issue: Today's school communicator wears many hats. Unlike some corporate public relations offices that are segmented by tasks and talents such as media coordination, publications and development, the school communications office, even when that office consists of one person, must be expert in all areas.

Many of today's school communication offices now work in …

Public Relations And Politics: A Winning Combination For Public School Bond Issues And Tax Referendums, Cindy L. Gibson

Theses

In 1990 voters in the Ritenour School District approved the first of several bond issues that provided for the renovation of district facilities. Following approval of the bond issues, the district success fully passed a Proposition C Rollback Waiver, a type of tax increase only found in Missouri.

Finding the additional funds to effectively manage today's schools is a national concern . Ritenour School Di strict leaders, like so many other public school officials throughout the United States, sought the financial assistance of their community by conducting tax levy and bond issue elections.

Like most successful political campaigns, school referendums …

The Relationship Between Burnout Among Secondary School Counselors And Selected Personal And School Variables, Paula P. Johnson

Theses

The purpose of the study was to: (1) assess the level of burnout and stress of public school counselors, (2) detem1ine if public school counselors differed in the reported level of burnout based on selected personal variables, and selected school variables. A convenient, volunteer sample was used from 42 public school counselors in a suburban area of St. Louis, Missouri. The instruments used for the study were the Maslach Burnout Inventory (Form Educational) and a demographic questionnaire.

The findings suggested that that level of burnout in the sample was in the moderate range on the Emotional Exhaustion subscale and in …

A Comparison Of Occupational Stress Between Elementary And Secondary School Counselors, Denise L. Dismukes

Theses

The purpose of this study is to compare the occupational stress felt by school counselors at the elementary level to the occupational stress felt by secondary school counselors. Occupational stress is measured using the Occupational Stress Inventory Revised Edition (OSJ-R). Participants in this study are employed school counselors randomly selected from the Directory of Illinois Public Schools and the Missouri School Directory. Analysis of the data is conducted using a 2-sample t-test of means to determine if the level of occupational stress differs in the two groups. Results of this study suggest that there is a difference in the occupational …

Intensity Of Grief And Belief In Personal Control, Diana M. Alferink

Theses

Much research has focused on stress and its consequences. Some studies have indicated personal control helps an individual handle stress better and remain healthier. Little research, however, has examined the role personal control plays in bereavement as a stressful life event This correlational study examined the relationship between belief in personal control and grief intensity experienced from losing a loved one to death. Volunteer subjects primarily from Grief Support Groups completed the Belief in Personal Control Scale and the Texas Revised Grief Inventory Results demonstrated some instances when higher belief in personal control resulted in lower intensity of grief in …

Using Solution-Focused Brief Therapy With Problem Students, Karen Y. Boyle

Theses

The traditional approaches of spending hours of time addressing each student's problems is no longer feasible today due to the large caseloads of students school counselors and teachers often face. Solution-Focused Brief Therapy is an approach which may be used for typical student concerns to achieve rapid observable change. School administrators and leachers will also benefit since each component of the approach may be used independently in a variety of situations. This thesis describes an outcome study of solution-oriented strategy in working with middle school students identified by teachers as having behavioral difficulties in the classroom. Subjects involved were a …

An Investigation Of Social Skill Group Counseling Intervention With At-Risk Students, Kathy A. Bennett

Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the benefits of teaching social skills to a group of 14 at-risk kindergarten students that were identified by their classroom teachers as exhibiting social skills deficits. A pre-test and post-test experimental design was devised using the Social Skills Direct Observation by Sheridan (1997). Students participated in a group social ski11s training program for five weeks. A statistical comparison between the pre and post test data was then performed by means of a nonparametric procedure. Results of the Wilcoxon's Matched Pairs-Signed-Ranks Test were indicative of positive gains in the students' acquisition of social …

The Relation Of Job Satisfaction To Degree Of Disclosure About One's Sexual Orientation For Gay, Lesbian, And Bisexual Educators, Jane Ellen Miles

Theses

The threat of discrimination and job loss causes many gay, lesbian, and bisexual (g/ I/ b) Americans to keep their sexual orientation a secret at work. The decision to keep one's personal life hidden increases the level of stress experienced and can coincide with lower levels of job satisfaction. The fear of discrimination is even greater for g/1/b individuals working in K - 12 educational settings due to the more socially conservative environment of schools. This study examined the relationship between degree of disclosure about one's homosexual orientation and one's level of job satisfaction. It was hypothesized that there would …

Parental Perceptions Of Their Child's Speech And Language Development, Jana M. Keasler

Honors Theses

This thesis discusses parental knowledge of their child's speech and language development. To assess this topic, a survey was administered to 104 parents of preschool children in Arkadelphia, AR. The survey asked general questions concerning speech and language development in children . Results revealed that parents, regardless of income level or education level, have minimal knowledge of speech and language development in their children. Parents with four or more children scored higher on the survey than parents with three fewer children. Implications for further studies are discussed.

Perceptions Of Implementation Of Key Middle School Concepts And Factors That Support Or Hinder Key Programs, Kenneth Shulack

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

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The Effect Of Conceptual Context Changes On Skill Transfer Performance, Kris Giesen

Theses : Honours

The effect of changing the conceptual context on task performance was examined. The aim was to evaluate whether power functions that describe improvement on old skills during practice can be used to predict further improvement on these skills when they are presented in a novel environment. This research was designed to extend Speelman and Kirsner's (under review) study, which involved testing the assumption made by many skill theories: that performance should continue to improve as if a change in task conditions had no effect. Eighty participants were randomly allocated to one of four distractor conditions: Operand Change (e.g., 2 x …

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. …

The Narrative Content Of Preschool Children's Drawing, Wendy Philippa Candy

Theses : Honours

The narrative content of preschool children's drawing is the focus of this study. The purpose of this study was to raise educators, preschool teachers and parents awareness of the narrative content of preschool children’s drawings and to alert them to how children of this age communicate through their drawings. A school with an operational pre-primary class was selected from the Northern Metropolitan education district of Perth. Twelve pre-school children were selected on the basis of their participation in drawing activities. The researcher observed the children at work over a period of eight sessions. A qualitative descriptive research method was used …

Year 9 Student Attitudes Toward Social Studies In A Western Australian Government High School : A Case Study, Leah Elizabeth Anne Hansberry

Theses : Honours

This study identifies the status of social studies in one metropolitan Government secondary school in Western Australia. This was achieved by investigating the attitudes of Year 9 students, at the case study school, toward the subject and by identifying the factors responsible for influencing these attitudes. A focus of the study was to explore the impact of student gender on attitudes toward the learning area. The underlying theoretical basis for the study contends that attitude toward social studies is a function of the interrelationship of student, teacher and learning environment variables. The empirical database for the study was quasi-experimental in …

Factors Affecting The Non-Selection Of Year Eleven Physical Education Studies By Female Students In A Rural Western Australian High School, Fiona Cameron

Theses : Honours

This study of year eleven female students at a rural Western Australian high school, focused firstly on why students were choosing not to enrol in Physical Education Studies (PES) and secondly what students believed would improve student enrolment. A two-stage qualitative research approach was utilised. The first stage involved creating a school profile and conducting a survey of 71 year eleven females. The second stage involved a three-step process of interviewing three year eleven females who were selected on the basis of not enrolling in PES and their responses on the survey slips. Findings suggested that the major factors effecting …

Mapcast : Real-Time Collaboration With Concept Maps, Brett Greay

Theses : Honours

This thesis describes the development of the application mapCAST, a computer-based concept-mapping tool that allows synchronous collaboration via TCP/IP networks, such as the Internet The useability and feasibility of mapCAST as a computer-based tool was examined and analysed in a real world situation. Results indicate that mapCAST is successful as a collaborative tool in a situations involving knowledge organisation, but lacks certain functionality that many Macintosh users are accustomed to.

Literature Review : Teachers' Knowledge And Attitudes About Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (Adhd), Bruna Bekle

Theses : Honours

ADHD is a neuro-developmental disorder that is diagnosed in 3 to 6% of the childhood population in a diversity of cultures and a variety of geographical locations. It presents as a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity, with boys being over-represented by approximately 3 to 1. High levels of comorbidity between ADHD and a number of other disorders, including Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Conduct Disorder, and learning disabilities, have been identified. This review will examine the historical development of the understanding of ADHD, knowledge of its etiology, and the influence of this disorder in the school environment. In particular, it will …

Resident Assistant Training Programs At Member Schools Of The Council Of Christian Colleges And Universities, Richard T. Gwaltney

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

This study examined resident assistant training programs at member schools of the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities. Training content, methods, personnel, timing, duration, budgetary issues and evaluation reports were analyzed in order to gain clearer understanding of what is being done to train RAs at this sampling of institutions. Data were collected electronically by e-mail where respondents were able to access an online survey. The following six research questions were the focus of this study: Research question 1 - What are the institutional demographics of the sample institutions? Research question 2 - How much is being budgeted for training …

Understanding My Work : Reflections On Implementing A Season Of Sepep, Kevin Black

Theses : Honours

Implementing new curriculum models for the first time can be difficult for teachers, especially those recently graduated. This study captured some of these challenges and difficulties, and the substantial rewards, through recording the teacher's reactions and reflections as he implemented his first season of SEPEP. The perceptions of the students involved in the season were recorded as a way of validating the teacher's reflections. SEPEP is a student centered physical education program which seeks to capture the positive aspects of community sport, and allows students the opportunity to be involved as players, in team roles such as captain, coach and …

The Effects Of Conceptual Change On The Transfer Of Established Skills, John Forbes

Theses : Honours

When people practice a task, their performance in terms of speed and accuracy normally improves in a smooth manner that follows a power function. The consistency with which the performance of a wide range of skills conforms to this power function relationship is known as the Power Law of Learning, and has been an important assumption of many of the dominant theories of skill acquisition and transfer. As such, the form of the power function that is derived from the training process has been used to predict performance when task conditions remain constant. However, Speelman and Kirsner (under review) have …

Boys' And Girls' Attitudes To Aboriginal And Non-Aboriginal Students With Conduct Disorder, Nerine Van Wyk

Theses : Honours

The purpose of this study was to examine children’s attitudes towards Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginal peers with Conduct Disorder. A 2 x 2 x 2 factorial design was used to test the hypotheses. The three independent variables were: (a) Ethnicity of the target student (aboriginal/ Non-Aboriginal) described in a vignette, (b) disability or the target student (no disability/ conduct disorder) described in a vignette; and (c) the gender of the participants. A sample of 216 Year 6 students was divided into four groups each containing 27 girls and 27 boys and an attitude questionnaire was administered. The attitude survey measured two …

Sense Of Belonging And Self-Esteem : What Are The Implications For Educational Outcomes Of Secondary School Students? : A Literature Review, Lynne Strudwicke

Theses : Honours

In this technological era a complete secondary education is more important than ever. Therefore, this review examines the issues surrounding students' at risk of dropping out of school. School factors such as the relevance of the curriculum, support. and also methods of assessment have each been associated with the dropout issue. These factors may also impact on students' sense of belonging, self-concept and self-esteem in negative or positive ways. Sense of belonging is a fundamental need. In schools it has been found to relate directly to achievement, indicating that mainly higher achieving students benefit from having this need fulfilled. Sense …

Literacy Instruction In The All-Day Kindergarten Program, Lannette Christine Celaya

Theses Digitization Project

This project begins by looking at kindergarten from a historical perspective. It reviews research relating to all-day kindergarten and half-day kindergarten programs. It demonstrates that increased instructional time is beneficial especially for those low-achieving or disadvantaged students.

A Study To Compare The U.S. Pfp Military Contact Program As Executed Through U.S. European Command And U.S. Atlantic Command, John T. Nesler

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

To assist in solving this problem, the following research questions have been established: 1. Can the PfP Military Contact Program objectives be executed through a reorganization of responsibilities (funding, selecting and scheduling of events and administrative processes) and still accomplish the mission/national strategies in a better manner? 2. Determine if the purpose of the PfP Military Contacts Program can be improved through reorganization, as it applies to its workings within the military command structure and the participating PfP countries.

An Analysis Of Remedial Reading Preparation For Beginning Information Systems Students At Eastern Shore Community College, Cynthia Hodges

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The hypotheses under investigation during the course of this study were as follows: 1. Students who complete the developmental reading course (ENG 04, Reading Improvement) at ESCC earn grades in the introductory computer course (IST 114, Fundamentals of Computer Information Systems) comparable to those students who did not need remediation. 2. The developmental reading course prepares the remedial reading students to comprehend the technical material required to complete the introductory computer course at a level comparable to those students who did not need remediation.

The Willingness Of Technology Teachers To Support The Standards Of Learning (Sol) Objectives, James W. Lambert

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

To answer this problem the following goals were developed: 1. Determine whether technology teachers were willing to establish a goal of improving SOL competency scores both locally and regionally? 2. Determine if teachers stress the competencies identified in the Technology Education Course Competencies Related to Academic Standards of Learning publication in support of the program objectives at their schools? 3. Make recommendations on how teachers can better support the teaching of academic SOL through technology education

A Study To Determine The Effectiveness Of Automated Electronic Classrooms In The United States Navy, David W. Lorenz

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

Based on the problem statement, the research hypothesis for this study was as follows: 1. There was no difference in academic achievement for Operation Specialist's taught in an Automated Electronic Classroom as compared to Operation Specialist's taught in a traditional classroom.