Education Commons^™

From Pasture To Pavement: Urban Expansion And Its Environmental Consequences In Perth, Anastasia Charelishvili

Student Theses 2015-Present

This thesis addresses the pressing issue of ecological problems of urban sprawl and its intricate impacts on urban health, with a particular focus on vulnerable communities in Perth, Australia. Chapter 1 presents the city's historical background and emphasizes the depletion of ecosystem services, underscoring the need for environmental justice. It also introduces the causes and effects of the sprawl in Perth and draws upon a diverse range of environmental problems created by suburbia, such as air pollution, biodiversity loss, water pollution, and runoff. As these threats translate into urban health declines, such as respiratory problems and increased healthcare issues, Chapter …

Your Friend, Wildfire, Elizabeth Riddle, Aubrey Frissell, Mackenzie Weiland, Katherine Wendeln, Rory Mclaverty, Lillian Hollibaugh

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

The frequency and severity of wildfire has increased around the world within the past two decades, due to shifts in land management practices, climate change, and other factors. The effects of these fires have led to an inaccurate public perception of wildfire as a whole. This overly-simplified, vilified perception of all fire obscures the role that it has played in shaping landscapes for thousands of years, and how indigenous peoples have applied fire to take care of landscapes.

Positive public perception of using fire as a tool for land management creates a more supportive environment for healthy landscape management. Thus, …

Content And Frames Of ©Wechat And Chinese State Media - A Critical Literacy Reflection Of The Narratives During The Early Stage Of Covid-19 Pandemic, Zhe Jing

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Governments back disruptive politics on the Internet platforms to influence people. During the global health crisis, because of the popularity and demographic penetration, ©WeChat is said to be one of these platforms. The influential dynamics, the circulated contents relevant to diasporic audiences and the app’s global users are yet to be contextually understood through the educational lens of critical literacy. This study is underpinned by a critical literacy reflective framework which synthesises components from several critical literacy practices: content and frame analysis, critical pedagogies, and specific literacy domain practices to provide guideline for the investigation. The findings demonstrate how state …

The Theory Of Dispositions In Filmmaking And Leadership, Kyja Kristjansson-Nelson

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

Inclusive media arts education should be accessible for all young people so that they can be successful citizens of this media-rich, media-saturated world. Issues surrounding access and exclusion are complex. What barriers contribute to exclusion within media arts education programs? The purpose of this study is to determine how best to create more inclusion in media arts education through leadership practices. More specifically, how do we become more inclusive in filmmaking practice, and what is the role of leadership in that endeavor? This study strives to determine how leadership best serves a highly successful inclusive media arts organization, and to …

Professional Self-Care Practices, Emotional Work And Burnout In Australian Psychology Academics, Claudia Yael Hoenig

Theses : Honours

This study examined whether professional self-care practices (PSCP) had a moderating effect on the relationship between emotional work (EW) performed and burnout symptoms experienced among Australian academics teaching psychology. Seventy-seven Australian psychology academics ranging from 27 to 64 years, with an average of 13.34 years of academic experience, and representing the full range of academic levels from Associate Lecturer to Professor, and predominantly females, participated in the study. Participants completed an online survey comprising three questionnaires: the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), Intensive Emotion Work Inventory (IEW) and Professional Self-Care Scale (PSCS), addressing levels of PSCP, EW performed and frequency and …

The Viability Of Simulated Large-Scale Marking As Professional Development For Preservice Teachers, Nathanael Reinertsen

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Judging the quality of student work is a core skill of a proficient teacher. This professional competency is often utilised by organisations that run large-scale marking operations when they recruit teachers as markers. These organisations and the teachers themselves often claim that large-scale marking is valuable professional development.

This research aimed to determine whether professional learning outcomes similar to those reported by experienced teachers can be achieved for preservice teachers through participation in a live simulation of a large-scale marking operation. The research was conducted in three phases: an online survey of Australian teachers to establish that reports of benefit …

The Perceived ‘Classroom Readiness’ And Support Of Western Australian Primary Graduate Teachers, Samantha Jade Edwards

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Graduate teachers are expected to be ‘classroom ready’ upon graduation, yet research suggests they are not. The difficulties faced by graduate teachers in their first years of teaching often result in low self-efficacy and attrition, which in turn can affect the achievement of their students.

Since its establishment in 2010, the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) have implemented a competency framework for both teachers and Initial Teacher Education (ITE) providers, aimed at improving not only all teacher quality in Australia, but the quality of ITE, graduating teachers and the support structures provided to them. This research project …

Issues In Academic Educational Research: The Impact Of Current Issues On Research Activity, Natalie Brown

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Previous investigations into educational research in Australia have highlighted important issues affecting research, with the majority of issues remaining to date. The Australian government and several research academics have examined issues relevant to educational research, including areas such as research design, dissemination of research results, and effectiveness of research. However, few studies have given voice to the academic researchers working in this field. Therefore, in light of the complexities and broadness of issues faced by educational researchers, this study aimed to investigate what current issues were pertinent to academic educational researchers through an examination of their experiences. This study also …

To Teach Or Not To Teach? The Experiences And Self-Perceptions Of Early Career Teachers In Western Australian Catholic Primary Schools That Led Them To Remain In The Profession, Deborah Black

Theses

The focus of this research was Early Career Teachers (ECTs) in Western Australian Catholic primary schools, their experiences and self-perceptions that led them to remain in the profession. The review of literature highlighted four aspects that were pertinent to ECTs’ decisions to remain in the profession. These four areas were: motivation to join the teaching profession; likes and dislikes of teaching; challenges faced as a teacher; and, strategies used for coping with challenges faced that maintained motivation to remain in the teaching profession.

The study focused on an instrumental case study, the conduct of which was located predominantly in the …

An Unfamiliar Face, An Unfamiliar Environment: Investigating Educators’ Understanding Of Their Attachment Relationships With Infants And Toddlers In Early Childhood Education And Care Settings, Nadia Wilson-Ali

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Attachment theory has influenced research, policy and practice over the last six decades, offering a framework for understanding risk and protective factors in early childhood. However, this work has primarily been influenced from a medical health or psychological perspective. Despite the literature highlighting the importance of attachment relationships, there is limited research relating to educators’ knowledge and understanding of attachment theory. The first years of life are considered a sensitive period for attachment development, and with families increasingly utilising formal care for their infants and toddlers, educators are in a prime position to use attachment theory to inform their practices …

A Study On The Impact Of A Music Looping Technology Intervention Upon Pre-Service Generalist Teachers’ Self-Efficacy To Teach Music In Primary Schools, John Nathan Heyworth

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

In Australia, in the current climate of economic rationalism in which there has been an increasing emphasis on literacy and numeracy, funding for specialised subjects like music has been reducing. As a result, generalist classroom teachers are being given more responsibility for delivering effective music education in primary schools. However, the time dedicated to training pre-service teachers in music education in tertiary institutions has diminished. Further, time constraints involved in building pre-service knowledge and skills in teaching music may impact many pre-service teachers’ beliefs about their ability to teach music.

Within these constraints, digital technology may provide a key to …

What Is English Now? The Construction Of Subject English In Contemporary Textbooks For Australian Secondary Schools, Shannon L. Wells

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Australian educators are currently engaged in widening debates about the performance of the nation’s schools, teachers and students. Perceived literacy deficits among secondary students have fuelled the debate, and this has precipitated reforms to English curricula at both National and State levels. The newly revised curricula attempt to improve student achievement through more systematic teaching about the English language and language skills. In response to the changes, major education publishers in Australia have released revised textbooks for English that purport to engage with the new curriculum.

This research study considered whether such new resources offer genuinely fresh and effective approaches …

Too Little Stem Workforce In The United States: Framing The Discourse In A Global Setting, Patrice-Andre P. Prud'homme

Theses and Dissertations

Policymakers and industry leaders are claiming that the U.S. has an insufficient number of STEM graduates. As the rhetoric of a shortage of skilled scholars and employees in STEM-related fields expands, there is a plethora of publications that refers to a phenomenon dating back to the 1950s. Nonetheless, this new paradigm presents a critical challenge to policies and programs that surround STEM education in countries around the world. While STEM, including the underlying human capital component is a major factor of economic growth in the United States, it is also in Australia and Germany. The policy analysis study is presented …

The Concert Pianist Myth: Diversifying Undergraduate Piano Education In Australia, Helen Mather

Theses : Honours

As classically-trained pianists we are in the unique position among musicians of having many employment opportunities in performance areas. In an industry where so many talented musicians are struggling to find work, pianists are regularly being offered performing work. With opportunities to pursue careers in solo performance, chamber music, accompaniment, conducting, opera or ballet repetiteur work, and in many more related disciplines, pianists are arguably the musicians with the most opportunities to create a career involving performance. However, are pianists in tertiary institutions developing the skills that would enable them to work in the music industry? Upon entering a university …

Learning To Teach: What Pre-Service Teachers Report, Dawn Naylor

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

With universities and schools of education receiving recurring criticism for being ineffective in preparing graduates for school teaching, this study sought to understand the phenomenon of learning to teach in order to investigate universal questions about who was learning to teach and what, where, when and how did they learn to teach during their initial learning to teach experiences at university. The topic was approached by listening to the voices and stories of those who ought to know the most about the phenomenon: the pre-service teachers. A multiple case study analysis was conducted with seven pre-service teachers, enrolled in their …

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 …

International Student Perceptions Of The Quality Of Learning Experiences In Vocational Education And Training, Jimmy P. Kho

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The private VET education industry has done well to maintain a high self-concept among the students, and perhaps the overall high praise of the teaching staff have contributed to maintaining high self-concepts among the students. Most international students treasured the social cultural, environment and lifestyles aspects of their stay in Australia and these items are also among the easy items of the linear scale produced in this present study.

The Rasch self-concept findings were consistent with the qualitative findings where students related much of their positive self-concept through their non-academic activities. Importantly, when the student’s Self-Concept is high they are …

Numeracy Support For Year Two Students, Gillian Dawn Hurle

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Research of teaching theories and intervention programs internationally and in Australia suggests that the implementation of numeracy support programs can improve student achievement levels (Fuchs, 2005; Ketterlin-Geller, Chard & Fien, 2008; Van Kraayenoord & Elkins, 2004). An intervention program was conducted for a small group of Year Two students with the aim of improving their numeracy skills over a 20 week period. Results of two mathematics assessments, together with information provided by teachers based on classroom observations and informal assessments were combined to select a group of twelve students who were considered to be at risk of developing mathematical difficulties. …

Implementing A Reggio Emilia Inspired Approach In A Mainstream Western Australian Context: The Impact On Early Childhood Teachers' Professional Role, Claire Hall

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Reggio Emilia, an approach to early childhood that was developed in a Northern Italian city of the same name, is highly regarded as acknowledged by educators and researchers world-wide (Gandini, 1993). The Reggio Emilia philosophy is distinguished by the presentation of an image of children as being strong, rich and powerful learners (Hendricks, 2004; Millikan, 2003). This approach is marked as being adopted and adapted to suit particular cultural and educational settings. These situation sensitive approaches are noted as being Reggio Emilia inspired.

This qualitative case study investigated how the professional role of four early childhood teachers was impacted by …

Development And Trial Of A Report Card On Children’S Physical Activity In Western Australia, Maria Doolan

Theses

Current levels of physical activity in Western Australian children and adolescents do not meet national physical activity recommendations. Insufficient physical activity and increasing levels of sedentary behaviours endanger the physical, mental and social health of young Western Australians. The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate a Report Card to monitor Western Australia’s status in delivering the 10 Key Rights (identified and articulated in the

Charter for Active Kids and developed by the Children’s Physical Activity Coalition) which aim to guide current and future physical activity interventions for Western Australian children and adolescents. The Report Card targeted multiple …

Australia V. Usa: Indian Engineering Students Pursuing Graduate Degrees Abroad, An Analysis Of Factors Influencing The Choice And Location Of Institution, Louis Berends

Dissertations

The global market of higher education is growing at a rapid pace. Prospective graduate students in engineering have more options - domestically and internationally - than ever before. At this moment, the international setting of engineering graduate programs continues to shift and expand. This study analyzes the decision-making processes of students from India who pursue graduate education in Australia and the United States of America. In this setting, decision-making processes of student choice were examined after study participants selected higher education institutions in Australian and U.S. The research question is: why do graduate degree-seeking engineering students from India pursue studies …

Perceptions Regarding The Identity And Culture Of A Lasallian Catholic Secondary School In Australia, Adrian Watson

Doctoral Dissertations

This 2010 qualitative case study explored the perceptions of administrators and teachers regarding the Lasallian Catholic identity and culture of St. John's College (a pseudonym), a secondary school located in Australia. Data collection occurred over a 10-week period primarily from the researcher's interviews with three administrators and 12 teachers, and supplemented by his observations of school events and analysis of school documents.

Overall, the participants in the study identified numerous characteristics of a Lasallian Catholic school, and perceived St. John's College as reflecting many of them. The observed school and faculty activities and the analyzed school documents validated their perceptions. …

Australian Geography Unit, Daniel Scarbrough

Social Sciences

These lesson plans are designed for American students to learn about Australian Geography in a exciting and fun way. It will cover both physical and cultural geography aspects and this unit is designed for 9th grade geography and social science classes. The lesson plans consist of lecture portion and activities. This variety of teaching styles will cater to students of all learning styles (audio, verbal, and kinesthetic) and be enjoyable and informative.

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 …

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 …

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 …

Early Education : Experiences And Perceptions Of Minority Group Parents And Young Children, Judith Candy

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

In Australia there has been little research into the experiences and perceptions of education of parents from different minority groups whose young children attend school in this country. This study investigated the experiences that overseas born parents from non-English speaking backgrounds have of their own and their children's education in countries outside Australia, experiences of their children's early education in Australia, as well as those of their young children between 6 and 9 years of age attending school in this country. Despite marked differences in educational policies and practices operating in the participants' countries of origin, almost all parents in …

Quality Management In Australian Higher Education : A Critical Review, Trudi Cooper

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Quality management in higher education is a politically contentious issue in Australia. as it is in North America, New Zealand, and many European countries. The Australian government has instituted a quality management system for higher education that it claims will improve university efficiency, accountability and quality. Critics assert that the current quality management system is detrimental to universities and undermines the capability of universities to deliver maximal benefits to individuals and to society. Evaluation of the basis of conflicting claims is necessary to enable decisions about the usefulness of current practices and decisions about whether existing quality management arrangements should …

Boys' Perceptions And Experiences Of Their Placement In A Secondary School Remedial Program : An Examination Of Self-Esteem, Attitude, Motivation And Reading Achievement, Angela Milmoe

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Remedial EngIish education has long focused on the development of students reading and writing skills, but research suggests that greater emphasis may need to be placed on affective factors such as self-esteem, motivation, attitude and perception. The influence of such 'non-cognitive' factors on any adolescent student's literacy development is often underestimated. For students experiencing difficulties in literacy, the interaction between perceived ability of degree of success in literacy and the affective factors often impact negatively on self-esteem, attitude and motivation. The relationship between self-esteem, attitude, perception, motivation and literacy needs to be explored, especially when dealing with students with literacy …