Education Commons^™

Inquiry Based Mental Mathematics Versus Traditional On The Performance And Attitudes Of Year Four Children, Anita Jurat

Theses : Honours

This study Investigated the effect of Inquiry based mental mathematics compared to traditional mental mathematics, with respect to the performance and attitudes of a sample of year four children. Using a quasi-experimental non-equivalent control group design, and applying a t test for non-Independent samples, It was found that after an eight week period, the Inquiry based mental mathematics group achieved significantly higher scores on a mental mathematics test, and showed a more Improved attitude toward mental mathematics than the traditional group. Qualitative analyses of attempts to create calculations to make a given number, revealed that the Inquiry based group had …

The Effects Of Combining Direct Instruction, Metacognitive Instruction And Co-Operative Learning Strategies To Teaching Summarizing To Year 6 Students, D. A. Bergin

Theses : Honours

Summarizing is one of several study skills students are asked to do as evidence of their ability to learn from texts and it is one which students find difficult. Research suggests that part of the difficulty students experience with summarizing is due to the lack of instruction students received in summary writing and the quality of that instruction. Therefore the purpose of this study was to design an instructional procedure for teaching summary writing to primary school students and to investigate the; effects this form of instruction had on students' summaries. This study involved pre-testing, instruction in summarizing, followed by …

Secondary Non-Art Teachers' Perceptions Of Characteristics Of An Effective Art Teacher, Christine M. Morton-Lo

Theses : Honours

Since 1986, the offering of art in secondary schools as a Tertiary Entrance Examination subject has secured its position as a school subject. However, there is increasing pressure on art and on other subjects offered in secondary schools in Western Australia, to demonstrate a contribution to Australia's social, economic and cultural priorities. In an increasingly competitive educational environment, all subjects need to negotiate viable positions as courses of study. As a result of the implementation of the Better Schools Report 1987, school-based decision-making groups have been established to assume responsibility for matters which had previously been the concern of a …

Teachers' Concerns About Implementing Environmental Education Through Their Classroom Programmes, Karen Malone

Theses : Honours

This study examined the concerns of teachers when implementing environmental education into classroom programmes. A metropolitan district of Perth was used for data collection. Four schools and thirteen teachers participated in the study. The measure of concern was calculated using the Stages of Concern Questionnaire. The concerns were then subjected to a SAS computing analysis· programme to determine the relationship between level of concern and predetermined factors. These factors were personal factors: teaching experience; knowledge of the principles of environmental education; colleague support and year level taught; and school-level factors: the presence of school policies; participation in inservices or workshops; …

Factors Related To The Amount Of Time Children Spend In Leisure Reading, Dorothy Doig

Theses : Honours

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the amount of time children spend in leisure reading and the variables of reading achievement, reading attitude, amount of television viewed, access to interesting materials in the home, competing leisure interests and gender. The subjects were 115 Year 6 children from 4 classes in Perth's northern suburbs. Reading achievement was measured using PAT Comprehension and PAT Vocabulary, Form A, Part 5. The Elementary Reading Attitude Survey measured attitude to recreational reading and attitude to academic reading, The Leisure Activities Questionnaire provided information on the amount of time devoted to …

The Relationship Between Time Devoted To Independent Recreational Reading And Reading Achievement Scores, R. Fragomeni

Theses : Honours

The purpose of this study was to conduct a preliminary assessment, in the Western Australian context, of the relationship between reading achievement scores and time devoted to independent recreational reading, and the extent to which gender and socio-economic status, affect this relationship. The data pertaining to time spent in independent recreational reading were collected by means of a questionnaire. The subjects and their teachers were trained by the researcher in the procedure to be followed in the questionnaire completion. The data relating to reading achievement scores were generated through the administration of the comprehension sub-test of the Progressive Achievement Test …

The Effects Of Gender And Prior Computing Experience On Computer Use And Attitudes To Computers In Pre-Primary Schools, Helen Blackley

Theses : Honours

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of gender and prior computing experience on the attitudes of pre-primary age children to computers, and the extent and nature of their use of computers. The study involved 46 five-year old children from two pre-.primary schools in the Perth metropolitan area. The method incorporated three data-gathering approaches characteristic of the 'descriptive' method of research "- observation of the children; interviewing the children; and parental questionnaire. The major finding of the study concluded that, in this instance, gender and prior exposure to computers were not factors affecting pre-primary children's use of …

Prose Fiction Preferences Of Lower Secondary Urban Aboriginal Boys, Stephen James White

Theses : Honours

The purpose of this study was to investigate the prose fiction preferences of lower secondary urban Aboriginal boys. The Likert scale scores from the 2 x 4 factorial design were analysed using an ANOVA test of significance. It was found that the research group significantly preferred action genres to non-action genres, Aboriginal characterisations to white Australian characterisations, and contemporary story extracts to traditional story extracts.

Strategies Used By Beginning Class Iii And Iv Rural School Principals In Dealing With Problems Encountered In The Initial Stages Of Their Appointments, Gail Marguerite Mclay

Theses : Honours

In Western Australia, in the last decade, there can be little doubt that educational leaders at all levels have faced substantial changes in their roles. New dimensions have been added to the role of principal and this emergent role is yet to be clearly identified. Principals are no longer solely conduits for centrally determined policies. They are now expected to undertake responsibilities such as school development planning, school based decision making and managing school grants. The appointment of a teacher to the principalship of the smaller rural school, in this study a Class III or IV school, is a significant …

The Arts As Strategy Or The Arts As Process? : A Comparison Of Two Learning Approaches In Religious Education In The Catholic Primary School, S. L. Desker

Theses : Honours

This study examined differences in understanding of Christian values between two groups of children experiencing two different learning approaches in religious education in the Catholic primary school. One learning approach used the arts as strategy. In it children expressed themselves discursively through worksheet activities: colouring in pre-designed pictures and completing written sentences, paragraphs or crossword puzzles. The other approach was learning through the arts as process. In this approach children expressed themselves non-discursively through their creative products: paintings, play dough modelling and construction scenarios. Each group comprised 30 subjects who were in Year 5, and whose ages ranged from 9 …

The Development Of A Test Of Concept Identification, Semantic And Syntactic Performance For Use With Hearing Impaired Children, Heather Joan Hussey

Theses : Honours

The purpose of this study was to develop the Concept Identification Instrument (CII); an instrument for measuring prelinguistically deaf children's concept identification, semantic and syntactic abilities in a reading situation. Analysis of the related literature suggested that isolation of some of the factors which contribute to the problems faced by deaf children in reading development, such as concept identification, may lead to improved chances of understanding, reducing or eliminating reading problems and improving reading outcomes for these children. The subjects were 21 prelinguistically deaf children who attended or had previously attended the Speech and Hearing Centre for Deaf Children (WA) …

Spelling In The Secondary School: A Review Of The Current Situation, Joan Rodrigues

Theses : Honours

The purpose of this study was to discover the strategies being employed by secondary school teachers to assist students with spelling difficulties. Teachers in the English and social studies departments of three Perth high schools were interviewed and asked to indicate the criteria they used to identify students with spelling problems and the teaching methods they employed to help those students overcome their problems. They were also asked to identify the causes of spelling difficulty. Staff at the local district offices and the Ministry of Education were interviewed to establish what support services were available for teachers who wished to …

Teacher Backgrounds, Resources, Facilities, Personnel And Time Allocation: A Survey Of Music Education In Metropolitan Pre-Primary Schools, Anna-Therese Kania

Theses : Honours

The pre-primary year of schooling, the first year of formal education for many children in Western Australia, has the potential to capitalize upon young children's rhythmic and auditory responsiveness and can provide a solid foundation upon which further musical understandings may be built. Music educators such as Kodaly and Orff have stressed the advantages of children's early exposure to music. (Lawrenoo, 1978, p. 108; Leak, 1985/86, p. 8). The Western Australian music syllabus "Music in Schools K-3” (1980, p. 3) highlights the significance of music education in early childhood and warms that "to neglect music at this tine may limit …

In Search Of The Expert Pedagogue: How Is The Expert Physical Education Teacher Perceived?, Christine Albert

Theses : Honours

Like most professions, teaching needs to be concerned with the notions of expertise and effectiveness. This study aimed to determine how the expert physical education teacher is perceived by pupils, student teachers, and teacher educators. Perceptions were compared and contrasted to identify both areas of discrepancy and consensus with respect to subjects' views of expertise. Subject groups involved in the study consisted of 30 year 10 pupils, 30 student teachers completing a BArts degree majoring in physical education (3rd year), and 28 teacher educators (physical education specific). Perceptions of expertise were determined through the administration of a questionnaire which specifically …

Sex-Related Differences In Autonomous Learning Behaviours And Mathematics Achievement, Laura Beahan

Theses : Honours

The autonomous learning behaviour model proposed by Fennema and Peterson (1985a, 1985b) hypothesises that sex- related differences in mathematics are a result of sex-related differences in autonomous learning behaviours. Autonomous learning behaviours include choosing to engage in high-level tasks, preferring to work independently on such tasks and persisting at them. The purpose of this study was to investigate sex-related differences in autonomous learning behaviours and to determine any relationship between the presence of these behaviours and achievement in mathematics. Twelve students studying the Year 1 unit "Foundations of Mathematics" were selected for the study, including two males and two females …

A Gender Analysis Of Teacher Feedback In Coeducational Secondary Physical Education Lessons, Paul R. Watson

Theses : Honours

The purpose of this study was to examine whether the verbal feedback distribution patterns of teachers in coeducational secondary physical education lessons were gender equitable. Previous literature indicated that inequality in verbal interaction and feedback existed in coeducational secondary physical education classes. This inequality tended to favour males to the disadvantage of females.

Fourteen lessons by male teachers and fourteen lessons by female teachers were video-recorded. The study utilized a modification of the systematic behaviour observation instrument developed by Siedentop (1983). Data obtained were categorized for analysis and interpretation. Statistical procedures were applied to establish the significance of the findings. …

The Impact Of Dramatic Improvisational Strategies On The Oral Comprehension Skills Of Children With A Low Socio-Economic Background, Heather A. Timms

Theses : Honours

Children with a low socio-economic background frequently fail to reach a high level of scholastic performance during their school years. The school milieu is a potential contributor to this scenario, as schools are generally designed for the attributes, needs, and skill levels that are characteristic of children from middle socio-economic backgrounds. As a result, these children require specific intervention to enable them to function within this 'alien' system. Drama offers unique and exciting possibilities in this field. Previous research endorses the use of improvisational strategies for this specific purpose; and the theories propounded by learning and language theorists and drama …

Student Perceptions Of The Transition From Year 10 To Year 11, Tim Mcdonald

Theses : Honours

Issues associated with the transition from Year 10 to Year 11 have largely been ignored by researchers. Previous research has predominantly focussed on the primary to secondary transition experience. The existing problem of lower school to upper school transition has been compounded by the increased importance of upper school and the rising retention rates. This study investigated student perceptions of the transition from Year 10 to Year 11. It explored student concerns encountered in the transition and the differences they perceived between Year 10 and Year 11 after having entered Year 11. A case study approach, incorporating both qualitative and …

The Educational Aspirations Of Upper Primary Non English Speaking Background Students In A Mainstream Government School, Shirley Lienert

Theses : Honours

Researchers have described Non English Speaking Background (NESB) students as educationally disadvantaged but recent statistics show that some NESB students are actually outstripping their English Speaking Background (ESB) peers in educational achievement. In this study 121 students in upper primary classes in a Western Australian government school were surveyed so that NESB and ESB students could be identified and the proportion of NESB students within the sample group established. Information was gathered from both NESB and ESB students by administering a sociogram, the Lawseq test and a Likert scale questionnaire with variables of attitudes towards school, attitudes towards teachers1 influence …

Fitness Levels Of Children From Seven To Twelve Years At A Government Primary School In Western Australia, Susan Mccarrey

Theses : Honours

A School Development Plan is a process by which a school can function and develop school-based curricula. Performance indicators should be established for all subject and administrative areas within the school. These indicators need to be assessed and evaluated by the use of a Management Information System (MIS) designed to suit each area of the school. To establish performance criteria and a MIS in physical education, it is important to determine the level at which the children are performing. This study was designed to assess the fitness levels of all children aged 7 to 12 years attending a selected school …

How Do Aboriginal Students Account For Their Lack Of Academic Success In W.A. Secondary Schools, Jeffrey Jon Mcquade

Theses : Honours

The provision of education to Aboriginal students has been the subject of many reports and inquiries over the years, each expressing various degrees of concern about aspects of Aboriginal participation and retention in the school system and the generally low levels of academic performance achieved by Aboriginal children. Numerous theoretical explanations have been proposed to account for the serious inequities which continue to exist between the academic performance of Aboriginal children and their non-Aboriginal peers. Some of these are reviewed in this thesis so as to provide a conceptual framework in order that readers may judge the results of this …

The Effect Of Word Processing On The Revising/Editing Strategies Of Primary Esl Writers, L. John Oliver

Theses : Honours

The focus of this study was on the effect of word processing on the revising and editing strategies of primary ESL writers. Six year 5/6 'intensive' ESL students completed a number of written tasks, using both computer and conventional 'pen and paper' methods. Their handwritten and word processed work was analysed and compared in terms of the frequency, nature and extent of changes made. Statistical analysis of these data, as well as audio-taped verbal protocols, interviews, and observational notes, was used to determine the effect(s) of word processing on the revising/editing strategies of these students. Of the four major revision …