Digital Commons Network^™

Describing The Acquisition Of The Passive Voice By A Child Learner Of Japanese As A Second Language From A Processability Theory Perspective, Junko Iwasaki, Rhonda Oliver

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

This longitudinal case study reports on the acquisition of Japanese as a second language (L2) by a child learner with English as his first language (L1) who was acquiring Japanese naturalistically. In particular this study focusses on the acquisition by the child of a non-canonical mapping structure, namely the passive voice in relation to canonical mapping structures (e.g., the active voice) within the framework of the Unmarked Alignment Hypothesis (UAH) and the Lexical Mapping Hypothesis (LMH). These hypotheses are two of the main pillars of the extended Processability Theory (PT) (Pienemann, Di Biase & Kawaguchi, 2005). When compared to a …

The Photographic Other: Paradox In The Cathexis Of Longing, Alex Cilla Bradley

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

A photographic and written examination of paradox in relation to the photograph

This research aims to illuminate the relationship between paradox and photography, elaborated via Julia Kristeva’s notion of the abject. Paradox is considered in relation to photography in terms of repeated and unresolved debates about the status of the photograph as either an ‘index of reality’ (Bate, 2004, p. 1) or as a sign. The significance of this research lies in its re-motivation of abjection in terms of paradox, not in order to resolve such debates but, rather, to illuminate the importance of such unresolved contradictions in terms of …

Caught In The Frame: A Critical Analysis Of Australian Media Representations Of The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict 2014–2015, Mayyada Mhanna

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Despite the many current conflicts in the Middle East and the world, the Israeli- Palestinian conflict is still one of the most significant conflicts of the modern era. The reasons for this include the history and violence of this conflict and the lack of practical solutions for it. The significance of this conflict is reflected in its prevalence in many disciplines, such as political science and media studies. Related literature shows that Australian media coverage of this conflict has not been investigated thoroughly. Hence, this study attempts to bridge this gap in literature, aiming to identify how Australian media portray …

Early Childhood Hass Matters: An Investigation Of Early Childhood Staff And Their Transition To The New Western Australian Humanities And Social Sciences Curriculum In 2017, Jane Loxton

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Changes to education policies and the creation of new curricula in Western Australia (WA), such as the new WA Humanities and Social Sciences (HASS) Curriculum in 2017, may place external pressure on teachers as they transition from existing to new curricula. The aim of this interpretivist study was to investigate the transition to the new WA HASS Curriculum in 2017. The experiences and perspectives of the school leaders and teachers in Pre-primary, Year One and Year Two (PP to Y2) in two Perth metropolitan independent schools was explored. The preparation undertaken by the early childhood teachers and leaders, and the …

Reading Between The Crimes: Online Media’S Representation Of Aboriginal And Torres Strait Islander People’S Interaction With The Criminal Justice System In Post-Apology Australia, Jonathan Cannon

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Australian research confirms that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people experience high levels of social inequality, racism and injustice. Evidence of discrimination and inequality is most obvious within the criminal justice system where they are seriously over-represented. The Australian news media plays a large part in reinforcing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander inequality, stereotypes and racist ideology within specific situations such as the Northern Territory Emergency Response and the Redfern riots. This study widens the scope from how the media reports a single criminal justice event to how the media reports Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s interaction with the …

A Survey To Investigate The Participation Of Female Jazz-Trained Instrumentalists At Waapa And In Perth’S Professional Music Scene, Talya Valenti

Theses : Honours

Traditionally, men have dominated jazz music in terms of participation and professional acknowledgement, but even in present times, female instrumentalists remain under-represented in jazz performance and education. Various studies such as Kathleen M. McKeage’s Gender and Participation in Undergraduate Jazz Ensembles: A National Survey and Erin L. Wehr’s Understanding the Experiences of Women in Jazz: A Suggested Model, have produced statistics that illustrate the low participation of female instrumentalists in jazz, and have also provided social-psychological theories to explain why these patterns continue to prevail.

As a working jazz-trained female instrumentalist myself, I have noticed the under-representation of female jazz …

Learning French In Western Australia: A Hedonistic Journey, Celine Doucet, Sabine Kuuse

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

When learning a language, motivation and emotions are central to the learning process and have considerable importance in learning. In Australia, despite the growing economic impact of its Asian neighbours and the great physical distance to France, French remains one of the most taught languages in various educational settings at different levels, and it appeals to many Australians. This review focuses on the motivations of West Australian adult learners of French. The aim of this paper is to explore students’ motivation and emotions towards their learning of French in Western Australia, teachers’ perceptions of these feelings, and how they are …

Grains Without Territory: Voicing Alexander Garsden’S [Ja] Maser And The De-Centralized Vocal Subject, Jessica Aszodi

Directions of New Music

The singing subject is both site-of and author-of her practice. This practice-based, artistic research unpacks the entangled process of making new music, conscious that the performer-author is the site where embodied problem solving takes place. The principal focus of the paper is the author’s realization of Alexander Garsden’s [ja] Maser, for voice and electronics, created by recording and reconstituting vocal elements using traditional compositional and performative methods as well as studio recording and granular synthesis. The author approaches the realization of this new work as an experimental practice in dialogue with theoretical frames that inform and situate the research. …

Children With Speech Sound Disorders At School: Challenges For Children, Parents And Teachers, Graham R. Daniel, Sharynne Mcleod

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Teachers play a major role in supporting children’s educational, social, and emotional development although may be unprepared for supporting children with speech sound disorders. Interviews with 34 participants including six focus children, their parents, siblings, friends, teachers and other significant adults in their lives highlighted challenges for these children in school, and challenges for their parents and teachers in meeting these children’s developmental and educational needs. These challenges were centred on the need for specific expertise in the school setting, and access to additional classroom and professional services to support these students’ engagement in the learning and social environments of …

The Congruity/Incongruity Of Efl Teachers’ Beliefs About Listening Instruction And Their Listening Instructional Practices, Mohammad Nabi Karimi, Mostafa Nazari

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

While research on EFL teachers’ beliefs and the realization of these beliefs in their classroom practices has recently gained momentum in the field of applied linguistics, the study of teachers’ beliefs as they relate to listening has received insufficient attention in the literature. This study was conducted to investigate Iranian EFL teachers’ beliefs about listening and their beliefs-driven instructional practices. To this end, a listening beliefs questionnaire was administered to a total of 85 teachers (BA= 49, MA= 36), followed by classroom observation of 12 teachers (6 teachers per group) who were given an audio to teach. The results revealed …

The Politics Of Quality Teacher Discourses: Implications For Pre-Service Teachers In High Poverty Schools, Laura Scholes, Jo Lampert, Bruce Burnett, Barbara M. Comber, Lutz Hoff, Angela Ferguson

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Improving the quality of education for young people growing up in high poverty and culturally diverse communities is an escalating problem in affluent nations with increasing gaps between the wealthy and the poor. Improving the quality of teachers and improving the quality of teaching are amongst the prominent solutions offered to redress the differences between student academic performances related to socio-economic family circumstances. This article examines the different discourses of ‘quality’ in relation to the preparation of pre-service teachers to work in high poverty schools such as graduates of the National Exceptional Teaching for Disadvantaged Schoolspre-service teacher education program. Key …

Teacher Education In Schools As Learning Communities: Transforming High-Poverty Schools Through Dialogic Learning, Rocio Garcia- Carrion, Aitor Gomez, Silvia Molina, Vladia Ionescu

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

: Teachers’ professional development in Schools as Learning Communities may become a key process for the sustainability and transferability of this model worldwide. Learning Communities (LC) is a community-based project that aims to transform schools through dialogic learning and involves research-grounded schools that implement Successful Educational Actions (SEAs). More than 600 such schools in Europe and South America, many of them located in high poverty areas, have shown a reduction in drop-out rates and an increase in school quality and attainment. This article analyses how teachers’ professional development is built in these schools. Following a communicative methodology approach, we analyse …

The Western Sydney Rustbelt: Recognizing And Building On Strengths In Pre-Service Teacher Education, Loshini Naidoo, Jacqueline Ann D'Warte

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Preparing pre-service teachers to address the disparities in educational attainment that occur in settings with complex demographics such as high poverty and super diversity (Vertovec, 2007) require a theoretically driven contextual and spacial (Soja, 1996) understanding of disadvantage. This understanding highlights the structural and systemic inequalities that exist between the rich and the poor and limit social and economic mobility for disadvantaged students in schools. This paper uses a conceptual and spacial understanding to focus on the strategies implemented by a primary and secondary pre-service teacher program to support and improve pre-service teacher learning of disadvantaged schools. We detail approaches …

Attitudes Of Classroom Teachers To Cultural Diversity And Multicultural Education In Country New South Wales, Australia, James Forrest, Garth Lean, Kevin Dunn

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Views of country school teachers towards multicultural education and anti-racism policy directives are examined against a background of a largely ‘white’ landscape but increasing numbers of language background other than English (LBOTE) immigrants. A 10 per cent response from a self-administered online survey of government primary and secondary classroom teachers in country New South Wales examines their attitudes to cultural diversity, goals of multicultural education, and anti-racist strategies. Though strongly supportive of attempts to combat racism, implementation in some schools lags behind intention. Whether on cultural diversity, multiculturalism or acknowledgement of racism, teacher attitudes are more tolerant than those in …

Participant Perspectives And Critical Reflections On Language Teacher Education By Distance, John S. Knox

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Language teaching is a profession which is international in character. Language teachers often work and study in foreign countries, and distance education has become very important in the education of language teachers. Drawing on two international surveys, this paper explores language teacher education by distance from the perspective of students (i.e. trainee or practicing language teachers) and teacher-educators in such distance programs. There are significant educational advantages for language teachers who choose to study by distance, and e-learning technologies have enhanced these benefits. This paper also includes an in-depth analysis of the qualitative survey responses from two individual students, highlighting …

Narrative Inquiry: A Dynamic Relationship Between Culture, Language And Education, Esther Yim Mei Chan

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Human development is a cultural process, and language serves as a cultural tool is closely related to virtually all the cognitive changes. The author addresses issues of language in education, and suggests that changing the medium of instruction should not be understood as purely a pedagogical decision. The connection between culture and language is examined for understanding why Hong Kong Chinese learners are stereotyped as passive learners. Through exploring personal experience with a student teacher, the author exemplifies how narrative inquiry is found to be a pragmatic approach to support teachers to become reflective thinkers. This study argues that narrative …

A Collaboration-Mediated Exploration Of Nonnative L2 Teachers’ Cognition Of Language Teaching Methodology, Zia Tajeddin, Nafeeseh Aryaeian

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The present study sought to investigate nonnative L2 teachers’ cognition of teaching methodology based on their collaborative talks. Participants were 12 nonnative EFL teachers categorized into three collaborative discussion groups by their teaching experience. Collaborative discussions were aimed at exploring the participants’ cognition of language teaching methodology, including the criteria for the evaluation of teaching methodology, classroom activities, teaching language skills and sub-skills, teachers’ roles, and learners’ roles in general and communicative language teaching (CLT) in particular. Analysis of the data indicated that the teachers participating in each discussion group held largely similar cognition about most of the issues in …

Criticality In Physical Education Teacher Education: Do Graduating Standards Constrain And Or Inhibit Curriculum Implementation, Ian Culpan

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Over the last decade and a half, physical education curricula in New Zealand and Australia have had a strong socio-cultural-critical orientation, providing in depth opportunities for critical inquiry. This article suggests that trying to achieve a criticality maybe impeded and or constrained by present graduating teacher standards. In the discussion, it is highlighted that neither New Zealand nor Australia graduating teacher standards overtly suggest critical inquiry as a part of beginning teachers’ required knowledge, skills or dispositions. This could be a significant constraint on maximising the intent of the New Zealand and Australia physical education curricula. As a result, this …

What Efl Student Teachers Think About Their Professional Preparation: Evaluation Of An English Language Teacher Education Programme In Spain, Juan De Dios Martínez Agudo

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Given the importance of programme evaluation in the EFL teacher education, this research paper of exploratory-interpretive nature mainly focuses on both strengths and weaknesses identified through the analysis and/or critical evaluation of an EFL teacher education programme carried out in Spain. Both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies were used in the study. The current TEFL programme has several strengths, but also certain significant shortcomings in light of the high percentage of undecided responses. The TEFL programme was evaluated positively by participant student teachers in general, in terms of pedagogic competence and promotion of reflection, although more input on English proficiency …

International Students Experience In Teacher Education: Creating Context Through Play Workshops, Dawn Joseph, Elizabeth Rouse

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Higher education in Australia attracts many international students. Universities are challenged to prepare them with the necessary understandings, knowledge and skills to effectively participate in their study. For international students, understanding Early Childhood contexts in Australia is a new way of viewing teaching and learning from their own cultural perspective. This paper situates itself as part of a wider study “Improving work placement for international students, their mentors and other stakeholders”. A pilot program was run at Deakin University for the Master of Teaching Early Childhood students to undertake play workshops before commencing placement. Questionnaires were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological …

The Contextual Motivational Conditions For L2 Pedagogy: A Case Study From The Arabian Gulf, Muhammad Athar Shah

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This article reports on a mixed-method research study into situated motivational conditions available for the English language (L2) pedagogy at a university in Saudi Arabia. The current study evaluated the L2 Learning Experience of the students by focusing on the key contextual factors that included teachers’ pedagogical practices, group dynamics in the classrooms, and English language course. Framed within the interpretive paradigm, the study utilised a structured questionnaire, followed by open-ended interviews with purposefully chosen language learners for data collection. The conceptual framework of the study was based on Dornyei’s (2005, 2009) L2 Motivational Self System – one of the …

Early Career Teachers’ Perceptions Of Their Preparedness To Teach “Diverse Learners”: Insights From An Australian Research Project, Leonie Rowan, Jodie Kline, Diane Mayer

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

In 2012, early career teachers in Queensland and Victoria (Australia) were invited to complete the Studying the Effectiveness of Teacher Education graduate survey. The survey included a “Preparation for Teaching Scale” that provided opportunities to self-report on how well their teacher education program prepared them for 46 areas of work. Ten items addressed preparation for teaching students from diverse linguistic, cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds, students from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families, students with a wide range of abilities, and students with a disability. 971 teachers completed the Scale. On a 5 point likert scale the overall mean for the …

Emotional Development And Construction Of Teacher Identity: Narrative Interactions About The Pre-Service Teachers’ Practicum Experiences, (Mark) Feng Teng

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Pre-service teacher identity research has directed limited attention to the construction and development of professional teacher identity through narrative interaction. An analysis of narrative interactions among pre-service teachers in the present study explored the ways in which they negotiated emotional flux in the process of training to become a teacher. Overall, findings show that emotional flux and identity change are connected, and hidden ‘emotional rules’ are embedded in the teaching practicum. The pre-service teachers’ negative emotions gradually escalated due to contextual constraints, hierarchical structures, and lack of support from their mentors. This escalation diminished the development of their teacher identity. …

Validation Of The Malaysian Version Of The Teacher Education Program Coherence Questionnaire, Pauline Swee Choo Goh, Qismullah Yusuf

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The main purpose of this study was to validate a Malay Language version of a 30-item teacher education program coherence questionnaire. Two different samples of preservice teachers completed the Malay translation of the questionnaire. Exploratory factor analysis (N=220) showed four types of perceived program coherence which had good internal consistency ranging from 0.79 to 0.86: ‘Opportunity to enact practice’, ‘Opportunity to analyze practice’, ‘Opportunity to connect ideas across courses’ and ‘Coherence between courses and practical experience’. The confirmatory factor analysis (N= 234) provided support for a four-factor model. In addition, an analysis of criterion validity of the four types of …

Quality Teaching Practices As Reported By Aboriginal Parents, Students And Their Teachers: Comparisons And Contrasts, Brian Ellis Lewthwaite, Helen Boon, Tammi Webber, Gail Laffin

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This paper summarizes the findings from the first phase of a three-part project which, overall, investigates what Aboriginal¹ students perceive as the qualities and actions of effective teachers and subsequently seeks to determine the impact of the enactment of these identified qualities on educational outcomes. This first phase of the research was centered on gathering accounts of quality teachers and teaching practice from students, parents and their teachers from phenomenologically aligned interviews. Similar and contrasting themes among these three groups are presented, with the intention of exposing potential mismatch in perception of the construct of ‘quality’ teaching. Finally, we …

Enhancing Phonological Awareness And Orthographic Knowledge Of Preservice Teachers: An Intervention Through Online Coursework, Marleen F. Westerveld, Georgina M. Barton

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The teaching of reading is a core priority across the education sector. In an attempt to better prepare our next generation of professional teachers of reading, academic staff at an Australian university implemented coursework changes that were designed to enhance the phonological awareness and orthographic knowledge of first-year preservice teacher education students. All students were asked to complete written surveys measuring phonological awareness and orthographic knowledge during class-time at the start and end of their first semester of study. During the semester, students were expected to complete two online modules on phonological awareness and orthographic conventions and pass an online …

Exploring Models Of Team Teaching In Initial Foreign/Second Language Teacher Education: A Study In Situated Collaboration, Malba Barahona

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The demonstrable potential of team teaching as a productive mechanism for developing collaborative teacher learning is now broadly understood in the field of teacher education. However, there is less evidence of the use of such collaborative teaching as a means of strengthening initial foreign/second language teacher education. This paper reports on the findings of a multiple case study in Chile that explored team teaching in a foreign language teacher education program. The study is illuminated through the lens of cultural historical activity theory framework (CHAT) and draws on the analysis of semi-structured interviews, work shadowing observations and reflections. The outcomes …

The Effect Of A Professional Development Model On Early Childhood Educators’ Direct Teaching Of Beginning Reading, Gemma E. Scarparolo, Lorraine S. Hammond

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Research over the last 15 years has reported that for professional development to be effective, in terms of changing teachers’ knowledge and/or instructional strategies, it needs to be conducted taking into consideration the following factors: teachers’ existing knowledge, experience and attitudes towards the professional development, school administrative factors, opportunities for classroom-based follow-up and gathering data concerning student achievement to measure the impact or effectiveness of the professional development. These factors were all carefully considered when creating, planning and implementing the professional development model for this study. The results indicate that an evidence-based professional development model which included a workshop, classroom …

The Complexity Of Practicum Assessment In Teacher Education: An Examination Of Four New Zealand Case Studies., Karyn M. Aspden

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Practicum is a key element of initial teacher education (ITE) programmes, designed to support the professional growth of student teachers. Practicum is also a key point of assessment, leading to a determination of the student’s professional growth and their readiness to teach and enter the teaching profession. This study sought to understand the way in which the assessment of practicum was enacted and experienced within New Zealand early childhood ITE programmes. Case study methodology was used to explore the experiences of practicum triads from four participating institutions. Data included recordings of triadic assessment meetings, post-assessment interviews with the student teachers, …

More Than Standardisation: Teacher’S Professional Literacy Learning In Australia?, Veronica Gardiner, Wendy Cumming-Potvin, Christine Kay Glass

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Current policies guiding literacy and teacher professional learning in Australia, tend to foreground the importance of standardised practice and assessment in classrooms and schools. However, enactments of print-oriented literacy and professional learning in alignment with this emphasis stand in contradiction with contemporary approaches, which implicate consideration of diversity and contextual relevance. This paper positions teacher problematisation and negotiation of this contradiction as key for broadening literacy learning horizons. Incorporating multiliteracies, Cultural Historical Activity Theory and sociocritical perspectives on policy and professional learning, the authors propose a multidimensional framework for exploring and supporting dynamic and conflictually sensitive teacher learning processes. Such …