Digital Commons Network^™

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 …

A Qualitative Exploration Of The Transition Experience Of Students From A High School To A Senior High School In Rural Western Australia, Amiee-Jade Pereira

Theses : Honours

This review outlines literature on the normative high school transitions that occur during adolescence. Research examines factors affecting the school transition experience (e.g., school size, structure, feeder patterns, and the additive affect of multiple school transitions), student outcomes (e.g., academic performance, self-esteem and psychological symptomatology), and student perceptions of their transition experience. Research limitations include the focus on American, metropolitan schools undergoing the elementary to middle school transition, and the utilisation of quantitative methodologies. Future research needs to examine the experience of students from different countries, both metropolitan and rural, undergoing school transitions. Qualitative methodologies should also be utilised to …

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 Development Of A Valid And Reliable Instrument To Assess Constructivist Practices In Primary Classrooms, Bianca Herlihy

Theses : Honours

This study investigates the development of an instrument to measure teachers' constructivist practices in their classrooms. The Department of Education Curriculum Framework for Western Australia is based on a constructivist learning environment, and this study has sought to develop an instrument for exploring individual Western Australian teachers utilisation of a constructivist learning environment in their classrooms. While there are a number of studies relating to constructivist classroom practices, the literature review indicates that there is little research about actual practice in a Western Australian primary school context. The instrument was developed from an extensive review of the literature. Key theorists …

An Evaluation Of A Web-Based Tool To Assist Transition To University, Jack Seddon

Theses : Honours

This study sought to evaluate the user experience of the Race Around ECU (NAHCU) Web site (Seddon. Grant, Kosh, White & Hunt, 2000) http://www.ecu.edu.au/pa/raecu, in an attempt to understand the extent that a web-based solution can enhance high school students prior knowledge of the issues that students encounter during transition to university and how effective the site is in raising their aspirations to attend university. It sought to determine the extent to which the provision of Web promoted engagement and to explore the extent to which teaching strategies that support the integration of Web site use within existing class structures …

What Are The Important Elements Of The Pre-Primary Curriculum? : The Views Of Parents And Teachers, Ann Hyde

Theses : Honours

The delivery of pre-primary education in Western Australia has undergone dramatic and rapid change since its tentative beginnings in 1911. During the 1990's we have seen the most tumultuous period of change with the implementation of the government's Good Start Program. It is timely that we investigate what the primary stakeholders expect from pre-primary programs. Are parents and teachers expecting the same things? Is there harmony between the curriculum of the home and the school? This study addressed these questions. A survey was conducted, involving 150 parents and 60 teachers (30 pre-primary teachers and 30 year one teachers). Schools were …

Better Implementation Of Calculators In The Classroom Through Parental Involvement, Jennifer S. Kemp

Theses : Honours

This study examined the changes in parental attitudes towards calculator use in the classroom during their involvement in calculator activities with students. The study also investigated the effectiveness of involving parents in mathematics activities as a support mechanism for calculator implementation in the school as a whole. A class of year 6 students and their parents were chosen for the study. Parents were first given a questionnaire to evaluate their attitudes towards the use of calculators in schools. Interested parents were consequently invited to participate in one fifty-minute lesson per week for eight weeks. During these lessons, calculators were used …

How Efl Writing (English As A Foreign Language) Is Taught In Solomon Islands, Sylvia Skinner

Theses : Honours

A grounded theory investigation of Solomon Island teachers' best methods for teaching EFL writing was undertaken in Perth. Thirteen teachers (three male and ten female) participated. being selected according to availability and coverage of all primary school grades Two Coordinators assisted with location and liason between the participants and the research base in Western Australia The investigation proceeded in four phases In the first phase, data were gathered through a report file, in which the teachers identified their three most successful methods for teaching EFL writing Data were analysed using the continuous comparative method to find the core variable underlying …

The All Encompassing Role And Function Of The Computing Coordinator In Western Australian Government Senior High Schools, Diana C. Brown

Theses : Honours

The purpose of this study was to determine the role and support afforded Computing Coordinators at Western Australian government senior high schools by undertaking a census survey. Previous studies performed by Weber and Kershaw (1990) and Kershaw and Weber {1991), portrayed the role of Computing Coordinators at Australian high schools as demanding a diversity of knowledge and skills in computer technology together with excellent management qualities. The literature also suggested that time management skills were a major factor in how effectively coordinators carried out the myriad of tasks expected of them. This study found that most Computing Coordinators considered their …

The Effect Of An In-Service Lecture On Diabetes On Nurses' Attitudes To Diabetes Patient Education, Jennifer A. Walters

Theses : Honours

Patient education has been shown to be a major factor in improving the compliance and self-care skills of diabetic patients, thereby improving the quality of life for the patient. Nurses have an important role in diabetes patient education. Research has indicated, however, that barriers such as lack of knowledge and negative attitudes may prevent nurses from effectively delivering this care to their patients. The purpose of this experimental study was to determine whether increasing the knowledge of registered nurses through an in-service lecture on diabetes would improve their attitudes towards diabetes education. The conceptual framework for the study proposed that …