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Full-Text Articles in Education

Children’S Knowledge, Identity And Right To Participation In Driving Curriculum Decision-Making, Vanessa Wintoneak Jun 2019

Children’S Knowledge, Identity And Right To Participation In Driving Curriculum Decision-Making, Vanessa Wintoneak

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The research study investigated why and how educators make use of knowledge about children and their interests for the purpose of curriculum decision-making, and the subsequent influence on children’s involvement. The study took a Participatory Action Research approach and examined curriculum construction in childcare-based and school-based Kindergarten settings. Data were collected over a six-month period in 2018 from settings in the metropolitan area of Perth, Western Australia. Initial interviews were conducted with four Kindergarten educators to find out how they gathered and used information about children and their interests for curriculum purposes. These interviews were followed by a curriculum intervention …


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 Jan 2018

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 …


The Role Of Awareness Of Repetition During The Development Of Automaticity, Emma Shadbolt Jan 2015

The Role Of Awareness Of Repetition During The Development Of Automaticity, Emma Shadbolt

Theses : Honours

Investigation into the influence of contextual information on performance of an automatic task has found inconsistent results. The majority of studies have investigated whether changing the context of a simple cognitive task can inhibit an automatic response, but do not review whether context can help the development of automatic responding. The current study examined whether bringing awareness to the context of a simple numerosity task could aid the development of automaticity. It also examined whether participants were aware of when automaticity developed for them via a post-test interview. The numerosity task used in this study was a simple counting task …


Rising To The Challenge: Exploring The Transition From Primary To Secondary Education In A Western Australian School, Elizabeth Joan Wenden Jan 2015

Rising To The Challenge: Exploring The Transition From Primary To Secondary Education In A Western Australian School, Elizabeth Joan Wenden

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The ‘Rising to the Challenge: Exploring the transition from Primary to Secondary education in a Western Australian School’ study explored the positive predictors of primary to secondary school transition of a cohort of Year 7 students (n=182) at a school in Western Australia. The transition from primary to secondary school is an important process in the lives of adolescents aged around 11-13 years old. It is a challenging and exciting time that coincides with social, emotional, physical and cognitive changes of the adolescent stage of development. Enabling a positive transition to secondary school can give adolescents the support they need …


Preschool Children's Information Processing And Emotional Behavior In Social Conflict Situations, Po Lin B.L. Bailey Jan 2013

Preschool Children's Information Processing And Emotional Behavior In Social Conflict Situations, Po Lin B.L. Bailey

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study investigated various aspects of the Social Information Processing Model, in particular, young children’s emotional behavior regulation and negative emotionality, in Hong Kong. The sample was N=628 from 12 schools. Using Rasch measurement, linear unidimensional scales were constructed for Emotion and Behaviour Regulation (10 items) and for Negative Emotionality (10 items). The well-known Short Temperament Scale was Rasch analyzed too, but a linear scale could not be created – it had initially been designed under the True Score Test theory paradigm. The children were divided into Type A (high on negative emotionality and low on emotion and behavior regulation, …


Determining The Point Of Optimum Transferability Of Skill, Amanda Puchar Jan 2010

Determining The Point Of Optimum Transferability Of Skill, Amanda Puchar

Theses : Honours

Cognitive research assumes that practice on a task can lead to improved performance, most often resulting in the attainment of automatic performance and possibly the transfer of this learning to another task. This study examined all of these questions through the use of a computer generated counting task that required participants, consisting of 60 randomly selected university students and friends and family of the researcher, to count stars on a display screen and determine if the number of stars presented was an odd or even number. Coefficient of variation (CV) measures that calculated the variability for a given level of …


The Relationship Between Amount Of Training And Performance On A New Task, Jacinta Avril Tan Jan 2010

The Relationship Between Amount Of Training And Performance On A New Task, Jacinta Avril Tan

Theses : Honours

This paper was designed to examine the relationship between training and transfer tasks and performance on these tasks whereby training can be used to predict transfer. Previous research has assumed that performance of an established task should extrapolate the power function of learning. That is, performance of an established skill in a new domain will continue to improve at the same rate with practice as if there was no change in the domain. 60 participants were recruited from the University of Edith Cowan and were randomly assigned to one of three conditions; I 0 block condition, 20 block condition, or …


Automaticity As A Predictor Of Skill Transfer, Jana Melis Jan 2010

Automaticity As A Predictor Of Skill Transfer, Jana Melis

Theses : Honours

Research into the effect of automaticity on skill transfer has resulted in conflicting conclusions about how automatic processes act on the transferability of skill. The research in this study was designed to investigate the existence and nature of the relationship between automaticity in skill acquisition and the ability to transfer that skill to a different task. Using a quantitative research design, a simple counting exercise was used to train participants in a skill, with the amount of training manipulated between groups. Accuracy rates and reaction times were recorded and analysed to determine the variance within and between the groups between …


Coping With The Demands Of Mature Age Student Life, Jenny E.M. Cowell Jan 2010

Coping With The Demands Of Mature Age Student Life, Jenny E.M. Cowell

Theses : Honours

In Australia, mature age students are 20 years of age and above in the year that they commence study and comprise approximately 65 per cent of students enrolled in Australian universities (EIM Support, 201 0). There are many reasons why they may choose to commence tertiary education (Hoskins, Newstead, & Dennis, 1997) with their transition into university likely to require them to make changes across many life domains (Gall, Evans, & Bellerose, 2000). There is much evidence to suggest that mature age students are capable of completing their undergraduate degrees, however they have a relatively low retention rate, especially in …


Goal Motivation, Academic Outcomes, And Psychological Distress Of A Group Of Australian Secondary Students : Scale Refinement And An Extension Of The Ingledew, Wray, Markland, And Hardy (2005) Model, Craig Harms Jan 2010

Goal Motivation, Academic Outcomes, And Psychological Distress Of A Group Of Australian Secondary Students : Scale Refinement And An Extension Of The Ingledew, Wray, Markland, And Hardy (2005) Model, Craig Harms

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Beliefs held about personal goals are termed goal dimensions. When applied to academic goals, goal dimensions represent a form of academic motivation. The purpose of this research was to examine if a model of goal dimensions developed by Ingledew, Wray, Markland, and Hardy (2005) in a business setting with adults could be applied to explain academic outcomes and psychological distress of two hundred and sixteen Australian final-year secondary students who were striving to gain a place at a university. Structural Regression (S-R) Analysis was used to examine the effect of the goal dimensions on psychological distress at Time 1 (April); …


Mathematical Skill Acquisition: Transfer Effects Of A Computer Game Based On The Components Theory Of Skill Acquisition, Jenny Kessell Jan 2008

Mathematical Skill Acquisition: Transfer Effects Of A Computer Game Based On The Components Theory Of Skill Acquisition, Jenny Kessell

Theses : Honours

Research within the field of mathematical learning has often focused on the extent to which knowledge of particular mathematical skills can facilitate the learning of new and unpracticed mathematical skills. Additionally, it has examined the influence of context on learning and the amount of practice necessary for complex skill acquisition to result. This paper provides a review of the research examining mathematical learning, skill acquisition and transfer of skills in a mathematical context. Pertinent theories in the field of cognitive skill acquisition are examined for their ability to explain transfer of skill. The review focuses on factors that influence the …


Educating Secondary School Students With Learning Difficulties: The Teacher's Perspective, Christine Potter Jan 2008

Educating Secondary School Students With Learning Difficulties: The Teacher's Perspective, Christine Potter

Theses : Honours

Educating students with learning difficulties in mainstream classrooms has been a major concern for educators (Elkins, 2007). This paper reviews the research relating to the issues teachers' experience when teaching students with learning difficulties (LD) in secondary schools. The review initially provides an overview of the definition of LD and the academic, social, and behavioural characteristics experienced by students with LD. The review explores student, teacher, and school environment factors that impact on the teachers' role when students with LD are educated in mainstream classrooms. The analysis of the research in this area showed that teacher's attitudes, views, and concerns …


Academic Adjustment And Resilience In Mature Age And School Leaver University Students : A Review Of The Literature & Differences In Resilience And University Adjustment Between School Leaver And Mature Age University Students, Brent Munro Jan 2007

Academic Adjustment And Resilience In Mature Age And School Leaver University Students : A Review Of The Literature & Differences In Resilience And University Adjustment Between School Leaver And Mature Age University Students, Brent Munro

Theses : Honours

This paper reviews the literature related to the transition and adjustment of school leaver and mature age students to university. It is suggested that the transition to university is a major life transition and thus is a period of great stress (Larose, Bernier, & Tarabulsy, 2005). For mature age students and school leaver students, the impacts upon adjustment to university are varied during the transition to university study (Cantwell, Archer, & Bourke, 2001; Challis, 1976; Justice & Dornan, 2001). First this review defines who mature age and school leaver students are in the context of universities. Second, the resilience literature …


Teachers Experiences With Teaching Children With Learning Difficulties: A Qualitative Study, Aleesha Morton Jan 2007

Teachers Experiences With Teaching Children With Learning Difficulties: A Qualitative Study, Aleesha Morton

Theses : Honours

It is estimated that 16% of Australian primary school students suffer from a learning difficulty (LD) (Rivalland, 2000). Teachers are expected to provide these students with the specialised education they need. However, teachers have reported that they face numerous challenges to provide LD students with the support needed, which may result in them experiencing high levels of stress and anxiety. These challenges include problems with identification of the specific difficulty and the most appropriate intervention programs to implement, a lack of pre service education and training, insufficient resources and funding specific to students with LD. Awareness and understanding of these …


Contextual Effects On A Well Learned Task: Isolated Or Broad?, Matthew J. Parkinson Jan 2007

Contextual Effects On A Well Learned Task: Isolated Or Broad?, Matthew J. Parkinson

Theses : Honours

Skill transfer is a fundamental feature in the domain of skill acquisition, however different theories present conflicting ideas regarding prediction of transfer. Anderson's (1982) Adaptive Control of Thought theory posits that the amount of transfer is proportional to the number of shared productions. Logan's (1988) Instance theory in contrast, posits that complete transfer will only occur on tasks which have been experienced before. However, work by Speelman and Kirsner (1997), Speelman, Forbes and Giesen (2004) and Johnson (2005) have produced results that counter the implicit assumptions of these theories. More specifically a disruption from the predicted learning curve was found …


The Role Of Strategy Choice And Working Memory Capacity In Arithmetic Acquisition In Third Grade Primary School Children, Dijana Mirkovic Jan 2005

The Role Of Strategy Choice And Working Memory Capacity In Arithmetic Acquisition In Third Grade Primary School Children, Dijana Mirkovic

Theses : Honours

This review examines the question of what determines arithmetic ability in primary school children. It has been suggested that arithmetic ability is mediated by many factors such as developmental factors, exposure to arithmetic facts, selection and utilisation of various strategies when solving arithmetic problems, and individual differences in working memory capacity. Some theories suggest that factors such as the complexity of a problem affect the selection of strategies when solving simple arithmetic problems such as addition, whereas other theories propose that individual differences in working memory capacity play a prominent role in arithmetic ability. Research is discussed that provides support …


Skill Acquisition And Transfer To Contextually Different Tasks: Complete, Partial Or Zero Transfer?, Lois E. Johnson Jan 2005

Skill Acquisition And Transfer To Contextually Different Tasks: Complete, Partial Or Zero Transfer?, Lois E. Johnson

Theses : Honours

There are differing opinions as to whether skills learned in one situation can be transferred and used in new situations. Anderson's (1982, 1993) Adaptive Control of Thought theory states that complete transfer of skills from one situation to another will occur when the processes used in training are the same as those required in transfer. Logan's (1988) Instance theory posits that complete transfer will occur only if the problems used in training are identical to those used in transfer, and that partial transfer should not occur in any transfer situation. However research by Speelman and Kirsner (2001), and Speelman, Forbes …


The Relationship Between Self-Esteem, Self-Efficacy And Sense Of Belonging In Young Adolescents At School, Elisabeth Freeman Jan 2005

The Relationship Between Self-Esteem, Self-Efficacy And Sense Of Belonging In Young Adolescents At School, Elisabeth Freeman

Theses : Honours

Research emphasises the importance of adolescents' psychological sense of belonging in relation to academic, motivational, psychosocial, developmental, and behavioural outcomes, particularly during transition to high school. However, adolescents' adjustment during transition period does not occur in isolation, it occurs in conjunction with normative biopsychosocial change-related effects. As most of adolescents biopsychosocial needs are negotiated in high school, the school's social context assumes a fundamental role in facilitating successful adolescent adjustment, and school belonging. Features of the high school context such as perceived peer, parent, and teacher support have an influence on adolescents' perceived belonging. Similarly, the educational values, in terms …


The Importance Of The Emotional Climate In Schools : Linking Teachers' Sense Of Belonging To School Community With Student Outcomes, Linda Rogerson Jan 2004

The Importance Of The Emotional Climate In Schools : Linking Teachers' Sense Of Belonging To School Community With Student Outcomes, Linda Rogerson

Theses : Honours

The way that children feel about school is important to their continued engagement with education. This review examines the issues that impact on the school environment and therefore influence students' school experience. A decline in educational standards in America prompted school reform research which has identified that the emotional climate in schools was impacting on students in that they felt alienated and disenfranchised from the school community. The emotional climate of a school stems from the nature of the relationship that exists between the students and staff of the school. A movement to establish caring community schools that promote the …


Skill Acquisition And Transfer In A Simple Algebraic Task, Charan J. Singh Jan 2004

Skill Acquisition And Transfer In A Simple Algebraic Task, Charan J. Singh

Theses : Honours

Speelman's (\999) finding that performance of a skill is based to some extent on the conter.t in which it is performed, rather than simply on the acquired skill itself, is not accounted for by the basic skill acquisition theories like ACT -R Theory or Instance Theory. The purpose of the current experiment was to examine whether the degree of change in context influences the degree of reduction in transfer. Forty participants were trained on an algebraic task and then tested in two different transfer conditions. Condition one included one new item and condition two included two new items in the …


Effect Of The Specificity Of Training Delivery On Skill Acquisition And Transfer, Suzanne Mary Matthews Jan 2003

Effect Of The Specificity Of Training Delivery On Skill Acquisition And Transfer, Suzanne Mary Matthews

Theses : Honours

Past research (e.g., Brewer, 1998) has shown that when people learn to solve simple formulae where elements are repeated over and over again, the greater the degree of repetition, the less transferable the skill. The current study tested one explanation for this observation; that training conditions involving little stimulus variation encourage the development of specific skills with low transferability. These habit-encouraging conditions were compared with a habit-breaking manipulation that involved presentation of unfamiliar stimuli throughout training. Participants were randomly assigned to one of 2 groups, the habit-encouraging and habit-breaking groups. The groups had 22 and 20 participants respectively. Participants were …


The Effects Of Sleep On The Acquisition Of Skill, Peter G. Croy Jan 2003

The Effects Of Sleep On The Acquisition Of Skill, Peter G. Croy

Theses : Honours

The current research was designed to evaluate the effect of sleep on memory for the declarative and procedural knowledge components of a cognitive skill. In a training phase, 17 participants in a no-sleep control group practised 120 repetitions of a simple algebra equation at Sam and 22 participants in a sleep group practised the task at 8pm. Novel task inputs were introduced withh1 the same task structure in a transfer phase conducted 12 hours after training for each group. Overnight sleep conferred a 29% performance deficit on the transfer tusk compared to no-sleep controls. The results support the hypothesis that …


Measuring Academic Motivation To Achieve For High School Students Using A Rasch Measurement Model, Joseph Njeru Njiru Jan 2003

Measuring Academic Motivation To Achieve For High School Students Using A Rasch Measurement Model, Joseph Njeru Njiru

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Many models have been offered on students' motivation to achieve academically. However, most studies on motivation of students to achieve academically are called into question because they do not use an interval level scale, based on a good theoretical model, where attitude items are connected to behaviour items, even though motivation is defined as linked to behaviour. On the other hand, many researchers do not use qualitative methodologies as a preferred method to validate and triangulate data obtained from the questionnaire so as to add scope and breadth to the study. Most researchers have only used either qualitative or quantitative …


Phonological And Syntactic Processing, And The Role Of Working Memory In Reading Comprehension Among High School Students, John V. Holsgrove Jan 2003

Phonological And Syntactic Processing, And The Role Of Working Memory In Reading Comprehension Among High School Students, John V. Holsgrove

Theses : Honours

The performance of 60 year8 students was examined on tasks measuring phonological processing, syntactic processing, and reading comprehension. The students were also administered several measures of working memory relating to the phonological loop and the central executive. A series of hierarchical regression analyses indicated that phonological processing and syntactic processing were both predictors of reading comprehension, and that the presence or absence of the latter distinguished good and poor comprehenders respectively. The phonological loop was found to play a small but significant role in the processes involved in reading comprehension, but not the central executive. Gender differences suggested that boys …


Case Studies Of Children's Social And Emotional Adjustment At School After The Permanent Separation Of Their Parents, Gillian Kirk Jan 2000

Case Studies Of Children's Social And Emotional Adjustment At School After The Permanent Separation Of Their Parents, Gillian Kirk

Theses : Honours

The number of children who have experienced the separation of their parents is constantly rising. An increasing amount of children arc entering classrooms contending with their day-to-day stressors as well as the stress originating from then home lives. Many of these children are not prepared with the knowledge or understanding of their stressor, nor are they equipped with strategies that would help them deal with stress. Observations and interviews were conducted with four children who had experienced the separation and divorce of their parents over a period of six months. As the data for this study needed to be rich …


The Effects Of Conceptual Change On The Transfer Of Established Skills, John Forbes Jan 2000

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 …


Sense Of Belonging And Self-Esteem : What Are The Implications For Educational Outcomes Of Secondary School Students? : A Literature Review, Lynne Strudwicke Jan 2000

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 …


A Study Of Teacher Behaviours As Interpreted By Low Achieving Passive Students, Carolyn Crook Jan 1999

A Study Of Teacher Behaviours As Interpreted By Low Achieving Passive Students, Carolyn Crook

Theses : Honours

This study explores the nature of low achieving, passive students' interpretations of teacher behaviour towards them, how these interpretations cluster into specific categories and the possibility of a mis-match existing between a teacher's intended behaviour and the student's interpretations of that behaviour. The sample consisted of four year five students, one female and three male students, who were selected from two Perth metropolitan schools. Ethnographic-case study methods were used to conduct the investigation which included fieldnotes, observations, video-taped observations, student interviews and informal teacher interviews. The study revealed that low achieving, passive students have varying interpretations of teacher behaviour. As …


The Specificity Of Skill Acquisition: Is It Task Related?, Dawn Darlaston-Jones Jan 1999

The Specificity Of Skill Acquisition: Is It Task Related?, Dawn Darlaston-Jones

Theses : Honours

The plethora of research into the area of skill acquisition and transfer has resulted in conflicting conclusions regarding the nature of transfer. Some researchers have found skill transfer to be specific to the items experienced during training (Logan, I 988, alphabet-arithmetic task; Masson, 1986, reverse reading task). Others have found transfer to be general (Speelman & Kirsner, I 997, syllogism task) or both general and specific in the same task (Greig & Speelman, 1999, algebra task). This study investigated the assumption that the task involved dictates the specific nature of skill acquisition and transfer. Sixty participants drawn from the Edith …


The Pleasure Of Text - Where Does It Come From? : Children's Responses To Literature, Sharon Cooney Jan 1999

The Pleasure Of Text - Where Does It Come From? : Children's Responses To Literature, Sharon Cooney

Theses : Honours

Too often, literature is viewed, presented and used as a mere tool for conveying information in the primary school classroom. A 'functional' approach to literature is not sufficient as it denies students opportunities to experience the range of responses evoked by literature and the element of pleasure that can be derived from the reading experience. This study examines reader response theory as a means for building enjoyment of literature for its own sake. The literary responses of four primary school children were interpreted to ascertain the pleasure derived from the literary experience and will be presented in case study form. …