Education Commons^™

Occupational Awareness Of Singapore Primary School Children, Joy S. Ang

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The introduction of career guidance programmes in Singapore schools had tended to predominantly focus on secondary pupils. The lack of proactive career guidance programmes for the primary school had been due to the misguided belief that children in the primary school still have an extremely long way to go before they enter the workforce, and that their career development had not yet begun. Studies have shown that children have a natural tendency to form firm impressions of occupations early in life. This has resulted in their adopting certain occupations and discarding others before they have fully explored and understood the …

A Study Of 1st And 2nd Year Catholic University Students' Perceptions Of Their Senior Religious Education Classes In Catholic Schools In Western Australia, Leslie G. Saker

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of 1st and 2nd year university students of their years eleven and twelve religious education classes at a Catholic school. A secondary purpose was to understand students’ acceptance or non-acceptance of official Catholic Church doctrine/dogma and why. Four research questions were asked to direct the study. 1. Are Catholic schools in Western Australia carrying out the mandate for their existence, that is, the Catholic education of their students? 2. Did students perceive their religious education classes as aiding their religious development? 3. Are students accepting or rejecting important doctrinal …

The Effect Of Money As A Context On Students' Mental Computation Performance In Years 3, 5, 7 And 9, Anne Paterson

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The purpose of this study was to research the effect of money as a context on school students’ mental computational performance and strategy choices across a range of ages. This study adds to existing research, which has compared students' mental computational methods with their written methods, by the provision of the single common context of money. The content topics of whole and other rational numbers (simple fractions, decimals, and some percentages) were covered. Forty-eight primary school students plus sixteen secondary school students were involved in this study, with equal numbers of both genders from the two primary schools and one …

Exploring Community Development In Online Settings, Christopher Brook

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

As educators and training providers embrace online technologies, some researchers posit that the development of a learning community is perhaps the most fundamental goal of online instructors (Hiltz, 1997). The process for developing and maintaining learning communities, however, remains unclear (Bonk & Wisher, 2000; PaJloff & Pratt, 1999). This study sought to provide insight into factors that influence community development through an exploration of the community experience in online settings. To do this, it was necessary to establish an understanding of the community construct through an extensive review of contemporary literature. A review of the online learning community literature was …

Beyond Written Computation, Alistair Mcintosh, Len Sparrow

Research outputs pre 2011

This collection of papers based on research into aspects of number is a result of a writing conference held on Rottnest Island, near Perth, Western Australia. The concept of the conference emanated from Alistair Mcintosh and Len Sparrow and was based on two similar meetings organised by Cal Irons and Bob Reys.

All papers in this book were discussed at the Rottnest conference and subsequent changes were made by the authors based on comments and recommendations from the peer group who attended the conference.

Impact Of Extra-Curricular Activities On Adolescents' Connectedness And Cigarette Smoking: Annual Report, Donna Cross, Greg Hamilton, Rob Mcgee, Margaret Hall

Research outputs pre 2011

Cigarette smoking is the primary cause of preventable death in Australia, killing approximately 19,000 people every year.⁸ Up to 90% of smokers begin smoking by 18 years of age.^9,10 In spite of the obvious public health burden, current approaches have led to very modest decreases in adolescent smoking in the past 10 years. ¹¹ The Smoking Cessation for Youth Project (SCYP)⁴ was a cluster randomised control trial that resulted in lower cigarette smoking among Year 10 students who received a harm minimisation intervention over two years. This project also led to the identification of connectedness as a …

The Role Of Physical Education And Sport In Education (Spined) : Extending At Risk Students' Participation In School Life: A Case Study Of Progress Within A Specialist Sports School, Dawn Penney, Andrew Taggart, Sean Gorman

Research outputs pre 2011

This case study focused on developments at Clontarf Aboriginal College and Football Academy, a Specialist Sports School in the Perth metropolitan area. The study specifically explored:

• the ways in which the development of an Australian Rules Football academy at the school have enhanced opportunities for Aboriginal students, many of whom may be deemed in educational terms 'at risk', to engage in school life;

• the organisational I institutional, social, cultural and economic factors (i) enabling and (ii) inhibiting enhancement of educational and sporting opportunities and take-up of these opportunities by the Aboriginal students;

• the extent to which progress …

Music In Primary Schools, Alan True, Wendy Fullerton

Research outputs pre 2011

No abstract provided.

Edu-Com 2004 International Conference: New Challenges For Sustainability And Growth In Higher Education, John Renner (Ed.)

Research outputs pre 2011

EDU-COM 2004, an international conference held in Khon Kaen, Thailand from the 24th to the 26th November, 2004 took the theme: New Challenges for Sustainability and Growth in Higher Education. EDU-COM 2004 was sponsored and organised by Edith Cowan University, Khon Kaen University and Bansomdejchaopraya Rajabhat University/

The Conference was structured to address five sub-themes pertinent to the challenges facing higher education worldwide:

• Collaboration between campus and community in Higher Education

• Collaboration targeting multi-cultural and cross-cultural issues in Higher Education

• Collaboration through new teaching and learning technologies in Higher Education

• Collaboration for quality: valuing and evaluating …

An Investigation Of The Motivational Aspects Of Peer And Self-Assessment Tasks To Enhance Teamwork Outcomes, Catherine Mcloughlin, Joseph Luca

Research outputs pre 2011

No abstract provided.

Autonomy In Foreign Language Learning: An Exploratory Analysis Of Japanese Learners, Miyuki U. Surma

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Learner autonomy has received increased attention: in the recent language teaching and learning literature. Although Holec (1981) proposed a somewhat categorical definition of learner autonomy, this concept can be viewed in various ways depending on factors such as context and culture. One may posit, for example, that learner autonomy is based on Western values and as such, is not as easily accessible in the Asian context. With such variables in mind, the purpose of this study is to gain a greater understanding of Japanese students' beliefs regarding foreign language learning in a particular context. This is undertaken by utilising multi-modal …

Cultural Hybridity And Visual Practice: Towards A Transformative-Repair Multicultural Pedagogy For Visual Arts Education, Kim Le

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This research project examines how transitional multiculturalism, cultural hybridity and transformative-repair are practiced by a professional artist-researcher and novice artists. Transitional multiculturalism and cultural hybridity are examined through a series of artworks by a Vietnamese-born artist-researcher. This series of artwork, which reflects 35 years of creating art in both Vietnamese and Australia, demonstrate a personal engagement with issues of cultural diversity, upbringing, and related aesthetic studies. The intention of this exhibition is to chart the characteristics of the artist's expression, which is culturally hybridised. This part of the study aims to identify those artistic conventions associated with specific visual traditions …

The Construction Of Alienated Students And Students At Educational Risk : A Study Of The Justice And Education Discourses In Western Australia, Melanie Zan

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This thesis locates, examines and interprets the written sources of information guiding how delinquent school-aged young people are viewed in relation to their education in Western Australia. The study involved an examination of texts discussing post industrial socio-historical events and currently policy, practice and research in relation to students who are alienated from school, including those who have criminal histories. An exploration of the discourses assembled around the costruction of Western Australian school-aged offenders as alienated students revealed an ongoing assumption that children and youth from low socio-economic backgrounds are often governed as low school achievers who are less likely …

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 …

Facilitating Teacher Professional Learning : Analysing The Impact Of An Australian Professional Learning Model In Secondary Science, Rachel Sheffield

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

In education, innovations are frequently introduced to promote changes to the curriculum, teachers' practice, and the classroom environment, however, these initiatives are often implemented without sufficient evaluation to monitor their impact and effectiveness in bringing about the desired changes. This thesis analyses the impact of a teacher professional learning program on lower secondary science teachers' practice. It examines the relationship between teachers' concerns about the strategies incorporated in the Collaborative Australian Secondary Science Program (CASSP) and teachers' ability to understand the strategies, on their ability to utilise those strategies in the classroom. It also seeks to determine teachers' beliefs about …

Using Interactive Multimedia (Imm) To Help Year Four And Five Students Identified As Experiencing Reading Difficulties: A Formative Approach, Grace Oakley

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study involved four formative experiments, each of which investigated ways in which IMM (Interactive Multimedia) could be used to help children who experienced reading difficulties. In each of the four contexts, classroom teachers identified a number of students with reading difficulties, selected pedagogical goals for them and worked with the researcher to plan IMM-based activities that targeted the selected goals. The implementations were evaluated formatively and modifications were made accordingly, with the intention of 'fine-tuning' them to facilitate achievement of the pedagogical goals. Facilitative and inhibitive factors were identified during and after each formative experiment, as were unplanned outcomes. …

An Examination Of The Capabilities Required By University Tutors In Online Learning Environments And The Factors Affecting The Relative Importance Of These Capabilities, Douglas Reid

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The Internet is influencing some would say revolutionizing most aspects of our society, including distance education (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek,2003). There has been a worldwide movement to implement online education technologies in Universities. In Australia, use of these technologies has coincided with the development of pedagogics to improve the merging of distance education and asynchronous, anywhere / anytime learning (Cashion & Palmieri, 2002; Harper, Hedberg, Bennett, & Lockyer, 2000). However, using technology to teach at a distance requires different capabilities than traditional face-to-face teaching. In the revolutionary situation which distance education finds itself, online tutors find themselves acting as …

Nigerian Science Teachers' Beliefs About Effective Science Teaching, Their Pedagogical Content Knowledge, And How These Influence Science Teaching, Morris A. Benjamin

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study investigated Nigerian junior secondary science teachers' beliefs about effective science teaching, their pedagogical content knowledge and how these influence their classroom teaching behaviour. The research is underpinned by a conceptual framework, which establishes a strong relationship between teachers' beliefs about teaching, teachers' pedagogical content knowledge and classroom teaching practices. The study was carried out in two phases. The first phase involved a survey of all junior secondary science teachers (N=70) from the 30 secondary schools in two Local Education Districts of Lagos State, Nigeria. The second phase involved in-depth case studies of three science teachers who were purposively …

Teaching Twice Exceptional Children: Gifted With Learning Difficulties: Professional Development And Provision In A Montessori School, Elaine Lewis

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study seeks to investigate the teaching of gifted children in a Montessori school, with particular reference to gifted students with learning difficulties in writing. A review of the literature on the Montessori method of education and on provision for gifted children, shows considerable philosophical and practical overlap in these two fields. However, it appears that this theoretical overlap is not necessarily realised in practice. Furthermore, although considerable research has been conducted on the characteristics, identification and classroom provision for the gifted, very little has been undertaken on the actual provision for gifted children in Montessori schools or gifted children …

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 …

Teachers' Experiences Of Teaching Children With Learning Difficulties, Michelle Francis

Theses : Honours

The purpose of this review is to present some of the issues involved in teaching children with learning difficulties (LD}. Approximately one in five children within mainstream classrooms will experience LD. Many of these children will also exhibit social, emotional or behavioural problems (for example, withdrawal, depression, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Conduct Disorder). Teachers' perceptions and judgments about LD and their self-efficacy influence their teaching practice of students with LD. It is recognized that teachers cannot manage the needs of LD students alone and need support in their teaching from specialist consultants and also for their own psychological well-being. …

Using Modelling For Teaching Social Skills To Children With Autism: A Literature Review &, Effects Of Video-Modelling On The Acquisition And Generalisation Of Play Behaviour In Children With Autism, Claire R. Paterson

Theses : Honours

Impaired social functioning is a characteristic feature of autistic spectrum disorder. Various interventions have been developed to address social dysfunction in children with autism. The purpose of this paper is to review studies that have examined the efficacy of using modelling procedures to teach children with autism social skills. Modelling involves observing a model performing a target behaviour intended for the observer to imitate. Modelling techniques have effectively incorporated a range of models including adults, peers, and target children by observing videotapes of themselves. Peer-mediated strategies have been shown to substantially increase social behaviour in children with autism, however generalisation …

Exploring The Clinical Nurse Educator's Ability To Foster Student Reflection, Jessie M. Johnson

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The purpose of this study is to understand how Clinical Nurse Educators use reflective practices with students. While the value of reflective practice has been vigorously discussed in both nursing and educational literature, studies to support its benefits remain strangely elusive. The appeal of reflective practice has arisen out of a sustained conviction that life experience offers a legitimate and rich form of knowledge. If captured, it may narrow the gap between the non practical nature of theories and the complexities of everyday practice problems. The research question for this study is: "How do Clinical Nurse Educators foster student reflection?" …

Year 7 Students' English Reading Comprehension And Attitudes And Behaviours: Collaborative Genre-Based Versus Traditional Teaching Methods In Thailand, Sanguansri Torok

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

A new system-wide educational change has been introduced in Thailand that requires English as a foreign language (EFL) to be taught from primary to university level. This study investigates a genre-based method of teaching English to grade 7 secondary students in Thailand. The study was conducted in three phases. In phase 1, Rasch measures of reading comprehension (based on three kinds of genre texts) and of attitudes and behaviour towards genre-based learning of English were created for use in phase 2. An interval scale of 36 items (18 real and 18 ideal perspectives) was created from an original attitude and …

The Effect Of Cross-Linked Learning On Visual Arts Education, Cassandra Zervos

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study examined how computer technology had an effect on a Year 9 visual arts education class with regard to the Western Australian four Arts Learning Outcomes (WA 4ALO). The research was administered concurrently with a learning approach called Cross-Linked Leaming (CLL) (Zervos, 1997), which consisted of three components: (1) the subject (e.g., visual arts education in relation to the WA 4ALO); (2) the learner (i.e., a target group and how they learn); and (3) the tool (e.g., computer technology). This study addressed the problem of how to promote learning in visual arts education, especially with visual arts theory. Historically, …

Aquatic Programmes And Swimming Activities In Health And Physical Education : A Case For Differentiation, P. R. Whipp

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This research study provides a 'snap-shot' of the current status of teaching aquatic programmes in Western Australian secondary schools. This study also encapsulates the thoughts and feelings of the teachers and the students engaged in these programmes, scrutinises the outcomes of existing programmes and advances practical recommendations to address the problems identified. The study was conducted within a contemporary context where little innovation in aquatic education has accompanied the Australian and state-wide curriculum development based on outcomes-focused education. The research was underpinned by a conceptual framework which conforms to the principles of constructivist learning (Kirk & Macdonald, 1998; Wittrock, 1978; …

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 …

Lecturer Receptivity To A Major Educational Change In The Context Of Planned Change At Rajabhats In Thailand, Anusak Ketusiri

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

In accordance with the National Education Act of t999, the educational system in Thailand was changed after 1999, the largest educational change in Thailand in 50 years. The achievable aims of the change were divided into eight main aspects covering, primary, secondary and higher education. These were: (1) ensuring access to basic education for all; (2) reform of the curriculum and learning processes; (3) encouraging participation and partnership in education; (4) restructuring of educational administration; (5) enhancing educational standards and quality assurance; (6) reform of teachers; faculty staff, and educational personnel; (7) mobilisation of resources and investment for education; and …

Student Beliefs About Learning In Religion And Science In Catholic Schools, Philip F. Cox

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The focus of this study is the impact of student perception of the validity of content on student learning. It is proposed that, if the content of a subject is perceived by students as being different to the content of another subject, a result of this perceived difference is that students will treat their learning in these subjects differently. To test this proposal, student beliefs about items from the content of the religious education course are compared with student responses to items of content of their science course. A sample of 1418, year 11 students from nine co-educational Catholic secondary …

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 …