Education Commons^™

Teacher Receptivity To System Wide Change: The Introduction Of Student Outcome Statements In Secondary Schools In Western Australia, Rose Moroz

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The study has three aims. One is to investigate teachers’ receptivity to the use of Student Outcome Statements in Western Australian government secondary schools. The dependent variable is receptivity towards the use of Student Outcome Statements and is measured in four aspects: Overall Feelings, Attitudes, Behaviour Intentions and Behaviour. Two is to investigate the relationships between receptivity, as the dependent variable and ten independent variables: non-monetary cost benefits, alleviation of fears and concerns, significant other support, feelings compared to the previous system, shared goals (shared teaching goals and cohesiveness), collaboration (team teaching, involvement in decision making and teacher collaboration) and …

Crosslinguistic Influence In The Speech Of Hungarian-English Bilinguals, Valerie Kollmann

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The study is written in an attempt to report on factors that affect language transfer between Hungarian and English and on the extent 1.1 and 1.2 lexical elements are integrated into the speech in either language. An attempt is made to classify the functions of the integrated lexical elements. Furthermore, it is hypothesised that transfer could be interpreted as a production strategy. Data collection included a questionnaire and audio recording of interviews and observations of eleven bilingual participants involved in problem solving tasks.

The Response Of Secondary Students From Non-English Speaking Backgrounds To A Visual Arts Course, Jean O. Aitken

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Interest in multiculturalism has been expressed by educators for a number of years. Much of the literature concerning multiculturalism in visual arts education calls for the adoption of a culturally inclusive curricula in order to meet the needs of all students. In his consideration of conceptions of curriculum, Eisner (1988) made reference to a preferred body of knowledge which often excludes students from minority groups within society. Many Australian schools are experiencing increases in enrolments of students from non-English speaking backgrounds (NESB). These students may themselves be immigrants or the children of one or both parents born in another country. …

Attaining Professional Goals Using The Expertise Of Colleagues, Esme Pashley

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study examines one method of providing professional development, which addresses the individual needs of experienced successful classroom teachers. It is a qualitative investigation into how teachers attain their professional goals using the expertise of their colleagues through a collaborative and collegial process Data were collected from regular meetings by the participants and their personal journal entries related to the project The data were then compiled in a context chart and a descriptive matrix, to enable case studies to be compiled. The findings contribute to enhanced understanding of how professional development may be provided to experienced classroom teachers.

A Student Self-Management Strategy For Reducing Inattentiveness, Disruptiveness And Teacher Intervention, James M. Cabrera

Theses : Honours

A large body of evidence suggests that the use of self-management procedures can reduce significantly the occurrence of disruptive behaviours and teacher dependency for task completion. The present study used a single subject design with two students with developmental disabilities to test the effectiveness of a TEACCH (Treatment and Education of Autistic and related Communication Handicapped Children) self-management system. The system employed a visual schedule work routine coupled with a token economy and self-selection of reinforcers. Tho findings of this study showed that both students were able to utilise a TEACCH style self-management system to engage in on-task behaviour and …

Towards More User-Friendly Education For Speakers Of Aboriginal English, Ian G. Malcolm, Yvonne Haig, Patricia Konsignberg, Judith Rochecouste, Glenys Collard, Alison Hill, Rosemary Cahill

Research outputs pre 2011

The project reported on here set out, on a basis of cooperation between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal investigators working in university, educational system and classroom contexts, to lead to understandings which would enable a more accessible ("userfriendly") education to be provided for students in primary and secondary schools who are speakers of Aboriginal English.

Specifically, in the context of schools of the Education Department of Western Australia, the project sought to:

1. extend knowledge and understanding of Aboriginal English and its areas of contrast with standard Australian English;

2. provide clarification in the following under-researched areas of Aboriginal English:

a) semantic …

Physical Activity : Strategies For School Communities : Based On Strategies Developed During The Be Active School & Community Project 1995-1998, K. Richards, A. Watt, K. Alexander, S. Sharp

Research outputs pre 2011

The Be Active School and Community Project (BASC) operated in approximately 30 WA primary and secondary schools each year from August 1995 until December 1998 (three years). BASC was a Healthway funded project, promoting the National Heart Foundation's Be Active Everyday message. Under the direction of a Management Committee, two project officers worked with the broad aim of increasing the physical activity rates of children at school and in the local community.

Proceedings Of The 24th Annual Conference Of The Western Australian Science Education Association, Mark W. Hacking (Ed.)

Research outputs pre 2011

The Western Australian Science Education Association (WASEA) is an informal group of science educators that meets annually for a conference at one of the Perth universities. The conference is organised by a committee of representatives from the universities and has contributed greatly to collegiality amongst the community of science educators in Perth.

Teaching And Learning In Higher Education : Nurturing Critical Reflection For Bridging Theory/Practice Links : A Case Study In Social Work Education, Gary Keith Ovington

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The 1990s has witnessed two 'institutions' in 'crisis': higher education and social work. In higher education. government has brandished its quality sword and the long-neglected area of teaching is prominent in the war cry. In social work, major stakeholders have constructed the crisis as the 'theory/practice problematic' and the systemic intervention has been the prima facie increasing power of non-academic bodies to shape social work curriculum. This study is set within this context of quality teaching and theory/practice issues. It is an action research study of the teaching and learning dynamic of a first year social work subject which seeks …

The Measurement Of Classroom Music Learning Using An Outcomes Framework In Western Australian Schools, Beverley J. Pascoe

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study addresses the problem of a lack of reliable and systematic methodology for evaluating progress in classroom music, using an outcomes framework, in primary and secondary schools in Western Australia. An innovative range of assessment tasks was developed for use at system, school or classroom level in order to develop a Music Achievement Scale, so that in the future, meaningful reporting of student outcomes in music, in relation to The Arts Student Outcome Statements (Education Department of Western Australia, 1996), can occur. Music tasks were tested with a representative sample of 2191 government primary school students from Years 3 …

Development And Evaluation Of A Scaffolding Guide To Help Lower Secondary Science Students Use The Internet To Search For, Select And Organise Information For The Construction Of Personal Text, Andrea Tunks

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate a scaffolding guide to help lower secondary students use the internet to search for and organise information for the construction of personal text. An intact Year 10 science class participated in the study. Data were collected using the scaffolding guide completed by students, work samples, a questionnaire designed to elicit from students their perceptions about the research guide, observational notes made by the researcher and debriefing interviews conducted with the teacher and with a group of students. The study identified the skills needed by students to search for and select …

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 …

How Do Family Members Perceive, Understand And Explain The Experience Of Homework? : A Case Study Of Four Families, Cathryn Voak

Theses : Honours

The purpose of this exploratory study is to examine family member perceptions and experiences of homework. More broadly, it seeks to illuminate the nature and social function of homework practices in families and in so doing, highlights the complex relationship between schools and family life. The study involved four families and their experiences of homework. The families were selected on the basis that the parents came from a range of socio-economic backgrounds which may impact upon their children's attitudes and experiences of homework and schooling. The approach adopted to investigate this phenomenon is that of case study. Specifically, this case …

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 …

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 …

Effects Of Letterland On Phonemic Awareness And Retrieval Of Phonological Information From Long Term Memory, Dianne Hodgson

Theses : Honours

This study examined whether a pictorial mnemonic based program called Letterland, with and without fluency training, improved accuracy and fluency of decoding letter-sounds for children experiencing difficulties learning to read. A single subject experimental ABCDA research design was used with four Year 1 students experiencing difficulties with reading. After baseline (A), the first intervention (B) taught seven Letterland characters and letter-sounds without fluency training over 6 sessions, the second intervention (C) taught seven new letters using Letterland and including fluency training, and the third intervention (D) reviewed all 14 letters with fluency training. Testing involved CVC real words and …

The Value Of Lectures In Teacher Education: The Group Perspective, Geoffrey H. Waugh, Russell F. Waugh

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This paper proposes the use of a model of large student lectures in teacher education programmes to emphasize the group perspective, rather than the individual perspective, during lecture presentation and which complement other types of instruction such as tutorials and seminars. The model involves eight variables, manipulated by the lecturer that contribute to a good lecture series with more than 100 students. These are: atmosphere in the lecture hall, structure and clarity of the lecture, the learning and information content of the lecture, lightheartedness during the lecture, a personal and helpful relationship with the students, arranged and interesting breaks during …

Barbadian Teachers' Personal Practical Knowledge About Advocated Pedagogic Practices Used In The Education Of The Under-Fives, Sonja M. Anderson

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study investigated the personal practical knowledge of twenty-one Barbadian teachers in relation to a range of pedagogic practices advocated for use in the education of children under five years of age. The investigation of this knowledge was based on an interpretative perspective. The conceptual underpinning was framed by Personal Construct Psychology (Kelly, 1995), and its methodology, the repertory grid technique. The grid was formulated and used in a sample of schools with under-fives. Findings were clarified, confirmed and elaborated by the use of in-depth interviews conducted with teachers in their classroom settings. The findings revealed that teachers construed pedagogic …

Stories Of School : Perspectives Of The Low Literate Adult, Anne Shipway

Theses : Honours

This thesis explores the school experiences of low literate adults through their perspective recognising that the 'voice' of the low literate adult is absent from the arena of adult literacy research. Stories are co-constructed by the participant and the researcher with particular emphasis on mai1uaining the voice of the research participant. Through this thesis I argue that the inclusion of the low literate adults perspective is an essential element in gaining a deeper understanding of themes and issues which impact on literacy attainment.

Strategies For Tutoring Written Expression In Students With Adhd And Learning Difficulties, Josephine Bishop

Theses : Honours

ADHD and learning difficulties are associated with limitations in working memory capacity which may disrupt performance of writing skills. This thesis investigated teaching strategies to improve story-writing skills in five students with ADHD and learning difficulties in writing. The strategies were based on the view that these students would write more effectively if the task imposed fewer constraints on working memory capacity (the ability to store information while performing a task). Students were taught to write stories under time constraints using the PW2R approach of five minutes to plan, five to draft and five to review. Students planned orally during …

An Evaluation Of Digital Chisel 3.0 As A Multimedia Authoring Tool In A Year Seven Classroom, Robert Richardson

Theses : Honours

Most commercial interactive multimedia authoring packages are designed to be used by teachers and trainers to build commercial training or classroom teaching applications (Handler, Dana, Peters & Moor, 1995; Magel, 1997). The evolution of interactive multimedia technologies however, has made it possible for students to become actively involved in creating their own interactive multimedia projects, and in so doing, gain considerable learning benefit (Lehrer 1993). Facilitating this in the classroom and particularly at the Year Seven level, requires the use of a cost-effective, purpose-built authoring tool. Digital Chisel 3.0 (DC3), was developed by Pierian Spring Software (1997), as just such …

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 …

Short-Term Memory For Nonsense Strings In Children With Reading Disabilities, Linda K. Lane

Theses : Honours

A large body of evidence exists that demonstrates strong correlations between reading ability, phonological awareness and memory. The current study was designed to compare the performance of 24 10-year-old students with reading disabilities and a group of 24 8-year-old average readers, who were matched according to reading age. These students were given a decoding task requiring the recall of nonsense strings. This task was designed to measure working memory for phonological elements. An ANOVA yielded a significant main effect for group in favour of the older students, and a main effect for total errors and vowel and space location. Participants …

Ngaligura Wangkabinyarri, Banthaga, Jardimarri = We Talk, We Listen, We Embrace : Aboriginal Mothers As A Major Contributor To Their Daughters' Participation And Achievement In Tertiary Education, Odette Haley

Theses : Honours

This thesis examines Aboriginal mothers as one of the major variables to their daughters' participation and achievement in tertiary education. It presents the findings of research that Investigated specific nurturing behaviours of four Aboriginal mothers who assisted their adult daughters to participate and achieve in tertiary education. The research is qualitative in nature and research data was collected using interviews and ethnographic observations of the eight participants over a two and a half-year period. The observations and interviews were made of Aboriginal mothers whose daughters had achieved a degree or diploma through a university or further education institution. The findings …

The Effects Of Nationality And Educational Background On World Music Preference Of A Sample Of Expatriate Students In Singapore, Karen Ann Niedermeyer

Theses : Honours

The purpose of this study was to examine expatriate students' World music preferences and investigate the relationship between the number of years students have spent in international school education and their preferences for World music, and their ability to identify its origins. The researcher was of the view that two prime determinants probably influence World music preferences: a) the length of stay in an international school. b) positive cultural exposure in a harmonious, multi-cultural society. The research methodology used in examining the above determinants on World music preferences involved two separate tests, taken consecutively. Firstly, The World Music Preference Inventory …

A Caregiver's Perceptions And Practices In Relation To Her Speech To An Under 2-Year-Old Age Group In A Childcare Centre, Irene Wong

Theses : Honours

The objective of this study was to investigate what a caregiver sees as her role in relation to young children's oral language development. This study examines her perceptions and beliefs, as well as the various activities that she thinks facilitates language development with under 2-year-old children. The main focus of the study is her language interactions with the children while they took part in three activities. The investigation involved qualitative case study research to collect the oral language interactions between the caregiver and the young children and the activities she provides. The features of the caregiver's speech to young children …

Decreasing Inappropriate Classroom Behaviours Through A Videotape Self-Modelling And Self-Monitoring Treatment Package, Catherine Ann Coyle

Theses : Honours

Children with autism frequently display an inability to function independently. This has led researchers to develop treatments that are aimed at overcoming the dependency of these children on parents and teachers and which teach them to manage their own behaviour. A self-management treatment package consisting of videotaped self-modelling, self-monitoring, and self-reinforcement was investigated in the present study. The focus was the effect of the treatment package on the inappropriate classroom behaviours of three children with autism. The behaviours that were chosen were those that were most likely to interfere with the participants' ability to work independently in the classroom. The …

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. …

Repetition Priming And Melody : Implicit Memory For Music, Jacqueline Landre

Theses : Honours

The present study investigated the existence of repetition priming for melody and the extent to which that priming would be affected by the manipulation of frequency. A group of 62 university students and 2 members of the public listened to 20 high frequency and 20 low frequency melodies in the first phase of a repetition priming experiment. Participants were required to name as many melodies as they could as quickly as possible. The same melodies were then re-presented immediately in the second phase of the experiment along with another group of 40 melodies matched in frequency to those in the …

Academic Security Education : The Development Of An Industry Based Security Management Curriculum, Layne M. Hesse

Theses : Honours

This study examined the education profiles and skills and knowledge required for security managers conducted through an educational needs analysis of the security field. Little information is currently available about security education in Australia and there is no centralised source of information about such education. There is also comparatively little information exchanged across institutions, government and industry. A survey using the interview method obtained and analysed the opinions and perceptions of security skills and knowledge from the sample population. The aim of this study was to contribute to the security field by exploring and analysing the skills and knowledge required …