Education Commons^™

Back To The Future: The De-Professionalisation Of Initial Teacher Education In England And Wales, Peter Gilroy

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

In many ways this paper reads like a report from an educational battlefield. From the 1980s those involved with initial teacher education in England and Wales can be seen as dealing with sporadic sniping at their work, followed by more substantial skirmishes, culminating in the 1990s with fUll-blooded assaults. This paper begins by describing the position being attacked, identifies the first intimations of aggression, then focuses upon the battering inflicted, in the 1990s upon initial teacher education. The analysis which follows indicates that, savage though it has been, the attack on initial teacher education is in some ways only a …

School-Based Teacher Education In The United States : An Uneven Evolution, Mary K. Ducharme, Edward R. Ducharme

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

What does school-based teacher education mean in the United States? Certainly, it does not mean that funding, decision-making and management of programs are the province of individual school districts; in the United States, teacher education is firmly ensconced in higher education. The overwhelming majority of teachers are prepared in colleges and universities, licensed by individual states, and employed by local school districts. Law, tradition, and funding suggest that this general pattern will not change soon. While teacher education is located primarily in higher education institutions, school-based teacher education exists. It exists in many forms, ranging from student teaching and other …

Partners In Teacher Education : A Programme In Alberta, Glenda Campbell-Evans

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

A persistent quest for improvement and change seems to be characteristic of Western education. New ways of thinking, doing and knowing occupy the time and energy of educators at all levels. Educators concerned with the pre service education of teachers plan and deliver programmes which vary from institution to institution. In Canada, some teacher education courses are school-based, some are traditional, some are developed from a school-university partnership model and some follow a discipline based degree. This article presents a descriptive account of the Teaching Partnership programme; a school based teacher education initiative implemented in September 1993 in Alberta, Canada. …

School Experience : A Collaborative Partnership, William Young

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This paper describes a number of special features of the school based internship program which has been developed at the University of New England (Northern Rivers). Arrangements are described for interns' time spent in classrooms, collaborative teaching strategies which underpin these placements, the security which supports interns' practice, and approaches to integrate their practice with university studies. Processes of appraisal of interns' development are explained, and the potential of mentoring for their teachers' professional development is examined.

End-On Innovation : A School-Based Approach To Secondary Teacher Education, Kym L. Adey, Graeme Speedy

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

One year "end-on" teacher education programs following a degree have long been a common approach to initial preparation of teachers, particularly secondary teachers. These programs have also been the subject of consistent criticism. They have been variously described as too brief, too theoretical, overcrowded with too many topics, superficial, short on school practice. Major reviews such as the Report of the National Inquiry into Teacher Education (Department of Education 1980) and the Discipline Review of Teacher Education in Mathematics and Science (DEET 1989) have recommended increasing both the length of the programs and their emphasis on preparation for classroom practice. …

A School-Based Initiative : An Opportunity To Better Understand The Practicum, Jeff Northfield

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Each year since 1987 a group of 16-20 Dip. Ed. students at Monash University has been placed in three or four schools for an extended ten week experience. As a member of the staff at Monash, I have spent half-time in the schools during this practicum supervising student teachers, arranging school experience activities and conducting seminars for student teachers and school staff. In 1993 I had a half-time teaching allotment in one of the schools so that my classroom also became a source of common experiences for follow-up discussion. This paper outlines the restructuring of the traditional preservice program that …

Preservice Intern Teaching : A P-12 Approach In The University Of Melbourne Bachelor Of Teaching Degree For Graduates, Jocelyn Grant

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The report of the consultancy on future directions of the Institute of Education at the University of Melbourne (September 1992) recommended the replacement of concurrent undergraduate courses with a two year course in education for graduates in which the student spends an extensive period in schools. However, forms of school based teacher education had been practised for twenty years. This commitment to the role of schools in teacher education in the Diploma in Education, Bachelor of Education (Secondary) and Bachelor of Education (Primary) courses was a major factor in the development of the Bachelor of Teaching degree which will be …

Learning To Teach, Teaching To Learn, William Louden

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Clandinin, D., Davies, A, Hogan, P and Kennard, B. (1993)( Eds). Learning to teach, teaching to leam. New York: Teachers College Press. 238 pages.

Dow, G. (1979). Leaming to teach: Teaching to learn. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul. 262 pages.

Measurement Of Teacher Attitude To Direct Instruction, Beth P. Hands

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study investigates teacher attitude towards a teaching innovation, Direct Instruction. In particular, it is concerned with what aspects of this teaching strategy affect a teacher's decision to implement the method and the relationship between experience with Direct Instruction and teacher attitude. A repeated measures, pretest-posttest design was employed to assess participants' attitude before and after viewing a video demonstrating the teaching method, Direct Instruction. The 40 item Attitude towards Direct Instruction (AD I) scale comprised 30 items derived from a questionnaire designed by Proctor (1989) in addition to ten new items created especially for the study. The scoring function …

The Effect(S) Of Word Processing Software On The Equality Of The Composing Process, Product, And Attitudes Of Adult Academic Esl (English As A Second Language) Writers, L. J. Oliver

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The focus of this study was on the effect of word processing on the quality of the composing process, product, and attitudes of adult academic ESL writers. Twenty adult ESL students, comprising an ‘intact’ EAP (English for Academic Purposes) group, completed a number of written assignments as part of their ESL unit, using either word processing or conventional ‘pen and paper’ composition methods. Their handwritten and word processed work was analysed and compared through the use of an holistic/analytic scale of writing quality. In addition to this analysis of the ‘finished product’, texts were analysed in terms of the frequency, …

The Prevalence And Sources Of Perceived Occupational Stress Among Teachers In Western Australian Government Metropolitan Primary Schools, Graeme Lock

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The aim of this study is to investigate the prevalence and sources of self- reported occupational stress among primary school teachers in Western Australian Government schools. Five specific objectives form the basis of this study. First, the study develops an instrument which measures the perceived levels of occupational stress and reveals the sources of such stress. Second, the study applies this instrument to determine the perceived levels, and sources, of occupational stress among primary school teachers in metropolitan Perth. Third, the study investigates differences in the perceptions of stress and stressors when categorised by socio-biographical characteristics of teachers. Fourth, the …

Using Hypermedia To Improve The Dissemination And Accessibility Of Syllabus Documents With Particular Reference To Primary Mathematics, Alistair B. Campbell

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The fundamental question that this study set out to investigate was: Can the advantages of hypermedia be extended to curriculum materials that are for the sole use of teachers? To consider this question, three areas needed to be investigated: hypermedia (the medium); teachers (the target) and curriculum documents (the content). Hypermedia has a long history dating back to Bush (1986) who in 1945 imagined his Memex system as building information trails between ideas. However, it was not until the mid 1980s that technology caught up with the theory and hypermedia came of age. The evaluation of hypermedia documents is still …

Student Misconceptions Of Osmosis And Diffusion, Erica J. Mcknight

Theses : Honours

Student misconceptions about two fundamental science concepts, osmosis and diffusion, were elicited using an interview-about-events approach. A concept map and list of 25 propositional statements were used to define the knowledge regarded as important for a sound understanding of the concepts of osmosis and diffusion. The interview probed students’ understandings of the propositions. Eighteen students from a local metropolitan high school were interviewed. These students were selected from four different science classes. Nine students studied Year 12 Biology and nine studied Year 12 Human Biology. Diffusion and osmosis are integral concepts required for thorough understanding of both subjects. The interview-about-events …

Identifying Language Learners At Risk: Pre-Primary Into Year 1, Deidre Jordan

Theses : Honours

Some children in schools in Western Australia may be at risk of developing learning or behavioural difficulties because they have a difficulty in language learning which is uncomplicated by any other obvious cause. Local research by Zubrick (1984) has revealed that, even at the Pre-primary and Year 1 level, such children are perceived to be less academically able than their peers. In an effort to improve identification rates for these children, Zubrick (1984) interviewed parents of children referred for speech therapy, and parents of children not referred for speech therapy, to determine the extent to which they felt that some …

The Effects Of Different Methods Of Cloze Test Construction And Their Relationship With A Standardised Reading Comprehension Test, Trevor Michael Edward Forde

Theses : Honours

The purpose of this study is to provide guidelines to classroom teachers for the construction of valid and reliable cloze comprehension tests. Review of the related literature suggested there are many diverse and contradictary opinions as to the most appropriate method of constructing cloze tests. The subjects were 49 Year 5 primary school children from two metropolitan schools. Three different comprehension tests were administered. The Gap Reading Comprehension Test and two Cloze Comprehension Tests consisting of 50 and 100 word deletions, in which the deletions began at either the fifth or sixth word of the second sentence. The Cloze Tests …

Strategies In Learning Japanese As A Second Language In Secondary School, Sharon Gay Ainsworth

Theses : Honours

Strategies used by learners of Japanese as a second language were examined. A total of 26 students, seven male and seven female students in Year 8 and six male and six female students in Year 11 in secondary education from two single sex schools were surveyed to investigate preferred language learning strategies. The instrument used was the Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (Oxford 1990). Six language learning strategy categories were used to classify sample responses. Subjects were also interviewed individually to find out what strategies they used in classroom and non-classroom settings. Students maintained a diary for a six week …

Is Anaphoric Resolution Instruction More Effective Than Existing Instruction At Improving The Reading Comprehension Achievement Of Secondary Students With Poor Reading Comprehension?, Christian Busing

Theses : Honours

This study examined the effect of teaching anaphoric resolution skills on the reading comprehension of Year 10 students with poor reading comprehension. Two direct teaching programmes, an anaphoric resolution programme (A.R.Programme) and a reading comprehension skills programme based on the Unit curriculum objectives of the Ministry of Education of Western Australia (U.C. Programme), were developed and taught to two groups of eleven Year 10 poor reading comprehenders. The two groups were pretested and posttested for anaphoric resolution skill and reading comprehension achievement, and the increases in mean scores were compared for significant differences using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). The Anova …

The Use Of Generic Teaching Materials Versus Brand Specific Teaching Materials With Home Economics Food And Nutrition Students, Lyn Blackwell

Theses : Honours

Studies have found that between 80 and 90 percent of home economics teachers use commercially sponsored teaching materials in their classrooms. The literature suggests that in some cases teachers do not have the skills for evaluating these materials and may be unsuspectingly endorsing the products used in their classrooms. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether or not the use of brand specific teaching materials had the potential to influence the development of brand awareness in Year 8 Food for Fitness students exposed to these materials. Test instruments which reflect Fishbein's theory of reasoned action were developed to …

An Analysis Of Errors Made Both On Computer Administered Tests And Paper And Pencil Tests And A Comparison Between Them, Gary Fullarton

Theses : Honours

Sound assessment is essential in mathematics education. Computer Administered Testing is one measuring device being researched for the assessment of mathematics. A concern with the advent of Computer Administered Testing is the possibility that the mode of testing influences how students perform on tests (Bugbee & Bernt 1990; Ring 1993). This study applied Newman Error Analysis Interviews to investigate if first year Bachelor of Arts Primary Education students exhibit different error patterns for mathematics test items in a Computer Administered System compared with those in an equivalent Paper and Pencil Test. The implementation of the Computer Administered Test did not …

Student Preferences Towards Law Becoming A Tertiary Entrance Score Subject, Penelope Preen

Theses : Honours

In Western Australian schools, student subject selection during Year 10 determines the future career path to which students aspire. Subjects offered in Year 11 and Year 12 Upper School studies are classified as Tertiary Entrance score Subjects or certificate of Secondary Education subjects, and students are given the opportunity to select six subjects which may comprise all Tertiary Entrance score Subjects, all Certificate of Secondary Education Subjects, or a combination of both. Law is classified as a Certificate of Secondary Education subject. It is the student's intention to study Law that is the focus of this research project. The major …

Differences In Attitude Towards Mathematics Between Successful Regular Class Children And Children With Learning Problems In Mathematics, Jennifer Poller

Theses : Honours

Possible differences in attitude towards mathematics were studied between Year seven successful regular class children and Year seven children with learning problems in mathematics. A comparison was also made between the Year seven children with learning problems and a younger chronological age group (Year 5) who were performing at approximately the same level in mathematics. A sample of 180 students (30 Year 5 males, 30 Year 5 females, 30 Year 7 regular class males, 30 Year 7 regular class females, 30 Year 7 learning problems males and 30 Year 7 learning problems females) was selected from students in seven local …

Word Reading Strategies: A Replication And Follow Up Intervention, Andrew Davoll

Theses : Honours

The first stage of this study involved a replication of the cluster analysts procedures used by Freebody and Byrne (1988) to classify Year 2 readers according to their word reading strategies based on lists of irregular and pseudowords. A four-cluster-solution produced three groups similar to those reported by Freebody and Byrne (1988), and a fourth group which could not be classified using their criteria. A three-cluster-solution produced a more parsimonious interpretation, with these groups meeting the criteria for "LB" (low on both Irregular and pseudowords), "HB" (high on both), and "Phoenician" readers (average or above on pseudoword, low on irregular …

Attitudes Of Girls And Boys Towards Compulsory Physical Education In A Selected Government Secondary School, Mileva Pirot

Theses : Honours

This study investigated the attitudes of 175 lower secondary school students towards compulsory physical education and how these attitudes differed by year level and sex. The students were selected from a metropolitan government secondary school. A modified version of the Wear Attitude Inventory was used as the research instrument. A two-way ANOVA was applied to analyse the data for the following sub-groups: Year 8 females, Year 8 males, Year 9 females, Year 9 males, Year 10 females, and Year 10 males. The ANOVA compared the mean scores on the Wear Attitude Inventory for each sub-group. The results indicated that although …

Teacher Training In Transition, A Commentary On Postgraduate Science Teacher Training In England, Arthur Jennings

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The radical reforms of recent years have affected all parts of the educational system in England. This paper discusses science teacher education and focuses on changes in teacher training programmes designed to equip teachers for the national curriculum and for work in the climate of greater accountability that now exists. Though the pressure for these changes is domestic it is suggested that the issues are of general significance.

Technology, Science And The English Tradition Of Liberal Education, Michael Barnett

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The challenges posed to the Australian Education System by economic and industrial change have been discussed in a recent paper by John Mathews and colleagues (1988). An interesting feature of this paper is that it is premised on the proposition that 'flexible skill formation and the development of technological literacy' are' the preconditions of any citizen to be active in the democratic system'. This assertion supplies a very new answer to a very old question, namely that of identifying the basic elements of the education of a free citizen. Questions about the nature of a 'liberal education' were formulated and …

Bridges To Opportunity : An Investigation Into The Access Of Disadvantaged People In Rural Areas To Post Secondary Education In Western Australia, Margaret Mcgrath, Toby Metcalfe

Research outputs pre 2011

This report was commissioned by the Institute of Applied Language Studies of the Edith Cowan University in April 1991. Funds had been made available to Edith Cowan by the Department of Employment Education and Training for the 1991 academic year to survey the access to higher education of disadvantaged people in rural areas of Western Australia. Funds were also available to provide for a pilot Bridging Program for disadvantaged persons to enable their entry to courses at post secondary education level.

An Evaluation Of The Procedures Used To Assess And Remediate The Perceived Writing Difficulties Of Undergraduate Students In The Faculty Of Education At Edith Cowan University, Les Puhl

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The standards of written literacy of teacher-education students at Edith Cowan University are perceived by many staff to be inadequate. The Faculty of Education's response to this perceived inadequacy is to carry out a mandatory skills-based remedial writing programme for students whose literacy competencies are judged to be deficient, The instrument used to assess the students' literacy competencies is the English Skills Assessment test. The students' performances in the various skills which the test purports to measure, also determine the area in which they are given remedial instruction if the results of the test suggest this is necessary. However, many …

Reasons For The Underrepresentation Of Females At Head Of Department Level In Physical Education In Government Secondary Schools In Western Australia: Perceptions Of Female Physical Education Teachers, Regina D. Bloot

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study focuses on reasons why so few females hold Head of Department positions in physical education in government secondary schools in Western Australia. Despite the almost equitable proportion of females and males teaching the subject, and the absence of Ministry of Education policy constraints on female promotion since 1972, females remain grossly underrepresented in leadership roles. In 1991, women held only five (7%) of the 70 substantive Head of Department appointments. Individual indepth interviews were used as the means of data collection to document female teachers' own accounts of their lives, career aspirations, and what they perceived to be …

Staff Development Through The Colloquium Process, Tim Emery

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study examines the Colloquium which is a professional development process used in Catholic schools. The Colloquium was designed to help people employed in catholic schools renew their vision of care and service to students and to seek to reshape the curriculum to reflect Gospel values more clearly. This thesis was a research evaluation of the Colloquium process and aimed to exploreits effectiveness in te1ms of its impact on the teachers and their work in Catholic schools. The study is based on the theoretical domains of faith development, school improvement end staff development. The design of the study involved before …

An Evaluation Of The Deputy Principals' Leadership Development Program, Ronald F. Chalmers

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The Deputy Principals' Leadership Development Program (DPLDP) was researched and developed by the Calgary Board of Education from 1983 to 1987. It was conducted for the first time in Western Australia when deputy principals from schools in the Narrogin Education District participated in the program during the period 1989-91. This study is an evaluation of the DPLDP. It was designed to determine whether there is justification for the continued use of the program as a means of enhancing the instructional leadership capacities of deputy principals in the Narrogin Education District. This research is located within the naturalistic paradigm. It can …