Education Commons^™

Strategies Used By Beginning Class Iii And Iv Rural School Principals In Dealing With Problems Encountered In The Initial Stages Of Their Appointments, Gail Marguerite Mclay

Theses : Honours

In Western Australia, in the last decade, there can be little doubt that educational leaders at all levels have faced substantial changes in their roles. New dimensions have been added to the role of principal and this emergent role is yet to be clearly identified. Principals are no longer solely conduits for centrally determined policies. They are now expected to undertake responsibilities such as school development planning, school based decision making and managing school grants. The appointment of a teacher to the principalship of the smaller rural school, in this study a Class III or IV school, is a significant …

Teachers' Concerns About Implementing Environmental Education Through Their Classroom Programmes, Karen Malone

Theses : Honours

This study examined the concerns of teachers when implementing environmental education into classroom programmes. A metropolitan district of Perth was used for data collection. Four schools and thirteen teachers participated in the study. The measure of concern was calculated using the Stages of Concern Questionnaire. The concerns were then subjected to a SAS computing analysis· programme to determine the relationship between level of concern and predetermined factors. These factors were personal factors: teaching experience; knowledge of the principles of environmental education; colleague support and year level taught; and school-level factors: the presence of school policies; participation in inservices or workshops; …

In Search Of The Expert Pedagogue: How Is The Expert Physical Education Teacher Perceived?, Christine Albert

Theses : Honours

Like most professions, teaching needs to be concerned with the notions of expertise and effectiveness. This study aimed to determine how the expert physical education teacher is perceived by pupils, student teachers, and teacher educators. Perceptions were compared and contrasted to identify both areas of discrepancy and consensus with respect to subjects' views of expertise. Subject groups involved in the study consisted of 30 year 10 pupils, 30 student teachers completing a BArts degree majoring in physical education (3rd year), and 28 teacher educators (physical education specific). Perceptions of expertise were determined through the administration of a questionnaire which specifically …

A Gender Analysis Of Teacher Feedback In Coeducational Secondary Physical Education Lessons, Paul R. Watson

Theses : Honours

The purpose of this study was to examine whether the verbal feedback distribution patterns of teachers in coeducational secondary physical education lessons were gender equitable. Previous literature indicated that inequality in verbal interaction and feedback existed in coeducational secondary physical education classes. This inequality tended to favour males to the disadvantage of females.

Fourteen lessons by male teachers and fourteen lessons by female teachers were video-recorded. The study utilized a modification of the systematic behaviour observation instrument developed by Siedentop (1983). Data obtained were categorized for analysis and interpretation. Statistical procedures were applied to establish the significance of the findings. …

The Impact Of Dramatic Improvisational Strategies On The Oral Comprehension Skills Of Children With A Low Socio-Economic Background, Heather A. Timms

Theses : Honours

Children with a low socio-economic background frequently fail to reach a high level of scholastic performance during their school years. The school milieu is a potential contributor to this scenario, as schools are generally designed for the attributes, needs, and skill levels that are characteristic of children from middle socio-economic backgrounds. As a result, these children require specific intervention to enable them to function within this 'alien' system. Drama offers unique and exciting possibilities in this field. Previous research endorses the use of improvisational strategies for this specific purpose; and the theories propounded by learning and language theorists and drama …

Prose Fiction Preferences Of Lower Secondary Urban Aboriginal Boys, Stephen James White

Theses : Honours

The purpose of this study was to investigate the prose fiction preferences of lower secondary urban Aboriginal boys. The Likert scale scores from the 2 x 4 factorial design were analysed using an ANOVA test of significance. It was found that the research group significantly preferred action genres to non-action genres, Aboriginal characterisations to white Australian characterisations, and contemporary story extracts to traditional story extracts.

The Educational Aspirations Of Upper Primary Non English Speaking Background Students In A Mainstream Government School, Shirley Lienert

Theses : Honours

Researchers have described Non English Speaking Background (NESB) students as educationally disadvantaged but recent statistics show that some NESB students are actually outstripping their English Speaking Background (ESB) peers in educational achievement. In this study 121 students in upper primary classes in a Western Australian government school were surveyed so that NESB and ESB students could be identified and the proportion of NESB students within the sample group established. Information was gathered from both NESB and ESB students by administering a sociogram, the Lawseq test and a Likert scale questionnaire with variables of attitudes towards school, attitudes towards teachers1 influence …

How Do Aboriginal Students Account For Their Lack Of Academic Success In W.A. Secondary Schools, Jeffrey Jon Mcquade

Theses : Honours

The provision of education to Aboriginal students has been the subject of many reports and inquiries over the years, each expressing various degrees of concern about aspects of Aboriginal participation and retention in the school system and the generally low levels of academic performance achieved by Aboriginal children. Numerous theoretical explanations have been proposed to account for the serious inequities which continue to exist between the academic performance of Aboriginal children and their non-Aboriginal peers. Some of these are reviewed in this thesis so as to provide a conceptual framework in order that readers may judge the results of this …

Seven Contemporary Ideological Perspectives On Teacher Education In Britain Today, Dave Hill

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This paper examines and critiques seven contemporary ideological perspectives on teacher education in Britain, it examines the Radical Right, the 'Soft Centre', the 'Hard Centre', and the 'Left in the Centre'. In doing so it refers to three interrelated levels of discourse: the popular Press, the academic Press and the work of ideologues, and the Party political. The paper critiques not only the Radical Right but also Centrist positions such as the erstwhile Left, the 'Left in the Centre', criticising their virtual evacuation of the cultural and ideological field of teacher education.

Managing Change In Schools: A Review Of The Western Australian Project, Rod Chadbourne

Research outputs pre 2011

In 1987, the Ministry of Education released a report entitled 'Better Schools in Western Australia: A Program for Improvement'.l It outlined radical proposals to make schools more self-determining and accountable. Although much of the program has yet to be put into effect, the plan and steps taken to implement it caused a major upheaval not only to the system but also to people working in it. For example: the managers of change invested a huge amount of work and worry in the whole process; some of the 'victims' of change suffered personally and professionally; and a lot of those in …

Career Pathways Of Youth Work Graduates, Donna Taylor, Reggi Steele, Suzanna Olmelczuk, Rod Underwood

Research outputs pre 2011

A survey of the 49 youth work students who graduated from the Edith Cowan University in the years 1986 to 1988 was undertaken. Information was sought on the occupational destinations of graduates including the time taken to obtain a first appointment, impediments experienced' in attempting to gain a position, and perceived barriers to future career prospects. The study found that most graduates were able to obtain employment in the youth affairs field. However, it is clear that life is not easy for many youth workers for reasons such as low salaries, adverse working conditions, lack of professional status, and uncertain …

Monitoring Standards Of Science Investigation Skill Attainment By Tongan Secondary Science Students, Fisi'ihoi Mone

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The main purpose of this study was to evaluate the science investigation skill attainment of Tongan Form 5 (16 years of age) General Science students. Benchmark statements were developed to describe the range of science investigation skills and standard of performance that should be expected of Tongan Form 5 General Science students. A written test of science process skills and a practical test of science apparatus skills, were developed to assess the level of attainment of science investigation skills by students who have completed Form 4 and Form 5 General Science in Tonga. The instruments were piloted twice in Western …

A Comparison Of Mental Strategies Used By Skilled And Unskilled Mental Calculators, Paul Swan

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The purpose of this study was to investigate the various strategies used by year seven students when carrying out division computations mentally. A comparison was made between the strategies used by high and low performing mental calculators. A number of high and low performing mental calculators were chosen as a result of their performances on twelve interview items. Both groups of students were given a set of division problems to complete mentally. After solving each problem the students were asked on a one-to-one basis to reflect on the strategy or method they used to solve the problem. The interviews were …

Swazi Students' Attitudes Towards Geography And Their Relationship To Home Background, Teacher, Previous Academic Achievement, Peer Group And Gender, David Manyatsi

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study examined attitudes of Swazi Secondary School Students towards geography and the association of those attitudes with home background, teacher, previous academic achievement, peer group and gender. Attitudes of 435 Swazi students toward geography were assessed in July 1990. The instrument for the measurement of attitudes toward geography was subdivided into eight factors: Interest in the subjects, perceived value of the subject; attitude to the subject teacher; class management; perception of own ability; attitude to other students; perceived teacher attitude to students; and attitude to homework. Home background was measured in terms of the parents and employment and educational …

A Case Study To Investigate The Use Of Computers Across A School Population, Janine Bersan

Theses : Honours

The National Advisory Committee on Computers in Schools (Commonwealth Schools Commission, 1983) recommended to support computing in both government and non-government schools in Australia over 1984 - 1986. This led to the injection of computer resources to schools. The Western Australian Government then provided significant funds for the provision of computer equipment to primary and secondary schools (1987 -1989). Primacy schools in Western Australia now have on average three computers per primary school. The Ministry of Education has produced a policy document on computer use in primary education which clearly outlines goals to be achieved by all primary school teachers …

Inaugural Professorial Lecture: "Education For Business: The Way I Saw It And The Way I See It", Val Pervan

Research outputs pre 2011

I feel honoured in being asked to give this address as one of the the University's foundation professors in 1991. I am grateful for this opportunity, particularly as it comes in the year of my retirement from full-time teaching and as Dean of the Faculty of Business of this University. The title of this talk, "EDUCATION FOR BUSINESS- THE WAY I SAW IT AND SEE IT", implies that much of what I am going to say this evening comes from personal experience of 32 years of involvement in the education of business students, that is, from 1960 through 1991. Besides …

Edith Cowan University : Developing A Criminal Justice Research Strategy : A Discussion Document, Rodney Morgan

Research outputs pre 2011

In recent years there has been a concerted effort made by staff within the Edith Cowan University to raise the research profile of the institution. That the University is committed to this endeavour is evidenced by the creation of a research division, the appointment of staff with specific expertise in research design and statistics, the provision of funds to support research projects developed by staff, and seminars on topics such as grantsmanship, research management and proposal writing. The field of justice studies is a potentially rewarding research area within the institution. The courses in justice studies are well established and …

The Improvement Of The Teaching Of Informational Writing: A Study Of Six Teachers, Lisbeth Berridge

Theses : Honours

The purpose of this study was to focus on the progressive stages through which six teachers moved in their efforts to improve children's writing of informational texts. An action research approach was used to control and monitor the work of the researcher and the six teachers as they sought to improve their classroom practice in the teaching of writing. The essential features of the approach were for the teachers to collaborate with the researcher in: a) discussing their problems and in devising suitable solutions; b) formulating a working hypothesis; c) working out an appropriate plan comprised of the steps of …

Preferred Models Of Early Childhood Teacher Education, Collette Tayler

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Early childhood teacher education in Australia continues to be a topic of contention. The erosion of specialized early childhood courses during the early 1980's was indicated by Briggs (1984) in the face of then new shared structures with primary teacher education. Restructuring of courses at that time was brought about by amalgamations of many higher education institutions which provided courses for teachers. At that time, the tertiary education sector began what has become the most significant post-war re-arrangement of higher education Australia has witnessed. Course developments in 1984 were illustrative of the kinds of amalgamations which were taking place and …

Who Is Teaching Our Children To Spell? The Literacy Crisis In Teacher Education., Owen F. Watts

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Anyone engaged in marking student essays at tertiary level today cannot fail but to be aware of the increasing inability of students to express themselves in grammatically correct and cogent argument. The problem is even more serious when is prevalent among those students who are studying to become teachers. Lists of "school-boy howlers" derived from the students' essays are no longer funny, rather they are symptomatic of a crisis in literacy that is facing the educational systems of the nation. Testing of students within the Faculty of Education at Curtin University has shown that passes in Year 12 English examinations …

Taking "Affective Education" Seriously : Some Thoughts On The Training Of Primary School Teachers For Thir Role In Providing Conscious Pastoral Care And Personal And Social Education, Peter Lang

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

In this paper it is argued that many countries see education as partly concerned with the "Affective" dimension. It is then suggested that the way this is interpreted and responded to varies considerably and usually involves some ambivalence. Having identified different kinds of responses what can be described as the generalist approach is focused on, where all teachers are seen as sharing the responsibility for the pupils' pastoral care and personal and social education. This is then considered in relation to the situation in primary schools and the training of primary teachers. Having suggested why specific training needs have tended …

Book Reviews

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Hughes, Philip (ed.) (1991) Teachers' professional development. Melbourne : ACER. Reviewer, Glenda Campbell Evans. Chapman, J., Angus, L. Burke, G and Wilkinson, V (eds.) (1989). Improving the quality of Australian schools. Australian Education Review no. 33, Melbiurne, ACER. Reviewer, Rod Chadbourne.

Should Teaching Come Before Education?, Anne Winning

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

The present system of teacher education for primary school teachers in Queensland has an interesting emphasis if the names of the degree programmes reflect an underlying policy or suggest a value stance. The system of teacher preparation suggests that one first concentrates on learning to "teach" and then follows a time when one considers how to "educate." Is this a case of unfortunate nomenclature?

Experiences In Gifted Education : Implications For Teaching Strategies For A Clever Country., Lesley Newhouse-Maiden, Malcolm Washbourne

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

In preparation for a workshop at Monash University, where a group of Australian educators were to be involved in writing a book based on their collective wisdom and interest in the fostering of excellence in young people and children in the 1990's, the present writers engaged in a reflective exercise in ascertaining how best to educate our most talented science students. However, in the eventual chapter written by Newhouse et al. (in Goodall and Culhane 1991:70), the theme was related to the concept of empowering a whole school community, 'globally' a far cry from the notion of empowering talented students …

How Can We Know About Knowing In Educational Administration?, Felicity Haynes

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Colin W. Evers & Gabriele Lakomski (1991) Knowing Educational Administration. Pergamon Press, 250 p.

The Examiner : James Booth And The Origins Of Common Examinations, By F. Foden, John Godfrey

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Foden, Frank. (1989) The examiner : James Booth and the origin of common examinations. University of Leeds, Leeds. vii, 221 p.

The Eclipse Of Equality Of Opportunity?, Simon Marginson

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Equality of opportunity has been the most important organising principle in education policies in postwar Australia. Equality of opportunity was central to the expansion of publicly-funded education: the promise of upward social mobility through education had broad appeal. Equality of opportunity objectives are now being displaced by the newer and more limited concept of market equity. Equality of opportunity usually implies equality of the educational resources provided to each child, and sometimes goes further to mean positive discrimination in favour of the disadvantaged. However, equity is usually understood only as the right to participate in education. Whereas economic objections used …

Job Factors Contributing To The Job Satisfaction And Job Dissatisfaction Of Primary Principals In One Ministry Of Education District In Western Australia, G. R. Martin

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Recent changes in the Western Australian education system, resulting from the release and implementation of Better Schools in Western Australia: A Programme for Improvement (1987), have induced significant changes in the nature of the Western Australian primary principalship. Within this context of change, this research explores job factors contributing to the job satisfaction and job dissatisfaction of primary principals in one Ministry of Education district in Western Australia. Studies based on Herzberg's motivation-hygiene theory, conducted in educational and non-educational settings, in addition to previous principal job satisfaction research were important in the development of the study's conceptual framework and research …

The Effect Of Expository Writing As A Pre-Reading Activity On Comprehension Of Expository Text, W. B. Day

Theses : Honours

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of a pre-reading expository writing task on comprehension of expository text. It was undertaken in order to ascertain the usefulness of writing as a pre-reading activity in the development of schema theoretic reading teaching strategies. The theoretical position of the study was that writing before reading would activate prior knowledge in the form of content and structure in the working memory of the reader and thereby enhance reading comprehension. The sample, comprised selected from a small, of 51 year 6/7 students, school in the outskirts of was the metropolitan area. …

An Investigation Of Changes To The Tertiary Entrance Examination Art History Syllabus And Art Teachers' Perceptions Of Those Changes, A. Ivankovic

Theses : Honours

In 1986, a new Tertiary Entrance Examination Art Syllabus was introduced to the secondary school curriculum. Four years have passed since the implementation of this syllabus without 11 formal evaluation having taken place. Because the changes to the Art Syllabus were implemented swiftly, it is considered appropriate to investigate any discrepancies between the intended changes to the Tertiary Entrance Examination Art History Syllabus and art teachers' perceptions of those changes, This study was prompted by concern expressed by art teachers over the changes in the Tertiary Entrance Examination (TEE) Art Syllabus. A foreshadowed minor change in the 1992 Art History …