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Theses: Doctorates and Masters

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Full-Text Articles in Education

The Induction Of Beginning Teachers In Western Australian Catholic Primary Schools, Matthew Faulkner Jan 1994

The Induction Of Beginning Teachers In Western Australian Catholic Primary Schools, Matthew Faulkner

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The survey study was primarily exploratory and descriptive in nature and attempted to report on the perceptions of beginning teachers entering the Catholic primary schools in Western Australia in 1991. Their perceptions on the form of induction they received, and how their pre-service teacher education equipped them for this transition were attained. In addition, data from Catholic primary school principals, Catholic Education Office of Western Australia administrators and teacher institutions administrators were collected in relation to perceptions of the transitions from teacher training to teacher employment. The main sources of data collection were questionnaires and interviews. The data collated indicated …


Bringing Children To Their Senses: A Study Of The Influence Of Sensory Experience On Year 4 Children's Writing, Zenda Johnson Jan 1994

Bringing Children To Their Senses: A Study Of The Influence Of Sensory Experience On Year 4 Children's Writing, Zenda Johnson

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Based on the theory of experiential learning for reading and writing, the purpose of this study was to observe and describe changes in the writing outcomes of Year Four children after the activation of the senses of smell, touch and taste. Children's attitudes towards writing, and gender differences in their writing were minor foci of the study. Middle primary children were selected because there is an absence of previous research which relates directly to sensory learning and middle primary children's writing. A descriptive case-study methodology was undertaken with a group of twenty nine Year Four children of which six target …


Syntactic Awareness And Reading Development: A Training Study With Young Children, Barbara E. Milner Jan 1994

Syntactic Awareness And Reading Development: A Training Study With Young Children, Barbara E. Milner

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

A number of previous research studies have examined the relationship between syntactic awareness and reading, but few training studies have been reported. In the present study, a 1 a-week training study employing an experimental design, was conducted with 34 Year 1 and 38 Year 2 children to determine whether training in syntactic awareness increased levels of syntactic awareness and reading performance. Prior to the commencement of training, all children were pretested in syntactic awareness as measured by an oral correction task, and in reading. On the basis of these tests, matched pairs of subjects were assigned to experimental and control …


The Effect Of A Pop/Rock Music Repertoire On The Music Achievement And Preferences Of Lower Secondary School Students, Nunzio Mondia Jan 1994

The Effect Of A Pop/Rock Music Repertoire On The Music Achievement And Preferences Of Lower Secondary School Students, Nunzio Mondia

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This research tested the effect of using a pop/rock repertoire to teach selected music skills to lower secondary school students in a conventional school setting. Two year 9 co-educational music classes from the same school were used for the experiment. The research was conducted in an experimentally controlled environment in which one class was the experimental group, and the other class was the control group. Measurements in changes of student achievements and musical preferences were the focus at the data collecting stages. Reported research indicates that students need to be motivated for learning to occur. One approach to motivation is …


An Attitudinal Study Of Computer-Based Learning For English Language Competence With Learning Disabled Secondary School Students, Dorothy Sinclair Jan 1994

An Attitudinal Study Of Computer-Based Learning For English Language Competence With Learning Disabled Secondary School Students, Dorothy Sinclair

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The issue of sub-standard English language competence in school leavers is one of prime concern to educators. Some Western Australian secondary school teachers endeavouring to improve English language competence in students with learning disabilities have implemented computer-based learning programmes. The purpose of this project was to establish, through the students' attitudes and the teachers' perceptions, whether or not computer-based learning for English language competence is perceived to be successful for those Western Australian secondary school students who have learning disabilities. The study will benefit Western Australian secondary English teachers who may be searching for alternative strategies for inclusion in future …


The Effects Of Teaching A Specific Top-Level Structure On The Organization Of Written Texts, K Brown Jan 1994

The Effects Of Teaching A Specific Top-Level Structure On The Organization Of Written Texts, K Brown

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of teaching a specific top-level structure on students' recall and organization of expository text. The hypothesis to be investigated was that students explicitly taught the scientific report text structure schema would show improved recall and organization of written report text protocols. The report text structure utilized in this study was derived from Sloan and Latham's top-level structure of text organization devised from schema theory and semantic memory models.


Teachers' Reading Theories And Preferred Practices With Varied Pupil Abilities, Rowena Errington Jan 1994

Teachers' Reading Theories And Preferred Practices With Varied Pupil Abilities, Rowena Errington

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The purpose of this study was to examine issues related to teachers' theoretical orientations to reading and teachers' preferred strategies for good, poor and very poor readers. A questionnaire was completed by 140 primary teachers in 10 schools. Teachers were asked to rate 6 bottom-up strategies and top-down strategies according to how helpful they were for good, poor and very poor readers. They were also asked to order 6 components of the reading process so that their theoretical orientations to reading could be determined. In addition, teacher provided information about the demographic variables, grade taught, experience, and additional training. Eight …


The Nature And Extent Of Pastoral Care In Five Western Australian Government Secondary Schools, W. L. Macdonald Jan 1994

The Nature And Extent Of Pastoral Care In Five Western Australian Government Secondary Schools, W. L. Macdonald

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The research is centred upon the nature and extent of pastoral care provision in five Western Australian Government secondary schools. The project took the form of five case-studies, set in schools which each had well established pastoral strategies in place. The schools plans and policies were influenced by contexts of State and Federal education programmes, by the community setting of each school, by community concerns, and by other priorities within the school itself. In the study, information was collected through interviews and written responses from school staff, through documentary evidence of plans and policies for pastoral care, and through the …


The Prevalence And Sources Of Perceived Occupational Stress Among Teachers In Western Australian Government Metropolitan Primary Schools, Graeme Lock Jan 1993

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 …


Measurement Of Teacher Attitude To Direct Instruction, Beth P. Hands Jan 1993

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 …


Exclusion: Procedures And Provisions In Western Australia With Special Reference To The Role Of [The] Distance Education Centre In The Accommodation Of Excluded Students, Iyleen Vickers Jan 1993

Exclusion: Procedures And Provisions In Western Australia With Special Reference To The Role Of [The] Distance Education Centre In The Accommodation Of Excluded Students, Iyleen Vickers

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The problem at the centre of this research study was whether the educational provisions at the Western Australian Distance Education Centre met the special needs of those students who are classified as "at risk" and those who are excluded from Government schools on disciplinary grounds. Contextual data which related to these students, such as off-campus programs were examined also. The bounded case study was chosen as the research mode to investigate the problem. Distance Education Centre constituted the bounded case, and the Referral Program formed the unit of analysis. Data collection techniques included audio taped structured interviews with relevant personnel, …


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 Jan 1993

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, …


An Evaluation Of A Professional Development Model For Primary School Administrators, Wayne S. Mcgowan Jan 1993

An Evaluation Of A Professional Development Model For Primary School Administrators, Wayne S. Mcgowan

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Better Schools advocated a decentralisation in the administrative structure and a devolution of responsibilities within Western Australian education system. One outcome was the establishment of twenty nine school districts in 1987. Since then, these districts have faced the problem of providing for the professional development needs of their primary school principals. In response to this situation different districts have developed different models for the training and development of principals. This research evaluates, as a case study, a particular model developed in one of the districts. To help preserve the anonymity of the district chosen, it is referred to throughout the …


Using Hypermedia To Improve The Dissemination And Accessibility Of Syllabus Documents With Particular Reference To Primary Mathematics, Alistair B. Campbell Jan 1993

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 …


Staff Development Through The Colloquium Process, Tim Emery Jan 1992

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 …


A Case Study Of Two Year Six Classes Involved In A Health-Related Fitness Intervention, Andrew T. Medland Jan 1992

A Case Study Of Two Year Six Classes Involved In A Health-Related Fitness Intervention, Andrew T. Medland

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Children are not as active as they may appear and they do not voluntarily engage in moderate to high intensity activity as commonly perceived by the general public. With coronary heart disease risk factors now found to have origins in childhood there is a real need for children to adopt lifestyles that will produce healthier adults. In Perth the Western Australian Schools Physical Activity and Nutrition project (WASPAN) has been implemented, as a Year 6 intervention, addressing the problems of poor nutritional habits and low activity levels. The focus of this case-study was to describe the physical activity component of …


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 Jan 1992

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 …


An Evaluation Of The Deputy Principals' Leadership Development Program, Ronald F. Chalmers Jan 1992

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 …


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 Jan 1992

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 …


The Effect Of Equal Employment Opportunity Policies On The Promotion Of Women To The Position Of School Principal In The Western Australian Government School System (1985-1991), Jacquie Hutchinson Jan 1992

The Effect Of Equal Employment Opportunity Policies On The Promotion Of Women To The Position Of School Principal In The Western Australian Government School System (1985-1991), Jacquie Hutchinson

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The purpose of this study was to analyse and explain the effect of the introduction of equal employment opportunity policy on the Ministry of Education with reference to the promotion of women teachers to the position of principal during the period 1985 to 1991. This research represents a case study of the Western Australian government primary and secondary school system conducted through a review of relevant government and Ministry of Education policies, analysis of employment statistics and interviews with key policy actors. Four questions which directed the research sought a conceptual framework through which to analyse and explain events, policies …


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 Jan 1991

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 …


A Comparison Of Mental Strategies Used By Skilled And Unskilled Mental Calculators, Paul Swan Jan 1991

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 …


Monitoring Standards Of Science Investigation Skill Attainment By Tongan Secondary Science Students, Fisi'ihoi Mone Jan 1991

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 …


Swazi Students' Attitudes Towards Geography And Their Relationship To Home Background, Teacher, Previous Academic Achievement, Peer Group And Gender, David Manyatsi Jan 1991

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 …


The Development And Evaluation Of A Computer-Assisted Strategy Designed To Change Student Misconceptions About Chemical Equilibrium, Hassan Hameed Jan 1990

The Development And Evaluation Of A Computer-Assisted Strategy Designed To Change Student Misconceptions About Chemical Equilibrium, Hassan Hameed

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The main aims of this thesis are twofold. First, to identify and describe misconceptions about chemical equilibrium held by Year-12 chemistry students in the Maldives. Second, to investigate the effects of using a computer-assisted instructional strategy in changing those misconceptions. A misconception idenfication test and an interview schedule developed by Garnett & Hackling (1984) were used to diagnose student misconceptions about chemical equilibrium. The remediation aspect of the study used a computer-assisted instruction (CAI) package. The package was designed in accordance with a model of conceptual change proposed by Posner, Strike, Hewson & Gertzog (1982). The CAI package consists of …


Professional Development And Training Needs Of School Principals In Tonga, Vili Vete Jan 1990

Professional Development And Training Needs Of School Principals In Tonga, Vili Vete

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The main aims of this study were to investigate and identify the perceived professional development needs of the school principals in Tonga in relation to the current situation. The inquiry was designed to provide a description of the understanding and perceptions which the principals and educators held concerning: I. The familiarity of principals and educators with the professional development issues and provisions made for the professional development of school principals . 2. The perceived professional development and training needs of school principals. 3. The extent to which the current provisions offered for professional development of school principals meet the needs …


Factors That Impinge Upon The Implementation Of A Formally Structured Pastoral Care Programme In A Government School, Eleanor Watson Jan 1990

Factors That Impinge Upon The Implementation Of A Formally Structured Pastoral Care Programme In A Government School, Eleanor Watson

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

There is substantial evidence to indicate that societal ills have entered the schools and become manifest in the school environment in the forms of student alienation from the mainstream of the school community and pressures upon schools to provide a range of care related services Although schools are not responsible for the ills of society there is a general community expectation that they will act to counteract any of the social or educational disadvantages that accrue to the young as a consequence. In order to address such issues, Pastoral Care programmes, appear to have been developed in an ad hoc …


An Examination Of The Pastoral Needs Of Students And The Needs Of Their Teachers As Providers Of Pastoral Care, Philip A. Crane Jan 1990

An Examination Of The Pastoral Needs Of Students And The Needs Of Their Teachers As Providers Of Pastoral Care, Philip A. Crane

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The problem addressed by this research project is expressed in two parts. Firstly an examination of the pastoral care needs of students at a particular independent secondary school. Secondly, an examination of the needs of the teachers (as providers of pastoral care) who are attempting to understand and deal with the pastoral needs of the students. The research takes the form of a bounded case study, employing techniques of data gathering and analysis from each of the positivistic and naturalistic paradigms. As such then the study is described as mixed - mode research allowing for the triangulation (Jick, 1979. p.602) …


An Examination Of The Reasons Why Parents Send Their Daughters To Specific, Independent, Non-Catholic Schools For Their Secondary Education In Western Australia, Lois A. Joll Jan 1989

An Examination Of The Reasons Why Parents Send Their Daughters To Specific, Independent, Non-Catholic Schools For Their Secondary Education In Western Australia, Lois A. Joll

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study examines the reasons why parents send their daughters to specific, independent, non-Catholic Schools for their secondary education in Perth, Western Australia. Initially, through a review of related literature, variables which might influence parental choice of a private school were identified. In order to establish the relevance of these variables, and to identify any other previously unidentified variables which may influence parental selection of a particular independent girls' school, a survey was undertaken of sample groups of parents whose daughters had entered Year 8 in 1989. Further data was obtained through interviews of a small number of parents from …


Strategies For Increasing Community Participation In School Decision-Making Processes, Graeme Lock Jan 1989

Strategies For Increasing Community Participation In School Decision-Making Processes, Graeme Lock

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The aim of this study is to develop, by a deductive approach, a framework of strategies which would assist school administrative teams to form a school-based decision making group. Specifically, the strategies are aimed to increasing the participation of non-school-based community members in decision–making processes. Three focusing themes - the need for an overall plan the availability of adequate time and the provision of sufficient financial resources - are used as the structure for the literature review. Within these themes a number of strategies are identified which are relevant to the purpose of this study. Using a deductive approach, these …