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Full-Text Articles in Educational Methods

Iternational Postgraduate Student Experience: How Can We Enhance Transition Management?, K Singh, L Armstrong Jan 2006

Iternational Postgraduate Student Experience: How Can We Enhance Transition Management?, K Singh, L Armstrong

EDU-COM International Conference

Within the broad scope of literature addressing the issue of student experience very limited attention has been given to examining the particular issues impacting international students. This paper draws attention to transition as an aspect impacting the international postgraduate (IP) student experience within a School of Computer and Information Science with a high proportion of IP students (65-75%). Literature relating to both, first year experience and international onshore education provided a frame of reference for a pilot survey (N=58) investigating student perceptions and attitudes on choice of study destination; academic orientation, application and coping; future orientation; social integration and belonging; …


Technical Education 2020 In Singapore: Better Quality, Higher Performance And More Choices Through A Market Approach, Tiew Ming Yek Jan 2006

Technical Education 2020 In Singapore: Better Quality, Higher Performance And More Choices Through A Market Approach, Tiew Ming Yek

EDU-COM International Conference

This article aims to create a vision for technical education in Singapore in the year 2020, and the likely outcomes in terms of quality, performance and choice. Singapore is today one of the world‘s most globalised nations and it has achieved notable economic success. The current technical education system with the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) as the principal provider can be considered highly successful after more than 40 years of development. By analysing the evolution of a contemporary governance model employed by ITE and juxtaposing it with growing global trends in school choice, privatisation and marketisation, there is reason …


The Effect Of Cross-Linked Learning On Visual Arts Education, Cassandra Zervos Jan 2004

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

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

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


Exploring Community Development In Online Settings, Christopher Brook Jan 2004

Exploring Community Development In Online Settings, Christopher Brook

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

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


An Examination Of Socially Constructed Whole Group Storybook Reading In Three Pre Primary Classrooms, Anne Drabble Jan 2003

An Examination Of Socially Constructed Whole Group Storybook Reading In Three Pre Primary Classrooms, Anne Drabble

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study examines the socially constructed context of whole group storybook reading in pre primary classrooms. The study is centred in the shared communications that occur between pre primary teachers and students before, during and after the storybook reading. In particular, insights are sought on the nature and extent of the pre primary teachers' and the pre primary students' communicative contributions and the opportunity provided for the inclusion of personal knowledge and personal experience in the communication. Whether there is a change in the nature of the contributions over time is also examined. The study seeks to extend current understanding …


Developing Generic Skills For Tertiary Students In An Online Learning Environment, Joseph Luca Jan 2002

Developing Generic Skills For Tertiary Students In An Online Learning Environment, Joseph Luca

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Increasingly, higher education institutions are being asked by industry, government and funding bodies to produce graduates with versatile generic skills as well as subject knowledge and expertise. This is causing a major reappraisal of higher education institutions purpose, learning outcomes and research activities. Many institutions are experiencing problems in implementing effective teaching and learning strategies to promote the development of these skills. The study sought to investigate ways of developing students' generic skills through the design and implementation of a learning environment that incorporated three key learning principles - authenticity, self-regulation and reflection. These were integrated into a course design …


The Use Of Scaffolding To Improve Student Learning With Interactive Multimedia Programs In Chemistry, Brian T. Grimes Jan 2002

The Use Of Scaffolding To Improve Student Learning With Interactive Multimedia Programs In Chemistry, Brian T. Grimes

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The process of balancing and interpreting chemical equations involves the consideration of an abstract, non-observable phenomenon coupled with multi-level representation. Students find it conceptually demanding to visualise the particulate level of matter and hence experience difficulty in balancing chemical equations with understanding. Interactive multimedia with dynamic computer graphics can provide students with accurate, concrete representations of the particulate nature of matter. Such tools, when coupled with appropriate implementation strategies, have the potential to improve learning about chemical reactions. The study investigated the use of scaffolding techniques to enhance and direct student learning when using an interactive multimedia software (IMM) program, …


Communicative Interaction In The English Language Classroom : A Field Study Of A Western Teacher As Change Agent In Two Chinese Primary Schools In Zhong Shan, People's Republic Of China, Monika Trittibach-Andres Jan 2001

Communicative Interaction In The English Language Classroom : A Field Study Of A Western Teacher As Change Agent In Two Chinese Primary Schools In Zhong Shan, People's Republic Of China, Monika Trittibach-Andres

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of a 'Change Agent' in teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in Chinese primary schools, and to determine whether changes were perceivable in the number and type of communicative interactions that occurred in EFL classrooms. The Department of Education of Zhong Shan, People's Republic of China, welcomed this research as the communicative approach to teaching English is sanctioned by the authorities. However, the formality of the actual classroom in primary schools often precludes much use of this method. An Investigation of the influence of a Westerner in the role …


The Effect Of Conceptual Context Changes On Skill Transfer Performance, Kris Giesen Jan 2000

The Effect Of Conceptual Context Changes On Skill Transfer Performance, Kris Giesen

Theses : Honours

The effect of changing the conceptual context on task performance was examined. The aim was to evaluate whether power functions that describe improvement on old skills during practice can be used to predict further improvement on these skills when they are presented in a novel environment. This research was designed to extend Speelman and Kirsner's (under review) study, which involved testing the assumption made by many skill theories: that performance should continue to improve as if a change in task conditions had no effect. Eighty participants were randomly allocated to one of four distractor conditions: Operand Change (e.g., 2 x …


Some Determinants Of Success And Failure In First-Year University Business Units At Private Colleges, Clive P. Oliver Jan 1999

Some Determinants Of Success And Failure In First-Year University Business Units At Private Colleges, Clive P. Oliver

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study investigates some of the determinates of academic success and failure (and dropout) from first year university level Business units at two private business colleges in Perth, Western Australia. Private business colleges are convenient vehicles for international and Western Australian students who do not possess adequate academic assessments for direct entry into university, and for students who might benefit from an enhanced pastoral support system, in the transition from secondary education to tertiary education. The study is important to private providers and to universities who are trying to help students succeed at university. The study utilises a model of …


Teacher Receptivity To System Wide Change: The Introduction Of Student Outcome Statements In Secondary Schools In Western Australia, Rose Moroz Jan 1999

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 …


Visual Arts History And Visual Arts Criticism : Applications In Middle Schooling, Lisa Paris Jan 1999

Visual Arts History And Visual Arts Criticism : Applications In Middle Schooling, Lisa Paris

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Visual arts history and criticism occupy central positions in visual arts curriculum statements in Western Australia. This status is sustained by the belief that the study of visual arts history and criticism actively contributes to the education of the student as a "whole person". In reality however, rather than attending to the holistic education of students, the application of visual arts history and criticism in Western Australian schools tends to be pragmatic and instrumental - visual arts teachers often use visual art works as "learning aids" because they don't have time, interest or experience in dealing with visual arts works …


Barbadian Teachers' Personal Practical Knowledge About Advocated Pedagogic Practices Used In The Education Of The Under-Fives, Sonja M. Anderson Jan 1999

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 …


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 Jan 1999

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 …


Parent Involvement In A Year One In-Class Reading Practice Program, Sheelagh Tillotson Jan 1998

Parent Involvement In A Year One In-Class Reading Practice Program, Sheelagh Tillotson

Theses : Honours

Parents play a crucial role in their children's literacy development, and their influence on early reading attitudes is profound. Many successful programs have been developed in England, US, Australia and New Zealand to involve parents in assisting their children's reading both at home and at school, but research has also shown that there are a number of difficulties associated with instigating classroom-based programs. The purpose of this study was to investigate an existing, classroom-based reading practice program involving parents and to analyse how and whether it was successful for each participating group: that is parents, students and the teacher. The …


Teachers' Knowledge And Practice Of Empowering Young Children In Four Early Childhood Settings In Australia And The United Kingdom, Lisa Moore Jan 1998

Teachers' Knowledge And Practice Of Empowering Young Children In Four Early Childhood Settings In Australia And The United Kingdom, Lisa Moore

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study explores teacher's knowledge and practice of empowering young children as learners. Empowerment is a complex and multifaceted construct, and a recurring theme in early childhood literature. This study took place in four early childhood settings in Australia and the United Kingdom. The research was conducted using qualitative methodology, primarily with the use of video-taped observations and stimulated-recall teacher interviews. Findings indicate that the teachers enacted their knowledge and practice of empowerment. However, empowerment was interpreted differently by each teacher. The current study found links existed between teachers' knowledge and practice and their pedogogic orientation.


The Effect Of Training Mode On Skill Acquisition And Transfer, Douglas F. Brewer Jan 1998

The Effect Of Training Mode On Skill Acquisition And Transfer, Douglas F. Brewer

Theses : Honours

This study examined the transfer of skills developed in solving a simple algebraic formula. Forty-two university Psychology undergraduates, randomly assigned to one of two training groups. were required to practice solving the formula (X2-Y)/2 by substituting numbers for the variables x and y. One group of participants practiced with eight sets of numbers, while the other group practiced with 16 sets of numbers. All participants performed 320 trials during training. In the transfer phase, the response times required to solve the same formula with a set of numbers not previously encountered was analysed to determine if the variation …


The Nature And Provision Of Instruction In Summary Writing For Students From Years 7-9, D. A. Bergin Jan 1998

The Nature And Provision Of Instruction In Summary Writing For Students From Years 7-9, D. A. Bergin

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

As students progress through our education system they are increasingly asked to independently comprehend and compose informational material to show evidence of their ability to use and learn from texts. One skill which facilitates students' abilities to learn from texts is summarizing. Research into summarizing suggests it is a complex skill needing explicit and systematic instruction. However, materials to which teachers turn to for advice on strategies and instruction do not always reflect the findings of research. This being the case, this study set out to investigate what teachers understood about the nature of summarizing and the extent to which …


Developing And Measuring Students' Critical Thinking Skills When Using A Multimedia Information System, M. Lipiec Jan 1997

Developing And Measuring Students' Critical Thinking Skills When Using A Multimedia Information System, M. Lipiec

Theses : Honours

The purpose of this thesis was to examine the critical thinking skills six Year 7 students used and developed while working on an Multimedia Information System, Encarta. The students' verbal interactions were recorded on audio tapes as they worked cooperatively in their groups. These interactions were transcribed and a content analysis technique was used to identify and calculate critical thinking indicator ratios. The content analysis was supported by field notes and students' word processed responses. The results show that students in both groups collectively did engage in critical thinking, particularly with regards to the indicators, Importance, Linking Ideas and Critical …


Introducing Calculators In Year One Mathematics : Attitudes And Achievement, Vanessa Thorpe Jan 1997

Introducing Calculators In Year One Mathematics : Attitudes And Achievement, Vanessa Thorpe

Theses : Honours

This study investigated the attitudes and achievements of year one students using calculators to facilitate their pattern development. The investigation also involved the attitudes of the classroom teacher and parents to the use of calculators in mathematics education for year one students. A class of 22 year one students (10 males and 12 females) was chosen for the study. The class was involved in one forty-minute lesson per week using calculators for ten weeks. The lessons focused on the topic of patterns. The calculators were also available for the child ran to use in their free time. The effects on …


The Effects Of Reciprocal Teaching Upon Year 6 Students' Reading Comprehension, D. M. Rasmussen Jan 1997

The Effects Of Reciprocal Teaching Upon Year 6 Students' Reading Comprehension, D. M. Rasmussen

Theses : Honours

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of Reciprocal Teaching on the reading comprehension of Year 6 students. Forty-one Year 6 students from two metropolitan primary schools took part in the study. An experimental pre-test - post-test control group design was used. Subjects were matched according to the results of the Test of Reading Comprehension (TORCH) used as a pre-test. Matched pair-mates were randomly allocated to either treatment or control groups. After 14 sessions of training in Reciprocal Teaching, results of an analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) with teachers nested in groups, showed no statistically significant differences in …


An Investigation Of The Behaviours Exhibited By Boys (Identified As At-Risk) While Using The Computer For Creative Writing, Danielle Fisher Jan 1997

An Investigation Of The Behaviours Exhibited By Boys (Identified As At-Risk) While Using The Computer For Creative Writing, Danielle Fisher

Theses : Honours

This study investigated the types of behaviours which were displayed by boys (whose teachers had identified them as at-risk), using the courseware package Storybook Weaver Deluxe for creative writing. Three boys from year six and three boys from year seven, from the same metropolitan government school participated in the study and were observed using the courseware package over a period of six weeks, during a one hour session per week. Video tape recordings and substantially non participant observations were made of the individual participants as they used the courseware package in a whole class situation. Individual interviews were conducted with …


Investigating Conditions For Higher Order Thinking In Telematics Environments, Catherine Mcloughlin Jan 1997

Investigating Conditions For Higher Order Thinking In Telematics Environments, Catherine Mcloughlin

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Telematics, or audiographic conferencing, enables synchronous communication via telecommunications. A telephone link and computer communications allow students in distributed classrooms to participate in an extended, or virtual classroom. Telematics is widely used as an instructional medium for the delivery of curricula to students in rural and remote parts of Western Australia. Previous studies of learning meditated by this technology have shown limitations on the forms of interactivity, tasks and learner engagement. Students typically have been found to assume a passive role, often listening to a distant and invisible teacher, but not engaging in cognitively demanding tasks. The tendency for teachers …


The Effect Of Role Play On Year 9 Students' Creative Writing, Kerry Mulholland Jan 1996

The Effect Of Role Play On Year 9 Students' Creative Writing, Kerry Mulholland

Theses : Honours

This thesis investigated the effect of the teaching strategy of role play on Year 9 students' creative writing and attitudes towards creative writing in the English classroom. The aim of the research was to compare role play, as a student-centred strategy, with the more commonly used strategies in the teaching of writing in the secondary English classroom, and explore and measure the effects. An experiment was conducted with a class of 32 students of average to above average abilities, divided into two groups: one was taught creative writing through role play while the other group was taught by a variety …


A Whole School Approach To Literacy Intervention, G. J. Raison Jan 1996

A Whole School Approach To Literacy Intervention, G. J. Raison

Theses : Honours

This research project reports on the process of developing a whole school approach to literacy intervention in one multi-ethnic, designated disadvantaged primary school. The study describes how teachers worked collaboratively, using items from a resource package Successful Intervention K-3 Literacy, to critically reflect on their pedagogy in their efforts to better address the needs of those students in their classes who appeared to have difficulties with literacy learning. A modified action research method was used by the teachers to devise a context-specific school plan. Within the plan, they allocated time and resources to assist them as they shared and developed …


Children's Perceptions Of Tasks, Structure, Routines And Roles In Two Multi-Age (P-1) Classrooms, Anne Yeoward Jan 1996

Children's Perceptions Of Tasks, Structure, Routines And Roles In Two Multi-Age (P-1) Classrooms, Anne Yeoward

Theses : Honours

In Western Australia, multi-age grouping is being explored as a means of providing a rich learning environment which helps children to learn, caters for individual differences and recognises the child's social and cognitive development (Rice & Basich. 1994 ). To date no study on the child's perceptions, expectations and experience of school within this organisational framework has been conducted. The purpose of this study is to find out about young children's perceptions of tasks, structure, routines and roles in a multi-age class. What are children's perceptions of the class grouping and task content in a multi-age class? What are children's …


Multiple Readings In Multiple Choice Reading Tests: A Study Of Year 11 Students' Reading Practices Of A Multiple Choice Reading Test, Rosemary Naughton Jan 1996

Multiple Readings In Multiple Choice Reading Tests: A Study Of Year 11 Students' Reading Practices Of A Multiple Choice Reading Test, Rosemary Naughton

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study examines students’ responses to the questions in a multiple choice reading test. An analysis of the processes students used to negotiate meaning revealed the roles played by cognitive strategies and cultural framing in shaping students' responses to multiple choice questions. A descriptive/analytical study methodology was conducted with a group of forty eight Year II students in the final term of the school year. These students represented four mixed sex ability groupings and a range of socio-economic backgrounds. Think-Out-Loud protocols were used in an interview situation. Students responded to thirty four questions from three passages selected from multiple choice …


The Mediation Of Teaching Through Central Curriculum Controls: Four Case Studies Of History Teaching In Year 12 In Western Australia, Edmund Z. Mazibuko Jan 1995

The Mediation Of Teaching Through Central Curriculum Controls: Four Case Studies Of History Teaching In Year 12 In Western Australia, Edmund Z. Mazibuko

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The work of scholars on pedagogical content knowledge has drawn attention to the importance of mastery of subject matter. Good teachers are able to make clever transitions between their knowledge of content and their pedagogy. The examples of these transitions in the literature usually assume that teachers have a large measure of control over the content: lessons are exploratory and concerned with understanding the deeper meanings and fundamental concepts that underpin the discipline base. The reality of most classrooms is otherwise; teachers are guided by syllabus statements, textbooks and end of year examinations. Sequence and pace of instruction are often …


Parental Assistance In Children's Reading In The Home, Karen Lyons Jan 1995

Parental Assistance In Children's Reading In The Home, Karen Lyons

Theses : Honours

The literature reviewed in this thesis shows that many successful reading programmes have been carried out by parents and teachers working together, sharing the responsibility for developing children's reading skills. Research studies have also shown that parents want more feedback and assistance on how to help their children with reading. The purpose of this study was to investigate two areas of home reading, that Is parents reading to their children and children reading to their parents. The study examined what parents said they did with their children when their children read to them. It also examined the frequency with which …


The Effects Of Strategy Instruction On The Vocabulary Acquisition And Reading Comprehension Of Grade Five Students, Michelle Gurry Jan 1995

The Effects Of Strategy Instruction On The Vocabulary Acquisition And Reading Comprehension Of Grade Five Students, Michelle Gurry

Theses : Honours

Two studies were conducted to examine the effects of specified teaching strategies on vocabulary acquisition and reading comprehension. Two methods were used to teach Grade 5 students to infer word meanings from context. The first was based on regular methods that occur within primary classrooms. The second involved a detailed strategy that gave students a step-by-step guide to deriving word meanings from context. Both groups were pretested and posttested with a developed vocabulary acquisition test and the Progressive Achievement Test of reading comprehension. A four-factor ANOVA with repeated measures was used to test the hypotheses. The first study showed no …