The Field Study Report records the establishment of a theoretical model for examining aspects of complex innovations, the application of that model to the Commonwealth Participation and Equity Program in the ACT government sector using an historical perspective, and the drawing of conclusions occasioned by that, application. Based on the literature of the management of change, educational administration and educational politics as well as the history of the program, it is argued that specific groups of factors influencing the delivery and impact of the program may be identified and their effects described, with a view to guiding future delivery of major educational reform programs. The theoretical model for classifying and examining the relative importance of the factors is a synthesis based on the work of the researchers Hoy and Miskel (1982), with a major additional component, prompted by writers in the field of educational politics. The method of application also allows the discussion of two further underlying propositions. These are; (a) That the modes of delivery employed by the ACT Schools Authority for PEP evolved during the course of its implementation; (b) That the program had a discernible impact, in terms of its aims, but this impact, was modified qualitatively and quantitatively by the process of mutual adaptation and by other factors external and internal to the program. In a series of linked steps, the thesis examines the literature, drawing out a grouped collection of factors potentially influencing the program, describes the context, modes of delivery, aims and outcomes of PEP, categorises the identified factors according to their apparent relative influence, and uses these learnings to make predictions and conclusions about PEP and future system-wide reform initiatives. It is concluded that the underlying propositions of the thesis are confirmed. It is also argued that the study has highlighted the predominant influence of political factors, most groups of management factors and factors related to school organisation, whereas other factors are of lesser importance in moulding program delivery strategies and shaping program outcomes. As well, the thesis concludes that the particular framework adopted for the study possesses considerable potential for use in a variety of future research, and that the introduction of the factor-based structure as a means of carrying out historical research helps promote rigour, objectivity and credibility where there is a reliance on the involvement of a participant-observer to provide reflective data. In relation to PEP itself, it is concluded that the process of mutual adaptation and the influence of the multiplicity of factors ensured that the higher-order program outcomes such as institutionalisation of new curriculum definitions, the development of negotiated student, management and teaching/learning strategies and attitudinal changes about, the purposes and ownership of education, were modified even more significantly than the outcomes which could be measured in quantitative terms. A collection of specific suggestions for improved program delivery in the future is provided.

This study attempts to trace the locus of responsibility for the decision making associated with policy determination in the Australian Capital Territory further education system. Generally the study is restricted to the decade of the Seventies, during which period the administrative organisation of the system moved from the large, centralised New South Wales State technical education system to a small, regional system with local control. In chronological sequence this field study considers the content and effect of a number of reports, files and papers generated during this period under study, and shows the nature of influences on the emergence and structure of the A.C.T. further education system. In particular, the shift of responsibility for policy determination, and executive management of the system, is followed through as a function of the recommendations contained in the various documents considered. By tracing the movement of executive responsibility through the early years of operation of the A.C.T. further education system it is possible to detect the focus of power and influence within and imposed upon the system, and to consider the decision-making strategies adopted in the determination of policy. From these it is possible to extrapolate and assess, to some extent, the stage of evolution which has been reached and possible directions in which "natural selection" factors may influence further developments. This field study should provide a first step, at least, toward the association and amalgamation of many documents which have (or should have) significantly influenced the nature of the present A.C.T. further education system. The study concludes with some discussion of current issues and suggestions for further (related) research.

The aim of the pilot study is to measure changes of attitudes over a period of six months. It is claimed that parents new to a school have only hearsay as a basis for their opinions about the school's functioning and that this is often detrimental to the school. It is hypothesized that these opinions will change and reflect positive attitudes towards the school in relation to the amount of contact experienced. The recording of the survey begins by referring to the paucity of research material on the subject; it continues by describing the method of collecting data on initial opinions by means of interviews, questionnaires and a statements of opinions check sheet; it then analyses changes of opinion by comparing the data of the later August statements of opinions return with the earlier February one; and finally suggests reasons for change by analysing correlations of parental contact and increased positive attitude. The paper concludes with recommendations for further studies and parent education programmes.

Middle schooling, although a contested phenomenon, has established its position on the huge landscape of secondary education. The philosophy of middle schooling claims that middle school has the best organisational structure for meeting the (educational, emotional, social and psychological) needs of adolescents1. This study is an attempt to see how successful schools of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) are in implementing the middle schooling program with respect to the General Design for a Whole School Approach to School Improvement (Hill & Cr�vola, 1997), which is used as theoretical framework for the evaluation. The three schools selected through purposive sampling for this study are considered exemplary for their implementation of programming consistent with the essential elements of middle schooling. The literature has recognised that, during last two decades, policy makers, educators, innovative reformers, and private foundations have manifested enormous commitment and interest in favour of the middle schooling program. The findings of this study indicate that, with certain adaptations, each of the three sample schools are implementing the salient features and characteristics of effective middle schools identified in the General Design and discussed widely in the literature. Each sample school is making its best efforts to improve the teaching and learning environment better to meet the needs of adolescents and is implementing middle school philosophy in accordance with the design. It is unlikely that any school can achieve "perfection" in all of the areas identified in the selected design (Hill & Cr�vola, 1997), and the possibilities for improvement are always there. Certain significant issues related to students� security and connectedness are identified as requiring some attention by the school organisation. The main question of this study�how responsive middle school reforms are in the enrichment of the physical, social and emotional growth of adolescents�has largely been answered positively in this study. Based on the findings of this study it is concluded that the middle schooling program is not a wasted effort on the landscape of secondary education in Australia. The results of this study have certain implications for policy makers, educators and researchers. These include recognition of the need for teacher training programs to provide teacher training with a greater understanding of the teaching and learning needs of adolescents and the need for educators to make extra efforts in making the school environments safe, secure and inviting for adolescents. Longitudinal studies will be required to determine the long-term outcomes of the middle schooling program, as claimed by the proponents of the middle schooling movement.

This study examined the observed effects of horse-riding which took place as an extra-curricula activity within the school day. The three children in the case study were primary aged students from a Canberra primary school who have an intellectual disability requiring high support. The criteria for selection was on the basis of how long they had taken part in the horse-riding programme. The three children were either just about to start or had just started the programme and had no previous experience with horses or horse-riding. The aim of the study was to explore the effects that the horse-riding programme had on the children's behaviour, attitudes and the way they communicated when riding. The children's behaviour was observed in the different settings of the school and the stables environment. Certain individual behaviours were observed and recorded on a weekly basis for an eight week period. Audio-recordings of behaviour took place as well as interviews both before and after the eight week period, from teachers, riding instructors, helpers, and parents. Whilst the case study could not be said to be large enough to be representative of all children with intellectual disabilities attending this horse-riding programme, in general some common themes relating to counselling emerged which corresponded with other studies referred to in the literature. These include positive effects such as a general sense of well-being and a feeling of success whilst being in control of the horse. An emerging empathy and closeness of each child with their particular horse was observed over time, which appeared to lead to increased communication. This took place whilst the children were talking or communicating to the horse or in the presence of the horse.

The study proposes to clarify what are the general training and further education needs of personnel who intend to enter a career in the Catering, Restaurant and Liquor Sales sectors of the Tourism and Hospitality Industry, and those who are already employed in one of the sectors. The study also proposes: 1. to identify the immediate training needs to meet the specific current requirements of the Industry in the ACT and surrounding districts; 2. to ascertain the perceived future requirements to allow for the provision of relevant training and further education facilities to meet the challenge of tomorrow. It is also hoped that the results of the needs analysis will assist curriculum planners in the formulation of accurate educational objectives to assist the construction of valid programmes of study leading to employment into the Industry.

This study shows that whilst the emergence of school climate as an educational issue of major importance is being recognised in the more recent schooling effects literature, the actual concept remains somewhat elusive and vaguely defined. A severe lack of knowledge and need for study into the area, particularly of primary school climates, is also evident. The actual concept of climate is thus discussed and analysed and evidence in support of the need for its assessment is presented. Past measures used for climate assessment are then reviewed with the aim of selecting an appropriate instrument to identify school climate perceptions of primary school students in this study. Here a new area of school climate information - the quality of school life - was introduced. The Quality of School Life Questionnaire which enabled differentiation between a number of climate dimensions, was selected as being the most appropriate instrument for minor modification and use in this study. The refined version titled School Life was administered to 587 students from 23 classes in 12 A.C.T. primary schools. Data was analysed to provide detailed information concerning students' views of the positive and negative aspects of their school climate. To determine the validity of these results and to strengthen the study as a whole students with very high/very low school climate perceptions were then interviewed. This enabled more detailed discussions of these students' perceptions of school life. Also, it enabled examination of the possibility of employing school counsellor intervention techniques at both the school and personal levels aimed at assisting such students in coping more adequately in their school systems. The results indicate that school climate assessment can provide important information which could be utilized by school counsellors. In this Study, such assessment led to actual identification of the high/low quality areas in school climates and led to identification with reasonable accuracy of individual students not coping in their existent climates. Thus the possibility and the value of school counsellors working towards 'individualizing' school climates through either modifying the actual climate or climate dimension/s to better match student needs, or through employing intervention techniques aimed at helping individual students not coping in their particular school climates is examined and emphasized.

Giralang Pond was a water body, with little emergent or submerged vegetation, designed to trap fine sediment and buffer input of rising water to Ginninderra Wetland downstream. Ginninderra Wetland was designed to retain and use sediment nutrients and other potential hazardous materials in urban run-off. Water in the Wetland was more turbid and had lower magnesium concentration, redox potentials and dissolved oxygen concentration than did Giralang Pond. Water temperature was a minimum of 4 °C in the winter and reached a summer maximum of 30 °C Giralang Pond had more organisms but fewer taxa than Ginninderra Wetland. The greatest abundance in the pond resulted principally from high numbers of two numerically dominant species Calamoecia sp. and Micronecta sp.. More organisms were found in vegetated habitats of Ginninderra Wetland than open water habitats. The number of invertebrates and the number of taxa found in Typha domingensis did not differ significantly from similar estimates for Schoenplectus validus, Gambusia qffinis was the dominant predator in both water bodies. On one occasion, G. qffinis reached population densities of 35 individuals per m-2 . G. qffinis was five times more abundant in Gininnderra Wetland than in Giralang Pond and also showed a preference for vegetated areas. G. qffinis over-grazed it's prey on several occasions. G. qffinis, invertebrate predators and prey followed a pattern of a community in a stable predator-prey cycle. Prey in early spring increased population numbers and then decreased when G. qffinis and other predators increased their numbers. The pattern was further strengthened by occurring in both areas of open water and vegetated habitat types.

When A.C.T. secondary colleges opened in 1976 they constituted the first government senior secondary system in Australia to design their own curricula and assess their own students under the general direction of their own college boards and within broad system guidelines. An Accrediting Agency was set up to approve the courses of study devised by the colleges, determine assessment procedures, arrange certification of students' attainments and negotiate acceptance of students' qualifications with tertiary institutions and employers. All but one of Canberra's private schools teaching to senior secondary level also joined this accreditation system. This field study traces the genesis and development of the A.C.T. schools accreditation system, and looks in detail at its implementation at system and college level. After a brief introduction there is an outline of innovation principles relevant to the topic. To avoid repetition the literature review and the development of the accreditation system are treated together in Chapters 3 and A. Chapters 5 and 6 deal with the establishment and implementation of accreditation, with particular emphasis on the Accrediting Agency and Dickson College (used as an example of the system at college level). In 1979 a major review of the work of the Agency was undertaken by the Selby Smith Committee; Chapter 7 analyses the recommendations of that Committee. The final chapter of this study examines some of the major issues of accreditation, particularly its innovative aspects. Although this study analyses the accreditation system in some detail, it is intended to be descriptive rather than evaluative. Information was obtained mainly from primary sources: official reports, studies and papers written by participants, surveys conducted in the colleges, and original documents. Interviews were conducted but were used mainly as a check on written information.

The aim of this field study was to investigate the relationship between visual information processing skills of Australian Capital Territory Year 1 1 and 12 T mathematics students and their capabilities in interpreting information presented in graphical form. A random sample of 37 T mathematics classes, comprising 621 Year 11 and 12 students were tested for their ability to interpret graphical information presented in two contexts. The first entailed the context provided by standard mathematics questions as seen in recent Australian mathematics student texts; the second context required students to transfer their visual information processing skills to situations unfamiliar to them, but requiring similar interpretive skills to the first context.