Using 'policy studies' research the case study looks at how an organization of teaching brothers, the members of the Sydney Province of the Marist Brothers, reacted to influences which bore upon its organizational structure, its morale and its educational activities, particularly in schools. After establishing the relevance of policy research to educational administration and to this type of case study in particular the discussion by using various types of models moves to an analysis of the specific case study. This has to do with how a reduction in the number of teaching brothers in schools and also changing attitudes about its part in education was managed by the Sydney Province and how, why and what type of policy emerged in response to these factors. Generally this field study concerns itself in judging the adequacy of policy studies research in applications to educational administration.

Recent Australian academic attempts to define the 'charism,' or distinguishing spirit, of the Marist Brothers' style of education, have been conducted using sociological methodologies and have resulted in findings which are more religious than educational or pedagogical, in content. The present enquiry is more educational in focus and historical in approach. This enquiry poses a series of questions e.g: Did the Marists who arrived in Australia in 1872 come as the conscious bearers of a distinctive style of teaching? Did they adapt this distinctive style to meet the needs of the Australian society? How faithfully did they cling to their founding inspiration? Have they been successful in preserving this distinctiveness in the face of modern developments in Australian education and in the Catholic Church? Or, is all that remains the name �Marist�? The historical methodology employed uses both recent academic analyses of the Marist Brothers� Founder�s work and also of the archival documentation of the Order�s foundation and development in Australia. It also tracks, though not in isolation, the development of the first Marist school in Sydney, St Patrick�s, Church Hill; founded in 1872 and still operating, at a new location � Dundas � in the more recently-formed diocese of Parramatta. This individual school�s role in Marist teacher education in early, and more recent times, makes it an appropriate focus. In summary, the thesis concludes that the Marists did come as conscious disciples of St Marcellin Champagnat, their founder; but that the pristine inspiration had already begun to evolve. In Australia the brothers continued to follow his example in adapting to the newer demands of Church and State. After Vatican II and the return of State Aid, however, the pace and scope of development precipitated changes which arguably constitute a break from all but the names �Marist� and �Champagnat�.

In Australia, traditionally a wide range of measures have been used to identify academically successful schools. The mix of these measures has varied from state to state. But recently, added to this mix, and perhaps becoming the most influential factor, has been the examination results of senior students. These have become far more available to the prospective parents and governing bodies. They are used to gauge the ranking of the school, and to whether parents can expect their children to gain entry into the more prestigious tertiary programs available. But these scores are also being used to rank staff, and in turn, the ‘quality’ of staff becomes yet another factor in identifying an academically successful school. In other words, the notion of high stakes testing is gaining wide spread use across all forms of schooling in Australia, including State, Independent and Catholic schools. This thesis is about teachers in academically successful Christian Brothers’ schools. It is an interpretive study that seeks to understand how these teachers respond to this form of assessment: high stakes testing. Their responses include emotional responses, how they change their teaching style and how they feel about teaching in Christian Brothers’ schools striving for academic success. In this research I interviewed teachers and administrators at three academically successful Christian Brothers’ schools in three different states in Australia. I developed three cases from these interviews and document searches, one drawn from each school, that indicate the range of issues that emerged, for them, as teachers in academically successful Christian Brothers’ schools. The specific use of high stakes testing was found to be very different in each of the schools. One school used high stakes testing as an accountability measure for staff, another used it as an accountability measure for students, and the third had no history of using high stakes testing. The study concludes that academic excellence can be achieved in Christian Brothers’ schools whilst remaining faithful to the ethos that underpins these schools: the Charism of Edmund Rice. Significant factors in the determination of the successful implementation of high stakes testing in these schools were found to be: the effect of senior management; influence of the media; the influence of culture; and changing culture and the nature of the schools. The thesis concludes with a blueprint for a hypothetical Christian Brothers’ school to follow that may lead to academic success.

Guided by the emerging interest in gender of siblings as one important sociological component in American family studies, the major objective of this study was to examine the effect of sex composition of siblings on women's levels of educational attainment in the Japanese setting. The present study hypothesized that the presence of brothers poses women a greater obstacle to a high level of educational attainment than the presence of sisters. For the purpose of gaining more depth in understanding Japanese women's education, this study also investigated other factors which differentiate the patterns of educational attainment between men and women. Two major methods were employed for the exploration. First, in order to examine the effect of sibling gender, this study analyzed quantitative data obtained from a sample of 518 young women. Second, face-to-face interviews were conducted with 15 mothers and 15 young women individually. In the interviews, in addition to several issues surrounding women's education, the mothers were asked their experiences about their children's education whereas the young women were asked their own educational experiences. The quantitative results identified gender of siblings as one important family characteristic in explaining women's levels of educational attainment. While providing some support for the quantitative findings, the qualitative data revealed the importance of other factors including parental attitudes toward gender role ideology and the notion of an appropriate marriage age. Implications of the findings for future research are discussed. / Graduation date: 1996

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 1985. / Vita. Bibliography: leaves [179]-187.

Thesis (M. Nurs.)--University of Hong Kong, 2006.

Thesis (M.Ed.)--Memorial University of Newfoundland, 2001. / Bibliography: leaves 112-123.

Thesis (M.A.)--Florida State University, 2004. / Advisor: Dr. Elizabeth Stuckey-French, Florida State University, College of Arts and Sciences, Department of English. Title and description from dissertation home page (viewed June 16, 2004). Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of North Texas, May, 2009. / Title from title page display. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2000. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 158-176). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.