The Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) emerged to provide more relevant curriculum programs that would cater for increasing retention rates of post-compulsory students. It is also an example of the ‘new’ learning arising from contemporary debates and reforms that highlight inadequacies of the more traditional modes of learning. This thesis focuses on the pedagogical and sociological issues emerging from the VCAL being introduced as an ‘alternative’ learning pathways for ‘at-risk’ students within a traditional secondary school culture. Through the eyes of an insider-researcher, the thesis argues for a deeper understanding of applied learning as a ‘re-engaging’ pedagogy by studying the schooling experience of VCAL students and teachers. The thesis concludes that traditional academic modes of teaching contribute to the social construction of ‘at-risk’ students and argues that secondary school pedagogy needs to be redefined as a cultural phenomenon requiring teachers to be reflexively aware of their role in bridging the gap between students’ life experiences and the curriculum.

This research identifies those practices and/or conditions that facilitate (or hinder) school and/or system based innovation in ACT high schools. It examines teachers� ways of making meaning of change in their working lives. It draws on narrative inquiry and teacher in-depth interviews. The work story is used to engage teachers� individual agency as a way to conceptualise the requirements of innovation. The data is represented as teachers� narrative categorized as the Red Hots and Unfreezables. The primary themes or motifs emerging in the teachers� talk�teacher agency, resistance and leadership�provide collective insight into teachers� working lives and the capacity of schools to cope with change. Analyses of the �lived experiences� of teachers suggest that innovative practice is linked to teacher agency and the presence of professional learning communities, and that those leading change must focus on the realities of the teachers implementing change. This study also explores the culture of teacher resistance, supporting the research that school cultures are characteristically and strongly resistant to change from within the organization. As a result of this study, we have an improved understanding of the conditions that contribute to effective school change, and the importance for teachers to conduct their own research. This study contains important recommendations for governments and education systems implementing change initiatives.

This thesis reports on a study which explored the experiences of teachers working at Gilmore Primary School in the Australian Capital Territory as they initiated the management philosophy known as Total Quality Management (TQM). The teachers' perceptions of key TQM ideas were obtained from staff meeting notes, interviews and a variety of questionnaires. The teachers' perceptions constituted the data for the study. The study utilised ethnographic methodology incorporating aspects interpretive and critical approaches. Participants in the study were actively engaged in the initiation project and as such were taking part, with the researcher, in a co-operative experiential enquiry. Key TQM ideas provided the themes for this study. These themes were; continuous improvement, shared vision, customer and process focus, teamwork, outrageous goals and systematic data gathering. Teachers' perceptions regarding each of these themes or key ideas were analysed by considering the effect on them of two sets of factors. The first set consisted of factors in educational change while the second was comprised of factors in the culture of teaching. TQM history, principles and practices as well as the two sets of factors related to educational change and the culture of teaching were discussed in a review of literature. From the analysis of teachers' perceptions a series of recommendations were developed for implementing TQM at Gilmore Primary School and for more general application of theory and practice.

The context in which open space high schools were pioneered in the ACT is examined in the light of Basil Bernstein's (1971) theory of the reasons for changes in curricula and of the organisational conditions necessary for the changes which he considers to be taking place. The context which is examined is derived from analyses of the perspectives and views of the Australian Schools Commission, of the planners of the new design high schools in the ACT, of the Campbell Committee, which provided the rationale for the restructuring of the ACT secondary school system, and of the Principal and teachers of one of the original open space high schools in the ACT. From the analysis of the context of the establishment of a specific open space high school, "Windy Hill", a number of factors are seen to be significant in the process of educational change. In particular, it is claimed that any theoretical perspective on the reasons and conditions for educational change, if it is to have much influence on the change process, must take into account the perspectives of the practitioners in schools. It must also take into account the complexity of events which affect the process of educational change in systems and in schools. The relationship between imposed organisational structures and the curricular goals of schools is examined. It is claimed that changes to administrative structures must emerge from the existing aims of the system and the institution, rather than be imposed in order to effect curricular changes. Assumptions about the nature of educational change, made by the planners for the open space high schools in the ACT, are identified and related to the problems perceived by the Principal and teachers at "Windy Hill". From this analysis is derived a set of features of school settings which need to be considered when innovations in education are being contemplated. These features of the process of educational change are used to generate a number of recommendations which apply to the adoption and development of changes in education systems and schools.

Educational change can be defined as a systematic, sustained effort at change in learning conditions and other related internal conditions in one or more schools, with the ultimate aim of accomplishing goals more effectively (Miles 1987). One project designed to bring about educational change was the Country Areas Program National Element (NATCAP) distance education by telematics project, funded by the Commonwealth Department of Employment, Education and Training. It was designed to increase curriculum options to students in schools in the western region of New South Wales. All curriculum was delivered through the telematic delivery. This project formed the basis of the research for this thesis. The aim of the study was to examine the roles of change agents and determine who enacted the roles through the process of implementing the NATCAP distance education by telematics project in western New South Wales. Telematics refers to the transmission of signals usually generated in a computer circuit board over distance. It involves using computers, facsimile machines, modems and telephones. Through audio visual links students in western New South Wales can engage in lessons delivered by teachers located in the Australian Capital Territory. This was achieved through a pilot distance education via telematics project conducted in 1991 which was expanded in 1992-1995 to include students in six rural schools. The students were located in both Catholic and Government schools in four rural town in New South Wales. The NATCAP distance education project was administered by the Catholic Education Office, Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn and a project manager was appointed to facilitate the implementation of the new project. The question of who enacted the roles of change agents through the process of implementing the distance education project in 1992-1995 became the focus of the study. Change is a process that involves the phases of initiation, implementation and adoption according to Fullan (1991b). There are a number of factors that affect implementation including teachers, principals and outside agencies (Fullan 1991b). The initiative of change does not occur, however without an advocate or change agents. Havelock (1973) has identified four roles of a change agent which are described as the catalyst, the solution giver, the process helper and the resource link. Though the examination of the literature the question of who enacted the roles of the change agents through the process of implementing the NATCAP distance education project was refined and clarified. The qualitative research method, with the researcher as an active participant in the process, was the approach which enabled the research question of this thesis to be examined. The researcher was the project manager for the NATCAP distance education project and was placed in a central position to explore the question of who enacted the roles of the change agents through the process of implementing distance education by telematics. Three research instruments, two questionnaires and a semi-structured interview, were used to gather data based on the perceptions of the six participating school principals. This data ensured that the information gathered by the researcher as an active participant was reliable and valid. The results of the first questionnaire, which examined the role of the project manager as a change agent, indicated that the manager was a catalyst, facilitating the introduction of the new method of teaching and learning. The results also indicated that the roles of the solution giver and the resource link were also enacted by the project manager according to the majority of principals who responded to the questionnaire. The role of the process helper, involved in problem-solving, monitoring and reviewing, was also a part of the project manager's role as a change agent according to all the respondents. The results of the second questionnaire which examined the three phases of implementing change indicated that all six schools involved in the NATCAP distance education project were involved in the initiation stage of implementation. This was achieved by trialing the telematic mode for teaching and learning in each school. All six schools moved into the second stage. This developed into the implementation of Indonesian language and culture lessons, Art/Design and Remedial and Extension Mathematics classes. For two schools the implementation stage included the introduction of the Year 11 and 12 curriculum. The project progressed into the third stage, continuation, for five out of the six schools. One school did not move from the implementation to the continuation stage. As a result of the data collected through the examination of the factors that affect implementation it was stated that the principals enacted a role of resource providers and in some cases on the spot support for teachers. In the schools administered by the New South Wales Department of School Education the cluster director was also a resource provider. In some schools the principal was also a "teacher" actively involved in the implementation of the NATCAP distance education project. The project manager, cluster director (where applicable), principal, assistant principals and teachers were listed as being involved in the identification of needs. Need was identified as the most important factor which affected the change. As a result of the data collected and the interpretations made relating to the findings of this research a number of conclusions were drawn. Educational change goes through a process involving three phases from the initial introduction of the innovation to the initial use and then full implementation as part of the school practice. Change involves a change agency, not one agent of change but a team of change agents or a change agency. The change agency includes the project manager, the principal, assistant principal, teachers and cluster directors (where applicable). The agency enacts the roles of catalyst, solution giver, resource link and process helper. Implementation requires an agent of change from within the school and an agent of change from without of the school working together as part of the change agency. This can be seen by examining the factors affecting implementation. Need, practicality, clarity, complexity and quality all affect implementation of an innovation and all required an agent of change from without and agent of change from within the school to identify each factor and address it. The key personnel affecting implementation are the project manager and cluster directors (where applicable) from the external level and the principal and the teachers from the local level. These key personnel are factors which affect implementation and belong to the change agency. The leadership role of the principal impacts on the degree of implementation of the initiative. Teacher involvement through observation, exchanging ideas, team-teaching and collegiality is required to bring about full implementation of the change. Clustering schools to form learning networks where schools share ideas, knowledge and resources enhances the possibility of initiatives becoming implemented. Schools in the cluster should not only include those in the same education system, schools should go outside their system for new ideas. In the NATCAP distance education by telematics project there were four schools administrated by the NSW Department of School Education and two schools administered by the Catholic Education Office, Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn who formed a NATCAP cluster. Together these schools implemented the new method of teaching and learning called telematics. They brought about change in the learning conditions and extended the curriculum.

Thesis (M. Ed.(Assessment and quality assurance))-University of Pretoria, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references. Available on the Internet via the World Wide Web.

The purpose of this qualitative research study was to describe the experiences of secondary teachers who were actively involved in positions of teacher leadership in their schools and to discover the meaning that leadership activities had for them in their work. The informal teacher leaders performed their leadership functions in an environment of educational reform and change, voluntarily, and on their own time. The study was framed and described by data gathered primarily through a series of in-depth interviewing and based on a structure for phenomenological methodology. The individual interviews were audio taped and transcribed in full text. Other forms of data collection included a survey and e-mail reflections from the participants, and researcher reflections. Data was coded by topics and organized into themes based on an inductive analysis of the transcribed data. Results of this study indicated that teacher leaders found great satisfaction, both affectively and cognitively, in their involvement. They found meaning in their work because of a positive school environment, through collaboration with colleagues, participation in curriculum writing and committee work, and involvement with innovative activities. They indicated the biggest rewards came from their work with students. In addition, the teacher leaders frequently made reference to something inside themselves, their personality, and their drives. They found they needed the stimulation and the challenges that teacher leadership activities presented. The findings of this study contribute to the knowledge base on teacher leadership. They have implications for teacher educators who prepare future teachers for leadership roles, particularly at the secondary level and in an educational reform environment. Knowing the experiences that teacher leaders find most meaningful in their work, particularly curriculum work and collaboration with colleagues, will inform teacher educators as they prepare pre-service teachers to be knowledgeable and confident in these activities. In addition, administrators who want to encourage teacher leadership activities in their school may benefit from understanding what motivates teachers to become leaders and will be more knowledgeable about the needs of their staff when planning staff development opportunities. The study concluded with recommendations for further research on teacher leadership. / Graduation date: 2002

The purpose of this research study is to investigate and gain understanding of the factors contributing to development of the Center for Advanced Learning (CAL), a regional collaborative educational reform project and the partnerships that emerged from that process. The development process and partnerships are examined from a systems thinking perspective. This study was guided by the following research questions: 1) Why did representatives from the private sector choose to partner with the CAL? 2) Why did some potential partners choose not to partner with the CAL? 3) What are the systems components that contributed to developing this collaborative educational reform project? 4) How do elements of the developmental systems encourage sustained progress? 5) How do educational and private sector systems interact and contribute to development of this project? The study participants included high school and college faculty and administrators, university faculty, and representatives from the private sector and governmental agencies. A total of 17 interviews were conducted and 469 CAL related documents were cataloged and analyzed. The overall findings indicate the project evolved through self-organization and self-regulation. The conclusions are: 1) the ability to sustain development of CAL as an educational reform project in a living systems paradigm rather than from a linear and directed approach required flexibility, understanding, trust, confidence, and time to allow autopoiesis to occur, 2) CAL partnerships evolved in a dynamic manner compared with partnerships described in the literature, 3) motivations to partner with CAL were the result of environmental factors and strange attractors, and 4) adaptive leadership in development of the CAL played an important role. Implications of the study suggest that: 1) systems awareness considerations by participants provides an increased degree of developmental flexibility, 2) the manner in which a vision is disseminated is key to developing momentum, and 3) curriculum development in a complex environment could be managed with systems considerations. / Graduation date: 2004

The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics published their vision of active, problem-centered instruction with a goal of conceptual understanding in 1989. Fifteen years after these reforms were proposed the changes are reflected in school policy and elementary mathematics curriculum, but only limited change has actually occurred in classroom instruction. With the belief that the classroom teacher is the key person affecting educational change, this case study examines the journey of five elementary classroom teachers as they transformed their mathematics instruction from traditional to reform-based, with the purpose of identifying the key elements that influenced the changes. This is a multi-case study involving five elementary classroom teachers who have recently been the recipient of the Elementary Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching Mathematics. All of these teachers began teaching with traditional textbook programs and have changed their teaching to reform-based, problem-centered instruction. Over the course of two one-hour interviews each teacher told the story of his or her changes, explaining the influences, the key resources, the influential people, and the support they received in the process. The cases are individually presented; then all five are examined together in a cross-case analysis using a constructivist theoretical perspective. Three key elements were found to be influential in the teachers' change journeys. First, all five were self-motivated to make changes in their mathematics instruction. They were looking for practices that would give their students both better understanding and positive dispositions. All believed the reform-based instruction met these goals. Second, all five engaged in rich professional discussions about the changes they were making. These discussions were in groups with high levels of trust, in which the teachers freely shared concerns and successes, asked questions, and compared experiences. They were learning communities that supported the teachers' development of pedagogy and knowledge, allowing them to become confident practitioners. Finally, all five teachers were passionate about their teaching. The learning of their students and the improvement of their teaching were the prime considerations in the changes they adopted and the knowledge and skills they developed. / Graduation date: 2004

This phenomenological research study focused on educational change as perceived by 16 Liberal Arts faculty members at a Pacific Northwest community college. Research data were collected through in-depth dialogic interviews and a follow-up dialogue session with six participants. The principal guiding research questions comprised the following: 1) What is the context of the community college? The institution is facing severe budgetary restrictions, widening diversity of students, the implementation of new technologies and distance learning, changing faculty and administrator roles, competition from the private sector, and the redefining of the community college role. 2) What is the background of the faculty participants? In the past, faculty have experienced a collegial culture and a shared sense of purpose, which no longer seems to exist. Their values are deeply connected to the social responsibilities of education and student needs, which they feel is at odds with the trend toward commodification of education. 3) What are faculty's perceptions of change and its effects? Change is constant; and instructors adapt incrementally. Mandated changes are seen to have fuzzy meanings and hidden agendas, which sometimes go against the core values of higher education. 4) What do faculty want? Faculty want to wrestle with the issues and solutions for dealing with change collaboratively, and they need the time and space to do so. They also want administrators to hear their voice, and to include faculty priorities in educational decision-making. Faculty participants had clear ideas on ways that would make the implementation of change more successful and meaningful in their lives and in the future of their community college: 1) Make change for a worthy or merited purpose. 2) Listen to what faculty have to say. 3) Allow faculty to wrestle with the challenges. 4) Provide faculty with support and recognition. 5) Keep student needs as a central priority. 6) Maintain the human values and social purpose of education. Most important, faculty feel that the human element cannot be discounted or forgotten in the rush to transform higher education, for faculty are the ones charged with the implementation of most change initiatives and they must deal with the consequences. / Graduation date: 2002