This thesis reports on research conducted with Technical and Further Education (TAFE) teachers from Queensland and Western Australia. The research is located atthe intersection where teachers’ identities met the discourse of new vocationalism. Scholars have highlighted the tensions that this discourse has produced in therelationships between TAFE and its teachers, and noted that TAFE teachers are pressured to change their subjectivities to reflect themselves more effectively asworkers in an educational market focused on economic imperatives. This is often in contrast to these teachers’ personal notions of themselves as liberal educators, with afocus on lifelong learning, personal transformation, collaborative relationships and social responsibility. This research was driven by the possibility that the concept of ‘critical spirit’ might provide a means for TAFE teachers to stand their ground in relation to the continued reshaping of the TAFE teacher terrain produced by the adoption of the new vocational discourse.This interpretative research was conceptualised by synthesising sociocultural perspectives of discourse as a reality building tool (Gee, 2005) with notions of criticalthinker dispositions referred to as critical spirit (Siegel, 1988; Oxman-Michelli, 1992). The elements of critical spirit: openmindedness, independence of mind,wholeheartedness, intellectual responsibility and respect for others (Oxman-Michelli,1992) were used as central components to the development of a coding framework forthe explication of critical spirit from TAFE teacher artefacts and in positioning critical spirit as a discourse. An examination of 12 TAFE teacher case narrative artefacts revealed that elements of critical spirit were evident. Subsequent participantcredibility checks and semi-structured interviews provided diverse data related to teacher embodiment of a critical spirit in relation to the building of certain teacher identities. In some cases participants expressed that their identities were bolstered by engaging in a critical spirit discourse, others cautioned its public embodiment, suggesting that deploying critical spirit made them more visible to surveillance and control. The major finding of this research was that an explicit engagement with acritical spirit discourse was of value to these TAFE teachers. Furthermore, this critical spirit discourse was seen to perform the work of a borderland discourse (Gee, 2005; Alsup, 2006). It afforded a means to traverse the terrain “between disparate personal and professional subjectivities” (Alsup, 2006, p. 5).The research also uncovered other discourses pertinent to participant artefacts. These were identified as a test of fortitude discourse and a community of support discourse.It was postulated that these would extend the critical spirit discourse by adding to Oxman-Michelli’s (1992) five elements of critical spirit. The findings suggested littleevidence to support this position.The significance of this research was in: (a) the production of a methodological construct for explicating particular notions of critical spirit; (b) its contribution to furthering understandings of the professional lives of TAFE teachers and their workworld; and (c) the value that a critical spirit discourse had in strengthening these TAFE teachers’ notions of themselves and their effectiveness. Its contribution tosubstantial knowledge was in its expansion of our understanding of teacher identities within the Vocational Education and Training sector in Australia.

This thesis reports on research conducted with Technical and Further Education (TAFE) teachers from Queensland and Western Australia. The research is located atthe intersection where teachers’ identities met the discourse of new vocationalism. Scholars have highlighted the tensions that this discourse has produced in therelationships between TAFE and its teachers, and noted that TAFE teachers are pressured to change their subjectivities to reflect themselves more effectively asworkers in an educational market focused on economic imperatives. This is often in contrast to these teachers’ personal notions of themselves as liberal educators, with afocus on lifelong learning, personal transformation, collaborative relationships and social responsibility. This research was driven by the possibility that the concept of ‘critical spirit’ might provide a means for TAFE teachers to stand their ground in relation to the continued reshaping of the TAFE teacher terrain produced by the adoption of the new vocational discourse.This interpretative research was conceptualised by synthesising sociocultural perspectives of discourse as a reality building tool (Gee, 2005) with notions of criticalthinker dispositions referred to as critical spirit (Siegel, 1988; Oxman-Michelli, 1992). The elements of critical spirit: openmindedness, independence of mind,wholeheartedness, intellectual responsibility and respect for others (Oxman-Michelli,1992) were used as central components to the development of a coding framework forthe explication of critical spirit from TAFE teacher artefacts and in positioning critical spirit as a discourse. An examination of 12 TAFE teacher case narrative artefacts revealed that elements of critical spirit were evident. Subsequent participantcredibility checks and semi-structured interviews provided diverse data related to teacher embodiment of a critical spirit in relation to the building of certain teacher identities. In some cases participants expressed that their identities were bolstered by engaging in a critical spirit discourse, others cautioned its public embodiment, suggesting that deploying critical spirit made them more visible to surveillance and control. The major finding of this research was that an explicit engagement with acritical spirit discourse was of value to these TAFE teachers. Furthermore, this critical spirit discourse was seen to perform the work of a borderland discourse (Gee, 2005; Alsup, 2006). It afforded a means to traverse the terrain “between disparate personal and professional subjectivities” (Alsup, 2006, p. 5).The research also uncovered other discourses pertinent to participant artefacts. These were identified as a test of fortitude discourse and a community of support discourse.It was postulated that these would extend the critical spirit discourse by adding to Oxman-Michelli’s (1992) five elements of critical spirit. The findings suggested littleevidence to support this position.The significance of this research was in: (a) the production of a methodological construct for explicating particular notions of critical spirit; (b) its contribution to furthering understandings of the professional lives of TAFE teachers and their workworld; and (c) the value that a critical spirit discourse had in strengthening these TAFE teachers’ notions of themselves and their effectiveness. Its contribution tosubstantial knowledge was in its expansion of our understanding of teacher identities within the Vocational Education and Training sector in Australia.

The aim of this diploma thesis is to identify differences in the perception of the quality of further education processes from the viewpoint of the participant, the lecturer and the director of the educational institution. The partial aim of the thesis is to confirm or to rebut the hypothesis based on experience from one's own practice that the lector is the most important factor influencing the quality of further education processes. The theoretical part is divided into two chapters, the first chapter characterizing the process and the quality of further education including the methods and tools used to manage the quality of the processes in further education, the role of quality management in the organizations providing further education. The second chapter deals with various factors influencing the quality of the continuing education processes. The practical part of the thesis includes a research of the quality of the processes of further education, in which quantitative and qualitative methods are used. Outputs from the research survey provide the basis for answering research questions and confirming or refuting the hypothesis. Quantitative research uses a questionnaire survey for participants in further education that looks at their view on the quality of further education. The results of the...

The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of administrative duties on effective classroom management in the Further Education and Training phase in the Sedibeng West District (08) of the Gauteng Province by focusing on classroom management; management skills of professional teachers; the relationship between teaching and management; guidelines for effective classroom management; juridical aspects regarding classroom management; workload of school-based teachers; duties and responsibilities of teachers; impact of workload of school-based teachers; educational policies; other policies and factors impacting on teachers' workload; and factors that drive teachers away from teaching. The literature study reveals that administrative duties take up a great deal of teachers' time. This is due to a number of factors, namely: shortages of teachers and high learner numbers; departmental accountability measures such as the Integrated Quality Management System (IQMS); curriculum and assessment requirements; and the lack of basic resources. Stress regarding classroom administration exacerbates because teachers have to perform a variety of tasks, from secretarial and administrative to curricular, extracurricular and pastoral work. A major finding emanating from the research is that teachers should be released from excessive amounts of administrative duties and other activities that increase their workload and distract their focus from teaching. In order to eliminate these excessive amounts of administrative duties, the Department of Education should, through proper planning and cooperation with the School Management Team (SMT) provide extra posts in schools for administrators who can assist teachers. The empirical study consists of a structured questionnaire distributed to a sample of principals, deputy principals, heads of departments and teachers in schools in the Sedibeng West District (08) of the Gauteng Province. It aims to develop guidelines to assist teachers to cope better with the increased administrative demands. The main findings of the study reveal that most teachers have difficulties in coping with the pace at which the Whole School Evaluation Policy, IQMS, Continuous Assessment Policy and the new curriculum are being implemented. Together with the increased amount of administrative duties, an urgent need exists for support from the Department of Education and the District Office regarding the implementation and the alleviation of administrative demands. This study recommends, on the basis of both the literature review and the empirical research, guidelines to assist all teachers in coping with these increased administrative demands effectively. / Thesis (M.Ed. (Education Management))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2008.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the roll played by Further Education and Training Colleges in delivering education in South-Africa, with specific reference to technical education. As technology developed, the need for well trained artisans also increased. Technical Colleges have helped in addressing that need by increasing the theoretical knowledge of apprentices and artisans. With the political changes in South-Africa, came changes in education. Technical Colleges changed to Further Education and Training Colleges, and with that the purpose of these institutions. No longer will supplementary theoretical training be done at Technical Colleges, instead complete trade training will be done at Further Education and Training Colleges. This study has shown some problems with this new approach that need to be addressed before Further Education and Training Colleges can take their place in the provision of quality education in South -Africa. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2008.

This thesis is a detailed account and analysis of young disabled people‟s inclusions within one Further Education College. These inclusions were tied to a number of complex interactions between the people who exist there and key reforms to Further Education systems which aim to support an individual‟s capacity to offer entrepreneurial performances. Central to these reforms is alternative provision, which offer places in college to school aged students who risk failing to invest in the work-related skills and knowledge that apparently has measurable consequences for future earnings and social justice. This thesis shows how the inclusion of young disabled people in a contemporary college community has some unintended effects and consequences, and how their lives were differentially affected by social capital arising from social networks based on trust. An emancipatory, qualitative methodology was used to gather data. The findings provide important insights into how young disabled people possess, produce and utilise social capital, to build new relationships, to develop identity, to resist or manipulate pre-assigned social roles, networks and resources and to make the transition from school to college. In their own words, young disabled people question the sense of optimism often attributed to alternative provision and the extent to which their existence in college has overcome the social barriers and closed networks that can be associated with disabled people as a marginalised group. To harness such existences and to further develop social capital theory, my conclusions set out a young disabled person‟s negotiation of college as an ethical project in which everyone - college students, teaching staff and researchers - have work to do on themselves. This makes alternative provision not something that is just done to many young disabled people but a project for which everyone is responsible. This thesis, therefore, re-reads the story of alternative provision with a wary eye, using a critical approach to social capital theory. In doing so, the research not only confirms the significance of social capital as a crucial analytical tool for young disabled people, but also confronts the overly positive underpinnings of the social capital debate in education.

Purpose: The aim of the study is to measure entrepreneurial intentions of students in their last year of study in Further Education and Training institutions (FETs) in South Africa. The study explored the impact of the following aspects on EI: personal backgrounds (gender, study discipline, and entrepreneurial family backgrounds); geographical location; and the self-assessed supportiveness of the contextual environment. Lastly, the strength of association between antecedents to entrepreneurial intentions and EI itself were also explored. Design: A questionnaire was administered to 360 final-year students undertaking technical and entrepreneurship-related studies at FETs in four different provinces in South Africa. Regression, Stepwise regression, ANOVA, t-test, and correlation matrix analyses were conducted to test the proposed relationships. Findings: FET students generally exhibit high levels of entrepreneurial intentions. Gender, study discipline and geographic location have no direct influence on entrepreneurial intentions. Entrepreneurial family background, however, exerts a significant influence on entrepreneurial intentions. Furthermore, conviction has the strongest association with entrepreneurial intentions compared with the other antecedents that were tested, that is, general attitudes, image of entrepreneurship and FET supportiveness. Research limitations: The use of cross-sectional non-experimental design does not allow for conclusions to be drawn regarding causality. Only five FETs participated in the study; therefore, the generalisability of the findings to all FETs nationally is limited. Practical implications: The study indicates high levels of entrepreneurial intentions in circumstances where literature has found the opposite findings. It therefore becomes critical to find integrated teaching methods that take into account the South African environment in order to harness the high entrepreneurial intentions of students.

Teacher identity (Ti) is an important concept in helping to understand the variety of inter-connected influences that impact on the professional lives of teachers in further education (FE). Ti is under researched within the FE sector and is used in this study to analyse the impact of the marketization of FE (post-incorporation) on the roles of individual teachers and teacher managers. The study takes an interpretive stance using visual metaphors and the narratives of participant teachers, linked to their roles, and teaching journeys, to analyse and evaluate changes to professionalism and individual agency in response to the marketization of the sector. Key literature on Ti in FE, professionalism and teacher agency were used to develop an understanding of the effects of marketization in relation to the main question and market theory provided a lens through which to consider marketization in context. The findings identified the individualised nature of the effects of marketization on the identities of teachers and how they interpreted their roles. These were seen through different levels of teacher agency and changes to professionalism in response to managerialism and the altered culture of the colleges in the study. A summative conceptualisation of Ti in an FE context was developed, which provided an insight into the potential strategies adopted by staff in relation to marketization and the main question set for this study.

This chapter provides an introduction to two contrasting vocational course: the Associate Diploma in Applied Science (Computing) award, based on the content driven curriculum model and the first year Diploma of Information Technology award, based on the National Information Technology curriculum model. It develops the research questions pertaining to each model. It provides a full description of the present study and the adoption of a system approach in evaluating two contrasting curriculum models. Finally, this chapter justifies the study in terms of the significant impact the Information Technology has on society.Chapter Two reviews the literature on the theories from different disciplines and research findings in order to guide the present study. This eclectic section discusses theories related to Cognitive Science, Instructional Theories, Information Technology (IT) and Science Education, and Vocational Curriculum Models.Chapter Three describes the environment in which the content driven model has developed. It examines the historical changes and influences that have occurred in the Western Australian Technical and Further Education (WA TAFE) computing curriculum in terms of educational goals, content mix and profile, and assessments types. It investigates the relevance of the curriculum and the syllabi to meet the changing needs of industry; and assess the desirable and undesirable consequences of the content driven curriculum model.Chapter Four evaluates the effect of the content driven model. It examines the degree of satisfaction of the graduates with aspects of their Associate Diploma of Applied Science (Computing) courses in 1991/2/3 based on the NCVER study (1993), Dawe (1993) and Arrowsmith (1993/4) surveys. The results from each relevant question are provided, discussed and evaluated. This evaluation provides an in-depth view of graduates educational ++ / backgrounds prior to enrolment in the course, their satisfaction levels of teaching effectiveness and course organisation, present employment status, their preferences for further studies and their demographic profile.Chapter Five evaluates the current state of affairs under the new policy directions of the National Curriculum based on the CBT approach. Through classroom surveys, this chapter provides an evaluation of learners degree of satisfaction with aspects of their Advanced Certificate IV of the National IT Curriculum. For comparison purposes, these surveys also provide information on students educational backgrounds, level of satisfaction, their present employment status and preferences for further studies. It is most useful for curriculum planners, wanting to be cognisant in implement a CBT driven curriculum model.Chapter Six compares, evaluates and summarises the differences between the content and the CBT driven curriculum models. This chapter pays particular attention to the shifting of graduates and students satisfaction levels with their two different courses and the effects of moving from a content to a CBT driven curriculum model. It examines the changes in learners satisfaction levels and explains the reasons of patterns of changes, given that learners educational backgrounds, teachers effectiveness and other factors have remained constant over the last five years. This comparison is useful for curriculum planners, computing lecturers and employers as it makes them aware of the strength and weaknesses of these two contrasting curriculum models.Chapter Seven answers the question of the effectiveness of these two contrasting models. This has considerable implication for curriculum planners, computing lecturers and employers in terms of the ability of students to transfer skills and adapt to the rapidly changing IT environment. This study cannot predict ++ / the future, however, it makes long and short term recommendations for the sector based on historical evidence, research findings from the literature, surveys and interviews.

The provision of vocational education and training is largely provided by the Technical and Further Education (TAFE) colleges and institutes, which have been established throughout Australia. All of these colleges and institutes are the responsibility of the respective State governments and are generally considered by those governments as strategic instruments of government particularly in regard to the preparation of people for employment and addressing deficiencies within the workforce. As more emphasis has been placed upon government entities to be more entrepreneurial and corporate in their outlook, pressures for reform of the TAFE sector have also increased. These pressures have included changes to funding arrangements, increased compliance regimes and a freeing of the training delivery to encourage the establishment of private providers. This thesis explores how Chief Executive Officers and Middle Level Managers within the TAFE environment are responding to those challenges. Forty-seven senior TAFE managers are interviewed to ascertain their perspectives on the community and government expectations of TAFE and how they believe TAFE is reacting to these challenges. Resulting from the research has been the emergence of entrepreneurship in TAFE. The notion of entrepreneurship in TAFE seems to capture a sense of change, a sense of emerging vibrance, and is often used to describe innovation and risk taking within the TAFE environment. The word entrepreneurial, entrepreneurialism, entrepreneurship and other derivations of the word are loosely employed by TAFE personnel to describe particular phenomenon within TAFE. Within this thesis the treatment of entrepreneurship as a definitive concept is recognised as problematic and it is therefore treated in a way that aligns to the TAFE environment and not necessarily as defined by traditional entrepreneurial theory. / The resulting research has found that TAFE leaders are working in an environment that has a multiplicity of expectations and demands that challenge the leadership of TAFE. The research finds that many of the TAFE leaders strive to act entrepreneurially whilst attempting to manage an environment that is constrained by its policy frameworks, industrial relations requirements, funding arrangements and national and state compliance frameworks. The research questions whether governments should provide TAFE with greater capacity to act entrepreneurially; governments might, as a result be rewarded through greater achievements from the TAFE sector. While the research points to a number of highly successful leaders and leadership practices in TAFE it has also found that many leaders seem to rely upon intuitiveness and past experience to lead within their environments. Finally the research posits a framework for leadership within TAFE where the leadership styles of emotional intelligence, path-goal and leader-member exchange (LMX) are merged and integrated to provide a comprehensive quality leadership framework that will achieve positive outcomes: A framework that seeks to provide a practical guide to future leadership training and development in TAFE. In addition to the leadership framework the research has identified a number of intrinsic transformational drivers and extrinsic transformational drivers, which contribute to the success of leadership in TAFE and similarly a number of impediments, which restrict TAFE leaders.