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Aims of the study are to address the issue concerning public perception of quality education. A theoretical approach derived from consumer psychology is adopted which involves application of dimensionality to schools. There is description of a model for prediction of satisfaction and quality in relation to secondary education. After a review of issues concerning the political context, empirical research, and the characteristics of education, service quality, theories of motivation and impression formation, and definitions of satisfaction are considered. A consumer model of service evaluation is described, with implications of its relevance to education. There is an account of information gathering, by means of depth interviews and focus group discussions. This is followed by descriptions of four surveys and analyses of data. The study shows that a wide range of issues are involved in the school judgement process. A number of categories are matched with service quality dimensions proposed by Parasuraman et al. (1988). Information sources are investigated and factor analyses of data provides a group of overlapping judgement criteria, which contrast with the SERVQUAL structure described. Findings indicate that 'Tangibles', 'Academic', 'Communication' and 'Socio-emotional' dimensions are of consequence in the school judgement process, and various features related to satisfaction are identified. It is concluded that several criteria are taken into account in the judgement process, and a satisfactory model is additive in nature. Although there are important differences between evaluation processes in respect of education and other services, a gap definition of service quality judgement and the dimensional structure are useful. Findings are reviewed in relation to background literature and implications for school management are indicated.

Universities in response to government initiatives, have engaged with the vocalisation of Higher Education. This has included the extension of placement opportunities in the belief that this will imbue undergraduate teaching with enhanced relevance to the world beyond the university while increasing the employability of graduates. Among a range of claimed benefits for internships, it has been asserted that there will be enhanced academic performance; to date there has been virtually no published empirical evidence on this relationship. This thesis addresses this lacuna. A set of investigations was designed to test for enhanced academic performance post-placement, with differences in the architecture of the placement as intervening variables. It was found that under work environment architecture, there was no significant difference between the academic performance of placement undergraduates on return to academic studies and that of their non-placement peers; under learning environment architecture there was a significant difference between those who had taken placement and their non-placement peers. There was evidence of prior-selection: students who were academically stronger tended to undertake placement. There was indications that in the learning environment architecture, those who had taken an internship did not add value to their academic performance, whereas their non-intern peers did. There was some evidence that academic motivation in the immediate post-internship period was diminished. In accounting for the findings, the processes of transfer of learning are considered as well as sub-issues including the role of contracts and motivation in transfer of learning. Consideration is taken of the implications of the findings for the constituent stakeholder groups. Issues relating to the public policy are considered and directions for further research are suggested. The results support the view that internships can be designed to promote academic values and learning; they should not be seen merely as vehicles for promoting the learning of skills and competencies which are not readily produced in the universities.

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This study argues that time is a significant factor for the ways in which early years education is conceptualised and experienced. Three time scales are shown to be important. Firstly, the historical background to early years teaching is examined. In particular, I argue that the way in which women have come to be seen as the most appropriate teachers of young children has implications for how early years teaching is perceived and experienced in the 1990's. Secondly, the life history approach adopted by this study highlights the importance of early years teachers' own histories. The biographical accounts of fourteen early years teachers show how past experiences influence teachers' perceptions, understandings and experiences of their work. Thirdly, the particular time period, contemporary time, in which teachers live and work is shown to influence the way in which early years teachers perceive and experience their work. Of particular importance here are the recent educational reforms and the ways in which early years teachers have responded to them. I examine the role that early years teachers construct for themselves, a role shaped by the responsibility of being children's first school educators, and argue that for many teachers this role conflicts with current educational reforms.

Concerns about children's eating problems such as obesity, unhealthy eating, dieting and eating disorders have been rising in recent years because of their detrimental effects on children's health. By exploring nine year old children's perceptions of body image, their perceptions of the link between body size and food, and their perceptions of the control of children's eating, this study seeks to contribute to an understanding of why children may develop these eating problems. 98 children undertook a semi-structured interview which incorporated drawing and card sorting activities. The measurement of the children's body mass index allowed the sample to be grouped into three weight categories. When describing their ideal body images most children rejected fatness, most girls wanted to be thin to medium and most boys wanted to be medium to muscley. About half the children were dissatisfied with their own body image, and about half wanted an ideal body image which differed to that of an ordinary child. The children described hypothetical fat people as eating large amounts of high calorie foods, such as chips, very quickly. Thin people were described as eating smaller quantities of lower calorie foods, such as fruit, slowly. The children demonstrated a good understanding of how foods could alter body size. Adults, particularly mothers, were perceived as having a great deal of control over the food which children ate. The study indicated that whilst many nine year old girls and boys had the pre-requisite knowledge to diet, girls had more incentive to do so. Boys had less incentive than girls to eat healthy food. The research draws attention to an association between men and women's perceptions of eating and body image, and boys' and girls'. The current national obesity campaign may be inadvertently fuelling children's eating problems and needs to address children's needs as separate to those of adults. Educational strategies which could make an important contribution to the primary prevention of eating problems include active learning about: the nutritional value of foods such as meat, normal changes in body shape and size, the biology of weight regulation, prejudice and discrimination on the basis of body shape or size, and social images of food and body image. These need to take a gender sensitive approach which acknowledges the biological and cultural differences between girls and boys.

Contrary to the prevailing thinking about beliefs change, Perry (1970), in his model of “Intellectual and Ethical Development”, described structural cognitive and ethical changes that take place during students’ experiences in university education. The research reported here used Johnstone’s (1998) adaptation of Perry’s (1970) scheme of “Intellectual and Ethical Development” to investigate pre- and in-service teachers’ belief change, to examine whether teachers’ beliefs are rooted in a Victorian system and whether they are facilitators or inhibitors of educational change? Using quantitative and qualitative approaches, the current study traced the development of the beliefs of cross sectional groups of pre- and in-service teachers, identified the factors and the influences that in-service teachers perceived to be of great effect on changing their belief profiles and uncovered teachers’ perceptions of what could be the leverage points of educational change. These examinations were conducted in two cultural settings: Egypt and Scotland. Findings confirmed that the beliefs of pre- and in-service teachers do change over time. These changes followed various patterns. In some groups, the change identified contradicted the change anticipated by Perry in his model. Furthermore, major contextual barriers to belief change and interpretation have been identified. Despite the collective effect of these barriers, teachers singled out current curriculum and assessment frameworks as the greatest barriers to changing beliefs and practices. Recommendations include a process of personal and systemic change as a means to achieve the paradigm shift necessary to develop the beliefs in accord with 21st century education reform; provision of specifically designed teacher education programmes and the development of professional development modules.

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1 v. (various paging) : plates ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Oral Biology, 1976