A growing international research base is suggesting that there can be no more serious sanction taken against children of primary school age than to withdraw their rights to attend school through suspension and exclusion - referred to in Queensland as School Disciplinary Absence (SDA). The short and long-term detrimental consequences of SDA to student recipients, their families, and social structures are well documented. Yet, SDA remains as a controversial, often policy-supported means to manage challenging student behaviour increasingly used by Queensland government schools. To contribute to this growing research, this project examines the potential influence of an array of principals' and teachers' beliefs on their decisions regarding the use of SDA within five government primary schools in Queensland. The study adopts a multi-method, case-study approach and is informed by social constructionist and critical theory perspectives. It draws from Rokeach's (1968) conceptualisation of the human belief system as having a number of sections where particular stated beliefs may be influenced by more powerful beliefs situated within another part of the system, which may (in turn) influence decisions and actions. Data were drawn from school documents, surveys, and interviews. Survey data revealed strong support for the use of SDA but interview data suggested that most participants believed that SDA was ineffective and held overriding concerns for the wellbeing and education of students exhibiting challenging behaviours. In some cases, particular beliefs were shown to override this unfavourable view of SDA and cause educators to become more likely to endorse its implementation. The study examines the complex construction of a variety of educator beliefs regarding SDA in general, the types of students who are more at risk of SDA, school and educator responsibility for supporting these students, and factors believed to prevent or make it difficult to avoid the use of SDA. Also, participants' concerns and recommendations regarding SDA are examined and implications for professional practice and school reform are considered.

Although much has been done in the study of values several important questions relative to the study of values remain. This thesis discusses the questions of what happens to the value systems of those who leave their culture for extended periods of time, do the perceptions of value systems become more accurate after exposure, and how does religiosity affect value systems.The study was based on the idea that each of the cultures being tested (Latin and United States) had a distinct, general value system which differentiated it from the other and yet unified the individuals within it. In this particular study this was not true. However, the possible reasons for this occurrance suggest some intriguing questions for further study. It is possible for example, that these results occurred because the sample group contained all LDS individuals and that this similarity in religion caused more similarity than culture caused differences between the sample groups. Also there was an indication that it is easier to differentiate cultures on the basis of their stereotypes of each other than on the basis of their value systems.