Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / The principal aim of this study is to contribute to the debate on effective teaching and learning by investigating the role of dispositions in differentiating between 12 teachers nominated by their school principals as being ‘exceptional teachers’. The thesis is premised on the importance of human dispositions for high quality teaching and learning. A conceptual framework is developed as a guide to structure the investigation that is set in the context of classroom teaching in primary and secondary schools selected from an opportunity sample of independent schools in New South Wales, Australia. The study proposes that it is possible to examine and gain insight into the nexus between pedagogic and dispositional variables when considering what it means to be an ‘exceptional teacher’. From an extensive review of the literature a conceptual model, the Dispositional Cluster Model (DCM), is developed from five complementary fields of research literature, namely: effective teachers and effective teaching, giftedness and talent, intelligence, creativity, and dispositions. The case study involves the application of four instruments that are used to examine pedagogic variables, and teacher values and beliefs. In addition, the Interview Analysis Framework (IAF) has been designed to analyse case study interviews. NVivo analysis has also been applied to the interviews. The results from the case study provide a rich array of data for differentiating between the case study teachers. The major outcome of this research was the development of the IAF as an instrument that proved to be a useful and credible tool for analysing the case study interviews. It is proposed that the IAF and the DCM have strong potential for implementation in the areas of teacher education, teachers’ professional development, and teacher evaluation. The IAF may prove to be a useful device for school principals to use for analysing teacher interviews, providing teacher support, and for assessing teachers.

This study examines the way in which three Education Assistants (EAs) engaged with an Initial Teacher Education (ITE) program at an Australian Higher Education Institution (HEI). In order to assist the EAs to engage with the ITE program the school in which they worked developed a series of intervention strategies. These strategies combined to form what became known as the Christmas Island District High School (CIDHS) Trainee Teacher Program. Through this program the EAs were provided support in the various critical aspects of the ITE program. Within an Australian context the EAs were from non-mainstream backgrounds. They were mature age women who had disrupted educational backgrounds, spoke English as a second language, and were living in a geographically remote location. Their journey from ‘Education Assistant’ to ‘Teacher’, via an ITE program and with the support of the school, is the subject of this inquiry. A grounded qualitative research methodology is used to investigate and analyse the participation of the EAs from their points of view. The personal and grounded experiences of the participants in this study are then supplemented by a review of the international literature pertaining to non-mainstream participation in Higher Education. Specifically, the study examines significant aspects of an ITE program including: • Entrance via alternative access programs • Engagement with course theory and school practicums • Recognition for Prior Learning (RPL) • The implications of studying via distance mode • The role of mentors • The impact of funding structures and fees on non-mainstream students As well as the pragmatic aspects of the program, this study also examines the critical impact that various Discourses (Gee, 1999), and the ideologies that underpin them, had on the ability of the participants to successfully make the transition from Education Assistant to Teacher. The dissertation ends with a series of recommendations for action for the HEI sector, schools sectors and regulatory authorities. The aims are to add to the international literature on non-mainstream participation in ITE and to aid in the development of ITE programs that better address the needs of non-mainstream students.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Tulsa, 1989.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--University of Tulsa, 1972. / Bibliography: leaves 70-74.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Lewis & Clark College, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 128-134).

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Indiana University, School of Education, 2006. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed Oct. 30, 2008). Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 68-07, Section: A, page: 2899. Adviser: Khaula Murtadha.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, School of Education, 2004. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed Nov. 11, 2008). Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 66-01, Section: A, page: 0147. Chair: Terrence Mason.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Kent State University, 2007. / (UMI)AAI3269140. Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 68-06, Section: A, page: 2415. Advisers: Steve Michael; Joanne Arhar.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--University of North Texas, August, 2008. / Title from title page display. Includes bibliographical references.