This paper discusses women’s involvement in their children’s mathematics education. It does, where possible, focus Torres Strait Islander women who share the aspirations of Aborginal communities around Australia. That is, they are keen for their children to receive an education that provides them with opportunities for their present and future lives. They are also keen to have their cultures’ child learning practices recognised and respected within mainstream education. This recognition has some way to go with the language of instruction in schools written to English conventions, decontextualised and disconnected to the students’ culture, Community and home language.

No description available.

The Thesis explores the life situations of the three Mackay-based groups: Aboriginal, Torres Strait and South Sea Islander through oral history research and the lived experience of an Elder from each of these groups. Using a combination of oral and written approaches, the project seeks to document ongoing interactions between the three groups from the 1930s and assess their implications for culture, identity and mobility.

This thesis examines issues of power, culture and schooling as they apply to an indigenous community located on Saibai Island in the Torres Strait of northern Australia. The thesis combines literature research with ethnography to consider Saibaian schooling in various contexts. These include the history of schooling in the region, the relevant educational literature and the actual physical and social contexts of schooling on Saibai. Early chapters deal with methodology, history and educational literature. Later chapters deal with ethnographic material using the themes of separation, culture and collaborative decision-making to organise the data. The work of Michel Foucault informs the analytical approach to issues of power. Hence power is considered to be ubiquitous, productive and linked to issues of knowledge and culture. School principals are identified as key figures in schooling and therefore play a major role in the thesis. As the principals are all men of non-Islander (anglo) backgrounds, this thesis represents a significant break from works within the realm of indigenous education that are heavily influenced by cultural anthropology and tend to focus only on the Aboriginal or Islander participants as objects of study. The thesis considers how Saibaian people are excluded from schooling through various techniques and practices that tend to place the principal in a position of autocracy vis a vis the school. Furthermore, I show how various schooling practices that aim to include community members in schooling are shaped and transformed such that they actually serve to entrench the principal in his position of control over schooling. This applies even in the way that cultural activities are incorporated into the school illustrating that no aspect of schooling is immune to relations of power. Indeed, the notion of Saibaian Islanders belonging to a unique cultural group is used by some principals to argue that they are unsuited to roles within the school's decision-making process. Ultimately, then, this thesis is about relations between school principals and community members in the context of schooling on Saibai Island.

The realm of research into the various aspects of organisations is wide-ranging, offering any researcher immense freedom to investigate those area(s) which are of particular interest to him/her. While there are set theoretical parameters for studying organisations, eg. various theories looking at organisational communication, structure and networks, the only real limitation lies in the mind of the researcher. That is the beauty and nature of organisations, they do not have to wholly conform to any set ideal, rather they have the opportunity to be unique and diverse depending upon the organisation's purpose. It seems that most investigations of organisations are one dimensional, ie. reporting on what actually happens or how efficient processes are or attempting to define aspects of culture. However, in this thesis a second dimension has been added�intercultural aspects of communication. Hence, the research evaluates the intersection of the intercultural communication which exists within an organisation. For this two dimensional approach, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) was chosen. As with most bureaucratic organisations, due to the size and complexity it is not practicable to look at an entire organisation For this thesis, a case study of one of ATSIC's twenty-seven regional offices was undertaken. Details of this follow in the paper; however, the two main reasons for choosing to complete a case study of ATSIC are 1) because the author is full-time employee with access to people, facts and inside information that might otherwise not be available and 2) ATSIC is not a typical bureaucracy; rather it is atypical due to its structure and purpose, which is to further the economic, social and cultural diversity of Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders. While part of the Commonwealth Government, ATSIC is founded upon, and is committed to, furthering both intercultural concepts and the economic status of Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders. This is accomplished by ATSIC being the major advisory body to Government; attending national and international policy forums; raising awareness of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures; and in providing supplementary funding (through both grant and loan initiatives) which supports other funding that is given to indigenous people or organisations through Government mainstream programs (health, housing, education, social welfare etc.). To further limit the scope of this research, the communication which has been analysed is that relating to grant administration. As ATSIC plays a major role in providing grant funding to indigenous people, this area of evaluation is highly important, as it shows how ATSIC (represented by one regional office) carries out its functions and business: providing services and assistance to its clients�the Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders. The case study includes comments gleaned from both questionnaires and interviews from staff and managers within the chosen regional office. This also includes views of indigenous and non-indigenous people as well as views from the elected community representatives of that region. It is envisaged that by incorporating the views of those mentioned above, that the data is as complete, valid and reliable as possible As with any traditional group of people, there are different norms and cultures which permeate their social and working lives. The information presented in this thesis is based on views of a non-indigenous person who has collected data from one specific region and it is not valid to generalise these findings to other regions in Australia. Communication in ATSIC is highly complex and difficult to explain to those outside the organisation. A main reason for this is that there are many requirements that both the Government and the indigenous communities place on ATSIC, and unfortunately they are often diametrically opposed. This creates quite an ironic and disharmonious situation for all parties concerned�a bureaucracy versus intercultural perspectives. These situations are discussed throughout the thesis. It is important for readers to note that the ideas which are conveyed in this thesis are the author's own and are not necessarily those of ATSIC, the Government or indigenous people. This research experience is one which has been extremely beneficial for the author. While the author's personal views may not be aligned with others, I challenge those people to read not only this thesis, but other work like it so that they may be in a position to make their own informed decisions about controversial issues such as Aboriginal affairs.

The overarching research problem for this study was the need to improve upon rational models of policy analysis and delivery, to suit complex postmodern implementation environments. A theoretical model suited to implementing and evaluating major education reform initiatives was devised. Called the 'Multiple Discourse Model', it was grounded in systems theory, containing elements reminiscent of social systems, organisational and structural functionalist research, especially that of Hoy and Miskel (1982)1. However the model was also designed to incorporate a parallel naturalistic analysis reminiscent of postmodern critical pragmatic approaches, such as those explored by Cherryholmes (1994)2. Over a period of five years, this model was developed through an evaluation of the implementation of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Policy (AEP) in the Australian Capital Territory government secondary schools sector. The distinguishing feature of the study's methodology was its multiperspective analysis, an approach suggested by Mclaughlin (1987)3 to take account of the differing communities of discourse which exist in a reformist policy implementation environment. To operationalise the research problem, dimensions of policy effectiveness were articulated. These were addressed through a comprehensive set of research indicators, extracted from the AEP's national policy goals and the local strategic and operational plans. Data aimed at judging the effectiveness of implementation were collected from multiple sources using multiple research instruments. These data were analysed in three stages using a purpose-designed computer program which could cross-reference between the four interacting dimensions of research indicators, research instruments, data sources, and potential variables modifying policy/program outcomes. It was found that this model produced clear conclusions about the effectiveness of AEP implementation in the delimited sector, within the framework of the AEP's own policy assumptions. The model also provided insights into critical issues which are generalisable to the national context, such as the power of cultural hegemony and the socio-political predicament of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander dispossession. As a methodology, the model was found to have a number of technical advantages, including its capacity for focussing on selected areas of the implementation environment, its provision of access to multiple levels of detail amongst data and its possession of mechanisms for monitoring its own internal validity. The evaluation case study, used as the vehicle for the Multiple Discourse Model's development, demonstrated that best-practice administration was in place which enhanced short and medium-term policy/program outcomes. However, the study's findings also suggested that a fundamental disjuncture existed between the AEP's policy/administration paradigm and the conflicting assumptions of the primary target communities, reinforcing the findings of Sykes (1986)4. The research results suggested that despite measurable successful inputs, the planned long-term outcomes of the AEP will not necessarily be achieved. No significant administrative structures or actions were apparent which could resolve this lack of synchrony at the interface between government delivery systems and 'grass roots' Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community values. This raised doubts about whether any systems approach, however well refined, could be socially useful not only for evaluation, but also as a basis for reform policy and public administration in a postmodern pluralist democratic setting. The evaluation was therefore used as a locus for theoretical reflection as well. A new policy paradigm is suggested, based on a power-sharing 'theory of community', more in keeping with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples' aspirations for self determination and more likely to alleviate the so far unresolved destructive effects of cultural and political dispossession.

n/a

In this thesis I propose to address what are, in my view, significant educational problems: how to tease out and analyse those principles, concerning equity and social justice, which underlie a particular program of teacher education. I want to discuss the kinds of principles, issues and considerations which have to be faced when designing such a program as the Diploma of Teaching (Early Childhood Education) for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students at James Cook University. The issues I will address are these: (a) The extent to which the notion of equality of educational opportunity is being addressed in the provision of teacher-education programs in Queensland in general, and James Cook University in particular; (chapter 1). (b) Ways in which the Diploma of Teaching (Early Childhood Education) p r o g r am aims to produce teachers able to act as agents of bi-cultural transmission; (chapters 2 and 3). (c) The value, usefulness and desirability of James Cook University setting up a teacher-education program specifically for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students from geographically remote communities, thus increasing the participation rates of Aborigines and Islanders in teacher-education programs; (chapters 4 and 5). This process of analysis has led me to structure the thesis around three dimensions: (i) The historical context of the program; (ii) The program as one response to the problems faced by educational institutions in meeting the educational needs of Aboriginal people; (iii) A basis for the next phase in the development of new programs of teacher - education for indigenous students living in remote communities. This is a qualitative research project, based on my interpretation of available documentation, my use of relevant literature, and my own involvement as planner of, and teacher in the program. It is not a quantitative research project. The structure of the thesis has, as its introduction, an analysis of the extremely complex situation which exists at James Cook University. This analysis leads to a search for a set of principles to provide the theoretical underpinning of the program, which in turn leads through a combination of theory and practice to the "praxis" of the program as a model of equity and educational practice in teacher-education. The thesis is concluded by the presentation of the current stage in the development of a program for teacher-education students in remote communi ties. The conceptual framework for my thesis has been developed through my determination to increase my understanding of the complexities of developing teacher-education programs for indigenous students at James Cook University. The thesis is developed through case study techniques including: personal observation and recording of my work as Program Planner; a situational analysis of the historical background, leading up to the development of the Diploma of Teaching (Early Childhood Education) ; a discussion of the stages through which the development team proceeded with intentionality and empathy towards its task of constructing a specific program of teacher-education; and my use of existing literature to comprehend the educational and social problems which the program attemted to alleviate. Throughout my thesis the specificity of the "case", and the eclectic position I have adopted, have acted as boundaries of my conceptual framework. My thesis attempts to show that the "case" of the development of teacher-education programs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students at James Cook University, although an idiosyncratic instance , is valuable as illumination , if not for generalisation, and thus has a credibility and usefulness. The characteristics of the case-study method are frequently more appropriate to expansion is than reductionist activities, and I have tried to show how the different perspectives of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people, together with the beliefs, attitudes and values of such different interest-groups as university academics, Commonwealth and State Education Department bureaucrats, and teachers and parents in schools, have emphasised both the importance of questioning assumptions and the importance of critical, experiential understanding.

No description available.

No description available.