Views on the valuing and revitalization of textiles education in secondary schools in New South Wales (NSW) vary widely. NSW is unique in that it is the only state in Australia to have a discrete textiles related subject offered for their senior secondary qualifications. The introduction of a new syllabus for the upper secondary schools in 1999 saw the Higher School Certificate (HSC) subject of Textiles and Design become the fastest growing HSC subject from 2000 - 2004. The fact that the subject survived the review of the New HSC was a testimony to the support it received from all sectors of textiles education from secondary to tertiary level and from the professional associations representing the textiles industry. The main concern expressed by the teachers in the secondary schools was the ageing of the current teaching population and the inadequacy of the training institutions to train teachers in sufficient quantity and quality to replace those who are antici pated to retire over the next five years. The study aimed to identify the perceived value of textiles education as a means of supporting the promotion of the subject and to uncover any negative perceptions of the subject and its future so strategies could be developed to overcome any barriers to the revival and maintenance of the subject beyond 2010. Of particular interest was the value of textiles education in bridging a cultural divide between migrant students and the schools and its importance to students of all abilities for its development and expression of creativity. The negative aspects of the cost of resources and perception of low status as an academic subject in schools are addressed. The significance of the study is based in the inclusive nature of the participants represented in the study that include head teachers, secondary textiles teachers, student teachers and secondary textiles students. The diversity of perspectives gave richness to the data and provides some wonderful insights into the dynamic relationships that affect the effective presentation of textiles curriculum in secondary schools. Using models to analyse the historical influences on current perceptions of textiles, the study found evidence of the resilience and drive of new young teachers who are often not given the encouragement to develop their skills in preparation to support the future of textiles education in NSW.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/210225 |
| Date | January 2007 |
| Creators | DuVernet, Louise Frances, l.vernet@mary.acu.edu.au |
| Publisher | RMIT University. Fashion and Textiles |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | http://www.rmit.edu.au/help/disclaimer, Copyright Louise Frances DuVernet |
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