This study sets out to describe the current situation in the
Home Tutor Scheme in the Australian Capital Territory, and
to evaluate the Scheme's effectiveness in achieving its
goals as listed in the Australian Institute of Multicultural
Affairs Review (1980). These stated goals were: to improve
the students' English language proficiency, to encourage
integration of the students into the wider community, and to
prepare them to attend more formal English language classes.
The writer also considered a further question in evaluating
the Scheme, whether it satisfied the needs and expectations
of the tutors and the students.
There were two sections to the investigation: the main
study, in which the progress of eighteen tutors and their
students was followed for a period of up to six months, and
a subsidiary study that was designed to assess the
generalisability of the data elicited in the main study. A
range of instruments were employed. In the main study,
findings were derived principally from interviews, and from
lesson reports written by tutors. In the subsidiary study,
data were collected by means of questionnaires issued to a
greater number of tutors and to students from the Scheme's
four major language backgrounds.
The introductory chapter sets out the purpose of the study
and explains its relevance in the current Australian
context. This is followed, in Chapter 2, by a review of the
relevant literature and previous research. The design of
the study is set out in Chapter 3, where details are given
of the procedures and instruments employed to gather data.
In Chapters A, 5 and 6, the results of the study are
presented. Discussion of these results and a consideration
of their implications may be found in Chapter 7. In the
final chapter, Chapter 8, the findings are summarised and
recommendations are made for future developments in the
Scheme.
In summary, the study found that in the ACT the Scheme was
achieving some success in its language teaching and social
objectives, and in satisfying its student clientele. It was
also found, however, that the Scheme's operational
efficiency was hampered by the low level of staffing and
that a significant number of tutors withdrew from the Scheme
after a short period because they were not experiencing a
high level of satisfaction. The recommendations made would,
it is thought, lead to greater efficiency of organisation
and could raise the level of tutor satisfaction.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/219148 |
| Date | January 1985 |
| Creators | Oner, J. A., n/a |
| Publisher | University of Canberra. Education |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | ), Copyright J. A. Oner |
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