This thesis examines the views of A.C.T. primary school teachers about their work to
build a picture of the culture of primary school teacher work of primary schools in the
Australian Capital Territory. I define teaching culture to mean the behaviour, work
practices, beliefs and possible habits teachers display in their efforts to perform the task
of teaching. This description of teaching is possibly similar to what some authors
describe as the 'sociology' of teaching (e.g. Barton and Walker, 1981). It is also a
reflection of Deal's suggestion that culture describes 'the way things are done around
here1 (Deal, 1985:605). In this case the study builds a picture of primary school teacher
perceptions of the way things are, the culture of primary school teacher work, in the
A.C.T. primary teaching system.
The study has been designed to identify key workplace issues which preoccupy A.C.T.
primary school teachers now and what they perceive to be the significant issues of the
future, that is by the year 2005. The Delphi methodology was chosen to be the means to
gather and refine information and perceptions from teachers its ability to clarify and
refine issues and because the Delphi has amongst its advantages anonymity for
participants and the use of experts in the data gathering.
The study found that a high proportion of teachers feel stressed about attending
meetings, yet wanting at the same time a say in the running of their school. Other
results were that teachers considered they are poorly supported by the wider community
and that a significant reward of the job was the interaction with the children. Teachers
also believe that instructional methods will be radically different by 2005.
The study aims to provide current information about the culture of primary school
teacher work to teachers themselves and to present to interested authorities and
institutions, such as the Department of Education and Training and The University of
Canberra or the Australian Catholic University, recommendations for further research
and practice to assist in policy design regarding the work teachers do.
Some recommendations to the Department of Education and Training include:
· the culture of primary school teacher work should be actively promoted to inform
the community of the complexity of teacher work and to attract quality applicants to
the profession;
· that classroom teachers are resourced, at comparable levels to Public Servants or
Departmental officers, with equipment such as computers and furniture;
· that consideration be given to providing more inservice opportunities for teachers
to pursue during stand-down (school holiday) time.
Recommendations made to teacher-training institutions include:
· regular research and reviews of teacher-training programs, with particular emphasis
placed on beginning teacher needs and competencies and to highlighting areas newly
recruited and experienced teachers consider require more training;
· the design of comprehensive upgrading programs catering for the needs of newly
appointed and experienced teachers.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/219174 |
| Date | January 1995 |
| Creators | Maiden, William, n/a |
| Publisher | University of Canberra. Education |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | ), Copyright William Maiden |
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