Analysis of word-valued source for universal coding

制度:新 ; 報告番号:甲2659号 ; 学位の種類:博士(工学) ; 授与年月日:2008/4/24 ; 早大学位記番号:新482

The Lived Experience of Teenage Alternative Entry Students

This doctoral dissertation describes a qualitative grounded study that examines the lived experience of teenage Alternative Entry Program (AEP) students, using data from two male and two female participants enrolled in an AEP at a private college of higher education (now a university college) in regional New South Wales. From the literature, it is evident that age tends to be an impediment to the academic progress of such students, with younger age being associated with higher attrition rates. Having a better understanding of the causes might make it possible to address the attrition and improve the performance of younger AEP students, thereby producing savings in time, money, and resources. The findings of the study show that teenage AEP students can perform effectively from Day One even after two years out of school, and despite not having completed Years 11 and 12. This success appears to be independent of their Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR), but closely linked to agency, which receives impetus from student goals. Success is likely to follow when career goals have been explored, matched to self-recognised potential, committed to, and then converted to strategic study goals. The research design is a bricolage of paradigms (constructivist-interpretivist and narrative), methodologies (mini-case study and grounded theory), and methods (narrative). The data were constructed, using reflective documents written by the participants, interviews, and researcher observations. The more successful participants were goal-driven and agentive. They engaged in study from Day One, having processed the experience of past academic underperformance and brought to the AEP new attitudes to study. Less successful students appeared to learn less from their initial self-analysis, to undervalue the AEP, and to resist taking responsibility as agents. The plans that teenage students institute in the orientation phase of an AEP set the tone for their unfolding semester. Making a positive start enables them to consolidate in the middle phase, where they grow in confidence and self-efficacy through interacting in the educational interface, and end the semester well, feeling satisfied—even excited—to be a step closer to commencing a degree program. The study fills several gaps in the literature, including the need for qualitative studies that feature the teenage voice, including the male voice. It reinforces the point that ATAR has limited value as an indicator of academic potential. And it demonstrates the value of second-chance education for teenage AEP students, providing evidence that not all the students with academic potential are identified in senior high school

Investigating the Role of Alternative Education Provision in Supporting Pathways out of Crime for Young People.

Interest in the study of desistance has increased dramatically since the 1970s and 1980s and has become the focus of much criminal justice policy, practice and research. Strong evidence suggests that individuals with a history of difficulties at school and low levels of educational attainment are more likely to offend, continue offending and become entangled in the criminal justice system. However, vast numbers of children continue to fall through the cracks of mainstream education in Ireland every year. The principal aim of this study is to investigate the role of alternative education provision (AEP) in supporting pathways out of crime for young people. Furthermore, the following components are explored: key desistance theories, influential factors which impact on young people’s desistance from offending, links between education and desistance and the manner in which AEP facilitates (or not) the development of elements conducive to young people moving away from offending. An extensive review of the literature was conducted and the perceived impact and personal experiences of past pupils of AEP were explored using a qualitative research approach. Findings that emerged from the study indicate that, through the development of psychosocial competencies, practical skills and positive relationships, most participants were supported by AEP in their transitions away from a potential life of crime. Through a sense of belonging, individual needs being met, the development of interpersonal relationships, the provision of a potential platform for change in self-identity and the development of resiliency in terms of the impact of life events, the value of AEP, as described by all participants, extended far beyond the classroom

"I want to be an Educational Psychologist": Aspiring Trainee Educational Psychologists’ Perceptions of the Course Application Process

This thesis explored aspiring Trainee Educational Psychologists’ (A-TEPs’) experiences of the Association of Education Psychologists’ (AEP) professional doctorate (ProfDoc) application process. The number of A-TEP applications to the Educational Psychology ProfDoc providers has increased steadily over time, however, the absence of literature about this process suggests there is limited knowledge about A-TEPs’ experiences of applying to become Trainee Educational Psychologists (TEPs). Whilst position papers about the journey of aspiring Clinical Psychologists and empirical evidence from New Zealand suggest the process is stressful, nothing is known about how A-TEPs experience the AEP’s application process. Within this sequential Mixed methods research, 110 participants responded to an online 19-item questionnaire in the quantitative phase. Descriptive and inferential statistics captured information about the sources of support and highlighted aspirants experience the process pleasantly. In the qualitative phase, six informants shared their thoughts, feelings and events which occurred throughout the process via narrative interviews. Narrative analysis was used as a method to explore these stories. Discussion of the findings suggest that although the application process was deemed stressful and negative experience increased as it progressed, the overall application process was experienced positively. With regards to sources of support, interaction with Educational Psychologists (EPs) was most useful and exploration of the AEP and universities’ websites were most common. Novel findings about the social support of family and online communities were found from the data. By contrast, the naïve enquiries of those who did not understand the process and ‘group panic’ found in forums were deemed unhelpful. The researcher suggests further research exploration into the voices of minority groups of A-TEPs’ is important. Possible implications for EPs, course providers and the AEP suggest there are systemic changes these bodies could make to further enhance the pleasant experiences of future A-TEPs