Dr Anthony Chittenden (EdD), Griffith University, Perceptions of structural and organisational change in pastoral care in an Independent School in Queensland.

In an age of restructuring and change in schools, pastoral care is one of those intangible elements considered an integral part of a school's culture. In establishing discrete Middle and Senior Schools, schools are concerned with the development of a caring environment as a direct aid in improving a student's academic achievement. Decisions based on consultation and communication are clearly important to the relationship between pastoral care and the existence of ethical leadership. This case study of a secondary school's changing pastoral structures, organisation and process presents a brief overview of the current pastoral structure, its meaning and significance in the school's organisation. This is augmented with an analysis of Starratt's model of ethical leadership, pastoral care and change research. Qualitative and quantitative methods were employed to gather data by means of concept mapping, questionnaire and interviews. Perceptions of teachers, Middle and Senior Managers were sought as a consequence of an Independent school's structural change in pastoral care. The major learnings which may be helpful to other schools include information on the restructuring of roles, the rationale for pastoral care processes, accompanied by the clear determination and awareness of the multiplicity of meanings of pastoral care and the allocation of resources (time, money, people, professional development, remuneration, career paths, program). The division of secondary school pastoral care into Middle and Senior School structures punctuates the need for collaborative and ethical decision-making in which teachers, Middle and Senior Managers work co-operatively to embrace and implement the aims of a school. This highlights the significant need for a combination of top-down and bottom-up decision-making processes.

Dr Wendy Cumming-Potvin (PhD), The University of Queensland, A socio-cultural analysis of language learning and identity transformation during a teaching experiment with primary school students.

The thesis examined the literacy learning of three case study Year 4 students as they participated in a teaching experiment designed to introduce a Language Other Than English (LOTE) and to extend engagement in diverse cultural activities. Students' participation was analysed from a socio-cultural perspective (Bakhtin, 1981, 1984, 1986; Rogoff, 1990; Vygotsky, 1978, 1986), which was situated within a critical organisational framework (Allaire & Firsimoto, 1988; Cummins, 1996). Over a six-month period, the researcher alternated between the role of interventionist and observer to implement a Language and Culture Awareness Program that aimed to sensitise students to diversity in language and culture, and to relate LOTE learning to other content areas of the primary school curriculum. Whilst the program focused on teaching French as a LOTE language through bilingual shared story experiences, activities involving English, Danish and Dutch were also planned, to take advantage of the students' own heritage and resources. As a classroom observer, the researcher gathered data from multiple sources, such as direct observations, semi-structured interviews, questionnaires, and videotapes. To consider the complex interplay of factors, analysis of key policy documents was also conducted to provide an insight into the guiding cultural framework for LOTE in Australian schools. Results indicated that as case study students appropriated LOTE linguistic knowledge with diverse partners in a range of settings, they explored an emerging membership of diverse cultural and linguistic groups. This membership resulted in varying degrees of identity transformation, which is linked to a phenomenon that has been termed 'multi-tiered scaffolding' in the thesis. On a broader level, these results demonstrate the interplay between linguistic achievement in second language learning and students' development in a community organisation of culture. These findings support the necessity of actively encouraging socio-cultural and linguistic diversity through policies that integrate LOTE programs into the mainstream curriculum. This integration should consider the multiple levels of schools' culture, such as: perceptions held by actors, structural organization and values promoted through official policies.

Dr Helen Kowalski (PhD), University of Wollongong, Toddlers' Emerging Symbolic Play: The Influence of Peers in the Day-Care Context.

This research was to understand some of the influences, on the development of symbolic play in children aged from 18 to 30 months. It was hypothesised that toddlers who engaged in free play with older peers would exhibit symbolic-play activity more frequently and at enhanced levels than when engaged in free play with their same-age peers. Data collection comprised of three, ten-minute observations of the participant at play in: same-age outdoor free play, mixed-age outdoor free play with preschool-aged peers, and dyad free play. In the dyad condition, the participant was paired with a familiar and 'self-chosen' older peer. Video-taped segments were rated every 30 seconds for the frequency and level of symbolic play in each of the four dimensions ('decontextualisation', 'thematic content', 'organisation of themes', and self-other relationships') identified by Westby (1991). The parents of the toddler participants completed questionnaires providing information regarding: children's activities and interests; parental expectations of their child's developmental outcomes, and the socio-economic status of the family. Questionnaires completed by LDCCC staff members indicated the value they placed upon play and other components of the program; and the level of training and qualifications achieved in Early-Childhood Education by the respondent. Results showed that toddlers engaged in free play in the dyad condition (Condition Three) displayed symbolic play more frequently and at higher, more complex levels than when engaged in same-age play or mixed-age play. A sibling effect was also found: toddlers who were 'first-borns' engaged in symbolic play more frequently and at higher, more complex levels in mixed-age play (Condition Two) than in either of the other two conditions. It is suggested that older peers when engaged with younger toddler-aged children assume the role of the 'more-skilled other' (Vygotsky, 1987) providing 'guided participation' (Rogoff, 1990) for the toddler operating in their zone of proximal development.

Dr Timothy Loreman (PhD), Monash University, Secondary school inclusion for students with moderate to severe disabilities in Victoria, Australia.

Inclusion involves students with disabilities learning with their peers in regular schools that adapt and change the way they work in order to meet the needs of all students. This research set out to examine the practice of inclusion for students with moderate to severe disabilities attending regular secondary schools throughout Victoria. This mixed-methodology study involved six qualitative student case studies and a widely distributed quantitative teacher questionnaire. Eight themes were identified which included: parent involvement; academics and curriculum; social difficulties; funding and resources; school ethos and attitudes; teacher issues; aide issues; and student personality. Solutions to some of the identified problems, in part, pointed towards changing the role of school 'integration teachers' in order to facilitate better training for teachers in addressing the needs of students with moderate to severe disabilities within an inclusive school framework.

Dr Reesa Sorin (PhD), University of Wollongong, Responding to the Fears of Early Childhood: An investigation of perception and practice in emotion education.

The study investigated basic emotions, in particular the emotion of fear, as they are reported to be experienced by preschool children, and how fear is responded to by parents and caregivers. Qualitative in design, it used a variety of tools, including: Parents' Surveys, Caregivers' Surveys, Focal Group Interviews and observations and reflections by the researcher. Data were collected over a six-month period from four early childhood settings: a long day care centre, an independent preschool, a preschool attached to a school and a Multifunctional Aboriginal Children's Service. Total participants included forty-five children aged between 3 and 5 years old, forty-six parents and twenty-one caregivers. Eight basic emotions were reported as present in preschool children, however reports of fears varied greatly between parents, caregivers and the children themselves. Not all of the methods used by parents and caregivers to respond to fear were reported as effective: some even seemed to invalidate the emotion. A discrepancy between parents' reports of their own responses to fear and of caregivers' responses was noted, even though many parents reported similarities in parental and caregivers' approaches. While caregivers were often reported to be "extensions" of parents in their responses to fear, some caregivers reported implementing teaching and planning strategies in addressing fear. Most participants seemed to view fear as "negative" and in need of eradication. The literature, however, suggests that it is important to understand all emotions and to be able to express them in ways that are both individually and socially acceptable. This means a shift in social/pedagogical thinking to a more "emotion-based" curriculum, supportive of emotion understanding and expression.

Dr Jennifer Taylor (PhD), Macquarie University, Okaasan yometa! Literacy in two languages: A study of the literacy experiences of Japanese children in early childhood settings in Sydney.

This dissertation reports a study of the literacy experiences of ten Japanese children in their homes and early childhood classrooms (prior-to-school and first year of school) in Sydney, Australia. The specific purpose of this study was to investigate the types of literacy experiences made available to these children, whether these experiences were supportive of biliteracy development, and whether the Japanese children took up these experiences. Much previous research on children's literacy-related play has focused on English literacy development. Where ways to support literacy in languages other than English (LOTE) have been explored, researchers have often investigated bilingual programmes. In Australia, however, many early childhood programmes cater for children from a wide range of linguistic and cultural backgrounds, making bilingual programmes impractical. This study investigates how Japanese children's literacy development in both English and Japanese was (or was not) supported in mainstream classrooms in Australia. I have also explored alternative forms of representing the ontological and epistemological bases of research in this dissertation, and I have drawn on rational, as well as intuitive and somatic knowing in an attempt to approach the meaning-making process of research in a holistic manner. This holistic approach influenced both data generation and analysis. I see data not as material to be collected, but rather as being generated within the relationship between researcher and researched. I define data analysis in this study as a process of coming to know not only rationally, but also emotionally and somatically. The data in this study consist predominantly of video and audio tapes of children's literacy-related play, woven together with photographs of and artifacts from the children's play, field notes and reflective journal entries, and interviews with teachers and parents. I have grouped these materials into three broad categories: literacy in free play, in group story time, and at home. The findings of this study highlight the need for mainstream support of LOTE literacy. Teachers identified, however, three key factors that hindered their ability to support biliteracy: lack of time, funding and bilingual staff. The dissertation concludes with a discussion of some possible ways to address these issues.