Christian Education Research Centre
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Item A Millennial Case Study of Literacy In Minecraft Based on the Four Resource Model for Reading(2017-12-01) Taylor, Lauren EliseThis case study reports the literacy experiences using Luke and Freebody’s Four Resource Model of reading for a Generation Alpha playing Minecraft. Through this single, descriptive case study the Four Resource Model facets of code breaker, text participant, text user and text analyst were investigated. Data was generated through a community survey, an interview with the Generation Alpha and their guardian, as well as researcher - observations and reflective journal. The data was analysed and interpreted through phenomenological analysis. The results show that Minecraft is not the most popular application and that less children and adolescents game daily compared to previous studies. However, this study proves that each facet of the Four Resource Model for reading emerge during a Generation Alpha’s Minecraft experience.
Item High School Worship Assembly and Student Faith Maturity(2001-10-01) Heise, Leighton CharlesThe development of spirituality and faith in students is one of the main goals of Christian education. The present study investigated this faith development and factors that contributed to it. Within the content of the study, faith was identified in two major themes. Vertical faith refers to relationship with God, belief in and commitment to Him and a willingness to foster this relationship. Horizontal faith refers to aspects of service and social justice, care and concern for others through compassionate interest in human relationships. The study investigated the role that worship assembly played in faith development. In particular, the study investigated the impact of background factors, student participation in worship assembly and student attitudes to worship assembly, and their respective role in faith development. Data were collected from 840 students in 3 schools in the Central Coast and Hunter Region of New South Wales during Term 2, 2001 using a questionnaire. Regression analysis was used to test hypothesised relationships in a causal model, linking background, intermediate and outcome variables. Vertical faith maturity, that is students’ relationship with God and commitment to Him, was found to be high, whereas horizontal faith maturity, that is care and concern through service to others was not as high but was still positive. Student attitudes towards worship assembly were positive. Students were found to exhibit very low rates of planning involvement and even lower rates of active participation in worship assembly. Participation, contrary to the import of the literature, had no major influence on vertical faith, and only a slight causal relationship with horizontal faith. Causal pathways examined showed students who had positive attitudes to worship assembly were Christian and had both previous church and school worship experiences reported a mature vertical faith, ie a strong relationship with God, commitment to Him and willingness to foster relationship with God. Also, students with positive attitudes to worship assembly who were female, senior school students and were active participants in worship assembly reported a mature horizontal faith, ie they were strong in commitment to fellow human beings through service, social justice, and action on the human plane. Students involved in worship planning were most likely to be senior school students who are Christian, with previous church worship experience. Active leadership participants were most likely to be those who had previous church worship experience.
Item Perceptions of Four Fourth-Year Pre-Service Teachers in Regards to their Preparation to Domestic Violence and its Associated Trauma(2016-12-01) Costigan, Bianka-JayneCurrent statistics detail the prevalence and rising issue of domestic violence in Australia. The ripple effects of this national issue reach into the school system, with domestic violence and its associated trauma impacting students emotionally, behaviourally, physically, and reducing cognitive processing in the classroom. Recent literature details the way in which teachers and educators stand on the front lines for combating this issue. The daily and continual proximity between students and teachers allows for a space of identification and support for students exposed to or victims of domestic violence and its associated trauma. The aim of this research project was to investigate the way in which pre-service teachers from one faith-based university are prepared to identify and effectively engage with students exposed or victim to domestic violence. Guided by inside/outside researcher methodology (Dwyer & Buckle, 2009; Amstrong and de Plessis, 1998), this study explored this issue acknowledging the multivocality present when the researcher has experienced the phenomena in focus. Employing mixed methods of data collection, including survey, semi-structured interviews, document analysis and reflective journaling, this research presents multiple perspectives of pre-service teachers regarding their understanding of domestic violence and its associated trauma. The results of the study concluded that pre-service teachers are already encountering issues related to domestic violence and its associated trauma during their undergraduate practicums; however, they did not feel prepared to effectively engage or support these students. Pre-service teachers also documented encounters of normalisation by educators and education institutions; also detailing that they felt their faith-based university was not preparing them to cope with the issue in the classroom. Pre-service teachers in this investigative study expressed a desire to be given the skills to recognise, effectively engage and provide support for students exposed to domestic violence and its associated trauma.
Item The Intersection between Home Education and Educational Technology: A Case Study(2016-12-01) Rippingale, Samantha AnnePrevious research into Australian home education suggests that home educators personalise pedagogy and learning to the needs and interests of the individual child. This study sought to understand this perspective in general and in particular, how one family integrated educational technology [EdTech] into home education of their primary-aged children. The design of this project adapted a qualitative framework that included a bricolage of case study, ethnography and narrative methods. Data was gathered from respondents using semi-structured interviews, observations and researcher reflections and analysed through constant-comparison and grounded theory. The students and their home educating parent identified a variety of aspects that contributed and influenced the integration of EdTech. Central to the integration process was the learning partnership between the parent and the child. This allowed the curriculum and pedagogy to be personalised to the individual strengths, needs and interests of the child, which also appeared to enhance the perceived effectiveness of the EdTech integrated. The ensuing 'Fountain Model' captured this integration process while also proposing a framework for future applications. In addition, this study reconfirmed sections of the previous research that suggested that home education is child-driven, extending this concept to suggest that this process can contribute to empowering student learning. The findings of this case study support the concept that a flexible and collaborative approach to learning, which is also personalised to the individual student, is core to integrating EdTech effectively and meaningfully for students. Examples of possible applications of EdTech are also described, as well as recommendations for further research.
Item The Nineteenth Century Engagement Between Geological and Adventist Thought and its Bearing on the Twentieth Century Flood Geology Movement(2016-12-01) Bootsman, Cornelis SiebeThe Seventh-day Adventist Church has from the early years of its existence reacted to the perceived challenge of geological thought to their nascent theology. In particular, the Sabbath of the fourth Commandment in Genesis 2 and the catastrophic global Flood described in Genesis 7 and 8 were targeted. The nineteenth century Adventist response has been one of shifting focus, changing strategies, and increasing intensity. Ellen White, the church’s co-founder and prophetess, was one of the first to sound a warning on theological implications of geology. Her perception of geology contained many pre-nineteenth century concepts disconnected from contemporary geological thinking. Long-time editor Uriah Smith used external documents, notably Presbyterian writings to guide the Adventist congregation with ways of responding to geological thought as it impacted on their faith. The first authentic Adventist evaluation of geology and its perceived link with evolution by Alonzo Jones took place in the mid-1880s. With his spirited response, Jones criticised geological stratigraphic concepts in order to neutralise the threat of burgeoning theistic evolutionary thought. His searching in the geological literature involved the use of contextomy. George McCready Price next ventured to nullify the established stratigraphic principles of geology in order to justify a single, global flood-based hypothesis to explain all fossiliferous sedimentary formations. To achieve this, he presented from established scientists selected citations out of their intended context. A special case is presented on Price’s questionable use of the reports of American field geologists McConnell and Willis on thrust faults in the Rocky Mountains. Price modified diagrams and failed to convey unmistakable evidence of a dynamic cause of complex stratigraphy to present his case for the global existence of reverse sequences of rock strata. He argued that since the geologists’ evidence for a fossil sequence of life in the rock stratigraphy is so greatly flawed, there must have been a single catastrophic event that better explained this. Adventist engagement with geological thought during this period saw a noticeable increase in the disregard of intellectual integrity. This study argues that intellectual dishonesty is not a valid way to support a preconceived interpretation of the scriptural narrative. History provides several examples where skewed accounts of events due to questionable intellectual sincerity have eventually been corrected. This research provides access points for interested persons to further investigate the historical aspects of the nineteenth century geology and Adventist thought engagement.