Merrelyn Bates - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Merrelyn Bates

Universities are becoming more accountable for their own funding and for establishing their own s... more Universities are becoming more accountable for their own funding and for establishing their own societal relevance. As Governments respond to the demands of industry and commerce to fit graduates for the workplace, universities are being asked to provide students with the knowledge and skills for learning and working in an ever-changing workplace. There is a strong implication here that the traditional theory-based learning associated with higher education needs to be augmented (and complemented) by an experiential component that enables students to develop a 'feel' for the workplace and 'an instinct' for what they are likely to be doing when they are working. Demands for such a change are not only coming from industry: students are asking that their university programs be made more 'relevant' to the reality of work rather than merely for the next step in the higher education ladder which requires the 'skills of research'. Recently there has been a st...

Revision with unchanged content. Our ‘new professionals’ need to be able to act with initiative a... more Revision with unchanged content. Our ‘new professionals’ need to be able to act with initiative and responsibility if they are to become more than functionaries for social elites in the twenty-first century. Current degree-level courses tend to ignore the importance of active decision making and concentrate instead almost exclusively on theoretical knowledge. Using what she calls a ‘responsive case study’ into the teaching and management of a professional practice course for recruits in the criminal justice professions, Merrelyn Bates proposes a basis for what she calls action teaching. She analyses both the cognitive and affective dimensions of teaching strategies and interventions designed to challenge students to use action in the workplace as the fundamental base for their ongoing development of expertise. Drawing on a number of theorists from education, philosophy, psychology and education, she develops an epistemology of practice analysing in detail the students’ responses to ...

The way of teaching the basic principles of physics to first year engineering students is a matte... more The way of teaching the basic principles of physics to first year engineering students is a matter of great interest to educationalists. These first year students already have a solid preparation in calculus, which means they can easily follow relatively complex mathematical interpretations; however, they are only just becoming familiar with differential equations in the calculus course corresponding to the first year of their degree. Differential equations are present in every branch of physics, so avoiding differential equations in a rigorous formulation of physics is not realistic. Moreover, the association of a differential equation with a particular principle of physics places this differential equation and its solution in a context, thereby providing the student with a background which could help him in future situations. Nevertheless, a non-rigorous

This paper examines the relationship between a final year tertiary work placement for criminology... more This paper examines the relationship between a final year tertiary work placement for criminology students at Griffith University in Brisbane and the development of their work self-efficacy. Using a work self-efficacy instrument developed by Professor Joe Raelin at Northeastern University in Boston, a pilot phase in 2006 and a larger study in 2007 investigated the students' responses across seven self-efficacy factors of learning, problem-solving, teamwork, sensitivity, politics, pressure, and role expectations. Both studies utilised a pre-and post-test and comparisons between these indicated that they believed their abilities to participate constructively in their professional work contexts significantly improved as a result of their placement experience except in the areas of learning, teamwork and sensitivity. This finding will allow us to continue to refine the processes of work placements in order to ensure the integrity of this method for student learning.

ABSTRACT This research paper will address the process of learning in a cooperative education prog... more ABSTRACT This research paper will address the process of learning in a cooperative education program from the students' perspective. Each author will consider the student's point of view from a different position. The paper builds a combined picture of the student’s understanding of the placement using a constructivist interpretive methodology that concentrates on verbatim accounts of students’ responses as the placement proceeds. Annerley, who has recently graduated as a social worker, will comment on the interpretations she placed on the practicum experience she had herself during her degree program. She will go on to outline her subsequent honours research into the perspectives of other students completing field placements. The importance of the student's contribution to the student/supervisor relationship will be emphasised by Lyndel, a senior researcher for the Queensland Parliament, who has recently supervised students herself in a demanding workplace. She will give her perspective on the student's need for supervision and direction. Merrelyn, as the convenor of the work placement program conducted by Griffith University’s School of Criminology and Criminal Justice for degree level students, will discuss her current research into what the university is able to do about how the students learn and what they learn through the placement experience. The paper will conclude with some important suggestions about innovations that the authors believe should be introduced into the culture of cooperative education in the future if it is to achieve its stated goals.

apjce.org

The delivery of work-integrated learning (WIL) courses involves university academic and professio... more The delivery of work-integrated learning (WIL) courses involves university academic and professional staff in specific duties, many of which are outside of the scope of the traditional categories used by universities to determine equitable workloads for academic and administrative personnel. This paper draws on an investigation in a metropolitan university in Australia and records how it is beginning to arrive at appropriate ways to do this. A survey tool was utilised to identify the specific workload demands on staff who worked with WIL courses. The data provided information that confirmed the complexity of the work and also showed that there was a gap between the reality of the workload and the allocation provided. A number of recommendations have been made as a way forward. Further research is recommended that could include the perspectives of students and organisational supervisors reporting on the level of academic staff member support and supervision. (Asia

Journal of Education and Work, 2004

In 2001-2002, a project team at Griffith University undertook Stage 4 of the Griffith Graduate Pr... more In 2001-2002, a project team at Griffith University undertook Stage 4 of the Griffith Graduate Project 1. Stage 4 used a survey and focus group discussions to gather graduates' and employers' perceptions of the role of the university, work placements and post-graduat employment in the development of generic skills and abilities. This article will compare findings from Stage 4 with four challenges facing the new graduate commencing employment that were identified by Candy and Crebert (1991). The purpose of the article is to compare these findings with other research studies and some of the recent literature, particularly those relating to the development of generic skills and abilities in the three contexts listed above. It is argued that, despite the increasing emphasis in many universities on work-integrated learning programs, today's graduates face many of the same challenges as they confronted at the beginning of the last decade.

Journal of Criminal Justice Education, 2003

Higher Education Research & Development, 2008

Higher education is under increasing pressure to re-evaluate the place of practice in its program... more Higher education is under increasing pressure to re-evaluate the place of practice in its programs and there are increasing demands for workplace-based experiences to be built into undergraduate degrees. The paper reports on an extended responsive case study conducted in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Griffith University between 1994 and 2004. The findings point towards a model that can be used to develop courses based around a set of key challenges that learners need to face, criteria for the university's construction of worthwhile activities, and principles of procedure which are required in order to implement them. It is suggested that university curriculum planners should concentrate on a process model of teaching, learning and research rather than on the more traditional models that tent to treat knowledge as a commodity and emphasise its production, transmission and delivery.

Higher Education Research & Development, 2006

This article situates the topic of student assessment and the moderation of assessment within a b... more This article situates the topic of student assessment and the moderation of assessment within a broader context of policy debates about the quality of teaching and learning in universities. The focus and discussion grew out of a research project which aimed initially to investigate factors related to academic success and failure in a Faculty of Arts. The study identified a range of student demographic and biographical factors significantly related to academic success and failure. However, there was also evidence of pronounced differences in grading practices between different components (courses, programs, schools) within the institution. The paper explores the implications of such inconsistencies for the institutional mechanisms and processes that have typically been advocated as sufficient safeguards of quality. It concludes that the tendency of governments and other stakeholders to now champion performance indicators, along with the shifting focus toward quality 'outcomes', are likely to increasingly throw the strengths and weaknesses of institutional assessment practices into stark relief.

Higher Education Research & Development, 2004

This paper presents findings from Stage 4 of the Griffith Graduate Project. Graduates from three ... more This paper presents findings from Stage 4 of the Griffith Graduate Project. Graduates from three Schools within Griffith University were surveyed to determine their perceptions of the contributions that the learning contexts of university, work placement and post-graduation employment made to the development of their generic skills. All graduates involved in the project had experienced work placement as a formal part of their undergraduate studies. Supplementary data from focus group discussions held with employers and graduates are also included. Findings showed that while graduates recognised the contribution university had made to their generic skills development, they greatly valued the experience of learning in the workplace during placement and subsequently in employment. The importance of teamwork, being given responsibility and collaborative learning emerged as the most important factors for effective learning in the three contexts under consideration.

Educational Action Research, 2008

This paper describes an adaptation of action research that can be used specifically for the purpo... more This paper describes an adaptation of action research that can be used specifically for the purposes of reviewing educational courses where the participants move out of the research process after one cycle. The author found a limit to the intentional use of action research in her study of a tertiary course that was being offered within the action learning framework of work placements. The term responsive case study was coined to describe the process of planning, acting, observing, reflecting and formulating new plans but in a context where the researcher is completing this process for implementation with the next group of participating students. In addition to being integral to the current implementation of the course, feedback from reflective journals as well as comments and reflections from participating stakeholders become essential for planning the next iteration.

fyhe.com.au

There is a limited literature related to the links between resilience and transition for first ye... more There is a limited literature related to the links between resilience and transition for first year students. In Criminology and Criminal Justice, students enter careers identified as high stress employment sectors, e.g. child safety, policing, and corrections and it is important to incorporate into our teaching, strategies that will build resilience for success in these challenging employment sectors. In order to do this we need to understand the resilience factors that our students bring or do not bring to the beginning of their studies. In semester one of 2010, the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice investigated the resilience attributes that first year students had brought to their studies. This project involved both pre-and post-surveys as well as focus groups and individual student interviews. The data presented here will provide a summary of our findings and highlight the strategies identified as being useful in resilience building. The School of Criminology and Criminal Justice offers a broad-based social science degree including the humanities, psychology and legal disciplines. It has four double degrees that involve law, psychology, forensic science, and human services. Its postgraduate offerings have also been expanding to include Graduate Certificates, Masters, Masters with Honours, and PhDs. Its student body totals nearly 3000 students.

Asia Pacific Journal of Cooperative …, 2007

This paper considers the concepts of curriculum which underlie existing workplace based learning ... more This paper considers the concepts of curriculum which underlie existing workplace based learning programs and advocates that clearly articulated and meaningful statements about the nature of the learning that occurs in such programs are couched in an appropriate discourse. It argues that universities must take the lead in meeting demands that educational institutions be more accountable for the learning of their students by developing curriculum statements that are consistent with an emancipatory model of curriculum. Such statements should specify the frameworks in which content and even assessment can be negotiated with individual students rather than being specified in advance and should demand that students take responsibility for their own learning (Asia-Pacific Journal of Cooperative Education, 2007, 8(2), 121-129).

There have been arguments about whether counselling is a new profession while other established p... more There have been arguments about whether counselling is a new profession while other established professions engage in similar practices and have a legitimacy of their own. Theoretical frameworks for professional counselling are discussed with an emphasis on practice, values and professional ethics. The suggestion that effective counselling is simply effective communication is discussed and it is argued that a unifying basis can only be derived from the assumptions underlying the practice of counselling rather than the theory which informs it.

Australian Social Work, 2002

Abstract Gradual, but not so subtle, changes in Australia's political and welfare cultures ha... more Abstract Gradual, but not so subtle, changes in Australia's political and welfare cultures have meant that over the past I0 years social workers have been showing a greater interest in private practice as a legitimate aspect of the profession. This paper presents some of the major practical considerations required for a part-time practice to be successfully initiated and maintained. The author uses her own experience as an example and explores the personal, professional and commercial decisions she has made in such a practice over the past 16 years.

Australian Social Work, 1996

Abstract Familial sexual abuse is a recurrent theme in many practitioners' clinical casework.... more Abstract Familial sexual abuse is a recurrent theme in many practitioners' clinical casework. If there is frequent exposure to these dynamics it is possible to become ‘blunted’ to individual needs, emotions and perspectives. This paper examines one family's reflections in an attempt to highlight and re-focus the important professional issues of disclosure, intervention and initial follow-up. It also emphasises the importance of clients as individuals. It is not an attempt to set guidelines but rather to continue addressing the tension and debate between professional practice to meet individual needs and the protection and therapy for victims and families where familial sexual abuse occurs.