Graduate research students

Projects

Discover the projects of recent graduates from 2017-2019.

• Acting with care: How actor practice is shaped by creating theatre with and for children

  Jennifer Andersen, PhD

  Actors create theatre with and for children in diverse contexts. This research investigates what characterises the practice of these actors and how it is shaped by working with children. Drawing on surveys, interviews and performance observations involving nine actors, key qualities of actor practice are identified: listening, reciprocating, imagining and empathising. This research has identified that actor practice, guided by a sense of care and respect for children, is shaped to be outward facing and pedagogically sensitive.

  Supervisors

  • Associate Professor Neryl Jeanneret
  • Dr Robert Brown
• An A/R/Tist in Wonderland: Exploring identity, creativity and digital portfolios as A/R/Tographer

  Kathryn S. Coleman, PhD

  This study investigated digital portfolios for creativity and identity through embodied praxis as a/r/tographer. Her study provides a unique insight into developing digital identities for artists, through the curation of this thesis as a digital portfolio, that includes the researcher as participant to inform the complex building of identities in art education. Find out more at the An A/R/Tist in Wonderland website.

  Supervisors

  • Associate Professor Wesley Imms
  • Dr Marnee Watkins
• Motivation and place: Music participation in rural Australia

  Amelia Gallina, PhD

  This is a study examining the motivation to participate in instrumental music. Data was collected via a three-stage process involving a questionnaire, observation and interview, which were tested through a pilot study conducted at a P-12 College. Findings examined links between Kokotsaki and Hallam’s (2007) three categories of music participation (as a musical act, as a social act and personal motivation) and Kudryavtsev, Stedman and Kransny’s (2012) model of place.

  Supervisors

  • Associate Professor Neryl Jeanneret
  • Professor Susan Wright
• How does tertiary music education contribute to musicians’ careers?

  Jenni Hillman, DEd

  Australian tertiary music education providers offer courses with different emphases in the mix of theoretical knowledge and practice-based skills for music portfolio careers. Filling a research gap, this study explores the experiences of tertiary music graduates using a mixed methods research design incorporating an online survey and semi-structured interviews. Findings show graduates from different providers rated their courses similarly but for different reasons which support the recommendation of five key elements as critical for a comprehensive tertiary music education.

  Supervisors

  • Associate Professor Neryl Jeanneret
  • Professor David Forrest
• An interpretation of the value imparted by the Victorian Music Teachers’ Association (VMTA) to music education in Australia

  Elizabeth Mitchell, PhD

  The Victorian Music Teachers’ Association (VMTA) has provided a voice for instrumental music teachers for almost ninety years yet its history is undocumented. With a heritage that sets it apart from parallel organisations within Australia, the VMTA has at times been a powerful force. This research examines the origins, the influential people who shaped the VMTA, the benefits of membership, and relationships with other organisations that have assisted the VMTA, providing an interpretation of the Association’s place within community music.

  Supervisors

  • Associate Professor Neryl Jeanneret
  • Associate Professor Jane Southcott
• Mapping the landscape of language learning in Victorian independent schools

  John Tuckfield, DEd

  This quantitative study investigated language learning across the independent sector in Victoria, Australia, investigating the language learning of 126,377 students in 202 primary and secondary schools. It then explored issues that arose from the initial investigations into language learning: languages in primary schools, compulsory languages, gender and socio-economic status. Amongst other findings, the research revealed the low frequency and time for lessons in primary schools; associations between SES and language choice and retention rates; and that the gender mix for languages was highly nuanced.

  Supervisors

  • Dr Richard Sallis
  • Associate Professor Neryl Jeanneret
• We came to play instruments: Teaching for engagement in classroom music

  Emily Wilson, PhD

  This ethnographic research investigated characteristics and conditions of teaching for engagement in classroom music. The teachers drew on approaches from out-of-school contexts, incorporating the learning processes of popular musicians. Findings draw on participant-observation of music lessons involving two music teachers and four classes of children aged ten to sixteen years. The research has identified that the connections between student engagement and classroom music teaching are complex, interconnected, and interdependent in a way not anticipated in the music education research literature.

  Supervisors

  • Associate Professor Neryl Jeanneret
  • Dr Robert Brown