Motivating male primary underachievers through a technoliteracy curriculum

Boys of primary school age growing up on family farms frequently make a significant contribution to the labour force of the farm. Observation suggests, however, that boys from such families who have knowledge, skills and talent beyond their years in relation to farm life, often have poor academic skills and low motivation within the school environment. The question of why such students with obviously bright minds did not reflect their perceived potential in terms of motivation and academic achievement needed to be examined and an appropriate curriculum for their needs devised. As a result of early action research, a change in the teaching-learning style was developed, using a student-centred approach with technology as the medium of presentation. This approach overcame the frustration of the focus students and they began to participate in classroom activity. This thesis reports on an intensive study of the response to this innovative curriculum by four students from farming families.

Name dc:type.qualificationname

other

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

rmaster

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

Victoria University of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2000

Author dc:creator

• Herbert, Shirley Marion

• School of Education
• 1302 Curriculum and Pedagogy
• 1303 Specialist Studies in Education

Language dc:language

en