Integrating Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy To Disrupt Oppressive Practice, Tyler L. Baruta Mr.

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

I present a plan for addressing and remedying a history of institutionalized racism at a midsized elementary school in British Columbia. Mountainview Elementary was designed 25 years ago to serve a White, Christian demographic seeking an elite educational ethos. The school now finds itself serving a demographic that is 90% South Asian with a large proportion of English language learners. The conservative, Eurocentric approaches to education that made the school attractive historically are still deeply engrained in the organizational structure and pedagogy of the school and now support problematic and highly inequitable educational practices that marginalize the South Asian community. …

An Exploration Of Educators' Experiences Implementing The Mindup Program During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Emily A. Barry

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic added a layer of challenge and complexity to the implementation of school-based social-emotional learning (SEL) programs such as MindUP. As we move forward and work to remediate some of the adverse consequences of the pandemic, prioritizing SEL programs such as MindUP will be a critical public health measure. As such, understanding the experiences of educators who implemented MindUP during the pandemic is critical to promote both the sustainability of MindUP and evidence-based programming in the face of future school disruptions. Using a mixed-methods study design data were collected from educators using surveys (n=59) and …

Curriculum Is A Map, Not A Gps: Culturally Responsive Reading Instruction In Urban Schools, Danielle Hay

Culminating Experience Projects

With the literacy achievement gap growing, particularly in urban schools, many teachers are missing the training, tools, and support necessary to best meet the needs of their students beyond the curriculum given. This project argues the importance of sustainable teacher improvement through reflective, collaborative professional development and the support of a literacy coach. To attain the highest impact on student achievement, teachers must have a deep understanding of their students as well as evaluate their current teaching practices to identify where students may need additional support and what classroom practices may need to be adjusted. By providing students with a …

Moving Beyond The Status Quo: Building An Intersectional Student-Centred Culture In A Registrar’S Office, Darran A. Fernandez

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

With an increasing number of students with diverse and complex identities attending colleges and universities, higher education institutions (HEIs) need to adapt to better serve their intersectional lives. At the centre of service delivery at most HEIs is the registrar’s office (RO), often offering services from before a student’s arrival right through to graduation. This Organizational Improvement Plan (plan) explores building a student-centred service delivery model in an RO at a large comprehensive university in Ontario. Organizational structures in HEIs are commonly vertically based on the specialty of work of the staff member rather than the horizontal crosscutting needs of …

Building Capacity For Deep Learning, Seonaid J. Davis

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Post COVID-19, gives school leaders the opportunity to build back a better school system focusing on the needs of students, preparing students to thrive in the 21^st century by shifting from teacher-centred to learner-centred pedagogy. Changing teachers’ attitudes, beliefs, and skills to make this shift requires new learning through creating an effective professional learning environment. This organizational improvement plan explores how to build teacher capacity for 21^st century learning at the Family of Independent Schools (a pseudonym) in Ontario through the creation of collaborative inquiry teams where teachers develop an individual and collective understanding of deep learning. Deep …

Public School Absenteeism And The Impact Of Covid-19, Melanie M. Griffore

Culminating Experience Projects

The impact of regular school attendance is invaluable for students, especially at-risk children. COVID 19 has presented many challenges for students, including absenteeism. Today, many public schools ask that students stay home when ill or test positive for COVID 19. Although this is important for the health and safety of students, it has also sent mixed messages to some families, especially those that previously struggled to attend school regularly. Absenteeism is rising; research has shown it negatively impacts academic success. More than ever, schools need to take steps to combat absenteeism and help students and their families see education in …

How The Rise In Social Media Use Impacts The Mental Health Of Adolescents, Adam Meyer

Graduate Teacher Education

Social media is more available now than ever before. More platforms are available and access to each platform is just one click away for anyone with a cell phone, tablet, iPad, or computer. Since social media was introduced, there has also been a steady rise in mental health concerns, especially in adolescents (Ellis et al., 2020). This leads to the question, how does social media impact mental health of adolescents? The potential implications of this question impact both educators, parents, and adolescents. This literature review examined how the rise in social media use has impacted mental health of adolescents, both …

Building School Community Amidst Tracking Systems And Social Media, Christina Romero

MA TESOL Collection

Schools have long been the heart of a community. Building up students to feel welcomed, accepted, and safe is a tall order. This task has gotten more difficult as social conflict has seeped its way within school walls. Societies have become more diverse in many ways as of late. Political, economic, and racial differences have widened gaps between individuals. As schools mirror this societal diversity, it has been harder for both societies and public schools to feel more communal. The public high school this case study is set in specifically experiences division through tracking systems and, more recently, social media …

Understanding The Occupational Socialization Of Tennis Coaches: Using A Grounded Theory Approach To Explore Reasons For Entering The Coaching Profession, Charles Provencio

Health, Exercise, and Sports Sciences ETDs

Sport coaches are among the most critical employees in the sport industry and regularly practice sport management activities including facilitating participation, managing athlete, organizing events, and promoting products and services. Interestingly, little is known about why individuals choose to pursue a career as a sports coach and how they might be acculturated into their profession. The general purpose of this study was to build on these works and to continue exploring the theorized elements of the process of acculturation within occupational socialization. To accomplish this, the specific purpose of this study was to explore and understand the perceptions and experiences …

“Not Nearly What It Used To Be”: A Mixed Methods Study On Hazing And Organizational Culture In Historically White Fraternities, Kimberly Rogers Davis

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Hazing is a significant concern on college campuses, especially as students continue to die following hazing incidents in student organizations. Fraternities, particularly historically White fraternities (HWFs), have been the site of many recent hazing deaths. However, fraternity and sorority life leaders and advocates often argue that the chapters where hazing tragedies occur are the minority in a broader system that offers numerous contributions to society. Rather than a fraternity or sorority problem, hazing may result from cultural influences within and around the organization. Thus, the purpose of this study is to understand how organizational culture, such as chapter culture and …

Meeting Grade 8 Transition Students’ Needs For Relationships And Right-Fit Through Teacher Advisory Groups, Amy D. Villneff

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) explores the needs of early adolescents transitioning into a high school context. As they enter their new school (referred to as PJSHS) for their Grade 8 year, students exhibit challenging behaviours, lack engagement in class work, and have difficulty meeting teacher expectations. Through a theoretical construct related to attachment theory and stage–environment fit theory, two significant student needs are identified: first, for relationships with teachers and peers, and second, for classroom environments and pedagogy to be a right-fit for students’ developmental executive functioning capacities. Teachers at PJSHS are predominantly subject specialists who lack the knowledge, …

Understanding Students’ Perceptions Of Self-Regulatory Instructional And Learning Strategies In A Flipped Learning Environment, Nakia Salam

Doctor of Education in Secondary and Middle Grades Education Dissertations

The purpose of this proposal is to understand adolescent students’ perceptions of self-regulated learning in a flipped learning environment. This qualitative action research study addresses how the adoption of self-regulating learning (SRL) strategies is one research-based method for transitioning to a student-centered learning environment (flipped learning environment) (Matsuyama et al., 2019) where students can take more responsibility for their learning. In this environment, the teacher is responsible for maintaining the focus of the class, facilitating the learning process, and providing productive feedback (Gordan et al., 2001; Keiler, 2018) in order to positively affect academic and nonacademic outcomes (Dignath & Buttner, …

Incorporating Student Physical Movement In The Elementary School Setting, Andrew Vanderwal

Culminating Experience Projects

With the increase in academic demands on elementary students, students are lacking opportunities for physical movement within the classroom which is adversely impacting student achievement. Research was conducted in order to determine the importance of physical movement for children and possible correlations between student physical movement and academic achievement. Jensen (2005) concluded that physical movement is an integral component in brain development for children that supports engagement and focus which positively impacts academic achievement. Rosenstreich et al. (2022), Wiebelhaus & Hanson (2016), and Reed et al. (2011) found positive correlations between groups of elementary-age students, who were provided frequent opportunities …

Acting Out Gender: Embodied Criticality And Performance-Based Pedagogies, Danielle K. Carr

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Using an adapted Theatre of the Oppressed workshop titled Acting Out Gender, this study explored the use of embodied, performance-based pedagogies to examine gender identity and performance with undergraduate and teacher education students. Attending to feminist and queer epistemological questions of embodiment and gender, this qualitative, arts-based study used observation and interviews to explore participants’ understanding and experience of gender and to experiment with performance-based pedagogies for exploring embodiment and embodied rituals. This study highlighted the usefulness of Acting Out Gender in supporting students’ interrogation of embodied gender subjectivity in their own lives and illuminated how performance-based pedagogies function in …

An Exploratory Multiple Case Study Of Discipline Practices In A Major Metropolitan Public School District: A Look Into The School To Prison Pipeline, Neil French, Kristin Calvert-French, Phyllis Jackson, Erin King

Dissertations

The school to prison pipeline is a phenomenon fed by exclusionary discipline practices that increase the likelihood that a student will have an interaction with the juvenile or criminal justice system at some time in their life; this phenomenon disproportionately affects Black students. Understanding the problem is key to slowing down the school to prison pipeline. This study of a school district in Missouri explores questions about how interpersonal relationships, implicit bias awareness, and school policies influence the learning environment, and how those factors relate to school discipline, which ultimately can lead to the school to prison pipeline. Drawing data …

Emotional Intelligence In Second Year Nursing Students: Measuring The Impact Of A Single Intervention, Tonya Anthony

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Capstones

ABSTRACT

Traditional second-year nursing students are often unprepared to manage their emotions, during clinical experiences, in volatile acute care settings. EI is emerging in the literature as an essential ability to foster effective interpersonal and interprofessional communication within the stressful confines of patient care settings. Furthermore, research shows that universities need to invest in the emotional development of students during the first few years of college to facilitate healthy psychosocial identities.

This study aimed to determine the impact of a single EI intervention on second-year students in a baccalaureate nursing program. Quantitative methods were utilized to measure statistical significance in …

An Examination On The Role Of Culture And Socialization On South Asian Women’S Pursuit Of Stem Education, Kinza Shaukat

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This study examines the experiences of five South Asian women who aspire for careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) at the University of Western Ontario. It also analyzes the ways in which cultural and societal experiences shape their pursuit of a STEM degree. The research questions being investigated through this study are: (1) How has a South Asian woman’s experiences in the home influenced their own perception of education? (2) What types of experiences have South Asian women had in different levels of schooling? (3) How does cultural identity inform the experiences of South Asian women in their …

Humor And Laughter As Intentional Teaching Strategies: Professional Development For Early Childhood Educators, Rebecca Ellen Fish Hegstad

Graduate Teacher Education

Research has shown that humor and laughter benefit young children’s social-emotional development (Lovorn, 2008; Semrud-Clikeman & Glass, 2010). Humor and laughter also benefit teachers (Chaniotakis & Papazoglou, 2019). However, despite the benefits, research has also shown that teachers may be hesitant to use humor and laughter for fear of "losing control," not feeling inherently funny, and/or because teachers have not been taught how to use humor effectively (Chaniotakis & Papazoglou, 2019; Lovorn & Holaway, 2015). Cekaite and Andrén (2019) revealed that teachers in early childhood settings rarely responded to children’s laughter with laughter. The difference between teachers’ beliefs and practices …

Long-Term English Learners In Middle School: Perspectives On Growth In Language Acquisition And Academic Learning, Barbara Doerfler

Dissertations

Middle schools in the United States today have a large population of English learners (ELs), and many of them have been educationally labeled as long-term English learners (LTELs). In some middle schools, over half of the ELs in seventh and eighth grades meet the criteria for classification as LTELs. This is especially concerning as these students will shortly be moving on to high school with limited English proficiency, which will continue to affect their academic performance and may limit their choices in higher education and career paths. This study explored the educational experience of LTELs in middle school by seeking …

Art As Experience: A Case For Art Museum Field Trips In New Mexico’S Public School Art Education, Zoila A. Caamaño-Pumarol

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

Since 2011, multiple studies have found that school field trips to art museums and other cultural institutions produce measurable improvements in standardized test scores, academic engagement, and substantial improvements across a range of factors including empathy, critical thinking skills, and creativity. These findings are especially prominent with children in rural areas, from low-income families, and non-Native English speakers. Nevertheless, the priorities in U.S. public education have shifted away from field trips and art education since the 1980s.

In this case study licensed art teachers in the New Mexico K to 12 public schools shared their experiences, discussed the obstacles they …

The Process Of Establishing A Blooming Chemistry Tool For Use In Undergraduate Chemistry Education And Research, Emryse Geye

Dissertations and Theses

While it is still common in college chemistry to assess student learning and skill with summative assessments, the CER community does not currently have a simple tool to determine and communicate whether an assessment is actually aligned with the outcomes of interest. In particular, as so-called evidence-based teaching practices and active learning strategies gain a foothold in college chemistry classrooms, the ability to communicate whether those (often labor-, cost-, and time-intensive) interventions are not only aligned with course outcomes, but also provide measurable benefit to students becomes more imperative. While college chemistry has made some strides in the area of …

Building A Culture Of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion And Social Justice At A Community College, Teresa M. Kisilevich

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Over the past number of years, it has become apparent that Canada is facing a significant skilled labour shortage. As the world emerges from the Covid-19 pandemic, the pressure to train and hire skilled trades workers has only increased; in order to fill the growing labour gap, intentional measures are needed to attract and retain a more diverse group of students. This organizational improvement plan aims to capitalize on a recent strategic plan and its central commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion and social justice. Through a case study focused on balanced enrolment by gender in trades training, this document considers …

The Effects Of A One-To-One Technology Implementation On High School Students' Communication, Collaboration, Critical Thinking, And Creativity Skills, Hilary Bertsch

Dissertations, Theses, and Projects

The purpose of this causal-comparative study was to employ a quantitative research paradigm to determine the impact of a one-to-one technology initiative on the development of the 4 C skills of high school students. An objectives-based evaluation model was used to review the one-to-one implementation for future planning and continuous improvement. COVID-19 provided an additional factor that forced both teachers and students to use their newly acquired one-to-one technology tools faster and more extensively than anticipated. The immersion into the new learning environments were captured through pre and post COVID-19 experiences.

This study found that teachers did not perceive any …

Teacher Retention: The Causes And An Administrator’S Role In Reducing Attrition, Kate Hedrick

Culminating Experience Projects

As Ingersoll (2003) reported, between 40% and 50% of teachers will leave the field of education by their fifth year (as cited in Mee & Haverback, 2014). The numerous teachers leaving the profession is costly to a school and negatively affects student outcomes (Young, 2018). Administrators need to be knowledgeable in the most effective ways to keep their teachers the first five years and beyond. This project will train administrators on specific ways to avoid teacher turnover. It will focus on the role of a principal including opportunities for distributed leadership and professional development. The second section will focus on …

Partners In Education: Leveraging School Social Workers To Support Transformative Equity And Well-Being Work In An Ontario K-12 Public School Board, Stefani F. Burosch

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

School social workers (SSWs) have been an integral part of Ontario’s K-12 public education system for over one hundred years. Their unique training, skill set, and practice perspectives enables provision of comprehensive services benefitting the whole school community. The social work profession is grounded in a code of ethics committed to the advancement of social justice for all and draws from a rich history of critical theorizing and evidence-based practice to further this goal. These features of the profession ideally position SSWs to serve as leaders and partners in the school mission, particularly at a time when the need for …

From Isolation To Innovation: A Journey From The Past To The Future In A Saskatchewan High School, Krista L. Keeley

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) explores how professional learning can impact the modernization of practice and culture in Sunnybrook High School (SHS, a pseudonym), a small urban high school in Saskatchewan. The Problem of Practice (PoP) highlights the gaps between SHS’s common practice, the predominantly used factory model of education, and the desired practice, a 21^st century model of education. Teacher isolation is found to be the determinant factor hindering innovation within SHS and solutions to address the PoP focus on ending this practice to increase effective professional learning through collaboration. Using social constructivism as the foundational theory, the …

Changing The Course Of Faculty Engagement In Academic Governance: Reconcilation Through Education, Trish Nuyten

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

During the past decade, River’s Edge has engaged in organizational change due to neoliberal reforms permeating the higher education sector in the province. Chronic under-funding and annual budget cuts have directed change efforts towards commodifying service, education, and research to generate revenue from public consumption. Like other higher education institutions, River's Edge responds by positioning itself to become a driver of economic development rather than a force for social change. The mandate and strategic priorities of the provincial government is the primary driver of institutional change. The mandate holds the institution accountable by setting key performance indicators to serve the …

The Influence Of A Learning Management System (Lms) And Microblogging On Social Presence, Sense Of Community, And User Interface Satisfaction In A Distance Education Course, Andrew G. Leach

Organization, Information and Learning Sciences ETDs

The impact of social media on everyday life is undeniable. Social media has transcended its initial purpose of connectivity and branched into other sociocultural aspects. Educators must create a rich and active learning environment where students can actively engage with their educational curriculum. This study used a mixed methods approach to investigate the influence that learning management systems (LMS) and microblogging (social media) have on key elements of distance education design. These elements include social presence, sense of community, and overall user interface design. Students’ perceptions of these elements were collected from students enrolled in a graduate course during summer …

English Language Learner Teacher Support Changes During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Inna Slisher

Ed.D. Dissertations

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, ELL teachers focused their culturally responsive instruction and supports through creating meaning, promoting academic and social success, and empowering students and families. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic affected almost all countries and more than 50 million people around the world. The purpose of this study was to investigate how ELL teachers’ support for students in a southeastern school district, IISD, changed during the COVID-19 pandemic and ELL teachers’ perceptions of how this change may have impacted ELLs during the COVID-19 pandemic. This qualitative, basic interpretive design using a questionnaire provided me with opportunities to examine how …

Building Educator E-Pedagogy Skill Efficacy And Capacity To Successfully Engage Students In The Online Learning Environment, Karen M. Roeck

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Students around the world are increasingly seeking options for completing their learning in an online format due to its convenience, flexibility, and opportunity for innovative experiences. Higher education institutions need to adapt their course offerings to include robust online programs and train their faculty with the necessary skills to successfully engage their virtual learners to remain competitive in today’s market. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) identifies gaps of inadequacy of infrastructure to support online learning, limited knowledge of e-pedagogy, lack of clarity about teacher identity, and lack of focus on equity and humanity in the online classroom at a Christian …