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Exploring Pre-Service Teachers’ Perceptions About The Use Of School Gardens In Education For Sustainability, Dona Ishara Madushani Yahampath

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This study examines pre-service teachers' attitudes, interests, and views about the use of school gardens in education for sustainability, as well as pre-service teachers’ range of understanding about the use of school gardens in education for sustainability and how they think school gardens impact students' cognitive, affective, and psychomotor learning for sustainability. To answer the main research questions, a mixed-methods research approach was used in the study. Parajuli’s Partnership Model of Sustainability was used as the conceptual framework for this research, which emphasizes four main aspects of sustainability: ecology, economy, equity/social justice, and bio-cultural diversity. The research findings revealed that …

The Trajectory Of Inclusive Beliefs In Beginning Teachers, Jacqueline A. Specht, Jessica Delorey, Klajdi Puka

Education Publications

Inclusive education is supported by the belief that all students belong and are valued members of their neighborhood school communities. Teachers must possess beliefs that support inclusion before they are able to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to implement effective inclusive practice. Using The Beliefs About Learning and Teaching Questionnaire (BLTQ), 396 participants were followed for 4 years, from their initial year in preservice teacher education through to their second year of teaching to determine the trajectory of the development of inclusive beliefs. Distinct groups were identified. Those who began with lower inclusive beliefs that tended to decrease …

"Over The Years I'Ve Come To Realize That Every Student Has The Right To Learn": An Exploration Of The Experiences That Influence Beginning Teachers' Beliefs About Diverse Learners And Inclusive Education, Jessica Delorey

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The current study explored the experiences that influence beginning teachers’ beliefs about teaching and learning in diverse classrooms. Teachers’ beliefs inform their instructional practice, which in turn has direct bearing on their students’ success. Interview data was collected as part of a larger study by the Canadian Research Centre on Inclusive Education. Fifteen pre-service teachers and 13 new teachers sorted the data using Trochim’s (1989) group concept mapping method to identify themes. Pre-service teachers identified four distinct themes: (a) education, (b) practicum/collaboration, (c) work experience, and (d) personal experience with diversity. New teachers identified eight distinct themes: (a) education/training, (b) …

Inclusion And Policy Enactment In Teacher Education: A Focus On Pre-Service Teacher Preparation For The Inclusive Classroom, Ayman Massouti

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Preparing pre-service teachers to enact inclusive teaching practices in the inclusive classroom has become a concern for national and international educational organizations. Adding to these concerns, research on inclusive educati­on policy enactment in teacher education programs, particularly in a continuously growing and recognized diverse society such as Ontario, Canada, is scarce. In order to provide insight to address these issues, this study aimed to examine the enactment of the policy document titled Equity and Inclusive Education in Ontario Schools: Guidelines for Policy Development and Implementation (OME, 2014) in one Ontario teacher education program. In particular, the study focused on exploring …

Reporting Sexual Violence In School: Pre-Service Teachers’ Attitude And Behaviours, Ronit Futerman

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The present study examined pre-service teachers’ attitudes and behaviours toward reporting students’ disclosure of sexual violence. Sexual violence is a broad term that describes any violent, physical or psychological act, carried out through sexual means or by targeting sexuality (Baker, Campbell & Straatman, 2012). Teachers play a significant role in recognizing and reporting acts of victimization, as they are among those who are trained to detect and label signs of victimization (Anagnostopoulos, Buchanan, Pereira & Lichty, 2009). For the purpose of this study, a sample of 190 University of Western Ontario Bachelor of Education students completed a questionnaire measuring attitudes …

Investgating The Views Of Pre-Service Teachers On The Significance Of Teaching For Diversity In Ontario, Edelyn Musara

Digitized Theses

This thesis seeks to investigate the effectiveness of teacher education programs in preparing pre­ service teachers for Ontario’s diverse student population. Using theoretical perspectives on culturally relevant pedagogy gleaned from Delpit (2006) and Darling-Hammond et al (2002) as my study base, I conducted a qualitative case study and interviewed four pre-service teachers to determine their view on teaching for diversity.

Reflecting on my experiences with the participants in this research study, I can venture to say that pre-service teachers need to be adequately prepared to work productively with Ontario’s diverse student population. Diversity and equity education should not be isolated …

Pre-Service Teachers’ Beliefs On Antecedents To Bullying: . A Concept Mapping Study, Joel Alan Lopata

Digitized Theses

This study gave an opportunity for pre-service teachers to voice their beliefs and knowledge about the antecedents to bullying and to victimization. Concept mapping was used to analyze the data. The information yielded from interviews was clustered into themes according to sorting tasks completed by participants. Reg arding the antecedents to bullying and victimization, pre-service teachers had accurate and inaccurate beliefs, lack of knowledge, and differing beliefs about bullies and victims. Concept maps and accompanying factor rating tables indicated that participants believed important antecedents to bullying to include family factors, abuse, instability, and socioeconomic factors, school and academic factors, interpersonal …