Digital Commons Network^™

Derrida, Deconstruction And A Dialogue On The Contemporary Nursing Curriculum, Catherine Louise Gilbert

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This theoretical inquiry utilizes the philosophy of Jacques Derrida and deconstruction to begin a discourse on the disconnect between student learning and nursing education within the academy. By entering into a thoughtful, reasoned and responsible critique of the nursing curriculum, this journey of discovery examines those constructs integral to nursing education: students, teachers, identity, the art and science of nursing, the curriculum, power and control, and the university, their (dis)connectedness and begins a dialogue that positions nursing education as the legitimate professional nursing curricula for the next millennium. This journey of discovery recognizes an underlying thesis; meaningful learning that facilitates …

A Perceptual Study Of The Impact Of Athletic Programs In Selected Community Colleges In The State Of Tennessee., Lee Martin Cigliano

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to examine the economic, institutional, and human impact of athletic programs at community colleges in the Tennessee Board of Regents community college system to determine how the athletic programs affects the benefits, or lack of benefits, for students, the institutions, and the communities.

Sixteen participants were interviewed: two presidents, two athletic directors, four coaches, and eight student-athletes. The student-athletes represented four different sports and came from a variety of educational backgrounds and academic standing. The primary benefits perceived for the institutions and the student-athletes were the impact on missions, enrollment, educational and athletic opportunities, …

Benefits Of Storytelling Methodologies In 4th And 5th Grade Historical Instruction., Julia E. Watts

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the benefits of using stories to teach history to 4^th and 5^th grade students. In order to determine student attitude toward history, students completed a History Affinity scale prior to and after being exposed to one of 2 teaching methods. Students in the experimental group listened to and participated in oral narratives during their history lesson while students in the control group received conventional lecture and note-taking instruction. After collecting and analyzing the data, results indicate a significant increase in history affinity in the positive direction for the experimental group with no change in history …

Elementary Principals' And Pta Parent Representatives' Perceptions About The Effects Of Parental Involvement On Student Achievement In Georgia Title I Schools, Zack K. Phillips

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The primary focus of this study is to explore the perceptions of elementary principals and PTA parent representatives about the effects of parental involvement on student achievement in three Georgia Title I schools. This particular study evolved from firsthand experiences while working with less fortunate students in a Title I school setting. The affective factors include but are not limited to the perceptions of the elementary principals and parent representatives. Based upon findings in the review of literature, the researcher gained an understanding about how to structure interview questions in order to prompt in-depth responses from the interviewees. Data collection …

Principles For Education Of The Social Reconstructionists And Critical Theorists: A Yardstick Of Democracy, Laurie Gertrude Hill

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This work is a theoretical and historical study of democracy as it relates to democratic educational practices and explores the implications that democratic reform in education has the potential to diminish inequity and social injustice in society. The study presents an intense review of the development of democracy from Plato to the present day. The progressive principles for democracy of the Social Reconstructionists and Critical Theorists form the theoretical framework for the dissertation and a Yardstick of Democracy is developed that draws upon the tenets of John Dewey, George S. Counts, Jane Addams, Paulo Freire, and Michael Apple. Included in …

Quo Vadis: An Integrated Direction For Catholic Media Technology Engagement, Eugene M. Gan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Over the years, the Catholic Church has explored issues of media technology and how it relates to education. At the same time, a number of profound, modern Catholic thinkers have wrestled with the nature of media technology and how it affects the human condition. These two threads have been independent of each other. An effective conceptual understanding of the role and meaning of media technology in Catholic education requires us to weave these two threads together to craft an integrated and coherent synthesis. The question I raise is: in a culture that promulgates the digital lifestyle as the standard and …

Health Attitudes, Knowledge And Literacy Of Primary Caregivers With Elementary School Children, Susan Stuib

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Previous research has indicated that physical activity and healthy eating in elementary school children are the exception rather than the norm. Increased attention to the rising rates of childhood obesity, coupled with the recognition that changes in the school environment are critical to reducing this trend, has intensified the need to adopt better practices in school nutrition, physical activity and physical education. Apart from being physically active, children need to learn fundamental motor skills and develop health related physical fitness (cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility, and body composition). Primary caregivers play an important part in developing and teaching …

The Effects Of Inquiry And Single-Gender Grouping On Second Grade Girls' Attitudes And Participation In Science, Elsy Estrada

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Disparities between males and females in attitudes toward science have been the focus of extensive investigations. Studies have found that females feel intimidated by their male peers in science and mathematics classes, making girls less likely to participate. Their confidence in these areas decreases and they become less likely to follow related career paths. Researchers and educators are at task to find methods to provide equal learning opportunities for all students. The purpose of this action research was to investigate the effects of single-gender grouping and inquiry-based teaching on girls' participation and attitude in science class. This study took place …

The Relationship Between Gender And Elementary School Students' Perceptions Of Health And Physical Education In A Coeducational Setting., Paul J. Naim

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship among attitudes and perceptions of boys and girls in grades 6--8 regarding Health and Physical Education (HPE) in a coeducational setting. An increase in obesity rates for adolescents and a decrease in their physical activity rates are alarming trends since they are likely to continue into adulthood. A sample of 46 boys and 50 girls in grades 6--8 completed a mixed-methods questionnaire composed of 32 closed-ended and 6 open-ended questions. Boys and girls enjoyed participating in HPE activities 95.7% and 90% respectively, and described HPE class as healthy, active and …

Does Culture Matter? : Exploring The Relationships Among Parenting A Child With Disabilities, Cultural Identification, And Stress In A Group Of European American And Immigrant Latino Families, Ximena P. Suarez-Sousa

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this correlational exploratory study was to delve into the experience of raising a child with disabilities by investigating the parents' level of stress and the role played by culture, acculturation, and various demographic variables suggested by the literature to influence stress were included. A purposive sample composed of 38 primarily undocumented immigrant Latino parents and 32 European American parents of children with disabilities was recruited from community agencies in a Midwest state. The most frequent disabilities were orthopedic impairments, pervasive developmental disorders, and mental retardation.

Data were collected with the Parent Survey, comprised of the Questionnaire on …

The Origins And Significance Of The Toronto Technical School, 1891--1904 (Ontario), Kathleen Y. Sharman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As the first Technical School in Ontario, the Toronto Technical School played a role that directly influenced provincial legislation which resulted in the formal recognition, public funding, and eventually, the inclusion of technical education in the public school system. A well organized local support network for technical education, as well as a highly supportive local newspaper, created an environment suitable for educational change that would serve as a model for the province of Ontario. Once officially included into the public school system, the roles of many of the original supporters of the Toronto Technical School were no longer needed. However, …

Computer Self-Efficacy Beliefs Of Preservice Teachers: Implementation Of A Concurrent Mixed-Model., Jelena Magliaro

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This aim of this concurrent nested mixed-model study was to examine the computer self-efficacy beliefs of 210 preservice teachers. The quantitative component consisted of the Computer User Self-Efficacy (CUSE) scale that examined the relationship between computer self-efficacy and gender, age, ethnic origin, previous undergraduate degree, licensure area, software packages use, computer experience, training, ownership and socioeconomic status of preservice teachers. Students' previous undergraduate degree, licensure area, experience and familiarity with software packages were found to have a statistically significant effect on computer self-efficacy. The qualitative data indicated that society and school were the most positive factors that influenced preservice teachers' …

Exploring The Reasons For Student Ethnic Groupings: The Case Of Chinese Students At The University Of Windsor (Ontario)., Jicheng Jiao

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study was designed to explore the reasons of the common phenomenon that Mainland Chinese international students on a Canadian university campus are always seen staying within their own culturally homogenous circles with very limited communication with other students from different cultural backgrounds. A qualitative research approach was employed to ascertain the reasons for this phenomenon. Ten Chinese international students from Mainland China studying at the University of Windsor participated in this study. They were interviewed in Mandarin individually over a period of seven weeks, each interview being taped, translated and transcribed. The findings derived from this study include language …

A Comparison Of The Mathematical Performance Of Grade 3 Students In Provincial Public And Islamic Private Schools In Ontario., Mahdi Mohamed

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This causal comparative study was designed to compare the mathematical performance of Grade 3 students in Provincial public and Islamic private schools in Ontario. Three hundred and fifty-eight third grade students' EQAO (Education Quality and Accountability Office) mathematics assessment results of the years 2001-2002 to 2003-2004 were analyzed. At the provincial standard (Level 3) in 2003-2004, An-noor Islamic school superseded the entire public school board by 2%. More than a half of the students of both An-noor Islamic school and Queen Victoria public school achieved at or above the provincial standard. In 2003-2004, more than a half (54%) of all …

School-Based Service Delivery Models For Students With Exceptionalities: Stakeholders' Perceptions Of Effectiveness., Lisa A. Boudreau

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the use of school-based service delivery models for students with exceptionalities and the perceptions of their effectiveness by key stakeholders: principals and vice-principals, classroom teachers, and special education teachers. There were 260 participants in this study; 29 administrators, 164 classroom teachers, and 67 special education teachers. An electronic survey was constructed and access to this survey was made available to the participants via their work intranet system. The survey solicited information using both quantitative and qualitative measures regarding participant demographics, the use of school-based teams, and perceptions of effective special education practices. In addition, two senior administrators …

Learning Practices And Teaching Methods As Factors In Gender Inequity In Undergraduate Computer Science Programs., Dorian Stoilescu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study is to detect student difficulties in adapting to the undergraduate computer science program. The research was conducted in the Department of Computer Science at a medium sized urban university in Ontario. Subjects were 16 students (ten males and six females) from the first to the third year of study and two professors. For this research mixed methods methodologies (QUAL+quan) were used. Qualitative methods were preponderant and were used in order to explore differences and difficulties both genders have in computer science program and modalities to deal with them. Quantitative methods were used to compare …

Explaining Computer Use Among Preservice Teachers: Towards The Development Of A Richer Conceptual Model Incorporating Experience, Demographic, Motivation, Personality, And Learning Style Clusters Of Variables., Salah Zogheib

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite the professional training that North American teachers receive, many believe they are not well prepared to implement computer technology in their classrooms (Industry Canada, 2003; The CEO Forum, 2001). Educational computing research has failed to provide conceptually integrated frameworks and theories that can best predict or explain the factors that facilitate computer use, whether in a computer course or for general purposes. The conceptual framework that emerged in this study incorporated specific determinants of computer use---demographics, experience, learning style, motivation, and personality---for new teachers that represent prominent themes in theories of human motivation and decision making. However, among the …

Human Engagement: The English Language Learning Process Of Korean University Students In Canada., Sheila Windle

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This investigation of the process of English as an additional language (EAL) development of a group of 16 Korean university students spans their experiences in Korea and Canada. Data were collected from semi-structured interviews, written questionnaires and a final focus group interview. Systematic grounded theory informed data gathering and analysis, resulting in a diagrammatic representation and narrative description of the process. Target participants who had been in Canada an average of 4 years, 5 months reported speaking more Korean (55%) than English (44%) during the week and on the weekends (62% Korean, 37% English). The most salient moderators of English …

Teaching Bodies: Curriculum And Corporeality, Julie Garlen Maudlin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

I began thinking about the topic of this dissertation at first in 2003 when I found myself expecting a third child while teaching full-time and pursuing a doctoral degree, and in earnest later that year at Bergamo, where I began to see a connection between my own interest in desires and bodies as they relate to education and the work of several of my colleagues. I began to think about the role of the body in the curriculum. Every day that we enter the classroom we bring our bodies and our desires along with us. We educate and learn from …

An Examination Of The Predictive Power Of Demographic, Experiential And Philosophical Orientation Variable Clusters In Relation To Change And Stability Of Pre-Service Teachers' Pupil Control Ideology., Glenn Rideout

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pre-service teachers enter teacher preparation programs with beliefs about how students and teachers should interact in the classroom. Willower, Eidell, and Hoy (1967) categorized these beliefs into pupil control ideologies (PCI), which were identified as more or less humanistic or custodial. Many researchers subsequently reported that at the beginning of the pre-service teacher education program, pre-service teachers tended to be more or less humanistic in their PCI. Paper copy at Leddy Library: Theses & Major Papers - Basement, West Bldg. / Call Number: Thesis2005 .R53. Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 67-07, Section: A, page: 2538. Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Windsor (Canada), …