Digital Commons Network^™

Jack Chambers And The New Spanish Realists, Simon Thomas David Wakeman Bentley

Digitized Theses

This thesis examines the connection between Jack Chambers (1931-1978) and contemporary Spanish Realism. Typically, Chambers’ time in Spain has been reduced to the bare fact that he trained and painted there for 9 years. His return to London, Ontario in 1961, where he would become a key part of London Regionalism, has been represented as a rupture, a point at which Chambers immerses himself in the Canadian landscape, using the techniques of his academic training in ways that were wholly inspired his local engagement. It is my contention that Chambers was far more in tune with artistic developments in Spain …

The Role Of Student Success Teachers In Ontario Secondary Schools, Robert Andrew Bell

Digitized Theses

Education in Ontario underwent a series of reforms during the 1990’s, including a

reduction from a 5-year to a 4-year secondary program. As a result of these reforms, several studies were commissioned to determine the success of these changes, and the recommendations were to implement a support program to address the holistic, developmental and individual needs of students who are not successful in secondary school—the Student Success Program. Student Success Teachers (SSTs) were hired in every secondary school in Ontario to be the implementer of Student Success initiatives. In this study, 12 SSTs from two coterminous local school boards were …

Community Responses To Wind Energy Development In Ontario, Emmanuel Songsore

Digitized Theses

The Province of Ontario has one of the most radical jurisdictions in the developed world for supporting and promoting renewable energy development. Legislatively, the Green Energy and Green Economy Act, 2009 is aimed at making Ontario a global leader in renewable energy development. Wind energy in particular represents one of the integral and controversial parts of these commitments. Several new installations have been built or announced and yet community opposition grows. Utilizing a media content analysis of national, regional and local newspapers circulated within the province of Ontario, this study documents and analyzes issues motivating community resistance to and/or support …

Pre-Drinking And Its Association With Alcohol-Impaired Driving Among Young-Adult Male Drinkers: A Cross-Sectional Study Of Post-Secondary Students In London Ontario, Tyler Andrew Pirie

Digitized Theses

Alcohol-impaired driving is a major public health problem and has been linked to risky drinking behaviours. Pre-drinking, the consumption of alcohol In a private setting before attending a main event may be associated with alcohol- impaired driving. The objectives of this study were to: 1) conduct a preliminary assessment of the nature and extent of pre-drinking among male post-secondary student drinkers and 2) identify factors associated with alcohol-impaired driving, focusing, in particular, on the role of frequent pre-drinking.

Data from a cross-sectional survey of males attending the University of Western Ontario and Fanshawe Community College were analyzed. Statistical techniques included …

The Experiences Of Literacy And Numeracy Coaches In Implementing Initiatives To Raise Student Achievement, Katarzyna Ewa Kalat

Digitized Theses

This thesis examines the initiative involving the implementation of elementary Literacy and Numeracy Coaches. Using a case study, I examined the challenges and opportunities with which Literacy and Numeracy Coaches were confronted. The study concluded that Literacy and Numeracy Coaches have great potential for improving student achievement and raising improved teaching strategies through professional development. However, due to several factors, including: vague role definition; implementation of too many initiatives at the same time; the shifting of the role due new initiatives encouraged by the Ministry and the board; and too little time for effective implementation, caused the coaches to be …

Why Do Midwives Stay? A Descriptive Study Investigating Retention Amongst Currently Practicing Ontario Midwives, Nicole Versaevel

Digitized Theses

This descriptive, exploratory study was designed to explore why Ontario midwives stay in clinical practice. All registered midwives in the province were invited to complete a Web based survey, and a response rate of 38%, was ascertained. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze quantitative data, while content analysis was employed to analyze qualitative data. Midwives enjoy their work, and are highly committed to the profession. Relationships with clients and making a difference through their work are key factors in staying in the profession. Midwives report that autonomy in their work is a mediator of job satisfaction. Important support mechanisms for …

Struggles To Get Back To The Land: New Farmers And The Future Of Agriculture In Ontario, Alex Alkhoury

Digitized Theses

Given limits to fossil energy and the need to reduce agriculture’s atmospheric impact, there is a need to increasingly re-insert human labour for machines and inputs in agricultural landscapes like those in Ontario. At the same time, Ontario has a small, declining, and aging farming population, which implies that rebuilding its labour force means moving against forbidding trends, including having people from non-farm backgrounds seek agricultural livelihoods. This thesis explores the emerging 'seams' that mark this transition, analysing the interpretations and lived experiences of 36 participants from non-farm backgrounds in southwestern Ontario who were, in various ways, struggling to get …

A Discourse Analysis Of Transsexuality Through Three Fields: Expert Knowledges In Legal. Medical And News Texts, Nazgol Afsahi

Digitized Theses

Employing a Foucauldian discourse analysis, this thesis examines knowledge produced about transsexuality and sex reassignment surgery (SRS) through the fields of medical, legal and news texts. I explore key shifts in Western feminist, queer and trans approaches to sex/gender and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual o f Mental Disorders’ pathologization of gender-variance in the Gender Identity Disorder diagnosis. I also undertake a case study of trans marriages prior to Bill C-38, and the Ontario Vital Statistics Act’s reliance on medical proof in change of sex designation requests. Finally, I analyze seventy-seven texts from The Globe and Mail, The Toronto Star, …

Representing The Promotional University: Undergraduate Student Recruitment Strategies In Ontario, 1997- 2007, Lindsay Carrocci

Digitized Theses

This thesis explores the promotional activities of five Ontario universities, bringing together scholarly work in history, education, marketing, consumer culture, semiotics, representation, and ideology to consider how institutions portray themselves to prospective undergraduate students. Visually and textually, each institution now constructs a brand, positions itself competitively, and shapes the ways in which it desires to be perceived. In promotional materials, universities attempt to balance conflicting roles as both cultivators of culture and the liberal arts, as well as centers of innovation and training in the “knowledge economy.” It is concluded that, in promotional materials, universities take the rhetorical middle ground, …

A Multi-Scale Analysis Of Northern Goshawk Habitat In Ontario, Peter G. Bush

Digitized Theses

The northern goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) has been identified as a potential indicator of sustainable forest management by a number of state and provincial jurisdictions across North America, including Ontario. However, little is known about northern goshawk habitat use in Ontario. This thesis examined northern goshawk habitat using a multi-scale approach. Within the study, goshawk habitat was examined from the nest-tree scale through to the multiple home ranges, and even at the provincial scale. Examination of the micro-scale nesting habitat use revealed that goshawks in central Ontario preferred to nest in a hardwood tree (specifically aspen), and more importantly in trees …