Digital Commons Network^™

Who I Am Is Shaped By My Past And Impacts My Future: Exploring Antecedents And Outcomes Of Self-Views Across International, Immigrant, And Canadian Born Undergraduate Students, Anjana Balakrishnan

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This dissertation focused on how various self-views variables (self-esteem, self-concept, and self-concept clarity) differ across and within groups of university students, are influenced by internal and external factors, and predict academic and non-academic variables. Key models of self and group perceptions were used in deriving hypotheses (i.e., Shavelson, Hubner & Stanton, 1976; Bosson & Swann Jr, 2009; Stephan, Ybarra, & Morrison, 2009). Across the four studies, self-report questionnaires were used. Studies 1 and 4 were completed online by international, immigrant, and Canadian born students. Studies 2 and 3 examined only international students, involved an experimental manipulation, and were conducted in-lab. …

Collaborative Mind Mapping To Support Online Discussion In Teacher Education, Rosa Cendros Araujo

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Mind maps that combine text, images, colour and layout elements, have been widely used in classroom teaching to improve retention, knowledge organization and conceptual understanding. Furthermore, studies have shown the advantages of using mind-maps to facilitate collaborative learning. However, there are gaps in the literature regarding the use and study of collaborative mind-mapping in online learning settings. This integrated-article dissertation explores the implementation of online collaborative mind mapping activities in a mathematics teacher education program at a Canadian university. The studies were developed with participants enrolled in three different courses where at least two of the online activities used collaborative …

Chinese Public Education And Global Social Justice: The Organizational Challenges Of Initiating An Access Scholarship In A Chinese Public School, Spencer Aaron Matthew Fowler

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

This OIP aims to support ABC Academy in its efforts to enable Middle Eastern refugees and other economically and politically marginalized youth to complete their final year of high school in Beijing, China. Transformative leadership, grounded in notions of social justice and democracy, provide a guide for an institution that seeks to bridge the divide between classroom education and social context. A robust framework for implementing change within an insular organization is proposed wherein transformative leadership’s key tenets are augmented by Kotter’s eight-step change model (1996). Capacity building and empowerment provide faculty with the tools necessary to improve student learning …

Increasing Support For Victims Of Sexual Assault Through The Adoption Of A Victim-Centered Approach To Police Investigations, Kara Brooks

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Police services across North America have been criticized for their lack of support for victims throughout the investigative process, especially when investigating crimes involving sexual violence. The Problem of Practice addressed in this Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) focuses on the lack of victim support throughout sexual assault investigations in a large police service in Canada. Taking a victim-centered approach to sexual assault investigations pushes the police organization to consider victims’ needs and rights ahead of strictly gathering information throughout a sexual assault investigation.

A gap analysis identified two main areas of focus for this (OIP): the need for enhanced training …

Building Capacity: A Cycle Of Change For A Non-Profit Clinical Service Organization, Sarah Drexler

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Families of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) need clinical behavioural services. A lack of capacity within non-profit agencies results in children and families often waiting for long periods of time to receive services. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) aims to address a Problem of Practice (POP), namely, a lack of capacity within a clinical service agency to provide sufficient behavioural support to the number of children with IDD in its service area. The OIP includes an examination of the organizational context, factors influencing wait times for service, and the organization’s ability to implement change. Multiple solutions to address …

Developing French Language Learning Leadership, Kimberly A. Fortin

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

This Organizational Improvement Plan analyzes the leadership shortage in a French language school board and the scarcity of qualified, skilled, and knowledgeable principals and vice principals willing to lead schools as learning organizations within minority contexts. French language principals have a unique responsibility for ensuring instructional excellence and learning, and they must lead in ways that transmit the mission and values of Francophone language and culture (Leurebourg, 2013). They must understand the cultural context of leading in minority environments and that organizational survival depends upon adaptability and the capacity to learn as an organization. Organizations should have a long-term strategic …

Student Reengagement In An Alternative High School, Chantal Gauthier

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Abstract

Alternative high schools have been an option for students who do not succeed in the regular system in the hopes that doing things differently would help these students graduate. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) examines the situation of an alternative high school in a small French school board in Ontario. Student disengagement is reflected in poor attendance and impacts credit completion and graduation rates. Many solutions to improve engagement have been put forward with mitigated success. An analysis of the organizational readiness for change reveals that the organization feels the urgency of finding a solution to the problem. To …

How To Enhance Communication Among Healthcare Providers And Improve Patient Safety, Heather Gordon

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

In 2010, the Provincial Health Funder (PHF) mandated the reporting of unintentional adverse events that occur in the process of healthcare delivery, which result in disability, death, or prolong treatments. The results of reporting are available to the public on the Health Quality website, providing transparency for the public and accountability for Advanced Healthcare System (AHS)[1], which has made patient safety its organizational strategic priority (AHS, 2018).

This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) seeks to improve communication and positive change among healthcare providers by maximizing the use of error prevention tools to improve patient safety. The principles of distributive …

Strategies For Improving The Organizational Value Of Training In A Corporate Setting, Anthony Meloche

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Training departments and the products and services they provide are often viewed by organizational leaders as expenses rather than investments. As organizations struggle to remain competitive and viable, the money and effort spent on training comes under increased critical examination. This Organization Improvement Plan (OIP) focuses on a training department, Corporate University (CU), operating within a specific organizational context at the Insurance Institute (II). The OIP examines the organization through various critical lenses including structural, human resource, technological, and symbolic perspectives to assess and propose practical actions the CU can take to demonstrate how the products and services they provide …

Maladaptive Coping Habits Amongst Student Leaders In Peer Support Roles: Reframing Exposure To Vicarious Trauma, Richard Caccamo

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Undergraduate orientation programs at post-secondary institutions are important platforms for new students to adjust to a new social and academic climate. Student leaders play a critical role in helping new students find belonging on campus. However, being in a peer support role can heighten student leaders’ exposure to vicarious trauma (VT) if they have not yet mastered how to regulate their own emotions or withstand the social and academic pressures associated with university. Many student leaders experience exacerbated symptoms of VT because of their maladaptive coping habits. Institution X does not have a viable framework to monitor or regulate student …

Implementing Authentic Formative Assessment To Improve Student Learning, Ola Elshurafa

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) capstone addresses the Problem of Practice (POP) pertaining to the lack of a robust system of authentic formative assessment at the Department of Business Administration (DBA) in an Arabian Gulf University. A synthesis on the literature around formative assessment has informed a conceptual model for the POP which highlighted the importance of formative assessment and its positive influence on student learning. This OIP designs a comprehensive and systematic plan which guides change towards the improvement of the POP, targeting stronger system performance and enhanced outcomes for student learning. Using an organizational culture lens, this OIP …

Promoting Student Action In A Primary School, Kyle Hawkins

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

This organizational improvement plan addresses a problem of practice in the primary division of an international school. This improvement plan focuses on increasing the quantity and quality of student action as an outcome of learning as evidenced in the school’s curriculum mapping database. Proposed changes are based on the belief that the overarching purpose of schooling is to prepare individuals for full engagement and participation in democratic society. Full participation requires that students develop a sense of agency and empowerment to act upon the knowledge they gain through their schooling. Schooling provides students with the ability and disposition to challenge …

Learning To Succeed: Supporting, Tracking And Engaging Education In The Workplace, John Mbakulo

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) identifies a need to support, track, and engage employees pursuing post-secondary education in a large-sized police service. The organization’s current investment in post-secondary education support is relatively small compared to the costs that learners face, and this figure has not increased in over a decade. Moreover, though education is tracked upon entering the workforce, due to technological changes these records are not easily obtainable, and any additional educational achievements are not recorded once an employee has started working. Expanding this focus on supporting education will reinforce the recognition of the value that additional education brings …

Aligning International Curriculum Standards And Practices With National Quality Assurance Frameworks, Tina Annette Stephenson

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

This Organizational Improvement Plan proposal will consider how the directors of our group of international schools can begin the work of aligning values, standards and practices to meet the needs of both the individual international schools and the nationalized quality assurance frameworks -- working with individual school principals in our home nation. The international school system provides alternatives to local and expatriate parents in an ever-increasing number of schools across the globe. As this number of international school increases, so too does the number of those schools which are required to align their international curriculum standards and practices with nationalized …

Communicating Effectively With Vaccine Hesitant Patients, Erin Courtney

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Vaccine hesitancy is a multifaceted and complex public health issue, and a plethora of research has been conducted on patients’ vaccine knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs that contribute to decreased public confidence in vaccines which then decreases vaccine uptake, which ultimately has resulted in an increase of vaccine preventable disease outbreaks (for example, measles). Research also illustrates that health care providers (HCP) are patients’ primary source of vaccination information and that HCPs who can communicate effectively with these patients are more likely to encourage adherence to medical advice and the adoption of preventative health behaviours, such as vaccination. Unfortunately, the communication …

Integrating A Trauma-Informed Approach Throughout The School Board, Emily Burns

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

The organization at the centre of this Improvement Plan is a school board in Ontario. The problem of practice (POP) being addressed is the inadequate integration of trauma-sensitive practices in educator pedagogies and in school policies and procedures. Currently, there is a lack of awareness and understanding of the potential impacts of trauma and toxic stress on student learning and development among educators and decision-makers throughout the school board. Without a thorough understanding of these potential impacts, it is challenging for educators to know how to best support trauma-affected students and help them experience success in their academics. Within her …

Supporting Youth Aging Out Of Government Care With Their Transition To College, Allison Schubert

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

For youth in and aging out of government care in British Columbia, accessing and completing college programs is a challenge that is gaining awareness in educational settings and the larger community. The research is clear; youth in and aging out of care are not as prepared as their peers to transition to college and have much less support to access them (Nichols et al. 2017, Shaffer et al. 2015). This paper identifies some of the main reasons for the discrepancy in educational outcomes, from an institutional perspective and as a broader wicked social problem. This Organizational Improvement Plan addresses this …

Global Competency And International Context At Aspiring Public Charter School, Joshua Symonds

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Teaching and assessing global competencies are areas of research that have become the focus of many educational organizations. This organizational improvement plan (OIP) examined the problem of a lack of global competencies taught, and international context provided, in an urban Canadian public school. The internal and external contextual landscape of the organization were considered, and available data analyzed to establish the need and readiness for change. Four primary solutions are proposed to solve this problem of practice: status quo and communication, international programs, strategic partnerships, and global competency education. Relying on contextual knowledge that connects the theories of servant, authentic, …

Student Persistence And Success, Kerry Lynn Durnford

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Organizations of higher education are under increasing pressure to provide and validate student attrition data, particularly for funding sources and accreditation bodies. Simplistic attrition formulas comparing the number of students admitted to a program to the number of students graduating in the traditional program length problematizes both students and the organization. Approaches to student retention in higher education have evolved to focus on increasing student enrolment numbers, and subsequent funding often depends on this information. However, in taking this strategic, neoliberal approach, organizations fail to address the multifactorial nature of student attrition and the supports needed to maximize student success. …

Overcoming Resistance When Adopting A Strengths-Based Case Management Service Delivery Model, Sheri-Lynn Mayhew

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

In 2016, Rapp & Goscha’s (2012) Strengths-based Case Management (SBCM) Service Delivery Model was adopted as an agency wide, best practice within Organization X. However, the clinicians within Service N, who support persons with developmental disabilities and mental illness known as a dual diagnosis, resisted this service delivery model implementation. Outcome measures following implementation for those with a dual diagnosis were poor. Specifically, goal attainment and fidelity scores were consistently lower since Rapp & Goscha’s (2012) SBCM Service Delivery Model implementation. This Organizational Improvement plan (OIP) examines which leadership theories and frameworks could address the resistance in adopting Rapp & …

Disrupting Schools For Boys: Interrogating Program, Policy, And Culture, Michael Paluch

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

This inquiry draws upon a variety of philosophical and theoretical perspectives, including post-structuralism, feminist theory and Marxist philosophy for the purposes of identifying an appropriate leadership framework for educators at schools for boys. It is proposed that a disruptive approach to leadership might serve to stimulate the conscientization of stakeholders within boys’ schools with respect to how essentialist notions of masculinity may be limiting student achievement and personal growth. This conscientization may engender a deep interrogation of those programs, policies, and cultural aspects that might be serving to promote unhealthy and/or toxic performances of masculinity. The application of a constructivist …

Cultural Awareness: Organizational Improvement Plan For Improved Student Accommodation, Katheryn Pender

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Canadian colleges have the responsibility to be inclusive and diverse. The College is uniquely positioned to cater to a variety of students with varied learning needs. Concurrently, policy must accommodate students to encourage capacity to learn. The development of a campus environment that is culturally aware that supports a comprehensive student accommodation policy is the focus of this organizational improvement plan. Through the theoretical guidance of cultural organizational and evolutionary theory, a multi-year plan is developed. Capacity for the plan is through stakeholder representation and engagement. Further influence is garnered from an adaptive leadership approach that is communicated and organized …

Designing A New Resourcing Model For Rural Schools In Labrador, April Blake

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

The motivation of this Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) is rooted in attaining more equity and social justice for marginalized groups in rural, geographically isolated sections of Labrador. The focus of the change process within the social justice frame is the lack of resources in these rural schools. The broad base of the resourcing issue encompasses lack of rural staff, books, manipulatives, technology, games, funding, community supports, consumables and all other standard school accompaniments. Departmental funding for our schools is very limited, this is an extensive and significant issue in most rural schools in the area, and this OIP plans change …

The Relatedness Of Leadership To Infant Education And Care: A Journey With Hannah Arendt, Tina Bonnett

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

In current movements that seek to redress the early education and care sector, professionals who work with infants are gaining recognition for possessing a unique set of expertise and competencies that extend beyond custodial caregiving. In this emerging recognition however, the relatedness between leadership and infant caregiving is dearth in early years research, policy, and practice agendas. This phenomenon is evidenced in course outcomes, content, and experiential elements in an Ontario early years honours leadership degree. As such, this Organizational Improvement (OIP) plan endeavours to tangibly intersect leadership and infant caregiving by examining contextual informants relating to this problem of …

Designing A New Resourcing Model For Rural Schools In Labrador, April Blake

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

The motivation of this Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) is rooted in attaining more equity and social justice for marginalized groups in rural, geographically isolated sections of Labrador. The focus of the change process within the social justice frame is the lack of resources in these rural schools. The broad base of the resourcing issue encompasses lack of rural staff, books, manipulatives, technology, games, funding, community supports, consumables and all other standard school accompaniments. Departmental funding for our schools is very limited, this is an extensive and significant issue in most rural schools in the area, and this OIP plans change …

A Learning Model For Rural Yukon Educators, Alexandrea Postoloski

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Abstract

Rural educators face challenges in accessing timely, relevant, and appropriate professional learning opportunities in Yukon due to the complexities of living and working in geographically and professionally isolated communities (Hellsten, McIntyre, & Prytula, 2011). Complexities surrounding the political landscapes within Yukon also creates a unique set of challenges. Adding to the challenges, Yukon education is also in the process of implementing a new curriculum model that attempts to be more holistic and considerate of the needs of the people living and working within the Territory (Yukon Education, 2011). The current change processes and vision for Yukon education provides a …

Teacher Leadership To Enhance Day Treatment Services, Silvia Robinson

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Day treatment classrooms offer alternative educational programming for students who cannot attend regular classrooms due to their need for mental health care and treatment. The unique design of day treatment classrooms combines individualized educational programming provided by publicly funded teachers and mental health treatment provided by workers from a children’s mental health agency. The Problem of Practice (PoP) aims to increase the leadership capacity for an elementary teaching team providing day treatment services within a children’s mental health organization. The special education teacher and the academic programming of the student receives limited attention within the wider multidisciplinary team as the …

A Learning Model For Rural Yukon Educators, Alexandrea Postoloski

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Rural educators face challenges in accessing timely, relevant, and appropriate professional learning opportunities in Yukon due to the complexities of living and working in geographically and professionally isolated communities (Hellsten, McIntyre, & Prytula, 2011). Complexities surrounding the political landscapes within Yukon also creates a unique set of challenges. Adding to the challenges, Yukon education is also in the process of implementing a new curriculum model that attempts to be more holistic and considerate of the needs of the people living and working within the Territory (Yukon Education, 2011). The current change processes and vision for Yukon education provides a unique …

Implementing Internationalization In Ontario In A Public-Private Partnership, Junie Facey

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Abstract

The goal of Canada’s International Education Strategy: Harnessing our Knowledge Advantage to Drive Innovation and Prosperity (Global Affairs Canada, 2014) is to target the best and brightest international students to study in the country’s higher education institutions, mutually benefiting the student and the country’s economy. However, internationalization has created a new reality, with students graduating ill-equipped for the global society and a demand for approaches that embrace the complexities of diversity and changing environments (Dailey-Hebert & Dennis, 2015). Absent from the internationalization agenda are the considerations of impact on students and what they need in an organization’s culture to …

Modernizing Nursing Education For Student Success, Deborah Hartlen

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Nursing education has evolved over time to meet the changing demands of an increasingly complex healthcare system. To enable teaching faculty to facilitate students’ capacity in applying critical thinking and application of nursing concepts—skills required of graduate nurses--this Organization Improvement Plan (OIP) identifies classroom teaching strategies as instrumental in students’ acquiring these skills. Analysis of University and Program conditions identify challenges and strengths of both that are considered throughout this plan. Based in transformational leadership elements, this plan describes how a grassroots or informal leader can initiate change and move it forward with formal leaders’ support. Application of Kotter’s Eight-Step …