Education Commons^™

An Investigation Of Multiliteracies Pedagogies In Language Teacher Education: A Mixed Methods Study, Adrienne Doucette-Vanthuyne

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Research into teacher preparedness within teacher education programs and its relationship to teacher attrition is an increasing area of interest in Canada and around the world. In Canada, on average, the estimated turnover for second language educators is approximately 30% in the first five years and 50% of these are within the first two years (Canadian Teacher’s Federation (CTF), 2004; Karsenti, Collin, Villeneuve, Dumouchel, & Roy, 2008; Siwatu, 2011; Swanson, 2012). The CTF (2004), French and Collins (2014), Karsenti et al. (2008) and Swanson (2012) have reported on several factors that influence language teacher attrition and retention: teacher preparedness, teacher …

How Elementary School Principals In An Ontario School Board Use Resiliency Strategies To Manage Adversity In Their Leadership, Catherine Elizabeth Zeisner

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The purpose of this exploratory case study was to gather, examine, and define school leadership ‘adversity experiences’ of elementary school principals in an Ontario school board. This qualitative study examined how principals use resiliency strategies to manage adversity in the course of their school leadership. Lastly, the study examined supports, professional learning, and/or programs specific to the Ontario context that exist for principals experiencing adversity.

The purposeful sample was fifteen elementary school principals and one superintendent of education. They were interviewed one-on-one using semi-structured questions during the winter 2016. Those data were analyzed using a modified form of constant comparative …

Role Of Advocacy Organizations In Promoting Inclusive Education Policies For Students With Rare Chronic Health Conditions: Insights For Education Leaders, Jennifer Flinn

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This qualitative study investigated how advocacy groups for rare chronic health conditions understood their relation to, and interaction with, educational leadership and policy. This study adopted a critical research orientation and framed inclusion as an equity and social justice issue. Semi structured interviews were conducted with advocates representing various rare chronic health conditions, and a policy review of Ontario’s inclusion policy, as well as relevant health policies were conducted. The analysis revealed that there was tension in participants’ understanding of inclusion, and participants did not always support full inclusion for students with rare chronic health conditions. There is a lack …

The Effect Of Speech-To-Text Software On Learning A New Writing Strategy, Katrina N. Haug

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Handwriting and spelling present elementary students with significant sources of load on working memory as the various writing processes compete for cognitive resources (Kellogg, Whiteford, Turner, Cahill & Mertens, 2013). Several studies have shown that speech-to-text (STT) software can improve students' writing on a specific text (Higgins & Raskind, 1997; MacArthur & Cavalier, 2004; Quinlan, 2004); however, the question of whether STT can be used to teach writing strategies has been neglected. This pretest-post-test between groups study experimentally tested the effects of composition modality on learning a persuasive writing strategy. First, all students (N=45) completed a pretest of persuasive writing. …

A Study Of The Relationships Between Empowerment, Decision-Making Style And Job Satisfaction In Female Middle Managers Within Ontario's University Registrarial Units, Lee Ann C. Mckivor

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An emerging body of literature has sought to explore the role of variables such as decision-making styles and structural empowerment in predicting job satisfaction in various populations and contexts. This study aimed to advance this knowledge by questioning the predictive ability of structural empowerment and decision-making styles in female registrarial middle managers in Ontario universities. It was hypothesized that when female registrarial middle managers feel empowered, dependent on their decision-making style, they experience high job satisfaction.

An online survey tool comprised of the Conditions for Workplace Effectiveness Questionnaire (CWEQ-I), the General Decision-Making Scale (GDMS), and the Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS), …

The Relationship Between School Leaders' Behaviors And Teachers' Perceptions Of Their Value In Promoting A Culture Of Inclusive Education, Grace L. Howell

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One of the most critical factors in changing teachers’ attitudes toward inclusive education practices is the way in which the school leader, that is a principal or vice-principal, actively and consistently demonstrates a positive attitude towards an inclusive school culture (Leithwood, Begley, & Cousins, 1992). Specific types of behaviors by leaders may be more important than others in assisting teachers to develop their own attitudes concerning inclusive education. This convergent parallel mixed-methods study was designed to permit a comparison of rural Ontario elementary school leaders and teachers in a) their attitudes toward teaching students with mild to moderate disabilities and …

Exploring Science Teachers’ Self-Efficacy Perceptions To Teach In Ontario’S Diverse Classrooms: A Mixed-Methods Investigation, Mithila Vidwans

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In the past few years, Canadian schools have experienced increasing diversity with a large number of English Language Learners (ELLs) becoming part of the mainstream classroom. Research has shown that ELLs will achieve academic success when their backgrounds are incorporated within the curriculum and pedagogy (Gay, 2000). However, our curriculum is largely Eurocentric and caters predominantly to mainstream students. As a result, it has become critical to investigate teachers’ perceptions in terms of providing inclusive pedagogy in various classroom contexts. Hence, the purpose of this study was to examine the self-efficacy perceptions of Ontario’s Science teachers to teach in diverse …

Am I A Bully? A Mixed Methods Phenomenological Study Of The Perspectives And Experiences Of Girls Who Are Relationally Aggressive, Laura A. Hogarth

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This explanatory mixed-methods, phenomenological study investigated how relationally aggressive females perceive and experience their social world. The first, quantitative phase of the study included 237 students (85 males, 152 females) in grades 6 to grade 8 from four different schools. All students completed the quantitative measures of the study; a peer nomination scale of relational aggression, the Basic Empathy Scale (Joliffe & Farrington, 2006), and a self-concept measure, the Self-Description Questionnaire Short Form (Marsh et al., 2005). Female students whose mean relational aggression score was greater than 1 SD about the class mean, and received votes from more than 30% …

Perspectives On Teachers' Work In One Ontario Remote First Nation Community, Dawn V. Burleigh

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The nature of teachers’ work in one northern Ontario remote First Nation community is explored through three articles that address the following questions: Why do teachers work in the North? What contributes to teacher retention and attrition? And, how do teachers navigate the professional and personal boundaries of their lives as teachers in the North?

The articles are based on a case study of teachers’ work in one community and use data collected through interviews with 15 teachers, focus groups with sub-sets of those teachers, and observations collected as field notes. Article 1, Teacher attrition in a Northern Ontario remote …

A Pedagogy Of Multiliteracies Into Practice: A Case Study In One Grade One Literacy Classroom, Xing Meng Ms.

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With the rise of technology, literacy concepts in the 21^st century have challenged traditional literacy practices that have relied primarily on print media. Recent research has alerted early-years educators to the new understandings and significance of multiliteracies. These new understandings will better prepare classroom practices that purposefully design learning opportunities to accommodate diverse young learners in an era of evolving education.

This qualitative case study responds to these imperatives by showcasing a lived story of a grade one teacher who has implemented multiliteracies pedagogy in her classroom. Multiliteracies pedagogy has facilitated her effort in creating meaningful learning opportunities for …

Chinese International Students' Informal Second Language (L2) Learning Through Technology For Enhancing Lived Experiences In Canada, Xuewei Zhou

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An increasing amount of attention has been drawn to international students’ academic development in the context of studying abroad; however, few studies shed light on students’ studying and lived experiences outside of school. This thesis explores how technology can enhance Chinese international students’ informal acquisition of second language (L2) and their lived experiences in Canada. Through a qualitative case study, I describe what language difficulties newly arrived Chinese international students encounter, and how they cope with those language difficulties through technology-assisted informal L2 learning. Data sources include in-depth interviews and follow-up interviews, participants’ personal narratives, and researchers’ reflective journals. Theories …

Learning About Teaching Science: Improving Teachers' Practice Through Collaborative Professional Learning, Sarah E. Cloutier

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This single, descriptive qualitative case study provides a snapshot of elementary teachers and their school principal’s multiple and competing views about personal and contextual factors affecting teacher engagement in collaborative professional learning (CPL) related to science education within the school environment. This study was viewed through the lens of Situated Learning Theory primarily by Lave and Wenger (1991) because viewing knowledge as situated has implications for understanding teacher learning and the design of instructional activities.

Data were collected from three female elementary teachers and their school principal in Ontario for a period of six months. The data included: five principal …

Truth Functions And Memory In English Language Learners, Eric Smiley Mr.

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

English Language Learners (ELLs) are consistently found to overuse, misunderstand, and misuse connectives in the English language (Bolton et al., 2002; Chen, 2006; Hinkel, 2002; Ozono & Ito, 2003; Zhang, 2000) and current research has not investigated whether this misunderstanding effects the memory of claims. The primary goal of the present study was to examine whether knowledge of truth-functional connectives is related to conjunctive bias in ELL students. Using a within-subjects design, the effects of instruction in truth-functional connectives on conjunctive bias in nine ELL students were investigated. Repeated measures analyses of variance (ANOVA) revealed an elimination of conjunctive bias …

Helping The Transition Through Building New Friendships: A Psychological Perspective On Supporting International Students' Acculturation And Social Integration, Clint E. Thomson

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

In the present research, I developed a program that paired newcomer international students with Canadian student mentors. These pairs met weekly throughout the year. Analysis of pilot quantitative data suggested international student participants did not experience changes in attitudes towards Canadian students or feelings of integration at university as they got to know their mentors, contrary to what I had initially hypothesized. After conducting focus group interviews and reforming the survey measures for the main study, I found that program participants experienced positive changes in sociocultural and psychological adaptation, and a reduction in acculturative stress over time. At the conclusion …

The Effects Of Empowerment On Role Competency And Patient Safety Competency For Newly Graduated Nurse Practitioners, Elsie Duff

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Introduction: Role competence and patient safety (PS) competence among healthcare professionals are rapidly developing issues due to increasing patient acuity and complexity in the healthcare system. Upon graduation, nurse practitioners (NPs) provide autonomous healthcare for populations with complex health needs, thus role and PS competence is imperative. In Canada, few studies have examined NP education and role development specific to NP role competence and PS competencies. This study addresses this gap in the research examining educational experiences of new NP graduates.

Aim: The aim of this study is to test a hypothesized model of the relationships between educational structural empowerment, …

Examining Internalizing Symptoms In Child And Youth Victims Of Emotional Abuse And Bullying: The Mediating Effects Of Individual And Family Strength Factors In Clinical Samples, Amani M. Elrofaie

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Child and youth experiences of emotional abuse and bullying are harmful interactions by caregivers and peers, which produce adverse mental health and social outcomes (Glaser, 2011). This study examined the relationships between trauma exposure and internalizing outcomes through individual and parenting level strength factors. The study comprised 1,297 child and youth participants, aged 4 to 18, from inpatient and outpatient mental health facilities across Ontario, who were administered the interRAI Child and Youth Mental Health assessment (ChYMH; Stewart, Hirdes et al., 2015) with their parents/caregivers. Generalized linear modelling (Nelder & Wedderburn, 1972) was used to determine the relationships between trauma …

Girls(') Speak: Criticality As Agency, Annalise Trudell

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

I seek to contribute knowledge about girls’ embodied sense of agency, as well as to provide empirical insights into anti-violence community programming. Rather than a focus on girls as victims, I want to illuminate the conditions of possibility for girls’ exercise of agency. Working with a feminist post-structuralist framework, and drawing heavily on Judith Butler (1990; 1997), I ask: How does anti-violence programming impact girls’ sense of themselves as agential subjects rather than victims, and, hence, as capable of exercising agency in their subjectivization? Which conceptions of agency do girls mobilize, and how do certain identity categories come to bear …

A Corpus-Based Comparison Between The Academic Word List And The Academic Vocabulary List, Huamin Qi

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This study was a corpus-based comparison between two lists of academic words: Coxhead’s (2000) Academic Word List (AWL) and Gardner and Davies’ (2014) Academic Vocabulary List (AVL). Comparisons were made between different types of lexical coverage provided by the AWL and the AVL in the self-created University Academic Corpus (72-million tokens). The findings indicated that the performance of the AWL and the AVL was different when different evaluation criteria were adopted. Implications, limitations, and suggestions are listed for future research.

A Study Of Risk Factors Of School Disengagement: Evidence From The Interrai Child And Youth Mental Health Instrument (Chymh), Li Sun

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School disengagement (SD) places students at risk of dropout, academic failure and other negative psychological outcomes. Based on the data derived from a sample of southern Ontario children, this exploratory study aims to identify a wide context of risk factors associated with SD among 1298 school-aged students. Logistic regression model revealed that substance use, family functioning, Attention Distractibility Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and victim of bullying significantly predicted SD. Externalizing problem was slightly stronger than internalizing problem in predicting SD. Females, compared to males, were at lower risk for SD. Implications to decrease the likelihood of premature school termination were also …

The Relationship Between Different Dating Violence Profiles, Mental Health Problems And Mental Well-Being Among Canadian Youth, Kelsey E. Macdonald

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The current study examined the relationships among teen dating violence, mental health problems and mental well-being in 338 adolescents aged 14-21 (54% female). Secondary data were retrieved from an evaluation of a small groups healthy relationship program. Participants were grouped into four different dating violence profiles based on self-reported perpetration and victimization: not involved, perpetrators, victims and combined. Generalized Linear Models were used to examine the similarities and differences across types on depression, anxiety, mental well-being and binge drinking. Results suggested that the victims and combined profiles experienced greater mental health problems and decreased mental well-being compared to other profiles. …

Accessibility And Self-Disclosure Of The Journey Through Mental Health: Youth Sharing Their Lived Experience, Caryl-Anne Stordy

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Using the lived experiences of youth in Southwestern Ontario, the current project explores the decision of youth to self-disclose their status of mental illness and disability. To explore the process of disclosure, three research questions were asked: (1) what are the youth’s expectations of disclosing their story to others?; (2) what is the experience of youth with mental illness and disabilities in choosing to disclose their story to others?; and (3) what is important to youth about the decision to disclose or choosing to make their experiences public? Participants' experience of disclosing was documented over four group sessions, one team …

Developmental Evaluation Of A Gender Bullying And Sexualized Violence Prevention Program For Adolescent Males: Preliminary Lessons On Engaging Boys, Matthew B. Gillespie

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The purpose of this developmental evaluation was to explore the unique challenges for facilitators implementing a grassroots gender bullying and sexualized prevention pilot program with males in early and middle adolescence. Data were collected from participants, facilitators, and the primary evaluator in the form of survey data, focus group and interview transcripts, and post-session notes compiled by the evaluator. These data were inputted into Dedoose, a cloud-based data analysis software used primarily for mixed-methods analyses. Open-coding was used to analyze each transcript, from which 9 root codes were derived: 1) Support All Male Setting, 2) Deconstructing Masculinity, 3) Program Recommendations, …

Dual-Credit Program Leadership And Student Engagement, Melanie A. Christian

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Under dual enrollment, high school students take college or university courses from post-secondary institutions or external agencies for both post-secondary and high school credits. Dual credits include college/university, Advanced Placement, and International Baccalaureate courses. This study uses hierarchical linear modelling to determine whether grade in school (e.g., grade 12) or enrollment in multiple dual-credit courses impacts student engagement before and after moderation by leadership and dual-enrollment related variables. In this study, dual-credit students (n = 676) in New York and Ontario completed the Classroom Survey of Student Engagement (CLASSE), an adapted version of the National Survey of Student Engagement …

Exploring The Working-Lives Of Unemployed And Underemployed Teachers In Ontario, Michael W. Mindzak

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This dissertation explores the working-lives of unemployed and underemployed teachers in the Canadian province of Ontario. Over the past decade, the number of new teachers unable to secure employment within the teaching profession in Ontario has continued to grow. As the oversupply of teachers is expected to persist, an extremely competitive labour market has made the position of being an un(der)employed teacher increasingly “precarious” (Ontario College of Teachers, 2014, 2015).

However, such concerns must also be examined within the context of the contemporary world of work and society. Standing’s (2011) understanding of precarious work and the precariat provides a theoretical …

Bullying Experiences Among First Nations Youth: Identifying Effects On Mental Health And Potential Protective Factors, Caely I. Dunlop

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Bullying represents a substantial issue facing Canadian youth, and is associated with negative outcomes across domains of function throughout the lifespan. Despite significant literature examining bullying involvement among adolescents in Canada, a paucity of research explores the bullying experiences of First Nations, Metis and Inuit (FNMI) youth. This is particularly concerning, as these youth may be at higher risk for bullying and its related consequences due to the cultural marginalization and systemic inequalities experienced by Indigenous peoples nationwide. The present study aims to address this gap in the literature, examining the bullying experiences of FNMI youth, the effects of these …

Service Providers' Perspectives On Muslim Women's Experiences Of Intimate Partner Violence, Asra Milani

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This study explored service providers’ perspectives on Muslim women experience of intimate partner violence (IPV) and their domestic violence service utilization. The aim of this study was to have participants share their knowledge and practical experiences in working with Muslim women IPV survivors, what they perceived to be effective interventions, the service gaps and how they envision the advancement of culturally informed services. Eight service providers from two domestic violence agency settings were recruited and series of semi-structured interview were conducted. A thematic content analysis was conducted and eight themes were identified: Immigration, Collectivist and Authoritative Culture, Patriarchy, Honour and …

Canada's Bilingual Dilemma: A Critical Discourse Analysis, Katherine Maccormac

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While employing a qualitative, critical discourse analysis approach this thesis examined the discourses of official bilingualism and French as a second language (FSL) education in Canada as they appeared in stakeholder promotion efforts. The aim of the research was to gain insight into the underlying sources of tension contributing to the disconnect between the vision for official bilingualism and FSL education and the reality of it within Canadian society. Through a critical discourse analysis approach, it was found that there are two conflicting sets of discourses which paint very different pictures of the actual state of official bilingualism and FSL …

High School Boys' Experiences Of A Violence Against Women Prevention Program, Mark Wa Henshaw

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Violence against women and girls is a global burden that requires increased action, especially among males. Although the engagement of males in violence prevention programs have recently spiked, there is minimal evidence that outlines positive changes in males’ attitudes and behaviours when addressing violence against women and girls. The present study examined high school boys’ experiences of a one-day violence against women prevention program with respect to their attitudes and intentions to address violence against women and girls. Guided by the Transtheoretical Model for Behaviour Change and the theory of Moral Disengagement, a pre-event questionnaire was utilized to assess 156 …

An Examination Of Emotional Intelligence As A Potential Mediator In Educator Stress And Burnout, Kaitlin Hancock

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The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between teacher burnout, emotional intelligence, attitudes towards seeking professional help, and perceptions of psychological safety within schools. Findings from this study of 600 Canadian educational professionals suggest that emotional intelligence and perceptions of psychological safety were significant predictors of teacher burnout, while attitudes towards seeking professional help were not. Teaching level, employment status (e.g., part-time versus full-time), and gender were also explored in relation to burnout. Findings suggested that full-time status significantly impacted levels of burnout, while teaching level and gender did not. The potential preventative impact of interventions focusing …

Teachers’ Mental Health: The Relevance Of Emotional Intelligence In Burnout And Quality Of Life, Rebecca Hsiang

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Increasing emotional labour demands in the educational profession have negatively impacted teacher’s mental health resulting in high levels of stress, burnout, and subsequently leaving the profession altogether. The desire to improve the mental health well-being and retention rates in educators has given rise to research efforts examining individual factors that may assist in buffering the effects of an adverse occupational environment. Of particular research interest were the potential effects of self-perceived competence in emotional intelligence and individuals’ appraisal of their quality of life, on coping with occupational stressors. The current research was designed as a correlational descriptive field study to …