Education Commons^™

Public Policy Advocacy In The Canadian Context: A Review Of The Current Literature, Amy Lewis, Abram Oudshoorn, Helene Berman

Western Research Forum

Public Policy Advocacy in the Canadian Context: A Review of the Current Literature

Background: Public policy advocacy is an important competency for students from healthcare and social service programs to develop; however, integration of policy advocacy within university curricula remains inconsistent. Identifying the knowledge and skills that healthcare and social service professionals use in policy advocacy supports the development of educational competencies to achieve entry-to-practice objectives. A review of the literature published on the topic of public policy advocacy in higher education was undertaken to determine the current state of this evidence.

Methods: For this scoping review, CINAHL, Scopus, and …

Trauma And Violence Informed Care Workshop For Teachers, Christina Amico, Michelle Philippe

Western Research Forum

Teachers play an integral role in the healthy growth and development of their students. Students that have experienced traumatic events, chronic adversity, and structural violence are vulnerable to a myriad of biological, social, emotional, and behavioural impairments (Blaustein, 2013). Problematic classroom behaviour, therefore, could be a reflection of exposure to trauma and violence. As teachers play an important front-line role in the lives of their students (Brunzell, Waters, & Stokes, 2015), it is important that teachers receive relevant and high-quality professional development, particularly in the area of trauma and violence-informed teaching practices. There is a gap in research on effective …

From Expectation To Experience: My Changing Identity As A Chinese International Student, Yin Wang

Western Research Forum

From Expectation to Experience: My Changing Identity as a Chinese International Student

Background:

This autobiographical narrative inquiry investigates what we can learn from my experience as a Chinese international student in both writing and art-based ways, which can inform Chinese international students’ expected supports that can improve their mental wellbeing. The study asks: Are my pre-departure expectations for studying in Canada different from the realities? If so, how and why are they different? And, what is my changing identity to be a Chinese international graduate student? The data sources of the study are my autobiographical memories, posts, blogs, journals, drawings …

Auditing Canadian Curricula For The Prevalence Of Personal-Finance Related Terms Using Text-Frequency And Distant-Reading Software Tools, Wes Armstrong Mr.

Western Research Forum

This quantitative research study explores each set of provincial curriculum documents (save for Quebec) for the frequency of user-selected personal-finance based terms. The data from each province is compared and examined to answer: which provincial curriculum mentions user-selected personal-finance terms most frequently; how many words/pages are between each term mention, and how many personal-finance terms appear in the top 500 words in each curriculum. The research found that Prince Edward Island’s curriculum documents contained the most searched-for terms (at least one mention). Further, money (British Columbia and Newfoundland) and entrepreneur (Nova Scotia) are the only two searched-for personal-finance terms among …

Canadian Undergraduate Nursing Students' Experiences Of Learning Indigenous Health, Ivy Tran

Western Research Forum

Western Research Forum Abstract Submission

Canadian Undergraduate Nursing Students’ Experiences with Learning Indigenous Health

Background
The purpose of this study is to better understand undergraduate nurses’ experiences in learning about Indigenous health. This will determine what changes are needed within nursing education locally and across Canada. Implications for nursing education, research, practice, policy, and leadership will be drawn to provide pragmatic suggestions in improving Indigenous health status and outcomes. A qualitative study will be conducted using critical ethnography and semi-structured interviews to determine facilitators and barriers to learning about Indigenous health.

Methods
Critical ethnography will be utilized to examine 12 …

Reading Comprehension And Strategy Use In Bilingual Pre-Service Teachers, Bailey Frid, Deanna Friesen

Western Research Forum

Individuals recruit reading strategies as they read a passage in order to support reading comprehension. Second language learners (SLLs) often experience more challenges with reading comprehension (RC) than monolingual learners (Geva & Farnia, 2012). Importantly, effective RC strategies may support SLL’s comprehension. An understanding of the reading strategies teachers engage in is critical to understanding the type of strategies teachers may model during read alouds with their students. To determine strategies readers recruit to extract meaning from a text, think-alouds are typically used. Our research questions include (1) What RC strategies do bilingual pre-service teachers use when processing texts in …

Empathy In Inclusive Classrooms: Exploring Prosocial Behaviour Through Children’S Academic Writing Skills, Erica J. Partridge

Western Research Forum

Background. Empathy is a crucial means through which diversity is appreciated. Students who are more empathic may be more willing to help other students, subsequently creating a successful inclusive classroom. Applying inclusivity at a young age and throughout the curriculum is optimal for social and emotional development in children. Often, increased development is found by using interactive methods. Narrative writing can improve affective dimension in their writing skills, but it is still unclear if writing skills translates into prosocial behaviour. Method. This study looked at 19 students in Grade 5 whose teacher implemented a language arts curriculum program. The Shakespeare …

Keynote. Leadership And Research In Turbulent Times: Why They Matter For Democracy, Pamela Bishop

Western Research Forum

Engaging in leadership and research can be complex work in the best of times—for graduate students and professors alike. During times of conflict, confusion, or disorder, the nature of our leadership or research contributions can be additionally shaped or tested in ways that require highly astute responses. Sound leadership and research are part of what underpins the fuller functioning of a democracy, whether manifest in a community, university, or workplace setting. Most students who graduate will be well positioned to take up careers where they provide leadership and create or use evidence in concert with others, over the coming decades. …