Moments Of Meeting: 'Intersubjective Encounters' And ‘Emancipatory’ Experiences Of Individuals With (Intellectual) Disabilities In Inclusive Musical Contexts, Caroline Blumer

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The purpose of this study was to explore an intersubjective framework to better understand the relational aspects of two inclusive musical programs in London, ON. I focused on mutual recognition moments, called moments of meeting (MoM), researching how they are formed and manifested while music is shared, created, or experienced within these two environments. Approaching such programs as potentially intersubjective spaces, this study investigated the impact of MoM and intersubjective experiences on the participation of individuals with Intellectual Disabilities (ID) in music making as well as on their perceptions of themselves as subjects. Equally significant, this study looked at emerging …

Championing Inclusive Education In Canada: Voices Of Educators, Advocates, And Researchers, Sydney K. Bota

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Previously conducted research overwhelmingly supports inclusive education for all students, however inclusive education is not always provided in Canada. This project aims to understand the current state of inclusive education in Canada. Participants included in this study were 33 experts in inclusive education in Canada and can be categorized into three groups: researchers, advocates, and educators. Chats regarding each participant’s experiences with inclusive education were transcribed and thematic analysis was used. Six themes emerged: Family; Values and beliefs; Definition of Inclusive Education; Networking/Connecting; Information, policy and implementation; and School systems. Results demonstrated that there are some happenings in inclusive education …

Exposing Neoliberalism's Erosion Of Special Education In Ontario Schools, Emily Ellwood

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

My positionality as a critical scholar frames the problem of practice. The POP discusses a lack of transparency stemming from a longstanding hierarchy of influence from the ministry of education to local school boards and then to individual schools. A political, economic and social analysis frames the organizational context which impacts my role and agency within the organization. The organization’s worldview, tied to the ministry’s worldview, undermines student experience, as does both organization’s leadership approach. Using a critical bureaucracy and anti-oppressive theory, this organizational improvement plan investigates the physical and bureaucratic barriers that undermine special education student experience. Critical theory …

Interventions Based On Mindfulness For Socio-Emotional Skill Building In Children On The Autism Spectrum: A Systematic Review, Nethnie Thilakna Nandadasa

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Children on the autism spectrum are characterized by deficits in socioemotional skills. Previous research suggests that mindfulness is effective in improving social, emotional, and behavioural skills in a wide variety of populations. This review systematically investigated the efficacy of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) in improving social, emotional, and behavioural functioning in children on the autism spectrum (0-12 years of age). Furthermore, the current review discussed adaptations to traditional MBIs when implemented to children on the autism spectrum. MBIs as a potential evidence-based practice for the target population was also investigated. Eleven studies met inclusion criteria. Results indicated that MBIs led to …

Community Integration Through Cooperative Education (Cice): A Post-Secondary World Fit For All, Stephanie Kathleen De Franceschi

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

Students with developmental disabilities are a growing and diverse population. Higher education landscapes are becoming increasingly complex. Despite academic and personal supports available to all Ontario college students through student services centers, Marshall College (a pseudonym) is experiencing a disconnect between the stated vision, mission, and values and the Community Integration Through Cooperative Education (CICE) program and its students. Diverse views have polarized senior administration, faculty, and staff on how to adapt to having students with developmental disabilities accessing post-secondary education through the CICE program. This Organizational Improvement Plan explores the organizational context of Marshall College and proposes an improvement …

Examining The Lived Experience Of University Students Receiving Academic Accommodations For Concussion, Mary C. Prior

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Purpose. The present study aimed to gain insight into the lived experiences of post-secondary students with concussion(s) who are receiving academic accommodations. This was explored in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, where the shift to online learning became ubiquitous. The purpose was to determine whether university students with concussion face similar challenges compared to (1) younger populations of students with concussion (i.e., elementary and high school aged students) and (2) individuals with more severe Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs). Method. Nine university students who were registered with academic accommodations at a Canadian university engaged in semi-structured interviews. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis …

Troubling Service User Involvement In Health Professional Education: Toward Epistemic Justice, Stephanie Leblanc-Omstead

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

It has become increasingly popular in health professional education to solicit the contributions and involvement of people who have firsthand or ‘lived’ experiences of using mental health services – a practice hereafter referred to as service user involvement (SUI). SUI is founded on the premise that service users ought to be involved in the development and evaluation of services and systems they experience, which includes the education of future health professionals. Despite the momentum this practice has gained in a range of international contexts, SUI is often conceptualized, organized, and implemented uncritically, and with tremendous inconsistency across health professional education …

Teacher Professionalism, Embodiment, And Surveillance: An Autoethnographic Study, Melanie Cloutier-Bordeleau

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This autoethnographic study entails using my own situated knowledge and experience as a white bisexual secondary school teacher from a low socioeconomic background as a basis for data generation and analysis. Attention is given to examining the current enforcement of specific norms governing behavioural and physical conduct, and the role these norms play in constructing and reinforcing hierarchical structures of identity related to race, gender, socioeconomic status and sexuality. The main question the study explores is: How does the performativity and performance of educator “professionalism” contribute to constructing/reinforcing hierarchies of identity with respect to gender, sexuality, social class and race? …

Evolving Inclusive Learning: From Retrofitting Disability To Designing For Variability, Monica Braat

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

The problem of practice (PoP) addressed in this organizational improvement plan (OIP) is that curriculum is not currently interpreted, designed, and delivered to be inclusive of the range of learner variability present in Sursum Corda School Division (SCSD) classrooms. Although all students are physically included in SCSD classrooms, the learning of those who cannot assimilate to current instructional practices is generally supported through alternative, and often disconnected, practices and materials. Researched and experienced concerns with this approach include an increased potential to isolate, limit, or stigmatize targeted students and the inhibition of innovative instructional practices more generally. This OIP aims …

Managing Interpersonal Conflict: Adolescents With And Without Intellectual Disabilities, Olivia Faulconbridge

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Social Information Processing (SIP) informs the way we engage in social problem solving, such as conflict management. Although research has shown that adolescents with intellectual disability (ID) struggle more with the components of SIP when compared to typically developing peers, very little research has examined how adolescents with ID experience conflict with peers. This study examines the way adolescents with and without ID report experiencing and responding to conflict with best friends and non-friends utilizing their own rather than hypothetical scenarios. Nineteen adolescents (14 adolescents without ID and 5 with ID) were interviewed about their own real-life conflict experiences with …

Equitable Curricula And Assessments For Students With Complex Needs: Structures To Support, Melanie E. Hart

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

This organizational improvement plan (OIP) addresses the inequitable assessment measures that are currently used to support students, all with complex needs, within an urban Educational Service District (ESD) in the Western United States. This Problem of Practice (PoP) considers strategies that can be implemented to ensure that students with complex needs are supported with assessments and curricula that are responsive to their unique needs. Grounded in critical theory, with its focus on social justice and the amelioration of marginalizing practices, the PoP is at its core a consideration of the ways in which students with complex needs are marginalized as …

Investigating All-Gender Bathrooms In Ontario Schools: A Multi-Sited Case Study, Kenan Omercajic

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This integrated article thesis presents a multi-sited case study that investigates how the space of the all-gender bathroom is constructed by trans-affirmative policy, education stakeholders, and students. Specifically, through four interconnected articles, I draw primarily on trans-informed theoretical frameworks and scholarship to address questions about how the all-gender bathroom is constituted and written into policy discourse, which is subsequently enacted (or conversely, not at all) by education stakeholders in one school board. I conduct a paradigmatic and instrumental multi-sited case study which details specific policy analysis and entails interviewing a policymaker, administrators, educators, and students to engage numerous perspectives about …

Call For Inclusion: A Study Of Global Citizenship Education And The Ses Achievement Gap In Chinese Higher Education Institutions, Yang Hu

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

With China’s increasingly active role in the global arena, both government officials and educators acknowledge the necessity of education that promotes global citizenship. This study examines nine university students’ learning experiences of global citizenship at Chinese higher educational institutions; this study also focuses particularly on the impact of socioeconomic status in this educational model. I employed an indigenous Confucian framework adapted by Li (2010) to conceptualize the individual learning process. Li’s theory enabled me to better understand and interpret how Chinese university students perceive and participate in global citizenship education and identify gaps within this process. This qualitative case study …

Inclusion And Policy Enactment In Teacher Education: A Focus On Pre-Service Teacher Preparation For The Inclusive Classroom, Ayman Massouti

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Preparing pre-service teachers to enact inclusive teaching practices in the inclusive classroom has become a concern for national and international educational organizations. Adding to these concerns, research on inclusive educati­on policy enactment in teacher education programs, particularly in a continuously growing and recognized diverse society such as Ontario, Canada, is scarce. In order to provide insight to address these issues, this study aimed to examine the enactment of the policy document titled Equity and Inclusive Education in Ontario Schools: Guidelines for Policy Development and Implementation (OME, 2014) in one Ontario teacher education program. In particular, the study focused on exploring …

Interrupting The "Model Minority" Narrative: The Voices Of Vietnamese Canadian Youth, Vi Vo

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This qualitative study explores the impact of the model minority narrative on the educational and social experiences of Vietnamese Canadian youth located in two cities in Ontario, Canada. Critical Race Theory was employed as the main framework in understanding and analyzing these students’ experiences. The study draws on data from semi-structured individual interviews with 15 Vietnamese Canadian high school students. Given the unique demographics of the students, the themes that emerged from this study support the notion that Vietnamese Canadian youth are not a homogeneous group. Their range of academic abilities, achievements, and aspirations are broad. Their stories and experiences …

Disabilities, Masculinities And Schooling: A Narrative Inquiry Into The Stories Lived By Boys And Men With Physical Disabilities, David J. Mara

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Through narrative inquiry (NI), this dissertation investigates how boys and men with physical disabilities (BMPDs) come to embody particular subject positions as disabled and masculine subjects. Such a study is important given that disability is often perceived as being at odds with Western notions of masculinity (Connell, 2005) and that schools are a major site of masculinity formation (Connell, 2000). Furthermore, within the context of what has been identified as the “boy turn” in educational policy and research (Weaver-Hightower, 2003), a focus on boys with disabilities has not been included. Using Butlerian theories on performativity, materiality of the body and …

A Study Of Respiratory Therapy And Medical Radiation Technology Faculty Who Transitioned From Clinical Practice Into Academia: Their Transition Experiences, And Perceptions Of Students With Disabilities., Christine M. Griffith

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Abstract

Challenges experienced by allied health clinicians transitioning to educator roles in post-secondary institutions are well reported in the literature. Indeed, the Western world-based research contends that such allied health faculty retain their health identity as their primary professional identity, alongside that of educator. More specifically, the influence of retention of the health identity by nursing faculty on their attitudes towards students with disabilities requiring accommodations is also well reported in the literature. Fears held by nursing faculty that students with disabilities may compromise patient safety can act as barriers to the full inclusion of those students in nursing education …

Understanding Student And Faculty Perceptions Of The Accommodation And Support Procedures For Students With Ld In Ontario Universities: A Mixed Methods Approach, Sarah Copfer Terreberry

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

With recent advances in disability policies, practices, and inclusive education mandates, students with learning disabilities (LD) are choosing to attend higher education at a rate that is greater than ever before. Despite these positive advances, however, the transition from secondary to higher education and the adjustment to post-secondary environments for students with LD continues to present a number of unique academic, social, and emotional challenges for this population, especially as this relates to obtaining access to accommodation and support for their learning needs. This study investigated how the needs of students with learning disabilities (LD) are currently being met at …

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder And Youth Education: Caregiver Perspectives, Kyle Cleversey

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The purpose of this study was to identify caregivers’ needs in helping youth with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) succeed in school, and services that caregivers believe would help youth with FASD succeed in school. Thirty-two caregivers raising a youth with FASD participated in telephone interviews that included two questions: “What do caregivers need to help youth be successful in school?” and “What services would help youth be successful in school?” Participants then sorted responses to these questions into piles they believed to be a conceptual fit with one another, and the data was analyzed using multi-dimensional scaling and cluster …

Educational Assistants Supporting Inclusive Education In Secondary Schools, Amy C. Kipfer

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

As school boards in Ontario move towards more inclusive models of learning, more students with disabilities are taught in regular classes instead of self-contained placements. This move results in a role change for the educational assistant (EA). Research is needed to determine the overall framework that will make the use of EAs a more effective practice for student and school. Fifteen EAs working in secondary schools within a school board in southwestern Ontario which was moving to a more inclusive model of education were individually interviewed. EAs chosen for the study had a background of supporting students with developmental disabilities …

Individual Education Plan (Iep) Development For Children With Developmental Disabilities In Ontario's Public Schools: A Narrative Case Study Inquiry, Karen P. Gregory

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Abstract

This qualitative study employs case study and narrative inquiry approaches to examine the beliefs, practices and experiences of elementary classroom teachers in Ontario, Canada, as they engage in the development of Individual Education Plans (IEPs) for children with Intellectual Developmental Disability (IDD). The study focuses on IEP development for students in both regular education and special education classroom settings. Attention is given to the ways of thinking about disability, IDD, and special educational needs that impact on current practices related to IEP development. In that there is limited research that offers a theoretical explanation of the IEP process, this …

Examining The Socio-Spatial Knowledge(S) Of Disabled And Mad Students In Higher Education, Mark A. Castrodale

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

In this study I draw on the perspectives and insights of self-identified disabled (n=14) and mad university students (n=3) at two Ontario universities. The perspectives of disability office workers (n=1) and instructors (n=3) are also included to offer triangulated accounts. I address the following research questions: (i) How are disabled and mad students constituted and represented in Ontario university settings? How do they understand and constitute themselves? (ii) What are mad and disabled students socio-spatial university experiences in relation to issues of access and academic accommodations? I draw theoretically on Foucault and other socio-spatial theorists such as Lefebvre and Soja …

Caregivers' Experiences Raising A Child With Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, Aamena Kapasi

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The purpose of this study was to identify challenges and strengths of caregivers to a child with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). Thirty-two caregivers raising a child with FASD participated in phone interviews that included the questions: "What challenges do you face in making your household function well?" and "What strengths do you have to make your household function well?" Responses to the questions were sorted by participants and the data was analyzed using multi-dimensional scaling and cluster analysis. In response to the question about challenges, seven concepts emerged: 1) Extra Responsibility on Caregivers, 2) Difficulty Keeping Daily Routine, 3) …

Creating A Comprehensive Search Strategy For Research On Learning Disabilities Using The Pearl Harvesting Information Retrieval Framework, Salsabel Almanssori

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The migration of libraries to the digital realm has created new opportunities for information sharing; however, the abundance of available literature has made locating relevant research studies on specific learning disabilities a difficult task, one that existing search strategies have not adequately addressed. Moreover, definitions of specific learning disabilities have evolved and the nature of this field is interdisciplinary, creating a confusion of possible search terms for the topic. The present investigation used the Pearl Harvesting Information Retrieval Framework to create a comprehensive search strategy for locating research on learning disabilities. The analysis produced four groups of harvested search terms …

Encouraging Diversity And Multiculturalism In London, Ontario: A Case Study Of Two Elementary Schools, Abhilasha Duggal

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Elementary school students have diverse learning needs and their academic learning in particular varies between students especially so for students those from culturally non-dominant backgrounds. The focus of my research is on understanding the perceptions and practices of eleven teachers teaching in two schools within the London, Ontario school system, along with the perceptions of two principals and two vice principals in relation to the organizational learning opportunities provided for encouraging multicultural education. This study’s purpose was to explore what teaching strategies were used to support diverse students’ learning within the classroom setting. My data gathering sought to respond to …

Concept Mapping And The Cognitive Orientation To Daily Occupational Performance (Co-Op) Approach As An Intervention Framework For Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorder (Asd), Jessie A. Wilson

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Individuals who are diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) experience a range of difficulties that impact their daily occupational performance. The current body of research identifies the importance of occupational engagement and competence as fundamental elements in facilitating an individual’s social connections, development of personal autonomy and overall wellbeing. This dissertation explores the use of concept mapping embedded within the meta-cognitive framework of the Cognitive Orientation to Daily Occupational Performance (CO-OP) approach, to engage adolescents with ASD in meaningful occupations.

This thesis contains three manuscripts, an introductory and a final reflection chapter. The first manuscript is a methodological paper that …

Voices Count: Employing A Critical Narrative Research Bricolage For Insights Into Dyscalculia, Diana E. Kuhl

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This qualitative study involved interviewing adult participants who were identified, or who self identified as having dyscalculia (also known as a mathematical learning disorder), with the objective of obtaining depth of perspective on how this phenomenon is interpreted, responded to, and managed by these individuals and those around them. This study utilizes a theoretical and methodological framework known as bricolage (Kincheloe, 2005) which involves the synthesis of narrative, auto-ethnographic, critical, feminist, neuroscientific, and psychometric perspectives, to explicate the constitution and experience of dyscalculia. This study also explores epistemological privilege within the discipline of educational psychology, and draws on the work …

Black Students' Perspectives On Academic Success, Melanie-Anne P. Atkins

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This thesis investigates the academic achievement of Black high school students. It employs a theoretical framework of social constructivism grounded in anti-racism to conduct five case studies of achieving black Canadian high school students to examine how these students managed to achieve in the midst of a system that predicts their failure. I asked three questions: (1) What factors do achieving black Canadian high school students identify as being helpful to their academic achievement? (2) How do these students perceive their racial identities? (3) What is the significance of these students’ racial identity at school? I found that these students …

Aids Stigma And Discrimination In Public Schools: A Case Study Of Hiv-Positive Children In Kenya, Maryanne N. Kamau

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

ABSTRACT

The advancement of the antiretroviral therapy (ARV) has extended life expectancy for children born with HIV, allowing them to live longer, healthier lives and to attend school. Conversely, medical evidence indicates that it is unlikely for HIV transmission to occur during social interactions, and therefore exclusion of HIV-positive children (CLWHA) from school is unwarranted. Kenya’s education policy guarantees every child the right to education and protection from all forms of discrimination. However, due to social misconstructions about HIV/AIDS, CLWHA’s continue to face various forms of stigmatization. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the manifestation and experiences …

Straight Allies: Combating Homophobia And Interrogating Heteronormativity 'Straight' On, Alicia A. Lapointe

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This thesis investigates the experiences of five allies and their involvement in Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs) in secondary schools in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. Drawing on both queer theoretical perspectives and Kumashiro’s (2002) framework of anti-oppressive education, I investigate what motivates or influences allies' decisions to become members of GSAs, and I explore their roles as allies in secondary schools. This inquiry portrays how allies play a critical role in facilitating social change in their schools, and how GSAs positively contribute to school communities. By investigating the experiences of allies, I wish to emphasize the importance of authorizing students' perspectives as a …