Education Commons^™

Stepping Out Of The Dirt: A Case Study Of The Impact Of Reflective Expressive Writing On Male Teens Recently Released From A Closed Custody Facility, April D. King Ms.

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

When researching the topic of at-risk youth and reflective expressive writing there is little literature to be found. The limited literature that exists with regards to reflective expressive writing is not geared toward a population of at-risk teens (Burton & King, 2004). Although there is literature on alternative programming for at-risk youth (McKee & MacDonald, 2006), very little discusses reflective writing. The research question being addressed is: What is the impact of reflective expressive writing on male teens that have recently been released from a closed custody facility? The aim of this study is to present rich descriptive narratives that …

Parent Engagement Pedagogy And Practice In New Preservice Teacher Education Programs In Ontario, Tracy E. Bachellier

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Parent engagement that focuses on building relationships and increasing social capital has a positive impact on student outcomes. However, one of the greatest challenges new teachers face is working with parents in support of children’s learning. The need to better prepare teachers points to an enhanced curriculum of parent engagement during preservice teacher education.

Ontario faculties of education were surveyed regarding planned implementation of new accreditation guidelines for parent engagement. Document reviews of existing and modified teacher education programs were conducted. Participants reported parent engagement pedagogy in modified programs had somewhat increased and believed teacher candidates would be ‘somewhat’ to …

Assessment & Evaluation In Physical Education: Making It Work For Students & Teachers, Brigitte S. Webster

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Physical Education must assume a stronger role in elementary schools. Rising childhood obesity, exceptional family dynamics, and increases in screen time are factors in students' sedentary lifestyles. As a result, curriculum delivery and assessment and evaluation techniques have come under examination. This thesis evaluates the Feedback in Physical Education Tool (FPE Tool), designed for teachers to use when evaluating students in Physical Education. Increasing communication and supporting the development of self-regulated learners were the primary aims of the research. Three elementary educators (Gr. 4, 5 & 6) and sixty-nine students in a mid-sized, urban elementary school volunteered to use the …

Parent-Child Interaction In Shared-Computer Activities: An Exploratory Study Examining Parent-Child Interaction With A Mobile Device, Marjan Petkovski

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The present exploratory study examined the shared-computer behaviours of parent-child dyads in order to examine how (and if) parents interact with their children when using mobile digital devices and parents’ perceptions of their child’s technology use. Little is known about how technologies are used with young children and how to maximize and support young children’s learning when they are introduced to these technologies. In total, ­­104 parents (­­n = 72 mothers and n = 32 fathers; one parent per child) participated in an observation session where parent-child interactions using a mobile device (Apple iPad™) were recorded in order to observe …

A Microgenetic Approach To Examining Set For Variability: An Exploration Of Early Reading Development, Phil R. Cave M.A.

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Learning sight words is a process that involves forming connections between letters and their sounds in order to connect spellings of words with their pronunciations as well as their meanings. During the development of sight word reading, children will sound out (phonologically recode) words that they do not yet know by sight (Share, 1995). Because English lacks transparency, sounding out according to grapheme-phoneme correspondences often only results in an approximation to the target word. The process by which a child must match a word they have recoded phonologically with a word that exists in their vocabulary has been referred to …

Implementing Technology In The Classroom: Assessing Teachers’ Needs Through The Use Of A Just-In-Time Support System, Alissa N. Anderson

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Given the importance of computer technology in classrooms today, it is crucial to identify the types of supports that will facilitate teachers’ effective implementation of technology. Ten teachers (four kindergarten, four grade one, and two grade one/two) received just-in-time support while introducing a reading software program in their class. An additional 12 teachers (four kindergarten, seven grade one, and one grade two) were exposed to the software, but did not receive just-in-time support. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses of instructional sessions were conducted in order to determine the kinds of support that teachers required throughout the intervention. Results provided an …

Computer Integration In Elementary And Secondary Schools: Variables Influencing Educators, Julie Mueller

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Given the prevalence of computers in education today, it is critical to understand teachers’ perspectives regarding computer integration in their classrooms. Research identifying stages of implementation, and literature identifying barriers and supports, fall short of explaining what variables impact an educator’s ultimate decision to integrate technology in their instruction. The current research surveyed a heterogeneous sample of 185 elementary and 204 secondary teachers in order to provide a comprehensive summary of teacher characteristics and variables that discriminate teachers who integrate technology from those who do not. Discriminant Function Analysis (DFA) identified the following variables as making unique contributions to discriminating …

The Role Of Geospatial Thinking And Geographic Skills In Effective Problem Solving With Gis: K-16 Education, Niem Tu Huynh

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Effective use of a Geographic Information System (GIS) is hampered by the limited geospatial reasoning abilities of students. The ability to reason with spatial relations, more specifically apply geospatial concepts, including the identification of spatial patterns and spatial associations, is important to geographic problem solving in a GIS context. This dissertation examines the broad influence of three factors on GIS problem solving: 1) affection towards computers, geography, and mathematics, 2) geospatial thinking, as well as 3) geographic skills.

The research was conducted with 104 students in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. Students were drawn from four educational levels: grade 9 students, 13 …

Effective Teaching & Teaching Evaluation Practices: Canadian University Geography Departments, Susan Vajoczki

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In this thesis teaching evaluation practices in Canadian university geography departments are examined. The objective of this research is to identify good practices for teaching evaluation that can be applied within geography departments at Canadian universities and may be applicable to other departments and within other countries. In order to meet this goal a number of research questions were identified. These include:

1. What is effective teaching in higher education?;
2. What is effective teaching within the discipline of geography in higher education?;
3. How and why is teaching evaluated in higher education?;
4. What is the breadth of teaching evaluation practices currently used …

The Impact Of Training On Educators' Reporting Of Child Abuse And Neglect, Carrie Smith

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This study addressed the question: Does a training workshop developed by a local child welfare agency have an impact on teachers’ and other school personnel’s knowledge, attitudes and intended behaviour with respect to reporting child abuse and neglect? Previous studies (mainly in the U.S.) have shown that teachers have a high rate of underreporting, which may leave children at risk of further harm. Few Canadian studies have been conducted and consequently this study offers a uniquely Canadian perspective. In total, 61 teachers and other school personnel from a large South-Western Ontario school board participated in the study. The sample was …

'It Was All Connected': Understanding And Addressing Early School-Leaving Among Learners Of English As A Second Language, L. Maureen Lymburner

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The goal of this research project, therefore, was to develop an understanding of the educational experiences of ESL youth so as to identify the facilitators and inhibitors of early school-leaving. Participants shared their recognition of the value of education. They also spoke of the ways in which negative interactions with teachers and peers, inflexible school practices and policies, financial responsibilities, lack of time, and perception of low levels of English-language proficiency negatively affected their educational experiences. Among the factors facilitating a positive educational experience were teachers who went out of their way to provide the youth with extra assistance and …

Experiences And Expectations: What Prompts An Educator To Use Computers In The Classroom?, Craig Ross

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Charged with the task of providing today's youth with the education they need, many school boards across North America have invested large sums of money in computer technology. However, although the technology is being installed in the schools, many educators are not using the technology to its full potential as a learning tool. In the present study, elementary (n = 148) and secondary (n = 150) educators completed one survey which assessed two domains believed to influence an educator's decision to integrate computer technology into his/her classroom. The first domain was comprised of gender and teaching level (elementary versus secondary), …

Computer Implementation In Education: Hearing The Educator's Voice, Julie Lynn Mueller

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Computer technology is pervasive in education systems around the world. Although computers are now available in almost every school, that presence has not guaranteed the use of computers as part of the instructional repertoire of educators. This thesis is an investigation of the factors that affect implementation of computers from the perspective of educators across a school board. Fifty-four randomly selected educators (37 elementary and 17 secondary) completed a written survey assessing computer access and use, predictors of integration, prevalence of barriers and supports, and, recommendations from the educators themselves. Results indicated that computers are indeed available and that educators …

Understanding Equity And Oppression From A Different Perspective: Students Evaluate Their Education, Kevin Black

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In 1993, the Ontario Ministry of Education and Training (MET) created a draft document on the topic of antiracism and ethnocultural equity in school boards. This document contained guidelines for anti-oppression policy and practice within schools. Many stakeholders within the education system and society debate whether or not an education for equity is being provided in schools. I chose to respond to this debate by listening to the voices of an unheard stakeholder group: students. Two methods of data collection, questionnaires and focus groups, were utilized in my study. Seventy-one students participated in the questionnaire section, and six students further …

A Case Study Approach To Examining The Social Functioning Of Learning Disabled Children With A Nonverbal Impairment, Laura Kate Donelan

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This study is concerned with exploring the hypothesis that the deficits associated with the nonverbal learning disability syndrome (NLD) have a direct impact on the interpretation of nonverbal social cues and that this contributes to lower social functioning and as a result, higher rates of internalized pathology in those so diagnosed. Children with NLD have significant visual, organizational and perceptual deficits. In the literature it is suggested that these impairments lead to difficulty in interpreting the nonverbal social cues of others, which in turn leads to impairments in social functioning. To examine this hypothesis a case study of two individuals …

An Evaluation Of A Socio-Sexuality Education Program For Individuals With A Developmental Handicap, David Nelson Morrow

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This thesis is an evaluation of eight week socio-sexuality education group for seven individuals with a developmental handicap who live in a twenty-four hour supervised group home. Pre and post-test data collection measured the socio-sexual knowledge of the participants. Attitudes of their primary counsellors toward the sexuality of individuals with developmental handicaps were also measured pre and post-test. A qualitative analysis of the facilitators’ process notes and a post participation focus group with the counsellors provided an understanding of why changes in knowledge and attitude had, or had not, occurred There was a significant increase in the client groups overall …

An Examination Of The Effectiveness Of Elaborative Interrogation For Adult Learners As A Function Of Study Context, Tracey Diane Idle

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This study examined the effectiveness of elaborative interrogation for memory enhancement relative to self-selected and repetition strategies. It also examined the potency of the strategies when students worked individually or with a partner. One hundred and twenty university students were assigned to one of the study strategies and one study context. Students studied sixty animal facts. Thirty of the animal facts were about familiar animals while the other thirty were about unfamiliar animals. Students trained to use elaborative interrogation and allowed to select their own strategy were more successful at recognizing familiar animals than those trained to use repetition. Students …

The Development Of A Preventive Peer Mentoring Program For Students: Grounded Theory At Work, Leslea Peirson

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In this thesis, I describe the beginning stages of a process for improving the well-being of students in a secondary school community. In the first section I describe the social context of the PTOJCCI. Next, I outline the values and principles that served to inform the research and action. I then review the relevant literature on consultation in educational settings and examine various prevention programs that have been introduced into schools, focusing primarily on those programs/changes that increase social support. Following the review I present the research and action goals of the present project which were to examine change as …

Thesis-Making: Reflections On My Experience, Cari Michelle Patterson

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In this thesis I describe my personal journey to come to some understanding about how l do community-oriented research, and why I do it the way I do. I engaged in a collaborative program evaluation with a self-help group for survivors of the mental health system. I describe the research project and the ways I reflected on the project to help me uncover some of the hidden assumptions and influences that have shaped me as a researcher until now. Then I discuss issues that arose for me as I engaged in the evaluation and illustrate them drawing on both my …

Elaboration Strategies And Individual Differences In Academic Achievement Among Adolescent Learners, Violet Kaspar

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This study investigated the relative potency of four memory strategies for learning factual information. To examine the efficacy of the strategies in relation to academic ability, students were classified as low or average achievers based on their performance on a verbal skills measure. Tenth to twelfth grade students (62 females and 48 males) were randomly assigned to one of four experimental conditions: Elaborative Interrogation (BI, a "why" questioning strategy), Repetition of Provided Elaborations (PE), Repetition Control (RC), and Judgement/Analysis (J/A, where students evaluated provided elaborations and justified their judgement). Performance in the BI condition was greater than that in the …

Effectiveness Of Training Peer Tutors To Scaffold Instruction, Judith L. Macvicar

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The present study examined the effects of training child-tutors to scaffold instruction. Scaffolding is a metaphorical structure which teachers implement to provide temporary support aiding children to learn new skills. Grade seven and eight tutors were taught to apply the contingent shift rule (the CS rule) of giving more support when their grade five tutees failed and less support when tutees succeeded. Tutors were randomly assigned to one of three training groups: (1) an experimental group trained to use the CS rule, (2) a control group trained to consistently use moderate levels of support and (3) a control group given …

The Quality Of Student Life At Wilfrid Laurier University: Recommendations For Change (Ontario), Marie Molloy

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Three methods were employed to obtain information related to the quality of student life at Wilfrid Laurier University (WLU) in Waterloo, Ontario: (1) a quantitative Survey, (2) a qualitative Focus Group, and (3) Follow-up interviews. The research was guided by an action-oriented approach and followed a process- consultation model in which students, managers and administrators were interviewed and consulted for their recommendations on how the quality of student life at Laurier could be enhanced. Based on the knowledge gained from the survey and interview data, a working group, The WLU Quality of Student Life (QSL) Committee, compiled and presented a …

An Experimental Evaluation Of Four Tutoring Strategies Implications For Instruction, Affect, And Transfer Of Training, Katherine Marie Savoy

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In the present study, the type of instruction to which children were exposed was manipulated in an attempt to determine the tutoring effectiveness, affective consequences, and impact on generalization of tutoring patterns based on Vygotsky’s (1934/1978) and Wood’s (1980) concept of the "region of sensitivity to instruction." Participants were forty fourth and fifth grade children from the Waterloo Separate School Board. Each child was randomly assigned to one of four experimental conditions, or to a no-training control, and individually tutored by the experimenter on difficult long division math problems. The tutoring interventions were classified by levels of instructional support following …

The Influence Of Word Shape And Letter Case In Word Processing, Eve Atkinson

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The perceptual strategies used by a skilled reader have been a controversial issue and the procedures by which readers identify words have not been clearly defined (Horton. 1989; Kolers & Roediger, 1984; Masson, in press; Tardif & Craik, 1989). The role of word shape remains unclear. Rudnicky and Kolers (1984) suggested that lowercase text may be processed more fluently than uppercase print because the reader may take advantage of features such as the pattern of extensions above and below midline provided by the lowercase letters. It may be that processing of lowercase text includes the utilization of a well-practiced shape …

The Politics Of Teaching Personality, Burnout, Perceptions Of Leadership Style And Teacher Control, Support And Involvement In The Classroom, Margaret-Anne Killoran

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The distribution and dissemination of power within a school may play as much of a role in the classroom environment as the curriculum itself (Cox, 1988). The present study investigated teachers’ perceptions of their own classroom support, control and involvement with students. Predictor variables included demographic factors, personality, attitudes toward authority and perceptions of ideals for principal leadership. Level of burnout was included as an important variable connected with various background variables and outcome measures of teachers’ reports of support, control, and involvement. Of particular interest was the level of authoritarianism, conceptualized as involving high control, low support and low …

An Outcome Of The Undergraduate Program Of The School Of Human Services, New Hampshire College, Margaret Mary Foy

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This thesis is an outcome evaluation of the Undergraduate component of the School of Human Services (SHS), New Hampshire College (NHC). The SHS is unique in the alternative college movement of the 1960’s and the early 1970’s in the U.S., both for its focus upon social change and for its ability to survive the conservative restoration of the late 1970’s and the 1980’s, that has forced the closure of most of the alternative colleges. This project involved collaboration with the faculty and staff of the SHS to mutually define all stages of the research process, including development, implementation, evaluation, and …

Bill 82 & The Waterloo County Board Of Education: A Process Consultation, Ellen Num

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The following thesis is a descriptive study of the perceived implementation of the Amendment to the Education Act 1974, more commonly known as ‘Bill 82.’ The context of this research was presented from the perspective of community psychology, more specifically, a process consultation approach utilizing the techniques of organizational development (O.D.). A cross-sectional sample of 434 voluntary participants were surveyed in this study. Respondents were selected across all levels of personnel within the Waterloo Country Board of Education and the sample consisted of: elected board trustees, upper administration, central office staff (consultants) and operations personnel (principals, vice-principals, teachers, and guidance …

A Theological Assessment Of Paulo Freire's View Of Education In Terms Of The Perspective Of Juergen Moltmann, Janice Davies

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Education helps to shape the values and attitudes of students, and is therefore important in determining the values of society. For this reason, it is important for teachers to be aware of the philosophy of education which informs their teaching methods. It is also helpful if they are aware of other philosophies of education in order to get some perspective on their own views. To this end I have taken a critical look at the philosophy of Paulo Freire, an educator with excellent credentials who has some throught-provoking views on education. He is a Christian so he can provide a …

Relationship Of Classroom Environment, Teacher And Student Satisfaction And Student Self-Concept, Schrine Persad

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The purpose of this research was to explore the relationship between classroom environment, teacher and student satisfaction, and student self-concept. The general hypothesis was that different classroom environments would relate differentially to teacher and student satisfaction and to student self-concept. The subjects were 215 students from grade seven and eight classes at William G. Davis Senior Public School, and the nine core teachers who taught these students. The measures obtained from the students were: perception of classroom environment, satisfaction with dimensions of the classroom, and the self-concept scores. The measure obtained from the teachers was satisfaction with different dimensions of …

Descriptive Study Of Vocational Education From The Perspective Of Current And Graduated Students, Brenda Bryant

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

No abstract provided.