Education Commons^™

Leadership Practices Of Principals Of Selected Public Secondary Schools In Kathmandu, Nepal, Shankar Singh

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Academic performance of students from most of the public schools in Nepal is not satisfactory. However, there are a few public schools consistently performing well despite similar students’ and teachers’ backgrounds, infrastructure and resources. This study explored how principals’ understandings and practices of their leadership role may have influenced students’ learning.

For this study five higher performing and five lower performing schools from Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) were chosen. In-depth interviews and separate focus group discussions were conducted with the principals. Findings were analyzed under six dimensions of effective school leadership identified from the literature: (a) vision building and goal …

The Work Of Elementary Principals In Supporting New Teachers In Ontario, Publicly-Funded, English Speaking Schools, Jennifer M. Gonyou-Brown

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Teachers benefit from instructional, emotional, institutional and physical supports in their early years of practice (Lipton & Wellman, 2003). Yet, with a teacher surplus in Ontario, many early career teachers (ECTs) spend years in transient, short-term work prior to qualifying for the New Teacher Induction Program (NTIP). As school leaders, Ontario elementary principals develop and facilitate supports for the ECTs in their school. However, principals have identified their workloads to be demanding and intensifying (Pollock, 2014b). ECT support development is one of many responsibilities that principals undertake in their work.

This qualitative study employed semi-structured interviews with twelve elementary principals …

How Elementary School Principals Manage Accountability Expectations, Carolyn M. Ball

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This thesis explores how elementary school principals in the Canadian province of Ontario manage multiple accountability expectations in their work. My conceptual framework is based on seven different accountability systems that can influence principals' work: bureaucratic, moral, political, professional, market, legal, and performance-based. This interpretive, qualitative study consisted of 12 semi-structured interviews, approximately sixty minutes in length, with principals from two urban Ontario school boards.

The amount of demands placed on elementary principals by various forms of accountability--including mandated government policies, school board initiatives, and what principals believe to be important based on the needs of their respective schools--is intensifying …

Collaborative Work Environments: Development And Sustainability, Christy L. Thompson

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This dissertation examines how elementary principals develop collaborative work environments. Specifically, it explores how principals understand collaborative work, examines the strategies principals employ to encourage such an environment, the supports principals use when developing collaborative work environments and the challenges principals experience when trying to create one in his or her school. The study was conducted using a qualitative research design and an interpretivist approach was used to frame the research. Eleven elementary principals were interviewed for this study. The interviews were semi-structured and ranged in length from 45-60 minutes.

Findings included an important emphasis on positive relationship building amongst …

An Examination Of The Leadership Practices Related To School Culture And Organizational Learning In A Consolidated Grade 7-12 School, Krista E. Dalzell

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This study aims to characterize the leadership practices related to the promotion of organizational learning and a single school culture in a consolidated grade 7 -12 school in a school board in Ontario. The research adopts a qualitative single case study approach that uses semi-structured interviews with a variety of current and former leaders in the school board, field notes and archival and current board correspondence. A brief examination of literature on educational leadership, school culture, and organizational learning will provide the necessary conceptual framework to identify and analyze understand the practices that sustained the consolidation of 7-8 grades from …

Pathways To Inclusion: Organizational Practices And Collaboration In The Least Restrictive Environment In A High School In Northern California, Angelica G. De Koning

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

In the United States, the provision to educate all students with disabilities in their least restrictive environment (LRE) is outlined in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 2004). One way to support students’ education in their LRE is through a two-teacher inclusion (one special and one general educator) class. However, despite its potential benefits, the creation, implementation and support of LREs through inclusion classes have many challenges. In this research, an exploratory case study approach provided an opportunity to investigate the experiences of the principal, an assistant principal, and teachers in relation to the creation and implementation for LREs …

Exploring The Transition From Classroom Teacher To Vice-Principal In Rural Schools, Julie Hohner

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This research study investigates the experiences of classroom teachers who have transitioned into leadership roles as vice-principals in a rural school board in South-western Ontario. It looks specifically at personal and organizational factors that influenced their transition to a leadership position, as well as the paths that took them from the classroom to the vice-principal’s office. This study examines these transitions in both elementary and secondary schools specifically it explores how the teachers decided to make the transition into an administrative role, the challenges they face, and the duties within their new role. This study aims to document and develop …

Improving The Education Of Leaders: An Exploratory Case Study In An Undergraduate Business Leadership Course Focused On Gender, Kanina Blanchard

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This exploratory case study is conducted in an undergraduate leadership course at a business school in Ontario. The research develops an understanding of how former students value and are influenced by leadership education that teaches a breadth of knowledges (instrumental, hermeneutic and emancipatory) and focuses on participants’ perspectives of how gender and inequality continue to impact the practice of leadership in Canada. By using document analysis and semi-structured interviews, findings emerge which provide insights into how changes in curricula and pedagogy may better prepare students of leadership to navigate the ethical and social complexities in today’s workplace.

How Schools Enact Equity Policies: A Case Study Of Social Justice Leadership, Allison L. Segeren

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

In 2009, the Ontario Ministry of Education mandated that all school boards in Ontario develop and implement equity education policies, as specified in Policy/Program Memorandum No. 119: Developing and Implementing Equity and Inclusive Education Policies in Ontario Schools (2009). This dissertation documents the enactment of Ontario’s Equity Strategy in one district school board and three schools in Ontario.

Analysis of education policy in local contexts must account for the influence of globalized policy discourses including performativity, accountability, and marketization. Policy sociology and policy enactment theory served as a conceptual framework from which to understand the everyday actions of school board …

An Investigation On The Value Of Integrating Mental Health Supports In Education To Build Capacity For Change, Erin Keith

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Current statistics in Ontario show that one in five students suffer from mental health issues (Canada, 2012). Mental health disorders cause significant distress, impairing students’ functioning at school, at home, and in the community (Children’s Mental Health Ontario, 2014). Research has shown that prevention and early intervention strategies targeting students at risk for mental health challenges are beneficial, cost-effective, and reduce the need for more costly, intensive interventions. (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2013). In response to recent Ontario Ministry mental health initiatives (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2006; 2011; 2013), the Peel District School Board, in Ontario, Canada, launched an interprofessional, …

Understanding And Negotiating The Secondary Vice-Principal Role: Perspectives Of Secondary Principals, Louis Lim

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This dissertation explores how secondary principals understand and negotiate the secondary vice-principal role. The principal assigns vice-principal duties so there is no standard description for the vice-principal role (Ontario Ministry of Education, 1990). My conceptual framework, based on the notions of role and work, informed the study.

Using an interpretive basic, generic qualitative study approach, I conducted single 60 to 90 minute semi-structured interviews with 13 secondary principals from four Ontario district school boards. Data analysis was on-going and used a modified version of the constant comparative method for themes to emerge.

Findings indicated that secondary principals expect their vice-principals …

Leadership, Nursing, And Patient Safety Within A Hospital-Based Learning Organization, Lara Murphy

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Within the complex and often changing Canadian landscape of healthcare, patient safety remains at the forefront of hospital corporate priorities and strategic plans. Drawing data from an emergency department in one Ontario-based hospital that was supported by 180 nursing staff and a three-member front-line leadership team (two coordinators and a manager), this study provides further insight into aspects of how safe patient care can be provided. An exploratory mixed-methods case study was used to understand how and why leadership attributes impact a patient safety culture and patient safety outcomes in a learning organization. It was hypothesized that nursing staff who …

Testing Tensions: The Use Of English Language Proficiency Tests For The Admission Of Ontario High School Applicants To One Ontario University, Samia Lahib

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

In today’s globalized world, students have the opportunity to apply to universities around the world. At most universities where the dominant language of instruction is English, applicants whose first language is not English have to prove their English language proficiency by submitting test scores such as the internet-based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL iBT) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) as part of the application process. This study investigated the ability of TOEFL iBT and IELTS to identify applicants with sufficient English language proficiency to succeed academically during undergraduate study at one Ontario university between …

The Role Of The Secondary Vice-Principal And Its Relationship With The Enactment Of The Ontario Leadership Framework, Tracy Mccarthy

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This qualitative research study provided an interrogation of the enactment of the Ontario Leadership Framework (OLF) on the role and practices of secondary vice-principals in one school board in southern Ontario. This descriptive case study examined how the OLF influences the role, duties and practices of the secondary vice-principal and examined what leadership practices they participate in, which ones they do not, and why. The key research question was: How are the leadership practices of secondary vice-principals influenced by the OLF, and how do vice-principals use the OLF to conceptualize their role? The data collection included semi-structured interviews with ten …

Mental Health Policies And Practices: Student Services Leaders Connect The Dots, Laurie E. Dodson

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This research explored the perceptions of student affairs and services (SAS) leaders in relation to the effectiveness of policies and practices that assist students with mental health problems. Many students enter post-secondary schools with existing conditions that may or may not be clinically recognized. These mental health impairments and disabilities can manifest as permanent, sporadic, or temporary impairments. The emergence and magnitude of mental illness in early adulthood make post-secondary institutions key environments in which to intervene more proactively. Providing access to comprehensive mental health supports is vital for meeting students’ increasing needs. To investigate how post-secondary leaders are responding …

Organisational Improvement Plan: System Of Care, Derek Haime

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This organizational improvement plan (OIP) describes a way to develop and implement a system of care philosophy within a district school board with the intent of spreading this philosophy throughout the district, province, and country in the future. It is intended to be used as a tool to guide other district school boards interested in implementing a system of care. More specifically, the problem of practice this OIP is intended to address is as follows: “The current model of care for JK-8 students with mental health needs must improve. The service delivery system and pathways to treatment for child and …

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

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

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

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

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

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

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 …

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

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

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, …

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

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

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

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

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 …