Education Commons^™

School Principals’ Emotionally Draining Situations And Student Discipline Issues In The Context Of Work Intensification, Katina Pollock, Ruth Nielsen, Fei Wang

Education Publications

Over the past decade, research into principals’ work intensification has revealed that principals spend significant work hours on student discipline and attendance issues, and that they report high levels of emotionally draining situations. In the current study, we examined the relationship between student discipline issues and principals’ emotionally draining situations to determine if variables related to student discipline issues affected principals’ experiences of emotionally draining situations. Using a correlational research design with hierarchical regression, we analysed data from a digital survey of school principals in Ontario, Canada. A total of 1434 surveys were included in the final analysis, with respondents …

Trauma-Sensitive School Leadership, David Tranter, Katina Pollock, Nadine Trépanier-Bisson

Education Publications

Public schools welcome and support students from all walks of life. As a result, educators in public schools are responsible for meeting multiple and divergent student needs. Events surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic – such as increased anxiety, domestic abuse, neglect and school closures – as well as growing awareness of systemic societal inequities for many under-represented groups, and historical atrocities such as the discovery of unmarked student graves at residential schools, have led to an increased public awareness of student and staff trauma.

Self-Regulation In Early Writing Strategy Instruction, Perry Klein, Ashley Bildfell, Jill D. Dombroski, Christine Giese, Kristen Wing-Yan Sha, Serena C. Thompson

Education Publications

No abstract provided.

Youth-Identified Considerations For Programming To Support Newcomers’ Healthy Development: A Group Concept Mapping Study, Alexandra C.G. Smith, Claire Crooks

Education Publications

Background There is a well-documented need for more responsive promotion and prevention programming for young immigrants and refugees in the context of mental health and healthy development. Incorporating the voice of newcomers in the development of promotion and prevention efforts could assist in producing culturally-relevant materials and improve program outcomes. Objective Our goal was to utilize youth voice to identify considerations for developing programming to support newcomer youths’ healthy development. Methods We employed mixed methods and analyzed data using concept mapping. A total of 37 newcomers between the ages of 14 and 22 participated in focus groups to share their …

Education And The Pandemic: Engaging In Epistemic Humility To Question Assumptions, Institutions, And Knowledges, Prachi Srivastava, Prachi Srivastava

Education Publications

Education systems are the formal institutionalisations of the knowledges and values our societies privilege, who they privilege, how, and on what terms. They are imbued with assumptions. These assumptions inform how systems are structured. The pandemic has exposed existing global and local inequalities, non-binary dynamics of inclusion and exclusion, and dysfunctions of education systems. This paper argues that the global scale and severity of the education disruption challenges taken-for-granted distinctions that privilege systems of the ‘West’ as referential for ‘the Rest’. It argues that the existing overarching technicist knowledge regime is inadequate for recovery, and proposes an alternative approach.

Unpacking The Invisible Knapsack, Jason Brown

Education Publications

No abstract provided.

International Baccalaureate: Meanings, Uses And Tensions In A Globalizing World, Paul Tarc

Education Publications

Based on mission and programmatic steering, International Baccalaureate (IB) seeks to ‘create a better world’ via progressive educational curricula aimed at fostering ‘international mindedness.’ Across its fifty-plus year history, IB’s enduring progressive visions confront the pragmatic demands of viability and sustainability. Evident is the ‘malleability’ of IB, which allows for the distinctive uses of IB across the many diverse sites of its adoption; also evident is a set of dynamic tensions produced as the progressive visions entangle with instrumental realities. IB is emblematic of the growing prominence of international education, and the transnationalizing of schooling, under wider globalization processes.

Magic And Monsters: Collaborating With Google In 21st Century Literacies, Mary Ott, Jenny Kassen, Kathryn Hibbert

Education Publications

Collaboration is one of the defining features of work and learning in the 21st century. Yet despite the proliferation of Google apps and devices for collaboration across North American school systems, the scope of research on student collaboration using Google technologies in elementary school settings is limited. This paper presents findings from two cases in grade five classrooms where teachers were experimenting with using Google Docs and Chromebooks in their literacy programs. Drawing on a conceptual framework of sociomaterial, complexity, and affect theories, the study offers insights for teachers to understand the complexities of collaboration with these technologies, and pedagogical …

The Trajectory Of Inclusive Beliefs In Beginning Teachers, Jacqueline A. Specht, Jessica Delorey, Klajdi Puka

Education Publications

Inclusive education is supported by the belief that all students belong and are valued members of their neighborhood school communities. Teachers must possess beliefs that support inclusion before they are able to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to implement effective inclusive practice. Using The Beliefs About Learning and Teaching Questionnaire (BLTQ), 396 participants were followed for 4 years, from their initial year in preservice teacher education through to their second year of teaching to determine the trajectory of the development of inclusive beliefs. Distinct groups were identified. Those who began with lower inclusive beliefs that tended to decrease …

Engaging Peers To Promote Wellbeing And Inclusion Of Newcomer Students: A Call For Equity-Informed Peer Interventions, Claire Crooks, Natalia Kubishyn, Amira Noyes, Gina Kayssi

Education Publications

Although newcomer youth demonstrate high levels of resiliency, many experience challenges in emotional, linguistic, academic, and social functioning. Over the past decade, some promising school-based psychosocial interventions for newcomer youth have been developed. These interventions are necessary, but not sufficient to promote well-being. Without attention to the larger context, focusing solely on the skills and adjustment of newcomer youth could potentially stigmatize students further. There is a need to engage non-newcomer peers for two reasons. First, peer relationships and inclusion are important predictors of well-being. Second, from an equity lens, there is a need to create environments that promote youth …

Co-Creating An Evaluation Approach For A Healthy Relationships Program With Community Partners: Lessons Learned And Recommendations, Maisha Syeda Dr., Meghan Fournie, Maria C. Ibanez, Claire Crooks

Education Publications

Community-based partnerships are integral to mental health programming and research. However, there are limited published guidelines that apply the principles of community-based participatory research (CBPR), especially within the context of supporting vulnerable youth populations. This article demonstrates the application of the CBPR principles in cocreating an evaluation approach for a healthy relationships program for vulnerable youths with community partners. We present our research procedures and activities and highlight the importance of having a trauma-informed lens and flexibility with the research process and outcomes. We conclude the article by sharing our lessons learned and providing recommendations for future CBPR with vulnerable …

Sex As Boys' Fame, But Girls' Shame: Adversarial Gender Roles And Gender-Based Violence In Guyana, Ruth Rodney, Denise Gastaldo, D Alissa Trotz, Claire Crooks

Education Publications

Gender-based violence (GBV) is a significant issue for youth in Guyana, particularly among young women. Yet, discussions about sex, dating, and violence rarely occur at the community level. To understand the heightened risk for GBV with youth in Guyana, we utilized a critical qualitative design to explore adolescent dating violence with adolescents (14–16 years old), parents, and school officials in a public secondary school in Guyana. In total, 36 racially and religiously diverse participants from low to middle-income households participated in focus groups (n = 30) and interviews (n = 6). Discussions centered on dating in adolescence; community …

Incidental Acquisition Of Multiword Expressions Through Audiovisual Input: The Role Of Repetition And Typographic Enhancement, Elvenna Majuddin, Anna Siyanova-Chanturia, Frank Boers

Education Publications

There has been limited research on the efficacy of captioned second language (L2) television in facilitating the incidental acquisition of multiword expressions (MWEs). The present study aims to fill this gap. Additionally, this study examined the role of typographic enhancement and repetition. One-hundred and twenty-two L2 learners were assigned to one of six conditions which differed in terms of caption condition (no captions, normal captions, enhanced captions) and the number of times they watched the same video (once, twice). The participants took a cued MWE form recall test before watching the video, and immediately and two weeks after watching it. …

A Study Of Risk Factors Predicting School Disruption In Children And Youth Living In Ontario, Shannon L. Stewart Dr., Valbona Semovski, Sun Li

Education Publications

School disruption (SD) places students at risk of early school departure and other negative psychological outcomes. Based on the data derived from a sample of Ontario children and youth, this study aims to identify risk factors associated with SD among 1,241 school-aged students. A logistic regression model revealed that substance use, family functioning, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and experiencing bullying, significantly predicted SD. Substance use and family functioning resulted in the largest contributions to SD when holding other variables constant. This study provides supporting evidence of risk factors predicting SD and suggests that mental health and school personnel should consider family …

Interpersonal Polyvictimization: Addressing The Care Planning Needs Of Traumatized Children And Youth, Shannon L. Stewart Dr., Natalia Lapshina, Valbona Semovski

Education Publications

Background: Exposure to maltreatment has a detrimental impact on both physical and mental health. However, research on the relationship between polyvictimization and care planning needs is scarce.

Objectives: This study investigated the associations between interpersonal polyvictimization and care planning needs for children and youth, controlling for sex and age differences.

Participants and Settings: The sample included 18,701 children and youth (M_age = 12.33, SD_age = 3.53) between 4 and 18 years. Participants were recruited from over 58 mental health agencies, facilities, and schools in Ontario, Canada between November 2012 and February 2020.

Methods: Multivariate binary logistic …

Impact Of Trauma‑Informed Training And Mindfulness‑Based Social–Emotional Learning Program On Teacher Attitudes And Burnout: A Mixed‑Methods Study, Sue Kim, Claire Crooks, Karen Bax, Mostafa Shokoohi

Education Publications

A trauma-informed approach can give teachers the strategies they need to help children affected by trauma reach their full potential in the classroom. Mindfulness-based social–emotional learning (SEL) programs equip teachers with essential tools to create a trauma-informed classroom, which in turn helps alleviate stress associated with supporting trauma-impacted children. Because existing research on SEL programs has predominantly focused on student well-being, there is a paucity of research examining teacher outcomes and the integration of a trauma-informed framework. The purpose of the study was to investigate the benefits of trauma-informed training and MindUP delivery on educator attitudes and burnout. Intervention educators …

Down Syndrome Caregivers’ Support Needs: A Mixed-Method Participatory Approach, Katie M. Hart, Nicole Neil

Education Publications

Background

The purpose of the study was to explore the support needs of caregivers of children with Down syndrome from their perspective using a mixed‐method participatory research approach.

Methods

Concept mapping methodology was used to obtain caregiver perspectives. Twenty‐one caregivers answered the question ‘Are parents of individuals with Down syndrome supported, why or why not?’ Caregivers were involved in the analysis of the data through concept mapping procedures.

Results

Sorted data were analysed with multidimensional scaling and cluster analysis. Participants generated eight thematic clusters representing the support needs of caregivers of children with Down syndrome. The themes included online and …

Feasibility Trial Of The School-Based Strong Intervention To Promote Resilience Among Newcomer Youth, Claire Crooks, Sharon Hoover, Alexandra C.G. Smith

Education Publications

There are thousands of refugee students in Canadian schools and many struggle with distress and trauma symptoms. Even those not demonstrating overt distress may face adjustment challenges. This paper describes the pilot of the Supporting Transition Resilience of Newcomer Groups (STRONG) program in ten schools. STRONG is a 10-session, manualized program focused on building skills and helping students process their migration journey. This pilot used a pragmatic mixed-methods approach to evaluate the feasibility of STRONG, with a focus on acceptability, implementation, and perceived utility of the intervention. Clinicians (n = 16) provided data at the training, throughout the intervention …

A Call For Cautious Interpretation Of Meta-Analytic Reviews, Frank Boers, Lara Bryfonski, Farahnaz Faez, Todd Mckay

Education Publications

Meta-analytic reviews collect available empirical studies on a specified domain and calculate the average effect of a factor. Educators as well as researchers exploring a new domain of inquiry may rely on the conclusions from meta-analytic reviews rather than reading multiple primary studies. This article calls for caution in this regard, because the outcome of a meta-analysis is determined by how effect sizes are calculated, how factors are defined, and how studies are selected for inclusion. Three recently published meta-analyses are re-examined to illustrate these issues. One illustrates the risk of conflating effect sizes from studies with different design features, …

Who Are We Missing? The Impact Of Requiring Parental Or Guardian Consent On Research With Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Two-Spirit, Queer/Questioning Youth., Eli Cwinn, Courtney Cadieux, Claire V Crooks

Education Publications

PURPOSE: The purpose was to examine whether a requirement for parental or guardian consent systematically limits which lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, two-spirit, queer/questioning (LGBT2Q+) youth participate in research.

METHODS: A total of 60 LGBT2Q+ youth (aged 14-18 years) completed measures assessing gender and sexual minority identity, depression and anxiety, help-seeking intentions, and social support.

RESULTS: A substantial proportion (37.6%) of youth reported that they would not have participated in the research if parental or guardian consent was required. Those who would not have participated had more negative attitudes about their sexual and gender identity, less family support, lower levels of …

The Strong Resiliency Program For Newcomer Youth: A Mixed-Methods Exploration Of Youth Experiences And Impacts, Claire Crooks, Natalia Kubishyn, Maisha Syeda Dr., Lynn Dare

Education Publications

Many refugee and immigrant youth face significant adversity, pre- and post-migration, as well as during their migratory journey. Although these youth demonstrate considerable resilience, there is also an opportunity to bolster coping skills and adjustment with group-based interventions in schools. We utilized a mixed-methods approach to describe the impacts of one such program, as experienced by youth (n=19). The program is a ten-session strengths-based resilience intervention that promotes relaxation skills, healthy coping, communication, and problem-solving. There is also one individual session focused on helping each participant share their journey narrative. Youth from six intervention groups participated in this study through …

What Are We Saving? Tracing Governing Knowledge And Truth Discourse In Global Covid-19 Policy Papers, Lynette Shultz, Melody Viczko

Education Publications

As the world went into a swift lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, sending individuals to their homes and shutting businesses and institutions, the closing of schools posed big problems. The majority of the world’s children were out of school leading to the largest period of school closures in history. We saw educators turning towards responses, not aimed at collegial and community-engaged strategies for education in an emergency but to online learning cast as education/business as usual. This study explores the logic driving this global response through the policy papers released by three key global education actors: 1) the OECD …

Tracing Controversies In Internationalization: National Actors In Canadian Higher Education, Melody Viczko

Education Publications

No abstract provided.

Exposure To Childhood Interpersonal Trauma And Mental Health Service Urgency, Shannon L. Stewart Dr., Catherine Marshall, Valbona Semovski

Education Publications

Background: Children and youth with a history of maltreatment experience different developmental, psychiatric and health problems. Ensuring there is streamlined access to services is imperative to their recovery. Yet, few reports of standardized methods for direction and prioritizing risk for children seeking services exist.

Objective: The current study aims to address this gap and explore how mental health personnel triage highly vulnerable cases. Specifically, the goal of the current study is to examine whether experiencing childhood interpersonal trauma predicts service urgency. Participants and Setting: Participants were 19,645 children and youth, ages 4-18 (M = 11.1 SD = 3.4) who completed …

Impact Of Mindup Among Young Children: Improvements In Behavioral Problems, Adaptive Skills, And Executive Functioning, Claire Crooks, Karen Bax, Andrea Delaney, Sue Kim, Mostafa Shokoohi

Education Publications

Objectives

We evaluated the impacts of a mindfulness-based social and emotional learning (SEL) program on behavioral problems, adaptive skills, and executive functioning among kindergarten students.

Methods

A total of 23 classrooms were assigned to the intervention group, in which the teachers implemented MindUP, and 19 classrooms were assigned to the comparison group, in which the teachers delivered their classes as usual. Teachers assessed the behavior of students (N = 584; intervention n = 261; comparison n = 323) both pre- and post-intervention with two measures: the Behavior Assessment System for Children, Third Edition, Teacher Rating Scales (BASC-3 TRS) and …

Virus Interruptus: An Arendtian Exploration Of Political World Building In Pandemic Times, Rita A. Gardiner Ph.D, Katy Fulfer

Education Publications

Building upon a series of blog posts and conversations, two feminist scholars explore how political community, trust, responsibility, and solidarity are affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. We explore the ways in which we can engage in political world-building during pandemic times through the work of Hannah Arendt. Following Arendt’s notion of the world as the space for human togetherness, we ask: how can we respond to COVID-19’s interruptions to the familiarity of daily life and our relationship to public space? By extending relational accounts of public health and organizational ethics, we critique a narrow view of solidarity that focuses on …

Considerations For School Reopening In Ontario: Building A More Resilient Education System For Recovery, Prachi Srivastava

Education Publications

School closures in Ontario affect over 2 million elementary and secondary school students. Ontario issued the first school closure announcement on 12 March 2020 to take effect for an initial period from 14 March to 4 April 2020, compelling all publicly funded elementary and secondary schools to close during this time.On 17 March 2020, the government declared an official state of emergency under s 7.0.1 (1) of the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act. This required the immediate closure of all private schools as defined in the Education Act and of all licensed child care centres, amongst other public …

How Do Leaders Judge What Is A Responsible Course Of Action?, Rita A. Gardiner Ph.D

Education Publications

In this chapter, I ask two interrelated questions. First, how do leaders judge what is a responsible course of action? Second, and relatedly, how do others judge what constitutes responsibility in leadership action? The core argument I put forward is that thinking with Hannah Arendt deepens our comprehension of what it might mean to lead responsibly. She encourages us to recognize that leading in a responsible manner is, above all, a judgment call. From an Arendtian perspective, to judge responsibly entails taking the time to reflect upon a decision so as to weigh up the different sides of an argument. …

Employability In Covid-19, Melody Viczko Dr, Shannon Mckechnie

Education Publications

The impacts of the COVID-19 global pandemic on higher education could be seen in education in early 2020. Significant labour market disruptions places students among the group experiencing the heaviest burden from layoffs and work insecurity during this time. Higher education institutions also face financial uncertainty, bracing for shifts in enrolment and tuition revenue, particularly related to international student cohorts. The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on student employability are on the radar of policymakers, university faculty and administrators, employers, and students alike.

Policy Problems: Preparing Students For The “Real World”, Shannon Mckechnie

Education Publications

Employability of students has risen as a key indicator of success of institutions, alongside an increased focus on policy for skills development in Canada. In Ontario, a hub for Canada’s economy, the issue of the “skills gap” has sustained interest as a significant but contested policy issue in public post-secondary education (Viczko, Lorusso, & McKechnie, 2019). Directed by policy and by public demand, significant resources at universities are invested into efforts to increase students’ skills capacities, career prospects, and overall employability. For student affairs staff (SAS), developing student career readiness and employability is central to many portfolios of our work …