Education Commons^™

Hidden In Plain Sight: Finding A Balance Between Assessment And Learning In Competency-Based Education In Canadian Health Care, Scott Murray

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Due to its emphasis on skill development and alignment with workforce demands, competency-based education (CBE) has garnered considerable attention in recent years. My organizational improvement plan (OIP) focuses on the potential benefits of incorporating learners’ voices into CBE in Canadian medical education and proposes a corresponding implementation framework. The traditional CBE model often lacks a critical component: the learner’s voice. My OIP reviews the literature and outlines its theoretical underpinnings (e.g., systems theory, adult education theory) within the scope of authentic leadership. The findings suggest incorporating learners’ voices into CBE to boost engagement, motivation, and agency. In response to such …

Learning: What Counts And Who Decides?, Reginald Jjw Lavergne

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Educators, educational leaders, and policymakers continue to develop academic interventions for secondary school students who experience ongoing struggles. This approach is understandable given the neoliberal educational goal to support students’ becoming contributing members of society. However, time spent responding to symptoms (i.e., students failing courses) merely maintains the status quo. It negates the exploration of a deeper cause of these struggles. This organizational improvement plan (OIP) explores and initiates a change to respond to a cause of these challenges: lack of student voice in learning environments resulting in diminished student achievement and limited awareness of postsecondary pathway possibilities. Although mentioned …

Building A Culture Of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion And Social Justice At A Community College, Teresa M. Kisilevich

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Over the past number of years, it has become apparent that Canada is facing a significant skilled labour shortage. As the world emerges from the Covid-19 pandemic, the pressure to train and hire skilled trades workers has only increased; in order to fill the growing labour gap, intentional measures are needed to attract and retain a more diverse group of students. This organizational improvement plan aims to capitalize on a recent strategic plan and its central commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion and social justice. Through a case study focused on balanced enrolment by gender in trades training, this document considers …

Reframing Behaviour To Foster Safe And Supporting Schools, Shannon L. Cassidy-Rouleau

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) examines educator support to students who present with chronically challenging behaviours. Educators are experiencing an increase in the frequency and severity of interfering student behaviours affecting classroom learning, school climate, and educator mental well-being (RRDSB, 2018a, 2019b; Santor et al., 2019). Educators frequently disengage from these students and their discipline is managed by administration (RRDSB, 2019b). These students, often already members of marginalized communities (Bailey, 2015), are further marginalized by the use of exclusionary, punitive measures. This mandates a social justice framework that benefits from the moral dialogue evoked by transformative leadership (Shields, 2018). In …

Improving Stem Graduate Students' Mental Health And Wellbeing, Aneesa Khan

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

An emerging problem with graduate education is the unprecedented rise in mental health and wellbeing concerns across higher education institutions in Canada. Graduate education is widely associated with emotional, physical, and psychological stress. Graduate students are at risk of the onset of mental health illnesses due to a culture of acceptance that graduate studies is synonymous with stress and anxiety. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) explores approaches to improve the mental health and wellness of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) graduate students to promote their personal wellbeing and academic success. The goal of my Problem of Practice (PoP) is …

Equity, Diversity, And Inclusion In Alberta Accredited International Schools: Bridging Modern And Traditional Societal Perspectives In Educational Practice, Krista J. Schultz

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

International schools accredited by Western-based educational paradigms encounter specific challenges within the theoretical framework of equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI), as perceived through the lens of social justice in education. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) considers, from the context of modern and traditional societies, the change readiness of the Alberta Accredited International Schools program (AAIS) surrounding the practice of EDI. Generalized expectations of universal application present with factors that may provide educational leaders with the framework to deliberate critical theory motivating practice. Modernist and traditionalist societal views of EDI, and the translation of pedagogical frameworks through educational reform, are considered. …

An Issue Of Equity And Inclusion: Disproportionate Suspension And Expulsion Rates Of Black And Indigenous Students, Elizabeth M. Leeson

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) is based on a problem of practice (PoP) in the Laoshi District School Board (LDSB), a central Ontario public school board, that champions equity and inclusion. Despite the emphasis on these values, the LDSB is witnessing disproportionately high suspension and expulsion rates of Black and Indigenous students. This PoP, when viewed through the anti-oppressive (AO) and critical race theoretical frameworks (CRT), is a problem of social justice and equity. This work is undertaken in a time of growing societal awareness of the issues faced by marginalized and vulnerable communities. This OIP examines the impact of …

Shifting Individuals And An Organization Towards Social Justice: A Teacher Education Program Imperative, Jennifer L. Skelding

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Globalization is the interconnected national and international forces that shape and define nations, economies, and peoples and that extend to schools. Higher education institutions, and kindergarten to Grade 12 school systems, are impacted by the internationalization of teaching, research, and service in response to market- and ethically driven discourses of targeted international admissions policies. Teacher education programs are positioned to respond to the internationalized teaching and learning context to support nondominant teacher candidates and prepare future teachers for diverse classrooms post-graduation. This OIP problematizes an inconsistent strategic direction to prioritize culturally sustaining pedagogies in a diverse teacher education program located …

Enhancing Support For Student Mental Health And Wellbeing Through Service Renewal At A Canadian College, Sterling Crowe

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

As the postsecondary education sector has evolved toward mass education, the proportion of students studying at postsecondary institutions experiencing mental health and wellness-related challenges has continued to rise. This continued growth in prevalence and severity of mental health and wellness conditions impacting students in the postsecondary sector has occurred without similar growth in resourcing for departments responsible for supporting these students in successfully navigating their learning environments. These realities require that institutions begin developing strategies to address this gap. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) presents a possible solution to enhance the capacity of a large urban College in Canada to …

Inclusive Leadership Processes And Practices That Improve Educational Social Justice Outcomes For Manitoba’S Children In Care – An Exploratory Case Study, Regine Nuytten

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Grounded in a critical transformative paradigm, this case study examined how Manitoba public school principals worked to support social justice goals in education for Manitoba’s children in care. A qualitative case study methodology was used to investigate how inclusive school principals develop processes and practices to work towards improved social justice outcomes for children in care. Social justice outcomes and inclusive leadership, as it is operationalized through processes and practices in schools, comprised the study’s conceptual framework. Data were collected using document analysis of government documents, semi-structured interviews with principals/vice principals from six Winnipeg school districts, and focus groups with …

Designing A New Resourcing Model For Rural Schools In Labrador, April Blake

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

The motivation of this Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) is rooted in attaining more equity and social justice for marginalized groups in rural, geographically isolated sections of Labrador. The focus of the change process within the social justice frame is the lack of resources in these rural schools. The broad base of the resourcing issue encompasses lack of rural staff, books, manipulatives, technology, games, funding, community supports, consumables and all other standard school accompaniments. Departmental funding for our schools is very limited, this is an extensive and significant issue in most rural schools in the area, and this OIP plans change …

The Ethics Of Contracting For Education Within A Neoliberal Framework, Deej James

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

No matter how lightly you tread, you can not cross a beach without leaving footprints, nor without carrying a little sand away with you. Open systems theory states that an organization has permeable boundaries “dependant on its environment for survival and will go out of existence unless it is actively attended to” (Burke, 2011, p. 61), and it is with this consideration that the tenets of social justice are understood to be a responsibility of all entities, as “the public” is not a target group that can be somehow isolated so as to be impacted by only public administrators. Private …

Cultural Proficiency For Indigenous Student Success, Karen Penney

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) is directed toward leveraging the position of the school principal toward changing hegemonic practices within a small rural school division that includes practices of meritocracy (hard work equals success) and color-blindness (refusing to see color in others) . These practices affect the academic achievement of the off-reserve Indigenous student- considered a provincial student by virtue of moving off reserve- thus receiving education from the provincial rather than federal, government. These students bring strong epistemologies and ontologies that are not currently acknowledged or employed by the dominant society and should be explored to determine how best …

Organizational Improvement Plan For Eliminating A Need For Alternative Programs By Way Of A Paradigm Shift, Sam J. Oh Neill Mr

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

The problem of practice in this organizational improvement plan (OIP) is that the existence of Alternative Programs impedes progress to meaningful school change. The school board is moving toward a paradigm shift as indicated through a number of initiatives discussed in this OIP. This OIP was developed through a review of the literature on: Alternative Education, attitudes toward students labelled at-risk and through an examination of documents produced and disseminated by the Ministry. This OIP takes social critique perspective (Furman, 2004; Starratt, 2004) to understand purposes for referring students to Alternative Programs within the current paradigm. This OIP also explores …

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 …

Gender And Sexual Orientation In The Elementary Classroom: Teachers Negotiating Critical Literacies And Queer Pedagogies, Pamela M. Malins

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Drawing from queer theoretical perspectives, this thesis examines the extent to which teachers address sexual orientation and gender identities in Ontario Elementary classrooms, reflecting recent curricular revisions regarding antidiscrimination education and social justice; moreover, it investigates some of the influences that affect teachers’ pedagogical practices. This inquiry’s significance can be seen through social constructionism which emphasizes the teachers’ role in reinforcing or disrupting discourses of normalcy. Queer Theory offers a method for deconstructing and challenging identity categories such as the heterosexual/homosexual dichotomy or gender normative frameworks.

Findings indicate an apparent tension for teachers in negotiating personal and parental beliefs and …

Multiple Experiences Of Filipino Young Adults: Identity, Community And Social Justice, Jessica Ellen Ticar

Digitized Theses

The purpose of the study was to explore influences on identity development among Filipino-Canadian young adults involved in social action efforts. Participants were ten Filipino young adults residing in Toronto, Ontario. All were members of a local social justice organization in that area. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants. Five themes emerged from the interview data. The themes included migration patterns, racism and discrimination, gender roles and expectations, religion and spirituality, and community organization. The themes were compared and contrasted with the available literature.