Education Commons^™

Teachers’ Work: Communicating On Difficult Knowledge In Ontario Schools, Zsofia Agoston Villalba

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This thesis examines how K-12 teachers in Ontario navigate the complexities of teaching "difficult knowledge"—topics such as racial and ethnic injustices, Indigenous perspectives, immigration experiences, and gender issues—within the parameters of the school and the curriculum. Utilizing an institutional ethnography approach, the study examines the curriculum as an institutional text that coordinates and shapes teachers’ practices. Working with and against the curriculum, teachers find innovative ways to engage their students on difficult knowledge topics. Based on interviews with 12 K-12 teachers, this research explores teachers’ work and pedagogical approaches. They employ diverse teaching methods like storytelling, open dialogues, and collaborative …

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 …

Guidance Counselors' Enactment Of Educational Equity Policies: A Cross-Case Analysis Of Ontario And Trinidad And Tobago, Kathleen Sandy-Thompson

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This dissertation examined the experiences of guidance counselors in enacting educational equity policies in one district school board and eight secondary schools in Ontario; and three school districts and eight secondary schools in Trinidad and Tobago (T&T). In Ontario, the enactment of educational equity policy in local district school boards is influenced by broader issues of neoliberal globalization and their impact on education equity, causing a shift in focus on reducing student gaps and increasing student achievement towards the marketization and commodification of education. Likewise in T&T, the issues in education and policy enactment are centred around the lingering effects …

Teacher Education In The Arts Before, During, And After The Covid-19 Pandemic, Jake E. Knight

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

The purpose of this research is to construct a detailed picture of teacher education in the arts within Ontario, with a specific focus on the Primary-Junior arts discipline. This project will survey publicly-funded educational institutions in order to create a baseline of information on arts teacher education. This foundational information will allow for differences to be identified between pre-service teacher arts programs, and will also initiate a dialogue as to whether or not arts programs are equitably administered throughout the province. Moreover, this project will examine the professional practices of teacher educators in the arts before, during, and after the …

Partners In Education: Leveraging School Social Workers To Support Transformative Equity And Well-Being Work In An Ontario K-12 Public School Board, Stefani F. Burosch

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

School social workers (SSWs) have been an integral part of Ontario’s K-12 public education system for over one hundred years. Their unique training, skill set, and practice perspectives enables provision of comprehensive services benefitting the whole school community. The social work profession is grounded in a code of ethics committed to the advancement of social justice for all and draws from a rich history of critical theorizing and evidence-based practice to further this goal. These features of the profession ideally position SSWs to serve as leaders and partners in the school mission, particularly at a time when the need for …

Supporting The Integration Of Internationally Educated Teachers To Foster Equitable Schools, Nadine Trépanier-Bisson

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

Within a change process grounded in constructivist and transformative worldviews, internationally educated teachers (IETs), an underemployed group in the education sector, can support equity efforts in Ontario schools. The Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) presents an overview of the organizational and environmental factors that contribute to the necessity for change and which influence the change process. A new way of supporting equity work in schools is proposed through a dual change process intended to bring change at the principal organization (meso) and in schools (micro). Kotter’s (2012) eight-stage process is embedded within Cawsey et al.’s (2016) change path model to support …

Enhancing Experiential Learning Opportunities Through The Integration Of Continuous Improvement Practices, Alena Shah Ms.

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

Experiential learning (EL) in higher education has become a prominent academic curriculum component. Recent provincial guidelines emphasize that post-secondary institutions provide students EL opportunities, outlining criteria as to what counts as an EL activity. While these guidelines provide instruction on what an EL opportunity should contain, it does not detail how post-secondary institutions should develop and implement these activities responsive to their unique student population needs. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) aims to determine how an Ontario university can provide meaningful, student-focused EL opportunities through a centralized, theoretically-informed EL implementation framework. It centers around a Problem of Practice (PoP) at …

Exploring The Acquisition Of American Sign Language By Deaf Kindergarten Children: Early Language Access And The Use Of Appropriate Resources, Jenelle Rouse

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This dissertation explores the accounts of educators and parents regarding the accessibility of American Sign Language (ASL) and its acquisition by deaf children in Ontario, Canada. It is generally known that deaf children’s ASL acquisition and proficiency is directly affected by their early exposure to the language; the earlier and greater the exposure, the greater the acquisition and proficiency, while later and inadequate exposure results in poorer acquisition and proficiency. In the face of societal and educational systems in Ontario, there have been some attempts to provide opportunities for deaf children and their families to develop and acquire ASL (Snoddon, …

Shaping The Leadership Practice Of Effective Principals, Katie Maxwell

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

Principal leadership in schools is a critical factor in promoting student achievement and fostering a climate for continual professional learning among teachers. The principal sets the tone for the school and it is the principal’s leadership approach that affects the school’s culture, climate for professional learning, and impact on promoting deep student learning and critical thought. In Ontario, school principals are being tasked on a daily basis with the dual challenge of leading the professional learning of teachers while overseeing a multitude of managerial responsibilities for operating a school. Add to this a new era of accountability and a focus …

Inclusion Of Muslim Students In Ontario Public Education: A Qualitative Inquiry Of Elementary School Principals, Farah Ghonaim

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

In order to include Muslim students in Ontario schools, inclusive principals are expected work to understand the inclusion of Muslim students in order to grant them with equal recognition and opportunities as other students in schools. In Ontario, school principals can influence students’ learning and achievement through their leadership role and through their routine duties for leading schools, enacting policies, and ensuing quality of instruction at schools. As leaders, principals can enhance the inclusion of Muslim students through working with staff and teachers, and creating working conditions that support Muslim students learning. Ontario policies call for inclusion of all students …

Partners In Education, Health, And Safety: Development And Implementation Of Concussion Policy In Ontario School Boards, Amy E. Robinson

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

In March 2014, the Ontario Ministry of Education was the first ministry in Canada to institute a formal concussion policy. The ministry stipulates that student long-term health and safety are essential preconditions for learning, and that concussions can negatively impact cognitive, physical, emotional, and social development. Policy/Program Memorandum (PPM) No. 158 requires all school boards and school authorities to establish a policy on concussions. Each school board in Ontario developed a concussion policy within their local context to address concussion awareness, prevention, identification, management, and training. School boards, administrators, teachers, staff, students, parents/guardians, volunteers, and community-based organizations were encouraged to …

Creative ‘Class’: Leading Innovation With Digital Pedagogy In Cultural And Creative Industry (Cci) Programs, Dana Morningstar

The Dissertation-in-Practice at Western University

Leaders of cultural and creative programs (CCIs) in Ontario community colleges are key to realizing potential in higher education related to digital pedagogy, creativity, industry partnerships, entrepreneurship and innovation. In this Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP), the role of an academic leadership group is considered from Ontario-centric creative industry and innovation policies and college processes. The problem of practice is the gap of harmonized leadership strategy between higher education classroom practices and regional and provincial overarching educational strategy to increase innovation through digital pedagogy. Colleges have collective capacities in innovating with digital pedagogy in creative industry programs and providing graduates with …

School Shouldn’T End When The Bell Rings: An Exploratory Homeschooling Study, Mackenzie Dukelow

MA Research Paper

Homeschooling has experienced significant growth over the last several decades, yet little to no research has explored the relationship between homeschoolers and the public education system. Being the first to explore this relationship, the current study collected and examined data from 3 semi-structured interviews and 15 online homeschooling blogs in order to understand the growth of homeschooling in Ontario and the relationship between homeschooling and the public education system. The results of this study reveal the relationship between homeschoolers and the public education system varies significantly over time and locale, the challenges within each system and the difficulty of transitioning …

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 …

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 …

Beyond Burnout: Educators' Experiences Of Mental Health Issues, And Stigma In The Workplace, Jenny Kassen

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This study examines Ontario teachers’ experiences of mental issues (MHI) and identity management in the workplace. Although numerous local and national initiatives exist to help raise awareness, decrease stigma, and assist teachers in supporting students with MHI, there appears to be an absence of literature that focuses on teachers' personal experiences with MHI and stigma in their professional environment. Two theoretical frameworks, Framework Integrating Normative Influences on Stigma (FINIS) (Pescosolido, Martin, Lang, & Olafsdottir, 2008), and Jones and King’s (2014) Managing stigmatized identities in the workplace, provide a lens for making meaning of the experiences of the participants. A …

More Than Plumbing: The History Of Sexual Education In Ontario, 1960-1979, Michelle K P Hutchinson Grondin

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

During the 1960s and 1970s, Ontario educators were concerned that the “sexual revolution” would encourage youths to engage in sexually promiscuous behaviour, become unwed mothers, and contract STIs. As parents were perceived as unreliable sex educators, school administrators and educators felt compelled to teach traditional sexual values, and the importance of the nuclear family through sexual education. This dissertation analyzes the creation and instruction of sexual education in physical and health education courses throughout the 1960s and 1970s in Ontario. This study provides the first comprehensive discussion of sexual education in Ontario during the sixties and seventies through an examination …

University Professors' Perceptions On Blogging As Course Assignments In Southwestern Ontario: A Multiliteracies Framework, Annie Tran

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

In light of contemporary trends and practices, namely the impact of globalization and the integration of new technologies being promoted in the field of applied linguistics (Byrd Clark, 2012; Kern, 2006; Malinowski & Kramsch, 2014), this study explores the perceptions of professors, who teach graduate courses in Education on the impact and adaptation of new technologies on their pedagogy; namely the use of blogging as an educational activity. This study analyzes the traditional or innovative pedagogical practice of today’s graduate professors. This qualitative case study is based on a multiliteracies theoretical framework and incorporate the following methods: a survey and …

Transition Of Newcomer Youth In Ontario Educational Policies: A Critical Discourse Analysis, Cameron Scott

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Transition in school is an inherent function of each student’s educational experience. However, newcomer youth face unique transitional challenges. This qualitative study was conducted to answer how Ontario educational policies shape the transition of newcomer youth. A critical discourse analysis was used to analyze practical guides and policy texts, framed through critical policy sociology and critical pedagogy. Findings illustrated that a fractured policy landscape exists, where there is a heavy emphasis on literacy, language development, and language acquisition for newcomer youth, but there remains a lack of policies to support a more holistic transition. Dominant policy discourses serve to construct …

How Schools Define Success: The Influence Of Local Contexts On The Meaning Of Success In Three Schools In Ontario, Canada, Sue Winton

Comparative and International Education / Éducation Comparée et Internationale

Creating successful schools is a priority for governments, district officials, administrators, teachers and parents around the world, but just what does ‘school success’ mean? Grounded in theories of collective sense-making and learning, this article presents how school success is defined in three schools in Ontario, Canada, and draws on Ball, Maguire and Braun’s theory of policy enactment to explain similarities and differences between the schools’ definitions. A comparative case study of three elementary schools in the same neighbourhood finds that students’ happiness and academic learning (rather than achievement on standardized tests) are common aspects of each school’s multifaceted definition of …

Preparing Politically Savvy Principals In Ontario, Canada, Sue Winton, Katina E. Pollock

Education Publications

Purpose

We argue that principal preparation programs should help candidates: 1) recognize the political role of the school principal; 2) develop political skills (including the ability to strategically appropriate policy); and 3) understand that the political approach of the principal influences teaching, learning, relationships, governance, and reform efforts. In addition, we report findings of our analysis of Ontario’s Principal Qualification Program guidelines to determine if they require principal preparation programs to develop aspiring school leaders’ political skills.

Design/methodology/approach

We reviewed theoretical arguments and empirical studies from the fields of school micropolitics, business, educational leadership, and critical policy studies to establish …

Understanding Teachers’ Information Needs, Perceived Competencies, And Information Seeking Behaviours For Special Education Information, Michelle M. Servais

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The focus of this research is to better understand teachers’ information needs, perceived competencies, preferences for information sources, and information seeking behaviours related to special education by level of teaching experience. A mixed methods approach to research was employed using a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods. Eighty-five elementary and intermediate school teachers (J.K. through Grade 8) from Catholic and public school boards in southern Ontario, Canada, completed an online survey questionnaire. Semi-structured, follow-up interviews were then conducted with 11 teachers to further explore the issues. The participants were classified into three experience level groups (i.e., novice, intermediate, and expert …