Education Commons^™

Digital Literacies And Competencies: Examining Teacher Candidates’ Achievement, Engagement, Attitudes, And Personalized Learning In Technology Enhanced Environments, Stefano Vacca

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Teachers and students are increasingly operating in classrooms where the presence of digital technology impacts both parties across numerous facets related to teaching and learning. In an attempt to comprehend this dynamic, the current research aimed to understand the relationship from the perspective of the educator, acknowledging that today’s teachers are tasked with guiding students to become global, 21st century citizens who are capable of appropriately engaging with the opportunities and challenges put forth by digital technology. Therefore, this research aimed to examine teacher candidates’ (TCs’) a) attitudes towards digital technology, b) ability to manifest personalized learning experiences, and c) …

Exploring The Experiences Of High School Syrian Refugee Students With Interrupted Formal Education And Their Teachers In Eld Classrooms, Hiba Barek

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Exploring the experiences of Syrian refugee Students with Interrupted Formal Education (SIFE) and their teachers in English and Literacy Development (ELD) classrooms is an emergent topic of interest in the field of education in Canada. There is a need to understand the ways in which ELD teachers respond to the cultural, linguistic, and ethnic diversity of Syrian refugee SIFEs and create learning opportunities for those students while supporting them emotionally, socially, and academically. Thus, the aim of this research was to explore the nature of the experiences of high school Syrian refugee SIFEs and their teachers in ELD classrooms in …

A Comparative Study On Artificial Intelligence Curricula, Li Li

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This research is a comparative analysis of four K-12 AI curricula to recognize and interpret their basic elements and pedagogical approaches. Guided by (socio) constructivist and constructionist theories as the theoretical framework, qualitative document analysis is applied as the research methodology. Schwab’s four commonplaces serve as the initial analytical framework. A (socio) constructivism and constructionism lens is also used to compare the curricula. The major findings are 1. The four curricula are different in their coverage of subject matters with the curriculum from the UK covering the widest and most balanced range of subject matters. 2. The four curricula apply, …

Mental Health Literacy And Ontario Secondary School Curriculum, Christine J. Manser

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Student centered mental health initiatives have seen a rise in implementation as the mental health risks for adolescents and young people are becoming more recognized. However, regardless of these initiatives, youth continue to demonstrate poor mental health which can result in stigmatizing attitudes and behavior, low self-esteem, poor help-seeking behavior, and increased suicide risk. To explore the disconnect between the goal of educational initiatives and their current demonstrated outcomes, this dissertation utilized social constructivist learning theory and school-based mental health literacy to conduct a content analysis of curriculum documents and textbooks in use within Ontario high schools. This case study …

Becoming A Cosmopolitan Teacher: Empirical And Theoretical Inquires, James S. Budrow

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The contemporary conditions of the world are largely defined by global interconnectivity, heightened mobilities and super-diversity. Teachers and students are increasingly immersed in these conditions that prompt the heightened calls for internationalization of curricula and culturally relevant and inclusive school pedagogies. Teachers are also mobile, taking on positions beyond their local educational jurisdiction, where they must learn to navigate the intercultural and/or transnational conditions of unfamiliar locales and school communities. In turn, teacher education must respond by preparing teachers for both the super-diversity they may encounter in ‘local’ schools as well as for teaching ‘beyond their local.’ To better understand …

How Can We Predict Incidental L2 Vocabulary Learning? A Meta-Analytic Examination Of The Involvement Load Hypothesis, Akifumi Yanagisawa

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This dissertation investigated Laufer and Hulstijn’s (2001) Involvement Load Hypothesis (ILH). The ILH claims that the retention of unknown words is conditional on one motivational factor (need) and two cognitive factors (search and evaluation) and predicts the relative effectiveness of activities on incidental vocabulary learning. While research tends to provide general support for the ILH, several studies revealed that the ILH prediction is not always accurate. Aiming to provide a summative evaluation of the ILH and enhance its predictive ability, the present thesis conducted a series of three meta-analytic studies to examine research that tested the …

Seniors, French, And Conversation Groups: An Investigation Into Seniors Who Pursue French As A Leisure Activity, Alan D. Russette

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The dissertation investigates the motivation to learn French as an additional language later in life and maintain and/or improve one’s proficiency in it through participation in an L2 conversation group in an Anglophone setting. The research study consisted of participation in and observation of weekly French language conversation groups over the course of a 12-month period, a multiple round qualitative interview approach involving twelve participants, and document analysis.

The research study investigates what experiences led these learners to pursue French as a minority language, and why they choose to maintain it though it is not necessary for their daily lives …

The Flipped Spanish Classroom: Student Engagement, Satisfaction And Autonomy, Ana Garcia-Allen

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This dissertation investigates how the implementation of a pedagogical innovation in the foreign language (FL) classroom enabled me to explore student engagement, autonomy and course satisfaction and understand preferred practices for FL development. The ‘flipped classroom,’ formally known as the ‘inverted classroom,’ has become ‘the’ new phenomenon in pedagogical innovations in the last few years (Jensen, et al., 2015). In a Flipped Classroom, direct instruction is moved out of the classroom and takes place at home, by means of reading text or viewing a video or a digital presentation. This appears, at least superficially, positive in that it maximizes class-time …

University Partnership Of The Confucius Institute: A Case Study In Canada, Yinan Wang

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This study aims to explore the university partnership of the Confucius Institute between its partner from Canada and China. Drawing on organizational theory through the lens of higher education partnerships, the study uses a qualitative research method with a case study approach. Taking the Confucius Institute in a Canadian university as a case, the study probes into research questions regarding the nature and characteristics of the partnership built via the Confucius Institute as the platform, the key stakeholders involved in the partnership of the Confucius Institute, and in what ways have the key stakeholders shaped the partnership. Data were collected …

Leadership-As-Disciplinary Stewardship: A Social Movement For Kinesiology’S Future Success In The 21st Century University, Jenna R. Lorusso

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Some scholars in kinesiology have advocated for the adoption of the leadership-as-disciplinary stewardship (LDS) construct as a way for the discipline to survive and thrive in the challenging 21^st Century university climate. Despite budding interest in LDS, there is a lack of empirical research on the construct and the limited conceptual literature lacks the specificity, practicality, and transformative quality necessary for realistic and fruitful application. This participatory research, informed by the social movement theory of collective action frames, investigated the meaning, need, development, and motivation of LDS in kinesiology by engaging 10 senior scholars from various countries and sub-disciplinary …

A Language Barrier To Human Capital Development: The Case Of Guatemalan Students, Fidel Pérez Macal

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Not being proficient in a school’s predominant language of instruction can represent a language barrier for students’ human capital development. In Guatemala, 24 languages are spoken apart from Spanish, which is the language of instruction in the majority of schools, and about 40 percent of the total population has a non-Spanish language as a mother tongue. National standardized tests show that non-Spanish mother tongue (non-SMT) students are outperformed by SMT students in elementary and secondary schools.

My thesis analyzes whether non-SMT students face a language barrier and traces its source. Two main findings emerge. First, non-SMT students are not yet …

The Impact Of Multiliteracies And Multimodality On Esl Learners: Using Neuroimaging Technologies, Wenyu Huang

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Educational neuroscience has become an important role in understanding education and the association with brain development. However, few previous studies have applied neuroimaging techniques to multiliteracies research, which is an important literacy pedagogy addressing multimodal learning and cultural and linguistic diversity. This study used functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to investigate the association of multiliteracies learning on adult English Second Language (ESL) students’ performance through multimodal tasks.

Students’ multimodality background was collected through a technology questionnaire. Behavioural and fNIRS data were collected before and after multiliteracies learning. Results showed that there was no significance change in behavioural responses while the …

Development Of Teacher Efficacy For Inclusive Practices In Canadian Teachers, Mckenzie Vanderloon

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

In Canada’s education sector of society, inclusion upholds the notion of equity for all students regardless of any ability, race, gender, or mental well-being. With this notion, children have the right to a safe classroom environment that fosters a sense of belonging. Research has shown that for teachers to effectively implement inclusive practices, they must hold a strong notion of teacher-efficacy for teaching students with diverse needs. Teacher efficacy is “the belief or conviction that they can influence how well students learn, even those who may be considered difficult or unmotivated.” Importantly, research has found teachers’ efficacy to be related …

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, …

Is Responsible Leadership Possible? Exploring The Experiences Of Business Leaders, Educators, And Scholars, Kanina Blanchard

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This study addresses a simple yet complex question: How can leaders come to make more responsible decisions within today’s highly economized context? Using narrative inquiry, I explore the stories which leaders in academia, business, and education tell about their experiences at what I call the point of impingement—the point where, as leaders, they must make decisions while facing conflicting and opposing norms and values. Underpinning the inquiry is Kempster and Carroll’s (2016) conceptualization of responsibility in leadership, and their argument that transformation toward a future in which responsible leaders address societal, ecological, and humanitarian challenges requires exploration of lived experience. …

Learning Experiences In International Exchange Programs: Perspectives Of Chinese Undergraduate Students In Canada, Xue Ji

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

In this study, I explore the learning experiences of Chinese-origin undergraduate who completed an international exchange programs in Canada. Specifically, I use transformative learning theory and J.W. Berry’s (1987; 1997; 2006; 2008) acculturation model to examine how Chinese undergraduate students interpreted their learning experiences and how these learning experiences may have altered their perspectives and practices. I applied an interpretivist qualitative case study by collecting data from semi-structured interviews with six female Chinese-origin undergraduate students after the completion of their exchange program. in Canadian HEIs provides me insights into their learning experiences. The findings show that despite experiencing some challenges …

Formative Space: Literacy Practices In 21st Century Curriculum Making, Mary C. Ott

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Partnerships for 21st Century learning support curricular reforms for global, cross-disciplinary competencies that will leverage and benefit education technologies. However, this research partnership with a literacy program developer occasioned an opportunity to study curriculum making in the 21st century that did not make assumptions about technologies and competencies. The integrated thesis based on this project pushes boundaries on how assessment and curriculum making are conceptualized by exploring broader questions of inquiry and participation through literacy and assessment practices in six junior elementary classrooms in Ontario, Canada, over a two-year period. Chapter 1 provides the background and purpose of the study …

Training, Barriers, And Self-Efficacy To Physical Education Instruction, Stephanie Truelove

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The overall purpose of this dissertation was to explore the physical education (PE) training that generalist and PE specialist elementary school teachers receive during their pre-service programs across the province of Ontario, and the differences between these two types of teachers regarding barriers faced and self-efficacy in instructing PE. Using an online survey, Study 1 aimed to examine and compare the PE teaching self-efficacy of generalist and PE specialist elementary teachers across Canada and the barriers to instruction faced. Study 2 qualitatively explored the experiences of elementary school generalist and PE specialist teachers when instructing PE, and the perceived barriers …

Integrating Gwich'in And Inuvialuit Perspectives In A Community School In The Northwest Territories: A Case Study, Janna M. Wolki

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This study explores how teachers, staff, and community members in one school in the Northwest Territories are integrating Inuvialuit and Gwich’in issues, perspectives, and languages into the school and curriculum. Through the Education Renewal Initiative (2013), the Government of the Northwest Territories identified Indigenous languages and culture-based education as a priority to improving education in the NWT, while recognizing that this is a challenging task for teachers coming into the NWT from southern communities. Utilizing a generic qualitative case study methodology, this study recognizes and celebrates the many successful cultural initiatives that are currently occurring within this one school, and …

Entrepreneurial Teachers: The Novice And The Experienced, Najmeh Keyhani

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Teacher entrepreneurship has been receiving growing attention in the field of education over the past 15 years in both scholarly and informal literature. However, the existence of preconceptions, various definitions of the term, and an overall lack of research in the area has resulted in a complex but underdeveloped understanding of the concept. Hence, much attention and clarification are required to recognize who such teachers are and how novice and experienced teacher entrepreneurs act. In chapter two of this study, we start with a systematic literature review of teacher entrepreneurship to recognize the existing state of the field in current …

Listening-Based Activities Promoting Productive Knowledge Of Formulaic Sequences: Examining The Effectiveness Of Dictogloss, Xi Yu

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Although it is well recognized that second language (L2) learners stand to gain a lot from mastering formulaic sequences (FS) in the target language, research on classroom activities that foster productive knowledge of FSs remains rather scarce. This project, therefore, examines the effectiveness of dictogloss for this purpose. While dictogloss has occurred regularly in research about L2 grammar learning, it has only recently attracted attention from researchers interested in FS learning. This experiment investigated its effectiveness in comparison with two other listening-based activities—dictation and answering comprehension questions. It was hypothesized that dictogloss leads to greater gains in FS knowledge because …

Toward Common Worlds Pedagogies In Early Childhood Education: A Response To The Challenges Of The Anthropocene, Adrianne Bacelar De Castro

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

In response to the realities of living with global ecological challenges and climate-related risks in the Anthropocene, I draw on the arts of slowing down, noticing, and paying attention to worldly realities in the work of early childhood education as a response to this geological time. Through an inquiry with charcoal and cardboard as part of a common worlding ethnographical project in a childcare centre in London, Ontario, I questioned what it might look like to change the child-centered/humancentric position so prevalent in early childhood education to a more inclusive perspective that includes more-than-humans. As we made this shift I …

Understanding Indigenous And Non-Indigenous Perspectives Of Reconciliation: A Case Study, Kaitlyn Watson

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Reconciliation in the Canadian context is difficult to define (Graeme & Mandawe, 2017; Martin, 2009), but is often linked to the residential school system (Chrisjohn & Wasacase, 2011; Nagy, 2012). This instrumental case study examines how reconciliation is understood and activated among a group of educators and community members involved with a professional learning event held in Southern Ontario inspired by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. Employing narrative inquiry, and informed by decolonizing methodologies, seven event organizers, four presenters, and five attendees participated in conversational interviews. Two main themes were uncovered from the interview data. The first, reconciliation …

Evaluation Of The Basic Science Pre-Clerkship Curriculum In Medicine At Western University, Madeleine E. Norris

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Basic sciences are a cornerstone of undergraduate medical education (UME), upon which the clinical sciences are built, however, research indicates that students’ basic science knowledge is not well retained. Additionally, UME curricula vary with respect to which basic science content is delivered, the depth in which it is taught, and the employed instructional methods, which could influence trainees’ knowledge retention. Thus, there is a need for an educational model that ensures students are competent in the fundamentals prior to entering a clinical setting. This investigation provides insights into current strengths and potential areas for improvement with respect to basic science …

Peer To Peer Mentoring: A Multiple-Case Study Evaluating The Links Peer Support Program, Petra Owusu

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This research assessed a pilot implementation of START’s (STatewide Autism Resources and Training) peer-to-peer support program (LINKS) that occurred in three elementary schools (N = 36 participants). The purpose of the study was to teach social skills to students who have difficulty with social interactions and to enhance their social participation in inclusive classrooms. Mentors involved in this study had problem behaviours, and mentees involved had experienced social exclusion. Questionnaires and semi-structured interviews determined the progress of students and the effectiveness of the overall program. Results revealed that mentors and mentees across the three schools displayed positive changes in …

Understanding The Effects Of Physical Activity On Executive Functioning And Psycho-Emotional Well-Being In Children With Adhd, Hannah B. Bigelow

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

A short bout of physical activity has been shown to improve executive functioning in children. However, the implications for children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has been understudied. We examined the impact of a 10min bout of physical activity on executive functioning and psycho-emotional well-being in children with ADHD. Participants engaged in two lab-based sessions separated by 1-week: a physical activity session and a control session. The physical activity session included a 10min bout of moderate-intensity biking, with a pre-post battery of cognitive and psycho-emotional assessments. The control session consisted of 10mins of silent reading. We used functional imaging …

Leadership Effectiveness In International School Contexts: A Synthetic Mapping Of Emergent Literature, Michael C. Butler

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Further research is necessary in the emerging field of international school leadership. To illuminate how is effective international school leadership conceived in the emergent academic literature, a synthetic mapping was conducted. Six key elements were identified and were used to select and analyze a set of twenty-two key articles from the current literature. Elements were extracted from each article and then compared to produce the synthetic mapping. Despite the wide range of types of international schools and geographical contexts, there are several key challenges and features of leadership effectiveness found in the literature, including the following: the effects of turn-over; …

Challenges And Social Supports Of Chinese Parachute Kids In A Canadian Secondary School: A Case Study, Yueyi Su

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This study investigates the experiences of Chinese parachute kids: secondary school international students who ‘parachuted’ to Canada without parental accompaniment, with a focus on the relationships between their faced challenges, social supports, and well-being. The researcher applied a qualitative case study by conducting face-to-face interviews with eight participants, aimed to gain a deeper understanding of their experiences through analyzing their narratives under the concept of Bourdieu’s capital theory. Compared to existing studies, the results indicate similar challenges faced by Chinese parachute kids. However, those who had participated in a higher standard ‘study abroad’ program enjoyed a higher degree of social …

Microdosing Mindfulness: Understanding The Effects Of Brief Mindfulness Meditation In Children With Adhd, Marcus D. Gottlieb

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Mindfulness Meditation (MM) is receiving increased empirical support as a method for addressing ADHD symptomology. Research shows that MM interventions lasting weeks or months promote key aspects of cognitive and psycho-emotional functioning in youth with ADHD. Using a pre-post within-subjects design, we sought to determine whether a single MM session supports neurocognitive and/or psycho-emotional functioning in youth with ADHD. Sixteen participants aged 10-14 completed measures of executive and psycho-emotional functioning before/after a 10-minute MM session and silent reading control. Functional neuroimaging assessed whether MM supported changes in prefrontal cortex (PFC) activation during cognitive tasks. We found that a single MM …

Investigating An Approach To Integrating Computational Thinking Into An Undergraduate Calculus Course, Erin Clements

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Computational thinking can be conceptualized as patterns of thinking which align with certain fundamental computer science processes. While this algorithmic way of thinking has always been integral to computer science, it has recently gained momentum as a valuable approach to problem solving in a wide variety of contexts. Education researchers highlight the potential of computational thinking to transform, enrich, and revitalize teaching and learning experiences, by providing a systematic framework for analysis and enabling powerful computational tools to be incorporated to further enhance problem-solving activities. Research suggests that in order to maximize the affordances of computational thinking, it should be …