Education Commons^™

Investigating Preservice Teachers’ Self-Efficacy And Practicum Experiences, Fiona E. Hunter

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The purpose of this study was to ascertain the ways in which the experiences gained during practica influence the developing self-efficacy of Canadian preservice teachers in relation to inclusive classrooms. Questionnaires were issued to participants in teacher education programs at 11 institutions of higher education across Canada and the resultant data subjected to content analysis. Several themes emerged from the participant responses which were found to be influential in preservice teachers’ feelings of efficacy, with behaviour management having the greatest influence, regardless of whether participants felt successful or challenged. Academic outcomes, other school adults, relationships, diagnoses, individual education plans and …

Exploring The Complexity Of Policy Enactment Through Stories: A Sociomaterial Informed Study., Sarah Burm

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This qualitative research study explores the meaning(s) Aboriginal education leads and school board administrators give to the Ontario First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) Policy Framework (hereafter referred to as the Framework) and how these meaning(s) are negotiated, storied, and enacted to produce particular processes, outcomes, and effects within the context of Aboriginal education in Ontario. The principles of Critical Narrative Research (CNR) combined with the sensibilities of Actor Network Theory (ANT) are drawn on to foreground the policy actors involved in the implementation of the Framework. Recruitment of research participants took place across both public and Catholic school boards …

Fostering The Mobilization Of Knowledge From Professional Development To The Classroom, Robert J. Williams

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This study examined the extent to which professional knowledge, acquired from professional development programs in education, was mobilized in elementary school classrooms. The author investigated the alignment of participants’ perceptions and actions with the aims of professional development providers, studied teachers' in-depth experiences of that professional development, and noted the key aspects of professional development that related to knowledge mobilization. The project acquired data from four elementary school teachers employing semi-structured interviews, multiple classroom observations and teacher-generated and published documents. Participants’ perceptions of professional development were influenced by the following factors: impact on income, personal/professional growth and professional collaboration. Additionally, …

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.

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, …

A Mixed Methods Approach To Challenging Stigma At A Faculty Of Education, Melanie-Anne P. Atkins

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This dissertation investigates the stigma of mental illness in schools. In today’s Canadian classrooms, at least one in five students is experiencing a mental disorder, which without treatment or support can severely impede students’ academic performance and can reinforce stereotypical beliefs about: (a) these students’ ability to be successful in the classroom, and (b) their teachers’ abilities to meet their needs. While mental health awareness about these issues is steadily increasing, stigmatizing attitudes – which present a major barrier to help-seeking – are not decreasing at a comparable rate. Therefore, I used mixed methods to explore the experience of mental …

An Investigation Of Multiliteracies Pedagogies In Language Teacher Education: A Mixed Methods Study, Adrienne Doucette-Vanthuyne

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Research into teacher preparedness within teacher education programs and its relationship to teacher attrition is an increasing area of interest in Canada and around the world. In Canada, on average, the estimated turnover for second language educators is approximately 30% in the first five years and 50% of these are within the first two years (Canadian Teacher’s Federation (CTF), 2004; Karsenti, Collin, Villeneuve, Dumouchel, & Roy, 2008; Siwatu, 2011; Swanson, 2012). The CTF (2004), French and Collins (2014), Karsenti et al. (2008) and Swanson (2012) have reported on several factors that influence language teacher attrition and retention: teacher preparedness, teacher …

Exploring Science Teachers’ Self-Efficacy Perceptions To Teach In Ontario’S Diverse Classrooms: A Mixed-Methods Investigation, Mithila Vidwans

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

In the past few years, Canadian schools have experienced increasing diversity with a large number of English Language Learners (ELLs) becoming part of the mainstream classroom. Research has shown that ELLs will achieve academic success when their backgrounds are incorporated within the curriculum and pedagogy (Gay, 2000). However, our curriculum is largely Eurocentric and caters predominantly to mainstream students. As a result, it has become critical to investigate teachers’ perceptions in terms of providing inclusive pedagogy in various classroom contexts. Hence, the purpose of this study was to examine the self-efficacy perceptions of Ontario’s Science teachers to teach in diverse …

Learning About Teaching Science: Improving Teachers' Practice Through Collaborative Professional Learning, Sarah E. Cloutier

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This single, descriptive qualitative case study provides a snapshot of elementary teachers and their school principal’s multiple and competing views about personal and contextual factors affecting teacher engagement in collaborative professional learning (CPL) related to science education within the school environment. This study was viewed through the lens of Situated Learning Theory primarily by Lave and Wenger (1991) because viewing knowledge as situated has implications for understanding teacher learning and the design of instructional activities.

Data were collected from three female elementary teachers and their school principal in Ontario for a period of six months. The data included: five principal …

Teachers’ Mental Health: The Relevance Of Emotional Intelligence In Burnout And Quality Of Life, Rebecca Hsiang

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Increasing emotional labour demands in the educational profession have negatively impacted teacher’s mental health resulting in high levels of stress, burnout, and subsequently leaving the profession altogether. The desire to improve the mental health well-being and retention rates in educators has given rise to research efforts examining individual factors that may assist in buffering the effects of an adverse occupational environment. Of particular research interest were the potential effects of self-perceived competence in emotional intelligence and individuals’ appraisal of their quality of life, on coping with occupational stressors. The current research was designed as a correlational descriptive field study to …