Education Commons^™

Perceptions Of Institutional Teaching Culture By Tenured, Tenure-Track, And Sessional Faculty, Debra Dawson, Ken Meadows, Erika Kustra, Kathryn Hanson

Centre for Teaching and Learning Publications

The Institutional Teaching Culture Perception Survey (ITCPS) was used to investigate beliefs of tenured, tenure-track, and sessional faculty members (N=576) about the teaching culture within three large research-intensive universities in Canada. As predicted, we found significant differences between these three groups of faculty members’ perceptions of their institutions’ teaching cultures. Sessional faculty perceived that their universities rewarded effective teaching less than their tenured or tenure-track colleagues. Tenured faculty were less likely than the tenure-track and sessional faculty to believe it was important to encourage, recognize, or assess effective teaching. These results have important implications for the quality of teaching and, …

Politics Versus Policies: Fourth Wave Feminist Critiques Of Higher Education’S Response To Sexual Violence, Rita A. Gardiner Ph.D, Michelle Shockness, Jennifer Almquist, Hayley Finn

Education Publications

This article uses the lens of fourth wave feminism to examine media accounts of institutional and student responses in two cases of sexual violence at institutions of higher education. Competing discourses reveal a disconnect between what institutions say they do and students’ actual experiences of the institutional handling of sexual violence cases. When policies, actions, and values are not fully aligned, institutions of higher education are unable to respond to societal and institutional injustices. Hence, recommendations for better alignment between institutional values and actions are proposed.

Behind Quality, There Is Equality: An Analysis Of Scientific Capital Accumulation In Social-Democratic Welfare Regimes, Olivier Bégin-Caouette

Comparative and International Education / Éducation Comparée et Internationale

ABSTRACT

Trade-offs between quality and equality are at the forefront of multiple debates in higher education, and one conceptual tool to approach societies’ adjustment in resolving these trade-offs is the welfare regime typology. Relying on the theory of academic capitalism and using research production as a proxy for quality in higher education, this study analyses how social-democratic welfare regimes resolve the trade-off between comparatively high levels of academic research production, access to higher education and equal citizens’ living conditions. Interviews with 56 system actors suggest that equality is perceived to contribute to academic freedom, public investments in research and the …

Critical Pedagogy Of Discomfort In Community-Based Learning: Kenyan Students' Experiences, Charlene A. Vanleeuwen, Lori E. Weeks, Linyuan Guo-Brennan

Comparative and International Education / Éducation Comparée et Internationale

Community-based learning (CBL) is employed as a pedagogical approach in professional programs globally; however, transferability of Eurocentric CBL models and theory to university settings outside the global north is under-examined. Adopting critical hermeneutics as the theoretical and methodological framework, this study explored the meaning of community-based learning (CBL) to Kenyan university students in a human services program and examined the complexity of students’ difficult learning experiences in making connections between classroom learning and praxis in Kenyan communities. Data were collected from six university students following 12-week placements with community organizations in Kenya. Findings revealed disciplinary, historical, cultural and extra-linguistic factors …

Researching Education In The Age Of Transnational Migration: Towards A New Research Agenda, Shibao Guo

Comparative and International Education / Éducation Comparée et Internationale

This paper is offered as work in progress to stimulate our thinking about the changing nature of comparative and international education in the age of transnational migration. It seems clear that the shifting paradigm of transnationalism has challenged the rigid, territorial nationalism, the understanding of borders and national identities. It is making cultural boundaries and identities porous, hybrid, and dialogic. In this paper I emphasize how comparative and international education has to be rethought in the context of transnational migration as a multidirectional process where diverse identities, forms of attachment and belonging inscribe the experiences of people as they move …

The Skills Gap Agenda In Canadian Higher Education Research Summary, Melody Viczko Dr, Jenna Lorusso, Shannon Mckechnie

Education Publications

Solving the skills gap is a difficult task due to the differing opinions on the subject. Even though these opinions may be different, they are all driven by the same assumptions that students are primarily motivated by economic reasoning in what they choose to study. We think that’s a problem, because there are many reasons that motive students and not all students have equal access to economic resources.

Research Summary: The Skills Gap Agenda In Canadian Higher Education, Melody Viczko Dr, Jenna Lorusso, Shannon Mckechnie

Education Publications

The issue of the ‘skills gap’ is an important discussion in higher education policy both in Canada and internationally. The idea of the skills gap is that there is an inconsistency between the skills of graduates and the needs of the labour market. The problem here is that there is no agreement about the nature of the skills gap, or that a skills gap even exists. Given that there is no agreement surrounding the issue of skills, we ask: What should we make of the different representations of the skills gap, and how are post-secondary students positioned in this issue?

Who I Am Is Shaped By My Past And Impacts My Future: Exploring Antecedents And Outcomes Of Self-Views Across International, Immigrant, And Canadian Born Undergraduate Students, Anjana Balakrishnan

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This dissertation focused on how various self-views variables (self-esteem, self-concept, and self-concept clarity) differ across and within groups of university students, are influenced by internal and external factors, and predict academic and non-academic variables. Key models of self and group perceptions were used in deriving hypotheses (i.e., Shavelson, Hubner & Stanton, 1976; Bosson & Swann Jr, 2009; Stephan, Ybarra, & Morrison, 2009). Across the four studies, self-report questionnaires were used. Studies 1 and 4 were completed online by international, immigrant, and Canadian born students. Studies 2 and 3 examined only international students, involved an experimental manipulation, and were conducted in-lab. …

Collaborative Mind Mapping To Support Online Discussion In Teacher Education, Rosa Cendros Araujo

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Mind maps that combine text, images, colour and layout elements, have been widely used in classroom teaching to improve retention, knowledge organization and conceptual understanding. Furthermore, studies have shown the advantages of using mind-maps to facilitate collaborative learning. However, there are gaps in the literature regarding the use and study of collaborative mind-mapping in online learning settings. This integrated-article dissertation explores the implementation of online collaborative mind mapping activities in a mathematics teacher education program at a Canadian university. The studies were developed with participants enrolled in three different courses where at least two of the online activities used collaborative …

Chinese Public Education And Global Social Justice: The Organizational Challenges Of Initiating An Access Scholarship In A Chinese Public School, Spencer Aaron Matthew Fowler

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

This OIP aims to support ABC Academy in its efforts to enable Middle Eastern refugees and other economically and politically marginalized youth to complete their final year of high school in Beijing, China. Transformative leadership, grounded in notions of social justice and democracy, provide a guide for an institution that seeks to bridge the divide between classroom education and social context. A robust framework for implementing change within an insular organization is proposed wherein transformative leadership’s key tenets are augmented by Kotter’s eight-step change model (1996). Capacity building and empowerment provide faculty with the tools necessary to improve student learning …

Increasing Support For Victims Of Sexual Assault Through The Adoption Of A Victim-Centered Approach To Police Investigations, Kara Brooks

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Police services across North America have been criticized for their lack of support for victims throughout the investigative process, especially when investigating crimes involving sexual violence. The Problem of Practice addressed in this Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) focuses on the lack of victim support throughout sexual assault investigations in a large police service in Canada. Taking a victim-centered approach to sexual assault investigations pushes the police organization to consider victims’ needs and rights ahead of strictly gathering information throughout a sexual assault investigation.

A gap analysis identified two main areas of focus for this (OIP): the need for enhanced training …

Building Capacity: A Cycle Of Change For A Non-Profit Clinical Service Organization, Sarah Drexler

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Families of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) need clinical behavioural services. A lack of capacity within non-profit agencies results in children and families often waiting for long periods of time to receive services. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) aims to address a Problem of Practice (POP), namely, a lack of capacity within a clinical service agency to provide sufficient behavioural support to the number of children with IDD in its service area. The OIP includes an examination of the organizational context, factors influencing wait times for service, and the organization’s ability to implement change. Multiple solutions to address …

Developing French Language Learning Leadership, Kimberly A. Fortin

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

This Organizational Improvement Plan analyzes the leadership shortage in a French language school board and the scarcity of qualified, skilled, and knowledgeable principals and vice principals willing to lead schools as learning organizations within minority contexts. French language principals have a unique responsibility for ensuring instructional excellence and learning, and they must lead in ways that transmit the mission and values of Francophone language and culture (Leurebourg, 2013). They must understand the cultural context of leading in minority environments and that organizational survival depends upon adaptability and the capacity to learn as an organization. Organizations should have a long-term strategic …

Student Reengagement In An Alternative High School, Chantal Gauthier

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Abstract

Alternative high schools have been an option for students who do not succeed in the regular system in the hopes that doing things differently would help these students graduate. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) examines the situation of an alternative high school in a small French school board in Ontario. Student disengagement is reflected in poor attendance and impacts credit completion and graduation rates. Many solutions to improve engagement have been put forward with mitigated success. An analysis of the organizational readiness for change reveals that the organization feels the urgency of finding a solution to the problem. To …

How To Enhance Communication Among Healthcare Providers And Improve Patient Safety, Heather Gordon

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

In 2010, the Provincial Health Funder (PHF) mandated the reporting of unintentional adverse events that occur in the process of healthcare delivery, which result in disability, death, or prolong treatments. The results of reporting are available to the public on the Health Quality website, providing transparency for the public and accountability for Advanced Healthcare System (AHS)[1], which has made patient safety its organizational strategic priority (AHS, 2018).

This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) seeks to improve communication and positive change among healthcare providers by maximizing the use of error prevention tools to improve patient safety. The principles of distributive …

Strategies For Improving The Organizational Value Of Training In A Corporate Setting, Anthony Meloche

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Training departments and the products and services they provide are often viewed by organizational leaders as expenses rather than investments. As organizations struggle to remain competitive and viable, the money and effort spent on training comes under increased critical examination. This Organization Improvement Plan (OIP) focuses on a training department, Corporate University (CU), operating within a specific organizational context at the Insurance Institute (II). The OIP examines the organization through various critical lenses including structural, human resource, technological, and symbolic perspectives to assess and propose practical actions the CU can take to demonstrate how the products and services they provide …

Maladaptive Coping Habits Amongst Student Leaders In Peer Support Roles: Reframing Exposure To Vicarious Trauma, Richard Caccamo

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Undergraduate orientation programs at post-secondary institutions are important platforms for new students to adjust to a new social and academic climate. Student leaders play a critical role in helping new students find belonging on campus. However, being in a peer support role can heighten student leaders’ exposure to vicarious trauma (VT) if they have not yet mastered how to regulate their own emotions or withstand the social and academic pressures associated with university. Many student leaders experience exacerbated symptoms of VT because of their maladaptive coping habits. Institution X does not have a viable framework to monitor or regulate student …

Implementing Authentic Formative Assessment To Improve Student Learning, Ola Elshurafa

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) capstone addresses the Problem of Practice (POP) pertaining to the lack of a robust system of authentic formative assessment at the Department of Business Administration (DBA) in an Arabian Gulf University. A synthesis on the literature around formative assessment has informed a conceptual model for the POP which highlighted the importance of formative assessment and its positive influence on student learning. This OIP designs a comprehensive and systematic plan which guides change towards the improvement of the POP, targeting stronger system performance and enhanced outcomes for student learning. Using an organizational culture lens, this OIP …

Promoting Student Action In A Primary School, Kyle Hawkins

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

This organizational improvement plan addresses a problem of practice in the primary division of an international school. This improvement plan focuses on increasing the quantity and quality of student action as an outcome of learning as evidenced in the school’s curriculum mapping database. Proposed changes are based on the belief that the overarching purpose of schooling is to prepare individuals for full engagement and participation in democratic society. Full participation requires that students develop a sense of agency and empowerment to act upon the knowledge they gain through their schooling. Schooling provides students with the ability and disposition to challenge …

Learning To Succeed: Supporting, Tracking And Engaging Education In The Workplace, John Mbakulo

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) identifies a need to support, track, and engage employees pursuing post-secondary education in a large-sized police service. The organization’s current investment in post-secondary education support is relatively small compared to the costs that learners face, and this figure has not increased in over a decade. Moreover, though education is tracked upon entering the workforce, due to technological changes these records are not easily obtainable, and any additional educational achievements are not recorded once an employee has started working. Expanding this focus on supporting education will reinforce the recognition of the value that additional education brings …

Aligning International Curriculum Standards And Practices With National Quality Assurance Frameworks, Tina Annette Stephenson

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

This Organizational Improvement Plan proposal will consider how the directors of our group of international schools can begin the work of aligning values, standards and practices to meet the needs of both the individual international schools and the nationalized quality assurance frameworks -- working with individual school principals in our home nation. The international school system provides alternatives to local and expatriate parents in an ever-increasing number of schools across the globe. As this number of international school increases, so too does the number of those schools which are required to align their international curriculum standards and practices with nationalized …

Communicating Effectively With Vaccine Hesitant Patients, Erin Courtney

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Vaccine hesitancy is a multifaceted and complex public health issue, and a plethora of research has been conducted on patients’ vaccine knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs that contribute to decreased public confidence in vaccines which then decreases vaccine uptake, which ultimately has resulted in an increase of vaccine preventable disease outbreaks (for example, measles). Research also illustrates that health care providers (HCP) are patients’ primary source of vaccination information and that HCPs who can communicate effectively with these patients are more likely to encourage adherence to medical advice and the adoption of preventative health behaviours, such as vaccination. Unfortunately, the communication …

Integrating A Trauma-Informed Approach Throughout The School Board, Emily Burns

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

The organization at the centre of this Improvement Plan is a school board in Ontario. The problem of practice (POP) being addressed is the inadequate integration of trauma-sensitive practices in educator pedagogies and in school policies and procedures. Currently, there is a lack of awareness and understanding of the potential impacts of trauma and toxic stress on student learning and development among educators and decision-makers throughout the school board. Without a thorough understanding of these potential impacts, it is challenging for educators to know how to best support trauma-affected students and help them experience success in their academics. Within her …

Supporting Youth Aging Out Of Government Care With Their Transition To College, Allison Schubert

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

For youth in and aging out of government care in British Columbia, accessing and completing college programs is a challenge that is gaining awareness in educational settings and the larger community. The research is clear; youth in and aging out of care are not as prepared as their peers to transition to college and have much less support to access them (Nichols et al. 2017, Shaffer et al. 2015). This paper identifies some of the main reasons for the discrepancy in educational outcomes, from an institutional perspective and as a broader wicked social problem. This Organizational Improvement Plan addresses this …

Global Competency And International Context At Aspiring Public Charter School, Joshua Symonds

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Teaching and assessing global competencies are areas of research that have become the focus of many educational organizations. This organizational improvement plan (OIP) examined the problem of a lack of global competencies taught, and international context provided, in an urban Canadian public school. The internal and external contextual landscape of the organization were considered, and available data analyzed to establish the need and readiness for change. Four primary solutions are proposed to solve this problem of practice: status quo and communication, international programs, strategic partnerships, and global competency education. Relying on contextual knowledge that connects the theories of servant, authentic, …

Student Persistence And Success, Kerry Lynn Durnford

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Organizations of higher education are under increasing pressure to provide and validate student attrition data, particularly for funding sources and accreditation bodies. Simplistic attrition formulas comparing the number of students admitted to a program to the number of students graduating in the traditional program length problematizes both students and the organization. Approaches to student retention in higher education have evolved to focus on increasing student enrolment numbers, and subsequent funding often depends on this information. However, in taking this strategic, neoliberal approach, organizations fail to address the multifactorial nature of student attrition and the supports needed to maximize student success. …

Overcoming Resistance When Adopting A Strengths-Based Case Management Service Delivery Model, Sheri-Lynn Mayhew

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

In 2016, Rapp & Goscha’s (2012) Strengths-based Case Management (SBCM) Service Delivery Model was adopted as an agency wide, best practice within Organization X. However, the clinicians within Service N, who support persons with developmental disabilities and mental illness known as a dual diagnosis, resisted this service delivery model implementation. Outcome measures following implementation for those with a dual diagnosis were poor. Specifically, goal attainment and fidelity scores were consistently lower since Rapp & Goscha’s (2012) SBCM Service Delivery Model implementation. This Organizational Improvement plan (OIP) examines which leadership theories and frameworks could address the resistance in adopting Rapp & …

Disrupting Schools For Boys: Interrogating Program, Policy, And Culture, Michael Paluch

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

This inquiry draws upon a variety of philosophical and theoretical perspectives, including post-structuralism, feminist theory and Marxist philosophy for the purposes of identifying an appropriate leadership framework for educators at schools for boys. It is proposed that a disruptive approach to leadership might serve to stimulate the conscientization of stakeholders within boys’ schools with respect to how essentialist notions of masculinity may be limiting student achievement and personal growth. This conscientization may engender a deep interrogation of those programs, policies, and cultural aspects that might be serving to promote unhealthy and/or toxic performances of masculinity. The application of a constructivist …

Cultural Awareness: Organizational Improvement Plan For Improved Student Accommodation, Katheryn Pender

The Dissertation in Practice at Western University

Canadian colleges have the responsibility to be inclusive and diverse. The College is uniquely positioned to cater to a variety of students with varied learning needs. Concurrently, policy must accommodate students to encourage capacity to learn. The development of a campus environment that is culturally aware that supports a comprehensive student accommodation policy is the focus of this organizational improvement plan. Through the theoretical guidance of cultural organizational and evolutionary theory, a multi-year plan is developed. Capacity for the plan is through stakeholder representation and engagement. Further influence is garnered from an adaptive leadership approach that is communicated and organized …

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 …