Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons^™

Muslim Parents At Crossroads: Choosing The Right School For Their Children, Ghazala E. Ahmed

Comparative and International Education / Éducation Comparée et Internationale

This paper is based on a qualitative study that investigated reasons behind twelve Muslim parents’ decisions to send their children to either an Islamic or a public school in South-Western Ontario. Three major thematic reasons for parents’ choices emerged from the interviews: first, were the parents’ experiences with either the public or Islamic school environment; second, were the parents’ experiences and perceptions of the school’s dress codes; and, third, was the parents’ understanding of the school curriculum content. In addition to these themes, the paper also discusses parents’ views on the language of the school and that of the home …

A Case Study Mapping Literacy Learning Opportunities And Identity Construction Among African Immigrant Youth In A Canadian Secondary School, Wambui J. Gichuru

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Studies with immigrant and refugee youth highlight challenges, school failure and early push-out rates (Anisef, 2008; James, 2012; Roessingh, 2010). There is limited research about how immigrant students especially from continental Africa negotiate their identity at school for positive outcomes. The goal of this qualitative case study was to explore literacy learning opportunities afforded by the school for African youth who were learning to become literate in English as an additional language in a Canadian secondary school and the implications for the students’ communicative and identity options.

The study utilized ethnographic tools, i.e., interview, classroom observation, mapping literacy activities and …

“My Classroom Is A Bigger Place”: Examining The Impact Of A Professional Development Course On The Global Perspective Of Experienced Teachers, Steve Sider, Mary Ashun

Comparative and International Education / Éducation Comparée et Internationale

How do experienced teachers develop a global perspective through a professional development course and how can this perspective impact classroom practice? These are the two key questions which this paper examines. We utilize Guskey’s (2002) model of teacher change as a framework for understanding the results of a study involving experienced teachers who took a professional development course which had a focus on global education. The participants engaged in a number of activities four months after the completion of the course to explore how the course had impacted their classroom teaching practice. Common themes were identified through participant reflective papers …

Teaching In Northwestern China Under A Market Economy: Opportunities And Challenges, Gulbahar H. Beckett

Comparative and International Education / Éducation Comparée et Internationale

This article discusses a case study that explored the impacts of a market economy on some Northwestern Chinese teachers’ working and living conditions as well as opportunities and challenges the new economy presented from teachers’ perspectives. Analysis of surveys, interviews, and documents revealed that the participants believed they had benefited from the market economy, citing pay raises as well as improved working and living conditions. Participants thought opportunities under the market economy included additional earnings as well as improved national and international professional development. However, the participants found the shift from the traditional teacher-centered pedagogy to a more student-centered approach …