VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
The development of aspects of linguistic and discourse competence by advanced second language learners of French
Keywords: French language, Study and teaching
Second language acquisition
Fluency (Language learning)
Linguistic models

This research explores aspects of the development of discourse and linguistic competencies by Ontario French immersion students. It represents a new front for second language (L2) acquisition and immersion research in that, firstly, it provides an in-depth analysis of the mastery by immersion students of several polysemous and polyfunctional words (i.e., comme/ like; donc/alors/(ça ) fait que/so; bon; là), words playing key roles in the expression of fundamental semantic notions (e.g., comparison, consequence, location) and discursive functions (e.g., emphasis, topic shifting, turn yielding). Secondly, it offers insight into the use of discourse markers by immersion students, an as yet under-researched area. Finally, it documents the influence on L2 learners' discourse and linguistic competencies exerted by a range of independent factors, many of which have not before been applied to research on the development of these competencies. To determine to what degree the immersion students' discursive and non-discursive uses of these expressions conform to native and teacher norms, the students' speech collected during taped interviews is compared with that of same-age Canadian Francophones recorded in the same situation of communication and with the in-class speech of Ontario French immersion teachers. The findings of this research underline, firstly, the important role of first language (L1) transfer in the students' frequency of use of the expressions and the range of discursive functions this use fulfills. Secondly, they demonstrate that the students' sex and/or social class impact on the use of only those expressions with English discursive equivalents. Thirdly, they show that greater curricular and extra-curricular L2 exposure for the students correlates with increased use of four of the six French expressions. Finally, the findings show that, while the students' rank order of frequency of use of the expressions matches almost exactly that of the immersion teachers, it is far from approximating native norms. This research concludes that explicit in-class teaching of the discursive and non-discursive uses of the expressions under study is needed to redress the students' over-reliance on their L1 familiarity. In addition, greater extra-curricular L2 exposure would provide the students additional linguistic models and allow them to more closely approximate native norms.
Materialism vs. an ecological identity: towards an integrative framework for a psychology of sustainable living
Keywords: Ecology
Materialism
Human ecology
Benevolence
Values

The purpose of this quantitative/qualitative research study was to empirically validate the emerging concept of an ecological self (Naess, 1988), situated within the North American cultural context, which is largely defined by materialism. The goal was to outline in broad strokes an empirically based conceptual framework for a psychology of sustainable living. A total of 357 participants completed a questionnaire using the Internet. A combination of Q and R methodologies were used to isolate distinct phenomena of self and to examine their association with the Inclusion of Nature in the Self Scale (INSS; Schultz, 2002), the Schwartz Value Survey (SVS; Schwartz, 1992, 1994, 1996; Schwartz Sagiv, 1995), the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS; Diener, Emmons, Larsen, Griffin, 1985), a proenvironmental behaviours scale, and the Material Values Scale (MVS; Richins Dawson, 1992). Results revealed three distinct self-construals: the ecological self and two representations of self that closely parallel Markus and Kitayama's (1991) interdependent and independent self-schemas. Unlike its counterparts, the ecological self was significantly more inclusive of the natural world and was anchored on a continuum of human values emphasizing universalism and benevolence on the one hand, while rejecting power and hedonism on the other. Increased satisfaction with life and positive indicators of psychological well-being further define the ecological self as a more adaptive expression of human potential which, unlike its counterparts, lacks the defining characteristics of materialists and was most likely to engage in proenvironmental behaviour.
The effects of remedial reading intervention on the self-perceptions of struggling adolescent and young adult readers from the Ontario Child Welfare system: A mixed-methods exploration
Keywords: Young adults, Ontario
Reading, Remedial teaching
Reading, Ontario
Self-perception in adolescence, Ontario
Self-perception, Ontario

The purpose of this mixed-method study was to examine and better understand the impact of participating in a 7-week intensive, phonologically-based remedial reading program on the self-perceptions of maltreated adolescent and young adult struggling readers from the Ontario Child-Welfare system. Eleven maltreated youth with reading difficulties aged 15 to 23 years were extensively interviewed both prior to and following intervention about their reading and skill-related self-perceptions. Their responses were analyzed thematically using grounded theory methodology. Independent and paired-samples t tests were also conducted to measure the impact of intervention on the self-perceptions and reading achievement of these youth and to evaluate whether these variables significantly differed from a group of maltreated youth without reading difficulties (n = 11). Results converged to provide empirical support for the benefits of reading intervention on the self-perceptions and reading achievement of maltreated struggling readers. Implications, limitations and directions for future research are discussed.
"You will remember this for the rest of your life": an exploration of experiential learning through performance
Keywords: Entertainers, Psychology
Experiential learning
Performing arts and children

An important cultural objective of a music performance is to please the aesthetic senses. Performance and its preparation retain intrinsic and external educational value found in an authentic context. Performance provides an opportunity for children to learn skills particular to the art form, and in addition, offers the possibility of a transformative encounter with the arts (Greene, 1995). The essence of the arts can initiate an individual's transformation through connections with humanity, or, with oneself. Through a professional performance with children, as a teacher/researcher I sought to discover what people learn about themselves through performing. The investigation of the meaning of this performance for the children, teachers, and principal involved, through interviews and observation, itself metamorphosed into a probing of my history of performance and the arts. Using arts-based narrative research (Diamond and Mullen, 1999), I too was transformed through the exploration of this performance, and its process.
Are provisinal remedies superseding the trial process?
Keywords: Summary proceedings, India
Civil procedure, India
Equitable remedies, India

The focus of this thesis is on civil procedure and the manner of dispensing summary justice in an Indian context (with a particular reference to the Bombay High Court). Given the length of a civil trial and the formality attached to the process, courts increasingly grant interim relief to keep the interests of the parties protected. This has resulted in a change in litigants' attitude towards interim relief as they look to satisfy themselves on the basis of such interim relief alone. However, interim relief cannot replace final decrees in civil actions, since they are granted on a summary basis. Limited judicial resources have also caused courts to embrace case-management and settlement techniques that makes the prospects of achieving final conclusion of civil actions more removed. I therefore delve into the question of whether in their pursuit to achieve justice, whether courts are losing sight of determining the truth.
Constructing and challenging mixed-race identities among South Asian women in Canada
Keywords: South Asians, Canada
Racially mixed people, Canada
Minority women, Canada
Identity (Philosophical concept)

This thesis speaks to the experience of being a mixed-race woman and of South Asian descent in Canada. It is a compilation of stories (not just my own), but of other women who are half South Asian and struggling to create an identity in a Canadian context. All of the women have one parent who is Pakistani or East Indian, and all of them are living in Canada and are between the ages of 20–30. The women discuss the specific nature of their experience being mixed-race in a society that is still very hostile towards the idea of miscegenation. Being half South Asian makes this experience even more difficult for some of them, since South Asian identity is very complex and situationally specific. The impact that this has on their lives is discussed at length, as well as ideas that can enable schools to help children who are suffering from similar problems. Despite differences in experience, all of the women agree that schools need to be improved in dealing with such issues as passing, internalised racism, racial violence within families and communities, as well as racial violence in schools. By discussing these issues, we can begin to create schools which are not only more helpful for mixed-race children, but for all children in Canada.
"Where are you from Miss?": visible minority women's teaching experiences in Canadian schools
Keywords: Minority women teachers, Social conditions
Minority women teachers, Ontario
Minority women teachers, Attitudes
Minority women teachers, Ontario
Racism in education, Ontario

It is widely accepted that it is important to have a diverse teaching staff in schools, not only because of representation but because it enriches the educational experience of all students (George Dei, 2002; Maisy Cheng, 2002; Paul Carr, 1996). Racial and ethnic minority teachers not only enhance education in schools by bringing new cultural perspectives to the classroom, but also present alternative modes of teaching that benefit the varied needs of different students (Yasin and Albert, 1999: 6). They also serve as role models and representatives for students who are visible minorities (Solomon, 1997: 396), and act as mediators when such students become involved in conflict at school (Henry, 2000: 93). This past decade therefore, has witnessed attempts in both research and policy to remedy the problem of recruiting and retaining visible minority teachers in both elementary and secondary schools. However, little attention has been given to the struggles and challenges that these teachers face once they are hired in the school system. Factors such as race, gender, class, age, physical appearance and sexual orientation can affect how the formal authority of these teachers is perceived and received by students, and by extension the degree to which they can be effective in their profession. (Ng, 1994: 41). This is especially true if the knowledge they bring to the classroom or their teaching style challenges existing norms (such as ways of thinking and behavior) that are usually found in schools. This study therefore, seeks to examine the power dynamics that operate in the everyday lives of visible minority teachers and how these dynamics either serve to empower or disempower them in their profession. I examined here the ways in which racism, sexism, classism, ageism and other factors can drive these teachers out of their profession once they have completed their training and started their work. I use the following questions as a guide: (1) What role do visible minority teachers see themselves playing in Canadian schools? How do these teachers see their work as helping to enhance the education of mainstream and minority students? (2) What difficulties do visible minority teachers face when working in predominantly White/non-White schools? What other factors, apart from race, class and gender, pose challenges to them while teaching or participating in the school milieu? (3) How can we improve the preparation, recruitment, professional development and career progress of visible minority teachers? What role do communities, schools, boards and universities play in supporting visible minority teachers as agents of change in schools?
Integration, testing, and operations of the CanX-1 picosatellite and the design of the CanX-2 attitude determination and control system
Keywords: Nanosatellites
Nanosatellites, Attitude control systems
Nanosatellites, Control systems

The availability of new miniaturized electronics and science instruments enables small, low cost spacecraft to perform what used to require much larger satellites. The Canadian Advanced Nanosatellite experiment (CanX) program was created at the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies Space Flight Laboratory to develop and launch small, low-cost satellites. This thesis aims to describe the integration and system level testing of the first satellite, CanX-1, launched in June 2003. Furthermore, satellite operations planning and results are presented along with a list of issues that were encountered and a summary of lessons learned by the CanX-1 team. An overview of the preliminary design of the follow-on satellite is presented as a background for a discussion of the design of the CanX-2 attitude determination and control system. This discussion outlines the control laws and attitude determination scheme used along with the design assumptions and pertinent simulation results.
Optimization of low-thrust spacecraft trajectories by direct shooting methods
Keywords: Space trajectories
Artificial satellites, Orbits

The direct approach for trajectory optimization was found to be very robust. For most problems, solutions were obtained even with poor initial guesses for the controls. The direct approach was also found to be only slightly less accurate than the indirect methods found in the literature (within 0.7%). The present study investigates minimum-time and minimum-fuel low-thrust trajectory problems via a single shooting direct method. Various Earth-based and interplanetary case studies have been examined and have yielded good agreement with similar cases in the literature. Furthermore, new near-optimal trajectory problems have been successfully solved. A multiple-orbit thrust parameterization strategy was also developed to solve near-optimal very-low-thrust Earth-based transfers. Lastly, this thesis examines the use of the high-accuracy complex-step derivative approximation method for solving low-thrust transfer problems. For certain very nonlinear transfer problems, the complex-step derivative approximation was found to increase the robustness of the single shooting direct method.
A study of a voyage: Developing archival descriptive standards in Canada from 1987--1996
Keywords: Cataloging of archival materials, History
Cataloging of archival materials, Canada
Descriptive cataloging, History
Descriptive cataloging, Canada
Descriptive cataloging, Planning
Descriptive cataloging, Canada

This qualitative study investigates the development of archival descriptive standards in Canada and provides a comprehensive narrative of this development as it occurred from January 1987 to February 1996. Through the use of data analysis of primary sources and interviews a story of the development of the Rules for Archival Description (RAD) emerges. The development included many challenges as the Planning Committee on Descriptive Standards (PCDS) and nine working groups drafted and circulated chapters for comment by the archives community. The study's findings explore the process of developing RAD as well as influences on the project; the questioning of foundational principles; the development of relationships; and the rewarding and challenging aspects of the participants' experience. The author argues that that although RAD's development is documented in the literature, it is only documented by members of the PCDS and presents only part of the story, that from the PCDS's perspective.
Pushing the boundaries: Canadian women's experiences in World War II
Keywords: World War, 1939-1945, Women
World War, 1939-1945, Canada
Women, Social conditions
Women, Canada
Women's rights, History
Women's rights, Canada
Sex role

This thesis contextualizes the use of oral narratives with the academic and popular literature written during World War II and since 1945. The work focuses upon the experiences of various Canadian women during the war. The thesis illustrates how the circumstances of the war provided many women with new found opportunities which were created from the disruption and loosening of numerous social conventions which defined the gender order. Expanded freedom allowed some women to push the boundaries relating to their mobility, their living spaces, and the regulation of their sexuality. The experiences of the interviewees demonstrates the nature of femininity and the structure of gendered and non-gendered roles of women during this period. As well, the interviews illustrate that through the disruption of the gender order shifts were created which allowed some women to make important advancements towards gender equality.
The legitimacy of cross-border pharmacy from Canada to the United States
Keywords: Pharmaceutical industry, Law and legislation
Pharmaceutical industry, Canada
Pharmacy, Supplies
Internet in medicine
Pharmaceutical industry, Law and legislation
Pharmaceutical industry, United States

Sanctioning cross-border pharmacy---the dispensing of prescription drugs by Canadian pharmacies to U.S. patients---is a legitimate option for U.S. and Canadian policymakers. Safety concerns have been exaggerated. Patient interests are better served by a regime of regulated imports than by prohibition. Similarly, opposition by Canadian provincial Colleges of Physicians and Surgeons and Colleges of Pharmacists to member participation in cross-border pharmacy is unjustified. Economic considerations do not compel prohibition of cross-border pharmacy but rather raise political questions of priority and values. Canadian interests in preserving domestic supplies can be protected through legal, political, and practical measures. Canada is better situated to resist price increases firms might seek in response to cross-border pharmacy than has been acknowledged.
Don't trust anyone outside your pack: Initial trust formation in an online social activist network
Keywords: Trust
Computer networks, Social aspects
Internet, Social aspects
Interpersonal relations
Organizational behavior
Self-actualization (Psychology)

This study explored initial trust formation in a computer-mediated social action network. Little research has been directed towards exploring trust development in this context. This study employed an online focus group and direct observation to examine the risks, interdependencies and trust antecedents that influenced the acceptance of applicants to an online social action network. The risks and interdependencies inherent in the organization's social action projects, combined with the limited identity cues available online, influenced not only the organization's choice of trust antecedents but also where these pre-conditions were found. Although online information provided cues for shared social identity, it was insufficient to extend initial trust to prospective members. Ultimately the decision to trust an applicant was based on real world reputation and third party endorsement by a trusted colleague. Further research is required to examine the impact of information and communication technology on trust formation in contextually diverse online communities.
De-centering colonial schooling: towards reforming indigenous education
Keywords: Indigenous peoples, Education
Indigenous peoples, Education
Indigenous peoples, Alaska
Education, Colonial

"De-Centering Colonial Schooling: Towards Reforming Indigenous Education" delineates the complexities surrounding Indigenous knowledge and education. It does this through examining an educational reform initiative that attempts to re-centre Indigenous knowledge in education from colonial schooling practices in Alaskan village communities. It (a) unravels the complexities of the term Indigenous knowledge through assessing the various modes of production that are a part of making up the social formation of Alaska Native villages; (b) examines the historical factors that are responsible for the subjugation of Indigenous knowledge in Alaskan Native village schools since 1784; and (c) explores the Alaska Rural Systemic Initiative as an educational reform initiative that attempts to address the contemporary juncture of local needs and state educational standards in Alaskan village communities. Such an examination aspires to inform educational reform in the Canadian North and in international contexts.
Information literacy and education policy: an instrumental case study of the Ontario public school curriculum
Keywords: Information literacy, Government policy
Information literacy, Ontario

This instrumental case study explores the Ontario Ministry of Education's information literacy curriculum policy for kindergarten to grade twelve. The central issue investigated is the development of information literacy policy as depicted by the Ministry, and not the detailed implementation impacts of this policy. A rhetorical analysis of relevant policy documents and interviews with twelve policy makers constitute the methodological framework. This research found that teacher librarian advocates and the Ministry's funding priorities and emphasis on standardized literacy testing have significant impacts on information literacy policy development. The current state of school libraries in Canada also impacts information literacy policy as does the teacher librarian community's advocacy network, how teacher librarians are trained and how teacher librarians are able to mesh their goals with those of the Ministry. This research reveals that current information literacy policy in Ontario fosters a learning environment based on inequitable access to information skills.
Secular rights and monopolies of morality: reframing the legal discourse of abortion in the Philippines
Keywords: Abortion, Law and legislation
Abortion, Philippines
Abortion, Moral and ethical aspects
Abortion, Philippines
Secularism, Philippines

This thesis introduces and develops the idea of "secular spaces." It proposes a role for the courts in protecting such spaces, and supporting core values behind secularism, rather than engaging in mechanical line-drawing exercises between state and church, the secular and the religious. This idea of secular space is not premised on a complete disentanglement of secular and religious realms but rather builds on the idea of a social space benefiting from state protection as well as from non-intervention. It is a contested and an overlapping space but one which can allow the courts a more meaningful vantage point from which to exercise their role in promoting the values behind secularism and secular state practices. Because the issue of abortion in the Philippines spans both spheres, public/private and secular/religious, the courts need to consider a broader approach in their judgments, one that remains attentive to the Constitutional framework of both religious freedom and women's human rights. The challenge here is to view the issue of abortion and the resulting rights contest not solely or primarily as a competition for legitimacy in which all debates, even the ethical, can and ought to be settled with finality before the courts of law.