VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Weight-based Stigma and Deficit Thinking about Obesity in Schools: How Neoliberal Conceptions of Obesity Are Contributing to Weight-based Stigma
Keywords: obesity
stigma
weight
size
deficit thinking
discrimination

This thesis examines weight-based stigma in schools, and examines body size as an issue of difference, subject to discrimination, from within a critical democratic framework. I raise a paradox when it comes to dealing with the issue of obesity; we don’t want to say that weight is within individual control, however, we don’t want to say obesity is outside individual control and nothing can be done to affect it. Neoliberal conceptions of obesity in Western countries are highly individualistic, and blame obese individuals for failing to adhere to social norms. This leads to deficit thinking about obese individuals, wherein a group of students are seen as inherently deficient. Turning to Freire’s conception of ethics, which calls for respect for all students, it becomes clear that conceiving of a group of students as inherently deficient is unethical. This then renders the neoliberal conception of obesity unethical. I then offer pedagogically and ethically sound alternatives to current practices.
Guilt, Shame and Model Minorities: How South Asian Youth in Toronto Navigate the Canadian Educational System
Keywords: South Asian
Education
Model Minority
Racism

The present study examines issues that South Asian youth face as members of a model minority group. Using 14 semi-structured interviews, South Asian youth (aged 18-26) discussed issues they encountered as they navigated educational institutions in Canada. The study found that participants were not aware of the term model minority. Furthermore, participants received input, either directly or indirectly, from family and community members regarding their career choices. Lastly, participants experienced guilt and shame during decision-making processes, but ultimately chose their own path with [eventual] acceptance from parents. Results indicate that schools in the GTA are not attuned to the needs of South Asian students which often left students at a disadvantage when making future career and educational choices. There is a need for educators, administrators, and policymakers to develop more specialized programs toward helping South Asian youth navigate the Canadian educational institutions.
Transformative Community Art: Re-visioning the Field of Practice
Keywords: transformative
community art
Funding
Cooptation
Institutionalisation
Professionalisation
theoretical framework
integrative framework
community art theory
community art discourse
community art practice
community art as distinct discipline
community mural
community theatre
transformation
transformative community art
Clay and Paper Theatre
Clay & Paper Theatre
institutionalization
professionalization

Community art is a multidisciplinary practice that was engendered by two main perspectives on art; a functionalist approach and an ‘art as essential to humanity’ approach. These differing ideological positions led to the construction of polarizing dichotomies that divided the field of practice and stagnated the community art discourse. This thesis re-visions community art as transformative community art (T.C.A.) to integrate a diverse range of practice into a distinct, recognizable field, transcend the binaries inherited from its founding fields, and identify the field as an innovative artistic movement and radical practice for social change. In this thesis T.C.A. is employed as a framework for theorizing practice. Threats to T.C.A. from funding structures, cooptation, and institutionalisation are explored and strategies of resistance identified. The concept of T.C.A. is mobilized to identify areas for future work; raising questions and ideas that can contribute to advancing a more complex, nuanced, and productive discourse.
An Achievement Gap Revealed: A Mixed Method Research Investigation of Canadian-born English Language Learners
Keywords: English language learner
achievement gap
Canadian-born
mixed method
reading
home language
L1 loss

This study uses a mixed methods approach to investigate an achievement gap observed in the reading of Canadian-born students with a first language other than English. Quantitative analyses of large-scale reading assessment data identified characteristics of these students and showed a relationship between reading levels and students’ home language environments. This relationship was further explored using a case study approach based on interviews with students and parents. Interviews revealed the role that parental language learning can play in children’s reading. The study revealed the relative invisibility of Canadian-born English language learners, and the consequent difficulties educators have responding to their English language learning needs. School registration data was shown to be an inaccurate indication of students’ home language use. The study’s findings point to the need for policies that support the systematic identification of Canadian-born English language learners and a deeper understanding of the language learning needs of these students-at-risk.
Imagining India: The Nation as a Brand
Keywords: Neocolonial governmentality
nation branding
Brand India

This thesis critically analyzes the phenomenon of nation branding as a technique of neocolonial governmentality. The study focuses on Brand India - postcolonial India’s attempt to imagine the nation and its people through the discourse of branding. I argue that India’s nation branding exercise hollows out the postcolonial imagination so that the nation can now only be imagined through a language and within a framework ‘always-already’ constituted for the postcolony. This thesis builds on Michel Foucault’s analysis of governmentality and utilizes a postcolonial framework, to show that when the practice of nation branding is applied to a postcolonial nation, it works to reinscribe the colonial legacy and reaffirm colonial power relations
Dancing With Our Partners: An Exploration of Story and Resonance in the Literacy Environment
Keywords: story
stories
resonance
adult education
literacy
literacies
narrative
learning
Frontier College
youth
arts based learning
adult literacy
holistic learning
literacy tutors
critical pedagogy
Beat the Street

This thesis describes a study that was done with tutors and students in Frontier College’s Beat the Street: Literacy and Basic Skills program. Using a qualitative methodology, it focuses on stories of literacy, life and learning from tutors and students. The author’s own experiences, stories and reflections as a tutor are an important piece of the work. The thesis operates on and argues for the notion that people are made up of their stories, and that they interact with other people and the world through those stories. This research process revealed many ways in which tutor and student perceptions of literacy, learning, and each other were affected by their stories. It also revealed that in the overlaps between stories lies the potential for a moment of profound connection and learning the author describes as resonance. The thesis explores some of the ways resonance was perceived to enhance the literacy environment.
Measuring Phonological Short-term Memory, apart from Lexical Knowledge
Keywords: Phonological short-term memory
Repetition of nonwords
Cognitive development
Wordlikeness of nonwords

The current research examined whether nonword repetition (NWR) tasks, designed to measure phonological short-term memory, are also influenced by familiarity with lexical representation of a given language. In Study 1, children with and without exposure to Hebrew were administered a NWR task based on the Hebrew language structure (HNWR). On the HNWR, participants with Hebrew exposure significantly outperformed participants who had no familiarity with any Semitic language. This indicates that long-term phonological and lexical knowledge can be used to aid NWR performance. Study 2 investigated whether a NWR task based on a foreign language could minimize the lexicality effect. English speaking undergraduate students rated the less familiar HNWR task to be lower in wordlikeness than English-like NWR tasks. These findings demonstrate that regardless of language background a NWR task based on an unfamiliar language structure is a more valid measure of the phonological processing skills required for vocabulary acquisition.
Motivations and Experiences of Elected Governing Council Members
Keywords: University
Governance
Elected
Governor
Student
Staff
Faculty
Alumni
Governing
Board
Council
Senate
Motivation
Experience
Trustee
Member

This qualitative study explores the motivations and experiences of individuals elected to serve on the Governing Council of the University of Toronto. Elected governors include alumni, students, staff and faculty. Six semi-structured interviews were conducted with 2 alumni governors, 2 student governors, and 2 staff/faculty governors. Interview questions helped to examine personal motivations behind serving in university governance, activities and duties of governors, self-perceptions of effectiveness and improvements to the experience of elected members. The responses were used to create interview summaries and discover common themes in the experiences of elected governors. Four theme areas emerged. They are (1) initial motivations, (2) learning and informal communication, (3) personal benefits, pride and positive experience, and (4) approach to governance. This study includes a discussion of the unique position of alumni governors and suggests improvements to the governor experience as recommended by the research participants.
Creative Engagement Through the Arts as Health Care for Older People: Potential and Problems Provoked
Keywords: gerontology
aging
elders
creativity
art
arts
healing
health
wellness
well-being
learning
holistic
old
engagement
creative
artist

Programs that use the arts to engage older people promote health, foster community, and give voice and legacy to participants. Creative practice in health care settings facilitates emotional, mental, and physical wellness for participants and staff, while improving the culture of care. Yet there is resistance to arts-in-medicine as a legitimate tool of health care. The predominant biomedical paradigm privileges quantitative assessment methods over qualitative studies which may accept anecdotal, arts-informed, or “common sense” evidence. Successful creative programs face challenges translating their benefits when evaluated inappropriately. This arts-informed inquiry uses creative writing to address multiple dimensions of knowing, integrating autoethnographical insights from work as a caregiver, artist, educator, and administrator of collaborative art. Serendipity and imagination in research were employed to explore how collaborating artists can facilitate creative engagement for elders, embodying preventative, community-based medicine to successfully address and transform myriad challenges and opportunities as the population continues to age.
Cutting off the Homeless: Reexamining Social Housing Service and Activism in Ontario
Keywords: social housing
activism
Ontario
social service

The importance of housing has been discussed in several disciplines as a basic need, a fundamental human right, and a source of economic and social security; but the social housing system in Ontario has been downloaded from higher levels of government to municipalities with little to no increase in funding or program governance. In this thesis, I argue that the policies and programs that govern the social housing system in Ontario focus on a service provision perspective that maintains the status quo, particularly the stigma attached to social housing projects and homeless people. Using interviews with activists and a review of the literature, I suggest that activists have a role in changing the way this service-oriented perspective works by bringing forward the realities of homelessness in the public realm to alter social thought, agendas, and actions.
Evaluation of a Working Memory Training Program in Adolescents with Severe Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Learning Disabilities
Keywords: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
attention and memory
learning disability
working memory training

Working memory (WM), which is essential for many academic skills, has been found to predict inattentive behaviours and is a common deficit in ADHD and LD. Recent studies have suggested that WM can be improved by intensive and adaptive computerized training. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of a WM training program on WM, attention, behaviour and academics in adolescents with severe LD/ADHD. A total of 60 12 to 17 year olds with ADHD/LD were randomised to one of two computerized intervention programs: working memory training or math training and evaluated before and at three weeks after completion. Adolescents in the WM training group showed greater improvements in some measures of WM than those in the Math training group, but no training effects were observed on any other measures. Findings are discussed in the context of theoretical and practical implications of WM training.
Exploring My “Unfinished” Self: A Narrative Inquiry Into the Life of an Educational Activist
Keywords: educational activism
teacher activism
social justice education
narrative inquiry
teacher education
privilege
student voice
social identities

The purpose of this study is to explore tensions and themes that have influenced my activist identity. Drawing on theories of reflective practice, self study and autoethnography I use a narrative inquiry approach to trace significant experiences in my life, from student to high school teacher, to teacher educator. Themes that arise include a shift from a political to a “student voice”-focused approach to educational activism, the ongoing influence of my privileged identities, the importance of mentorship, the recognition that social change is possible, and the awareness and embracing of my “unfinishedness”. This study attempts to add to literature on educational or teacher activism and speak to the value of narrative inquiry approaches in teacher education and professional development programs.
What's in a Note? Sentiment Analysis in Online Educational Forums
Keywords: Sentiment Analysis
Communication
Threaded Forums
Online education
Computational Linguistics
Text Analysis

This multi-disciplinary study examines the linguistic characteristics which influence communication and social interaction in computer-mediated communication (CMC). We begin by conducting a qualitative data analysis on a group of graduate students taking online courses. Through this, we look more closely at their perception of social interaction in their online learning environment (Knowledge eCommons). We then take individual student notes and analyze their linguistic characteristics. We look at the emotional cues in notes, the use of factual, objective language and other linguistic features. We study these notes through the use of sentiment analysis methodologies – which will be explained in detail in the first and second chapter. We have proposed a method for deducing note objectivity and have computed reliability testing of this method. Our analyses show that there is a high correlation between the use of objective language in a note and the value that students place on that note.
On Reciprocity: Teaching and Learning with People who have Alzheimer's
Keywords: Alzheimer's
adult learning
reciprocity
well-being
creativity

The initial intention of this arts-informed research study was to implement art classes for people with Alzheimer‟s disease, and to examine its impact upon new learning at cognitive, procedural and affective levels of experience. While these goals persist – indeed adult educational theory and quality of life are central to this thesis – the research focus gradually shifted from a constructivist view of the Alzheimer‟s learner to a phenomenological view of the relationship between teacher and student. Its power to facilitate the growth of reciprocity and bolster identity within the learning context, whether one-to-one or in small group settings, became more apparent as the research progressed. This revealed the potential of arts-based educational programs to build mutual trust and reciprocity with and among the participants. In turn, these qualities contributed to the expression of positive feelings, improved self-esteem,and communication in people with Alzheimer‟s.
Change in Child Health and Socioeconomic Status: Examining the Moderating Role of Differential Parenting
Keywords: parenting
socioeconomic status
health
development

Inequality within the family (i.e. differential parenting) is associated with a variety of measures of child adjustment. To date there is no research examining the effects of this phenomenon on children’s physical health, or on the fashion in which this phenomenon may combine and interact with socioeconomic markers. The present study assessed 375 mothers and their children over a period of 18 months. Differential maternal negativity between siblings predicted change in child health, controlling for child gender, age, maternal education, income/assets, and absolute level of negativity in the household. The association between maternal education and change in child health was strongest when children were also exposed to high differential negativity, suggesting that these predictors combined in a cumulative fashion. Findings indicate that multiple forms of social disadvantage (i.e. between families and between siblings) can operate independently or in combination with one another to predict change in child health.
Education and the Unschooled Student: Teachers’ Discourses on Teaching Elementary School English Literacy Development Students
Keywords: English Language Learners
English Literacy Development
Elementary education
Teachers' discourses
Limited Prior Schooling
Multiliteracies
Philosophy of Teaching
Ontario schools

Based on empirical qualitative data collected by interviewing eight elementary school teachers from across four different school boards in Ontario and analyzing new Ontario Ministry of Education policy and guidelines for supporting and programming for English Literacy Development (ELD) students, this research seeks to better understand how teachers’ discourses influence their perception of ELD students’ experiences in elementary schools. In particular, I look at how they view their roles as teachers, the purpose of education and schooling, their personal views on diversity, and how they program literacy for ELD students. The participants’ discourses reveal that although they prioritize having positive relationships with their students, they often struggled to relate positively with their ELD students. Reassessing how the formal school is structured and providing directed professional development on teaching ELD students could work towards creating more positive learning experiences for ELD students in Ontario elementary schools.
Kipimoojikewin: Articulating Anishinaabe Pedagogy Through Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe Language) Revitalization
Keywords: Anishinaabe pedagogy
Ojibwe language
Ojibwe philosophy
Anishinaabemowin
Aboriginal worldview
Aboriginal education
self-determination
Anishinaabe axiology
Indigenous language revitalization
Aboriginal pedagogy
Aboriginal research
colonization

In Anishinaabemowin (Ojibwe language), Kipimoojikewin refers to our inheritance, or the things we carry with us. While Anishinaabemowin, Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) pedagogy and research practices are all part of our inheritance, so too is a legacy of colonial violence and historic trauma. This paper details one journey towards the language; the struggle through a colonial terrain rife with institutional and cognitive barriers, the journey to return to Anishinaabe ways of knowing, to articulating Anishinaabe pedagogy in a contemporary urban context and the work done to fulfill the vision of the Elders. There are no “best practices” only stories that exemplify an Anishinaabe axiological framework so that the causes and effects can be better understood, taken up and improved upon. Aapajitoon kema wanitoon.
Video Games: Ethical Spaces Under The Regime of Images
Keywords: Video Games
Learning
Education
Representation
Ethical Space
Regime of Images
Technology
textual
intertextuality
linguistic turn

The video game is a deeply misunderstood medium, one that is often blamed as a root cause of violence, anti-social behaviour and the laziness of youth. In addition to those who judge video games as corrupting, there are those who note the complexity and instructive power of video games and hope to harness the technology for educational use. This thesis occupies a middle ground between these two poles. I argue that as a distinct textual form, video games are prime sites for encountering power and difference, as well as productive sites through which gamers come to know themselves. Video games are semiotic playing fields that, when theorized as such, call for pedagogical interventions focused on how we teach about the worlds we inhabit both virtual and actual. I end with an explanation of how video games can constructively be theorized as “ethical spaces” for learning about issues of social justice.
Understanding Home-school Relationships within an Indigenous Community in an Urban Public School
Keywords: indigenous aboriginal parent and school relationships

This study examines relationships between Indigenous parents and their children’s non-Indigenous teachers. As many Indigenous students are taught by mostly non-Indigenous teachers, this thesis aims to provide teachers with insights or strategies on how to work in a community that is perhaps unknown to them. There are three areas of focus within this thesis: critical issues within systems of education in Indigenous communities, critical issues that Indigenous parents face, and critical issues that schools with Indigenous students face. This project has given both parents and teachers the chance to talk about the experiences of Indigenous children, the experiences of parents and teachers, and the relationships that form between the school, home, and the community. Also included are ideas that can be used by schools, school boards, and Indigenous communities to encourage strong relationships between homes of students and their schools.
Deconstructing 'Hegemonic Feminism': The Emergence of 'Second Wave' Feminism in Canada (1965-1975)
Keywords: Feminism
History
Poststructuralism
Critical Race Theory
Women's movement
Canada

Drawing on a collection of interviews with Canadian feminists, this thesis explores the emergence of a ‘second wave’ of feminist organizing in Canada from 1965 to 1975. Using insights from poststructural feminism and critical race theory, I deconstruct the notion of ‘hegemonic feminism’ and examine how certain women came to inhabit a position of hegemony during the movement’s early years. I focus on key events in feminist organizing during the 1960s-1970s: The Royal Commission on the Status of Women and the founding of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women. Drawing on oral history interviews and a close reading of the report on the RCSW, I suggest that more nuanced approaches are needed to move beyond the binary thinking that inflects accounts of Canadian feminist history. I conclude with a series of feminist narratives which aim to complicate linear histories and offer an alternative reading of this movement.