VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Investigating Elementary Teachers' Perceptions About and Experiences with Ontario's Teacher Performance Appraisal System
Keywords: administration
elementary

Performance appraisals have far reaching consequences on people. If evaluators in any way discriminate against employees, these individuals can suffer devastating and potentially debilitating consequences. This thesis investigates elementary teachers’ perceptions of and experiences with Ontario’s Teacher Performance Appraisal system (TPA), used to appraise teachers in Ontario from 2001 until 2007. I used quantitative data obtained from a sample of 132 teachers to investigate their perceptions of TPA with respect to four dimensions of organizational justice; outcome fairness, procedural fairness, informational fairness, and interpersonal fairness. Using oppression and critical theories as the theoretical framework, my analyses of my data allowed me to compare mainstream and minoritized teachers’ perceptions of their experiences with TPA. I also conducted follow-up interviews with three mainstream and three minoritized teachers. Analyses of my data enabled me to investigate how each group experienced TPA in terms of the four dimensions of organizational fairness. Analyses of the quantitative data revealed that minoritized teachers perceived their experiences less favourably than mainstream teachers. In addition, from my analyses of the qualitative data, I found that minoritized teachers tended to experience mistreatment, including manifestations of racism and homophobia from the administrators who conducted their TPA. The implications of this study call on administrators to disrupt the cycle of oppression by thinking about the biases, prejudices and stereotypical attitudes they bring intentionally or unintentionally to appraising teachers.
From Protest to Praxis: A History of Islamic Schools in North America
Keywords: Faith-based schools
Religious schooling

This work attempts to achieve two overarching objectives: firstly to trace the historical growth of Islamic schools in North America and secondly, to explore the ideological and philosophical values that have shaped the vision of these schools. The historical growth of Islamic schools in North America has been led by two distinct communities among Sunni Muslims: the indigenous and the immigrant. Specific to the North American Muslim diaspora “indigenous” represents the African American Muslim community of Imam Warith Deen Mohammed (1933-2008), and “immigrant” refers to the generation of Sunni Muslims who settled in North America in the 1960s and 1970s. Through oral history, this study attempts to capture the voices, sentiments, and aspirations of those that struggled to establish the earliest full-time Islamic schools. The study examines these voices for the ways Islamic education is defined differently based on generational, contextual, and ideological perspectives. Recognizing the diverse lived experiences of Muslim communities in North America, the findings are organized in four distinct, yet often overlapping historical phases that map the growth and development of Islamic schooling. The four phases of Protest, Preservation, Pedagogy, and Praxis also represent how the aims of Islamic education have evolved over time. From the Nation of Islam and their inherent vision of equality through resistance, the earliest attempt at establishing schools for Muslim children began in the 1930s. The transition of the Nation of Islam into a community redefined by the teachings of mainstream Islam coupled with the settlement of substantial immigrant Muslim communities altered the discourse from protest to identity preservation in the 1980s. Collaboration between the “indigenous” and “immigrant” communities defined a concerted effort to improve the quality of Islamic schools in the 1990s. And post 9/11, the discourse of inward-looking school improvement shifted once again to outward praxis. The historical mapping of the vision of Islamic schooling between communities also allows for the exploration of how interpretations of the Islamic tradition inform the pedagogy of schools. Through separate histories and religious perspectives, this study seeks to explore the complexities of the aims of Islamic schools, both between communities and within them.
Silent Grief: Narratives of Bereaved Adult Siblings
Keywords: Bereavement
Narrative
Grief
Siblings

This qualitative research project is a narrative inquiry into the lives of four bereaved siblings; one is myself. The purpose of the project was to explore our mutual experiences of loss, look for patterns, and create a forum for continuing our stories in a new way. Identified as a disenfranchised loss (Wray, 2003) adult siblings are often seen as the least impacted family member when a sibling dies. After such a death, the concern is first directed toward the grieving spouse and children and then the deceased’s parents. Adult siblings are often expected to be a source of strength and support for others. Through in-depth interviews and story telling, three participants shared their reflections of, first, living with and, then, living without beloved siblings. Their stories of loss and love are captured both with words and visually through photographs. My stories are woven throughout the text as I reflect upon my grief journey and ongoing search for meaning. Findings of this research offer a glimpse into the profound depth of this loss and some of the unique challenges faced by bereaved adult siblings. All participants experienced strained dynamics within families of origin as members grieved the loss differently. Elderly parents, in particular, were hesitant to speak of their deceased child, setting a tone of silence within the family. To help “protect” parents from further grief, participants gradually stopped talking about deceased siblings in their presence. Relationships with surviving siblings were also strained as roles were reformed. For the three women participants, passing years did not lessen the emptiness of the loss. The pain was rekindled with each passing family milestone. All of us were changed by this experience. Sharing stories with an interested listener created another avenue for meaning making and a new way to honour and memorialize our lost siblings. Each of us moved to new understandings about ourselves and our relationships with our deceased siblings, naming the experience as transformative on many levels. Hopefully this study will serve as support for other grieving adult siblings and contribute to furthering research in grief and bereavement.
The Commission for Higher Education in Kenya: A Case Study Regarding the Establishment, Role and OperationsI of an Intermediary Body in the Higher Education System of a Developing Nation
Keywords: Quality Assurance
Higher Education

For a developing nation like Kenya, an effective higher education system is essential for its national development. Often intermediary bodies, such as the Commission for Higher Education in Kenya, are established and mandated to oversee higher education systems. As a “buffer” agency between the state and the universities, the Commission is strategically placed to ensure an effective and productive higher education system that serves the Kenyan society and advances the development of the nation. The purpose of this research is to investigate and describe the contribution of an intermediary body responsible for the coordination of the higher education system in a developing nation. The research describes the legal framework for the establishment of the Commission for Higher Education in Kenya and focuses on the three main functions of this intermediary agency: planning, program review and budget review. The research uses a historical case-study design that includes extensive documentation analysis coupled with interviews in order to understand the experience of the Commission for Higher Education in Kenya from its establishment in 1985 up to the present. The main objectives of the research are: a) To describe the legal framework for the establishment of the Commission for Higher Education for Kenya and analyze its mandate and terms of reference; b) To investigate and describe the experience of the Commission for Higher Education for Kenya with reference to the following primary functions of intermediary bodies: planning, budget review and program review. In addition to describing the legal framework that established the Commission and its work in planning, program review and budget review, the research provides recommendations for improved effectiveness as a buffer agency. Chief among these is the need for legislative change that would create an empowering legal framework. Specific recommendations for improvements in core function service areas (planning, program review and budget review) are also provided. The study is important because it addresses service improvement issues in a context where the development agenda demands effective and efficient leadership in the higher education sector.
International Education in Canada: The Construction of a "New" Professionalism
Keywords: international education
administrative staff

Higher education institutions everywhere are subject to global trends, such as the growing commodification and commercialization of knowledge, which are pulling universities closer to the market (Altbach, 2001). Rationales for the internationalization of higher education, consistent with neo-liberalism, increasingly emphasize the importance of developing human capital and income generation through study and life abroad. Exploring this entrepreneurial turn, my research revealed that international education shows signs of developing a professionalized workforce. Through the use of various theoretical frameworks, including institutional ethnography, a Foucauldian focus on discourse and anti-colonial theoretical perspectives, I disclose how the managerial-driven discourse of professionalism of international educators facilitates control “at a distance” (Fournier, 1999) and prioritizes organizational interests over their everyday/night experiences. At the same time, by conceptualizing professionalization as a site of struggle (Tobias, 2003), I describe ways in which these “ruling relations” may be subverted and how an alternative professionalization strategy may be pursued by international educators in their efforts to advocate for social justice in international education.
An Examination of Therapeutic Alliance Patterns, Client Attachment, Client Interpersonal Problems, and Therapy Outcome in Process-experiential and Cognitive-behavioural Treatment for Depression
Keywords: Alliance
Therapeutic Alliance
Alliance Patterns
Attachment
Interpersonal Problems
Depression
Process-Experiential
Cognitive-Behavioural
Therapy
Therapy Outcome
Cognitive-Behavioral
Emotion-Focused

This study investigated temporal patterns of therapeutic alliance development across treatment and their relationship to outcome, and the relationship between client attachment styles and interpersonal problems and alliance strength and patterns across treatment. Sixty-six clients diagnosed with major depression participated in one of two 16-week treatment conditions: Process-experiential therapy and Cognitive-behavioural therapy. Results revealed two alliance “shape” patterns; Stable Linear and Steep Linear-Quadratic, as well as two alliance “shape and level” patterns; High Strength Linear-Quadratic and Low-to-Mid Strength Stable. Results indicated that the two alliance “shape” patterns did not differentially predict treatment outcome. With respect to “shape and level” patterns, results revealed that clients with a High Strength Linear-Quadratic alliance pattern had better treatment outcomes than clients with a Low-to-Mid Strength Stable alliance pattern. In terms of client attachment style, results indicated that clients with a Steep Linear-Quadratic “shape” pattern report more discomfort with closeness at pre-treatment. Further, clients with a High-Strength Linear-Quadratic “shape and level” pattern report more confidence and less need for approval at pre-treatment. With respect to client interpersonal problems, results revealed that clients with a Steep Linear- Quadratic “shape” pattern report being more cold and distant at pre-treatment and clients with a Low-Mid Strength Stable “shape and level” pattern report being more socially inhibited, less assertive, and more overly-accommodating at pre-treatment. Lastly, results revealed that specific client attachment characteristics and interpersonal problems differentially predict total average alliance strength as well as the average strength of the client and therapist bond across treatment.
Trajectories and Transitions: Exploration of Gender Similarities and Differences in Offending
Keywords: development of offending
latent transition analysis
laten class analysis
gender
risk factors

This study uses latent class analysis and latent transition analysis to model and compare patterns of offending over time for males and females by: (1) identifying qualitative dimensions of offending; (2) modeling how patterns of offending change over time; and (3) exploring factors related to patterns of offending. This is a secondary analysis of data from the Edinburgh Study of Youth Transition and Crime, a longitudinal study consisting of a cohort of about 4,000 young people from secondary schools in the City of Edinburgh who responded to questionnaires administered between 1988 and 2001, when they were about 12, 13, 14, and 15 years old. Previous studies of offending have used trajectory modeling to explore the course of offending from onset to termination, but the models are generally based on a count of types of offences aggregated across individuals over time, making it difficult to determine whether individuals exhibit more versatility or specialization in offending or switch offences from one point in time to another. In addition, most of the studies on patterns of offending have focused primarily on males. An understanding of patterns of offending over time for both males and females is important for the design and selection of developmentally appropriate prevention/treatment strategies. The present study adds to the literature by (1) further exploring the small and understudied literature on offence transitions; (2) examining more closely the development of female offending separately from and in relation to male offending; and (3) exploring a range of factors (criminogenic and non-criminogenic) related to the development of offending for both males and females. While the same number of qualitative dimensions (latent classes) characterised male and female offending in this study, there were some structural differences. There was also evidence of shifts in the qualitative dimensions for males and females over time. Finally, those factors classified as criminogenic were more likely to differentiate among the latent classes than those classified as non-criminogenic.
The Perceptions and Practices of Members of Ontario College Boards Regarding Board Self Evaluation
Keywords: Governance
Board Self Evaluation

The main purpose of this study was to examine the practices and perspectives of Ontario college board members with respect to board self evaluation. A mixed methodology approach, combining quantitative and qualitative methods was employed. Document collection, a survey and interviews were the principal methods used to gather data. This study added to the knowledge provided by the 2005 Deloitte Study of Ontario College Boards by updating the data regarding the current rates of Ontario college boards self evaluation practice and by offering more clarity on the rigour of those boards’ self evaluation practices. The findings of this study provide insights into why some boards do self evaluations while others do not. The findings demonstrate strong support for board self evaluation but also reveal that some boards are still not performing evaluations of their own performance and that more attention must be given to improving the effectiveness of current self evaluation practices. Twelve recommendations to improve board self evaluation practices, grounded in the responses of this study’s participants and the findings in the literature, are offered. This study provides new knowledge about board member beliefs with respect to self evaluation but also raises questions for further research such as exploring possible differences between board members of self evaluating boards versus those from non-self evaluating boards. Personal reflections were presented based on my own experience serving on boards and my readings of the literature. In summary, a case for board self evaluation is made.
Using Critical Pedagogy to Educate for Democracy in the Graduate Classroom
Keywords: higher education

This qualitative study examines professors‘ teaching practices and students‘ experiences in graduate classrooms that exhibit critical pedagogy in order to educate for democracy. The university has been criticized as markets values have commodified teaching and learning to serve private interests. This threat challenges students being educated for democracy with respect to concern for equity issues and thus opposes the public good. The study embraces radical democracy that acknowledges both issues of power and difference in order to understand social relations. Freire (1973) conceptualized critical pedagogy in order for students to explore knowledge critically similar to their roles as probing citizens. The study engages Shor‘s (1992) agenda of values, a model of critical pedagogy, along with equity discourses of anti-racist and feminist thinkers. The study addresses three questions: (1) What are the professors‘ teaching practices and the students‘ experiences in the critical classrooms? (2) What is the pedagogical climate of the critical classroom that contributes to educating for democracy? (3) What is the purpose of actualizing critical pedagogy in order to educate for democracy? The data is collected through classroom observations and interviews with 15 students and 3 professors in three, 12-week graduate courses at a Canadian Faculty of Education. The critical classrooms were described through: experiences of standardized teaching and learning, student-centered teaching as a means to empowerment, role of teacher authority, silences among students and creating a language of possibility or projecting a grand vision of democracy. The pedagogical climate that contributed to the critical classrooms was: implementing student voice, constructing a political discourse, striving for social change and using teacher authority. Constructing multiples publics and developing the teacher-student relationship defined the purpose of critical pedagogy. It has been concluded that a pivotal point for critical classrooms is examining the intersection of power and difference among teachers and students. As exploratory research, limitations of the study, implications for theory and practice as well as future research are addressed.
Learning Democracy through Community Management: The Case of Toronto Community Housing Corporation
Keywords: Participatory Democracy
Toronto Housing
Citizenship Learning

This cross-disciplinary study extends existing theoretical and normative arguments regarding participatory democracy and adult informal learning by identifying the ways in which participation in community-based governance structures provides learning opportunities and builds individuals’ civic capacity. It also determines the functional characteristics of such schemes by analyzing the case of the Toronto Community Housing Corporation’s Tenant Participation System (TPS), a state-sponsored program to integrate principles of participatory democracy into the norms of public service delivery. As has been noted in the literature, people are motivated to participate for a variety of reasons, the most common being that they see a real need or potential for change in their community. However, in contrast to past research, tenants also got engaged out of a desire to learn – to learn more about local political procedures. Three conditions were noted as both sufficient and necessary to make participation happen. One was the desire to influence authority over decisions affecting tenants’ housing conditions. Second was the idea that participation has important benefits for the participants. Third was a sense of qualification, that those tenants who participate feel that they are qualified, more than others, thus they choose to step forward to represent their communities. Informal learning through the TPS had several key effects. Increased self-confidence and overcoming fear of authority helped to radically transform the traditional tenant-management relationship into a collaborative endeavour in which tenants get the opportunity to be part of the change they would like to see. In addition, the skills learned through the participatory process resulted in increased managerial efficiency – a self-reinforcing process whereby the participatory project improves through time and through the very act of participation. Learning, however, occurred through cooperation, competition and struggle as well. This study reveals two major challenges. First, the lack of discussion amongst stakeholders regarding the purpose of participation has, in some instances, resulted in confusing practices that complicate the process and eventually hinder the growth of a participatory culture within the organization. Second, conceiving community participation through competitive elections tends to move the collaborative approach to community governance closer to the hierarchical paradigm of property management.