VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
A Qualitative Analysis of Factors Contributing to Increased HIV Incidence for Gay and Bisexual Men: Implications for Prevention
Keywords: gay
bisexual
men
counselling
HIV
prevention

HIV incidence continues to rise in the population of gay and bisexual men (Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS, 2008), a high-risk group due to the complexity of promoting sexual behavior change on an enduring basis. In the present study, interview data from fifteen self-identified gay or bisexual men living in an urban Canadian city was analyzed in order to determine the most salient psychosocial factors in decision-making leading to safe sexual choices, and the psychological implications of these factors for the mental health and well-being of participants. Results suggest three core factors are most relevant to sexual decision-making for gay/bisexual men: self-efficacy, sexual communication and/or negotiation, and individual assessment of risk. A conceptual model of factors influencing sexual decision-making is presented. These results are discussed in terms of their implications for future HIV prevention interventions and the clinical practice of counselling psychology with gay and bisexual male clients.
Learning and Activism: Iranian Women in Diaspora
Keywords: critical consciousness
radical adult education

This qualitative study looks at the learning that takes place during activism. Throughout this work, learning is conceptualized as the ongoing formation of critical consciousness rather than the acuqisition of skills for the purpose of securing menial employment. Furthermore, critical consciousness is seen to develop through the nonlinear interplay of thoughts and actions. This investigation uses the life history method to explore the learning of five Iranian women throughout decades of struggle against repressive social structures. It focuses on questions of motivation for activism, formation of critical consciousness, and activism in diaspora. At the theoretical level, this study criticizes current learning theories while its educational implications place critical consciousness as the goal of radical adult education. On a practical level, this investigation records successful political study groups and suggests such groups as models for sites of radical adult education.
"A Spirit of Service:" Conceptualizing Service in Learning through the Preparation for Social Action (PSA) Program in Uganda
Keywords: Curriculum and Instruction

This research explores implications of service in learning for social change through an investigation of the Preparation for Social Action (PSA) Program in Uganda against the backdrop of the literature on service learning. Employing critical pedagogy as a theoretical framework, I approach questions regarding the conceptualization of self and society in service as a relational process, the conceptualization of service as praxis, and the conceptualization of social change within an orientation towards service. Through this analysis I present a case for conceptualizing service in learning within a dialogical framework oriented towards change.
Collaging Complexity: Youth, HIV/AIDS and the Site/Sight of Sexuality
Keywords: HIV/AIDS
Youth
Arts-Based Research Methodologies
Visual Culture
Curriculum
Sexuality Education

Using collage as a methodological and conceptual framework for re-conceptualizing knowledge in HIV/AIDS education, this thesis attends to young women’s understandings of HIV/AIDS and sexuality. Through engaging in the process of making collages, what stories do young women tell about HIV/AIDS? What discourses are produced when collage and narrative are used as methodological tools to address participants’ understandings of HIV/AIDS? By responding to their own collage texts, as well as the collage texts of others, how are issues of representation addressed? Using narrative and post-structural discourse analysis, this study explores how participants’ complex and contradictory understandings of HIV/AIDS diverge from the content and form of current school-based HIV/AIDS curriculum. Whereas the curriculum presupposes a rational and linear subject, participants’ reflexive understandings of HIV/AIDS shift throughout the study, varying as a result of roles performed, the context of the collage or image being discussed, and the dynamic interchange between participants.
Alter(n)ative Literacies: Elementary Teachers' Practices with Culturally and Linguistically Diverse students in one French-language School in Ontario
Keywords: multiple literacies
multiliteracies
french-language schooling
minority education
arts-informed research
bilingualism/multilingualism
second language education

This case study was conducted in one elementary French-language school in Ontario with 1 administrator, 4 teachers and their culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students. Through the integration of bhabha’s (1994) notion of Third space, multiple literacies theory (Cummins, 2001; Masny 2009) and by drawing on interviews, observations, and students’ work samples, I conceptualise an alter(n)ative literacies framework to address growing diversity in French-language schools. The term alter(n)ative is developed to express the intertwined benefit of expanding traditional notions of literacy to include alternative language practices and the potential alter-ative effect of re-envisioning the resources children bring to their literacy and language development at school. This thesis argues that teachers can critically (re)interprete official policies concerning Frenchlanguage schools in order to effectively foster students’ alter(n)ative literacies development. In doing so, teachers affirm the plurality of students’ multiple identities as a foundation for their participation within evolving cosmopolitan franco-ontarian communities.
A Holistic Approach to the Ontario Curriculum: Moving to a More Coherent Curriculum
Keywords: holistic education
holistic learning
holistic teacher
holistic curriculum
curriculum development
Ontario curriculum
transformative curriculum
holistic philosophy of education
developing mindfulness
meditation in schools
visualization as a learning tool
yoga in schools
journal writing
Gulu walk
An Inconvenient Truth
Uganda Rising
anti-bullying education
human wholeness
Whole Child School
personal development
professional development
personal practical knowledge in teachers
educational connoisseurship and criticism
empowering students
Math trail
pedagogical approaches
autobiography
parents as partners in education
EQAO testing
student-led conferences
self awareness
balance in education
limited vision of Ontario curriculum
tensions between Holistic education and the Ontario curriculum
critical literacy ideology
ommission on the Whole Child
spirituality in education
anecdotal reporting to parents
social consciousness
Roots of Empathy
Who is Nobody
spiritual growth
ecological awareness
wholeness of human experience
creativity and intuition in education

This study is an interpretive form of qualitative research that is founded in educational connoisseurship and criticism, which uses the author’s personal experiences as a holistic educator in a public school to connect theory and practice. Key research questions include: How do I, as a teacher, work with the Ontario curriculum to make it more holistic? What strategies have I developed in order to teach a more holistic curriculum? What kinds of difficulties interfere with my practice as I attempt to implement my holistic philosophy of education? This dissertation seeks to articulate a methodology for developing holistic curriculum that is in conformity with Ontario Ministry guidelines and is also responsive to the multifaceted needs of the whole student. The research findings will serve to inform teachers who wish to engage in holistic education in public schools and adopt a curriculum that is transformative while still being adaptable within mainstream education.
The Educative Practices of Public Alternative Educators Around Student Choice and Student Directed learning in the Ontario Context
Keywords: alternative education
student choice
student autonomy
student directed learning
competency
public education

This thesis explores educative ideas such as student choice, student autonomy and student directed learning in an educational environment dominated by a top-down, provincially legislated curriculum. Qualitative data was obtained from the professional stories of two experienced educators teaching in public alternative schools in Toronto, Ontario. Using the theoretical lenses of autonomy, relatedness and competency to filter the collected data reveals that offering students authentic choice in their school day has many benefits. Despite this, our globally entrenched educational paradigm dominates our educational world usurping many alternative models.
Analyzing English L1 and L2 Paraphrasing Strategies Through Concurrent Verbal Report and Stimulated Recall Protocols
Keywords: second language writing
paraphrasing
academic writing
composition
verbal report
plagiarism
ESL
postsecondary

Paraphrasing is taught to postsecondary students to help them avoid plagiarism in their academic essays, but it can be challenging for native speakers (L1) as well as nonnative speakers (L2) of English. To examine these challenges I analyzed 35 paraphrases written by 4 English-Canadian students and 5 Japanese international students at an English-medium community college in Ontario. I evaluated paraphrase quality through a modified replication of Keck’s (2006) analytic method, and I analyzed paraphrase appropriateness through a set of criteria I developed and verified with a second rater. I then analyzed 6 concurrent and post-task reports of 3 L1 and 3 L2 students, who used a variety of paraphrasing strategies. All participants wrote relatively inappropriate paraphrases which did not always correspond with perceived appropriateness. L1 students tended to copy directly from the original text excerpts more often than the L2 students did. Implications for teaching and further research are discussed.
Second Chances: A Study of Rural Malawian Youth in a Complementary Basic Education Programme
Keywords: Education
Non-formal Education
Malawi
Alternative Education
Basic Education
Comparative Education
Complementary Education
Out of school youth
International Development of Education
Africa
Access to Education

In Malawi, an estimated 202 000 children are out of school and of those in school, less than 50 percent reach grade five. Increasingly, alternatives to the formal school system are gaining traction as a means to reach these excluded children. Recognizing the necessity, the Malawian government recently stipulated a non-formal provision in its education plan. As demand increases, it is important to consider what makes these programmes appealing and sustainable. Using qualitative interview methods, this study explores the lives of ten rural Malawian youth who are participating in an alternative initiative and investigates factors that have influenced the students to initially join and remain in the programme. The study sheds light on experience with alternative education initiatives as seen from the student perspective and provides insight into influences, motivation and successful non-formal programming by linking the theoretical framework to the findings.
An Exploratory Case Study of the Participation and Interaction Among Elementary School English Language Learners and Native Speakers in Online Discussions
Keywords: English language learners
native speakers
synchronous computer mediated communication

Research studies demonstrate that L2 learners participate more equally when using synchronous computer mediated communication (CMC). However, most of these studies have involved adult students only, in college or university settings. Few have explored the use of synchronous CMC with elementary school learners. Thus, this case study explored the participation of Grade 8 native speakers and English language learners as they interacted in the online environment. It examined the number of turns taken by each participant, the discourse functions used, as well as participants’ perceptions of communicating online. This was accomplished through collection of chat transcripts, questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. It was found that native speakers tended to take more turns in online discussions. Also, responses and questions were the discourse functions that were used most by participants in this research. Finally, the students viewed this mode of communication favourably, and believed that it aided their communication with one another.
Pathways to Collaboration: A case Study of Local and Foreign Teacher Relationships in a South-eastern Chinese university
Keywords: foreign and local teacher collaboration
native and non-native English speaking teachers
communities of practice
local and foreign teacher relationships
Chinese concept of face
Chinese university

This qualitative case study explored the nature of the relationships between Local (English) Teachers (LTs) and Foreign (English) Teachers (FTs) who worked at the same English institute of a foreign studies university in south-eastern China. Employing the community of practice framework, this research drew insights from a questionnaire, interviews, and observations. The findings revealed that the teachers seldom interacted and, furthermore, were influenced by broader social structures that were not considered in the framework. Accordingly, the theory was extended to include other perspectives, such as native and non-native English speaking teacher issues and the Chinese concept of face, in order to determine the underlying reasons that inhibited their interaction. Notwithstanding these challenges, three cases of FT-LT collaboration were discovered, and the factors that enhanced their collaboration were analysed. The LT and FT participants provided suggestions to each other and the administrators on how collaboration could be improved in their institute.
Constructing Mathematical Knowledge Using Multiple Representations: A Case Study of a Grade One Teacher
Keywords: Mathematics education
Elementary education
Professional development
Construction of knowledge
Teaching strategies

This study examined how an elementary teacher fostered student mathematical understanding and the strategies that she used to help students learn mathematical concepts. A case study of a Grade 1 teacher is described based on qualitative data from interviews and classroom observation sessions using a peer coaching model. The evidence from the study suggests that this teacher benefited from professional development opportunities to gain deeper insights regarding her teaching practices. There were five major findings: (1) enthusiasm for improving her practices was necessary to successfully meet her goals; (2) this teacher’s role in the classroom was important to facilitate the construction of knowledge; (3) the classroom was an environment where her students felt safe; (4) a variety of tasks and strategies that students of varied abilities, interests and aptitudes can enjoy were used; and (5) multiple representations (including the use of manipulatives) were used to scaffold the construction of knowledge.
Extension: Towards a Genealogical Accountability: (The Critical [E]Race[ing] of Mad Jewish Identity
Keywords: Jewish Identity
Privilege

Can we be accountable to privilege? Can we find a space for coherent anti-racist secular Ashkenazi Jewish identity in North America, where Jews have been deeply implicated in structural violence? Can we be agents of both complicity and change? This auto-ethnography describes a haunting; focusing on the ghostly presences of my deceased uncle Larry Treiman and Bruno Bettelheim, child psychologist and director of the residential treatment facility where Larry was institutionalized as a child, it creates a deeply personal explanation for how the whitening of Ashkenazi North American Jewish identity, the shifts in discourses of madness and major sociological and economic change in Chicago and New York over the second half of the 20th century constituted my subjectivity and my privilege. This text proposes accountability through genealogy, teasing out the possibility for ethical thought and action through cultivating a deeply personal relationship to the ghosts that make us.
The Ideological Construction of a Second Reality: A Critical Analysis of a Romanian EFL Textbook
Keywords: textbook analysis
Romanian textbook
communist ideology and curriculum
second reality
textbook content analysis
intertextuality

Drawing on the assumptions that old ideologies persist over a long period of time, impact on intercultural communication, and can be identified in texts, this study is a critical analysis of the content of an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) textbook, which was published between 1983 and 1988 in communist Romania. Specifically, the research questions of the present study are: 1) How do the EFL textbook‘s readings represent the relationship between Romanian and non-Romanian people?, and 2) What are the sociopolitical implications of these representations? Based on critical discourse analysis (CDA), as well as content analysis and literary theory, the method of analysis of this study builds on central concepts such as ideology and intertextuality, and delivers a multilayered framework of analysis that comprises the historical and ideological context of the texts, as well as the context of other texts. The findings show that the communist ideology was legitimated and transmitted in language textbooks, and, compared to the Romanians, non-Romanians were unequally represented.
A Peaceful Partnership? A Qualitative Case Study of Three IB English A1 Teachers' Conceptions of Peace Education at an IB World School in Peru
Keywords: Peace Education
International Baccalaureate

The International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, renowned for its academic rigor, is also committed to forwarding the larger organization’s mission of creating “a better and more peaceful world” through education. This qualitative case study explores the conceptions of peace education held by three IB Diploma English A1 teachers, the factors that shaped those conceptions, and possible obstacles to teaching for peace in an international school. A framework of peace education as distilled from an extensive literature review and Johan Galtung’s definitions of peace provide the study’s theoretical foundation. Using observations, document analysis, and semi-structured interviews, this study examines teachers’ concepts of peace, pedagogical practices, and approaches to peace education within the context of an A1 classroom and an IB World School. The findings conclude that teachers’ conceptions of peace education are shaped by personal factors such as prior experiences and pedagogical content knowledge, and not by official IB documents.
Teaching Teachers to Teach Peace: A Reflective Pre-service Case Study
Keywords: peace education
pre-service teacher education

This thesis explores the relationships between pre-service teacher training, peace education, anti-racism education, gender equity education and conflict resolution. Specifically, this study investigates the mandatory School and Society course within the Initial Teacher Education Program at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto, to explore peace education training within the pre-service teacher education program. The methodology employed involves the combination of a curriculum analysis and reflective case study; both are utilized to illustrate the author’s experiences as a pre-service student, and the training received during this program. The findings illustrate that components of a peace education curriculum are observable in the Initial Teacher Education program. There is however, no formal requirement for delivering peace education within the program. As a result, this thesis offers recommendations for the development of formal peace education training in OISE/UT’s pre-service program.
"The Picturesque Playground of Canada": Landscaping the Geographical and Social Identity of Muskoka, 1850-1914
Keywords: Canadian History
Muskoka

This thesis explores the complexities of Muskoka’s past between 1850 and 1914. Through the lenses of class-consciousness and popular notions of ethnicity and race, Muskoka’s geographical and social landscape were redefined during this period by the government, the area’s industries, visitors, and local inhabitants. It was not until the early twentieth century that the nature-tourism industry was able to standardize a regional identity for the district; this identity has remained prevalent through to the twenty-first century. As the title of Edward Roper’s 1883 booklet "Muskoka; the Picturesque Playground of Canada" suggests, the area became closely associated with leisure and recreation. However, this Muskoka identity misrepresented the district’s terrain and populace, and our contemporary understanding of the region has consequently been compromised. In order to better recognize Muskoka’s diverse social and geographical landscape, this thesis explores several historical viewpoints and questions the manner in which the district was promoted.
An Analysis of the Factors that Enhance Participation in European University Networks - A Case Study of the University of Tartu, Estonia
Keywords: university networks
multilateral partnerships
internationalization
higher education
regionalization
Europe

The thesis provides an analysis, from the institutional perspective, of the factors that are contributing towards mutually beneficial participation in European University Networks. Previous research about institutional networks has concentrated on the networks' perspective on beneficial operational factors. Joining institutional university networks has been stated to be a recent strategic trend in Europe. Therefore it is important to provide detailed data from the institutional point of view to enable other institutions to make informed decisions about joining such networks. The University of Tartu provides an interesting case study on its experience of participation in the Coimbra Group and the Utrecht Network. Strategic management theory was used as a theoretical framework for this analysis. Relevant documents were reviewed. Twenty three e-mail interviews were conducted among the University of Tartu administrators, faculty members and representatives of both networks. Ten cross-cutting themes were identified as having impact on network participation.
Inner City Students: Stamped, Labled and Shipped Out! Deficit Thinking and Democracy in An Age of Neoliberalism
Keywords: deficit thinking
philosophy of education

My thesis topic on deficit thinking, democracy and an ethic of care emerges as a result of the clashes that take place under political and socio-economic agendas which are deeply connected with the conflicting interpersonal challenges that inner city students face. My thesis focuses on two major aspects regarding deficit thinking: 1. What are the different frameworks that create and support deficit thinking and deficit practices, and are there any philosophical inconsistencies or overlap amongst them? Moreover, what is the conceptualization(s) of deficit thinking that arise from these different frameworks? 2. Why is deficit thinking toward inner city students philosophically problematic and inconsistent with creating true democratic education possibilities? After presenting and highlighting my concerns about deficit thinking practices, I briefly provide an alternative vision for education. This truly democratic vision of education is comprised of four main components: critical thinking, participatory democracy, moral responsibility, and an ethic of care.