VictorJuiz/thesis huggingface dataset:
Frequency and Predictors of Sibling Psychological and Somatic Difficulties Following Pediatric Cancer Diagnosis

Siblings of children with cancer encounter stressors and challenges that can lead to severe distress and a host of psychological difficulties. Factors including age, gender, and disease characteristics of the child with cancer are reported to influence sibling adjustment. The majority of research, however, is dated, inconsistent, and marred by methodological problems. Guided by the disability-stress-coping model, the study examined the: (a) frequency of sibling and parent reported symptoms of anxiety and depression, internalizing and externalizing behavior problems, and somatic problems, (b) influence of sibling, family, and disease factors on sibling adjustment, (c) moderating effects of age on the relationship between sibling factors and sibling adjustment, and (d) mediating effect of primary cognitive appraisal on the relationship between self-esteem and sibling adjustment. One hundred and eight siblings (7-17 years; 51 males; 57 females) participated. Siblings completed the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children and the Children’s Depression Inventory to provide measures of sibling reported symptoms of anxiety and depression. Parents completed the Child Behavior Checklist to provide measures of parent reported internalizing behavior problems, externalizing behavior problems, and somatic problems. The communication and intrapersonal thoughts and feelings subscales of the Sibling Perception Questionnaire, completed by siblings, were used to assess perceived social support and primary cognitive appraisal. Self-esteem was assessed with the global self-worth subscale of the Self Perception Profile for Children/Adolescents, completed by siblings. Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to assess the direct and indirect effects of sibling, family, and disease factors on psychological outcomes. Siblings and parents reported higher incidents of clinically significant symptoms of anxiety, internalizing behavior problems, and somatic problems than expected in a normative population. Sibling age and gender, diagnosis of the child with cancer, social support, self-esteem, and primary cognitive appraisal were significantly associated with sibling and parent reported psychological adjustment measures. Age moderated the relationship between gender, social support, and primary cognitive appraisal and several adjustment outcomes. Lastly, primary cognitive appraisal partially mediated the relationship between self-esteem and sibling reported anxiety and depression symptoms. These findings highlight the need for sibling psychosocial interventions and provide direction for the development and implementation of such groups.

Keywords: pediatric
cancer
psychological
adjustment
sibling
Advisor: Barrera, Maru
The Development of Pedagogical Content Knowledge in Science Teachers: New Opportunities Through Technology-mediated Reflection and Peer-exchange

This design-based research study investigates the development of pedagogical content knowledge among nine teacher-participants (N = 9) in three design phases. PCK is a particular type of teacher knowledge that addresses not only the teacher’s understanding of the content to be instructed, but also ways of how to teach that content effectively. This knowledge has been well documented over several decades, and is seen as central to teacher expertise. However, its actual development has been difficult for researchers to investigate. This study offers a detailed perspective on how teachers developed PCK with their engagement in lesson planning and enactment of a project-based technology-enhanced lesson. The study includes two specific interventions designed to enhance teachers’ development of PCK: (1) scaffolded reflection that occurs throughout the practices; and (2) peer-exchange of lesson plans, enactment ideas, and completed reflections. The findings demonstrate that teachers improve their planning and enactment of project-based technology-enhanced lessons with scaffolded reflection and peer exchange. Positive correlations were seen between teachers’ engagement in the reflections and the quality of their lesson planning. Teachers who participated more deeply in the scaffolded reflections were able to understand how their lesson plans and enactment patterns fostered student understanding of relevant science concepts. Positive correlations were also seen between community influence and teacher lesson plans and enactment. Additionally, positive correlations were confirmed between teachers’ level of participation in the peer exchange activities and the quality of their lesson planning and enactments. Teachers who contributed more deeply within the online and face-to-face peer community meetings benefited from the different perspectives of their peers about student learning and the best ways to succeed with project-based instruction. This study allowed some insight into how PCK develops as a result of teachers’ engagement in the complex set of activities that constitute the practices of lesson planning and enactment. The primary implication of this study is that engaging teachers in scaffolded reflections and peer exchange can be a valuable in-service professional development activity. A methodological strength is derived from an approach to coding teachers’ lesson planning and enactment according to an activity systems perspective, drawing on a spectrum of data sources (e.g., wiki-based reflections, planning artefacts, videotaped classroom enactments). Teacher learning—particularly the development of PCK—is recognized as critical in promoting student understanding of science concepts. This dissertation lays out a possible foundation for professional development models that promote effective teacher learning.

Keywords: Science Education
Educational Technology
Cognitive Psychology
Professional Development
Advisor: Slotta, James D.
New Home, New Learning: Chinese Immigrants, Unpaid Household Work, and Lifelong Learning

Literature on lifelong learning indicates that major life transitions lead to significant learning. However, compared to learning in paid jobs, learning in and through household work has received little attention, given the unpaid nature and the private sphere where the learning occurs. The current study examined the changes and the learning involved in three aspects of household work: food work, childcare/parenting, and emotion work among recent Chinese immigrants in Canada. This study draws on data from a Canadian Survey on Work and Lifelong Learning (WALL), 20 individual interviews, a focus group, and a discussion group with new Chinese professional immigrants in the Greater Toronto Area. The results indicate that food work and childcare increased dramatically after immigration due to a sudden decline of economic resources and the lack of social support network for childcare. Emotion work intensified due to the challenges in paid jobs and the absence of extended families in the new homeland. To adapt to the changes in their social and economic situations, and to integrate into the Canadian society, Chinese immigrants learned new beliefs and practices about food and childrearing, developed new knowledge and skills in cooking and grocery shopping, in childcare and disciplining, in solving conflicts with children and spouses, and in transnational kin maintenance. In addition, the Chinese immigrants also developed new views about family, paid and unpaid work, meaning of life, and new gender and ethnic identities. However, these dramatic changes did not shatter the gendered division of household work. Both the qualitative and the quantitative data suggest that women not only do more but also different types of household tasks. As a result, it is not surprising that both the content and the ways of learning associated with household work varied by gender, class, and ethnicity. By exploring learning involved in the four dimensions of household work: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual, this dissertation demonstrates that learning is both lifelong and lifewide. By making household work visible, this research helps make visible the value of the unpaid work and the learning involved in it.

Keywords: Chinese immigrants in Canada
Chinese Canadian
Canadian Chinese
Chinese immigrant women in Canada
lifelong learning
informal learning
housework
household work
unpaid work
food work
childcare
parenting
emotion work
kin-keeping
eldercare
adult learning
Advisor: Eichler, Margrit
International Collaboration in Higher Education: The Canadian-Ukrainian Curriculum Development Partnership

Internationalization of higher education has become a priority for many universities. It provides them with educational models that can respond efficiently to current issues and challenges of globalization. International academic collaboration plays an important role in the creation of such models and prepares educational systems to act effectively in foreign environments. This study explores the Canadian-Ukrainian curriculum development partnership through the specifics of institutional culture, power and joint project management. Canadian and Ukrainian educators participated in semi-structured, open–ended interviews to reveal processes associated with their joint venture. The findings indicate that the project was largely influenced by Canadian and Ukrainian university conceptualization of internationalization and involved multiple cultural and professional perceptions of the partnership context and developments. Diversity of expectations, commitment, acceptance of differences practiced in this collaboration revealed the importance of academic dialogue among developed and developing countries and suggested possible standards for future international curriculum development joint ventures.

Keywords: internationalization of higher education
Advisor: Ryan, James
Narrowing the Gap in Early Literacy for French Immersion Students: The Effects of a Family Literacy Intervention on Grade 1 Children’s English and French Literacy Development

The study evaluated the effects of a Family Literacy program on Grade 1 French Immersion (FI) children’s language and literacy development. Family Literacy programs aim to encourage parents’ involvement in their children’s early literacy development and are associated with children’s increased performance on measures of early literacy. FI students typically lag behind their English program (EP) peers in English reading. It was hypothesized that a Family Literacy program for FI children would assist them in developing their English and French language and literacy skills. The study involved 71 Grade 1 children. The sample included both FI and EP children and their parents. The FI sample included a group of families who participated in the Family Literacy program and a control group of families who did not receive the intervention. The EP sample acted as a second control group. All children were administered a battery of language and literacy measures in English and in French (FI only) at three time points throughout Grade 1. Results showed that FI children who participated in the program made significantly larger gains in English writing than the FI control group. In addition, findings suggest that gains made by FI children following their participation in the program did not differ from those made by their EP peers who did not attend the program. Qualitative findings provide evidence that FI families who participated in the Family Literacy program increased their engagement in home literacy activities throughout the program, indicating that they adopted the strategies and techniques that were promoted by the program.

Keywords: French Immersion
Family Literacy
Advisor: Pelletier, Janette
The Toronto Scheme: The Undergraduate Curriculum in the Faculty of Arts & Science at the University of Toronto, 1945-2000

Over the course of the second half of the twentieth century, undergraduate degree requirements in the Faculty of Arts (later the Faculty of Arts & Science) at the University of Toronto were comprehensively reviewed and revised seven times. The records of these reviews demonstrate that the curricular changes of the second half of the twentieth century were substantial, reflecting attempts by curricular planners to shape the undergraduate program of study to accommodate broader social, economic, demographic, and epistemological changes. These changes therefore reflect the connections between the University and its local, provincial, and international communities. These substantial changes, however, are balanced by consistent and recurrent patterns in curriculum across this period as curricular planners sought ways to implement sustained curricular goals into a changed institutional environment and a changed curricular framework. Collectively, these reviews demonstrate that the U of T maintained a distinct approach to undergraduate education from the beginning of this period through the end. This approach, referred to here as the “Toronto Scheme,” is characterized by the belief that specialized study can lead to liberal education, and that students should have access to multiple pathways through the degree. This analysis of degree requirements over time has important implications for understanding higher education at the University of Toronto, in Canada, and internationally. Most importantly, this research helps to explain both the strong similarities and significant differences between American curricular structures and those in place at the U of T. Additionally, this study of curriculum provides valuable insight into the role of the U of T’s colleges in undergraduate instruction, further illuminating the effect of this relatively unique institutional structure on the history of the U of T. On a broader scale, the relationship indicated by this history of the curriculum between the U of T and other institutions in Ontario and Canada deepens our understanding of the nature of a Canadian system of or approach to higher education (or lack thereof). As such, the Toronto Scheme informs – and sometimes challenges – many of the assumptions currently made about Ontario, Canadian, and North American higher education.

Keywords: Undergraduate degree requirements
Undergraduate curriculum
University of Toronto
Higher Education in Canada
Advisor: Jones, Glen A.
An Exploration of the Influence of Drama as Praxis on the Recreational Experience of Residents in a Long-term Care Setting

This study uses a grounded theory approach (Charmaz, 2006) in a small case study to examine if drama as praxis influences long-term care residents when presented as a recreational activity. When used as “praxis” (Taylor, 2000), drama focuses solely on the learning and personal growth of the participants. The growth of long-term care underscores the value of recreational programming for quality of life in these institutions; drama as praxis has not been widely used in this context. Elements of the literature review were used to identify areas where dramatic activities have demonstrated influence in educational contexts: • Engagement / Participation • Self-Confidence / Sense of Efficacy • Social Skills / Empathy • Creativity / Imagination • Cognitive Skill Development / Understanding These became sensitizing concepts for the creation of “drama as praxis” activities, presented in six sessions to a small group of residents at a long-term care residence in the Toronto area. Data collection was based on the researcher’s observations and participant interviews. Drama was found to have a recreational benefit impacting quality of life, with Engagement, Social Skills,, and Self-Confidence, the predominant benefits observed. Creativity and Cognitive Skill Development were less frequent. A Theory of the Recreational Benefit of Drama as Praxis was then developed to help the researcher understand why these benefits might be caused by drama. Based on theoretical sampling from recent research in gerontology and brain science, the theory highlights four beneficial components of drama as praxis: 1. Kinesthetics – Fosters engagement and memory retrieval 2. Play and Endorphinal Release – Triggers cognitive work without fear or fatigue 3. Imagination and Perspective-taking – Helps individuals retrieve emotional memories, develop different perspectives, and joyfully create 4. Narrative - Helps participants access and process events in their lives, past and present The study ends with a discussion of possible implications for the use of drama in long-term care but emphasizes that, due to the size of the sample, the results of the research cannot necessarily be assumed to apply in other contexts. Suggestions for further research are made that might address this and help to clarify the findings of the study.

Keywords: Drama
Long Term Care
Recreation
Gerontology
Advisor: Cameron, Linda
Connecting Creativity, Technology, and Communities of Practice: Exploring the Efficacy of Technological Tools in Support of Creative Innovation

Creativity is increasingly becoming both an important issue in our rapidly changing society, and a popular subject of research. Research findings are beginning to conceptualize creativity as a much more complex process and studies are now focusing on the effects of social interaction and collaborative efforts on creativity as well as the potential impact of technology on collaboration and the creative process itself. This study looks at the influence of both collaboration and technology on the creative process to develop a clearer picture of the way in which they intersect. Due to the complexity of this study, two theoretical frameworks (Communities of Practice and Genex Framework) have been employed to inform the development of the study and to assist in contextualizing the results. To this end, this mixed-methods study collected data both from fashion design students enrolled in the third year of a Bachelor of Fashion Design program, and from their faculty. Data gathering methods included personal semi-structured interviews with both students (n = 13) and faculty (n = 9) and an online questionnaire with a larger group of students (n = 65). The research questions that framed this study focus on developing an initial understanding of the creative process as experienced by these students and then exploring in depth the ways that collaboration and working in community affect the creative process, as well as the impact of technology in supporting both creativity and collaboration. Results suggest that technology was indeed a valuable support in the creative process through its ability to facilitate particular kinds of collaborative practices, including brainstorming, developing and sharing ideas, and giving and receiving feedback. Such practices directly affected the creative process by enhancing the development of more professional sketches as well as facilitating the collaborative efforts of the members of the design community. Finally, the implications of these results for curriculum design and the appropriate choice of pedagogical approaches are discussed. The results presented will help to support curriculum designers and instructors who seek to encourage creative endeavour to focus on effective technological tools as well as strategies that promote collaboration and a sense of community in order to achieve these ends.

Keywords: creativity
technology
computer technology
collaboration
communities of practice
communities of interest
curriculum design
creativity and technology
creativity and teaching
creativity and curriculum design
social creativity
Advisor: Brett, Clare
Living on the Edge: The Predicament of a Rural Indigenous Santal Community in Bangladesh

This thesis explores the ways in which the legacy of colonialism continues to shape the material and non-material conditions of rural indigenous communities in Bangladesh. This research examines the complex confluence of power, politics, economics, and identities in rural Bangladesh; it explores the web of local, national, and global mechanisms that (re)create and maintain oppressive systems and structures. Adopting an anti-colonial discursive framework and a case study approach, this research incorporates data from semi-structured and informal, in-depth individual interviews, focus-group interviews, an observational journal, and a review of relevant literature to study a remote Santal village in the Rajshahi division of Bangladesh. This study focuses on the voices of the local people, their experiences and narratives, and analyzes the data within the wider contexts of history, politics, and culture. The anti-colonial discursive framework that guides this study acknowledges the material and intellectual agency of local people and the value of their knowledge and lived experiences; it contributes to understanding local history and culture and the saliency of local resistance to oppressive practices. The research findings reveal that colonial structures of oppression are perpetuated by the devaluation of indigenous peoples’ mother tongue, education, culture, and religion and by distancing them from the land that has belonged to them for centuries. The findings present a shift from the ritual-based, cultural matrix of the rural indigenous community and its tradition-oriented socio-political and education systems. Exclusionary policies and practices of the nation state and Christian aggression have fragmented the Santal community, devalued their collectivist mode of living, and alienated them from their traditional ways of life. The process of land alienation has perpetuated the colonial legacy of terra nullius and displaced the indigenous Santal community’s sense of belonging and its inherent connection to Mother Earth, the bongas , and the spirits of their ancestors. This dissertation suggests that there is urgent need for activism to resist colonial structures of oppression that continue to this day. This study contributes to literature on anti-colonial struggles across the globe and offers a framework for understanding other colonial and indigenous contexts.

Keywords: Sociology of Education
Equity Studies
Advisor: Olson, Paul