Do school councils empower students?
Subtitle: two Japanese case studies.
Published: 2004
Language: eng
Number of pages: 367
Subjects: Citizens' advisory committees in education -- Japan -- Case studies.; Student participation in administration -- Japan -- Case studies.
Genres: Case studies.
Description: The findings for each case study is described and analyzed separately, in both narrative and tabular form. The case studies were also cross analyzed to determine significant similarities and differences in the student empowerment function of school councils, and what were the factors of school councils that brought about student empowerment. Many of the findings are tied to the context of each school. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)The primary purpose of this study is to uncover whether school councils empower students, and if so, how they empower, by comparing two high schools in Japan. The establishment of school councils is a common agenda in the ongoing education reform in many parts of the world. However, many of the previous studies have not revealed what influence school councils have on student growth. Many reforms attempt to improve student academic performance through school councils, yet no evidence of a relationship between the two has been discovered. This study focuses on the empowerment function of school councils on students. Empowerment in this study is broadly categorized into two aspects: personal and organizational. Although students' involvement in school councils and their empowerment are the main focus, how other stakeholders such as teachers and parents are related to student empowerment through school councils is also examined. The role of principals in school councils is also investigated in terms of empowerment of stakeholders.The collection of data for this study was carried out over a period from October 2001 to February 2002. Collecting documented data was accomplished by visiting the schools, as well as the school websites.This study is based upon qualitative case study methods, which include observations of school council meetings, interviews, and documented data related to the schools. A school council meeting was observed at each school. Nineteen individuals were interviewed at each school. The list of the interviewees at each school included three school council student representatives, nine non-representative students, three teacher representatives, three parent representatives, and the school principal. Thirty-eight individuals in total were interviewed. One of the school councils in this study was instituted voluntarily, while the other was mandated.
Notes: Adviser: Susan Padro.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Toronto, 2004.

Electronic version licensed for access by U. of T. users.

Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 65-05, Section: A, page: 1608.