Master of Arts / Department of Modern Languages / Janice McGregor / The current study investigates phrase-initial parts of speech as found in intermediate German textbooks and compares these findings to utterance-initial parts of speech as found in spontaneous speech in German-language interactions. This is important, because learning and using German word order appears to be a struggle for German learners whose first language is English. Research has shown that possible word order realizations in a language are partly restricted by the parts of speech system of that language (Hengeveld, Rijkhoff, & Siewierska, 2004; Vulanovic & Köhler, 2009). This is important because English and German have different parts of speech systems (Hengeveld et. al., 2004; Hengeveld & van Lier, 2010). Doherty (2005) analyzed English to German translations of an international science magazine and found that almost every second sentence begins differently. Instead, this study looks at talk in contexts of use and compares these findings with textbook language because, in recent years, communicative approaches to language teaching have been adopted by a large number of US German language programs. One would thus expect that textbooks used in these classrooms would contain at least some input with constructions that are typical to contexts of use. The results of the study indicate that construction-initial parts of speech in textbooks and in contexts of use are quite different. These differences imply that if it is a communicative approach that is being promoted, textbook authors and German educators would do well to expose students to actual talk from contexts of use so that they might learn to make meaning based on considerations of context.

Doctor of Philosophy / Curriculum and Instruction Programs / Jennifer M. Bay-Williams / This study examined end-of-the-year seventh grade students’ rational number knowledge using comparison tasks and rational number subconstruct tasks. Comparison tasks included: comparing two decimals, comparing two fractions and comparing a fraction and a decimal. The subconstructs of rational number addressed in this research include: part-whole, measure, quotient, operator, and ratio. Between eighty-six and one-hundred-one students were assessed using a written instrument divided into three sections. Nine students were interviewed following the written instrument to probe for further understanding. Students were classified by error patterns using decimal comparison tasks. Students were initially to be classified into four groups according to the error pattern: whole number rule (WNR), zero rule (ZR), fraction rule (FR) or apparent expert (AE). However, two new patterns emerged: ignore zero rule (IZR) and money rule (MR). Students’ knowledge of the subconstructs of rational numbers was analyzed for the students as a whole, but also analyzed by classification to look for patterns within small groups of students and by individual students to create a thick, rich description of what students know about rational numbers. Students classified as WNR struggled across almost all of the tasks. ZR students performed in many ways similar to WNR but in other ways performed better. FR and MR students had more success across all tasks compared to WNR and ZR. On average apparent experts performed significantly better than those students classified by errors. However, further analysis revealed hidden misconceptions and deficiencies for a number of apparent experts. Results point to the need to make teachers more aware of the misconceptions and deficiencies because in many ways errors reflect the school experiences of students.

Cette recherche exploratoire vise à comprendre les pratiques évaluatives des enseignants du secondaire d’Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire). Puisque les évaluations doivent être au service de l’apprentissage, elle se penche sur l’équité des pratiques évaluatives des enseignants à partir de la conception qu’ils ont du concept d’équité. À partir d’un corpus de 58 pages de récits constitués de huit entretiens individuels, nous avons réalisé une analyse thématique qui nous a permis de dégager le portrait des pratiques à la lumière de l’équité. L’analyse des données a été réalisée selon les concepts de l’équité de confort pédagogique et de l’équité pédagogique de De Ketele et Sall (1997). Malgré la satisfaction que suggère une minorité d’enseignants, l’analyse des données de la majorité laisse entrevoir des insuffisances en ce qui a trait au caractère équitable de leurs pratiques évaluatives dans ces écoles secondaires publiques. Ce portrait insatisfaisant ainsi dégagé à la lumière de l’équité pédagogique et de la réduction des écarts entre les apprenants forts et faibles nous amène à faire des recommandations pour rendre plus équitables ces pratiques. Au nombre des recommandations figure d’abord la maîtrise du concept d’équité qu’il faudra nuancer avec l’égalité pour la faire répercuter effectivement dans ces pratiques. Ensuite, il faudra s’orienter vers la différenciation des pratiques évaluatives pour encadrer chacun des apprenants selon leurs besoins réels pour permettre une véritable justice sociale qui garantira l’équité. Cette différentiation passe par la variation et la pertinence des outils et des activités d’évaluation, mais aussi par l’installation des plans d’intervention pour les apprenants avec des difficultés d’apprentissage et autres ; ces plans leur permettront de bénéficier de mesures d’adaptation ou même de modifications pour les aider. / This exploratory research aims to understand assessment practices of language teachers in public secondary schools in Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire). Working on the basis that school assessment must support learning, the study examines the equity of these teachers’ assessment practices from their point of view of the concept of Equity. We worked with a corpus of 58 pages of narratives formed out of eight individual interviews. We did a thematic analysis that helped us construct a portray of assessment practices from the point of view of Equity. The analysis of teachers’ pratices through their narratives was done according to De Ketele and Salla’s (1997) indicators of Equity of Pedagogic Comfort and Pedagogic Equity. Despite the satisfaction suggested by a few teachers, most of them have suggested lacks regarding the equity of assessment practices in these public secondary schools of Abidjan. The resulting negative picture in terms of pedagogic equity and reduction in gaps between the strong and the weak learners, lead us to make recommendations that could make these practices more equitable. Among the recommendations, we first focus on the importance of mastering the concept of Equity which will have to be distinguished from Equality in order to effectively impact the assessment practices. Next, the differentiation in assessment practices will be needed to cater each learner needs according to what he really needs; doing so will help tend towards Equity through Social Justice. This differentiation requires the variation and relevance of assessment tools and activities. Furthermore, the implementation of Intervention Plans for learners with learning disabilities or other disabilities could help them benefit from adaptation or modification measures.

Mémoire de maîtrise présenté en vue de l’obtention de la maîtrise en psychoéducation, option recherche et stage (M. Sc.) / Dans le Québec actuel, peuplé de plusieurs cultures venant de partout dans le monde, de plus en plus d’élèves fréquentant les écoles secondaires sont issus de l’immigration. Cela a pour conséquence que les recherches s’intéressent non seulement à la réussite scolaire de ces élèves, mais aussi à leur intégration au sein du milieu scolaire, selon qu’ils soient de première génération, soit des enfants nés à l’étranger ayant des parents nés à l’étranger, ou de deuxième génération, soit des enfants nés au Canada ayant des parents ou un des parents nés à l’étranger. Parmi les éléments permettant ainsi d’attester de l’intégration des élèves issus de l’immigration au sein du milieu scolaire comparativement aux élèves de 3e génération et plus (c’est-à-dire des élèves nés au Canada, de parents nés au pays), mentionnons le sentiment d’appartenance que les jeunes développent à l’école. Ce sentiment peut être influencé par plusieurs facteurs, dont la présence de pairs de la même origine dans l’école et les relations d’amitié interculturelles que les jeunes créent en contexte scolaire. Le rôle que jouent ces facteurs sur le sentiment d’appartenance des jeunes à l’école demeure toutefois peu documenté. Dans le but de mieux comprendre la relation entre ces deux dimensions de l’expérience scolaire chez les élèves issus de l’immigration, les questions de recherche de ce mémoire ont été formulées en ces termes : Est-ce que la qualité des relations interculturelles, le nombre de relations d’amitié interculturelles entre élèves, de même que la proportion d’élèves de même origine au sein de l’école, sont associés au sentiment d’appartenance à l’école des jeunes du secondaire ? Est-ce que ces liens sont les mêmes pour les élèves issus ou non de l’immigration (1re, 2e, 3e génération et plus) ? À partir d’un échantillon composé de huit écoles secondaires situées dans différentes régions du Québec, avec un total de 1131 élèves âgés de 15 à 18 ans, une analyse de régression a permis de constater que la qualité de l’amitié interculturelle était significativement liée au sentiment d’appartenance à l’école, et ce pour tous les élèves qu’ils soient issus ou non de l’immigration. En outre, afin de tester l’effet modérateur selon le statut générationnel, les résultats sont tels qu’il existe un lien entre la proportion d’élèves de même origine dans l’école et le sentiment d’appartenance, pour les élèves de deuxième génération. Somme toute, ce mémoire souligne l’importance du contexte social, de l’environnement scolaire jouant un rôle déterminant sur le sentiment d’appartenance à l’école. / In today's Quebec, populated by many cultures from all over the world, more and more high school students present an immigrant background, whether as first-generation, i.e. foreign-born children with foreign-born parents or as second-generation students, i.e. Canadian-born children with one foreign-born parent. As a result, research needs to focus on these students’ academic success and their inclusion into the school environment, which could be achieved by promoting students’ sense of belonging in school. Several factors, including the presence of same-origin peers within the school and the development of intercultural friendships within this environment, can influence students’ sense of belonging. However, the role of these factors for immigrant background students remains poorly documented. To better understand these mechanisms, this master’s thesis addresses two main research questions: (1) Do the quality and the number of intercultural friendships students develop, as well as the proportion of students of the same origin within the school are associated with high school students' sense of school belonging? (2) Do these associations vary according to students’ immigrant background (1st, 2nd and 3rd generation and more)? Based on a sample of 1131 students aged between 15 and 18 attending six high schools in different regions of Quebec (Canada), results of regression analysis showed that the quality of intercultural relationships is significantly related to students’ sense of school belonging for all students, whether of immigrant or non-immigrant background. Furthermore, results also showed the moderating effect of students’ generational status. Indeed, the within-school proportion of students of the same origin was associated with a better sense of school belonging, but for second-generation students only. Overall, this thesis highlights the importance of students’ social interactions within the school environment – including interactions between students from the same region of origin – to better understand students’ sense of belonging.

Doctor of Philosophy / Curriculum and Instruction Programs / Rosemary S. Talab / The goal of this exploratory case study was to answer two questions: 1. How does an exemplary on-campus undergraduate large Introduction to Cultural Anthropology course encompass the PBL learning model characteristics, specifically focusing on the following: 1.1) Driving question, 1.2) Student construction of an artifact, 1.3) Teachers’ role, and 1.4) Assessment? 2. How is technology used by the professor, teacher assistants, and students to support project-based learning? To answer these questions, the researcher studied a large Introduction to Cultural Anthropology class, which consisted of the professor, ten teaching assistants (TAs), and 400 students. The students were divided into 20 recitation sections, with 20 students in each section. Each TA was assigned two recitation sections. Observations were conducted on twice-weekly Professor’s lectures and three once-weekly recitation sessions. Additionally, interviews and follow-up interviews were conducted of the professor, three teaching assistants (TA), and nine students. Finally, documents analyzed included the professor’s course materials and course management documents. With respect to Research Question 1, “How does an exemplary on-campus undergraduate large Introduction to Cultural Anthropology course encompass the PBL learning model characteristics, specifically focusing on the following: 1.1) Driving question, 1.2) Student construction of an artifact, 1.3) Teachers’ role, and 1.4) Assessment?”, research findings indicated that all four elements of the PBL model were present in this class and were executed well. Research Question 2, “How is technology used to support PBL,” findings indicated that advanced technologies were used by the professor for course purposes. These technologies included Wetpaint (the wiki course management system) and Facebook. More conventional technologies, such as e-mail, were also used for this purpose. Though students were hesitant to use course technology in the beginning. However, with the help of the professor and TA’s, the students learned to use the course technology and grew to enjoy it. Two additional themes emerged through open coding: Emotional Involvement and Non-Participation. First, the TA’s and students developed emotional ties to the cultures that they created in their recitation sections. Second, some students did not participate in either the lecture or the recitation sessions. The TAs took non-participation seriously, both in terms of class participation, individually, and in terms of student responsibilities to the group recitation session in culture construction.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Curriculum and Instruction / Paul Burden / Teachers’ ability to engage students is in influenced by teachers’ collective efficacy beliefs. Yet, empirical evidence on the relationship between the social persuasion variables of schools and teacher collective efficacy in student engagement is limited. This study was designed to answer the following research question: “To what extent do teachers’ perceptions of professional development opportunities (PPDO), school leadership (PSL), and school use of performance feedback (PPF) relate to teachers’ collective efficacy in student engagement (CESE)?” To explore the relationship between teacher collective efficacy in student engagement and the social persuasion variables of schools, extant data from 262 teachers in a large urban school district in the United States was supplied through the Measures of Effective Teaching (MET) project. Scaled scores of independent and dependent variables were used to examine the relationship between the independent variables (perception of professional development opportunities, school leadership, and the use of performance feedback), and the dependent variable (collective efficacy in student engagement). A multiple regression of social persuasion variables was conducted to examine the relationship between the variables and to determine which variable, if any, has the most influence on the dependent variable. The multiple regression analysis showed that a combination of the independent variables of PPDO and PSL could explain 37% of the variance in CESE. Analyses also showed that PPDO had the strongest relationship with CESE. The results reinforce information from the literature review regarding the research questions and hypotheses. The social persuasion variables of schools are correlated with collective efficacy in student engagement. Perceptions of the use performance feedback, professional development opportunities, and school leadership are all significantly correlated with collective efficacy in student engagement. Out of the three social persuasion variables analyzed, only perception of professional development opportunities and school leadership explain a significant amount of the variance in collective efficacy in student engagement.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Educational Leadership / Charles R. Oaklief / This ex post facto research was conducted using parametric and non-parametric analysis to determine if the mass retirement of community college presidents between 2001 and 2007 had precipitated a diminution in educational qualifications, a reduction in pre-presidential community college experience, or a change in presidential career paths of first time community college presidents by era (before and after 2001). Seven hundred eighty-five currently serving presidents of comprehensive community colleges were surveyed. The overall return rate of the survey was 53.25%: the useable return rate was 49.30%. Parametric (independent samples t-test) and non-parametric (Mann-Whitney and chi square) tests were used to determine if there were significant differences in educational qualifications, pre-presidential community college experience, and presidential career paths of first time community college presidents by era (before and after 2001). The study found: - A diminution of the educational qualifications after 2001 with fewer presidents holding doctorates at the time of their first presidential appointments compared to presidents appointed before 2001; - A significant increase in pre-presidential community college experience of presidents appointed after 2001 at the time of their first presidential appointments compared to presidents appointed before 2001; - A significant difference in presidential career paths by era. Specifically, presidents appointed after 2001 were significantly less likely to have entered the community college system from K12 or from non-educational management positions. Presidents appointed after 2001 were also significantly less likely to have served as a community college Chief Academic Officer and significantly more likely to have served as a community college Primary Academic Officer, Chief Students Affairs Officer, or Vice President.

Doctor of Education / Department of Educational Leadership / Robert J. Shoop / Lobbying and lobbyists have been a part of the national policymaking landscape since the inception of this country. In addition, lobbying and lobbyists play a similar role in the policymaking in every state in the Union. Recent and past media reports of dishonest politicians in Washington, D.C. who have accepted expensive gifts from powerful and unscrupulous lobbyists do little to cause the general public, including legislators in Kansas, to trust those individuals whose role includes being a source of information legislators can access when making decisions about issues. The purpose of this study was to discover the nature of the influence on Kansas K-12 education policy that each type of registered education lobbyist had from 1995 – 2006. The influence lobbyists have had on Kansas K-12 education policy was identified through interviews with each type of registered education lobbyist and with legislators who have served as the chief leadership of the Kansas House Education Committee, as well as through an analysis of documents related to bills the Committee considered from 1995 – 2006. A qualitative method of inquiry, in the form of a case study, was selected by the researcher as the methodology around which to structure the research. The focus of this case study was to learn how lobbyists influenced the decisions made by members of the Kansas House Education Committee from 1995 – 2006. The study identifies the significant education issues of the Committee as determined by an expert panel of educators, the strategies registered lobbyists indicated they used in their attempt to influence legislators’ decisions, and the information sources which were perceived to influence the positions lobbyists and legislators took on education policy. As a case study, the research is “based on one person’s encounter with a complex case” (Creswell, p. 187); and includes analysis of the data; a discussion of the implications of the understandings drawn from the analysis of data, and suggestions for future research.

Contexte et objectif. Afin de résorber le problème de la violence en milieu scolaire, de nombreux programmes et partenariats « police-école » ont vu le jour. Malgré la popularité de ces initiatives, les évaluations établissent toutefois que leurs effets sur la violence et la délinquance sont plutôt triviaux. Récemment, le programme de prévention « Unité sans violence » a été implanté dans plusieurs écoles de la région métropolitaine de Montréal et une évaluation préliminaire rapporte que son introduction fut suivie d’une baisse significative de la victimisation. À l’aide d’une approche mixte, l’objectif de ce mémoire est d’explorer la pertinence des concepts du rôle paradoxale et de l’intervention en contexte d’autorité afin de mieux comprendre les interactions entre les partenaires du programme et d’identifier de nouvelles pistes permettant de mieux comprendre les effets des programmes policiers en milieu scolaire. Méthodologie. La recherche repose sur des données qualitatives et quantitatives. D’une part, des entretiens semi-directifs ont été réalisés auprès des intervenants (policiers, enseignants et éducateurs spécialisés) afin de recueillir leur point de vue et expérience par rapport au programme. D’autre part, des questionnaires ont été administrés aux élèves de cinquième et sixième année de 20 écoles, ce qui a permis de documenter leur perception des policiers. Résultats. Les résultats aux entrevues suggèrent que les rôles d’aidant du policier et celui plus répressif s’inscrivent en continuité plutôt qu’en contradiction. Les rôles d’éducateur et de « grand frère » du policier seraient très bien reçus par les élèves. L’expérience des policiers, leur approche empathique et personnalisée ainsi que leur intérêt pour le travail communautaire apparaissent comme des éléments clés du bon déroulement du programme. Les résultats aux questionnaires montrent d’ailleurs que les élèves ont une perception très favorable des policiers. Conclusion. Les concepts de rôle et d’intervention en contexte d’autorité apparaissent comme des éléments clés qui devraient être intégrés à toute recherche évaluative visant à mieux comprendre l’effet des programmes policiers sur la délinquance. De plus, d’autres évaluations quantitatives du programme « Unité sans violence » sont nécessaires pour mieux comprendre l’influence de certaines de ses composantes, soit le renforcement positif, l’étalement du programme tout au long de l’année scolaire, le rôle des enseignants dans la transmission du message et l’exposition continue au programme entre la cinquième et sixième année. / Context and objectives. Several « police-school » partnerships and programs have been developed in order to combat school violence. Despite the popularity of these incentives,evidence from several studies show that their effects on violence are rather trivial.Recently, a prevention program, “Unit Without Violence”, was implemented in several schools of the greater Montreal region. Preliminary assessments suggest that its introduction led to a significant reduction in violent victimizations. Using a mixed approach, the objective of this dissertation is to explore the relevance of the concepts of the dual role of police officers and that of intervention in a context of authority to further our understanding about interactions between partners and identify new concepts for investigating the effects of police programs on school delinquency. Method. A mixed research design was developed to gather qualitative and quantitative data. On one hand, semi-structured interviews were conducted with stakeholders (police officers, teachers and other specialists) to gather data on their views and experiences with the program. On the other hand, a paper-pencil survey was administered to fifth and sixth grade pupils of 20 schools to measure their perceptions about the police. Results. The present results suggest that the repressive and the resource-person roles are rather in continuity than in conflict. The educative and big-brother roles of police officers appear to be well received by pupils. The experience of police officers, their empathetic and custom approach as well as their interest for community work are seen as key elements of the success of the program. Survey results also show that pupils have a very positive perception of the police. Conclusion. Concepts related to the role of police officers and interventions in a context of authority are seen as key elements that should be included in any evaluation seeking to investigate the effect of police programs on school delinquency. Furthermore, additional quantitative assessments of the “Unit Without Violence” program are needed to further our understanding of the mediating effects, on school violence, of certain of its features such as the length of the program (the program is given through the whole school year),the positive reinforcement aspect, the teacher’s role in transmitting the message of the program and the continued exposure to the program between fifth and sixth grades.

L’abandon de la carrière chez les enseignants, généralement appelé l’attrition des enseignants dans les écrits scientifiques, a été l’objet de nombreuses études. La connaissance en est assez avancée dans certaines régions du monde, mais très peu de recherches ont étudié cette problématique au Québec. Ainsi, l’objectif principal de ce travail de recherche était d’identifier les facteurs de l’attrition des enseignants au Québec. L’objectif spécifique de cette recherche était d’observer comment ces facteurs influencent la perception des individus et amènent certains d’entre eux à prendre la décision de quitter. Dans le cadre de cette étude qualitative, 26 individus (16 femmes et 10 hommes) ayant récemment quitté l’enseignement ont été rencontrés. Dix participants ont exercé la profession enseignante au niveau primaire et 16 au niveau secondaire. Afin de recueillir les données, le chercheur a procédé à des entrevues de groupe semi-dirigées d’une durée de deux heures. Les résultats de cette étude indiquent que les facteurs qui influencent l’attrition des enseignants au Québec sont nombreux et variés. Ils sont surtout relatifs aux conditions d’exercice de la profession et les plus souvent mentionnés sont les difficultés liées à la gestion de classe, la précarité du travail, les difficultés dans les relations avec les collègues, la charge de travail et le peu de soutien offert par la direction. Le contexte social et la faible valorisation de la profession enseignante ont aussi été mentionnés. Par ailleurs, le chercheur a analysé la perception qu’avaient les participants de leur expérience de travail à l’aide de la théorie de l’autodétermination (Deci et Ryan, 2000). Les résultats de cette analyse suggèrent que les participants ne se sentaient pas en mesure de satisfaire leurs besoins psychologiques fondamentaux dans le cadre du travail enseignant. / Teachers’ attrition has been the subject of a large number of research in recent years. Researchers have extended the knowledge of this problem in many countries, however very few of them have studied the particularities of teachers’ attrition in Québec. The aim of this research was to identify the factors that seem to influence teachers’ attrition in Québec. More specifically, the present study aimed to observe how these factors seem to affect teachers’ perceptions of their working experience and lead some of them to quit teaching. This qualitative study examines the teaching experience of 26 individuals (16 females and 10 males) who have recently quit teaching. Ten of them taught elementary school and 16 taught at the high school level. Subjects were invited to partake in a two hour long focus group. The results show that the factors of attrition in Québec are numerous and varied. Most of them are relative to teachers’ working conditions, mostly classroom management difficulties, job insecurity, problematic relationships with colleagues, work overload and lack of support from the school principal. Unsupportive social context and lack of acknowledgement were also mentioned. Subjects’ perceptions toward their teaching experience were also analyzed using self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 2000). Results suggest that the subjects’ basic psychological needs where not satisfied through their teaching experience.