Doctor of Education / Department of Educational Leadership / Gerald D. Bailey / The role and function of museums in education has been debated along several lines of inquiry. For the majority of museum institutions, the most vital, consistent audience they have comes from the public and private schools in their communities. This is critical for museums trying to maintain relevancy in the national education climate that has increased emphasis on curriculum and testing standards. Founded in 1990, the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum (NLBM) in Kansas City, Missouri has preserved and taught African American baseball history from the late 1800s through the 1960s. Although the museum had received positive commentary from visitors, and well received attention from the international press, it had not undergone any major changes to its design since it opened its permanent facility in 1997. Of chief concern to the museum was its ability to attract school age learners with their teachers to the institution. The museum had a number of layers by which it presented historical information and each layer needed some level of evaluation. There were a number of informative examples of museum evaluation and assessment available for review, but no tool or model existed specifically designed to assist museums in evaluating exhibition content for educational value. This study reports on methods by which the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum (NLBM) could improve and enhance exhibitions. It explored the current trends and scholarship involving museums and education, museum exhibition evaluation, and Negro Leagues historical scholarship. A multi-step research processed evolved for use in the study, featuring detailed literature reviews and interviews from educators, historians, museum professionals, and a grant awarding foundation expert. This study targets museum professionals responsible for interpretation and creation of exhibitions, including curatorial staff and museum educators. The study also informs other museum leaders regarding the process by which high quality educational material is created for the museum environment. A set of important themes and evaluation questions were formed as a result of the interviews and literature review. The study offered critical thinking questions for the evaluation process and suggests recommendations for implementation. The study also implies action plan strategies for implementation of an evaluation process.

Thèse numérisée par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal. / Dans un contexte constructiviste, les connaissances antérieures d'un individu sont essentielles à la construction de nouvelles connaissances. Quelle qu'en soit la source (certaines de ces connaissances ont été élaborées en classe, d'autres ont été élaborées par interaction personnelle de l'individu avec son environnement physique et social), ces connaissances, une fois acquises, constituent les matières premières de l'élaboration des nouvelles conceptions de cet individu. Généralement, cette influence est considérée comme positive. Cependant, dans un milieu scolaire où l'apprentissage de certaines conceptions enchâssées dans un programme d'études et entérinées par l'ensemble d'une communauté est obligatoire, certaines connaissances antérieures peuvent entraver la construction des conceptions exigées par la communauté. La littérature abonde de tels exemples. Cependant, certaines connaissances antérieures, en soi tout à fait conformes à l'Héritage, peuvent aussi, parce qu'utilisées de façon non pertinente, entraver la construction d'une conception exigée par la communauté. Ici, la littérature nous donne peu d'exemples de ce type, mais nous en fournirons quelques-uns dans le cadre théorique, et ce sera un d'entre eux qui servira de base à nos propos. En effet, une grande proportion d'élèves inscrits à un cours de sciences physiques de la quatrième secondaire, en réponse à un problème déjà solutionné durant l'année et redonné lors d'un examen sommatif, «Pourquoi la Lune nous montre-t-elle toujours la même face?», attribue principalement la cause de ce phénomène à la rotation de la Terre sur son axe. En tant que responsable de l'enseignement de ce programme d'études, plusieurs questions nous sont venues à l'esprit, entre autres, comment, dans un contexte constructiviste, est-il possible de réduire chez un élève, l'impact de cette connaissance antérieure dans l'élaboration de la solution et ainsi prévenir la construction d'une conception erronée? Nous avons testé nos hypothèses avec la cohorte suivante d'élèves chez qui se répétaient les mêmes conditions d'apprentissage. Nous avons utilisé le design de recherche "posttest only" de Campbell et Stanley. En mai, après le moment prévu dans la planification du programme pour donner le problème aux élèves, nous avons suggéré deux façons différentes de réviser la solution de ce problème. Les élèves du premier groupe expérimental ont révisé sans que soit activée la connaissance antérieure appréhendée de la rotation de la Terre. Les élèves du deuxième groupe expérimental ont été confrontés, par des questions et une simulation, au fait que la rotation de la Terre n'est pas une connaissance pertinente pour résoudre le problème. Les groupes témoins et les groupes expérimentaux ont été choisis au hasard dans le bassin des écoles secondaires de la commission scolaire. Les analyses démontrent qu'un plus petit nombre d'élèves utilise le concept de rotation de la Terre dans les groupes expérimentaux que dans les groupes témoins. Simultanément, on compte un plus grand nombre de bonnes réponse dans les groupes expérimentaux que dans les groupes témoins. Ces résultats laissent donc entrevoir la possibilité de prévenir l'impact de certaines connaissances antérieures dans la reconstruction des savoirs. Ainsi, lorsqu'un enseignant appréhende chez une cohorte d'élèves une utilisation non pertinente de certaines connaissances déjà acquises, tout cela étant concevable en se basant sur les résultats antérieurs d'élèves inscrits au même cours, alors, à la lueur de cette recherche et tout en demeurant dans un contexte d'apprentissage constructiviste, cet enseignant pourrait élaborer avec confiance des mises en situation riches en stimulations qui auraient le potentiel de diminuer l'impact de ces connaissances d'élèves ayant réussi à construire correctement la conception à l'étude. Les résultats mettent aussi en évidence l'influence de l'activation des connaissances antérieures autant que de leur non activation dans la construction des savoirs. Enfin, puisque les conceptions erronées sont aussi des connaissances antérieures, cette recherche confirme que malgré la force d'ancrage d'une conception construite, erronée ou non, il est possible d'en réduire l'impact durant l'apprentissage, mais aussi nous amène à considérer une question différente et plus générale que celles des traitements des conceptions erronées. La méthode de prévention la plus efficace ne serait-elle pas d'enseigner aux élèves le «comment discriminer, de l'ensemble de ses connaissances antérieures, les éléments nécessaires et suffisants à la construction d'un savoir?»

Doctor of Education / Department of Educational Leadership / Trudy A. Salsberry / The purpose of this study was to research and create a comprehensive handbook for planning and developing advisory programs for the personalization of education. This is known as personalized learning. Personalized learning refers to the structures, policies, and practices that promote relationships based on mutual respect, trust, collaboration, and support (Breunlin, Mann, Kelly, Cimmarusti, Dunne, & Lieber, 2005). Planning and Developing Advisory Programs for the Personalization of Education: A Handbook to Guide School Leaders of Large High Schools in Kansas was developed using the research and development methodology (R & D) developed by Gall and Borg (Gall, Borg, & Gall, 2007). A prototype of the handbook was developed and then evaluated by experts in the area of the personalization of education. A Preliminary Field Test was electronically sent to all building principals of high schools in Kansas with student populations of 1000 students or more. Revisions were made to the handbook based on feedback received. The revised handbook was then distributed to three professionals, nominated by their peers, for the main field test. Feedback from the main field test was used to create the final product. The conclusions from the research project indicated: (1) there is a strong need for administrators and educators to personalize the learning environment through advisory programs; (2) large high schools were in need of a resource that was relevant in their respective schools; (3) the need for a handbook such as this to address key components such as transition, support interventions, and academic counseling; and (4) that a comprehensive handbook that included a step-by-step process, discussing critical components for administrators on how to personalize education utilizing advisory programs could address numerous concerns in large high school.

Doctor of Philosophy / Curriculum and Instruction Programs / Jacqueline D. Spears / BeEtta L. Stoney / There is a paucity of research on Asian Indians (AI) and Asian Indian Americans (AIA) and their experiences in the American school system. Studies suggest that the educational experiences of Asian Indian American students are related to Asian Indian parents' cultural background, and acculturation into the host society. Previous research also shows that Asian Indian students excel academically. However, the researcher has from personal experience seen that there is a variation in the experiences and academic performance of Asian Indian American students in the middle and high schools. This study describes the educational experiences and the academic achievements of Asian Indian students in a middle and high school district in a Midwestern college town. It uses the multiple case study design, which results in a picture of the commonalities among these Asian Indian students as well as their unique individual experiences. The researcher studies the experiences that the Asian Indian students have in school through student, parent and teacher feedback. Nine Asian Indian American students are interviewed in detail, eight of their parents are surveyed with detailed electronic surveys, and five core curriculum teachers were surveyed with a detailed email survey questionnaire. This study reveals three major themes, namely, the struggle for self-identity in the AIA students, the various definitions of academic success and success in life; and the role and responsibility of the school district in nurturing these concepts of self-identity and academic success. The recommendations for schools and the teachers are to modify the curriculum to include AIA information as part of the regular curriculum. Asian Indian and Asian Indian American culture, history, geography, literature, must be taught regularly. Teachers must conscientiously incorporate the contributions of AIs and AIAs as a part of the regular curriculum. The recommendation for AI parents is to realize that their children are Americans of Indian origin, and not Asian Indians. The recommendations for further research are an inquiry into the absence of AIA information in the curriculum, a longitudinal study to follow the success of AIA students in later life.

This research examines a multi-level language ability ESL secondary school classroom in relation to Lave and Wenger’s (1991) community of practice and Dörnyei and Ottó’s (1998) L2 motivation conceptual frameworks. Both qualitative and quantitative methodologies were employed. Case study data were collected through monthly interviews, semi-monthly observations, and monthly written journals over 3 months in Toronto from 6 participants (5 students and 1 teacher). Also, students who had been in Canada 5 years or less, and ESL teachers were invited to complete an on-line questionnaire. Results indicate that the multi-level classroom positively and negatively impacts participation and motivation. Participants define the most striking factor to impact participation and motivation as themselves; this links the two conceptual frameworks because “self-regulation” in the Actional Phase (Dörnyei & Ottó, 1998) can be better understood by legitimate peripheral participation or the ability to “imagine” and “align” oneself (Lave & Wenger, 1991). In this multi-level classroom, self-regulation is when students actively imagine possible selves who are aligned with their family or peer goals, or when faced with disengagement, students envision new roles for themselves in the classroom to overcome barriers and realign themselves with shared family or peer goals. In these cases, alignment drives imagination; however, students also use imagination to create alignment. When lower level learners see advanced students as possible selves, they feel hope for their future. Similarly, advanced learners recall their past selves when seeing their lower level peers and feel empathy for them. This interaction cements student alignment and sets a context conducive to cooperative learning which enhances students’ abilities to remain aligned with their families. Overall, this research highlights the interplay of imagination and alignment which impacts student identity. Moreover, it reveals that one aspect of the Post-actional Phase in Dörnyei and Ottó’s (1998) model, “self-concept beliefs,” can be enhanced by the notion of identity in Lave and Wenger’s (1991) framework. Finally, these findings could serve to change policy and improve programming and serve as an archive for future research.

Although the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework has shown a lot of promise as a theoretical perspective, researchers find it difficult to use it in particular environments because the requirements of the framework change in specific contexts. The purpose of this study was to explore and produce more flexible ways of using the TPACK for inservice mathematics secondary teachers. Three such teachers at an urban public school were observed in their classrooms and interviewed about their experiences of teaching mathematics and integrating computer technology in their day-to-day activities. Each participant had over 10 years experience in teaching mathematics in secondary schools in Ontario, and expertise in using computers in mathematics curriculum. The research questions were: 1) How do secondary school mathematics teachers describe their ways of integrating technology? 2) What difficulties do teachers have when they try to integrate technology into mathematics classrooms? The findings from the first research question show that teachers displayed a high degree of integration of technology. Their activities were very clearly designed, conferring clear roles to the use of integrating computer technology in mathematics classes. Teachers had specific approaches to integrate computer technology: a) to allow students opportunities to learn and experiment with their mathematical knowledge; b) to help them pass the content to the students in the process of teaching mathematics; and c) to assess and evaluate students’ work, and give them feedback. The findings from the second research question reveal that teachers had difficulties in purchasing and maintaining the computer equipment. They had some difficulties in trying to integrate new technologies as these required time, preparation, and dedication. In addition, teachers had some difficulties in making students use computers in a significant way. The implication for teacher education is that inservice teachers should have opportunities to update their computer and pedagogical skills, a long term perspective in integrating technology in mathematics education, and professional and technical support from teaching colleagues and administrators. Finally, the integration of computer technology in mathematics requires more intensive teamwork and collaboration between teachers, technical support staff, and administrators.

La présente recherche de type qualitatif veut décrire, analyser et comprendre la pratique de différenciation pédagogique chez des enseignants québécois du premier cycle du secondaire. Cette pratique s’insère au cœur des programmes de formation dont la principale visée est la réussite pour tous. Cependant, elle est constituée d’un flou théorique qui la rend parfois difficile à définir et à mettre en application, particulièrement chez les enseignants du secondaire. Ce travail dresse donc le portrait de trois enseignantes du premier cycle du secondaire qui choisissent tout de même de la comprendre et de la mettre en œuvre. À ce titre, l’étude des pratiques sous l’angle du travail tel que décrit par Tardif et Lessard (1999) permet de cerner la nature complexe et composite de leur travail et de tenir compte des facteurs personnels, internes et externes qui régissent leur travail d’adaptation des programmes, appelé travail curriculaire. Ainsi, une grille d’analyse inédite, construite au regard de ces facteurs et à partir des concepts inhérents à la différenciation pédagogique, permet d’étudier trois cas de manière complète et approfondie. De manière générale, l’analyse des facteurs personnels, internes et externes à la pratique de différenciation pédagogique des enseignantes donnent des informations pertinentes sur leurs façons de différencier, sur leur motivation à différencier et sur l’influence de leur milieu de travail dans l’exercice de cette pratique. Ces résultats permettent non seulement de mieux comprendre cette pratique effectuée par des enseignants du secondaire, mais permet aussi l’élaboration des principaux facteurs pouvant faciliter sa mise en œuvre ou au contraire la limiter. Au final, les propos recueillis chez les enseignantes interrogées signalent qu’au-delà de la réussite éducative, d’autres éléments entrent en jeu dans l’exercice de cette pratique. En fait, malgré plusieurs contraintes liées aux ressources matérielles, organisationnelles et humaines, la pratique de différenciation pédagogique génère entre autres une grande source de motivation scolaire pour les élèves et contribue à augmenter la satisfaction professionnelle de ces enseignantes dans leur travail au quotidien. / This qualitative research will describe, analyze and understand the practice of differentiated instruction for teachers of the Quebec junior high. This practice fits in the heart of the training programs whose main sight is the success for all. However, it consists of a conceptual confusion makes it difficult to define and implement, particularly among secondary school teachers. This work gives us a picture of three teachers from junior high who still choose to understand and implement. As such, the study of practices in terms of work, as described by Tardif and Lessard (1999) identifies the complex and composite character of their work and to consider personal factors, both internal and external governing their adaptation work program, called travail curriculaire. Thus, an entirely new framework, built with respect to these factors and applying the concepts inherent in differentiated instruction, used to study three cases of complete and thorough. Overall, the analysis of personal factors, both internal and external to the practice of differentiated instruction teachers provide relevant information on their ways to differentiate, their motivation and to differentiate the influence of their workplace in this practice. These results provide not only better understand the practice carried out by secondary school teachers, but also allows the development of the key factors that facilitate its implementation or otherwise limiting. Finally, the comments collected by the teachers surveyed reported that beyond educational success, other factors come into play in carrying out this practice. In fact, despite several constraints related to material resources, organizational and human resources, the practice of differentiated instruction generates among other great source of motivation for school students and helps increase job satisfaction of teachers in their daily work.

L’enseignement fait l’objet de nombreux débats au Québec et à travers le monde, pratiquement depuis qu’il existe. L’implantation du nouveau programme de formation au Québec durant les années 2000 a donné lieu à des débats particulièrement vigoureux. En effet, ceux-ci ont mené à la révision des programmes d’histoire du Québec au secondaire moins de dix ans après leur mise en application. Au cœur de ces discussions se trouvait la place de la nation et de la mémoire collective. Pour plusieurs, le nouveau curriculum négligeait de transmettre aux élèves les principales connaissances historiques liées aux origines et à l’évolution de la nation québécoise. Notre recherche tente de mieux comprendre le rôle que joue l’identification à la nation dans l’enseignement de l’histoire et l’impact que peut avoir le programme de formation sur cet aspect de la pratique enseignante. Pour apporter des éléments de réponse à cette question, nous avons mis en place deux dispositifs méthodologiques : un qualitatif et un quantitatif. Nous visions ainsi à cerner les représentations sociales des enseignants à propos des finalités de l’enseignement de l’histoire et de la place que doit y tenir l’identification à la nation. Pour ce faire, nous avons situé les réponses des participants à l’aide des finalités de l’enseignement de l’histoire évoquées par Audigier (1995): patrimoniales et civiques, intellectuelles et critiques ainsi que pratiques. La phase qualitative de notre étude consiste en des entrevues avec huit enseignants d’histoire du Québec au secondaire. Fondées sur les écrits à propos des représentations sociales, les entrevues présentent le profil de huit enseignants qui intègrent, à leur façon, la nation dans leur enseignement. Les données recueillies lors de cette phase de la recherche nous ont permis de créer un sondage à l'aide duquel nous avons recueilli des données pour la phase quantitative de la recherche. Ce sondage, mené auprès de 36 enseignants d’histoire du Québec au secondaire, montre que les finalités patrimoniales iii et civiques de l’enseignement de l’histoire sont toujours bien présentes dans les représentations sociales des enseignants, malgré le changement de programme. / History education has been the object of many debates in Québec and around the world almost since it was introduced in schools. The adoption of a new history curriculum in Québec in recent years sparked a particularly intense debate. These discussions even triggered a revision of the new curriculum, not even ten years after it was put into place. Nation and collective memory are at the heart of the discussions. For many, the new curriculum does not adequately transmit basic historical facts about the origins of the nation to students. Our research tries to better understand the place of national identification in Québec history education and the impact that the curriculum can have on that aspect of teaching. We have put into place two different methodologies to try to find answers to that question: one qualitative and one quantitative. We thus aim to identify the history teachers' social representations about the objectives of history education and the role national identification plays in it. To do that, we have analyzed the subjects' responses according to Audigier's (1995) framework, which identifies three types of objectives to history education: national and civic, intellectual and critic as well as practical. The qualitative phase of our research consists of height interviews with history teachers at the secondary level. These interviews present the profiles of height teachers who integrate the national past in their own way into their teaching practices. The data collected during that phase of the research allowed us to create a survey that served as the main tool of the quantitative phase. In total, 36 history teachers took the survey and the results show that national and civic objectives of history education remain at the forefront, despite the curriculum change.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Curriculum and Instruction / Jeong-Hee Kim / Precollege science education in the United States has virtually always been influenced by university scientists to one degree or another. Partnership models for university scientist – school district collaborations are being advocated to replace outreach models. Although the challenges for such partnerships are well documented, the means of fostering successful and sustainable science education partnerships are not well studied. This study addresses this need by empirically researching a unique scientist-educator partnership between a university and a school district utilizing case study methods. The development of the partnership, emerging issues, and multiple perspectives of participants were examined in order to understand the culture of the partnership and identify means of fostering successful science education partnerships. The findings show the partnership was based on a strong network of face-to-face relationships that fostered understanding, mutual learning and synergy. Specific processes instituted ensured equity and respect, and created a climate of trust so that an evolving common vision was maintained. The partnership provided synergy and resilience during the recent economic crisis, indicating the value of partnerships when public education institutions must do more with less. High staff turnover, however, especially of a key leader, threatened the partnership, pointing to the importance of maintaining multiple-level integration between institutions. The instrumental roles of a scientist-educator coordinator in bridging cultures and nurturing the collaborative environment are elucidated. Intense and productive collaborations between teams of scientists and educators helped transform leading edge disciplinary science content into school science learning. The innovative programs that resulted not only suggest important roles science education partnerships can play in twenty-first century learning, but they also shed light on the processes of educational innovation itself. Further, the program and curriculum development revealed insights into areas of teaching and learning. Multiple perspectives of participants were considered in this study, with student perspectives demonstrating the critical importance of investigating student views in future studies. When educational institutions increasingly need to address a diverse population, and scientists increasingly want to recruit diverse students into the fields of science, partnerships show promise in creating a seamless K-20+ continuum of science education.

Since Tajikistan’s independence in 1991 the number of rural girls leaving school after grade 9 has been increasing at an alarming rate. In order to improve rural girls’ secondary school attendance and retention, in 2006 Save the Children, local non-governmental organization (NGO) partners, and the Ministry of Education implemented a two-year UNICEF-funded Girls’ Education Project (GEP). This mixed-method study compares rural girls’ secondary school experiences and opportunities at six schools (three GEP schools and three non-GEP schools) in two districts located in regions with the lowest levels of female secondary school participation nationwide. Two research questions guided this study: 1) What factors serve as obstacles or enablers to girls’ secondary school experiences and opportunities in rural Tajikistan? and 2) How did the GEP attempt to overcome factors limiting rural girls’ secondary school experiences and opportunities and which aspects of the project were perceived to be most effective? The study’s theoretical framework contains concepts from two sets of theories: 1) social reproduction (schooling as a means of maintaining and reproducing the status quo) and 2) empowerment (schooling as a means of changing the status quo). Data collected reveals two groups’ perspectives: 1) adult participants (Ministry of Education officials, NGO staff, school administrators and teachers) and 2) rural female upper secondary school students. A multi-level data analysis process was used to compare findings within and across districts. Factors that serve as either an obstacle or an enabler of girls’ educational experiences and opportunities include those relating to the community/society, family, school, and self. Factors related to community/society include the dominant belief that a girl is “grown-up” by 15 and should no longer go to school which intersects with family poverty to create a major barrier to girls’ non-compulsory secondary schooling. Factors affecting girls’ schooling related to the family were the most significant determinant of a girl’s schooling. Of all the GEP activities, participants consistently considered the girls’ overnight camp to be the “best” activity. Findings show how enabling just a few girls to return to school significantly increases the likelihood of other girls being allowed to attend school in these rural communities.