This study examines the perceptions and operational assumptions of university representatives with regard to the new higher education policy-making in Kurdistan. It attempts to explore the development and implementation of the policy’s first priority, the aim to bridge the gap between quality and quantity in higher education. A mixed-methods case study research is employed by applying qualitative methods in a series of interviews carried out with nine faculty members from a University in the Kurdistan Region. The interviews were followed by a survey of a representative sample of 305 faculty members from all faculties of the university, with responses from 148. Both research methods explored the implementation of quality assurance initiatives under the quality teaching reforms. The aim is to identify what type of quality culture in higher education is being encouraged and if it will enable higher education to serve as a bridge for Kurdistan to the global knowledge economy.

Doctor of Philosophy / Curriculum and Instruction Programs / Thomas Vontz / This qualitative study explored middle school students’ conceptions of citizenship through the use of civic images. Citizenship education as the primary purpose for social studies education is firmly established; however, citizenship is an abstract concept. The definition and characteristics of citizenship, as well as research concerning the decline or evolution of civic behaviors, is inconclusive and oscillating. Recently adopted national and state social studies standards focus on inquiry and literacy skills, emphasizing the use of primary sources; namely historical documents. These texts are often insufficient curriculum drivers and generate a need to find alternative primary sources that scaffold and support students’ understanding. Images speak a familiar language and have been found to support student learning of history. This study fills a gap in the research regarding the use of images to teach citizenship, the purpose of social studies. Using a case study approach to research, multiple methods of data converged to address the research question, how do suburban middle school students understand citizenship through civic images? Twenty-seven eighth-graders enrolled in two Guided Study courses served as the research participants. The researcher spent two weeks at the start of the study, observing the students in their educational environment. Following the observations, for approximately eight weeks, students viewed a civic image and responded to a series of questions adapted from the Stanford History Education Group’s Historical Thinking Skills Chart (2006). At the conclusion of the eight weeks, the researcher conducted focus group interviews with each class and individual interviews with eight randomly selected students and the participating teacher. The results of this study support the use of images as instructional resources to teach abstract concepts, particularly citizenship, as well as support the use of images as primary sources to teach inquiry and literacy skills. The civic images deepened student understanding of civic and historical concepts and, more importantly, they informed students’ definitions of citizenship. Equality and community were revealed by the data as defining characteristics of citizenship for the students involved in this study, supporting previous research that members of younger generations are redefining what it means to be a good citizen.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Family Studies and Human Services / Candyce S. Russell / Marriage and family therapists (MFTs) over the past twenty years have increased their visibility by using their clinical skills and a systemic framework in other areas outside of therapy (i.e., business, school, medicine). Many of these individuals have pioneered roads of systems theory application through a creative process. Traditional creativity research has focused mainly on individual factors. However, Csikszentmihalyi’s theories of flow and creativity have offered important insight on the systemic nature of the creative process. Recently, research regarding intrinsic motivation and group creativity has provided more insight on how Csikszentmihalyi’s theory could be further developed. Furthermore, applying an ecological systems theory framework to his current model provides additional levels of influence to be examined in regards to maximizing creative potential in individuals and groups. Using deductive and inductive methodologies, an ecological systems theory of creativity is presented providing a framework for studying how MFTs that have successfully entered into non-traditional realms of systemic application go through the creative process of entering into their endeavors. Interviews with successful MFTs applying skills in non-traditional areas of applications were conducted using a modified phenomenological approach. Creative processes were outlined based on themes and patterns that emerged during the analysis. Implications of these findings are made regarding how to improve creativity in MFTs at the individual, academic, and professional field levels. In addition, implications are made regarding how to improve student recruitment and maximize potential in MFT trainees. Finally, implications regarding the maximization of productivity in university settings and applying systemic creativity to business, school, government, and education settings are presented.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Family Studies and Human Services / Walter R. Schumm / This exploratory study examines abortion decision-making attitudes of adolescents attending Roman Catholic schools. With a theoretical background using both cognitive-developmental theory and moral development theory, this study investigated adolescent abortion decision-making attitudes with a multi-part paper and pencil survey. The first part of the Abortion Attitude Scale consisted of a combination of the seven General Social Survey (GSS) abortion questions, intermingled with seven additional author-devised abortion questions. The second part of the survey consisted of sixteen reality-based scenarios, each containing a high or low level of four dimensions. The dimensions consisted of the four most common reasons for abortion females wrote about in their online written testimonies about their actual abortion experiences. The four dimensions were determined after the author conducted a frequency count of reasons for abortion originating from 87 testimonies from pro-choice web sites and 82 testimonies from pro-life web sites, plus phone calls to 8 pro-choice agencies and phone calls to 8 pro-life agencies. The Abortion Attitude Scale was offered to a convenience sample of 8th through 12th graders attending the Topeka, Kansas Catholic Schools, which includes five elementary schools and one high school. Written parental consent and written student ascent were required for students to be eligible to participate in the study. A total of 350 students participated. The study’s six hypotheses explored whether or not the combined GSS and author-devised abortion questions are unidimensional; whether or not interaction effects exist among the four dimensions in each of the scenarios; and how the independent variables of gender, age, ethnicity, and intrinsic religiosity may impact adolescents’ abortion attitudes. Results suggest several conclusions. The GSS and author-devised abortion questions are multidimensional. Regarding the four dimensions used in each of the scenarios, there were interaction effects among the four dimensions. Whereas the adolescent female participants in this study did appear to be less accepting of abortion than the male participants, and the adolescents with higher intrinsic religiosity appeared to be less accepting of abortion, the hypotheses regarding younger age and greater ethnic diversity did not appear to lend support to adolescents being less accepting of abortion. The findings thus appear to show that this study’s participants had complex attitudes about abortion decision-making, and that these attitudes appear to be at least somewhat situationally-dependent. Implications for further studies are discussed, along with limitations and conclusions.

Master of Arts / Department of Geography / John A. Harrington Jr / Analysis of polling documents indicates how little most Americans know about the world. Geography education is the key to offsetting geographic illiteracy. Fortunately programs designed to improve K-12 geography education are growing in number and strength. How can we teach more and better geography within the school system? Given the dominant role of history in the K-12 social studies curriculum, use of the psychological theory of dual-encoding to integrate geography and history lesson planning is one approach to bring more geography into the classroom. As part of Kansas Geographic Alliance programmatic activity, Kansas history and geography standards, with emphasis on the tested standards, were assessed to identify candidate themes for development of dual-encoded educational units and associated lesson plans. Three workshops were delivered to share these dual-encoded units and lesson plans. The workshops were for education faculty, teachers getting in-service professional development, and for a group of pre-service teachers in a social studies methods class. Attendees at the workshops provided assessment and feedback of the material. Based on informal comments and written responses from the workshop attendees, it is concluded that dual-encoding will enable considerable progress in geography education. Not only will the knowledge provided demonstrate the impact and significance of geography to history teachers and their students, but dual-encoded lessons will advance teacher content and pedagogical knowledge, and most importantly students will learn both geography and history better.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Family Studies and Human Services / Sonya L. Britt / This dissertation, consisting of three studies, explores the factors that influence the financial wellness of employees participating in a workplace financial education program. This dissertation also explores the influence that financial wellness has on the intention to engage in retirement planning activities and perceived retirement preparedness. Data for all three essays was obtained from a Financial Wellness Assessment instrument used in conjunction with a workplace financial education program provided by Financial Finesse (2013). The primary conceptual framework used to guide the three studies was Joo’s (2008) conceptual framework of financial wellness. The first essay examined factors that have been conceptualized as components of financial wellness—financial behaviors, perceived financial knowledge, and financial attitudes. Results showed that employees comfortable with their current level of non-mortgage debt and those with perceived financial knowledge had a greater sense of overall financial wellness. Core financial behaviors and advanced financial behaviors were also found to be associated with financial wellness with core financial behaviors having the biggest effect on financial wellness. Maintaining an emergency fund, having a handle on cash flow, paying credit card balances off in full each month, and paying bills on time were significantly related to greater financial wellness. Personal factors associated with a greater sense of financial wellness included household income, being under age 30, homeownership, being married, and not having children in the household. The second essay examined the influence of various subcomponents of financial wellness on retirement planning intention. Results indicated that retirement was the leading financial topic of interest of employees. Findings also demonstrated that desirable core financial management behaviors and a financial attitude of comfort regarding current non-mortgage debt increased the likelihood of employee intentions to engage in retirement planning activities. Specific financial behaviors associated with retirement planning intention included having a handle on cash flow, paying bills on time, and paying off credit card balances in full each month. Personal factors such as age and income also influenced retirement planning intention as older employees and those with greater household income were more likely to intend to plan for retirement. Having children in the household and non-Caucasian/White ethnicity decreased the likelihood of retirement planning intention. Finally, the third essay utilized Joo’s (2008) conceptual framework of financial wellness to explore factors that predict perceived retirement preparedness. Higher levels of financial satisfaction, perceived financial knowledge, and confidence in current asset allocation increased the likelihood employees demonstrated a sense of retirement preparedness. Core and advanced financial behaviors were also associated with perceived retirement preparedness. Younger employees and household income of $100,000 or more increased the likelihood of perceived retirement preparedness. Results of these three studies demonstrate that financial wellness has a significant influence on perceived retirement preparedness of employees engaged in information seeking activities as part of a workplace financial education program. Key components of financial wellness such as objective financial status, financial knowledge, financial attitudes, financial satisfaction, and financial behaviors were also found to be associated with the intention to engage in retirement planning activities. These findings are relevant to financial counselors, financial planners, financial educators, academicians, and employers dedicated to promoting increased financial wellness among employees.

Cette recherche a pour objectif de mieux explorer la problématique de l’intégration sociale et scolaire des jeunes immigrants, en nous penchant spécifiquement sur le vécu d'adolescents iraniens récemment arrivés au Québec. Nous tentons, entre autres, d’identifier les conflits de valeurs entre les parents et les adolescents d’une part, et de cerner les stratégies identitaires de ces adolescents face à ces conflits, d’autre part. Enfin, elle essaie de comprendre la perception des parents de ces adolescents envers ces enjeux. Dans cette étude, l’intégration sociale est principalement abordée sous l’angle des stratégies d’acculturation par le biais d’entrevues qualitatives auprès de quatorze jeunes de 13 à 18 ans ainsi que leurs parents (neuf). L’analyse des données démontre que ces jeunes ont un discours positif sur leur intégration scolaire et sociale. Le vécu familial et leurs choix de vie sont influencés essentiellement par leur milieu familial. L’influence de leurs amis – en général d’origine diversifiée – se limite à l’utilisation de leur temps libre. Ils croient aux valeurs traditionnelles iraniennes, tout en essayant d’être indépendants, libres et d’adopter un style de vie influencé par la société d’accueil qui peut conduire à des conflits potentiels avec leurs parents. Lorsque cela est le cas, les principales stratégies identitaires de ces jeunes sont celles de la cohérence complexe ou de la cohérence par modération des conflits de codes de vie. Par ailleurs, nous avons noté que le développement chez ces jeunes d’un sentiment d’appartenance à leur pays d’accueil repose principalement sur leur scolarisation. En résumé, nous pouvons constater que les jeunes d'origine iranienne, récemment arrivés au Québec, s’adaptent relativement facilement à leur nouvel environnement de vie tout en conservant leur attachement à leur culture d’origine. Ceci nous permet de conclure que leur processus d’intégration correspond peu à l’aliénation des jeunes musulmans maintes fois décrite dans la littérature internationale et nationale. Mots-clés : Intégration sociale et scolaire, conflits de valeurs, stratégies identitaires, adolescents, immigrants iraniens. / This exploratory research aims to study academic and social integration of teenagers of Iranian origin recently arrived in Québec. It attempts to identify conflicts of values between parents and these teenagers and to discover identity strategies of these teenagers vis-a-vis these conflicts. It also tries to identify the strategies used by these teenagers to attain social and academic integration in school. Moreover, we try to understand the perception of the parents of these teenagers towards these issues. In this study, social integration is mainly approached with respect to strategies of acculturation by conducting qualitative interviews with fourteen adolescents ages 13-18 and their parents (nine). The analysis of gathered data shows that these young people adapt easily to their new environment while preserving their attachment to their culture of origin. Their life choices are influenced essentially by their family environment. The influence of their friends, generally from diverse origins, mainly affects their leisure and use of free time activities. They believe in the Iranian traditional values while trying to be independent and free with a modern lifestyle, which can lead to potential conflicts with their parents. The preferred identity strategies of these teenagers are primarily those of complex coherence or coherence by moderation of the conflicts of codes. These young people have a positive opinion about their studies and do not seem to feel any conflict in their academic environment. In short, we can state that Iranian youth, recently arrived in Quebec, adapts relatively easily to their new living environment while conserving their attachment to their culture of origin. This enables us to conclude that their process of integration has little similarities with the alienation of Moslem youth often mentioned and described in the international and national literature. Keywords: Social and academic integrations, value conflict, identity strategies, adolescents, Iranian immigrants.

Les difficultés d’adaptation scolaire que peuvent développer les élèves dans une école secondaire entraînent bien souvent des conséquences. En effet, ces dernières peuvent mener au décrochage scolaire et parfois à l’adoption de comportements délinquants. L’instauration d’un suivi auprès d’élèves prend tout son sens lorsqu’il est question de difficultés d’adaptation. Ce suivi a été offert à cinq élèves présentant ces difficultés de l’école secondaire Honoré-Mercier de Montréal. Il y a deux objectifs à ce stage. Le premier vise une diminution des présences au local de retrait et le deuxième de diminuer les difficultés d’adaptation scolaire des élèves ciblés. L’atteinte de ces objectifs est considérée en fonction de données factuelles sur les présences au local de retrait, des résultats obtenus à un test standardisé, soit le Achenbach (Achenbach, 1991), mais également en fonction des perceptions des élèves et des professeurs sur le cheminement de l’élève. Les résultats illustrent que les élèves n’ont pas modifié significativement leur présence au local de retrait, que différentes problématiques définies dans le Achenbach ont été amplifiées tandis que d’autres ont été diminuées et que, finalement les élèves ont apprécié leur suivi puisque ce dernier les a amené à vivre des changements intrinsèques. Des conclusions découlent de l’analyse des résultats, soit concernant la durée des interventions et les problématiques présentes chez les élèves. Le rôle que peut assumer le criminologue dans le milieu scolaire est également abordé. Mots clés : adaptation, difficulté, scolaire, suivi, école, secondaire, adolescent / There can be many consequences when students have difficulties in adapting to the academic environment. They can lead to higher school dropout rates and to the adoption of delinquent behaviour. In the presence of adaptation difficulties, accompanying and monitoring the students is crucial. A monitoring program was offered to five Honoré-Mercier students presenting adaptation difficulties. The intervention program has two objectives. The first one is to decrease the number of classroom exclusions of those students. Another objective is to offer a place where they have the freedom to express their feelings openly. The results of the program are based on the number of classroom exclusion during the intervention. They are also measured on the results of an Achenbach test (Achenbach, 1991) and on the opinions of the students on their own progress. The results illustrate that the students did not significantly lower their number of classroom exclusion. They also show that some problems detected in the Achenbach test were amplified whereas types of problems decreased. Finally, the results show that students appreciated their follow-up because it allowed them to experience intrinsic changes. Based on these results, we can emit several hypotheses on the need to change the duration of the intervention or the problems experienced by the students. The potential contribution of a criminologist in an academic environment is also analyzed. Keywords: adaptation, difficulty, school, follow-up, secondary, teenager

Cette recherche qualitative de type exploratoire tente, à l'aide du discours de jeunes réfugiés, de comprendre de quelle manière leur parcours migratoire contribue à leur projet d'intégration et identitaire, notamment en saisissant leurs perceptions de leur situation actuelle, leurs rapports avec différents réseaux sociaux, l'impact de leur statut identitaire sur leur insertion scolaire, l'impact de leur statut d’immigrant sur les relations intrafamiliales comme sur leurs choix de relations avec les pairs et leur vision de leur futur. De plus, le but de ce mémoire est de poser un regard sur la mise en place de différentes formes de stratégies identitaires au sein de divers réseaux d'appartenance locaux ou transnationaux (école, religion, organismes communautaires, etc.). Afin de mieux comprendre cette réalité, encore peu traitée au Québec, de jeunes réfugiés âgés entre 15 et 21 ans ont été sollicités pour prendre la parole lors de deux entrevues semi-dirigées. Les données résultant des entrevues mettent en évidence une singularité des cas. Malgré tout, quelques tendances semblent ressortir dans le projet migratoire et d’intégration, tels que des trajectoires migratoires empreintes d’événements douloureux, des défis dans le parcours social et scolaire au Québec et une capacité à surmonter l’adversité dans des situations de contraintes répétitives. / The purpose of this qualitative exploratory study was to examine refugee youths’ immigration trajectories and their integration and identity work as newcomers to Quebec. Their perceptions were explored in terms of social integration, school integration, the development of peer networks, and their future outlook and aspirations. Employed identity strategies were explored in contexts such as schooling, religion, and community organizations. Five refugee youth, ranging in age from 15 to 21 years, were solicited for the study. They participated in two in-depth semi-structured interviews, facilitated by the use of personal artefacts and pictures. Results underline the uniqueness of each of the cases, both in terms of reasons for departure and subsequent trajectories and identity work. Despite this diversity, some commonalities could be noted. The immigration trajectories were emotionally charged and difficult for all youth interviewed. They all struggled with their social integration both within and outside of school, as well as in terms of ensuring continued academic success. Yet, they all exhibited the capacity to overcome adversity, despite repeated and on-going challenges, and showed much resilience. In terms of their identity strategies, some developed a hybrid identity, integrating past and current identity work into a coherent whole, while others were still in a stage of exploration or actively involved in working towards a coherent sense of self that could accommodate the complexity of their life experiences. Longitudinal studies are needed to document the development of identity strategies that facilitate refugee youths’ integration while ensuring on-going resilience, academic success and psychological well-being.

Bien que les facteurs de risque associés au faible engagement scolaire aient été largement étudiés, les mécanismes qui conduisent les enfants moins bien préparés pour l’école à se désengager dès le début de leur parcours scolaire demeurent méconnus. Une meilleure compréhension de ces mécanismes permettrait de prévenir le désinvestissement de ces élèves et favoriserait leur persévérance scolaire. Étant donné l’importance des relations sociales en début de scolarisation, la présente étude a pour objectif d’examiner dans quelle mesure la relation que l’élève entretient avec son enseignant en première année peut expliquer le lien entre la préparation à l’école en maternelle et l’engagement scolaire en deuxième année. Des régressions linéaires multiples hiérarchiques réalisées sur un échantillon de 1492 élèves québécois ont permis de vérifier cette hypothèse. Les résultats obtenus confirment que la relation maître-élève chaleureuse et conflictuelle permet d’expliquer le niveau d’engagement des élèves qui présentent une faible préparation à l’école lorsqu’ils entrent à la maternelle. Les implications pour la recherche et la pratique des intervenants en milieu scolaire seront discutées. / Risk factors associated with lower school engagement have been widely studied. Children entering school with lower levels of school readiness tend to be less engaged in school activities. However, the mechanisms leading those children to early disengagement are yet to be discovered. Better understanding these mechanisms could help prevent disengagement and school dropout. Social relationships are known to be of high importance, especially at school entry. Therefore, the present study will test if the teacher-student relationship in grade 1 can explain the association between school readiness in kindergarten and school engagement in grade 2. This hypothesis was verified using multiple linear regressions and a sample of 1492 French-canadian pupils. Results show that children’s readiness for school in kindergarten can predict their level of school engagement two years later. Furthermore, conflict and closeness in the teacher-student relationship are mechanisms which can explain this predictive relationship. Implications for further research and school intervention will be discussed.