Doctor of Education / Department of Educational Leadership / Gerald Bailey / The purpose of the study was to research, develop, and validate a step-by-step guide for museum and public school partnerships that wish to create motivational standards-based curriculum materials in high school social studies. Museum and Public School Partnerships: A Step-by-Step Guide for Creating Motivational Standards-Based Curriculum Materials in High School Social Studies was developed using the research and development methodology of Borg and Gall (1989). The research and development process used in this study included seven steps: 1) research analysis and proof of concept, 2) product planning and design, 3) preliminary product development, 4) preliminary field testing, 5) revision of the prototype, 6) main field testing, and 7) revision of the final product. A prototype of the guide was produced and then evaluated by museum and public school experts in the preliminary field test. Revisions were made to the guide based on their feedback. The guide was then distributed to practitioners in the main field test. The reviewers in the main field test were museum staff or high school history educators; or museum, curriculum, or technology directors in the United States. Feedback from the main field test was used to create the final product. Major conclusions of the study were: a) there was a lack of literature specifically for museum and public school partnerships that wished to create motivational standards-based curriculum materials for high school social studies, b) museum and public school personnel benefit from quality resource step-by-step guides, c) educational guides developed through research and development methodology offer museum and public school personnel practical and valuable products for improving education, d) a step-by-step guide is a useful tool when museums and public schools partner to create motivational standards-based curriculum materials for high school social studies, e) this study produced the first step-by-step guide for museums and public schools that wish to partner to create motivational standards-based curriculum materials for high school social studies.

Doctor of Philosophy / Secondary Education / Diane McGrath / Technological advances affect the very fabric of our world, from the way we do business to the way we educate children. The National Education Association (2005), predicted that by 2006, most school children would take at least one course online before graduating from high school. The Peak Group estimated that by 2006, one million K-12 students would enroll in online courses (Davis & Niederhauser, 2007). In March, 2006, Michigan passed legislation requiring high school students to have at least one online educational experience to graduate (eSchoolNews, 2006). Online classes open doors to educational opportunities students might not otherwise have due to lack of sufficient student interest in a subject, school budgets, or teacher expertise. The quality of programs, in terms of academic rigor and compliance to state educational standards, varies widely. Research examining and documenting online education explicitly in K-12 settings has only recently been conducted and published (Blomeyer, 2002) and there is very little of it. This dissertation is a case study of three virtual high school programs, two well established programs and one that is only two years old. Administrator and teachers were interviewed and an examination of program documents to define what attributes and characteristics indicate a high quality program, what commonalities are found among online high school programs, and what online teachers and programs do to assure a high quality learning experience for students. Findings include: Extensive descriptions of each program regarding course design, teacher training, program organization and funding, and administration. Common themes across participating programs included concerns related to collaboration, high quality courses – whether vendor provided or faculty written, professional development of online teachers, finding ways to control quality of courses from design to student learning and student satisfaction, and the importance of competent and enthusiastic teachers. Recommendations, based on the findings of this study, are that administrators considering joining an online high school program should look at course catalog, professional development, quality control, teachers, service and support, any additional benefits from joining the program, and ability to access administrators and teachers currently using the program or references.

Doctor of Philosophy / Curriculum and Instruction Programs / F. Todd Goodson / The purpose of this study was to determine what social factors influenced ninth-grade students asked to participate in dramatic oral reading activities in the context of their high school English classroom. Participatory action research was completed in cooperation with a classroom teacher and his student teacher. A grounded theory design advised the transcription, coding, and data analysis of the study. In 2006, the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation formed Poetry Out Loud, a National Recitation Contest where high school students around the country recited poetry in a contest form. This study used materials and some curriculum from Poetry Out Loud, but rather than memorizing and reciting the poems, the students were asked to perform dramatic oral readings of them. This focus on reading stemmed, in part, from studies completed by Rasinski (2005) claiming ninth-grade students still lacked fluency in their reading in addition to work in the areas of Automaticity (LaBerge & Samuels, 1974) and Prosody (Schreiber, 1991). These students participated in six weeks of activities designed to build skill in dramatic oral reading. Field notes were taken throughout the project. Performances were recorded using video and audio devices, student interviews were recorded and transcribed, and teacher interviews were recorded and transcribed. Data revealed fourteen categories during the open coding stage that contributed, through axial coding, to three different themes: family versus dysfunctional family, positive performance conditions versus adverse performance conditions, and literate identity versus anti-literate identity. These three themes and each respective antithesis were progressively contingent on each other when laid out in a lateral manner with the results of the project being that students either developed a literate identity when the conditions were in place or developed a decidedly anti-literate identity. This theory, grounded entirely in data collected during the study, provided an understanding of the social context at play in this classroom. This study provided qualitative insight necessary for continuing to explore dramatic oral reading fluency at the high school level by revealing the importance of community in asking students to perform in front of their peers, a potentially socially jeopardizing situation.

Doctor of Philosophy / Secondary Education / Charles E. Heerman / This study is a follow-up to Al-Fadda's (2004) investigation of middle school teacher's perceptions of the importance of reading methods. The primary research question to be addressed in this study was: What are ELL and LD teachers' perceptions of the importance of specific reading strategies for their respective types of students? To address this question the researcher developed a survey with five demographic questions and 44 reading methods based on the framework of the COBRA model developed by Heerman (2002). The researcher administered the survey to public middle and junior high school ELL and LD teachers from Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas and compared the two groups' perceptions of the importance of several reading strategies. Analysis of the results showed that there was a 60% agreement rate between the two teacher groups (no significant differences) for three of the COBRA goals (background knowledge, comprehension, and study and application) and a 40% difference rate between the two teacher groups (significant differences) for two of the COBRA goals (experiential learning and vocabulary). For the 44 survey items, there was an agreement rate of 82.82%, and a difference rate of 17.18%. The researcher concludes that there were more similarities than differences between ELL teachers' and LD teachers' perceptions of the importance of the surveyed reading methods, however, there were also real differences. The researcher found justification for the belief that ELL and LD teachers should be considered specialist teachers when it comes to rating the relative importance of reading methods. ELL teachers appear to be inclined to use reading methods related to language, experience, and vocabulary methods. The results also reveal that LD teachers appear to be inclined to use reading methods related to intervention strategies with conferencing, coaching, compensatory methods, specific skills development and memory processes. In addition, the researcher noted a large number of methods with small mean differences, showing the certain levels of agreement between the two teacher groups. In terms of the five teacher variables, percentage of ELL students, percentage of low-income students and school enrollment proved to be the least active variables but the teacher variables of teachers' education levels and teachers' experience levels were more active.

Doctor of Philosophy / Curriculum and Instruction Programs / F. Todd Goodson / Professional development of in-service teachers continues to increase, but not all programs are successful in promoting teacher learning and student improvement. This qualitative study offers an examination of how one professional development program, The National Writing Project, with its teachers-teaching-teachers model is making a difference. The National Writing Project is one of the longest running, most cost-efficient, and most successful professional development programs in education. The purpose of this study was to identify factors influencing teacher transformation. Five areas were addressed: (1) the identification of transformation factors; (2) the relationship of personal literacy as it affects professional change; (3) being a member of a learning community and how it affects personal learning; (4) being a member of a learning community and how it affects professional learning; and (5) the role of spirituality in transformation. The setting was the National Writing Project's Invitational Summer Institute as it examined how fellows, first time participants, perceived their learning. Participants were from 17 different writing project sites across the United States. Data collection involved three distinct sources: (1) selection of participant and rationale provided by site directors of writing project sites; (2) audio-taped long interviews of each participant; and, (3) a follow-up focus group conducted in an electronic discussion board. The findings highlighted an interweaving of five factors influencing teacher transformation: (1) identification and application of knowledge for self and students; (2) reflection of learning and practice; (3) collaboration; (4) active and on-going involvement; and, (5) supportive and safe environment. When these five transformative factors are designed and implemented in the professional development of teacher in-service, teachers are provided an opportunity to personally learn which leads to professional learning and improved instruction for student learning. Excerpts from each data collection, recommendations for future research, and appendices to replicate the study are provided.

Il est généralement admis que l’éducation constitue une des stratégies les plus efficaces pour lutter contre le VIH/SIDA et diminuer sa transmission (Gallant et Matika-Tyndale, 2004). À cet effet, plusieurs pays d’Afrique subsaharienne ont inclus des programmes d’éducation au VIH/SIDA dans leur curriculum scolaire afin de contrer l’épidémie (ADEA, 2007). Cependant, l’efficacité de ces programmes éducatifs demeure incertaine. Par exemple, les objectifs des programmes éducatifs, tels que la transmission de connaissances relatives au VIH/SIDA, ou la diminution des comportements sexuels risqués, ne sont pas toujours atteints (Matika-Tyndale, 2009; Oshi, D., Nakalema, S. et Oshi, L, 2005). Le succès d’un programme de lutte et de prévention en milieu scolaire peut être lié aux contenus d’enseignement traités en classe par les enseignants (Ahmed et al., 2009). Les contenus traités dépendent en partie des représentations et des connaissances des enseignants par rapport au(x) sujet(s) qu'ils enseignent et pour des sujets aussi délicats que le VIH/SIDA et la sexualité, cette relation est particulièrement importante. Par exemple, en Afrique du Sud, malgré l’existence d’une politique nationale sur le VIH et l’inclusion des sujets relatifs au VIH/SIDA dans le curriculum scolaire, la mise en oeuvre du programme de lutte et de prévention peut être compromise par la résistance des enseignants à parler de certains sujets controversés (Ahmed et al. 2009; Mathews et al., 2006). Notre étude, menée dans la région de Cape Town en Afrique du Sud, visait à mieux comprendre les relations entre les caractéristiques socioprofessionnelles des enseignants, leurs connaissances, leurs représentations à l’égard de l’éducation relative au VIH/SIDA et les contenus d’enseignement abordés dans le cours life-orientation dédié à l’éducation relative au VIH/SIDA. Au total, 71 enseignants du cours life-orientation provenant de 18 écoles secondaires ont participé à cette étude. Les enseignants ont rempli un questionnaire portant sur leurs caractéristiques socioprofessionnelles (âge, genre, expérience d’enseignement, niveau enseigné et expérience personnelle avec le VIH/SIDA), leurs connaissances, différentes composantes de leurs représentations (attitudes, norme sociale perçue et contrôle comportemental perçu) et les contenus d’enseignement qu’ils abordent en classe. iv Les résultats des analyses des données ainsi recueillies montrent que la norme sociale perçue est la seule composante des représentations reliée aux contenus d’enseignement abordés en classe par l’enseignant. Les attitudes des enseignants envers l’éducation relative au VIH/SIDA sont plutôt favorables, mais plusieurs d’entre eux manifestent des lacunes par rapport à leurs connaissances sur les modes de transmission et de prévention du VIH/SIDA. Par ailleurs, plusieurs croient que le manque de formation et le manque de matériel sont des obstacles à leur enseignement. Les expériences personnelles avec le VIH/SIDA sont associées à des attitudes plus positives chez les enseignants et l’expérience d’enseignement du cours life-orientation est reliée aux connaissances relatives au VIH/SIDA et au contrôle comportemental perçu de l’enseignant. Nos résultats suggèrent également que certains contenus d’enseignement spécifiques de l’éducation relative au VIH/SIDA, tel que l’utilisation des condoms, semblent être particulièrement controversés et source de malaise pour les enseignants. Nos résultats donnent également des pistes de recherches futures s’intéressant à l’amélioration de l’enseignement relatif au VIH/SIDA, notamment au sujet du besoin de formation et de matériel pédagogique supplémentaire, ainsi qu’au sujet de l’influence des membres de la société sur l’enseignement effectué en classe. Notre recherche montre également l’importance de distinguer, en recherche, les différents contenus d’enseignement, plutôt que de considérer de façon globale l’éducation relative au VIH/SIDA. / It is generally accepted that education is one of the most effective ways to fight against HIV and reduce its transmission (Gallant et Matika-Tyndale, 2004). Many African countries have thus included HIV/AIDS related topics in school curricula, in hopes of countering the epidemic (ADEA, 2007). However, the efficiency of HIV/AIDS related education programs remains uncertain, as certain programs do not seem to succeed in increasing students’ knowledge of HIV/AIDS (Oshi et al., 2005) or changing their behavior (Matika-Tyndale, 2009). In this regard, several studies show that teachers are key players in determining the success of program implementation (Mathews et al., 2006). Studies show that teachers responsible for HIV/AIDS education sometimes feel fear and discomfort with certain topics, which can seem contradictory to their own values and beliefs (Ahmed et al., 2009; Mathews et al., 2006). For example, in South Africa, despite a national policy on HIV and the inclusion of topics related to HIV / AIDS in the life-orientation learning area, implementation of such subjects may be compromised by resistance from teachers to talk about certain topics (Mathews et al., 2006; Ahmed et al., 2009). Our study was designed to gain a greater understanding of the relationships between South African life-orientation teachers’ personal and psychosocial characteristics and their teaching practices. The investigated characteristics include age, gender, teaching experience, level taught, personal experience with HIV/AIDS as well as teacher knowledge, attitudes, perceived social norms and perceived behavioral control. In total, 71 questionnaires were completed and returned (44 % response rate) from 18 secondary schools. Perceived social norm proved to be the only psychosocial characteristic associated with teaching practices. Teachers had generally positive attitudes towards HIV/AIDS education, although knowledge gaps and lack of training, material and resources were problems for many of them. Personal experience with HIV/AIDS was associated with more positive attitudes amongst teachers, and years of experience teaching life-orientation was associated with higher levels of HIV/AIDS knowledge and perceived behavioral control. Our findings show that HIV/AIDS education is vi not a value-free experience and support the need for ongoing teacher training and additional materials for teachers. Furthermore, our findings highlight the importance of studying HIV/AIDS related topics individually and suggest that HIV/AIDS interventions should also focus on dialogue between schools, teachers and community members, and the impact of social norm on teaching practices.

La coexistence des services de francisation au Québec pour les personnes immigrantes adultes a fait l'objet de divers enjeux liés notamment au passage des apprenants d'un lieu de formation à un autre (Québec, MICC, 2011a). Dans le but de répondre à ces enjeux et d’harmoniser l'offre de services gouvernementaux en matière de francisation des adultes, le ministère de l'Immigration et des Communautés culturelles (MICC) a élaboré en collaboration avec le ministère de l'Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport (MELS), une innovation pédagogique, soit un référentiel commun québécois composé de deux instruments : l’Échelle québécoise des niveaux de compétence en français des personnes immigrantes adultes et le Programme-cadre de français pour les personnes immigrantes adultes au Québec. Le but de notre étude était de mieux comprendre l'implantation du référentiel commun québécois, de faire état des représentations du personnel enseignant en francisation vis-à-vis de cette innovation pédagogique et d’identifier les principaux facteurs qui structurent son implantation. Pour atteindre ces objectifs de recherche, nous avons mené une étude qualitative dans laquelle nous nous sommes appuyée sur le modèle d'implantation de Vince-Whitman (2009) qui identifie douze facteurs facilitant l’implantation d’une politique et d’une pratique. Nous avons accédé aux représentations de douze enseignantes et enseignants en francisation qui œuvrent au MICC et au MELS lors d’entretiens de groupe en leur permettant de s'exprimer sur leurs pratiques pédagogiques et sur leurs impressions du référentiel commun québécois. À l’aide du logiciel QSF NVivo 8, nous avons analysé le contenu des propos de nos participants de recherche. Nos résultats démontrent que le manque appréhendé de ressources – humaines, matérielles et financières, et un manque de temps, de formation et de collaboration professionnelle pourraient représenter des obstacles et nuire à une éventuelle implantation du référentiel commun québécois. À la lumière de ces résultats, nous proposons un cadre de référence composé de sept facteurs d’implantation d’une innovation pédagogique afin de mieux rendre compte d’une réalité spécifique et contemporaine, celle de l'implantation du référentiel commun québécois pour la francisation des immigrants adultes scolarisés. Les écrits scientifiques et nos résultats de recherche démontrent que de diverses formes de soutien, principalement du matériel pédagogique approprié et suffisant, peuvent constituer un facteur-clé dans la réussite de l’implantation d’une innovation pédagogique. / The existence of multiple French second language services in Quebec for adult immigrants has proved to be problematic, especially when students transfer from one institution to another (Québec, MICC, 2011a). In response to this and other similar issues and in order to harmonize government French second language services, the ministère de l'Immigration et des Communautés culturelles (MICC) developed, in collaboration with the ministère de l'Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport (MELS) a pedagogical innovation composed of two tools: the Échelle québécoise des niveaux de compétence en français des personnes immigrantes adultes and the Programme-cadre de français pour les personnes immigrantes adultes au Québec. This common framework of reference for language is used to describe the achievements of adult immigrant learners in Quebec. This study focuses on the implementation of a pedagogical innovation, in order to gain a greater understanding of the implementation of the Quebec framework of reference, present teacher representations regarding this pedagogical innovation, and identify the key factors that structure its implementation. This qualitative study adopted an implementation model by Vince-Whitman (2009) who identifies twelve implementation factors of a policy and its practice. Our study used as its data collection method group interviews of a total of twelve French second language teachers from the MICC and the MELS. The interviews aimed to collect the comments of these teachers regarding their pedagogical practices and their impressions of the Quebec framework of reference. The software QSF NVivo 8 was used to analyze the content of our participants’ words. Key findings of the study indicate that implementation is challenging due to a number of obstacles, such as the lack of teaching material, human and financial resources, as well as a lack of time, professional training and professional collaborations. In light of these results, we developed a model framework based on seven factors of implementation of a pedagogical innovation in order to account for a specific and contemporary phenomenon, that of the implementation of the Quebec framework of reference for French second language education of adult immigrants. Various studies coupled with our results demonstrate that different types of support, such as appropriate and sufficient pedagogical material, are key elements to consider in ensuring successful implementation of a pedagogical innovation.

In 2012 clashes between Catholic canonical law and Canadian common law regarding sexual minorities continue to be played out in Canadian Catholic schools. Although Section 15 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms ensures same-sex equality in Canada, this study shows that some teachers in Alberta Catholic schools are fired for contravening Catholic doctrine about non-heterosexuality, while Ontario students’ requests to establish Gay/Straight Alliances are denied. This study seeks to uncover the causes and effects of the long-standing disconnect between Canadian Catholic schools and the Charter by comparing the treatment of and attitudes towards lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (lgbtq) teachers and students in publicly-funded Catholic school systems in the provinces of Alberta and Ontario. I employ a multi-method qualitative research framework involving: 1) semi-structured interviews with 20 participants (7 current and former teachers and 13 former students), 18 of which are re-presented as condensed narratives; 2) media accounts that illustrate the Catholic schools’ homophobic environment; and 3) two key Alberta and Ontario Catholic policy and curriculum documents. The central question driving this study is: How does power operate in Canadian Catholic schools? Is it exercised from the top down solely, or are there instances of power rising up from the bottom as well? To answer this question, I draw upon the critical theories of Gramsci (1971), Althusser (1970/2008), Foucault (1975/1995), and Giroux (2001) in order to explain the phenomenon of “holy homophobia” in Canadian Catholic schools. The chief finding of this study is that contradictory Catholic doctrine on the topic of non-heterosexuality is directing school policy and practice regarding the management of sexual minority groups in Alberta and Ontario Catholic schools, positioning these schools as potential hotbeds for homophobia. Hopefully, this thesis can one day serve as a resource for anti-homophobia education researchers and practitioners, school administrators, educators and students who are interested in eliminating religiously-inspired homophobia in school settings.

This qualitative study explored the information available on abortion, contraception and parenting from websites accessible to internet users in Canada. The research questions focused on a comparison of pro-life and pro-choice websites on the discourse in Canada around reproductive rights. A textual analysis was conducted of five websites, with data analyzed using phenomenological research methodology. Themes emerged highlighting key differences between pro-choice and pro-life websites. Pro-choice websites offer accurate and up-to-date information presented in a static resource format, while pro-life websites offer value-laden and inaccurate information presented in an interactive, user-friendly fashion. The analysis highlights how the internet, as an emerging 21st century information resource, is also a site of production for reproductive rights discourse in Canada. These results have direct implications for social work practice and policy, particularly emphasizing the need for client referrals to accessible and accurate websites, and engagement with reproductive rights advocacy and public health education.

This qualitative study explored the information available on abortion, contraception and parenting from websites accessible to internet users in Canada. The research questions focused on a comparison of pro-life and pro-choice websites on the discourse in Canada around reproductive rights. A textual analysis was conducted of five websites, with data analyzed using phenomenological research methodology. Themes emerged highlighting key differences between pro-choice and pro-life websites. Pro-choice websites offer accurate and up-to-date information presented in a static resource format, while pro-life websites offer value-laden and inaccurate information presented in an interactive, user-friendly fashion. The analysis highlights how the internet, as an emerging 21st century information resource, is also a site of production for reproductive rights discourse in Canada. These results have direct implications for social work practice and policy, particularly emphasizing the need for client referrals to accessible and accurate websites, and engagement with reproductive rights advocacy and public health education.