Education for Sustainable Living (ESL) requires a whole-system pedagogical shift that changes the discourse from a positivistic worldview into one founded on ecological principles. The emerging environmental and sociopolitical challenges of the 21st century are complex, and schools present an important platform embracing sustainable changes. This participatory action research surveyed staff attitudes and student values from one Manitoban urban high school, to better understand the school culture of sustainability. In addition, a school wide Equity Conference was profiled for contributions to ESL through student exit slips; and a focus group with teachers where survey data was discussed also became part of the data corpus. The intent of this research was to understand on a deeper level how sustainability projects and initiatives are related to a culture of sustainability school wide. From these findings, recommendations to improve a whole-school approach to sustainability are provided. / February 2016

Participatory Action Mapping (PAM) as a methodology strives to fill the gaps created by participatory and critical mapping methodologies. Public participatory GIS (PPGIS), which often fails to elicit a bottom up approach to mapping, and community mapping, which typically produces critical mappings that often fail to be taken seriously by decision makers both fall short in offering members of the public meaningful opportunities to make claims about particular places. Through the implementation of a critical mapping methodology that utilizes professional cartography techniques, PAM offers community organizations the ability to assert their claims through maps. Using a critical cartography lens, this case study focuses on PAM with a community-based organization in west Atlanta and reveals how this methodology can be successful in engaging professional mapping practices to communicate the truths of, and subsequently inspire action among, community members.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T14:46:36Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 SandraMSGSOT.pdf: 796807 bytes, checksum: 1923d4538db7e6ac66bda4a6ad71c6b9 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-04-30 / It is a descriptive study with a qualitative approach, and an action-research type, which aimed to analyze the changes of knowledge about contraceptive methods invested to a teenager group attended in Igap? Family Healthcare Unit, in the city of Natal/RN, after consent and institutional assent of Ethics Committee of Rio Grande do Norte Federal University (Protocol No. 131/07). It were researched 16 teenagers of both sexes, with age ranging from 11 to 16 years. We used two structured questionnaires, one in the initial diagnosis and another during the seven meetings of the focus group, in addition to the field notes and the meetings discussions transcriptions. The data-collection was performed in the period of two months by a team composed by a nurse the research coordinator, a dentist, a nursing assistant, a community-based healthcare worker and a nursing academic. The quantitative and qualitative data were organized, tagged and categorized into spreadsheet in Microsoft Excel, being held a thematic analysis of speeches performed by the study participants. The results were presented as tables, graphics, photos, drawings and word clippings. The educational strategy developed in focus group allowed adolescents to discuss, exchange ideas and opinions on several contraceptive methods, providing expansion in knowledge of all contraceptives discussed, especially those natural and surgical, which were less mentioned at the beginning of the study. Among the advantages of the contraceptive methods listed by teenagers, was highlighted avoiding pregnancy and STDs in use of the barrier method of condom. As for the disadvantages more frequently noted by the survey with the misuse of barrier methods, was highlighted get pregnant, acquire STD's and do not prevent STD's in hormonal, natural and surgical methods. Adolescents showed consistency between the advantages and disadvantages and types of contraceptive methods, showing a widening in knowledge among them. It may be said that, in general, those surveyed had a good understanding about the use of the various contraceptive methods. Thus, the study participants had positively evaluated all the criteria used to qualify the meetings in the focus group. The action strategy of the focus group should be encouraged by professionals who work with teenagers, since they prefer to live in groups, one characteristic of adolescence. / Estudo descritivo com abordagem qualitativa, do tipo pesquisa a??o, que objetivou analisar a mudan?a do conhecimento sobre m?todos contraceptivos investidos a um grupo de adolescentes atendidos na Unidade Sa?de da Fam?lia de Igap? no munic?pio de Natal/RN, ap?s consentimento institucional e parecer favor?vel do Comit? de ?tica da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (Protocolo n? 131/07). Foram pesquisados 16 adolescentes de ambos os sexos com faixa et?ria variando de 11 a 16 anos. Foram utilizados dois question?rios estruturados, sendo um no diagn?stico inicial e outro durante as sete reuni?es do grupo focal, al?m das anota??es de campo e transcri??es das discuss?es das reuni?es. A coleta de dados foi realizada no per?odo de dois meses por uma equipe composta por uma enfermeira, coordenadora da pesquisa, uma odont?loga, uma auxiliar de enfermagem, uma agente comunit?rio de sa?de e uma acad?mica de enfermagem. Os dados quanti-qualitativos foram organizados, codificados e categorizados em planilha no Excel, sendo realizada an?lise tipo tem?tica das falas dos participantes do estudo. Os resultados foram apresentados na forma de quadros, gr?fico, fotos, desenhos e recortes das falas. A estrat?gia educativa desenvolvida em grupo focal permitiu aos adolescentes, discutir, trocar id?ias e opini?es sobre os diferentes m?todos contraceptivos proporcionando amplia??o no conhecimento de todos contraceptivos discutidos, principalmente, nos naturais e cir?rgicos, que foram menos referidos no in?cio do estudo. Dentre as vantagens dos m?todos contraceptivos elencadas pelos adolescentes destacaram-se evitar DSTs e gravidez no uso do m?todo de barreira camisinha. J? as desvantagens mais freq?entes apontadas pelos pesquisados com o uso incorreto dos m?todos de barreira, destacaram-se engravidar e adquirir DST s, n?o prevenir DST s nos hormonais, naturais e cir?rgicos. Os adolescentes apresentaram coer?ncia entre as vantagens e desvantagens e os tipos de m?todos contraceptivos, demonstrando uma amplia??o no conhecimento entre os pesquisados. Pode-se afirmar que de um modo geral os pesquisados apresentaram um bom entendimento sobre o uso dos diferentes m?todos contraceptivos. No geral os participantes do estudo avaliaram positivamente em todos os crit?rios utilizados para qualificar as reuni?es no grupo focal. A estrat?gia de a??o do grupo focal deve ser incentivada pelos profissionais que atuam junto aos adolescentes, uma vez que estes preferem conviver em grupos, sendo uma caracter?stica da adolesc?ncia.

Orientador: Irene Conceição Andrade Rangel / Banca: Suraya Cristina Darido / Banca: Tarcísio Mauro Vago / Resumo: Esta pesquisa trata da Educação Física Escolar e sua interface com a educação para o lazer físico-esportivo. O objetivo consistiu em perceber de que forma as contribuições da Educação Física Escolar, em relação a uma educação para o lazer, estavam e/ou poderiam estar presentes nos entendimentos e/ou nos relatos das práticas pedagógicas de professores de Educação Física. Diante de sua perspectiva qualitativa, esta pesquisa baseou-se no referencial teórico da pesquisa-ação. Este enfoque metodológico permitiu-nos intervir junto a um grupo de quatro professores de Educação Física, atuantes em escolas públicas e particulares do município de Rio Claro, através da realização de oito encontros coletivos. Após um período de aproximadamente um mês do último encontro com os professores, realizamos uma entrevista individual com os participantes. A análise dos encontros levou-nos a concluir que existem quatro contribuições educativas implícitas e explícitas nas reflexões e nos relatos das ações dos professores investigados, sintetizadas nas seguintes categorias: o espaço escolar e a organização das aulas; concepção de Escola e de Educação Física Escolar; conteúdos da Educação Física Escolar e formação de atitudes; práticas pedagógicas da Educação Física Escolar explícitas para uma educação para o lazer. As entrevistas finais mostraram que as relações Educação Física Escolar e a educação para o lazer, proporcionadas durante os encontros, possibilitaram construções e ampliações de conhecimentos, refletindo nas aulas de Educação Física, em possíveis contribuições para as vivências de lazer dos alunos fora da escola. Além disso, destacamos outros tipos de repercussões enfatizadas pelos professores, relacionadas à satisfação de participarem da pesquisa, que possibilitaram conhecer pessoas... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo). / Abstract: This research refers to Physical Education and its interface with the leisure education for physical and sports activities. The objective consisted to realize if the Physical Education teacher's understandings and/or pedagogical practice reports contribute or might contribute to leisure education. The present research was based on action-research's theoretical references due to its qualitative perspective. This methodological focus permitted us to accomplish eight collective meetings in order to intervene in a group formed by four Physical Education teachers from public and private schools at Rio Claro city. About one month after the group's last meeting, we have individually interviewed the teachers. The meetings' analysis led us to conclude there are four educative implicit and explicit contributions in the investigated teacher's reflexions and action reports which are synthetized in the following categories: the school place and the classes organization; school and Physical Education concepts; Physical Education's contents and attitudes' formation; Physical Education's pedagogical explicit practices for leisure education. The final interviews showed that Physical Education and leisure education relations provided during the meetings made it possible to construct and improve knowlegdes that were incorporated in the Physical Education classes as possible contributions to the students' leisure time out of school. Moreover, we point out another sorts of repercussions which were emphasized by the teachers and are related to satisfaction by participating in this research, by meeting new people, by exchanging experiences and by reflecting about their own professional and personal lives in a leisure dimension context. / Mestre

Communicative approaches, such as communicative language teaching (CLT) and task-based language teaching (TBLT), have been promoted in second language education around the world for over four decades. This continued mainstream status may be due to their convincing theoretical bases in principles of second language acquisition, which are believed to be beneficial to language learners. However, they are not widely accepted by teachers in many English as a Foreign Language (EFL) contexts. A number of studies in a variety of contexts have aimed to identify factors which impede their implementation, but few of these have further built on the implications of these investigations. The current investigation, instead, studied classroom practice in a Taiwanese EFL secondary school, in order to identify and solve any problems arising. Based on the assumption that teacher learning is a complex process, it was necessary to set up a teacher development programme (TD) and use action research to explore how it could help teachers develop their practitioner knowledge of communicative approaches. Drawing on the data from questionnaires, interviews and classroom observations, the main finding was that the teachers’ limited understanding of these approaches seemed to be a more dominant factor than the teachers’ beliefs. This resulted in perceptions of learners, syllabus/textbooks and time becoming barriers to the implementation of the approaches, as often pointed out in past studies. This study also found effective ways to encourage teachers to learn to implement this new pedagogy. First, supplying examples of a theory’s practical application equipped practitioners to develop practical knowledge of that theory. Second, collaborative learning between the teachers, as well as the assistance of an expert, helped make the teacher education programme work. This led to the conclusion that communicative approaches motivated teachers in their professional practice. The findings of this research could shed light on these aspects of L2 teaching in a variety of other similar contexts and could be useful for educational policymakers, practitioners, and teacher educators in implementing innovative approaches.

This thesis attends to recent calls and decades of demands to de-whiten and de-colonise the discipline of Geography and higher education more broadly. This manuscript contributes unique empirical research and analysis on race, gender, sexuality and everyday life to geographies of intersectionality, visceral geographies of (micro)aggressions, and toxic geographies. Intersectionality is a Black Feminist framework that centres the entanglement of race and gender, (micro)aggressions are often unconscious and subtle insults experienced at the scale of the body by marginalized people, and toxic geographies are spaces with high concentrations of (micro)aggressions. The main objectives are to explore the co-constitutive nature of (micro)aggressions and space, engage intersectionality in practice through Participatory Action Research (PAR), and to centre the lives and promote the agency of students of colour, women, queer, transgender and gender non-conforming (TGNC) students in US higher education. The empirical research of this thesis is a PAR project and team composed of eleven people, myself included, on race, gender, and sexuality based (micro)aggressions at an elite US residential institution of higher education. The PAR team collectively curated a public art event where the university community was invited to share stories of (micro)aggressions experienced, witnessed, and produced. The PAR team’s efforts resulted in a powerful encounter that led to changes in policy and practice to mitigate toxicity in one particular place. The analysis of the empirical research involves an exploration of the fluidity, fixity, and spatiality of toxic geographies along the axes of race, gender and sexuality and within the context of the academic-military-prison industrial complex (AMPIC), a framework of structural violence. In addition, this thesis applies the higher-level analytic of intersectionality to the empirical research, connecting the micro level of (micro)aggressions, the meso level of the PAR team, and the macro level of the AMPIC to provide an empirical example of the complexity of toxic geographies, and an avenue for future research, by highlighting the material impact of the neoliberal university on the mental health of students of colour, women, queer, and TGNC students.

abstract: Facing a teacher shortage in math, science, and language arts secondary courses, a suburban, unified, K-12 district partnered with a university in the southwest to create a program for alternatively certified teachers. This specialized program permitted candidates to teach with an intern certificate while completing university coursework leading to certification. During this timeframe, the researcher-practitioner of this study created an alternative teacher induction program focused on cycles of action research. The model was created to capitalize on the content knowledge and work experience of alternatively certified teachers in order to inspire innovation by offering a district-based induction centering on cycles of action research. In the teachers' third year, each teacher conducted action research projects within the framework of Leader Scholar Communities which were facilitated by mentor teachers from the district with content expertise. This study examines the effects of such a model on teachers' identities and propensity toward transformative behaviors. A mixed methods approach was used to investigate the research questions and to help the researcher gain a broader perspective on the topic. Data were collected through a teacher efficacy survey, questionnaire, focus groups, semi-structured interviews, observations, and electronic data. The results from the study indicated that the participants in the study exhibited signs of professional teaching identity, especially in the constructs of on-going process, relationship between person and context, and teacher agency. Additionally, the participants referenced numerous perspective transformations as a result of participating in cycles of action research within the framework of a Community of Practice framework. Implications from this study include valuing alternatively certified teachers, creating outcome-based teacher induction programs, and replicating the T3IP model to include professional development opportunities beyond this unique context. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ed.D. Educational Leadership and Policy Studies 2011

abstract: Professional development is best when embedded in one's practice and linked directly to the classroom. Opportunities for teachers to identify specific areas of concern in their classroom and problem solve solutions via action research promotes a culture of inquiry. This culture of inquiry is enhanced when teams of teachers collaborate and share their action research experiences. In this study, action research training was provided to teachers to create a trained cohort of action research teachers within the school. Members of this cohort voluntarily joined with other teachers interested in classroom action research and participated in a professional learning community (PLC). The members of this PLC initiated classroom action research projects and met collaboratively as a PLC. The study examined what collaborative practitioner inquiry contributed to teacher professional development and how my leadership contributed to teacher professional development. Data were collected through the administration of a survey, interviews, transcriptions of PLC meetings, and my research journal. Findings indicate that participants benefited from the provided professional development and my leadership as a result of the intervention. Teachers applied the professional literature and used data to inform their instruction. Teacher collaboration was enhanced and teachers examined instructional practices. Lastly, my leadership enhanced teacher application of action research. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ed.D. Educational Leadership and Policy Studies 2011

abstract: Higher education institutions in the state of Arizona have experienced a reduction in government funding due to the economic challenges the state is facing combined with an ongoing national recession. Three higher education institutions studied are located in Phoenix, Arizona. The three higher education institutions are Phoenix College, Arizona State University and The University of Phoenix. An analysis of documents made public by each institution was conducted and high level administrators at each institution were interviewed to learn about revenue streams currently active and planned. The results of this set of analyses were presented to the leadership team of Phoenix College in a three-hour strategic planning and priority setting meeting. The action research study assisted Phoenix College administrators in gaining knowledge about and initiating action plans to increase revenue through entrepreneurial strategies. Increased funding is necessary to offset reductions in state aid and property tax revenues. Implementing entrepreneurial strategies to increase funding can promote self-reliance and flexibility and can mitigate the damage to institutional mission success that is threatened by reductions in traditional funding. The strategic planning and priority setting exercise conducted at Phoenix College produced three immediate outcomes: it informed the community of practice about entrepreneurial strategies to increase funding that are in use by higher education institutions located in greater Phoenix, Arizona; it influenced the community of practice to examine entrepreneurial revenue streams and; it committed the leadership team to pursuing and enlarging three additional revenue streams. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ed.D. Educational Leadership and Policy Studies 2011

This thesis investigated the development of the Global Standard for the Identification of Key Biodiversity Areas (KBA Standard), which is a new approach to identifying important sites for biodiversity. Key Biodiversity Areas are defined as sites contributing significantly to the global persistence of biodiversity. The KBA Standard was developed through a global stakeholder engagement process convened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Joint Task Force on Biodiversity and Protected Areas (IUCN Task Force). The engagement process included four main components: (i) technical workshops with subject experts; (ii) interviews and an online questionnaire with end-users; (iii) regional events with additional interested stakeholders; and (iv) an open online consultation where stakeholders were invited to review the draft KBA Standard. The aim of this thesis was to use an action research approach to work with the IUCN Task Force to analyse the end-user component of the global stakeholder engagement process. End-users were defined during the engagement process as those who lead or influence decision-making processes linked to mechanisms that secure biodiversity or that avoid biodiversity loss. The main objectives of this research were to: (i) clarify the purpose of engaging end-users by examining the use of normative, instrumental, and substantive rationales; (ii) use mixed methods to gain an understanding of end-users’ needs and concerns; (iii) categorise and analyse end-users’ needs and concerns by sector and region; (iv) assess the end-user engagement process through a summative evaluation; (v) examine how end-user input was used to inform the development of the KBA Standard; and (vi) develop a set of recommendations related to global end-user engagement practice. The analysis indicated that the IUCN Task Force used a blend of instrumental and substantive rationales to justify engaging end-users. Five main categories of end-user needs and concerns emerged from the analysis of the qualitative interview data: (i) the need for communication and local stakeholder engagement; (ii) the potential for the KBA Standard to either complement or conflict with existing approaches; (iii) the need for clarity regarding the scale at which KBAs can be identified (i.e. global, regional, and/or national); (iv) concerns about the implementation of the KBA Standard, including data availability, timeliness, and resources; and (v) comments about how KBAs inform decision-making, including management options, sustainable use, and prioritisation. These topics were examined in depth through the qualitative interviews and in breadth through the quantitative questionnaire. The results demonstrate a high level of convergence in opinion on many topics; however, four topics resulted in a divergence in opinion between end-users, including: (i) the scale at which KBAs are identified; (ii) the prioritisation of KBAs over other areas; (iii) whether KBA data should be made freely available; and (iv) whether development activities should be permitted in KBAs. These areas of divergence were analysed further by categorising end-user questionnaire responses by sector and region. The results have important implications for how end-users are identified, categorised, and engaged and highlight the complex and individual nature of end-users’ needs and concerns. The summative evaluation analysed the purpose, process, outputs, and outcomes against a typology of engagement and principles of good practice for international standard setting to reflect upon how end-users’ needs and concerns were integrated into the development of the KBA Standard. This indicated both the strengths and weaknesses of the engagement approaches used and informed the development of 11 recommendations to inform future similar processes. This thesis ultimately helps to bridge the gap between stakeholder engagement theory and practice and provides insight into the challenges and benefits of using a mixed methods action research approach to investigate a global stakeholder engagement process.