The push for educational reform in the province of Quebec, Canada has brought to the foreground many ideas about what needs to be done to improve the learning experience of students. While there has been some movement in the primary grade levels, change in the secondary level is still in its infancy. There are some teachers, however, in high schools who have been on the cutting edge of educational reform. The purpose of this study is to look at participation within a secondary classroom where the philosophy of the reform is being acted upon. The study, qualitative in design, is a type of ethnographic investigation of a teacher and students in a Grade VII language arts classroom. The classroom is a part of an exclusive program, namely the Alternative Learning Program, nested in a public high school in the Montreal area. / Using various means of data collection such as field notes and interviews, the researcher examines the various dimensions of participation as it unfolds in this particular classroom. The researcher identifies these dimensions as assigned and shared participation. The data suggests that dynamics beyond assigned and shared participation are also evident. The dynamics, identified as participative tone, contribute to student views of the uniqueness of this particular learning environment. To present a trustworthy description of what is observed, however, the investigator shows situations in which participation is not apparent. These situations are identified as participative resistance. The researcher deduces that participation and participative resistance need to be viewed as context-bound and are, in many respects, points on a continuum. / Attempts have been made in the research to allow the study participants to express their views. Through interviews, students share in their own words what participation means to them. Their words add depth to understanding of what student participation is. The study suggests that notions of the child-centered or student-centered classroom, while commendable, are not necessarily an aspiration to strive for. / The study affirms that the teacher plays a key position in the classroom environment. The study begins by showing the various roles that the teacher assumes in her daily practice. Views of the teacher are presented along with perceptions of the students and the researcher to determine the various roles played out in this site. The study concludes that the teacher conducts her practice by exceeding the boundaries of her roles so identified. / The study shows that the classroom does not stand in isolation, but is subject to various influences from the school, as well as the community at large. The researcher identifies these influences as context and conditions using another site as a point of reference. The secondary sight brings clarity to what the researcher observes. The researcher concludes that in addition to communal influences, learning in the primary site takes place under the banner of what is defined as an arts-oriented curriculum. The arts-oriented curriculum contributes to the sense of community in the classroom. But data also suggest that the classroom does not always function as a community. In spite of the teacher's good intentions, tensions sometimes foster a competitive rather than collaborative spirit among the students.

No description available.

published_or_final_version / Curriculum Studies / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

This thesis investigated the relative extent to which traditional industrial arts objectives have been met in selected secondary schools in Delaware County, Indiana, as perceived by former secondary school industrial arts students.In addition, the thesis identified, based on the opinions of the respondents, which objectives should be emphasized in industrial arts at the secondary school level.A thirty-two-item questionnaire was used to collect data pertinent to the attainment of the objectives and their perceived order of importance. Tables were developed from the data analyzing the responses according to number and percentages on a four-point scale. Chi-square analysis was used to determine the significance of the findings at the .05 level.Over-all, the findings showed that the objectives studied had been met at acceptable, although varying, levels. Furthermore, the rank order of importance for the objectives as assigned by the respondents coincided very closely with their relative order of attainment as determined by the students' responses to the questionnaire.

The problem of this study is to determine if an industrial arts program can be developed to fit the needs of the Northwest High School Community.

The problem of this study was to develop a set of workable guidelines that could be implemented in the development of an industrial arts program for the superior high school student.

The primary purpose of the study was to identify major causes and subsequent effects of curriculum lag in industrial-technical education. The subsidiary purpose of the study was to compare hierarchical rankings of major causes of curriculum lag in industrial-technical education as perceived by superintendents, secondary school principals, and industrial-technical education teachers in Indiana public school systems.Usable data collected by questionnaire from 406 out of 540 sample subjects were computed to generate respective rank hierarchies of selected twenty causes of curriculum lag in industrial-technical programs. Decisions about two Null Hypotheses were made at 0.05 level by use of multivariate, univariate, and chi-square analyses.Findings1. Superintendents, principals, and industrial-technical teachers were in agreement that three most severe causes of curriculum lag in Indiana secondary industrial-technical programs were inadequate funding, outdated laboratory equipment, and lack of in-service training for industrial-technical teachers.2. Ninety percent agreement occurred between the three respondent groups on ten most severe or ten least severe causes of curriculum lag in Indiana secondary industrial-technical programs.3. As perceived by teachers, inadequate funding and lack of in-service training opportunities affected school corporations with smaller enrollments than school corporations with larger figures.4. There were no significant differences between sizes of school corporations and causes of curriculum lag in industrial-technical programs as perceived by school administrators.5. Items involving structuring of courses, students' interest to study, and evaluation process were ranked as three least severe problem's in industrial-technical education. Sixty-seven percent agreement occurred between the respondent groups in ranking the last three severe problems.Conclusions1. Indiana public high schools are not funded for industrial-technical programs.2. Indiana industrial-technical education teachers are not offered opportunities to improve already acquired skills through in-service training programs.3. Industrial-technical programs are taught with outdated equipment in Indiana secondary schools.4. Lack of funds and in-service training for industrial-technical teachers affected smaller school corporations more than larger school corporations.Additional observations made during the study were presented.

Teachers are the primary implementers of a curriculum as they need to bring the curriculum to life in the classroom. In order to optimize the success of the implementation of a specific curriculum, it is necessary to monitor the experiences of the educator in the classroom and in drawing conclusions from the data gained, make recommendations for the continued improvement of implementation. As mentioned earlier, Fullan’s reference (1991:117) to the significant effect of teachers thoughts on the implementation gave rise to the central research question, namely to determine teachers’ perceptions about the implementation of the Arts and Culture learning area at a particular school ‘Perceptions’ however, is a subjective concept and thus any form of quantitative research would appear to be inappropriate. Based on the above it was decided to approach this investigation qualitatively and so this project was done within the qualitative paradigm.

The purpose of this study is to determine whether or not the present industrial arts program adequately serves the interests, aptitudes, and needs of the students enrolled in the industrial arts courses in Denton Senior High School.

No description available.