This qualitative study focused on some of the factors and dynamics which may be affecting the self-concept and ensuing self-esteem of adolescents in a congregated high school program for academically gifted students. Interview data revealed that although students reflected positively on the opportunity to be with other students who had similar abilities and interests, and although they formed their closest friendships with other gifted students, they perceived social acceptance to be more difficult for them than for age-peers not identified as gifted. This was particularly evident in female responses. The gifted students appeared to have a strong sense of instrumentality and accepted decision-making as primarily their own responsibility, but they felt powerless to make pertinent decisions within the school and were therefore frustrated. Many of them also had diminished feelings of usefulness or helpfulness once enrolled in the gifted program. With regard to the increased level of competition, the findings were divided by gender. Most of the males enjoyed or accepted the competition but most of the females expressed active dislike for it and/or opted out of the competitiveness within the gifted program. They emphasized the crucial role that teachers and other school professionals play in affecting their present and future achievements, attitudes and decision-making. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

The differential response of peer-nominated aggressive-disruptive and sensitive-isolated preadolescents to social skills training was investigated. In addition, two forms of intervention were compared: diagnosis-specific treatment (training tailored to the needs identified as characteristics of the particular diagnosis, aggressive or withdrawn) and crossover treatment (training tailored to the needs of the opposite diagnosis). Ninety low social status preadolescents were identified by screening 455 grade six students with self- and peer-ratings. Teacher ratings were then used to determine areas of specific skill deficit in the two populations of peer-nominated socially rejected preadolescents (aggressive-disruptive versus sensitive-isolated), and intervention programs were developed to address those deficits. Following diagnosis-specific treatment the peer-rated likeability and the social self-perception of both the aggressive-disruptive and the sensitive-isolated targets showed significant improvement. These improvements were effectively maintained at follow-up by the aggressive-disruptive targets but not by the sensitive-isolates. Similarly, following diagnosis-specific treatment, the peer-rated aggression score of the aggressive-disruptive targets, and the peer-rated social withdrawal score of the sensitive-isolated targets improved (i.e., diminished) significantly. Both groups effectively maintained these changes at follow-up. Crossover treatment effects were significantly weaker. Neither the peer-rated aggression sore of the aggressive-disruptive targets nor the peer-rated social withdrawal score of the sensitive-isolated targets changed significantly following crossover treatments. As well, while significant improvements were recorded immediately following crossover treatment in the peer-rated likeability of the aggressive-disruptive targets, and in the social self-perception of the sensitive-isolates, in neither case were the changes maintained to follow-up. The findings indicated that the benefits derived in social skills training were largely maintained at one year follow-up, despite the change of setting and peer group. Further, the results provide support for the hypothesis that subgroups of socially rejected preadolescents benefit differentially from social skills training. Support for tailoring intervention to meet the needs of these subgroups remains somewhat more tentative but nonetheless is evident. As well, the findings suggest that social withdrawal may be more refractory to intervention than studies conducted with younger participants with this diagnosis would suggest. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

Cette these de mai trise a pour objet l'etude de l'ecole, de la democratie et de l'identite, et plus particulierement le cas de l'ecole francophone au N.-B. Il s'agissait de voir dans quelle mesure l'ecole constitue un lieu privilegie pour le developpement democratique. L'approche theorique considere que l'ecole occupe une place centrale dans la societe et doit ainsi contribuer au developpement democratique. Un modele ideal d'education democratique a donc ete elabore afin d'analyser le contexte scolaire neobrunswickois. C'est a partir de ce modele que les categories d'analyse suivantes ont ete elaborees: les objectifs de l'education, la distribution de l'education, la gestion du pluralisme et la repartition de l'autorite. Ces categories ont permis de faire l'analyse de contenu de deux types de donnees. D'une part, la Loi sur l'education (1997) du N.-B. a ete analysee afin de degager le modele d'education propose par l'Etat. D'autre part, le discours de francophones impliques dans le domaine scolaire a ete recueilli par le biais d'entretiens semi-diriges afin d'analyser le modele d'education retrouve au sein de la societe civile francophone. En general, l'analyse du discours a montre qu'il existe une preoccupation en ce qui concerne le role de l'ecole dans le developpement democratique. Ces resultats ont aussi montre qu'il existe une tension entre l'Etat et la societe civile acadienne en ce qui concerne le moyen d'y parvenir. L'Etat favorise surtout la centralisation au nom de la qualite de l'education, de l'uniformite et de l'egalite des chances. Les francophones semblent davantage preoccupes par la sauvegarde de leur identite et desirent un plus grand pouvoir en matiere d'education.

In the 1980's, education sector studies emerged as a predominant approach to policy analysis by most donor agencies involved in the identification and design of policy measures for education sector adjustment programs in Sub-Saharan African countries. International donor agencies often used a "technocratic approach" in the conduct of these studies, exercising excessive control and allowing for little indigenous participation in the policy analysis process. Limited indigenous participation in and appropriation of education sector studies became identified as an obstacle to improved education policy implementation. The "participatory approach" to development was soon adopted by some donor agencies as a means to build educational research and policy analysis capacity in Sub-Saharan African countries. This study examined a set of ten donor supported education sector studies undertaken between 1990 and 1994 in Sub-Saharan African countries, determined the extent of indigenous participation and identified the conditionalisites that explain its presence or absence. In general, the research findings indicated that the practice of education sector analysis fell far short of the rhetoric which had embraced the need for increased indigenous participation. Constraints within donor agencies were traced to the administrative procedures and incentives related to project funding and disbursement pressures, while those in Sub-Saharan countries were linked to nascent democratic values and systems of governance, lack of political leadership and a public service life with inter-ministerial conflict and self-interest.

The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of process of communication between coaches and athletes. Considered a critical element of the coaching-learning process, communication has rarely been studied as it occurs in the field and has nearly always been examined from the point of view of the coach. Yet in every model of communication the sender and the receiver are considered equally important thus this study investigated both the coaches' and the athletes' perceptions of the communication process using a qualitative approach. The participants were six female members of a junior national ski team, aged 17 to 19 years old, and their two male coaches. Semi-structured interviews, non-participant observation, and journals were used to collect information, both in action and retrospectively. The first interviews, conducted just before the beginning of the competitive season, established that both coaches and athletes believed in open, two-way communication. Subsequent observation revealed that despite their philosophy, once the competitive season began, the coaches and athlete had trouble at times interacting according to this philosophy. In an effort to deepen understanding concerning the process of communication it was decided to analyze some of these problem interactions, with the use of a model of communication proposed for coaching. Issues that emerged from the data included; how coaches and athletes in this transitional period between youth sport and mature elite athletics share the roles of initiator and receiver, injury recovery, pressure to perform, power differentials, and the participants views of the importance of a positive atmosphere, hard work, and fun. Practical suggestions for the education of coaches and implications for sport psychology consultants are presented.

The present study examined the impact of cultural background on the epistemic orientation of university students. A sample of undergraduate students drawn from two Canadian universities (N = 540) were compared with a sample drawn from two universities in Lebanon (N = 663). Epistemic orientation was operationalized in terms of the two selected instruments. The Knowledge Accessing Modes Inventory (KAMI) (Rancourt, 1988) measures the three epistemic modes: Rational, Empirical, and Noetic. The Gregorc Style Delineator (GSD) (Gregorc, 1982) provides measures for four stylistic preferences: Concrete Sequential, Abstract Sequential, Abstract Random, and Concrete Random. The GSD was used to provide corroborative support for KAMI's three modes from a somewhat different epistemic perspective. On the basis of previous scholarly analyses and cross-cultural comparative research, it was hypothesized that: (1) the Arab sample is more rational than the Canadian sample as measured alternatively by KAMI's Rational mode, by GSD's Abstract Sequential scale, or by the combination of both; (2) the Canadian sample is more empirical than the Arab sample as measured alternatively by KAMI's Empirical mode, by GSD's Concrete Sequential scale, or by the combination of both; (3) the Canadian sample is more noetic than the Arab sample as measured alternatively by KAMI's Noetic mode, by GSD's Concrete Random, by GSD's Abstract Random, or by the combination of KAMI's Noetic with each of the two latter GSD scales; and (4) the dominant epistemic modes in each of the fields of specialization in both samples are consistent with those indicated in previous research. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, z-tests and correlational analysis. The results, confirmed three (one partially) of the four hypotheses. The Arab sample was found to be more 'rational' on all three scales: the Rational mode of KAMI, the Abstract Sequential scale of GSD and by their combination. The hypothesis of Canadians having a higher proportion of 'empiricals' was not confirmed. The hypothesis of Canadian sample having a higher proportion of noetics was only confirmed by the Abstract Random scale of GSD. In addition, the results indicated that epistemic differences related to gender were, on the whole, consistent with previous research: males were higher on the Rational and Empirical modes and females were higher on the Noetic Mode. Gender differences, on the whole, also reflected the differences hypothesized in the first three hypotheses: Arab males and females were more rational, less empirical and less noetic than their Canadian counterparts. Engineering, sciences, social sciences, business, and health sciences students indicated a Rational dominant mode which was consistent with previous research. Also, as expected, fine arts students indicated a Noetic dominant mode. It was also found that the similar scales of KAMI and GSD were correlated. The Rational and Noetic modes of KAMI were related with the Abstract Sequential and Abstract Random scales of GSD respectively. The correlation between Empirical and Concrete Sequential scale of GSD was low. A low correlation was found between the Noetic mode of KAMI and the Concrete Random scale of GSD. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

In the field of comparative education, studies of school systems in the developing world can yield interesting and useful knowledge both for the enhancement of reform efforts there, and the understanding of education everywhere. Many case studies exist of attempts to plan and implement educational change. However few of these are integrated within comprehensive frameworks. Consequently there is limited scope for comparison among cases. This study examines four cases of planned educational change--two in Zimbabwe and two in Kenya. The four cases are examined within two theoretical perspectives: the management perspective and the world systems perspective. The former emphasizes the primacy of appropriate management of educational reform in such areas as decentralized administration and contingency analysis. The latter centres on the role of political dynamics such as the fragility of the state and notions of societal progress within the world system, and the effects these have on educational reform. This study undertakes two levels of analysis. At one level it assesses to what extent each of the reforms achieved their stated goals. At a second level it offers a comparison of the two theoretical perspectives in an attempt to assess which perspective provides a more comprehensive understanding of the dynamics and outcomes of the planned educational change in East Africa. Historical descriptive analysis of the cases elucidates many constraints to planned educational change in Kenya and Zimbabwe, both administrative and political. Although both perspectives are valuable in understanding educational reform, the world systems perspective offers a more comprehensive framework for understanding the key political and economic dynamics that the management perspective does not. These findings have implications for scholars, administrators and policy makers.

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