This thesis covers the history of education in Alaska, the federal school system, the territorial school system, the University of Alaska, Alaska's teachers, and the future of Alaskan education.

This paper is a description and examination of an Academic Enrichment Program for students from a Bureau of Indian Affairs Day School in Stebbins, Alaska. Sixty Eskimo students travelled to Beaverton, Oregon in the winter of 1975, accompanied by their teachers and by village representatives. They were enrolled in Beaverton schools for a six-week period, and participated in a program designed to acquaint them with aspects of American culture previously known to them only through their textbooks. The major emphasis here is on description of the interface between two cultural systems. While there is an attempt to identify the problems inherent in a program of this sort, this is not an evaluation of the program. The data reported here was obtained by participant observation in many aspects of the program. Students were observed in the classroom, on field trips, in play situations, and in the homes in which they stayed during their visit. Background information is included on the cultural milieus of the two participating communities. Students in the program encountered several types of problems during the course of the program. Areas where differing cultural orientations contributed to misunderstandings between the Alaskan students and their hosts included the following: 1) perception of time 2) perception of spatial boundaries 3) discipline of children 4) communication styles 5) food sharing 6) sleeping habits. In the final chapter, suggestions are offered for changes which might help to ease the problems of adjustment for participants in future programs.

The major focus of this study is the effect of formal education on individuals, communities, cultural traditions and values on Siberian Yupik Eskimos of Alaska. The first school on St. Lawrence Island (Sivuqaq), Alaska was founded in 1899 under the direction of Sheldon Jackson. The formal school curriculum for the next thirty years was secretarian. Upon the initial operation of formal schooling on the island, various other forms of schools have impacted the islanders of St. Lawrence. Chapter two is an overview of the background of education in Alaska from its beginning as a territory to its present status as the 49th state in the United States. Chapter three presents the history of formal schooling on St. Lawrence Island. Chapters two and three contain descriptions of various other forms of schooling within the state (i.e. Bureau of Indian Affairs, mission, state-owned) and when and how these forms either existed on the island or had an impact upon its villagers. Chapter four discusses the methodology utilized in conducting the research and fieldwork for this study. Research findings are discussed in chapter five and include verbatim transcriptions of interviews with villagers. These interviews are unedited in order for readers to draw their own conclusions regarding the study. The interviews included in this written finding are representative of interviews taken. Chapter six discusses conclusions gleaned over the course of this study and recommends further areas of study.

This case study examines some of the cultural and educational implications of the intersection of a Western world view and a Yupiaq world view in a remote Yupiaq Eskimo village on the Kuskokwim River in southwestern Alaska. The study examines how the contemporary Yupiaq people have adapted their belief system, educational practices and subsistence lifestyle to accommodate a mix of Western and indigenous cultural traditions and technologies. It involves the documentation of Yupiaq practices in a traditional fish camp and science education in a school setting. The most important vehicle for data gathering was the role of participant-observer, because it was congruent with the way Yupiaq people learn. In addition to patient observation, emphasis was placed on document analysis, informal conversations, and interviews as the primary sources of data from the fieldwork. The study addresses the aspirations of Yupiaq people for self-determination and self-reliance by providing a pedagogical framework which attempts to meld Western and Yupiaq knowledge generation and use, based on the data gathered in the field. Special attention is given to the generation and application of scientific knowledge in a manner suited to the maintenance of Yupiaq cultural traditions and world view in a contemporary world.

This case study examines some of the cultural and educational implications of the intersection of a Western world view and a Yupiaq world view in a remote Yupiaq Eskimo village on the Kuskokwim River in southwestern Alaska. The study examines how the contemporary Yupiaq people have adapted their belief system, educational practices and subsistence lifestyle to accommodate a mix of Western and indigenous cultural traditions and technologies. It involves the documentation of Yupiaq practices in a traditional fish camp and science education in a school setting. The most important vehicle for data gathering was the role of participant-observer, because it was congruent with the way Yupiaq people learn. In addition to patient observation, emphasis was placed on document analysis, informal conversations, and interviews as the primary sources of data from the fieldwork. The study addresses the aspirations of Yupiaq people for self-determination and self-reliance by providing a pedagogical framework which attempts to meld Western and Yupiaq knowledge generation and use, based on the data gathered in the field. Special attention is given to the generation and application of scientific knowledge in a manner suited to the maintenance of Yupiaq cultural traditions and world view in a contemporary world. / Education, Faculty of / Curriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department of / Graduate

This study examined the use of cognitive skills by 5-year-old Alaskan Native children on a standardized testing instrument. The Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scales of Intelligence (WPPSI) were administered to 23 boys and 17 girls of predominantly Tlingit, Tsimshean, and Haida ancestry. A standardized parent interview was used to collect bio-demographic data. Mean scores for the sample displayed significant differences between the Performance and Verbal scales, with the strongest performance in the Spatial subtests, and lowest in the Sequential subtests. Scores were significantly associated with variables representing culture-specific self identity and behavior, but were most strongly associated with family size. Factor Analysis suggested a distinct three factor structure consisting of (1) a Performance-Spatial, (2) a Verbal-Semantic, and (3) a Sequential factor. Variability in the use of cognitive skills, non-verbal behavior, and selective attention are viewed as unique cultural adaptations which can impede interethnic communication, creating negative outcomes in the education of American Indian and Alaskan Native children.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate Core5, a computer-assisted instruction (CAI) programme, on developing early literacy skills in struggling kindergartners and providing enrichment for high achieving kindergartners. Conducted through the positivist research paradigm, the research design of this study is a quantitative quasi-experimental non-equivalent control group pretest-posttest design using the probes AIMSweb Letter Name Fluency (LNF), AIMSweb Letter Sound Fluency (LSF), MAP K-2 Early Literacy, as well as a questionnaire regarding teacher perceptions of Core5 and its implementation in the classroom. This study used convenience sampling instead of probability sampling since many schools already use Core5. Fifteen schools in the Matanuska Susitna Borough School District was the target population. The sample group comprised of 751 kindergartners, aged five to six-year-olds divided into the treatment group, the partial treatment group, and the control group. Posttest analysis of LNF and LSF data confirmed all three groups made gains from the pretest, but an ANOVA indicated there was a significant difference between the three groups. A Bonferroni post hoc test determined the treatment group and the partial treatment group were significantly different from the control group. The posttest analysis of MAP K-2 Early Literacy data indicated that all three groups made gains from the pretest. An ANOVA suggested there was no significant difference between the three groups. Lastly, the end-of-year Core5 levels were correlated to the benchmark scores on LNF, LSF and MAP K-2 Early Literacy probes using Pearson’s r. The teacher questionnaire indicated that a majority of teachers have a favourable view of Core5, which is vital to the implementation of Core5 because their attitude is also a significant predictor of student use in the classroom. The findings indicate that Core5 is an effective CAI program to use as part of the kindergarten ELA curriculum. The findings also add to the volume of research on Core5, CAI programmes and blended learning. / English Studies / D. Litt. et Phil. (English)