This study examines the value placed on learning and knowledge by innovative small and medium-sized computer service firms, using a framework for analysis adapted from intellectual capital (IC). Knowledge is conceived as a specialized and appreciable asset capable of being acquired, nurtured, developed, managed and commercially exploited. Emphasis is placed on evaluating the strategies and practices that drive company learning and knowledge transfer in smaller computer service companies with respect to developing and making use of the knowledge owned by employees, customers and the corporation. The study evaluates the extent to which short-term commercial objectives impose conceptual boundaries on particular forms of intellectual capital - skill development, experience and recurrent learning. Data is drawn from case studies and a broader, provincial sample of companies based in British Columbia with ten to one hundred employees. The study concludes that small and medium-sized computer service firms narrowly conceptualize and undervalue knowledge in the area of human resource development, where supporting learning processes and structures are often poorly developed. Companies place a premium value on new forms of knowledge with an obvious potential to improve the skills and experience necessary to support commercial products and services. In contrast, learning, knowledge and expertise related to professional development and more long-term organizational and/or career benefits are consistently and systematically marginalized. The study outlines limitations of the IC framework in terms of the intrinsic values attributed to sources and types of knowledge. Of particular concern is the importance attached to formalized, external relationships with customers and the undervaluing of knowledge with less obvious or potentially more long-term commercial value. Suggestions for using the framework in small and medium-sized computer firms include broadening the existing narrow focus of external knowledge sources to encompass the extensive network of business relationships companies exploit, while the undervaluing of knowledge found in professional development is countered by linking benefits to returns from specific, rather than generic commercial goals. Emphasis is placed on potential gains in efficiency and productivity offered by improvements to learning and organizational processes. / Education, Faculty of / Educational Studies (EDST), Department of / Graduate

Most scholars who have researched on missionaries in British Columbia have not taken gender into account. This dissertation narrates and analyzes the biographies of the two founding generations of the Sisters of Saint Ann and the Oblates of Mary Immaculate. It compares their origins in Quebec and Europe, their life histories, their experiences teaching school, and their formation of the next generation of their religious communities in British Columbia. The role of gender in shaping these individuals' lives and identities can be seen in each aspect of the comparison. Both the Oblates and the Sisters experienced the asymmetry of the female and male organizations within the larger church. Over time two Roman Catholic missionary systems evolved in British Columbia: the Sisters' system of educative and caring institutions for the peoples of the province and the Oblates modified reduction system for Aboriginal peoples, known in academic literature as the Durieu system. School teaching, particularly work in residential schools for Aboriginal children, linked the two systems. The French Oblate leaders aimed to masculinize the missions and feminize school teaching. The Canadian Sisters of Saint Ann, however, set most of the educational policies within both their own institutions and those they ran at Oblate Aboriginal missions. Case studies of Oblate brothers and Sisters of Saint Ann work as teachers in 1881 show that the nuns, as members of a separate religious congregation, could negotiate with the patriarchs of the Roman Catholic church, whereas the Oblate brothers could not. Such factors affected generational continuity. The Canadian sisterhood reproduced itself in the region as a local family 'dynasty,' whereas the French Oblate order did not. Taking gender into account in a study of pioneer missionaries in British Columbia does not simply reverse the standard history where the Oblates, as men, appear central, and the Sisters of Saint Ann, as women, appear on the margins. Rather the evidence of gender widens the range of discussion and increases awareness of the complexity of the province's social and educational history.

The major focus of this study is to explore, using the 1990 British Columbia Mathematics Assessment data at the Grade 7 level, gender differences in mathematics teachers' beliefs. As well, this study compared these differences to gender differences of students' beliefs found in the same data. The theoretical rationale for this study is based on a model devised by this researcher, namely the Modified Cognitively Guided Instruction (CGI) Research Model, which is the combination of the Cognitively Guided Instruction Research Model (Fennema, Carpenter, and Peterson, 1989) and the Autonomous Learning Behavior (ALB) Model (Fennema & Peterson, 1985). Two way ANOVA as well as planned comparisons (t-test) were used to investigate gender differences within and across a random sample of two status groups (teachers and students). The analysis of the data suggested several conclusions. First, male and female teachers are more similar than different with respect to their beliefs regarding the importance and difficulty of selected mathematics topics. And, Numbers and Operations was the only topic under study in which male and female teachers differed significantly. Male teachers rated Numbers and Operations more important than female teachers. Second, gender differences existed only in students' beliefs about the difficulty of Geometry, and Numbers and Operations. Female students, compared to male students, believe Geometry and Numbers and Operations more difficult. Third, the findings of this study show that the gender differences within each status group are similar. In addition, significant gender difference was found only in overall male's and female's (regardless of their status) beliefs about the importance of Numbers and Operations. Males rated Numbers and Operations significantly more important than females. Further research which directly investigates gender differences in teachers' beliefs and students' beliefs is suggested, as well as further research into relationships between gender differences in teachers' and students' beliefs.

Six First Nations women artists tell their stories about learning their art and culture. Previous research has paid little attention to the learning experiences of First Nation women artists. Ethnographic research methods were used in this qualitative study. Field research included video and audio recorded intensive open-ended interviews with three Coastal Salish women from Sechelt, British Columbia, and three Cree women from Pukatawagan, Manitoba, as they tel l how essential learning and teaching, art and culture are to them, their children and their communities. This study shows that there is a need for curricular reform and teacher education reform so that the school experiences for First Nations students will reflect and be sensitive to their histories, traditions and overall cultural identities. From testimonies presented in this thesis, it is evident that effective teaching of relevant cultural art content that results in meaningful learning leads to increased self knowledge, confidence and pride.

Research indicates that the limited communication between English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers and parents is a serious problem confronting educators. However, no serious study has been done to date on ESL parent-teacher communication that adequately recognizes the problematic nature of such communication and that approaches the discourse data from a functional linguistic perspective. This study investigates the communication processes between ESL teachers and Chinese immigrant parents (chiefly from Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Mainland China) through a focal communication event, ESL Parents' Night, when they discuss their views of an ESL program in particular and the education of immigrant adolescent students in general. The study falls within the theoretical perspectives of learning organization, negotiation of intercultural conflict in a multilingual situation, language socialization, and sociocultural views of activity. Data were collected by multiple methods: 1) observations of twelve ESL department planning meetings and three annual Parents' Nights, 2) individual interviews of teachers and bilingual assistants who acted as intermediaries between teachers and parents, and 3) a focus group discussion. Specifically, the methodology combines qualitative research approaches and discourse analysis. Results indicate that teachers viewed the ESL program positively whereas many parents perceived it negatively. Teachers and parents were deeply divided both by what and how they were discussing at Parents' Night. This 'double difference' creates a major difficulty for intercultural negotiation of conflict, and preconditions aiding dialogue and negotiation become vitally important. Noting variation in interaction in different parts of Parents' Night, the study discusses various conditions that may have promoted or hindered the intercultural negotiation of these conflicts. The researcher's analysis of the difficulties of communication between Chinese parents and Canadian teachers at Parents' Night demonstrates less a solution to intercultural conflict than a need for continuous negotiation between the two cultural groups. Implications of this research include the need to expand the boundaries of language socialization theory to give a greater role to reflective processes, and learning organization theory to include multilingual and multicultural issues. It also provides practical suggestions for improving intercultural communication between parents and teachers in the interest of adolescent ESL learners frequently caught between conflicting sets of attitudes and expectations.

U.B.C. as well as many secondary schools in Vancouver have invested in the potential of technology. Research reveals, however, that even when there is sufficient access, far too many English teachers are not effectively using technology as a learning &/ or teaching resource. Perhaps this is because they are not equipped with the necessary skills to effectively use technology in the classroom. This three month study explores how three English teachers at an urban secondary school in Vancouver are presently experiencing the use of technology in their classrooms. Qualitative methods were used to generate, analyze and report data. Data collection included formal and informal discussions, interviews, extensive field notes and the observation of classes. This study discloses the factors which have most significantly facilitated and inhibited the implementation of technology in these teachers' teaching contexts. This research also provides an account of these teachers' perspectives of how the B.Ed, program at U.B.C. can equip pre-service teachers for the challenges and potential of integrating technology into secondary English classrooms.

Significant changes to the British Columbia's educational system have been caused by new curriculums that are based on a resource-based learning and teaching model. The Ministry of Education evaluates learning resources and allocates funding to support the acquisition of learning resources at the district and school level. Learning resources selected for classroom use are to support the Principles of Learning: • learning requires the active participation of the student; • people learn in a variety of ways and at different rates; • learning is both an individual and a group process. The Ministry recommends that schools have a Learning Resource Committee to develop a school vision for learning resources, evaluate current school resources, establish selection priorities, evaluate resources and make recommendations for purchase, and identify learning resource management systems. A survey of Vancouver elementary and secondary schools indicates that 41% of the schools have Learning Resource Committees, but that their activities rarely include all the recommendations of the Ministry. The survey shows that only 25% of the Committees have an established procedure for selecting learning resources. This study includes an analysis of Learning Resources Committees at two secondary and one elementary school where interviews were done with administrators, teacher-librarians, teachers and staff assistants provide a picture of how learning resources are selected and managed and their impact on resource-based learning and teaching. This study found that systems for selecting and managing learning resources are in the developmental stage as teachers move from primarily print formats to a broad range of print and non-print learning resources.

Six First Nations women artists tell their stories about learning their art and culture. Previous research has paid little attention to the learning experiences of First Nation women artists. Ethnographic research methods were used in this qualitative study. Field research included video and audio recorded intensive open-ended interviews with three Coastal Salish women from Sechelt, British Columbia, and three Cree women from Pukatawagan, Manitoba, as they tel l how essential learning and teaching, art and culture are to them, their children and their communities. This study shows that there is a need for curricular reform and teacher education reform so that the school experiences for First Nations students will reflect and be sensitive to their histories, traditions and overall cultural identities. From testimonies presented in this thesis, it is evident that effective teaching of relevant cultural art content that results in meaningful learning leads to increased self knowledge, confidence and pride. / Education, Faculty of / Curriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department of / Graduate

The major focus of this study is to explore, using the 1990 British Columbia Mathematics Assessment data at the Grade 7 level, gender differences in mathematics teachers' beliefs. As well, this study compared these differences to gender differences of students' beliefs found in the same data. The theoretical rationale for this study is based on a model devised by this researcher, namely the Modified Cognitively Guided Instruction (CGI) Research Model, which is the combination of the Cognitively Guided Instruction Research Model (Fennema, Carpenter, and Peterson, 1989) and the Autonomous Learning Behavior (ALB) Model (Fennema & Peterson, 1985). Two way ANOVA as well as planned comparisons (t-test) were used to investigate gender differences within and across a random sample of two status groups (teachers and students). The analysis of the data suggested several conclusions. First, male and female teachers are more similar than different with respect to their beliefs regarding the importance and difficulty of selected mathematics topics. And, Numbers and Operations was the only topic under study in which male and female teachers differed significantly. Male teachers rated Numbers and Operations more important than female teachers. Second, gender differences existed only in students' beliefs about the difficulty of Geometry, and Numbers and Operations. Female students, compared to male students, believe Geometry and Numbers and Operations more difficult. Third, the findings of this study show that the gender differences within each status group are similar. In addition, significant gender difference was found only in overall male's and female's (regardless of their status) beliefs about the importance of Numbers and Operations. Males rated Numbers and Operations significantly more important than females. Further research which directly investigates gender differences in teachers' beliefs and students' beliefs is suggested, as well as further research into relationships between gender differences in teachers' and students' beliefs. / Education, Faculty of / Curriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department of / Graduate

This paper examined the apparent effects of residential schools on the child-rearing patterns of Natives who attended these schools. Evidence came from the literature and from three interviews with persons who attended residential schools -- one male elder and two females, who answered four open-ended questions. The findings suggest that this type of educational experience caused psychological and cultural losses in self-esteem, child-rearing patterns, and Native Indian language. New and different behaviours had.to be learned by the children in middle childhood to cope and exist in a parentless environment where no feelings of love or care were demonstrated by the caretakers and the speaking of Cree and other Native languages was forbidden. Values and skills taught by Native parents/elders, and essential for survival in Native society, lost their importance in residential schools; the Native language was not taught to subsequent generations; and the separation of siblings by sex and age created strangers in families. These experiences will presumably be transmitted in some form to the next generation, thereby affecting the way Natives view themselves. To restore confidence in themselves and respect for essential patterns of child-rearing the process of healing is vital and recommended. / Education, Faculty of / Educational Studies (EDST), Department of / Graduate