This study offers a hermeneutic phenomenological inquiry into the experiences of Malaysian parents who selected an international education for their children. Data collection was conducted at one international school in Kuala Lumpur, and consisted of both a survey and interviews. The study focused on parents’ own educational background and experiences, their expectations and motivations for selecting an international school, factors affecting school choice, and attitudes to cultural and self-identities within the context of international education. Findings suggest that Malaysian parents from different age groups as well as varying ethnic and linguistic backgrounds had similar motivations for sending their children to an international school. From the data analysis, three themes emerged: aspirational priorities, discouraging influences, and enabling factors. By scaffolding my examination within the theory of reproduction in education and notions of social and cultural capital, I examined how multiple forms of economic, cultural, and social capital are recognized and mobilized in the search for a quality education in an increasingly globalized market. I conclude that Malaysian parents in this study chose an international school for their children based on experiences forged in four spheres of influence: individual, social, national, and global. / Thesis (Master, Education) -- Queen's University, 2010-06-30 07:36:19.755

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / Moral values are a key element in the development of good character and good citizenship, and they are the focus of this study which examines the values and beliefs and attitudes of students at an international high school. The purpose was to determine if their values reflect good character and good citizenship, and the un iversal core values of tolerance, compassion, and concern for the welfare of others. Other factors of particular interest in this study are nationality, culture, gender, religion, length of stay at the international school, and the effect of the international school experience on international awareness and understanding. A survey questionnaire and one-on-one student interviews provided the quantitative and qualitative data for this study. Although the findings revealed that there are contradictions and inconsistencies in the values and beliefs of ind ividual students, particularly with regard to tolerance and compassion, the find ings also indicate that the students share a large group of traditional moral values which reflect good character and good citizenship. In addition, almost all of the students indicated that the experience of being at the international school helped them to understand and to appreciate people from other countries and cultures. There were also differences in student values, bel iefs and attitudes based on nationality and culture, gender, religious beliefs, and length of stay at the international school. According to the findings, length of stay at the international school may have the least effect overall on the values, beliefs and attitudes of the students. The most significant differences concern nationality and culture, gender, and religious principles to inform right and wrong behavior. Educators concerned with student values and character education in culturally diverse educational settings may find it worthwhile to examine the values and beliefs of international school students. Because of their emphasis on positive intercultural relations based on cooperation, respect, responsibility to the community, compassion and concern for the welfare of others, tolerance, and cultural awareness and understanding -all facets of good character and good citizenship- international schools could provide educators in America's culturally diverse schools with an alternative way of looking at multicultural education. / 2031-01-01

Thesis (M.A.)--Ohio State University, 2009. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 89-94).

published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / The purpose of this study was to determine the level of parental support for school-based sexuality education in a Colombian international school and discover the most popular method, among parents, for teaching the subject, whether through a comprehensive, abstinence-only, or abstinence plus approach. Another objective was to determine parental support for the teaching of specific topics in the sexuality education curriculum and identify the age levels that parents felt were appropriate for the introduction of those topics. A third goal was to find out how parents viewed themselves as sexuality educators in the home and how they perceived their peers. In order to determine the attitudes of parents regarding school-based sexuality education, a parent survey was conducted. The first section of the survey presented parents with a variety of scenarios related to three different approaches to school-based sexuality education. The parents selected the approach that best reflected their views and attitudes toward the subject and most appropriately presented the material to students. The second section of the survey offered parents an array of sexuality education topics and asked them to choose the appropriate age level for the introduction of each topic into the sexuality education curriculum. The third section of the survey asked parents to evaluate themselves and their peers as sexuality educators in the home. Parents were also asked to list three activities in which they enjoyed participating with their children. The research indicated that of the 206 parents surveyed, 49% supported a comprehensive approach to sexuality education, 40% backed an abstinence-plus approach, and 3% supported an abstinence-only approach. Parental support was given for the inclusion of a wide variety of topics in the sexuality education curriculum, with most of the subjects being introduced at the middle school level. Most parents viewed themselves as effective sexuality educators in the home, while criticizing their peers for not having the same open communication with their own children. Chi-square tests of significance revealed correlations between parental gender, frequency of church attendance, and preference for a specific approach to sexuality education. / 2031-01-02

Existing research shows the importance of teacher professional development and that decisions regarding professional development in schools lie with administrators. However, while studies have been conducted on the need for administrators fostering professional development in schools in the USA, there appears to be limited research on administrator views of professional development in international school environments. The purpose of this study was to consider views of administrators in international schools regarding professional development activities. Using a mixed methods sequential explanatory design, a questionnaire followed by in-depth interviews, data was collected from a convenience and purposive sample of administrators from international schools in Europe, Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East so as to explore and provide answers to the main research question: “What are the views of administrators on how professional development is planned, implemented, evaluated and resourced in international schools?” Findings from quantitative data indicated strong agreement that administrators should work collaboratively with teachers to determine the professional development needs of the school and that teachers should be involved in assessing professional development effectiveness. Analysis of qualitative data indicated the following themes: teachers are sent to conferences/workshops for professional development or content experts are brought to the school; decisions about professional development should align with school goals; professional development needs should be determined by teachers and administrators collaboratively; there are no significant professional development evaluation processes in place; 2% of the budget is standard allocation in schools for professional development and school boards approve the budget while administrators decide on allocation. By addressing the study’s purpose, this research seeks to contribute to the larger conversation on how administrator views on professional development in international schools can add knowledge to the limited research on effective avenues to professional development in the international school context.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / This study examined the influence of teachers' thoughts and beliefs on their use of computers in the classroom at an American international school during the 1995-1996 school year. Data was collected in the form of interviews with nine teachers, observations of teachers' classroom use of computers, and examination of written school records. Findings were presented through profiles of the nine teachers' thoughts and beliefs about computers and their computer use. Further analysis identified external factors that influenced their computer use. The study identified criteria teachers used to evaluate any use of the computer in their classrooms: - They would use computers if it was an improvement over what they were currently doing. - The software had to be relevant to their grade level or subject. - The use of the computer had to fit in with their teaching styles. - Use of the computer had to enrich the existing information and extend the skills of the students. - The curriculum had to mesh with the computer. The study also identified linkages between teachers' thoughts and beliefs and their computer use: - Teachers' thoughts and beliefs were formed through experiences using the computer as a teacher or as a student. - Teachers need to be intrinsically motivated to use computers. - Teachers used the computer in ways that supported their teaching styles and classroom practices. The study also found that teachers had thoughts and beliefs about contexts or people who may have influenced their decisions or actions about using computers. These are factors that can affect or cause teachers to develop thoughts and beliefs about using computers. These factors were long-range planning, access, support, external pressures, professional development, and time. Another group of findings provide the suggested guidelines for the forms of professional development that might be beneficial in improving the use of the computer. / 2031-01-01

The purpose of this study was to observe and document peer-mentoring and its function in music classes in The International School of Kuala Lumpur (ISKL). Specifically, this study examined the influence of peer-mentoring on the socialization of secondary international school children while documenting and analyzing the perception of the students, faculty, and administration of ISKL towards peer-mentoring. Qualitative methodology in the format of a case study that included interviews and observations was selected to examine the experiences and views of both students and faculty at ISKL in relation to peer mentoring in the music department. The researcher served as a participant researcher as he was employed by ISKL as an instrumental music instructor during the time of data collection. Results yielded by the study revealed a number of themes. Peer-mentoring occurred on the campus of ISKL both formally through the structures set in place by the instructors, and informally as students assisted classmates on their own initiative. There was limited administrative awareness of the mentoring taking place. Scheduling appeared to be a significant obstacle to the development of the program. The common instructional language of English and the eclectic nature of the school culture caused the linguistic and cultural variances to be less of a factor. One theme that emerged as the data was triangulated was the role that the transient nature of the school played in the peer-mentoring process, as there was significant turnover from year to year of both students and faculty at the school. Bonds formed between mentors and mentees relatively easily and quickly. Conversely, the short tenure of the music instructors involved hampered the development of the program, as they were no longer present to continue supporting the program.

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / Educational innovations, throughout history, have been largely due to the inspired vision and subsequent achievements of a single individual. One such pioneer is Mary Crist Fleming, an American woman, who, in 1955, travelled to Switzerland to run a summer program for a handful of students and then stayed on to found the first American boarding school in Europe, known as TASIS, The American School in Switzerland. With no financial backing, in a country where women had not yet been given the right to vote, she set up a program to offer young Americans the opportunity to enhance their education with the learning oflanguages at first-hand, and experience Europe's artistic and cultural heritage, in a setting chosen for its outstanding beauty. She is now in her ninety-fourth year. Through a series of interviews carried out over the past four years, aimed at describing and explaining this career, with its successes and failures, forms the basis for this dissertation. The lives of three other educational pioneers, the American Mary Lyon, the founder of Mount Holyoke College, the Italian Maria Montessori, creator of the Montessori Schools, and the German Kurt Hahn, who established a holistic style of education at his school in Salem, and later founded Gordonstoun in Scotland, are reviewed and comparisons made between them and Mary Crist Fleming. They all have a number of characteristics in common, which are discussed under three subheadings, namely, Heritage, Achievements, and Legacies. Heritage is essentially Mrs. Fleming's biography, from her childhood in America and her early education there, to her long career in the international arena. The section on Achievements explores those factors, which have been major influences in her life, as well as in the lives of the other three pioneers, including traditional values, social entrepreneurship, risk taking, and charismatic leadership. In the final section, Legacy, each of the four founders' legacies is explored in detail. / 2031-01-01

This study is a critical evaluation conducted by a Youth-led Participatory Action research team that has, over the course of five years, sought to investigate culturally responsive pedagogies in international schools populated with Third Culture Kids. Previous to this work, the youth researchers and I developed an interdisciplinary, choice and project-based honors program which we called the Small Learning Community. As such, this program became the object of and context for this review. We were guided by the question, What are, if any, the perceived learning benefits for students in the Small Learning Community?, and we sought to critically evaluate the program’s perceived impact on meaningful learning experiences, student agency, and transference of skills. We leveraged constructivist-oriented Grounded Theory—in part because of the value this approach assigns to emic knowledge—to examine interview transcripts of SLC participants. I then developed case studies and argue for pedagogical shifts in the international classroom that center more deliberately on (1) active participation, (2) the perception of new, (3) choice, (4) attention to process, (5) personal interest, and (6) social emotional learning, while addressing the need for more intentional and systematic practitioner research.