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This study examined the experiences of Aboriginal students at a university in Manitoba in terms of what supports kept them registered and what institutional factors contributed to their success. The aim of this research was to inform educators, administrators, and students of the needs of Aboriginal learners at the post-secondary level and what supports and experiences fostered these learners’ success. This research included the gathering of data from eight Aboriginal students who were registered in undergraduate university programs in Manitoba. The findings suggest that Aboriginal students who are assisted with setting clear academic and career goals prior to post-secondary enrollment, are provided with adequate academic preparation before entering post-secondary studies, are able to access the specialized approaches and supports currently available, and are able to form meaningful and reciprocal relationships with faculty and peers at university or college are more likely to succeed. The conclusions of the study are two: (1) that advisement dialogue prior to enrollment and upon registration needs to be expanded; and (2) that Aboriginal students must be provided with increased opportunities to develop self-esteem, confidence, and a sense of belonging.

Outdoor adventure programming is a diverse field of study with multiple scopes of practice. Outdoor adventure literature often focuses on the risk management of participants’ physical safety. There is a lack of focus on participants’ emotional safety which is important in many areas of practice, and predominantly when working with youth. Outdoor adventure programs hire staff with technical skills training, and post-secondary education programs provide such training. Child and youth care is a post-secondary degree that provides graduates with skills to work alongside youth in a variety of settings and contexts. Content analysis was used to examine the intersection and alignment of outdoor adventure and child and youth care post-secondary education programs by analyzing five upper year required courses. The results show that child and youth care students are receiving explicit interpersonal skills training, which the outdoor adventure literature states is important. This study provides insight into what components of outdoor adventure youth work are important for students to learn, and insight on how to enhance education and knowledge for front-line workers. / Graduate

A growing number of interior design stakeholders believe that increased levels of research will lead to the legitimization of the profession, an expanded and specialized body of knowledge, professional recognition, disciplinary status, and sustainability of the profession. Despite the potential importance of research in the profession, few strategies exist for how research can have a more effective role within interior design. The main purposes of this study were to provide a strategy for incorporating research into interior design, and provide educators with information about how interior design programs could utilize the strategy. The qualitative study was based on a triangulated research design that included: (a) semi-structured telephone interviews with 29 participants (11 from educational institutions, 14 from professional practice, and 5 from professional organizations); (b) the collection of documents from all study participants; and (c) a case study, conducted over a five day period, within a professional practice firm in the United States. The study findings provide insight into the perceptions held by educators, practitioners, and members of professional organizations about research, and research in interior design specifically. These perceptions, combined with other information, led to the Theoretical Framework for Research in Interior Design. Consisting of three distinct, but interconnected, cultures: (a) design, (b) research, and (c) knowledge management, the Framework explains who, what, when, where, why, how, and with what consequences research is conducted, translated, used, and disseminated in interior design. The implications of the Framework for post-secondary interior design education programs suggest that first-professional undergraduate programs could focus on interior design, first-professional masters programs could focus on knowledge management, and post-professional masters and Ph.D. programs could focus on research. This arrangement would provide each level of post-secondary education and each program type with a specific focus, and would provide the discipline with a range of graduates capable of taking on a variety of roles within professional firms, educational institutions, professional organizations, industry, or government. Overall, the Framework provides a strategy for ensuring that the interior design profession retains its design identity, and expands and capitalizes on its research identity. At the same time, the Framework introduces a new identity that can bring designers and researchers together in more productive and beneficial ways.

This study examined the experiences of Aboriginal students at a university in Manitoba in terms of what supports kept them registered and what institutional factors contributed to their success. The aim of this research was to inform educators, administrators, and students of the needs of Aboriginal learners at the post-secondary level and what supports and experiences fostered these learners’ success. This research included the gathering of data from eight Aboriginal students who were registered in undergraduate university programs in Manitoba. The findings suggest that Aboriginal students who are assisted with setting clear academic and career goals prior to post-secondary enrollment, are provided with adequate academic preparation before entering post-secondary studies, are able to access the specialized approaches and supports currently available, and are able to form meaningful and reciprocal relationships with faculty and peers at university or college are more likely to succeed. The conclusions of the study are two: (1) that advisement dialogue prior to enrollment and upon registration needs to be expanded; and (2) that Aboriginal students must be provided with increased opportunities to develop self-esteem, confidence, and a sense of belonging.

A growing number of interior design stakeholders believe that increased levels of research will lead to the legitimization of the profession, an expanded and specialized body of knowledge, professional recognition, disciplinary status, and sustainability of the profession. Despite the potential importance of research in the profession, few strategies exist for how research can have a more effective role within interior design. The main purposes of this study were to provide a strategy for incorporating research into interior design, and provide educators with information about how interior design programs could utilize the strategy. The qualitative study was based on a triangulated research design that included: (a) semi-structured telephone interviews with 29 participants (11 from educational institutions, 14 from professional practice, and 5 from professional organizations); (b) the collection of documents from all study participants; and (c) a case study, conducted over a five day period, within a professional practice firm in the United States. The study findings provide insight into the perceptions held by educators, practitioners, and members of professional organizations about research, and research in interior design specifically. These perceptions, combined with other information, led to the Theoretical Framework for Research in Interior Design. Consisting of three distinct, but interconnected, cultures: (a) design, (b) research, and (c) knowledge management, the Framework explains who, what, when, where, why, how, and with what consequences research is conducted, translated, used, and disseminated in interior design. The implications of the Framework for post-secondary interior design education programs suggest that first-professional undergraduate programs could focus on interior design, first-professional masters programs could focus on knowledge management, and post-professional masters and Ph.D. programs could focus on research. This arrangement would provide each level of post-secondary education and each program type with a specific focus, and would provide the discipline with a range of graduates capable of taking on a variety of roles within professional firms, educational institutions, professional organizations, industry, or government. Overall, the Framework provides a strategy for ensuring that the interior design profession retains its design identity, and expands and capitalizes on its research identity. At the same time, the Framework introduces a new identity that can bring designers and researchers together in more productive and beneficial ways.

This study examined the experiences of Canadian postsecondary learners who are d/Deaf or hard of hearing and have received services from the campus accessibility office. Data collected from interviews with nine learners were analyzed using a constructivist grounded-theory approach, thus allowing the basic social process (BSP) to emerge. I called this process negotiating communication access in postsecondary education. It consisted of three key supporting processes: (a) advocating for self, (b) navigating the learning environment, and (c) building relationships. The research outcomes achieved in this study include (a) a documented analysis and synthesis of the perceptions of Deaf and hard-of-hearing students specific to the theoretical and practical issues involved in accessing communication support services in postsecondary institutions and (b) a theoretical model that depicts the above synthesis. Last, the discussion chapter contains recommendations for increasing accessibility to postsecondary institutions for learners who are d/Deaf or hard of hearing.

Extended time is the most common accommodation requested by post-secondary students with learning disabilities (LD; Lovett, 2010; Ofiesh, 2000; Zuriff, 2000). However, this accommodation has been the topic of much debate (see: Lovett, 2010). Two theories have emerged on this topic, the Maximum Potential Thesis and the Differential Boost Hypothesis (Sireci, Scarpati & Li, 2005; Zuriff, 2000). The current study examines these theories within the context of writing to investigate the performance of students with LD and their non-LD peers. The results do not show support for either theory, when it comes to essay writing across a qualitative dimension (WIAT-II Essay Composition). However, there does appear to be some evidence for the Differential Boost Hypothesis in the areas of word count, which could be considered a quantitative measure of performance. Compared to their performance under regular time conditions, with extended time students with LD wrote more than twice as many additional words compared to their non-LD peers. This research is important so that empirically-informed accommodations for students with LD can be implemented. Recommendations for future research are provided. / Graduate / 2015-11-20 / 0525 / goeganld@gmail.com

In recent years, an increasing number of military veterans have enrolled in higher education. Little research has been conducted on veterans in tandem with higher education, but what does exist shows that they are a unique student population because of their military background. In the last few years, scholarship has called for research on veterans in classroom environments. Moreover, composition scholars in particular have called for research on veterans and writing. Although veterans have been recognized as a unique student population, little research has been conducted on what pedagogical practices can be used to help them as they become students. First-year composition courses are the perfect context to examine the intersection of these calls for research because most veterans have to take them – since they often enroll as freshmen – and they involve varied written assignments. The purpose of this study was to explore what veterans’ experiences had been in the classroom environment of first-year composition courses and in working towards the course goals for written assignments through qualitative methods. This study also sought to discover what veterans thought could be altered to improve their experience in first-year composition. This study focused on the context of Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, and its first-year composition course, Engl-101. In order to discover what veterans’ experiences had been, a focus group of five veterans that had taken Engl-101 at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale was held. Additionally, a follow-up interview was conducted with one of the participants of the focus group. The results were consistent with the findings of other research on veterans. What was most notably clear was that veterans’ experiences in Engl-101 were greatly influenced by their experiences in the military. Participants expected their instructors to wield more authority over the class, much like their superiors would in the military. Additionally, veterans were often challenged by the behaviors of non-military students, which they perceived as disrespectful. Despite these challenges that participants encountered in the classroom environment, they also drew from the leadership skills they acquired while in the military to counter them. Additionally, the participants of this study raised that their instructors cared about the students and the content of the course, which alleviated some of the challenges they encountered. When it came to working towards the course goals for the written assignments, veterans struggled to expand their ideas beyond a few sentences, largely due to the style of writing they were used to in the military. That said, once veterans had a clear understanding of the conventions needed for an assignment, they were able to write strong essays. Ultimately, instructors of first-year composition that work with veterans will need to further training on the expectations that veterans’ carry with them from the military. Once instructors have knowledge of the ways veterans learn, they can adapt their pedagogical practices to suit.

abstract: Academic transitions are a necessary and important part of an ASD student's life. Parental involvement and perspective is a vital part of each transition planning process. The primary goal of this research is to identify trends in parent perspectives regarding ASD academic transitions through meta-synthesis of current research. The research also seeks to identify shifts in parent perceptions of the importance of specific transitional program elements during different academic transitional periods. Results indicate a clear trend within each academic transition category as well as trends throughout the transition periods. The main trend in parental perspective throughout the transitions is the de-structuration of the transition planning process and increased personalization with the advancement of each academic transition. Possible uses of research results to ease the transition planning process for parents are summarized and discussed. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.A. Special Education 2012