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.

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.

Youth Futures is a community-based intervention intended to improve post-secondary education (PSE) access rates among high school youth from low-income families, who tend to be under-represented in higher education (Berger, Motte, & Parkin, 2009; Norrie & Zhao, 2011). The bilingual (French and English) program spans seven months and consists of mentoring by university students, leadership training, workplace training and skill development activities, paid summer employment, and exposure to college and university settings. This thesis examined the outcomes of the Youth Futures program through three distinct studies. First, a quasi-experimental study was conducted to investigate short-term outcomes among program participants (N = 44, mean age of 16 years old at baseline) in comparison to a group of their peers (N = 40, mean age of 16 years old at baseline). Second, a qualitative study was conducted with a purposeful sample of program participants (N = 20, mean age of 17 years old) to explore their first-hand experiences through semi-structured, open-ended interviews. Third, program alumni (N = 79, mean age of 19 years old) were briefly interviewed via telephone to investigate longer-term outcomes, including employment experience and enrolment and persistence in PSE. Overall, no evidence was found to suggest that exposure to the Youth Futures program contributed to increased access to PSE among participants. Some characteristics of the Youth Futures sample recruited in the three studies raised questions about whether participants were at risk of not accessing PSE in the absence of the intervention (Berger et al., 2009; Childs, Finnie, & Mueller, 2015; Finnie, Childs, & Wismer, 2011). Findings indicated several program improvement strategies that may be useful in modifying the Youth Futures program to ensure that students in need of the intervention receive tailored programming and that the timing of the intervention is effective. Experts have called for a stronger evidence base in this area to facilitate sound decision-making about which potential program models to establish or expand and how to match students to the programs that best address their particular needs (Barnett et al., 2012; Brock, 2010; Le, Mariano, & Faxon-Mills, 2016; Shultz & Mueller 2006; Tierney & Hagedorn, 2007).

The number of OIF and OEF veterans who are choosing to pursue post-secondary education is increasing due in part to increased financial scholastic benefits earned as part of their military service. Veterans are not returning from combat unharmed however, and many are presenting with newly experienced difficulties that may impact their academic careers. This includes for example, PTSD, TBI, depression, and anxiety. This study examined the impact of a veterans only college course entitled Life After War: Post-deployment Issues taught at a large Midwestern University. The class includes the instruction of scholastic skills, education on the natural consequences of post-deployment issues, as well as discussion of commonly reported transition issues. Participants of the study were OIF and/or OEF veterans who were currently pursuing post-secondary education and were enrolled in the Life After War college course. Participants completed self-report measures at the beginning and the end of the semester. Change in the areas of self-reported symptoms of anxiety, depression, PTSD, and help-seeking attitudes were examined over time. Demographics and other background information were obtained from each student to provide a framework for understanding the potential impact of the course. Results revealed several major findings including a pattern of likely under-reporting of symptoms by participants in the study, an increase in self-report symptoms from pre to post-test, a higher self-report of symptoms and difficulties from those participants who did not return for post-testing and finally, a higher level of negative help-seeking attitudes and beliefs among those who did not return for follow-up testing. Implications and future considerations for working with student veterans are addressed.

No description available.

The purpose of this study is to examine the phenomenon of institutional credential devaluation and the impacts on internationally-trained social workers in Canada. International social workers are recruited to immigrate to Canada based on their credentials and experience but some discover after immigrating that their qualifications are devalued which limits or prohibits their ability to engage in professional practice. This experience is recognized within the literature in other professions; however, there has been insufficient attention given to it within social work itself and to the various stakeholders involved. Using critical theory and interpretative phenomenological analysis, semi-structured interviews were conducted with internationally-trained social workers to gain insight into their experiences of devaluation and graduate degree repetition in Ontario universities. Extensive exploration of the institutional stakeholders in credential assessment, the field of social work and universities was also undertaken and provides systemic context to the experiences of international social workers. While internationally-trained social workers have high views of Canada prior to immigrating, these perspectives change upon encountering systemic devaluation and discrimination post-immigration. They describe confusion, frustration and powerlessness as they navigate through social work systems in seeking to gain recognition of their credentials in order to practice. When they eventually decide to return to Ontario universities to obtain the recognition they need/deserve, they experience continued devaluation. Instead of identifying different or better social work education in Ontario, they describe repetition of what they learned in their countries of origin, raising questions about the similarities and differences in international social work education. The personal costs and psychological impacts of these experiences are shared by the participants. The practices of social work and post-secondary institutions in creating systemic barriers to internationally-trained social workers are examined with recommendations for further research and policy and practice changes that will lead to greater justice and equity. / Thesis / Master of Social Work (MSW)

No description available.

This dissertation has been written in a three-article journal-ready format and centers on competencies for blended teaching in higher education. I use the PRISMA process and thematic coding to analyze 34 articles from 2002 to 2022, highlighting strategic combination, learner-centered approaches, and additional support. I also use the Google Search API and content analysis to suggest that blended, digital, and flexible may be post-secondary institutions' most frequently used terminology to describe contexts incorporating online and in-person components. I also gather qualitative data from interviews with faculty to highlight the context and nuances surrounding blended teaching competencies, including creative innovation, technology skills, flexibility, strategic planning, and engagement creation. This work aims to clarify the trending terms, contexts, and nuances of teaching competencies for blended courses in higher education. It may help researchers and practitioners understand these concepts as evolving from specialized blended teaching competencies to potentially becoming more mainstream teaching competencies.

The present inquiry is a qualitative case study of conversations and attitudes of students participating in a non-required, second-year conversation section offered as a voluntary adjunct to required second year courses in Italian. The findings in this dissertation support calls by policy makers in foreign language education who advocate for a more integrated and holistic approach to foreign language education. Through this empirical qualitative case study, I have used the construct of Third Space (Gutiérrez, 2008) to examine students’ development of multiple literacies (Swaffar & Arens, 2005) in a foreign language conversation-based classroom. The theory of Third Space is seen as a kind of authentic intersubjective space, where students’ ways of knowing and learning are accepted and expanded in the learning environment. The study describes the results from the implementation of a language pedagogy based on the model of multiple literacies in an Italian conversation class. Students in the class read and viewed a wide variety of authentic materials, around which they anchored their class discussions. Through activities involving multiple readings of the given text, the students co-constructed their interpretations based on personal experiences and on the socio-cultural background of the text. Students also engaged in self-reflective exercises documenting their own learning processes. Through interpretive analysis of student work produced in the class, the ecology of learner developments and the corresponding classroom talk are assessed. I have identified three major themes that are evident as essential elements to the students’ developing trans-linguistic proficiency in conjunction with their evolving cultural literacy. In particular, self-reflection and identity, expanded practices of knowing and learning, and the influence of semiotic mediation on classroom interactions are the three elements that define how these students articulated their Third Space in conjunction with this particular language learning context. / text

Academic writing programs are one way universities seek to increase the academic achievement of first-year students and decrease attrition. This paper examines data from an evaluation of a first-year academic writing program at Canadian Mennonite University. The original program evaluation was conducted to determine student attitudes toward the program and whether the academic writing lab program increased students’ writing abilities. This thesis goes further by examining relationships between affective outcomes (motivation, self-regulatory ability, perceived writing ability), writing ability, and cumulative grade point average. Data was collected using student surveys and writing samples. The results indicated that academic attainment was positively correlated with: writing ability, motivation, and self-regulation. Motivation and self-regulation, but not perceived writing ability, correlated with actual writing ability. Participation in the Academic Writing Lab did not affect student affective characteristics. However, student writing ability did improve which indicates that even a small program can improve students’ writing skills. / October 2016