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Schools have a position in society that could provide tools for students to move toward more positive intergroup relations and to shape their nation as desired. In this dissertation, I present an analysis of how and whether schools in Nigeria, particularly unity schools (FUCs), achieve this. Schools are a concentrated site for interactions among young people, yet research in the field of education and conflict settings is limited in its exploration of how schools facilitate intergroup relations that deter hostility and increase intergroup tolerance while shaping positive and peaceful social relations. To address this gap, this project explores tolerance levels, national identities, and social interactions among students in Federal Unity Colleges (FUCs) in Nigeria. The FUCs are secondary boarding schools utilizing a nationwide quota system to ensure an ethnically and religiously representative student body in Nigeria—a place with a history of instability, conflicts, and complex politically prominent group categorizations that overlap across ethnic, religious, regional, and socioeconomic lines. This mixed methods longitudinal research was based on extensive fieldwork in 8 secondary schools (6 FUC and 2 State) over one academic year in Nigeria (2017-2018). The research includes a unique combination of methods: (a) pre- and post- student surveys including data on social (friendship) networks with 643 students, (b) pre- and post- interviews involving 47 students (group and individual), (c) 17 teacher and 8 administrator interviews, (d) 56 hours of classroom and school observations, and (e) an analysis of curriculum and policy documents. The findings indicate the following three points: (1) Maintaining an illusion of unity only serves to reproduce existing social relations, (2) Boarding schools have great potential for the reshaping of intergroup relations in areas of conflict and should be further utilized and explored, and (3) Simply removing students from the conflict in a boarding school bubble is not sufficient. Schools must use this unique position to have students view conflict, their identities, and one another from a different vantage point. The findings contribute to literature and theory related to education in conflict, peace and sustainable education, diversity, friendship networks, and school relationship to the nation.

M.Ed. (Education Management) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

Recently a variety of national reports have been completed which call for school reform. Additionally, there has been an abundance of research which attempts to identify the characteristics of effective schools. Throughout the literature on school reform and effectiveness, school climate is consistently identified as an important factor in effective schools. However, questions concerning how schools improve their climate and what the effects and obstacles of such efforts are remain unanswered. School climate improvement efforts tend to fall into two major categories which can be referred to as either formal systematic approaches or informal non-systematic approaches. Formal approaches exist where the developer of the approach states specific steps and procedures which are followed by a school to improve its climate. Informal approaches are also being used by schools where the principal and staff identify and implement various actions which are undertaken to improve the school's climate for learning. This study identified and described both a formal and an informal approach to school climate and determined the effects and obstacles encountered with each approach. Two secondary schools using each type of approach were studied and compared. The procedures and activities used by each of the four schools under study were described. The outcomes and obstacles encountered in each school's climate improvement process were identified. The findings of the study were that all four schools in the study had positive outcomes regardless of the approach used. Common obstacles occurred in all four schools. They included lack of staff time to address school concerns, some staff did not support the school's efforts and students and parents were slow to respond positively to the staff's efforts. / Doctor of Education

published_or_final_version / abstract / Education / Master / Master of Education

M.Ed. / During the past few years many changes have taken place in South Africa. Many of these changes, implemented by the new government, concern the educational system. Measures have been taken to eradicate inequalities of the past and to make education accessible to all. This development has given rise to a situation in some schools where the cultural background of the teacher differs entirely from that of the schoolbeginner or pupil. More and more schools are being affected by this situation and the problems arising from this tend to impede effective learning and interaction. The aim of this research therefore, was to explore and describe the white teachers' experience regarding teacher-pupil interaction in the culturally diverse classroom, in order to formulate guidelines for teachers to effectively promote learning and interaction. By way of a qualitative research design, with interviews conducted with teachers and observations of teacher-pupils interaction used as data-collection method, various themes within this interaction have been identified. These themes are comparable with themes from relevant literature; a further literature review formed the basis of guidelines, mainly for teachers, for purposes of improving interaction between teacher and pupil in the culturally diverse schoolbeginner classes. Main themes of the guidelines are understanding and acceptance of cultural differences, culture-sensitive instruction, moral development, peer-group tutoring, language enrichment programs, discipline and knowledge of African child rearing practices. The role of the educational authorities in respect of teacher training, preservice as well as inservice training to promote cultural sensitivity, has also been pointed out. Making parents part of the schooling and education of their children, has also been given prominence.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / A busca pelo sentido da vida está intimamente relacionada à condição humana. De várias maneiras, as pessoas estão à procura do sentido para sua existência e isto ocorre principalmente quando se deparam com limitações, com o fato de serem mortais e perceberem suas próprias imperfeições. Na adolescência surgem, de forma mais intensa, os questionamentos relacionados à razão da existência. A busca pelo sentido da vida torna-se uma constante na vida da maioria dos/as adolescentes que, por sua vez, se deparam com a necessidade de fazer as principais escolhas que nortearão os rumos de seu viver. A presente pesquisa se dedicou, portanto, a trazer uma visão atual de como adolescentes-alunos/as pertencentes a uma escola pública do município de Canoas-RS designam o sentido de seu viver e se estas concepções se encontram contempladas ou não no contexto escolar onde se desenvolveu a pesquisa. A relevância desta investigação reside, portanto, no fato de conhecer como alunos/as adolescentes interpretam o sentido de sua existência atualmente e de perceber se elementos importantes da vida dos/as adolescentes estão sendo considerados no contexto escolar, permitindo uma maior aproximação do universo juvenil com o âmbito escolar. Sabe-se, no entanto, que diversos fatores estão presentes e influenciam o modo de viver dos/as adolescentes, dentre elas a forte presença da cultura. Os/as adolescentes se tornam produtos da cultura vigente, mas também produzem novas formas e práticas de expressão cultural. É justamente através das culturas juvenis que o/a adolescente, muitas vezes, encontra formas de adotar um estilo de vida para si. Segundo dados obtidos através desta pesquisa, pode-se perceber também que aspectos como relacionamentos e a questão de obter um bom emprego estão relacionados ao sentido da vida dos/as adolescentes pesquisados. A fé e o modo de conceber Deus também são elementos presentes já na fase da adolescência. O/a adolescente leva e vivencia, no contexto escolar, muitas das questões relacionadas ao sentido de seu viver e vê a escola não somente como um espaço onde se desenvolve o processo de ensino-aprendizagem, mas também como um lugar próprio para exercer sua sociabilidade. A escola pública atual, no entanto, enfrenta dificuldades e passa por crises e, muitas vezes, não consegue estabelecer os elos necessários entre os interesses e questões existenciais do/a educando/a com suas próprias questões. Assim, por diversas vezes, os reais anseios, desejos, vivências e experiências do/a adolescente e as necessidades e as especificidades da fase da adolescência não são considerados pelo ambiente escolar, surgindo e intensificando-se as tensões e os conflitos entre adolescentes e escola. / The search for the meaning of life is closely related to human condition. In many ways, people are looking for meaning to their existence and this happens especially when faced with limitations, the fact of being mortal and realize their own imperfections. Arise in adolescence, more intense, the questions related to the reason of existence. The search for the meaning of life becomes a constant in the lives of most the teenagers who, in turn, are faced with the need to make key choices that will guide the course of your life. This research is devoted therefore to provide a current view of adolescents-students as belonging to a public school in the city of Canoas-RS indicate the direction of his life and whether these concepts are included or not in the school where developed the research. The relevance of this research is therefore in fact know how students / teenagers to interpret the meaning of their existence now and see if important elements of life the teenagers are being considered in the school, allowing closer approximation of the universe juvenile with the field school. We know, however, that several factors are present and influence the mode of living the teenagers, among them the strong presence of culture. The adolescents become the products of the current culture, but also produce new forms of cultural expression and practices. It is through culture that the youth / adolescent to often find ways to adopt a lifestyle for you. According to data obtained through this search, you can also see that issues such as relationships and the question of obtaining a good job are related to the meaning of life the teenagers surveyed. The faith and way of conceiving God items are also present at the stage of adolescence. The adolescence leads to the school and experience in many of the issues related to his life and sees the school not only as a space where developing the teachinglearning process, but also as a place to exercise their sociability. The current public school, however, faces difficulties and is going through crisis, and often can not establish the necessary links between the interests and issues of existential a student with their own issues. Thus, several times, the real anxieties, desires and the experiences the adolescent and the needs and specificities from adolescence, are not considered by the school environment, is emerging and intensifying tensions and conflicts between adolescents and school.

M.Ed. (Community Education) / The use of the school to address problems in society is accepted to an increasing extent. In this study it was endeavoured to establish whether the school could successfully be used as a changing agent. Determining factors which could exert an influence on the successful achievement of this objective were examined and a theory was developed for future use. It was established that the school could foster change in society through its educational and schooling functions. It is however also true that these changes are not initiated by the school. The school is in an unique position to accelerate the changes which have already taken place in society through an evolutionary process. The most important factors which can influence the successful use of the school as a changing agent are the following: The attitude of the Governing Authority in respect of the anticipated changes. The form of state and education systems. The availability of qualified teachers with a specific and unique combination of invaluable characteristics. The change orientated curriculum. The absence of any of these factors will delay or even wreck the use of the school as a changing agent. The presence, on the other hand, of the right attitude and form of government with an education system to enhance change will enable dedicated teachers to achieve the desired objective through a curriculum aimed at change. The theory formulated in this study could be used as a guideline in cases where the school could deliberately be used to promote specific changes in society.

published_or_final_version / Architecture / Master / Master of Architecture