This research examines the failure of AB 101 (Alejo) a bill that would have created a statewide ethnic studies curriculum in California. Through a qualitative analysis consisting primarily of interviews, the analysis challenges the validity of the main oppositional arguments against the bill. Then argues that misunderstandings regarding the implications of ethnic studies curriculum, leading to an unwillingness to fund such programs, has served as the main barrier in enacting a statewide curriculum. Lastly, the work identifies the social and political conditions needed to overcome such barriers. In conclusion, the research suggests that, through time, as local ethnic studies programs become more prominent, and research on the impact of ethnic studies becomes more robust, California will be in a place to be one of the first states to pass a statewide ethnic studies curriculum.

In 2006, Manitoba released a mandatory social studies curriculum for Grade 8 that included for the first time a section on world religions. It was released during a time when reasonable accommodation was being debated in various parts of Canada. This research explored the ways in which teachers in public schools in the city of Winnipeg dealt with teaching world religions within the climate of “reasonable accommodation” and charter challenges towards freedom of religion. Case study methodology with semi-structured interviews involving teachers included their experiences teaching about world religions. Results indicated teachers who teach about world religions require further information and feel there are personal, professional, and social factors that influence their ability to teach this subject as thoroughly as they would like. Implications for practice include: professional development in the area of world religions; resources for teachers; and government support. / February 2016

The purpose of this study was to examine social studies teachers' perceptions about social studies goals and content areas that should constitute the social studies curricula of grades five to 10 in Oman. This national study involved a population of 538 social studies teachers in basic education schools of the second cycle (grades five-10). Of 538 surveys, 407 surveys were completed and returned for a response rate of 76%. Cronbach's alpha values for each subscale ranged from .723 to .861. The resulting alpha value for the whole scale was .886, which indicates sufficient internal consistency reliability. Major findings indicated that social studies teachers supported all social studies goals suggested in this study. However, the degree of implementation of each goal was significantly lower than that of importance (p < .005). Overall, social studies teachers indicated more support for social studies goals of citizenship transmission, social science disciplines, and life adjustment than for social studies goals of reflective thinking, global education, and civic participation. The most important social studies content areas were perceived to be current events, core values of Oman society, geography, environmental education, history, family life education, and public issues. Geography and history, along with the perceived most important content areas, received the highest degree of implementation. The lowest-rated content areas in both importance and implementation were sociology, political science, psychology, and law-related education. The degree of implementation of each content area was significantly lower than that of importance (p < .003). Findings of the post hoc analyses revealed that there were statistically significant differences between male and female teachers in their perceptions about the importance and implementation of some goals and content areas, favoring female teachers. Among these content areas were environmental education, current events, public issues, geography, and history. Findings suggested that teacher gender influences curricular decisions about teaching some goals and content areas. Major barriers to teaching social studies were centered on the lack of participation of local community and students in determining social studies goals and content areas. Social studies teachers reported having little control over the curriculum they teach. It was concluded that social studies is not a high priority subject in basic education schools of the second cycle. Recommendations were made to improve the status of social studies in Oman.

This study seeks to contribute to an understanding of student attitudes toward global citizenship at the classroom level. Previous quantitative studies of civic attitudes have generally been designed for large sample sizes, and qualitative assessments are time consuming for researchers. This dissertation presents a tool utilizing Q methodology to bridge the gap between quantitative and qualitative measures of attitudes. The first phase of the study focuses on the design and validation of the research tool. The second phase of the study describes the implementation of the tool using a pre and post design to capture the shifts in attitudes that high school students have about global citizenship after completing a course in the subject. The results demonstrate that Q methodology is an effective measure for analyzing attitudes at the classroom level. Teachers and researchers can use the information from this tool to ensure that curriculum is effectively moving students toward attitudes of global competence, social responsibility, and global civic engagement.

This research is located in the aftermath of Argentina’s economic collapse in December 2001. In broad terms, it questions how subaltern or marginalised populations contest disadvantage in an environment of economic meltdown. Following the economic crash, unprecedented levels of unemployment, poverty and social marginalisation generated a variety of organic ‘survival’ responses. These initiatives took various forms and adopted differing approaches, including confrontational activity of piquetero organisations, whilst more institutional or structured actions of co-operative projects formed from workplace recovery. A further response was cartoneo, the practice of gathering and selling recyclable waste. Working as a cartonero, or waste gatherer was generally adopted as a last resort strategy by desperately poor, marginalised individuals from predominantly informal and semi-formal settlements in peripheral areas of the Greater Buenos Aires Province (GBA) and other urban areas nationally. Possibly taking their lead from the broader trends in co-operative organisation, numbers of waste gatherers, or cartoneros, banded together to form co-operatives. The subject of this thesis is one such project, the Tren Blanco co-operative, established in Villa Independencia, an impoverished shanty town in José León Suárez, San Martín department, GBA. The topic was selected on the basis of the opportunity it afforded to present a subaltern study and bottom–up account of the event from the perspective of the protagonists. Appropriate to this aim, the focal aspect of the study was obtained by a qualitative oral approach of informal and semi-structured interviews combined with ethnographic observation conducted between July and August 2007. Secondary resource materials, including academic literature and other media sources, were used to provide a contextualisation of the event within both the broader context of Argentina’s socio-economic history and the more specific context of late twentieth-century and early twenty-first-century history. Literature on the subject of social responses to Argentina’s economic crisis is limited. Research into the specific phenomenon of cartonero co-operatives is even sparser. As such, this study contributes to the body of Argentine socio-economic history in both the broad and more specific sense. This work is valuable in that it provides an alternative reading to traditionally top-down recording common to some historiographical traditions and accounts. However, the core value of this research is that it provides an original contribution to knowledge by considering the meaning and human relevance of work and co-operative organisation in a marginal community in the chronological and geographical context of early twenty-first-century Argentina.

This research aims to investigate current volunteer use in public libraries in England. Volunteer use is not a new phenomenon, and has been an integral part of public library provision for many years. However recent Government policies, together with greater financial austerity, have resulted in a change in public service delivery. There has been a dramatic increase in the number of volunteers involved within the public library service, and the growth of community run libraries, resulting in much public and professional concern. An interpretivist research approach was used to investigate stakeholder opinions regarding volunteer use, and involved a two phase process. Initially a Delphi survey explored attitudes of 15 English public library service managers, followed by in-depth investigation of two case study library authorities, located in the North-East of England. Surveys, interviews and focus groups, helped to build a rich picture of volunteer use amongst the groups of stakeholders. Findings clearly indicated that volunteer use has moved from additionality to replacement of staff, and is increasingly being used by local authorities as a solution to budget reductions required as a result of economic austerity. A hybrid approach to library service provision has developed, using a combination of paid staff and volunteers, which indicates a fundamental culture shift within public libraries. Research results identified concerns relating to the long term viability of a hybrid approach, and how this impacted on the wider community in terms of service provision. Key concerns were raised concerning advocacy, sensitivity, the fragility of relationships, and the provision of an accountable and high quality service. Formal and informal control mechanisms need to be employed by library service managers to ensure that they reap the benefits of volunteer use, thereby avoiding social exclusion, clarifying stakeholder boundaries, and delivering a high quality accountable service. Training library managers in new volunteer management skills, and adopting a volunteer relationship management approach may help to ensure that this new arrangement is mutually beneficial for all concerned.

The purpose of this interpretive, qualitative multi-case study (Merriam, 2001; Stake, 1995) was to describe the experiences of three elementary classroom teachers as they integrated literacy and social studies during their literacy instruction. This study was grounded in an interpretivist paradigm and a theoretical lens of symbolic interactionism. The guiding questions were: What are the experiences of three elementary teachers when integrating literacy and social studies instruction? What information do teachers use when making decisions about integrated instruction? How do teachers’ beliefs align with their practices? How do teachers organize, plan for, and provide integrated instruction, including how they use the core English/Language Arts programs and core social studies programs? In what ways, if any, do teachers use disciplinary literacy strategies to support social studies instruction? I collected data from teachers in kindergarten, third grade, and fifth grade classrooms in a K-8 Title One school. Data included audio-recorded one-on-one semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, lesson plans, photographs, and my researcher journal. I began data analysis through inductive coding of each interview and observation, and then coded each through deductive analysis using Cunningham and Allington’s (2011) pillars of effective literacy instruction. I deductively coded the data using the six proven practices for effective civic learning based on the National Center for Learning and Civic Engagement (NCLCE, Guilfoile & Delander, 2014). Data analysis then moved to the crosswalk I created using the pillars of effective literacy instruction and the NCLCE proven practices. Data analysis concluded with the cross-case analysis. During the data analysis, member checks and three meetings with a peer reviewer occurred. Findings from this study indicate teachers continue to experience conflict between their beliefs and practices, often due to state, district, and school mandates. Additionally, the study findings indicate a desire for focused professional development, both face-to-face and through digital tools, on how to effectively integrate literacy and social studies. Moreover, professional development is needed to support teachers in their use of critical literacy. Findings also indicate that the teachers in this study experienced censorship, imposed by others and themselves. The study concluded with my interpretation of the findings based on the reviewed literature, suggestions for future research, and a crosswalk for professional development to support teachers in planning for effective integrated literacy and social studies instruction. Keywords: elementary social studies, censorship, integrated curriculum, professional development, effective instruction.

A presente dissertação tem como tema o processo de regularização fundiária de territórios de comunidades remanescentes de quilombos. Tem-se como foco de análise a produção de Relatórios Técnicos de Identificação e Delimitação (RTID) que visam o reconhecimento e a delimitação da Comunidade de Morro Alto, localizada no Litoral Norte do Rio Grande do Sul. Busca-se aqui, a partir da abordagem teórica proposta pelos “estudos sociais da ciência”, compreender as redes sócio-técnica necessárias para produzirem territórios de comunidades quilombolas enquanto verdades passíveis de serem reconhecidos pelo estado brasileiro. Entre os anos de 2005 e 2006 foram reunidos materiais fruto de entrevistas, acompanhamento de reuniões, observações do trabalho de técnicos e cientistas, fotografias, jornais e pesquisa documental. A partir desse conjunto de materiais produziu-se uma narrativa de orientação etnográfica que possibilitasse uma interpretação dos materiais. As conclusões que o estudo possibilitou chegar apontaram para uma fragilidade da rede que sustenta o território de Morro Alto, no que diz respeito às dimensões da mobilização do mundo e das alianças políticas, fatores esses com potencial explicativo da atual instabilidade do território de Morro Alto. / The present dissertation has as subject the process of agrarian regularization of territories of remaining communities of quilombos. The production of Reports is had as focus of analysis Technician of Identification and Delimitation (R.T.I.D) that they aim at the recognition and the delimitation of the Community of Morro Alto, located in the Coast North of the Rio Grande Do Sul. One searchs here, from the theoretical boarding proposal for the “social studies of science”, to understand the nets social-technique necessary to produce territories of communities quilombolas while truths possible to be recognized for the Brazilian state. It enters the material years of 2005 and 2006 had been congregated fruit of interviews, accompaniment of meetings, comments of the technician work and scientists, photographs, periodicals and documentary research. From this set of materials a narrative of etnographic orientation was produced that made possible an interpretation of the materials. The conclusions that the study it made possible to arrive had pointed with respect to a fragility of the net that supports the territory of Morro Alto, in what it says respect to the dimensions of the mobilization of the world and the alliances politics, factors these with clarifying potential of the current instability of the territory of Morro Alto.

A presente dissertação tem como tema o processo de regularização fundiária de territórios de comunidades remanescentes de quilombos. Tem-se como foco de análise a produção de Relatórios Técnicos de Identificação e Delimitação (RTID) que visam o reconhecimento e a delimitação da Comunidade de Morro Alto, localizada no Litoral Norte do Rio Grande do Sul. Busca-se aqui, a partir da abordagem teórica proposta pelos “estudos sociais da ciência”, compreender as redes sócio-técnica necessárias para produzirem territórios de comunidades quilombolas enquanto verdades passíveis de serem reconhecidos pelo estado brasileiro. Entre os anos de 2005 e 2006 foram reunidos materiais fruto de entrevistas, acompanhamento de reuniões, observações do trabalho de técnicos e cientistas, fotografias, jornais e pesquisa documental. A partir desse conjunto de materiais produziu-se uma narrativa de orientação etnográfica que possibilitasse uma interpretação dos materiais. As conclusões que o estudo possibilitou chegar apontaram para uma fragilidade da rede que sustenta o território de Morro Alto, no que diz respeito às dimensões da mobilização do mundo e das alianças políticas, fatores esses com potencial explicativo da atual instabilidade do território de Morro Alto. / The present dissertation has as subject the process of agrarian regularization of territories of remaining communities of quilombos. The production of Reports is had as focus of analysis Technician of Identification and Delimitation (R.T.I.D) that they aim at the recognition and the delimitation of the Community of Morro Alto, located in the Coast North of the Rio Grande Do Sul. One searchs here, from the theoretical boarding proposal for the “social studies of science”, to understand the nets social-technique necessary to produce territories of communities quilombolas while truths possible to be recognized for the Brazilian state. It enters the material years of 2005 and 2006 had been congregated fruit of interviews, accompaniment of meetings, comments of the technician work and scientists, photographs, periodicals and documentary research. From this set of materials a narrative of etnographic orientation was produced that made possible an interpretation of the materials. The conclusions that the study it made possible to arrive had pointed with respect to a fragility of the net that supports the territory of Morro Alto, in what it says respect to the dimensions of the mobilization of the world and the alliances politics, factors these with clarifying potential of the current instability of the territory of Morro Alto.

No description available.