This thesis examined the relationship between special education administrator role priorities and level of funding received by school districts in British Columbia. Data were obtained from the Ministry of Education on the number of students in special education categories claimed for funding. These data demonstrated an extreme variability in the proportions of students claimed for funding by the various school districts. In an attempt to examine this variability and suggest some possible explanations for it, this study was undertaken. One possible variable that might influence the number of students claimed for funding was examined: special education administrator role priorities. Special education administrators were asked to priorise the three roles of administrative behaviour as identified by Cuban. These role priorities were then related to the level of funding received by the district. Evidence was found to indicate that there may be a systematic relationship between the role priorities of special education administrators working in districts with low levels of funding and the level of funding received by the district. In addition, evidence was found to suggest that the priority assigned to the instructional role may differentiate between administrators working in low funded districts as compared with those working in high funded districts. The implications from the findings of the study suggest that: the framework of administrator role priorities developed by Cuban may be appropriate to describe the variability of special education administrator behaviour; the existence of the relationship between the priority assigned to the instructional role and district funding level has practical significance for the structuring of special education funding mechanisms and for the day to day work of the special education administrator. In addition, the study has implications for future research regarding the uniqueness of the instructional role and the relationship between the role priorities of special education administrators and district outcomes other than funding level. / Education, Faculty of / Educational Studies (EDST), Department of / Graduate

Previous research has demonstrated that students from some visible ethnic minority groups may be discriminated against by teachers and policies of many school systems. This research has reviewed evidence indicating how Black, Mexican-American and Native Indian students are accorded differential treatment by teachers. Some of the research has shown how students from some cultural minority groups are at greater risk of being inappropriately referred or placed in special classes. This form of ethnic discrimination can be harmful to those cultural minority children who are removed from the regular class setting. This problem has not been adequately researched in Canada. Through the use of a researcher designed questionnaire, this thesis has reviewed teacher bias toward visible ethnic minority groups in special education referrals. The questionnaire consisted of nine questions regarding respondent characteristics, a fictitious case history of a grade five male student described as having some academic and behaviour problems, and nine response items regarding educational placement. The questionnaires were identical except for the brief reference to the ethnicity of the child described in the case study. The child was described as either Native Indian, Oriental, East Indian or Caucasian. A Likert-type scale was used for the subjects to rate agreement or disagreement to the nine items. Questionnaires were sent to 591 Vancouver public elementary school teachers within 29 randomly selected elementary schools. Questionnaires were returned from 396 subjects. Some questionnaires were returned blank or incomplete, therefore, data analysis was performed on the responses of 347 subjects (58.54% of all the teachers who received the questionnaires). This sample represented about 20% of the population of Vancouver public elementary school teachers. The results provided evidence of teacher discrimination against the child described as Native Indian. In addition, a positive bias was observed in the teacher responses for the Caucasian child and especially for the Oriental child. The teacher's responses to the questionnaire items revealed that the child described as Native Indian tended to be rated as being more suitable for placement in a special class for behaviourally disordered, would not be as likely to graduate from high school and had parents who would not be as cooperative. Female teachers were more likely to refer the child to a class for behaviourally disordered children and less likely to expect cooperation from the child's parents, than male teachers. Teachers who taught for 21 years or longer were more likely to consider the child in the case study as being a detriment to the education of the other children. Teachers who spoke English as second language were more likely to refer the child to a class for slow learners and expect greater cooperation from the child's parents, than teachers who spoke English as their first language. In addition, Special education teachers, teachers more familiar with special education programs and teachers who had university credits in special education, rated the children in a significantly more optimistic manner than regular teachers. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate

This is a study of an implementation process, which means it is a study of the gray area somewhere between policy and program. The policy created in 1983 opened the door of the college to non-traditional learners. Sweeping changes in the social discourse of disability supported the development of the 1983 policy. A review of the literature revealed four factors that were likely to influence the process: the policy, the implementing agency, external influences and power, politics and negotiation. The purpose of the study was to compare a framework, established from the literature, to a framework that evolved from the research. The project concluded that the four factors were adequate to describe the situation however, the preconceived framework was inadequate to describe the relationship among the factors for this site. Data collected from documents and interviews revealed that some factors have a stronger influence on the process than others. In this case, power, politics and negotiation and the implementing agency are strong considerations, while the policy and external factors play a weaker role. The result was a reconstructed framework that portrayed the implementation process for this site.

This is a study of an implementation process, which means it is a study of the gray area somewhere between policy and program. The policy created in 1983 opened the door of the college to non-traditional learners. Sweeping changes in the social discourse of disability supported the development of the 1983 policy. A review of the literature revealed four factors that were likely to influence the process: the policy, the implementing agency, external influences and power, politics and negotiation. The purpose of the study was to compare a framework, established from the literature, to a framework that evolved from the research. The project concluded that the four factors were adequate to describe the situation however, the preconceived framework was inadequate to describe the relationship among the factors for this site. Data collected from documents and interviews revealed that some factors have a stronger influence on the process than others. In this case, power, politics and negotiation and the implementing agency are strong considerations, while the policy and external factors play a weaker role. The result was a reconstructed framework that portrayed the implementation process for this site. / Education, Faculty of / Educational Studies (EDST), Department of / Graduate