This dissertation explores the life and work of a philosophy of education and multicultural education teacher, through the use of narrative inquiry. As a Palestinian/Lebanese Canadian researcher, teacher, mother, activist and writer, I present the journey of freeing myself from colonial grand narratives through the construction of my personal, practical knowledge and values, while providing an answer to the question: “What does it mean to be situated on the boundary between the English West and the Middle Eastern Arab world?” I demonstrate how the Orientalist tradition, as defined by Edward Said (1978), served to confuse, frustrate, and alienate me as an embodied person situated within a web of historical, ethnic, linguistic, social, and cultural tensions. I describe how, having been educated in an English missionary school in the context of a Palestinian culture of dispossession and Diaspora, this education served to paradoxically both estrange and enrich me. I demonstrate how narrative inquiry, modeled after Clandinin and Connelly (1995, 2000), has enabled me to understand and communicate who I really am as an educator in the multiple social contexts I have known. Through story-ing my epistemology, I illustrate how the Canon in philosophy and the grand meta-narratives underpinning it served to oppress and alienate me over the years. I emphasize that education is not value-neutral. My autobiographical writing in this dissertation explores how the constructs of ethnicity, gender, religion, culture, language, and class serve to shape thinking and values. [...] / Cette dissertation explore la vie et l’oeuvre d’une philosophie de l’éducation et d’une enseignante dans le domaine de l’éducation multiculturelle, a travers l’emploi des approches de l’enquête narrative. Comme chercheure, enseignante, mere et écrivaine d’origine palestino-/libano-canadienne, j’y présente le cheminement de ma libération des grandes narrations coloniales, par le biais de ma création des connaissances et des valeurs personnelles et pratiques, tout en essayant d’offrir une réponse a la question: « Que signifie le fait de me situer entre l’ouest anglophone et l’est le monde arabe du Moyen-orient? » Je voudrais démontrer comment la tradition orientaliste, telle qu’elle a été définie par Edward Said (1978), a contribué a mon état de confusion, frustration et aliénation et a l’impossibilité de me retrouver « bien dans ma peau », dans ma situation a l’intérieur d’une toile de tensions historiques, ethniques, linguistiques, sociales et culturelles. J’ai tenté de décrire comment, apres mon instruction dans une école anglaise dirigée par des missionnaires, dans le contexte d’une culture palestinienne de dépossession et de diaspora, cette scolarisation a eu, comme résultat, une situation paradoxale qui, a la fois, m’aliénait et m’alimentait. J’y démontre aussi comment l’enquête narrative, selon le modele de Clandinin and Connelly (1995, 2000), m’a permis de comprendre et de communiquer mon identité véritable, qui je suis comme enseignante dans les contextes sociaux multiples que j’ai connus. [...]

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 80-93). / Also available by subscription via World Wide Web / xi, 109 leaves, bound 29 cm

In this dissertation the findings of a survey on 100 inner-city independent school educators, concerning the factors that affect the level of job satisfaction are presented. It was found that educators derive most of their job satisfaction from interpersonal relationships. Dissatisfaction was mainly the result of low salaries, low status in the community, poor facilities and lack of security. Most of the educators were looking for alternative employment and regarded employment in public schools as a much better option. Recommendations were made to principals on how to improve the factors that affect the level of job satisfaction for educators. / Educational Studies / MED (EDUC MANAGEMENT)

This study was conducted in order to investigate teachers' perceptions about the value and implementation of Arts in the Lower Primary Phase. The study adopted a qualitative approach and seeks to investigate (a) teachers' perceptions of the role and value of Arts at the Lower Primary Phase (b) the issues and problems teachers have in teaching Arts as a separate subject at the Lower Primary Phase (c) the opportunities for incorporating Arts with other subjects and with the cross-curricular issues. The data was gathered by using interviews, class observations and document analysis. The study focused on six teachers in two Schools in the Caprivi education region of the Republic of Namibia. The findings of the study revealed that Arts stimulates the learner's imagination and creativity. The teachers felt that by encouraging learners to explore their creativity through Arts we maintain the practice of the Arts through drawing, carving, modelling and music.

The purpose of this study is to analyze the interaction of (1) the secondary school teacher's knowledge concerning both the problem of adolescent suicide and the potential for teacher intervention and (2) selected demographic variables on the dependent variables of the teacher's attitudes concerning both the problem of adolescent suicide and the potential for teacher intervention in order to develop a data base upon which to examine the prospects for realizing the intervention potential of secondary school teachers in the area of adolescent suicide. Findings indicate that there are significant differences in knowledge concerning the problem of adolescent suicide and the potential for teacher intervention as a function of particular demographics. Similarly, there are significant differences in attitude toward the problem of adolescent suicide and the potential for teacher intervention as a function of particular demographics. Findings further reveal that level of knowledge appears to be a significant contributing factor in the secondary school teacher's attitude as a function of selected demographics. Secondary school teachers appear to possess a low level of knowledge concerning both the problem of adolescent suicide and the potential for teacher intervention, and they exhibit a range of predominantly negative attitudes toward the problem of adolescent suicide. However, the teachers appear to possess a tenuously positive attitude toward the potential for teacher intervention.

Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of Education in the Faculty of Education at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology 2013 / The purpose of this study was to explore teachers‟ perspectives on school bullying with insights from two primary schools in Cape Town. The topic of „bullying‟ is not a new one in research; however this study investigated the factors affecting teachers‟ perspectives on school bullying and how these perspectives affect the way teachers responded to incidents of bullying. The concepts of habitus, capital and field were used to provide a theoretical lens through which to examine the topic. The study was based on a small sample of 31 teachers drawn from two primary schools. The study employed a mixed-method approach in which quantitative and qualitative principles were applied. The study consisted of two phases in which data collection took place. The first was a questionnaire, while the second involved interviews. The application of two data- collecting instruments helped to ensure triangulation, thereby enhancing the credibility of the process. Findings indicated that teachers have various conceptions of bullying; this is partly determined by their gender, but also by the way in which they grew up and experienced bullying themselves as children.

Thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of Education in the Faculty of Education and Social Sciences at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2011 / Bullying at schools is a worldwide phenomenon and has been extensively researched. However, the role of teachers in this regard, specifically their responses and attitudes towards bullying, has not been as widely covered or reported on. In this study a qualitative case study approach was used to explore teachers‟ attitudes with regard to bullying at a high school in the Cape Metropole. Teachers‟ attitudes, responses, understandings and perceptions with regard to bullying were explored primarily through interviews with nine staff members at the school. The purpose of the research is to attempt to create a greater awareness among teachers of the phenomenon of bullying, and to investigate how their attitudes affect the dynamics in the school yard and related educational issues such as retaliation, tolerance, etc. The research was conducted according to international ethical guidelines and with the permission of the Western Cape Education Department (WCED). The literature review for this study covers two main areas: bullying and teachers‟ attitudes towards it. The area of bullying looks at the phenomenon itself, the definitions thereof, how it is viewed in this study, types of bullying, the role players as well as the effects. Teachers‟ attitudes towards bullying hone in on school climate, the whole-school approach to bullying prevention, teachers‟ attitudes with regard to bullying, and the South African context of the study. Findings will be reported in a narrative format, considering the methodology cited and the literature review. The conclusions in this study are meant to contribute to the overall prevention of bullying in schools in this country. The conclusions concerning teachers‟ attitudes with regard to bullying should be of some value in the ongoing challenge to minimise the scourge of bullying in South African schools.

Perceptions of Teacher Reflection Among a Group of Public School Teachersin AyacuchoThe goal of this study was to explore beliefs about pedagogical reflection held by teachers in an Ayacucho, Peru public school, and the importance they give it as an integral component of their teaching practice. A group of 18 male and female teachers working at the primary and secondary levels in a school in the city ofHuamanga were interviewed, representing 69% of the institution’s teaching staff. Our investigation shows that the participants struggle to recognize reflection as an essential part of their professional practice, are yet to integrate it into their daily routine, and fail to include it among the attributes of good teachers. The study ends by recommending the creation of greater spaces for reflection for teachers, in order to increase their awareness of their responsibilities as educators and agents of social change. / El presente estudio tuvo como objetivo explorar lo que los profesores de un colegio público de Ayacucho, Perú, conocen acerca de la reflexión docente, la manera en que la entienden y la importancia que le otorgan como parte integrante o no de su quehacer educativo. A través de entrevistas, se exploran estos aspectos en un grupo de dieciocho profesores —varones y mujeres— de los niveles de primaria y secundaria, de una escuela pública de la ciudad de Huamanga, quienes constituían el 69% del personal docente de la institución. La investigación muestra que los participantes tienen dificultades para reconocer la reflexión como parte fundamental de su labor profesional y no la han integrado todavía su quehacer diario nia los atributos que consideran importantes para un buen profesor. El estudio concluye recomendando la creación de mayores espacios de reflexión para las docentes con el fin de que se sensibilicen sobre su responsabilidad como educadores y como agentes de cambio social.

This research study posed the following questions: Does a faculty member's perceptions of his/her attitudes toward college students over the age of twenty-nine differ significantly from those students' perceptions of the faculty member's attitudes toward them? Are different faculty personality types, as measured by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, related to differing faculty attitudes toward college students over the age of twenty-nine? An attempt to answer these questions was made through the evaluation of three differing questionnaires administered to the population of faculty members and their students over the age of twenty-nine at a small, rural community college in Texas. One questionnaire was administered to the students to elicite [sic] their perception of a faculty member's attitudes toward them as students who were older than the traditional college student. A second questionnaire asked a series of questions of the faculty members to determine the faculty members' attitudes toward students over the age of twenty-nine. The third instrument used was the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator; this indicator was used in an attempt to determine each faculty member's personality type.

M.Ed. / The African National Congress' (ANC) victory of the 1994 elections in South Africa, and the consequent establishment of the Government of National Unity, led to far reaching changes in many facets of South African lifestyles. The changing political climate resulted in many policy documents, both of a political and professional nature, coming to light. It seems from these documents that all resources (including educational-, health-, and other professional resources) should be redistributed. The changes that may originate from this redistribution, have implications at both meso- and macro-level of society. In the context of Education, training and practical implementation are directly effected. Suggestions in favour of progressive mainstreaming have already been put forward, and it is clearly stated that mainstreaming together with inclusion are seen as specific medium- to longterm goals. The new South African government sees education as a basic human right and the government aims to make education accessible to all learners. Consequently a need for a system which is more effective and accessible, complying with the needs of a post-apartheid South Africa has developed. Inclusive education is seen as a way of complying with educational needs, also with regards to learners with special educational needs. This implies that all schools will eventually be able to accommodate all learners, including those learners who to date received education in schools for special education. Teachers are seen as the key figures in the change to inclusive education policy. Should the teacher have a negative conception with regards to the new policy, the successful implementation thereof may be threatened. When personal negative conception does not change, motivation is lacking and there is no correlation between what happens in practice and the theory of the policy makers. To investigate and gain insight into the conception of teachers and other remedial personnel with regards to the new education policy is indispensable research for the implementation of the new policy. In the light thereof, the over-all aim of this study is to describe the conceptualization of a group of remedial practitioners, which may serve as a point of departure in developing a new approach to training, and test and expand existing literature.