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Domestic violence is a complex crime against humanity that has been socially constructed over time by a patriarchal system that has encouraged an imbalance of power relationships between men and women for centuries (Dupont & Sokoloff, 2005, p. 42-43). The objective of this thesis is to create further dialogue based on the pioneering work of Danns and Parsad’s (1989) research in exploring the role colonization plays in shaping domestic violence in the Caribbean. As a result, this research identified gaps in knowledge around women’s reluctance to report incidents of domestic violence, a tendency to rationalize men’s violence and at some level male violence is tolerated, as well how colonization altered the national identities and ethnicities of Caribbean people. The concepts presented throughout this thesis were informed through social constructionism, where certain ideologies have created psychological or ‘internal’ divisions around ethnicity, region, and gender (Brereton, 2010). Over time, Danns and Parsad (1989) argue that the implications of colonization have created issues of insecurities, frustration, and ego by means of social norms which emphasize a male machismo. Danns and Parsad (1989)’s study also refers to the impact of colonization as a root of domestic violence and how Caribbean history reproduces male dominance. As a result, violence against women and domestic violence is based on gender inequality and female subordination, which has transcended through colonization. Further, women’s vulnerability is reinforced by the lack of economic opportunity and the power of authorities to dismiss or minimize women’s issues (p. 23). This has led me to think about the history of Trinidad and Tobago, domestic violence, and how this has impacted on women. In addition, I asked if such policies and legislation as the Domestic Violence Act (1991) support organizations in their role to help and assist women from violence then why is violence against women not decreasing in Trinidad and Tobago? To explore these ideas and the impact domestic violence has had on Caribbean women, I engaged in a qualitative research study over a six-week period on the islands of Trinidad and Tobago. This research focused on two major questions: (a) what are some of the contributing factors that sustain domestic violence in Trinidad and Tobago and (b) how do organizations respond to the demands of women enduring domestic violence. The research engaged a feminist and a critical theoretical approach, eliciting stories from 10 women. From these stories, a number of themes emerged which included: 1) ‘visible’ yet ‘invisible’; 2) ‘light skin’/’dark skin’; 3) ‘private matters’; 4) re-victimization of women by the system; and 5) an overarching theme of ‘power’ and ‘control’. As a result, women shared that domestic violence and the history of colonization play a role in keeping women in subordinate positions in three disadvantaged dimensions: reproductive health, empowerment, and the labour market. Yet, this research also speaks to potential ways in which men and women can find common ground through the deconstruction of the history and colonial legacy of violence (Cruz et al., 2011; Murdoch, 2009). The research also points to ways for the unequal distribution of power to be minimized in both the public and private spheres, and ways to understand the impact of domestic violence and the possibility of ending it in the future. / Thesis / Master of Social Work (MSW)

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This study was an exploration of the relationship between classroom discourse and a high-stakes, standardized test, the Secondary Entrance Assessment (SEA), administered to students in Trinidad in their final elementary school year ("Standard 5"), with scores used to determine placement into secondary school. Classroom discourse was measured as represented in the oral and written language modeled to students by teachers and textbooks, and compared to the written language expectations implicit in the instructions and items on the SEA. Students' SEA scores were analyzed in relation to their teachers' language to determine if achievement was related to exposure to local/non-standard features of Trinidadian English. One outcome of this analysis was the creation of a survey developed to measure teachers' propensity for speaking Trini (Creole/dialect) or Trinidadian Academic English (standard English) in class by having them respond to audio clips. The survey was found to have acceptable reliability and concurrent validity. For the oral language investigation, 13 teachers were recorded as they led their class in one lesson, and an index of Trini usage (number of Trini utterances per 100 words) was calculated for each teacher. This index was used in an HLM model to determine if teachers' language was a predictor of their students' SEA scores. The distribution of the Trini index was positively skewed, M=1.1 and SD=1.25, indicating low usage of Trini. Trini usage was not found to be a significant predictor of students' 2008 SEA scores, but was found to be a significant predictor of the variation in SEA scores when these were aggregated by class. Similarly, there were few instances of Trini features in the examined textbooks. However, on the SEA, the only influence of Trini was the presence of dialect options used as distractors on two "fill in the blank" items, suggesting a mismatch between the features used in instructional language and the language expectations on the exam. In general, the low exposure to local features did not account for students' achievement on the SEA, but was positively related to the consistency of scores within a class. / text

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