This study identified the skills necessary to successfully complete the beauty culture program of Alberta. The (Alberta) beauty culture teachers (N =40) were surveyed, with their responses being used to assess the perceived skills. The instument, a 41 item survey, was established through the use of a Delphi panel to establish content validity. The reliability was calculated by using the Hoyt-Stunkard analysis of variance technique. The instrument's reliability showed a +0.95 level of internal consistency. The means for the items ranged from a high of 5.85 (an affective skill) to a low of 4.12 (a cognitive skill). All items indicated a need to retain the existing beauty culture competencies. The items were divided into three taxonomies; namely, cognitive, affective, and psychomotor. This was done to inform the respondent of the nature of the tasks. All three of the affective skills ranked in the highest frequency group, with two of the items being placed in the first and second spot. R-mode factor analysis was used to group the items into clusters according to the respondents' ratings on the six-point scale. With the initial loading set at 0.50, only one task was found to be spurious. Seventeen clusters (factors) were produced and were spread across affective, cognitive, and psychomotor skill areas. Skills involving manipulative procedures varied in importance levels. Technologically advanced methods of achieving cosmetology outcomes were not considered as important as the learning of basic tasks. This indicated a need to teach only the basics in preparation for completion of the beauty culture program in Alberta. / Graduation date: 1993

This study explores the conditions that contribute to teacher success in First Nations communities by focusing on the experiences of educators and community members from the Ermineskin Reserve, which is located in central Alberta. The study addresses the question: what factors do educators and community members identify as being major contributors to the success of teachers in First Nations communities? The study is based on a review and analysis of data obtained through semi-structured interviews conducted with twelve teachers, six administrators, six Native students and six parents of Native children. These educators and community members share their experiences and ideas about how teacher success can be optimized in First Nations settings. The study identifies a number of interrelated factors that positively and negatively influence the work of teachers in First Nations communities. Educators and community members emphasize the importance of educators and community members working together to create a school system that not only meets the needs of students but also nurtures and validates educators, parents and the larger First Nations community. Recommendations are provided for educators, Native communities, Native school boards, and post-secondary institutions who are interested in developing, nurturing and supporting teacher success in First Nations settings.

Research has demonstrated that school climate has a significant impact on several student outcomes. Positive school climate is associated with the development of positive self-concept in students, increased feelings of attachment and commitment to the school, and overall satisfaction with the school experience. This study described the school climate of four urban junior high schools, with specific attention to climate factors related to the affective development of students. The sample consisted of 506 Grade 9 students. Students' perceptions of their school's climate were measured with a standard climate questionnaire, the Effective School Battery. In addition, the principals of each school were interviewed in order to provide additional insight into the school's philosophy of education, school policies, and other aspects related to affective school climate. The data collected was used to determine if junior high schools exhibited school climates which addressed the affective needs of their students. The student responses indicated generally positive feelings about their schools. The fours schools rated high to average in the areas of Safety, Planning and Action, Clarity of Rules, Extra-curricular Program, and Student Influence. Areas in which the majority of schools rated below average or low included Respect for Students, and School Rewards. Interviews with principals revealed that affective development was considered to be an important component of junior high education. In addition, principals tended to support the findings from the student surveys. The findings illustrate that these schools have generally positive school climates as perceived by the students. Students feel comfortable and secure in the school environment, are aware of the rules guiding their behavior and tend to be involved in a variety of school activities. The areas which schools need to improve include increasing positive reinforcement and rewards for students, and ensuring that students feel they are treated with respect and dignity in their interactions with school personnel. / xi, 113 leaves ; 28 cm.

The concept of health promotion is an alternative and emerging orientation. Here the belief is that all people have strengths and are capable of determining their own needs, finding their own answers, and solving their own problems. Most health care professional have been educated in the medical model of health. In this model, the health care professional, especially the physician, plays an active part as an expert on disease; the patient or client has essentially a passive role, and the disease rather than the person is the focus. The role of health care professionals in health promotion is an important one and will continue to expand with the new focus of the province of Alberta's health system. The focus of that system, and other health systems in Canada and abroad, is increasingly upon health promotion rather than disease treatment. The purpose of this study was to determine the perceptions of a variety of health care professionals working in the community and in the hospital setting relating to health promotion. The study takes a non-experimental approach utilizing a descriptive design. All professional staff including registered nurses, occupational therapists, recreational therapists, physiotherapists, respiratory therapists, social workers, dental workers, nutritionists, speech-language pathologists, and physicians working in Palliser Health Authority were asked to participate in the survey. Two hundred and thirteen staff responded to a questionnaire desgined to reflect their perceptions on the importance of health promotion, determinants of health, principles of health promotion, and skills and knowledge of health promotion. Staff were also asked to identify health promotion activities occuring at their work site, possible barriers to health promotion, and what was needed regarding training and support. Some of the major findings include: 1) Staff perceive health promotion to be an important part of their job. However staff working in the community perceive health promotion to be more important than those working in the hospital. Physicians were the least positive about questions pertaining to the importance of health promotion. 2) Staff perceive that the purpose of health promotion is to strengthen peoples' control over their health, but responses also indicate uncertainty concerning how control is to be defined and effected. 3) When asked to identify health promotion activities at their work site, the majority of staff pointed to the provision of information to individuals and groups. Community development was listed by very few staff. 4) When staff were asked to identify barriers to health promotion they identified the following in the order: lack of resources, old attitudes about health and health promotion, lack of support from the organization and doctors, lack of knowledge/education, and lack of communication between health care workers. / v, 101 leaves : ill. ; 28 cm.

This paper purposes to answer some questions pertaining to perceptions of Metis identity (individual and collective, subjective and objective) as the Canadian public's conceptualizations of the Metis have been changed during the 80s and 90s by the works of Canadians historians and by popular media. These changes have been stimulated by the politics of Metis participation in: The Constitution Act, 1982; The First Ministers' Conferences [FM'Cs], 1983-1987; The Charlottetown Accord, 1992 Questions asked are (1) who are the modern-day Metis; (2) how do the Metis define themselves, conceptually and legally; (3) how does the Canadian public, in general, define the Metis? The results of the Lethbridge Area Metis Survey (Chapter Three) are valid for the local area but it is possible that they may be generalized. / vi, 103 leaves : ill. ; 28 cm.

This study examined the perceptions and needs of junior high school students considering the question, What makes school a positive experience for 12 junior high school students? Previous research indicates that many students view school negatively (Bibby & Posterski, 1992). This conclusion is an alarming statement considering the significant number of years students spend in school. Using student written responses and interviews, this study explored the peceptions of junior high school students in relation to school. Qualitative research method was used as it allowed the researcher to collect and document rich data that helped to shed light on students' views of junior high school. Twelve students, 2 males and 2 females, from each of the three junior high grades (7,8, and 9) participated in the study. The students were asked to respond, in writing, to five prompts: 1) Junior high school is...2) What do you think can make junior high a positvie place to be? 3) What do you think can make junior high a negative place to be? 4) The best thing about my school is...5) The worst thing about my school is... . Those same students then met in grade level groups for an interview used to clarify and expand upon the themes that emerged in their written responses. The final data-gathering technique was for the students to reflect upon what the ideal school might look like. Overall, the results of this study indicate that students value relationships with both teachers and peers and wish to belong to the safe and student-centered community of school. The insights of junior high school students about their schooling experience will assist in the organization of programs designed to meet the needs of adolescents within an educational setting. / vii, 154 leaves ; 28 cm.

This study focused on student athletes' perceptions of sport and education. The following research question was used to establish a framework for this thesis: Is there a significant difference in athletes' perceptions of sport and education between 4A varsity basketball players and midget AAA hockey players in Alberta? The independent variable was the sport category (hockey or basketball) and the dependent variable was the athletes'responses to the survey. A self-developed survey instrument entitled Sport and Education Survey (ESS) was utilized to gather information. The survey drew upon thirteen statements that were grouped according to their relevance to each hypothesis. Five additional statements were included for the purpose of categorization, description and discussion. The survey was administered to a sample of 158 males who played either hockey or basketball and were currently in grades 10, 11 or 12. An approximate equal representation was reached by surveying four hockey teams and eight basketball teams. Three hypotheses were examined and tested: H1) There is a significant difference in perceptions of education between 4A varsity basketball players and midget AAA hockey players in Alberta. H2) There is a significant difference in perceptions of sport between 4A varsity basketball players and midget AAA hockey players in Alberta. H3) There is a significant difference in perceptions of post-secondary education between 4A varsity basketball players and midget AAA hockey players in Alberta. Testing the hypotheses required the used of the Chi-square test in cross tabulations. H1 and H3 are rejected: the findings indicate that both groups are concerned about their performance in education and they plah to attend post-secondary education. H2 is supported: 76.3% of hockey players at the midget AAA level were planning to become professional athletes, while only 35.4% of 4A basketball players were planning to become professional athletes. Upon high school graduation most midget AAA hockey players' choose to apprentice in the junior hockey ranks in hopes of becoming a professional athlete or to receive an athletic scholarship. Whereas the priority most 4A basketball players is to immediately attend college or university on a failure basis with or without an athletic scholarship. / x, 85 leaves ; 29 cm.

Grainview: A Beginning Teacher's Experiences on a Hutterite colony in novel form. Hutterite colonies dot the Canadian prairie landscape like grain elevators. Where did they come from? What do the people called Hutterites believe? Accalia McConnell was bright, feisty, newly graduated teacher. Her first teaching assignment was on an Alberta Hutterite colony. As her first seven years of teaching unfold, "Caley" is continuously confronted with new challenges, contradictions, and compromises necessitated when two divergent cultures collide in one small classroom. The Hutterian life is ostensibly based on the biblical interpretations of their erstwhile leader. Jakob Hutter, who seized communal life has defied probability and flourished over their four hundred year history. However, in contemporary society the technological advances threaten one of the basic tenets of Hutterian life: isolaton. When the Hutterites emigrated to the West it was negotiated that the colony members were to be educated in local curricula. This price of admission presented the dilemma of maintaining traditional ways in the face of modern advancements. The flashpoint for this cultural collision is the classroom of Caley McConnell. As the anecdotal stories of education in the schoolhouse unfold, Caley is forced to cotinuously balance the myriad of viewpoints surrounding her: those of the superintendent, the preacher, Daniel the domineering farm boss, the illegitimate child, runaways and Caley's own set of values. These stories intertwine numerous challenges that inexorably lead to a breaking point. In searching for an understanding of Hutterian culture, Caley ultimately discovers herself. / xix, 118 p. ; 28 cm.

The present study analyzed the evolutionary history of Erigeron trifidus Hook. by addressing two main questions: 1) Is the current hypothesis of the origin of the species by hybridization between E.compositus and E.lanatus supported by molecular data? and 2)Is the species monophyletic? An analysis of uni-and-biparentally inherited molecular markers from three species throughout the range of E.trifidus yielded data that supports the hybridization hypothesis. First, a restriction site analysis of cpDNA revealed 4 haplotypes. In most cases, cpDNA haplotypes were the same as in E.lanatus, suggesting E.lanatus as the maternal parent. Sequencing and cloning the nuclear ETS region revealed the presence of multiple repeat types in most individuals sampled. This further supports the hybrid origin hypothesis in that E.trifidus contained only repeat types present in one or the other of the putative parents. In addition, E.trifidus displayed the highest percentage of intrainidividual repeat type polymorphism, a common trait of hybrid species. Erigeron trifidus populations collected in the northern region appear to be monophyletic as they all exhibited a particular pattern of repeat type variation, a pattern absent in Ram Mountain and Waterton Lakes National Park populations. As E.lanatus has never been recorded from Ram Mountain, it is likely that the populations identified as E.trifidus are instead a different agamospermous variant of E.compositus. In Waterton Lakes National Park, populations of E.trifidus are thought to be the product of local hybridization but the identity of the putative parents remains uncertain. Therefore, E.trifidus is concluded to be polyphyletic. / viii, 66 leaves : ill. (some col.) ; 28 cm.

Research indicates that students who reside on campus are more likely than commuter students to persist in their studies until graduation. The purpose of this study is to explore factors that may influence retention for commuter students. Data were collected from 20 commuter students at a primarily undergraduate four-year institution, in three stages: administration of a brief questionnaire, individual in-depth interviews, and a focus group. The qualitative data gained was coded and analyzed, and a grounded theory entitled “the commuter student experience” was developed. The theory contains three main categories, various subcategories, and a mediating variable. The results and findings of this study provide validation for existing areas of research on commuter students; however, they also suggest areas for further exploration. / ix, 107 leaves ; 29 cm