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This study examines the racial discourses of six and seven year old Puerto Rican children participating in small group literature circles over one academic year. The main research question is "How do Puerto Rican young children in a multiage classroom construct race through dialogue within the figured worlds of literature circles?"This study is based on teacher research qualitative research design, using methods and techniques from ethnography and case study research. This study describes the dialogue of 20 Puerto Rican children, during 4 literature circles. These were chosen as case studies to examine in depth student's racial ideological explorations. Data gathering methods included field notes from participant observation, audiotapes, videotapes, and transcripts.A detailed description and analysis of children's responses to literature, this study documents how young Puerto Rican children's ambiguity and inconsistent usages and meanings of racial terminologies to signify their worlds. Through emerging ideological discourses such as colorblindness and esentializing discourses, young children explore discomfort instead of neutral, inclusive and unifying racial constructions, along with racial harmony that celebrates goodwill and benevolence. Literature circles as figured worlds informed by Rosenblatt's reader-response theory and Holland, Lachicotte, Skinner and Cain (2003) social practice theory of identity, are proposed to be a space were racial identities form and reform, facilitating variable forms of racial talk.The findings of this research illustrate the importance of teacher research as one form of qualitative research to illustrate the complexity of children's racial talk aimed toward educational racial understandings and change. The importance of racial discourses in young children's racial explorations to signify their worlds.

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Over the past three decades, the plays and productions of Theatre de la Vieille 17 have made significant contributions to French Canadian children's theatre. Their productions embrace a fantastical and imaginative narrative that make them accessible to most audiences. As much as this company shows a remarkable openness to the world, it maintains strong ties to the Franco-Ontarian theatre milieu. This thesis examines key elements that have contributed to La Vieille 17's continual commitment to children's theatre as well as ways in which its productions and policy making have resulted in its increasing artistic and financial success. This study begins by looking at La Vieille 17's three most significant plays: Le Nez, Mentire, and Meta. This analysis takes into consideration the narrative of each play, production elements, co-producers and collaborators, funding, the scope of their tour, and awards and recognition. Each of these aspects contribute to giving these productions a broader world view and help to establish La Vieille 17 as a leading producer of children's theatre. The second part of this thesis analyses key moments during the company's history as well as moments in which it has acted as a common front with other Franco-Ontarian theatre companies. Both of these activities have shaped La Vieille 17's children theatre programming and have led the company to create a successful model in which to produce their works.

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Concurrent and prospective relationships between symptoms of depression, anxiety, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and conduct disorder (CD) and academic achievement were examined in a large sample of Canadian children. Students in Grade 5 (N = 715) completed the depression and anxiety subscales of the Behaviour Assessment System for Children – Second Edition. Parents reported on their child’s symptoms of ADHD and CD using the Brief Child and Family Phone Interview. Academic achievement was measured using teacher-rated learning skills and students’ grade point average (GPA) from their Ontario Student Record (OSR) in fifth grade and again in sixth grade (N = 627). Symptoms of depression, anxiety, ADHD, and CD were significantly negatively correlated with academic achievement at Time 1 and Time 2. After controlling for child’s sex, household income, maternal education, and days absent, children’s mental health problems accounted for an additional 12% and 11% of the variability in their Time 1 mean ratings of learning skills and GPA, respectively. Only symptoms of ADHD predicted Time 2 GPA (1% of the variance) after controlling for Time 1 GPA and other sociodemographic variables. Findings highlight the unique contribution of mental health problems in predicting academic achievement and point to the need to promote children’s mental health in schools.

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