This study explored the differential effects of single-sex versus coed education on the cognitive and affective development of young women in senior year of high school. The basic research question was: What are the differential effects of single-sex versus coed education on the development of mathematical reasoning ability, verbal reasoning ability, or self-concept of high school girls? This study was composed of two parts. In the first part, the SAT verbal and mathematical ability scores were recorded for those subjects in the two schools from which the sample populations were drawn. The second part of the study required the application of the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale to subjects in each of the two sample populations. The sample schools were deliberately selected to minimize between group differences in the populations. One was an all girls school, the other coeducational. The research design employed in this study was the causal-comparative method, used to explore causal relationships between variables that already exist. Based on a comprehensive analysis of the data produced by this research, no significant difference was found to exist between the mean scores of the senior girls in the single-sex school and the coed school on the SAT 1 verbal reasoning section. Nor was any significant difference found to exist between the mean scores of the senior girls in the single-sex school and the coed school on the SAT 1 mathematical reasoning section. Finally, no significant difference between the mean total scores of the senior girls in the single-sex school and the coed school on the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale was found to exist. Contrary to what many other studies have found in the past about single-sex schools and their advantages for girls, this study found no support for such advantages in the cognitive areas of verbal and mathematical reasoning as measured by the SAT or in the affective area of self-concept as measured by the Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale.

This study was a qualitative investigation, with demographic quantitative features, of post-secondary educational access and legal guidelines for individuals with psychological disabilities. Although disability laws have positively influenced post-secondary educational attitudes and practices relative to accommodating many individuals with disabilities, prevailing stigmas regarding mental illness have discouraged the equal access to higher education for individuals with psychological disabilities. Little research concentrating on this area was found. Thirty-six relevant legal case decisions, focusing on a variety of realms of higher education, were scrutinized. The policies, procedures, and practices of six Southeastern United States universities were analyzed through official documents and participant responses from disability service providers and other university employees. Comparisons were made between legal cases, and within and between universities. Case findings also provided standards through which participating university practices could be studied. The legal analysis revealed that most institutions did not discriminate against individuals with psychological disabilities. Practices of a few of these institutions, however, suggested non-compliance despite favorable decisions on their behalf. Institutions found to have discriminatory practices were cited for inadequate procedures, or for presumptive assessments of the educational functioning levels of individuals with psychological disabilities. Participant university practices generally suggested disability law compliance; however, certain campus interventions were determined to be ineffective in identifying, addressing, and communicating about the educational needs of individuals with psychological disabilities. The most effective services for these individuals, who were described as rapidly increasing in number but lagging in self-advocacy and acceptance by others, went beyond legal requirements. Recommendations were made for institutional practices concerning disability-related documentation, written standards and operations, and student identification and referral. Directions for future research focused on study skills training for students; exposure of mental health professionals to client educational needs; and expansion of the current research, on a nationwide collegiate level, and a parallel analysis focusing on business and industry.

Abstract not available.

Abstract not available.

The purpose of this qualitative study is to encourage high school graduates to voice on the impact past teachers had on their motivation to learn, and to determine if this impact has affected their post high school lives. Through a focus group strategy, 21 high school alumni participated in three separate focus groups. Participants discussed their former teachers' emotional intelligence skills that influenced their motivation to learn. On the review, teachers were identified as a major factor in a student's motivation to learn. This research was guided by Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory of Motivation (1986) and constructs related to learning and motivation from Carl Rogers' Humanistic Views of Personality (1961), and from Brain Based Learning perspectives with a major focus on the area of Emotional Intelligence. Findings revealed that the majority of participants identified teachers who most motivated them to learn and who demonstrated skills associated with emotional intelligence. An important and disturbing finding was that some of the participants had negative experiences. Further work is recommended to expand this research in a post secondary education study to gain insight into the long-term benefits attributable to experiencing positive teachers and the negative impact teachers have on students' motivation to learn, specifically on student anxiety and learned helplessness.

Media attention surrounding violence in schools has increased in recent years. As a result, police presence has become common in many schools, especially in urban centers. While the presence of these officers is meant to have positive effects on students' behaviour and attitudes toward the rules of school and society, it is unclear if this is the case. This study examines the perceptions that teachers and staff have of School Resource Officers in their school environment, and what, if any, differences exist between school personnel's perceptions of SROs and other critical perceptions of police in school. Utilizing a mixed methods approach to data collection, this study examines the police-school relationship in two schools in a large urban area. This study could contribute to the field of education by adding to the scant body of literature currently existing on the topic of police in Canadian schools.

Toute institution a ses règles de bonne gouvernance qui fixent son champ de compétence et définissent sa nature juridique. Il en est de meme de l'Église catholique et de ses institutions. Les institutions scolaires catholiques sont non seulement soumises aux exigences canoniques qui leur assurent leur catholicité, mais aussi aux lois civiles qui déterminent leur nature. Cette thèse présente les raisons, historiques et actuelles du dysfonctionnement du système scolaire congolais en général et de l'enseignement catholique en particulier. Elle propose aussi les voies qui ouvrent vers une école réellement catholique. Au Congo, l'école catholique est soit privée, soit publique confessionnelle. C'est sous ce dernier aspect que son étude devient intéressante. L'État et l'Église se sont engagés comme collaborateurs sur base de la Convention de gestion signée en 1977. Celle-ci définit le champ de compétence de chacun. Malheureusement, cette convention qui devrait garantir le bon fonctionnement des écoles est aussi source des conflits qui opposent les principaux signataires. Il ne peut en être autrement dans un régime dictatorial ou la volonté d'une seule personne ou d'un groupe de personnes a aussi force de loi. La loi-cadre de l'enseignement national promulguée en 1986, tout en fournissant les éléments valables pour la bonne gestion des écoles, connaît aussi le sort des autres textes juridique Congolais. Les enfants catholique comme tous les autres enfants, ont droit a une éducation saine et intégrale. L'Église comme "mère et éducatrice" se fait le devoir de fonder et de gérer ses propres écoles. Elle donne les éléments formels et substantiels qui déterminent l'identité d'une école qui se veut catholique. Ces éléments fixent les quatre champs de compétence de l'école catholique: qualité de l'enseignement général, qualité de l'enseignement religieux, qualité de l'éducation catholique, implication de l'école catholique dans la mission de l'Église. Comment concilier la législation civile et la législation canonique? L'étude du canon 803 du Code de droit canonique fournit des éléments valables pour un nouveau débat sur la nature juridique des écoles au Congo. C'est le travail que nous avons réalisé dans cette thèse pour l'interêt de tous, parents, élèves, Église et État.

Cette recherche s'inscrit dans le cadre du mouvement de professionnalisation qui a débuté aux Etats-unis depuis les années vingt. Cette professionnalisation, rationaliste a donné en éducation, un phénomène institutionnel qui considère très peu les spécificités de la profession enseignante. La présente recherche s'intéresse d'une part, a la professionnalisation réelle et pragmatique, issue des pratiques des enseignants sur le terrain des établissements et des classes. Elle concerne la construction concrète de la professionnalité enseignante dans les conditions réelles de l'enseignement au quotidien. Elle est abordée d'autre part, dans une perspective théorique, en tant que phénomène idéal visé par les praticiens et produit de leurs valeurs épistémologiques et professionnelles. Cette multidimensionnalité de l'objet de recherche a rendu nécessaire l'élaboration d'un cadre conceptuel qui redefinisse les concepts essentiels, à partir des spécificités contextuelles, des objectifs et des perspectives de recherche. Ainsi, plusieurs concepts fondamentaux a l'analyse du processus, dont l'enseignement, la professionnalisation et l'enseignant professionnel ont ete précises en fonction des situations empiriques. Au plan méthodologique, la complexité de l'objet d'étude a nécessité le recours à la méthode qualitative interpretative pour son étude et son analyse. La théorie enracinée a été utilisée dans une approche phénomenologique, pour élucider les mécanismes qui sous-tendent la dynamique et la vision du processus des acteurs. Cette perspective a privilégié le cheminement vers l'émergence d'une théorie substantive de professionnalisation. Les résultats montrent que si les difficiles conditions du travail des enseignants au Burkina démotivent certains d'entre eux, elles stimulent l'engagement de beaucoup d'autres dans un processus de professionnalisation de type personnaliste. C'est un processus de survie professionnel et social, fondé sur la construction de savoirs, de compétences et de pratiques socio-professionnelles. Son but est d'améliorer l'efficacité et les conditions d'enseignement/apprentissage, de soutenir la réflexion et l'action au sein du groupe enseignant a l'intérieur des établissements et du système. La professionnalisation souhaitée par les enseignants est un modèle de l'acteur social à construire avec le soutien d'une politique éducative négociée et intégrée, l'engagement fermé de tous les enseignants et de tous les acteurs éducatifs. Elle vise les attentes sociales de scolarisation, l'avenir socio-professionnel des enseignants que le devenir scolaire et citoyen des élèves. La recherche a réalisé de nombreuses contributions théoriques et conceptuelles. Au plan théorique, le modèle de professionnalisation vécue et le modèle de professionnalisation souhaitée ont été construits. La théorie substantive de professionnalisation a été élaborée. Les contributions conceptuelles sont de trois ordres: la synthèse des critères de professionnalisation en éducation, la professionnalisation de survie et la limbo professionnalisation. Afin de mieux cerner la situation empirique des enseignants, de permettre l'élaboration d'une théorie formelle de professionnalisation qui pourrait soutenir favorablement la politique éducative et de professionnalisation au Burkina Faso, des études similaires sont nécessaires a l'échelle nationale. Cinq principales pistes de recherches ont été dégagées, dont l'analyse et l'exploration apporteront un éclairage supplémentaire sur l'objet de la recherche. Ce sont: la culture et de l'identité enseignantes à explorer au coeur des pratiques; l'environnement éducatif et l'organisation scolaire pour créer des alternatives de partenariat agissant; la relation formation initiale/formation continue pour reconsiderer la place et le rôle des praticiens; la limbo-professionnalisation pour l'explorer en profondeur afin de le contrôler; le courant africain de professionnalisation pour le spécifier et le comparer aux courants existants.

Bullying is a problem for schools around the world, and is an important topic for research because it has been associated with negative outcomes on several social, psychological, and academic measures. Antibullying programs have varied greatly in their outcomes, with some studies reporting positive results while others have reported little or no positive impacts. This could be due, in part, to insufficient attention paid to school climate as a possible mediating variable. My dissertation aims to explore the links between school climate and bullying/victimization. Because Tribes (Gibbs, 2001) is a well-developed program intended to improve school climate and is becoming increasingly popular in schools, it was used to explore the links between school climate and bullying/victimization. Tribes is a program that uses a learning-community, whole-school model and aims to create a positive school climate through improved teaching and classroom management, positive interpersonal relations, and opportunities for student participation. A case study methodology was used and data was collected from 2 Tribes elementary schools. One school was in its first year of implementation, and the other school was in its fourth year of implementation. Data sources included: surveys of grade 4-6 students, teacher surveys, student focus groups, teacher semi-structured interviews, classroom and general school observations, teacher focus groups, and interviews with non-teaching staff members. Data from this study indicate which aspects of the school climate may be most important for creating a bully-free environment, and a model is proposed describing possible mechanisms through which school climate can be changed to produce an environment less conducive to bullying. The results of this study also provide local knowledge to the two schools involved regarding the perceived impacts of the Tribes program on school climate and bullying in their schools, and what can be done to further improve school climate and reduce bullying in their schools.

Fr. Marcelino García, S.J. has been the president of Belen Jesuit Preparatory School for 25 years. The longevity and success of his tenure is an exemplary case of effective leadership and provided significant insight into what constitutes effective school leadership. The target population for this case study consisted of the school’s 7 administrators, 90 faculty members, 10 English-speaking staff members, and 3 key informants. Data were collected using Bolman and Deal’s (1997) Leadership Orientation Survey along with the Jesuit Secondary Education Administration’s (1994) Administrative Leadership Profile Survey (ALPS). Data collected from the surveys were analyzed using the SPSS, version 10. The study also included data collected from focus interviews with Fr. García and six other significant members of the school community. The interviews were approximately 1-hour individual interviews that employed a semi-structured guide. A concurrent triangulation method was used that directly compared the results from these data collection methods. This was done by looking at the data as a whole and in parts. The parts were internal (faculty, administrators, and staff) and external (parents, alumni, and the superior of the Jesuit community) sectors. The comparison of the findings was then examined in terms of each research question. Analysis of the data revealed that while Fr. García’s predominant leadership style reflected the typical Bolman and Deal characteristics associated with the political frame, his leadership demonstrates access to all four frames. Research has found a correlation between multiple frame use and successful leadership. Relatedly, Fr. García’s capacity to approach his administration from various perspectives is indicative of success. In addition, from the perspective of Jesuit education, an analysis of Fr. García’s leadership indicated recurring themes that contributed to the school’s organizational health. The results of this study provide an extensive analysis of the administration of a unique leader. An analysis of Fr. García’s leadership style from two perspectives gives fresh insight into sustained and successful leadership.