Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Technology Sydney, 2007.

This study focuses on Canadian literature on anti-racist education and, in particular, the body of literature which acknowledges a sense of conflict between the theories, goals, and strategies of anti-racism and multiculturalism. The purpose of the study is to investigate the ways in which this body of literature addresses the Canadian context, particularly in reference to the prevalence of multiculturalism in Canada's official policies and popular ideology. The study reveals the existence of two different conceptions of the conflict between anti-racist and multicultural education: irreconcilable conflict and inevitable compromise. Each of these conceptions fails to provide practical guidance in terms of what those visions look like or how they can be resolved. Closer analysis reveals that this literature as a whole seems to rely on a standard critique of multiculturalism, failing to substantiate it with illustrations from the Canadian context. In fact, the literature fails to engage with Canadian multiculturalism with the kind of complexity it warrants, addressing it, instead, as if it is a monolithic and static entity that can be dismissed superficially. Addressing that complexity in the future can only strengthen Canadian anti-racist research.

This study focuses on Canadian literature on anti-racist education and, in particular, the body of literature which acknowledges a sense of conflict between the theories, goals, and strategies of anti-racism and multiculturalism. The purpose of the study is to investigate the ways in which this body of literature addresses the Canadian context, particularly in reference to the prevalence of multiculturalism in Canada's official policies and popular ideology. The study reveals the existence of two different conceptions of the conflict between anti-racist and multicultural education: irreconcilable conflict and inevitable compromise. Each of these conceptions fails to provide practical guidance in terms of what those visions look like or how they can be resolved. Closer analysis reveals that this literature as a whole seems to rely on a standard critique of multiculturalism, failing to substantiate it with illustrations from the Canadian context. In fact, the literature fails to engage with Canadian multiculturalism with the kind of complexity it warrants, addressing it, instead, as if it is a monolithic and static entity that can be dismissed superficially. Addressing that complexity in the future can only strengthen Canadian anti-racist research. / Education, Faculty of / Educational Studies (EDST), Department of / Graduate

The purposes of the study were: (1) to examine the perceptions superintendents, principals, and teachers have relative to the utilization of scheduled preparation time; (2) to determine if teachers with more experience had a different perception of the utilization of scheduled teacher preparation time than less experienced teachers; (3) to determine if teachers had a preference when the preparation was scheduled; and (4) to determine if the use of preparation time for people interaction, preparation and planning tasks, administrative tasks, personal and co-educational tasks were perceived in the same way by superintendents, principals, and teachers.The preparation period is one of the standards used by the North Central Association for secondary school accreditation. The preparation period was recognized as a part of the teaching -load, was strongly recommended for each teacher, wan included in each teacher's schedule, and had to be included within the six-hour day.In order to compare perceptions of superintendents, principals, and teachers relative to utilization of preparation period, a questionnaire was developed for the study. In final form, the questionnaire was comprised of 34 items. Demographic data were also obtained from each group of respondents. A total of 1227 questionnaires was mailed. There were 975 usable questionnaires returned.The population comprised 50 Indiana secondary schools accredited by the North Central Association; the superintendents of each school corporation in which the 50 schools were located; the principals of each of the 50 schools; and 40 per cent of the teachers selected at random from each school. The 50 schools, located in 42 school corporations, were randomly selected from the official NCA roster of accredited secondary schools.The hypotheses for the study were stated in null form to facilitate testing and statistical treatment. For each population sample (superintendents, principals, and teachers) an absolute frequency was computed for questionnaire responses. Utilizing the absolute frequency, the median test and relative frequency was computed. The chisquare test was used to determine the level of significance. The hypotheses were rejected above the .05 level of significance. Each hypothesis had five sub-parts. The acceptance or nonacceptance of the hypotheses was determined by the statistical significance of three of the five subparts.The study indicated most secondary teachers have assigned preparation time. From the 892 teacher questionnaires, two teachers indicated they did not have a preparation period. It can be concluded that guidelines have been established for teacher scheduled preparation time within the school day.To meet the needs of students, scheduled teacher preparation time should be within the school day. A vast majority of teachers utilized preparation time for students to make up tests, for students enrolled in independent study, and for student conferences. This requires the student to be in attendance and if all preparation time was before or after school, student attendance would be more difficult to attain.The data revealed a considerable range in the perceptions of superintendents, principals, and teachers in the utilization of preparation time for instructional and non-instructional responsibilities, but it can be concluded tasks related to students and instructional procedures were utilized the most often.Hall monitoring, lunch room supervision, extra curricular activities, and publications do not utilize a significant portion of teacher preparation time. Superintendents and school boards have provided for teacher preparation time free from monitoring non-instructional activities.

<p> An Exploratory Study of Problem Solving for Leaders Drawing on the researcher's experience as an artist, art therapist, and Art Therapy educator, this exploratory study used Art Based Research to closely observe how (if at all) engagement in the process of the creation of a painting enhances leaders' problem solving in complex situations.</p><p> This study found that the Art Based procedure did, in this case, facilitate problem solving in a complex situation by allowing the leader to get in touch with a wider range of conscious and tacit or unconscious knowledge, capture experiential information, and look at the wide picture in one glance, with the art work mirroring the thinking process, serving as documentation, and reflecting changes in perspective.</p><p> Furthermore, the use of an introspective, systematic, Art Based approach to closely observe the creative process revealed that while in theory verbal metaphors differ from visual metaphors, and rational, logical thinking differs from intuition and imagination, in practice they were interwoven and constantly evolved and reconstructed each other, often resulting in what the researcher came to think about as idiosyncratic metaphors.</p><p> Besides its contribution to the field of leadership, by offering a new method for leaders who need new tools for dealing with the growing complexity of this world, this study offers a systematic method to look into the process of problem solving while creating a painting. It demonstrates the value of Art Based Research for closely observing individual thinking processes, and contributes a model for a systematic Art Based Research method.</p><p> <i>Keywords:</i> leaders, problem solving, creative process, art, painting, nonverbal, Art Based Research, Art Therapy, tacit knowledge, idiosyncratic, metaphor.</p>

The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of two methods of practicing words: (1) visual discrimination and (2) copying. Both methods were designed to facilitate the retention of words. Two hundred fifty-four kindergarten subjects in twelve intact classrooms received twenty-five minutes of instruction on five high frequency words the subjects had failed to identify prior to the study. Each class was, then, divided into three groups which were stratified on the basis of the subjects' scores on the Murphy-Durrell Letter Names Test. Two experimental groups practiced the words in either a visual discrimination or copying task for ten minutes. The control group engaged in creative dramatics for ten minutes. The subjects were checked for recall of the five words, twenty-four hours after the initial teaching session.Three null hypotheses were tested using a 2x2x2x3 fixed effect nonorthogonal analysis of variance. Subjects were identified as high or low scorers on the MurphyDurrell Letter Names Test, younger or older than the median chronological age of the subjects in the study, as male or female, and according to the treatment group to which they were assigned. Tukey's HSD procedure was used to compute 95 percent confidence intervals to analyze the presence of a 2-way interaction involving treatment and sex. Males in the Copying Group recalled significantly more words than males in the Visual Discrimination Group or the control group. Females in the Visual Discrimination Group recalled significantly more words than females in the control group. Females recalled significantly more words than males in the Visual Discrimination Group and the control group. There was no significant interaction involving sex, age, and treatment; no one method was found to significantly facilitate word recall. No significant differences were found between the average number of words recalled by the younger or older subjects.The major conclusion of the study was that males profited from copying words with chalk on a chalkboard while being directed to the distinctive features of the words.

Tesis (Licenciado en Ciencias Agrícolas): Universidad de San Carlos, Facultad de Agronomía, 1969. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin, 1964. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 219-224).

This study examined the work experience of a selected group of business executives by extending to the executive role the debate over paradigm commensurability that is taking place in the organization literature. The study set out to answer two meta-questions. These were: (MQ1) Can executives be multi-paradigmatic? (MQ2) What are the epistemological issues that need to be resolved so we can find out? This study used Burrell & Morgan's (1979) sociological paradigms framework and a research method that appeared to be compatible, Bougon's (1983) Self-Q Method. Four top level business executives were interviewed individually in Puerto Rico and New Jersey. The data generated was then analyzed through the lenses of each paradigm in Burrell and Morgan's (1979) framework. The researcher positioned herself in each one of the paradigms and analyzed the data through the lenses of the paradigms. The first analysis covers the two paradigms status quo paradigms: interpretive and functionalist. For the interpretive analysis, life history techniques were used. For the functionalist analysis techniques associated with grounded theory were used first (Strauss, 1987). The data was then submitted to a cluster analysis. The second analysis covers the two critical paradigms. From the radical humanist paradigm, the researcher reexamined the analysis of the interpretive paradigm from a critical perspective. Particular attention was given to the notion of self created entrapments. The radical structuralist analysis focused on the systemic contradictions embedded in corporate life. The analysis was based on a reanalysis of the findings of the functionalist paradigms. In relation to the appropriateness of the Self-Q Method for multiple paradigms research, it was found that the method is a point of departure for multiparadigmatic analysis. The method as used, however, is not sufficient. It is recommended that complementary techniques be used in future studies.

Saudi Higher Education has started to move with the international trend towards blending face-to-face with online instruction when developing new educational processes. As a contribution to the innovations in Saudi Higher Education, this study explores the perceptions of Saudi female lecturers and undergraduate students towards blended learning from their experience as participants in blended courses. The advantage of blended learning was recognized by the Ministry of Saudi Higher Education as a solution to the challenge of providing college education to the rapidly growing student population. As the move to a blended learning model represents a radical shift in the Saudi educational system, this study shows how Saudi students and lecturers reacted to this change and how it affected the quality of their learning and teaching experience. The objective of the study is to identify Saudi female undergraduate students’ and lecturers’ perceptions of the advantages, challenges and future of blended learning. Consequently, the key factors that influence the lecturers’ and students’ views are discussed, and recommendations for future research, strategy and practice are provided. Qualitative methods were used to obtain rich descriptive data to facilitate the exploration of the phenomena. Based on interpretative philosophy, the data was analysed in the form of explanation and interpretation of the participants’ perceptions of blended learning. The study concludes that blended learning has the potential to offer a successful learning experience in Saudi Arabia. As there are always challenges of adaptation when a new approach is employed, this research provides insight into how the challenges of implementing blended learning in Saudi Higher Education could be addressed. A theoretical blended learning framework is introduced to provide the factors that influence the implementation of blended learning. One of the major conclusions is that a blended learning environment offers Saudi females the flexibility to continue their higher education while maintaining their own cultural values and traditions.