Thesis (Ph.D. (Education))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

Because of the many shortcomings of public school education in Korea, an alternative school movement has begun to surface. Analysis of the philosophical foundations of this alternative movement reveals, however, that its programmes have thus far also been inspired by motives that have been characteristic for some time now of public schools, namely serious competition for places in higher education institutions. The purpose of this project was to, on the one hand, discover the shortcomings of current public and alternative schools in Korea, and on the other to reflect on replacing their current philosophies with a Christian approach and philosophy to schooling and education. The first step in understanding present day Korean education schooling was tracing the history and philosophy of Korean public and Christian alternative education. It emerged from this analysis that the biggest problem for Korean education is that education is knowledge-centred and intended for preparing students for entrance examinations to universities. instead of educating the whole person. The next step was to analise the history and philosophy of Australian Christian alternative schools. Christian schooling in Australia has contributed significantly to the development of a biblical understanding of' education. The Christian Parent Controlled Schools (CPCS) has for instance been emphasising parents' right of educating their children in schools of their choice and which suit their life views. Christian Community Schools (CCS), on the other hand, has put emphasis on the importance of the school a? a learning community where relationships arc more important than how they teach or even what they teach. Based on this comparative study and a study of a biblical philosophy of education, an educational philosophy for Korean Christian alternative schools could be suggested. Christian alternative schools have to teach education based on a Christian worldview and philosophy. Korean education. public as well as non-government school education, has thus far been totally dualistic in that it has tended to separate fact and \due, public realm from private. The Christian school rejects such dualisms and educates its students as complete and total persons to know this world, to live and survive in it, to practice their God-given calling of stewardship of reality, to maintain their cultural mandate, to serve God in doing so. and to love and serve their fellowmen. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Education))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007

The purpose of this study was to explore paradigms, policies and practices governing alternative education in Central Vancouver Island. I sought whether current alternative education dimensions, models and pedagogies were aligned with 21st Century Learning principles set forth by the BC Ministry of Education. I interviewed key informants and approached this study with an Interpretivist qualitative research design grounded in phenomenological principles. Findings were generally congruent with the literature regarding defining, describing and understanding alternative education. Suggestions included redefining success and using relevant criteria to evaluate program efficacy and student achievement. Successful alternative education characteristics and features were highlighted and compared to the 21st Century Learning paradigm. Preliminary findings indicated similarities between the two educational philosophies. Recommendations included using successful alternative programs as models to implement 21st Century Learning in mainstream schools. Future research should include student, teacher and parent voices regarding alternative education delivery models, services and evaluation. / Graduate

<p> This quasi-experimental study compared academic learning in project-centered instruction with group projects, project-centered instruction with individual projects, and teacher-led instruction. A repeated measures pre and posttest design was used to measure the change in Social Studies content learning in sixth grade students for three different instructional units taught with each of the three teaching approaches. ANOVA was used to compare pre and posttest scores. All three teaching approaches were compared, and the two project-centered conditions were compared to identify possible learning differences related to cooperative learning. Students in the group project condition demonstrated the greatest gains in content learning. Students in the individual project condition demonstrated the smallest gains from pre to posttest. The results of this study suggest that for most students the opportunity to engage in discourse about content through group work, or via teacher talk and class discussion enhances academic learning to a greater degree than individual study and research for middle school students.</p><p>

abstract: This dissertation is about videogames. It is also about teaching, and the ways videogame design represents good teaching. However, this dissertation is not about videogames alone. It makes broad claims about teaching in- and out-of-schools in the 21st Century. Over the last few decades many scholars have been impressed by the rich forms of learning going on out-of-school. In particular, the emergence of digital and social media has fueled interest in informal learning while often ignoring or effacing the critical role of teaching. Indeed, the term “informal learning” is common while the term “informal teaching” barely exists. At the same time, the learning sciences have made progress on understanding how learning works based on empirical evidence of how the mind operates. While this research is not well implemented in many of our schools, it is well represented in much out-of-school learning (such as in videogames). This dissertation argues that there is a body of evidence germane to good teaching, that many learning principles celebrated today in out-of-school learning are actually teaching principles, and that good videogames can give us insights into how teaching can work as a form of design with or without games. The dissertation then develops a model of distributed teaching and learning systems which involve designed- and emergent organization of various teaching and learning “sites”. Finally, the dissertation looks at the rhetorical function of teaching in building a “deliberate learner,” one whose goal is not simply to know and do things, but to become a certain type of person committed to new ways with words, forms of interaction, and values. Rhetoric, teaching, learning, and design of all sorts have been set free from institutions and turned loose into a market place of ideas and sites. In the face of this market place we need to engage in discussions about who we want to be, who we want others to be, and what world we want all of us to live in. These discussions will center not just on “truth”, but on values as well—which is exactly where, in a high-risk imperiled world, they should be centered. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation English 2016

abstract: This study sought to create a holistic picture of Ethnic Studies as it relates to education through the voices and experiences of scholars who bridge Ethnic Studies and education. It examines Ethnic Studies through the conceptual lens of Safety Zone Theory (Lomawaima & McCarty, 2006). At the heart of Safety Zone Theory (SZT) is the concept that historically the U.S. federal government (and to an extent society as a result of this governmental framing) has designated certain elements of minority cultures as “safe” and other elements as “divisive.” SZT was originally applied to examine federal Indian education policy in the U.S. In this study, I expand that application to other minority and immigrant cultures within the United States. This research is significant because despite the minority population growth in the United States public school curricula typically only make reference to such groups and their histories a minimal side note (Loewen, 2007; U.S. Census, 2013; Zinn, 2003). For example, in 2010 the Arizona state legislature declared Ethnic Studies illegal on the grounds that it allegedly promotes “anti-American sentiments" (A.R.S. §15–112). Using Seidman’s (2013) three-part interview protocol, leading figures in the field of Ethnic Studies as it relates to education were interviewed to gain their perspectives on the “life story” of this field. Again following Seidman’s (2013) protocol, narrative profiles were crafted for each participant. The profiles were analyzed individually for emerging themes; this was followed by a cross-case analysis. This multilevel qualitative analysis yielded a larger narrative of Ethnic Studies that helps us to understand its past and envision its future. My hope is that this research impacts future policy on Ethnic Studies and current curricula, particularly in states and school districts making decisions on the importance and need of Ethnic Studies as a part of the curriculum. Also, the research can aid preservice teachers and principals in learning to see the fullness of their students, the places they come from, and the value and funds of knowledge that they bring to the classroom. I also hope that this is the beginning of more studies on the impact of individual stories and the stories as a collective in regards to race and ethnicity. Demographics within the United States are changing at a rapid pace, and school is children’s introduction to society. As a mini-society/community, there is a responsibility to model what they are going step into in real life. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Educational Leadership and Policy Studies 2016

abstract: My research focuses on Indigenous and Pueblo women’s knowledges and the role of our knowledges as they relate to the future of Indigenous and Pueblo communities. My main research question is multifaceted—what is Indigenous and Pueblo women’s knowledge, how is this knowledge communicated and taught, what changes have occurred to those knowledges over time, and what changes have happened due to perceived and real threats. In answering that question, the sources used for my research include the qualitative data collected from personal interviews with Pueblo women, my literature review, and information that I know or have learned from personal experience, including my knowledge as a Pueblo woman. My dissertation is in three parts: a journal article, a book chapter and a policy paper. The journal article responds to this question: How and in what ways have Pueblo and Indigenous women’s knowledges been impacted, influenced or shaped by colonialization? I contribute to conversations about how colonization has impacted, influenced, and transformed Indigenous women’s identities, knowledges, roles, and ways of living. My book chapter takes a look at definitions of Indigenous and Pueblo women’s knowledges and teachings from the perspectives of Indigenous and Pueblo women. The book chapter focuses on the modern day issues facing Pueblo women, specifically, how to ensure our survival and our Pueblo ways of life in the face of colonization. The book chapter focuses on Pueblo women’s teachings and knowledges as they are passed down from generation to generation. Those teachings have been key to our survival and key to maintaining our traditions, our language and our Pueblo way of life. The policy paper discusses my views on the importance for Pueblo nations to adopt policies that protect Pueblo women which will protect and ensure the passage of Pueblo women’s knowledges to future generations towards ensuring that Pueblo people continue to exist and be who we are, Pueblo people. In the policy paper, I also discuss what well-being or health means and how that relates to the importance of adopting policies to protect Pueblo women from sexual assault, domestic violence, human trafficking and other forms of violence that may be used against Pueblo women in our communities. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Justice Studies 2018

abstract: The National Center for Educational Statistics (2018) reported that only 59% of first time college students will retain from their first to second year. The institutional effects of retention are wide ranging and nationwide colleges and universities are seeking effective methods of improving the retention of first year students. Isaak, Graves, & Mayers (2007) identified both emotional intelligence and resilience as important factors contributing to student retention. According to Daniel Goleman (1995), emotional intelligence is integral to success in life, and a significant relationship has been found with grades and successful acclimation to the college environment (Ciarrochi, Deane, & Anderson, 2002; Liff, 2003; and Pekrun, 2006). This study explored the impact of an emotional intelligence (EI) intervention within a First Year Experience course on students’ emotional intelligence, resilience, and academic success. Forty four students at a small, private, liberal arts institution in the southeastern United States participated in the EI intervention and were measured for EI and resilience utilizing the EQ-i 2.0 and the 5x5RS measures as pre and posttests. Based on the results of this study, the EI intervention may have positive implications on EI, resilience and academic success. Institutions and researchers should continue to explore EI as a mechanism to improve resilience and academic success among first year students. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Educational Leadership and Policy Studies 2020

This study is an attempt to search out and define, where possible, certain basic concepts in the educational philosophy of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints during its first century from 1830 to 1930. Commonly known as the Mormon Church, the membership numbered approximately one million two hundred thousand in 1954. While concentrated largely in the Western United States area, it has many congregations across the United States and scattered in countries throughout the world. Showing an active interest in education, the Church has sponsored a program both formal and informal in nature. This program, with its accompanying philosophy has not only touched the lives of the Mormons but also many others, especially in the areas in the west where the Church membership forms a high percentage of many communities. The Mormon educational philosophy, therefore, should not be without consideration and is worthy of note in the total picture of education in the United States.

The role of the school leader is changing, as increasing regulatory obligations in the form of federal, state, and local mandates impact a principal’s ability to make autonomous decisions. Autonomy, or the ability to self-direct and make independent decisions, is a leadership aspect that fosters communal relationships; autonomy for school leaders allows them to address and be responsive to their school’s unique needs. Although public education functions within a variety of frameworks, the primary responsibility for school success lies with the school principal. No matter the level of students, or the particulars of a school’s demographics, Pennsylvania school principals are required to comply with federal, state, and local data collecting and reporting. Data-driven decisions fuel educational policymaking at the state, local, and federal levels. Today’s principals are not only charged with collecting data but also responsible for cultivating the highest performance from their students and staff. A principal’s success – the standards by which they are deemed effective by the Department of Education - is directly connected to the success of the students in their schools. Thus, there is a dynamic pull-and-tug between the need for a principal to be responsive to the school culture and community while simultaneously creating an environment of optimal performance in high-stakes testing. This research is designed to shed light on the extent to which school principals feel local, state, and federal mandates affect their autonomy and ability to provide the best experience for children. With building level data comprising half of the measure of a principal’s success, this study hopes to understand the relationship between the regulatory requirements, school success, and if principal autonomy factors into that relationship. / Educational Administration