Nous observons depuis plusieurs décennies, un désintérêt généralisé pour la politique, qui est particulièrement marqué chez les jeunes (Bakker & de Vreese, 2011; Pasek, Kenski, Romer & Jamieson, 2006; Putnam, 2000; Yang, 2009) et qui se traduit, dans le contexte canadien, notamment par la diminution du taux de participation aux élections canadiennes (Hudon, Poirier & Yates, 2008; Statistique Canada, 2011). Notre recherche s’inscrit dans un cadre théorique soutenant que les industries culturelles tendent à détourner les citoyens des enjeux civiques et politiques qu’exige toute vie en société. En effet, il est permis de penser que les émissions de téléréalité, comme formes relativement nouvelles d’industries culturelles, du moins dans leur composante interactive (Dupont, 2007a; Ruel, 2008), sont au cœur de la problématique du désintérêt marqué des jeunes pour la vie politique, désintérêt qui se traduit par un désengagement. La réflexion est d’autant plus pertinente que certaines émissions de téléréalité sous-tendent justement des modèles de participation (par vote), et ce sont précisément ces dernières qui seront ciblées dans le cadre de cette recherche. Ce faisant, le but de la présente recherche est de déterminer s’il existe un lien de concomitance entre la fréquence de consommation des émissions de téléréalité (exigeant un mode de participation) et le désengagement politique des jeunes universitaires, âgés de 18 à 29 ans. Pour ce faire, nous avons procédé par voie de questionnaires auto-administrés à des étudiants universitaires, sélectionnés de manière aléatoire (par grappes). Un total de 138 participants ont complété le questionnaire et les résultats d’analyses statistiques révèlent que le désengagement politique chez les universitaires n’est pas significativement lié à leur consommation d’émissions de téléréalité, mais, par exemple, que le champ d’étude est lié à l’aspect des conversations politiques. Ces résultats sont discutés dans leur implication pratique comme théorique.

International development non-governmental organizations (INGOs) in the United Kingdom and Canada have demonstrated a distinct withdrawal from education programming towards campaigns and fundraising. This study explores how the nature of INGO global education programming has shifted over time. The purpose of this research is to gain a better understanding of a) the place of INGO-produced global education within the context of international development and the field of global education, and b) what type of role (if any) INGOs have to play in future global education programming. The shifts in INGO global education over time are identified through a comparative historical analysis of the socio-political and funding conditions affecting INGO-produced global education programming in Canada and the UK including the embedded case studies of two sister organizations, Save the Children UK and Save the Children Canada. This study looks broadly at the fifty year history of INGO global education, then focuses on the current experiences of two INGOs that are representative of conditions of INGO dependency within their country contexts. A conceptual framework based on the work on the educational typologies of Askew and Carnell (1998) and the ethical positionings of Barnett and Weiss (2008) is used to analyze, evaluate, explore, and describe the global education programming mechanisms prioritized by INGOs. The trend of INGO global education programming as fundraising campaigns lacks the commitment to relationship building, and the acquisition of the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are important for developing informed and capable constituencies who would understand systemic inequalities. This begs the question as to whether INGOs are satisfied with the short-term, socially regulatory outcome of fundraising when they have the potential to facilitate the dialogical, equitable relationships that can increase the possibilities for social transformation.

This study will explore student engagement as a multidimensional construct through a systematic comparative study from the views of students and teachers. While the construct of engagement holds promise for addressing declining motivation and achievement of adolescent students, the challenges associated with measuring a multi-faceted construct suggest the need for integrative research methodologies. This study will utilize concept mapping methods in two urban secondary schools. This methodology holds the potential to provide the tools for structured ‘meaning making’ between participants (students and teachers). This capacity to ‘think together’ is promoted through intentionally structured (i.e., concept mapping processes) practice of discourse. As a direct result of this approach, data revealed the degree of convergence and divergence in student and teacher definitions of student engagement. Areas of student/teacher convergence included themes addressing ‘diversity/belonging’, ‘student-teacher interaction’, and ‘variety in school policy/structure’. Areas of divergence included, ‘aspects of pedagogy’, ‘students at the centre’, and ‘professional educators’. In framing student engagement as a multidimensional construct, this study was able to uncover complex nuances. For example, closer examination of the student data revealed a nested and multi-faceted relationship to their sense of engagement. Students most strongly associated engagement to their sense of belonging at school. In turn, this sense of belonging was directly impacted by their relationships with peers, and this connection was viewed to directly affect on motivation (and subsequent achievement). Future research is needed so as to delve deeper into the nature of social connections among teachers-students, and students-students as an approach to untangle and better understand the multidimensionality of factors at play.

This study will explore student engagement as a multidimensional construct through a systematic comparative study from the views of students and teachers. While the construct of engagement holds promise for addressing declining motivation and achievement of adolescent students, the challenges associated with measuring a multi-faceted construct suggest the need for integrative research methodologies. This study will utilize concept mapping methods in two urban secondary schools. This methodology holds the potential to provide the tools for structured ‘meaning making’ between participants (students and teachers). This capacity to ‘think together’ is promoted through intentionally structured (i.e., concept mapping processes) practice of discourse. As a direct result of this approach, data revealed the degree of convergence and divergence in student and teacher definitions of student engagement. Areas of student/teacher convergence included themes addressing ‘diversity/belonging’, ‘student-teacher interaction’, and ‘variety in school policy/structure’. Areas of divergence included, ‘aspects of pedagogy’, ‘students at the centre’, and ‘professional educators’. In framing student engagement as a multidimensional construct, this study was able to uncover complex nuances. For example, closer examination of the student data revealed a nested and multi-faceted relationship to their sense of engagement. Students most strongly associated engagement to their sense of belonging at school. In turn, this sense of belonging was directly impacted by their relationships with peers, and this connection was viewed to directly affect on motivation (and subsequent achievement). Future research is needed so as to delve deeper into the nature of social connections among teachers-students, and students-students as an approach to untangle and better understand the multidimensionality of factors at play.

An Exploratory Study of Mathematics Engagement of Secondary Students by Tracy Thomas Brown A large proportion of American students are not psychologically connected or engaged to what is occurring in their classes; in addition, they fail to take school seriously, have lost interest in school, and do not value or seek out success (Steinberg, Brown, & Dornbusch, 1996). In addition, the relationship in a mathematics classroom between schooling and engagement from the student’s perspective is not well known (Cothran & Ennis, 2000). The purpose of this study was to investigate engagement in order to describe students’ constructs of student engagement, their beliefs, attitudes, and values as they relate to engagement in secondary mathematics. Three broad questions guided this investigation: (a) What are students’ practices and beliefs concerning student engagement in the secondary mathematics classroom? (b) What are the patterns of engagement in the secondary mathematics classroom? (c) What are the interactions between the student in the secondary mathematics classroom and primary contexts that affect student engagement? Data were collected through behavioral observations, interviews, recent events, journals, and observer’s perceptions in this interpretive case study. Participants in this study were eleventh- and twelfth-grade high school students who were recruited from a high school in a rural community in the southeast United States. Data from the transcriptions of observations, interviews, researcher’s journal, and students’ journals were analyzed using a constant comparative and pattern-matching method using a tentative codebook. The codebook included: (a) themes derived from the affective, behavioral, and cognitive dimensions of student engagement; (b) contexts that affect student engagement; (c) properties of attribution theory; (d) the processes and sources of self-efficacy; and (e) factors that researchers have found that affect student engagement. Themes for each participant emerged from the data. A cross-case analysis was conducted. The cross-case themes were (a) moods, feelings, and/or physical conditions; (b) effort; (c) behavioral engagement, including attentiveness and help-seeking skills; and (d) approach to instruction. Findings from this study show that there are specific student practices, behaviors, and patterns that affect engagement. This study provides specific descriptions of these practices, behaviors, and patterns with respect to the influences on student engagement.

Youth-adult partnerships are collaborations between adults and youth in the decision-making and planning processes. When adults enable youth to be a part of the decision-making and planning processes, youth voice, empowerment, and participation become important tools for facilitating engagement. Better understanding these processes can be beneficial for practitioners and programmers. Incorporating these tools increases support and opportunity for youth developmental benefits and increases program retention rates. This thesis focuses on better understanding the relationship between youth voice, empowerment, and participation and critical factors in developing youth engagement and utilizing the power of adult-youth partnerships in youth development. A preliminary model of Systematic Degree of Engagement specifying the relationship between youth voice, empowerment, and participation has been developed and discussed. One of the key issues in developing the model has been that existing literature has rarely made distinctions between voice, empowerment, and participation. The terms have been used interchangeably and, when distinctions have been made, overlaps between the terms have not been fully explored. Therefore, this thesis built on existing literature by defining distinctions among these constructs. After distinctions between concepts were made a model was derived: Systematic Degree of Engagement. From this research, program designers are able to develop programs and assess existing programs that foster youth engagement. Researchers benefit from this thesis in understanding the distinctions in voice, empowerment, participation, and engagement. The findings of this thesis are the distinctions in terminology of voice, empowerment, participation, and engagement; as well as, a model illustrating these terms independence and inter-relatedness.

The current study utilized structural equation modeling to test an indirect model of the effects of Teacher-Student Relationship Quality (TSRQ) on reading and math achievement via the indirect effects of TSRQ on engagement over the entire grade school period (grades 1-5). The use of this design allowed for the testing of reciprocal causal pathways and stationarity effects across the first five years of post-kindergarten schooling. It was hypothesized that structural relationships between TSRQ, engagement and achievement would vary across the grade school period with early experiences with teachers influencing students’ patterns of engagement which would become stable, influencing future teacher-student relationships and long-term achievement. Additionally, muti-group analyses were utilized to determine if gender or ethnicity impacts the fit of the structural model. Results indicated that the effect of TSRQ on engagement is invariant across time. For both math and reading target outcomes, the null hypothesis that effects are invariant (i.e., constant) across time could not be rejected. Additionally, results did not indicate that gender or ethnic group membership impacted the structural fit of the model. The current sample was limited to elementary school students and may not have provided a sufficient age span to investigate the developmental trends in teacher-student relationships that were predicted. Additionally, while the influence of TSRQ on engagement and achievement remains constant, the process through which TSRQ influences achievement may vary at different developmental periods. Study limitations and implications were also discussed.

This study investigated the influence of tablet technology on student motivation and engagement for online reading. An ethnographic approach was utilized to examine the case studies of six grade 8 students including three proficient and three struggling readers. In addition to motivation and engagement, their thought processes while conducting online research using an iPad was explored. Several research techniques were employed including participant observation, standardized reading comprehension tests, questionnaires, and participant interviews. The results revealed a significant increase in motivation for reading by the three proficient readers. Results also revealed an increase of two grade levels in reading comprehension for two of the struggling readers. Several findings about students' metacognitive strategies while reading and researching online along with factors affecting motivation and engagement were also explored. These results have the potential to inform classroom literacy instruction and teacher education programs in this rapidly evolving digital age.

This study investigated the influence of tablet technology on student motivation and engagement for online reading. An ethnographic approach was utilized to examine the case studies of six grade 8 students including three proficient and three struggling readers. In addition to motivation and engagement, their thought processes while conducting online research using an iPad was explored. Several research techniques were employed including participant observation, standardized reading comprehension tests, questionnaires, and participant interviews. The results revealed a significant increase in motivation for reading by the three proficient readers. Results also revealed an increase of two grade levels in reading comprehension for two of the struggling readers. Several findings about students' metacognitive strategies while reading and researching online along with factors affecting motivation and engagement were also explored. These results have the potential to inform classroom literacy instruction and teacher education programs in this rapidly evolving digital age.

The environment in which medical practitioners in South Africa and elsewhere in the world currently function demands more of them than did any previous period. Medical practitioners have to cope with the demands that arise from fulfilling various roles - often with limited resources. Tracking and addressing their effectiveness in coping with new demands and stimulating their growth in areas that could possibly impact on individual well-being and organisational efficiency and effectiveness are therefore crucial. Burnout and engagement of medical practitioners are specific focus areas for research and intervention in this regard. The objectives of this study were to conceptualise burnout and engagement from the literature and to determine the association between job stress, burnout and engagement. A survey design was used to reach the research objectives. The specific design is the cross-sectional design, whereby a sample of medical practitioners was drawn from a population at one time. An accidental sample (n = 68) was taken from medical practitioners in South Africa. Three questionnaires were used in this study, namely the Maslach Burnout Inventory - Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS), the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) and the Job Stress Indicator (JSS). Descriptive and multivariate statistics were used to analyse the data. Effect sizes were used to determine the significance of findings. The results showed that there is a correlation between vigour and personal accomplishment. The medical practitioners tested proved to be absorbed in their work and have high levels of vigour. It shows that stress because of a lack of resources and high job demands leads to emotional exhaustion. Medical practitioners who do not have relevant resources seem to become negative, callous and cynical. It also concluded that if medical practitioners do not have relevant resources and high job demands, the results can be lower energy levels and a lack of enthusiasm, inspiration and pride in their work. There was a practically significant relationship between burnout and engagement. Recommendations for future research are made. / Thesis (M.Com. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2004.