Conventional folk wisdom insists study abroad is an inherently valuable educational experience for young people. While traditional study abroad programs were typically a semester or a full year in duration, short-term study abroad programs of only a couple weeks are now the most common type of sojourn abroad. Problematically, evidence is mounting that the so-called “immersion assumption,” the thrust of which is that being abroad leads to intercultural development, and which seems to permeate the administrative ethos of a majority of study abroad programs internationally, is a poor assumption indeed (Vande berg et al., 2012). Moreover, my review of the empirical literature on study abroad suggests to me that instrumentation used to measure intercultural development, much of which was popularized during the era when longer term study abroad was the norm, might not be as well-suited to the era of short-term study tours. Finally, very little research at the intersection of short-term study abroad, intercultural development, linguistic proficiency, and personality has been produced—particularly in the Japanese context. This study had three purposes. The first purpose was to establish evidence that short-term sojourns abroad can impact an aspect(s) of intercultural development in Japanese undergraduate students (N = 203) from two universities in western Japan. The second purpose was to explore how L2 English proficiency, speaking self-efficacy, and aspects of personality might promote or inhibit intercultural development for Japanese sojourners. The third purpose was to examine sojourner reflective journal entries and interview transcripts in order to explain the findings. To execute this study, I used an embedded correlational design in which pre-post-sojourn Intercultural Effectiveness Scale (IES) scores and cross-sectional pre-departure predictors (TOEIC, New Vocabulary Levels Test (NVLT), self-efficacy, and Big Five personality markers) were analyzed through the application of Welch’s t-tests and multiple regressions. Qualitative data were analyzed in order to explain the quantitative findings in greater detail and to ensure sojourner experiences abroad are given voice in the study. The results of this study indicated the following. First, sojourners scored statistically significantly higher than non-sojourners on Intercultural Effectiveness Scale Global Mindset at posttest. There was no significant difference between these groups on any other Intercultural Effectiveness Scale construct at posttest. This suggests that study tours positively contribute to the development of intercultural effectiveness, particularly in terms of knowledge acquisition. Second, none of the individual differences included in this study (extraversion, agreeableness, openness, linguistic proficiency, or self-efficacy in communication) demonstrated any significant predictive association with changes in Intercultural Effectiveness Scale scores pre- to post-sojourn. Third, study tour programs that included explicit opportunity for sojourners to engage with host nationals were4 associated with statistically significant changes in Intercultural Effectiveness Scale Relationship Interest at post-sojourn. Finally, qualitative analyses provided limited explanation as to why the Intercultural Effectiveness Scale constructs of Global Mindset and Relationship Interest changed pre- to post-sojourn. While FACET scores for sojourner reflective journals were positively correlated with Intercultural Effectiveness Scale Relationship Interest at post-sojourn, the content of the journals was idiosyncratic and no discernable pattern between the content of the journals and changes in Intercultural Effectiveness Scale scores was found. Case studies of eight sojourners further exemplify the complexity of trying to establish explanation(s) for why some sojourners’ Intercultural Effectiveness Scale scores increase, decrease, or remain unchanged. Several theoretical and pedagogical implications are drawn from this study. Theoretical implications relate primarily to the capacity for study tours to contribute to Japanese government goals of developing global human resources, a degree of support for the much-maligned immersion assumption, and my findings that individual differences did not demonstrate any capacity to predict sojourner change in intercultural effectiveness pre- to post-sojourn. Three pedagogical implications of these findings first include the necessity for study abroad administrators and educators to acknowledge that immersion abroad is beneficial to sojourners only insofar as it helps them increase their knowledge about their host culture. Second, with greater pedagogic intentionality, particularly in the form of structuring study tours to include extensive opportunities for contact with host nationals, is critical if students are to grow beyond the simple knowledge domain. Finally, reflective practices are highly valuable but, as the results of this study show, Japanese sojourners are likely to need substantial scaffolding and a clear imperative to reflect within a set framework and on subject matter that transcends the superficial. / Applied Linguistics

Because no government body has mandated a national or state curriculum for music education in the United States, elementary general music teachers can vary widely in their curricular choices about whether and how to include movement. To contribute to an understanding of children’s experiences engaging in movement during their elementary music education, the purpose of this research was to examine influencers on pre-Kindergarten through 8th grade general music teachers’ choices to use movement in elementary general music classes. With a pragmatic worldview, I approached the study through a lens of embodied teaching and learning, acknowledging a person’s bodily movements as connected ways of musical knowing. I used a mixed methods, explanatory sequential design in two phases of the research. In Phase I, I posed four research questions. Research questions one through three: For two types of movement (i.e., non-locomotor, locomotor), to what extent does variance in (a) school socioeconomic status (i.e., Title I, Non-Title I), (b) physical classroom space, and (c) class size significantly relate to the use of movement by type in elementary general music classes? Research question four: (d) To what extent do school socioeconomic status, physical classroom space, and class size in combination explain the variance in the use of movement in elementary general music classes? In Phase II, I posed four additional research questions to explain the results of Phase I. Research questions five through seven: How do music teachers describe the (e) purpose, (f) benefits, and (g) challenges in their use of different movement types in elementary general music classes? Research question eight: (h) What results emerge from comparing the quantitative data on influencers to the use of movement by type with the qualitative data that describes teachers’ choices in movement instruction? For that question, I examined the results from Phase I and Phase II to complete the mixed methods design of this study. In Phase I, pre-Kindergarten through 8th grade general music teachers (N = 251) teaching in the United States voluntarily completed a researcher-designed web-based survey. For research questions one through three, I conducted independent t-tests on the survey data for each of the related variables. For research question one, participants in Title I schools (n = 163) used non-locomotor steady beat gestures (t = 1.99) and locomotor choreography (t = 2.37) statistically significantly more than participants in non-Title I schools (n = 88). For research question two, participants without a dedicated physical music classroom space (n = 30) used non-locomotor movement for showing pitch relations and melodic contour with hands (t = 2.21) statistically significantly more than participants with a dedicated music classroom (n = 221). Participants with a dedicated music classroom (n = 221) used locomotor choreography (t = 3.87) statistically significantly more than participants without dedicated music classroom (n = 30). For research question three, participants with large class sizes (n = 107) used non-locomotor dramatizing (p = -.132) and locomotor creative/exploratory movement (p = -.198) statistically significantly more than participants with medium (n = 108) or small (n = 36) class sizes. For research question four, I conducted a multiple regression on the survey data to examine the influence of school socioeconomic status, physical space, and class size on use of movement by type. Results indicated one statistically significant correlation for the variables in combination: participants in Title I schools with dedicated music rooms statistically significantly used non-locomotor moving with flow (t = 2.303). In Phase II, I purposefully sampled 17 of 106 interested Phase I survey participants based on their responses to demographic information in relation to five conditions established a priori: Self-Reported Frequency of Movement Use, School Socioeconomic Status, Class Size, Physical Classroom Space, and Professional Development Experience. To answer research questions five through seven, I conducted a thematic analysis of those 17 Phase II participants’ transcribed and member-checked individual, semi-structured interviews. From their interview data, I identified 31 representative meaning units, 10 lower order themes, and four higher order themes (i.e., Who I Am, Who My Students Are, Where We Are Together, and What We Do Together). For research question eight, I compared the quantitative data on influencers to the use of movement by type with qualitative data that describes participants’ choices in type of movement. Participants’ choices to use locomotor movement were constrained by their physical classroom space and large class sizes but not by school socioeconomic status. Teachers’ choices to use movement in general music settings are also influenced by teacher identity and body image. Since participants volunteered for this study, results need to be applied with caution. By examining the results of Phase I and Phase II, I concluded that teachers in this study connected their choices of whether and how to use movement in elementary general music to their own identity, understandings of students’ identities, school context, and students’ musical engagement. Teachers desire students’ engaging movement experiences that lead to students’ empowerment through embodied learning. Teachers’ choices to use movement potentially connect teachers’ and students’ embodied experiences with teachers’ personally formational instruction, regardless of their school socioeconomic status, physical classroom space, or class size. Implications for the field of music education include widening our understanding of the role of identity at various junctures of a music teacher’s career. Because administrators assign physical teaching spaces and determine maximum class sizes, they play an important role ensuring general music teachers can teach in a dedicated space that is physically and socioemotionally safe for students and their teacher. By contemplating ways to engage in personal movement experiences beyond their practice in their classrooms, teachers may boost their self-confidence, and expand possibilities for using movement instruction in less-than-ideal teaching spaces. Future researchers might investigate the (a) role music-teacher body image plays as it influences teachers’ choices to use movement, (b) ways teachers connect students’ dance cultures to music learning, (c) use of movement in remote, cyber, or virtual general music classes. Depending on the status of the COVID-19 pandemic, future researchers may explore general music teachers’ choices to use movement relative to social distancing practices. / Music Education

Under the influence of Confucianism, Taiwanese people have always emphasized family values as an essential culture. The concept of relationship completion (Byock, 1996) was embodied as the core belief for end-of-life care in Taiwan, known as the Four Expressions in Life: Love, Gratitude, Forgiveness, and Farewell. The palliative care team in Taiwan advocates the Four Expressions in Life to help patients at the end of life strengthen bonds with their families. However, the traditional and conservative culture in Taiwan often impedes relationship completion. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of music therapy to facilitate relationship completion for patients at the end of life and their families, and to understand the perceptions of patients at the end of life and families about their relationship completion during music therapy. This study took a further step in exploring how the perceptions of patients at the end of life, and their families about their relationship completion during music therapy helped to explain the effects of music therapy intervention.This study employed a convergent mixed methods design in which qualitative and quantitative data were collected in parallel stages, analyzed separately, and then the findings were merged. For the quantitative phase, a convenience sample of 34 patients at end-of-life care at a large teaching hospital in southern Taiwan and 36 of their family members were recruited in a single music therapy intervention with a one-group pretest-posttest design. Measures included the “Life Completion” subscales of the Quality of Life at the End of Life (QUAL–E) survey and a single-item global QoL indicator for patients as well as the QUAL-E (Fam) survey and a question of Overall Quality of Life for family members. In the qualitative phase, a nested sample of five patients and nine family members completed the semi-structured interviews about their experiences of the music therapy sessions. There were significant differences (p<.001) between the pre and post session scores for the Life Completion subscale of the QUAL-E and between pre-post scores for the global QoL Indicator for patient participants. The results also showed a significant difference (p<.001) in the scores for the Completion subscale of the QUAL-E (family) and a significant difference (p<.001) in the scores for Overall Quality of Life for families from before music therapy session to after music therapy session. Four themes emerged from the qualitative results: music therapy provides the opportunity for exploration, music therapy provides the opportunity for connection, music therapy provides the opportunity for expression, and music therapy provides the opportunity for healing. The integrated findings suggested that music therapy facilitated relationship completion and improved quality of life for both patients and their families. The use of songs in music psychotherapy had a significant contribution to relationship completion. Song interventions can accommodate a patient's physical weakness and life-limiting obstacles at the very end of life to achieve the ultimate goal to improve quality of life, by assisting relationship completion. The results suggested that the transformative level of music therapy within a single session for end-of-life care in Taiwan is both feasible and culturally acceptable. / Music Therapy

In the United States, students’ schooling experiences are shaped by racial and socioeconomic segregation, which is a powerful predictor of educational inequity. School choice has been touted as a remedy to school segregation and has been used widely in desegregation plans. To understand whether and how America’s expanding system of voluntary public school choice can support diversity, this sequential explanatory mixed-methods study explores how five public school choice programs—inter-district enrollment, intra-district enrollment, magnet schools, cyber charter schools, and brick and mortar charter schools—shape the composition of public schools in Pennsylvania. The quantitative phase uses seven years of student level data from Pennsylvania to examine how school choice participation influences neighborhood and choice school diversity and how school characteristics, including diversity, choice type, and specialty theme, are related to families’ school enrollment decisions. I find that school choice slightly exacerbates racial and socioeconomic segregation in urban communities, while suburban schools of choice are much more diverse than neighborhood schools. I also explore the transfer decisions of students in choice-rich environments: those with access to schools with a variety of demographic profiles, choice types, and specialty themes, and so whose choices are less constrained by supply. I find that that higher income families’ preferences for low poverty schools and divergent racial/ethnic preferences among Black and White families put segregating pressure on school systems. At the same time, the broad appeal of zoned schools and high schools with specialty themes represent promising strategies to promote school diversity in the context of school choice. The qualitative phase extends and explains quantitative findings with a comparative case study of two choice-rich city school districts. In Albertville City Schools, choice appeared to be exacerbating segregation while in Bedford Public Schools, neighborhood schools saw increasing diversity. In these two communities, school and district leaders felt competition from school choice and changed practices in response to that pressure. Bedford competed with a robust neighborhood school recruitment program which likely produced increases in diversity because of their diverse local population. While Bedford Public Schools had success attaining numeric diversity, they relied on diversity ideology—an organizational philosophy that celebrates diversity while maintaining internal systems of oppression. Diversity ideology prevented Bedford’s leaders from overturning existing hierarchies and so internal opportunity and achievement gaps persisted. In Albertville, no robust recruitment program emerged, in large part due to capacity and financial constraints. So while choice participation leveled off in Bedford, it continued to grow in Albertville, which may have exposed Albertville zoned schools to increasing segregating pressure from school choice. Though opportunities for numeric diversity were fewer in Albertville, leaders tended to reject diversity ideology and instead, recognize that school choice participation is driven by racialized and classed opportunity gaps. Albertville school and district leaders sought to compete by closing these gaps and increasing equity. Some schools located in Albertville competed by establishing homogeneous, affirming schools and others pursued holistic integration, though the scale of these efforts was limited. These cases illustrate that while local school choice practices can shape school diversity, leaders’ philosophies are critical determinants of whether or not numeric diversity provides a foundation for equitable, integrated schools. / Policy, Organizational and Leadership Studies

The Central Asian country of Tajikistan is the poorest of the former Soviet republics; it is also prone to a plethora of natural hazards including mass wasting, flood, and extreme temperature. This thesis seeks to characterize how vulnerable rural Tajik mountain communities are to prolonged cold. The primary focus was in Navobod, in the Zeravshan Valley of Tajikistan, where semi-structured interviews were conducted with 31 households, the village leader and doctor, and school staff. The results from the interviews were compared with GIS analysis of the region. Interviews indicated that the area is highly vulnerable to the impacts of prolonged cold. These rural residents continue to practice unsustainable land use, primarily for agricultural and biofuel resources. With unreliable sources of income, a fragile national economy, and decreased access to markets, these residents are ill-equipped to mitigate the impacts of prolonged cold weather. GIS results largely supported interview results.

This study, which is focused on addressing the rising prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in South Asians begins from the perspective that the development of diabetes has scope across public health and anthropology. The onset and progression are rooted within social determinants of health and cultural practices. Similarly, pregnancy—which is a crucial component of the life course—is a time where not only nutrients are shared between mother and child, but also when knowledge is exchanged, and cultural ways are imparted to the pregnant person from their friends and family. Within the South Asian community of Southern Ontario, recent public health evidence demonstrates a high rate of GDM where 1 in 3 South Asians will develop the condition. Babies born to GDM mothers are of higher birthweight and percent body fat than those of non-GDM mothers. Interventions to prevent GDM are important because GDM itself is a risk factor for postpartum obesity, diabetes, and atherosclerosis in the mother, and also because infants with more adipose tissue are more likely to become insulin resistant in adolescence and develop diabetes and cardiovascular disease as adults. Discussions to strengthen the public health response to this challenge can incorporate evidence-based counselling tools (e.g., easily scalable knowledge translation (KT) tools) that can be used by prenatal clinicians providing primary care. Given that diet and physical activity can be influenced not only by an individual locus of control, but also by familial interactions/networks and cultural/traditional foods and expectations, there is a need to better understand and weave in these experiences. I sought to better understand 1) the prenatal lifestyle counselling experiences of South Asians and their family doctors; and 2) the KT tools that have been designed and used in this population; then I used these learnings to develop and evaluate a conceptually-informed, evidence-based KT tool for pregnant South Asians and their family physicians. This dissertation begins with an introduction of patient and provider experiences with lifestyle change. I then present a systematic review and narrative synthesis of prenatal KT tools designed for South Asians. This is followed by a case report that outlines the process taken to develop a patient-facing and provider-facing KT tool (‘SMART START’). Next, I include the design and evaluation of a mixed methods pilot evaluation study of ‘SMART START.’ Finally, I culminate with an epilogue that ties in lessons learned and challenges that were overcome throughout the conduct of this work. The concluding chapter also includes a link to a video that captures the story behind this dissertation and the documentation of how all the aforementioned pieces are nested within and built upon one another. / Dissertation / Candidate in Philosophy

Background: The transition from pre-school to kindergarten can be complex for children who need special assistance due to mental or physical disabilities (children with “special needs”). We used a longitudinal mixed-methods approach to explore parents’ experiences with service provision as their children transitioned to school. Methods: Parents (including one grandparent) of 37 children aged 4 to 6 years completed measures assessing their perceptions of and satisfaction with services, as well as their perceptions of the children’s behaviour. Teachers completed measures indicating children’s school readiness and school adjustment. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with parents to understand their experiences with services. Findings: Post-transition, parents reported lower perceptions of services and decreased satisfaction than pre-transition. Pre-transition perceptions of services and satisfaction with services were associated with some of the children’s outcomes important for school success. Socio-economic characteristics of parents did not predict change in their perceptions of services or satisfaction with services post-transition. The following themes emerged from the qualitative data: qualities of services and service providers, communication and information transfer, parent advocacy, uncertainty about services, and contrasts and contradictions in satisfaction. The qualitative findings indicate parents were both satisfied and concerned with aspects of the post-transition service provision. Conclusions: While the quantitative results suggested that parents’ experience with services became less positive after their children entered school, the qualitative findings illustrated the variability in parents’ experiences and components of service provision that require improvements to facilitate a successful school entry. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

Primary informal caregivers are mainly responsible for the care of persons with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Research has shown that the quality-of-life (QoL) experienced by unpaid caregivers of persons with AD is generally lower than the QoL of caregivers of persons who do not have AD. The literature does not report on any studies undertaken to examine whether caregivers' QoL is related to the level or quality of care that they provide to persons with AD. This thesis investigated the association between caregiver QoL and the level or quality of care provided. I conducted a systematic review and found no study designed specifically to examine this association. I included only one study in the systematic review because it contained variables that were relevant to caregiver QoL and the level or quality of care. However, this single included study did not specifically examine the association between QoL and level or quality of care. In addition, I could not find an instrument designed specifically to measure level or quality of care in AD. To answer this question, I contacted the authors of the single study included in the systematic review and obtained their dataset. Quantitative analysis of these data did not show a statistically significant association between caregiver well-being (surrogate for QoL) and level or quality of care. Further, I conducted a qualitative study of AD caregivers to obtain data on the components of a useful questionnaire for measuring level or quality of care. Caregivers suggested the development of a questionnaire that addresses the following areas: case management approach, increasing care demands due to declining status of the care recipient, social support, and the role of hired help. The thesis concludes with an integrative discussion of the aforementioned studies. I discuss important areas for future research, including the need for a longitudinal study. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

<p><strong>Background. </strong>Interprofessional collaboration is a cogent strategy to promote retention and safe, quality nursing care among new graduate nurses. This sandwich thesis describes a research project undertaken to understand how new graduate nurses engage in interprofessional collaboration.</p> <p><strong>Objective. </strong>The aim was to comprehensively understand the individual, team, and organizational factors that influence new graduate nurse engagement in interprofessional collaboration.</p> <p><strong>Methods. </strong>An integrative review of the new graduate nurse literature was conducted within the context of interprofessional collaboration. Applying the Structuration Model of Interprofessional Collaboration as a framework, a mixed methods study examined the team and organizational predictors of new graduate nurse engagement in interprofessional collaboration, and explored factors that influenced confidence among new graduate nurses toward interprofessional collaboration. Quantitative data were collected via mailed surveys. Follow-up interviews were conducted to explain the quantitative findings.</p> <p><strong>Results. </strong>The integrative review revealed individual, team, and organizational factors that were reported to influence new graduate nurse engagement in interprofessional collaboration. The review concluded a gap in the current knowledge of the issue, and literature that was weak to moderate in quality. The team and organizational predictors of new graduate nurse engagement in interprofessional collaboration were: satisfaction with the team, number of team strategies, participation in a mentorship or preceptorship experience, accessibility of manager, and accessibility and proximity of educator or professional practice leader. The interviews revealed respect, team support, and face-to-face interprofessional interactions as team facilitators. Supportive leadership and preceptorship or mentorships were organizational facilitators. Several variables had a relationship with new graduate nurse confidence in interprofessional collaboration. A model that explains this confidence was developed from the qualitative findings.</p> <p><strong>Conclusion. </strong>The Structuration Model of Interprofessional Collaboration was a valuable</p> <p>framework for understanding the structural elements of new graduate nurse engagement in interprofessional collaboration. This thesis identifies implications for education, practice and research.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Social exclusion in higher education can occur at multiple levels (e.g., systemic, institutional, interpersonal, individual), and individuals simultaneously hold multiple social identities that could influence their perceptions of academic climate. The current study utilized a mixed-methods convergent parallel design to explore the impact of multiple social identities, perceptions of academic climate, and the imposter phenomenon among psychology students. In the quantitative portion, participants (N = 142) completed an online survey related to gender centrality, academic climate, and imposter phenomenon. Gender group comparisons revealed that cisgender men indicated poorer perceptions of climate than cisgender women and gender minorities, but imposter phenomenon was higher among cisgender women and gender minorities than cisgender men. However, perceived academic climate did not mediate the relationship between gender and the imposter phenomenon nor did gender centrality moderate the indirect path of gender on imposter phenomenon through perceived academic climate. In the qualitative portion, participants (N = 14) provided insight, through semi-structured interviews, on the connectedness of perceived academic climate and imposter phenomenon based on the culmination of their multiple social identities. Six themes were identified through reflexive thematic analyses (1) benefits of psychology; 2) barriers of psychology; 3) privileged perspective; 4) stereotypic view of psychology; 5) imposter phenomenon connections; 6) enhancing and maintaining success). Integrated findings suggest a power shift within the context of psychology as individuals that hold traditionally subordinate social identities reported positive perceptions of academic climate, while individuals that hold traditionally dominant social identities perceived academic climate more poorly. However, positive perceptions of academic climate failed to combat the internalization of negative societal stereotypes of those in traditionally subordinate groups, which was associated with experiences of the imposter phenomenon. Future directions and implications for translating findings are discussed.