This thesis investigates citizen participation in the planning process in a Canadian city. The city selected for this research is New Westminster. It was chosen principally because of its relatively small size, its accessibility to the researcher, and the researcher’s familiarity with the conditions therein. The study is focussed on two aspects of citizen participation. The first aspect deals with the factors that motivate citizens to participate actively in government affairs. It is hypothesized that possession of wealth and high social status and the intense feeling of need for a project or service are motivational forces that can influence the citizen toward greater or more active participation. The second aspect concerns the style and scope of participation which are analyzed along the three levels of choice in the planning process, described by Paul Davldoff and Thomas A. Reiner in their article which appeared in the Journal of the American Institute of Planners in May, 1962. These three levels of choice are: (1) determination of goals or ends, (2) selection of alternatives to achieve the desired ends, and (3) effectuation. The method used in this study is a combination of the case study approach and a survey of selected leaders and citizens on welfare. The period reviewed covered about a decade, from 1957 to 1967. The background of two of the case studies started as early as 1952. The three case studies involved the following problems: (1) the downtown parking ramp. (2) the Queensborough drainage and sewage disposal problem, and (3) the redevelopment of Area 4. The findings show that the citizens most active in contacting City officials for the support or implementation of projects were generally the property owners, businessmen, and leaders of private organizations. The intense feeling of need, for the project was indicated by the sustained, effort and persistent demand of the leaders of certain associations for the implementation of such project over a long period of time. The pattern of citizen participation in the affairs of the City was mostly through, groups and organizations. These organizations aggregated the demands of like-minded citizens who discussed problems in meetings and arrived at a common understanding as to what course to take. The case studies show that the citizens actively participated in all stages of the planning process of the programs in which they were involved. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of / Graduate

The purpose of this study was to compare the achievement of students in reading-language arts and math, who participated in the Scholastic READ 180 program within self-contained classroom organizations with the achievement of READ 180 students within departmentalized classrooms and with students not enrolled in READ 180. Classroom organizational structure at the intermediate grade is a highly debated issue. The READ 180 program is a highly structured model of the reading-language arts block. However, past research has provided few recommendations on how to schedule classes for at-risk students. Teachers and administrators of intermediate school students will benefit from a quantitative study that evaluates the relationship between classroom organizational structures and the success of READ 180 students. Eight research questions guided the study. One-way and two-way ANOVAS were used to evaluate the relationships between the variables. Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP Reading-language arts and TCAP Math), Discovery Education (DE Reading-language arts and DE math), and Scholastic Reading Inventory (SRI) test scores were compared with regard to gender. The results of the data analyses indicated no significant difference in DE reading and SRI test scores among the 3 classroom organizations. However, there was a significant difference in DE Math, TCAP reading, and TCAP math scores with regard to classroom organization. Non READ 180 students tended to have higher means than either READ 180 self-contained or READ 180 departmentalized students. When the analyses included only READ 180 students, no significant interaction was found between classroom organization and gender. Also no significant differences were found between male and female students and no significant difference was found between self-contained and departmentalized classrooms.

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Thesis (Ph.D. (Curriculum Studies)) --University of Limpopo, 2013 / After the establishment of the first democratic government in South Africa in 1994, the Education Ministry started transforming the apartheid education system into the democratic education system aimed at achieving equity, redress and access to education. Amongst the policies developed, were South African Schools Act (Act No. 84 of 1996), National Norms and Standards for School Funding, Exemption of Parents from Payment of School Fees Regulations, Education Laws Amendment Act (Act No. 24 of 2005), Amended National Norms and Standards For School Funding, and No- Fee School Policy. In this study, I analysed how schools in Bolobedu cluster circuits of Mopani District implemented the No-Fee School policy regarding the use and management of school finances. Qualitative case study was used. Four schools, two primary and two secondary schools, were sampled. Three methods of data collection were used: interviews, document analysis (school records such as SGB minutes, finance policy, School Business Plan/School Development Plan, budgets, auditors’ reports, etc.) and observation. Interviews were conducted with school principals, teachers, parents and learners. The research findings indicate that the three SGBs have the capacity to practise good financial management in relation to the No-Fee school policy, although they still need to improve on some areas of responsibility. These SGBs demonstrated sound and good practice in the use and management of school finances. However, one SGB was struggling to practice good financial management responsibility. This school has the potential to improve its capacity to execute its financial responsibility if provided with support. Key words: South African Schools Act (SASA), National Norms and Standards for School Funding (NNSSF), Amended National Norms and Standards For School Funding (ANNSSF), No-Fee School Policy, Equity, Access and Redress, Use and management of school finances.