Recognition that social and global issues are important to education has re-ignited interest in policy approaches to controversial and sensitive issues(CI).Without a policy framework for CI education, educators become 'de-skilled' by their working conditions. This qualitative study researches teachers and school administrators' understanding of CI policy (CSI 2003) using a theoretical framework structured on critical democracy and a conceptual lens of critical discourse and narrative analyses. Research findings reveal CSI lacks a cogent conceptual framework; it supports curricula and board policies. Some school administrators use CSI to support the system against community-based challenges to policy and programs. In this way, the process of CSI is not democratic. Further, a critical discourse analysis reveals deeply-embedded contradictions through competing voices for authority. Teachers report feelings of fear and experiencing surveillance in conditions of inadequate and inequitable CI policy support. The findings locate inattention to students' roles is defining what (and how) CI enter the classroom. The research findings sharpen our knowledge of local-level policy activity among users. For these and other reasons, the work censures CI policy for 'white privilege' and 'liberalism.'From a theoretical perspective, the thesis asserts the need for more work on the intersections of critical policy, critical democracy and citizen engagement in policy processes.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:OTU.1807/29755 |
| Date | 31 August 2011 |
| Creators | Irish, Erin E. |
| Contributors | Portelli, John P. |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | en_ca |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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