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An Autoethnography: One Step Forward—My Democratic Learning Journey
No full textThis autoethnographic research explores my personal and professional growth within a monolithic social, cultural, and educational site. In addition, I utilized Pinar’s (2019; 1994) four stages of currere, the regressive, progressive, analytical and synthetical, as both a theoretical framework and methodological tool to answer my central research question: how have social, cultural, and educational influences shaped my unique learning journey and fostered my emancipatory goal of becoming a democratic learner? For the purposes of this paper, a democratic learner is characterized by the cultivation of agency and autonomy in decision-making within an individual, fostering their ability to make independent learning decisions regardless of broad social, cultural, and political influences. By employing autoethnography, I merged personal narratives with broader cultural, social, and political contexts, using my life as a site for critical reflection. Data was collected through uninterrupted free writing that documented my thought flow. This was supported by a collection of journals and artifacts that captured my life epiphanies. The data coding and analysis process was highly iterative, featuring a strategy of “memoing” that helped identify three key themes in the data: Nature or Nurture, Transmissional or Transformational, and Personal Curriculum. Through the interpretive-analytic autoethnographic writing process, I examined the intersectionality of my identities and explored how they influenced my learning journey to become a democratic learner. This process not only deepened my understanding of the personal and cultural forces that have shaped my life but also provides insight into the role of autoethnography in education. Ultimately, the study aims to contribute to a broader understanding of the relationship between personal curriculum and democratic learning in education.
Key Words: autoethnography, democratic learning, currere, personal curriculum, interpretive analysi
Optimal Design and Planning for Random Effect Models and Models with Measurement Errors.
Full text linkThis project addresses optimal design problems for linear mixed models with covariates (mixed ANCOVA models), and linear fixed models with measurement errors. First, we examine ANCOVA mixed models, focusing on efficient treatment allocations. We develop optimal designs using a general framework based on D-optimality, proposing a two-stage design approach to account for unknown parameters. In this approach, variances of random effects across treatment groups are considered distinct. Second, we formulate A-optimal designs for measurement error models, addressing errors in the response alone or in both response and explanatory variables. We propose that optimal designs for models with measurement errors significantly outperform classical designs. Furthermore, our results in A-optimal design for the models with measurement errors in both explanatory and response variables provide significantly greater efficiencies compared to classical designs
Searching for Art in the forest: An examination of how nature inspires children’s creativity.
Full text linkThis study aimed to examine how school-aged children’s experiences with outdoor, play-based, inquiry-based, and artful pedagogies shaped their creative outcomes. The benefits of being outdoors and engaging with the arts are commonly overlooked. Researchers argue that teaching drama, particularly in natural settings, offers more opportunities to move freely, engage in fantasy play, interact with the natural world, and utilize natural materials for creative artful pieces. There is a lack of research and resources for teachers on providing Nature-Based art experiences within the school setting. In combination with this lack of resources, educators face high demands in academic subjects and scheduling constraints, which ultimately result in a lack of confidence to take their students outdoors for Nature-Based art experiences. This study explored the following research questions: "How does nature, especially outdoor and artistic play, influence children’s creativity and creative outcomes?" and "How can the insights from this study help empower teachers and boost their confidence in teaching creativity outdoors?" Findings indicate that the outdoor environment provides children with increased inspiration, materials, and space for their creative endeavours. Further, when educators transition to constructivist, play-based pedagogies, especially while teaching outdoors, children naturally incorporate explicitly taught curriculum concepts and engage with the arts through their use of the art elements. Implications for educator practice are outlined in the attached educator resource, which includes recommendations for both pre-service and in-service educators to feel empowered and prepared to teach the arts through outdoor, alternative pedagogies
Who Dates Who? Using Latent Profiles to Characterize Adolescent’s Mate Value
Full text linkDo the popular kids really get all the dates? Are student athletes actually the most desirable? Is being kind more attractive than being powerful? My study aims to confront these romantic stereotypes by identifying distinct profiles of adolescent mate value using a person-centered approach and peer nomination data. Grounded in evolutionary theory and drawing on Cheng’s prestige vs dominance pathways to social influence and Cillessen’s agentic-communal social strategies framework, my thesis demonstrates how different peer-perceived characteristics shape romantic desirability in adolescence. Using latent profile analysis (LPA), data were analyzed from 473 adolescents aged 14-18 (M= 15.9; SD=1.17) who completed peer nomination surveys. The analysis focused on nominations for "Who would you most like to go on a date with?" alongside indicators of: attractiveness, popularity, likeability, kindness, athleticism, humour, and bullying. Three distinct profiles of perceived mate-value emerged from the data: 1) Modal- average across all traits 2) Well-liked – high in athleticism, kindness and likeability and 3) Popular– high in popularity, humour and bullying My findings suggest that romantic desirability is heavily influenced by status-based traits and social visibility, and many romantic stereotypes are reflected in real peer dynamics
Enhanced EEG Spectral Decomposition with Applications to Neurodevelopmental Changes in ADHD
Full text linkAperiodic activity in electroencephalogram (EEG) signals, typically modeled as a 1/f-like trend in the power spectrum, reflects the brain's excitation-inhibition balance, and provides valuable insights into neruodevelopment and cognitive function. This thesis focuses on two main goals: (a) to propose algorithmic improvements to EEG spectral decomposition methods; and (b) to apply the most effective method to investigate age- and sex-related differences in aperiodic EEG activity among children with and without Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). A comparative simulation study evaluated four spectral decomposition algorithms — Better Oscillation Detection Method (BOSC), Irregular Resampling Auto-Spectral Analysis (IRASA), Specparam and modified Specparam — on simulated EEG-like signals. BOSC and IRASA consistently underestimated components in multi-peak contexts. Specparam and modified Specparam demonstrated the highest accuracy with the modified version introducing a customized loss function that penalizes localized spectral dips differently than peaks and uses subgradient descent for adaptive fitting. This led to more stable parameter estimates and reduced mean squared error across simulations. The second objective is addressed in a registered report, applying Specparam to resting-state EEG data from the Healthy Brain Network. This study includes children aged 5-18 years, grouped by sex and ADHD diagnosis. Notably, it aims to address the long-standing underrepresentation of girls in ADHD research by analyzing aperiodic EEG activity in both sexes. The aperiodic estimates will be analyzed as functions of age, sex, and ADHD status, controlling for socioeconomic status, IQ, and the use of psychiatric medications. Statistical hypothesis testing will include Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) or non-parametric equivalents, with adjustments for group imbalance. These contributions enhance EEG spectral analysis techniques and offer insights into sex- and age-related neurodevelopmental differences in ADHD
Diversity of Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus in Canadian Greenhouses
Full text linkTomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV) has been a serious threat to greenhouse tomato production worldwide since its emergence in 2014 in Israel and Jordan. A member of the Tobamovirus genus, ToBRFV’s ability to break the longstanding Tm-22 resistance gene and ease of mechanical transmission has allowed the virus to spread rapidly through greenhouses worldwide. Little is known regarding the extent and genomic diversity of ToBRFV in Canada, despite the major impacts of this virus on greenhouse tomato production. 15 new Canadian ToBRFV genomic sequences have been determined, combined with 5 additional Canadian ToBRFV isolates retrieved from GenBank, and 5 consensus sequences assembled from a Canadian metagenomics wastewater monitoring study. The 25 Canadian sequences were combined with 332 international ToBRFV isolates to create a global phylogeny. Most Canadian isolates grouped together with other North American isolates but, several isolates branched separately, suggesting multiple introductions of ToBRFV to Canadian greenhouse systems. Canadian isolates sequenced in 2019 and 2024 originating from three different greenhouses grouped together, suggesting transmission of ToBRFV between greenhouses in Canada, showing that biosecurity of greenhouses is vital for the control of ToBRFV. Focused analysis on individual viral ORFs show the p126 and movement protein (MP) are the most variable regions of the genome. Novel mutations unique to Canadian isolates of ToBRFV were identified in both the p126 and MP. In the p126, 5 mutations were found in an area previously shown to directly interact with the TM-1 protein. Three of these mutations were unique to Canadian ToBRFV isolates and may be novel Tm-1 breaking mutations. In the MP, four novel mutations were identified that do not appear to be associated with Tm-22 and are potentially involved in breaking resistance mediated by an unknown resistance gene. Additionally, 7 isolates from greenhouse 2 had mutations in both the p126 and the MP, suggesting the virus has acquired potential resistance breaking mutations for multiple resistance genes. Until more robust resistance is identified, ToBRFV will continue to be a major threat to greenhouse tomato production in Canada
Age-Related Differences in Maximal Strength, Muscle Fatigue and Recovery: Association with Motor Unit Activation Patterns
No full textDifferences in muscle strength and fatigue between children and adults are well established, but the physiological mechanisms explaining these differences remain unclear. Beyond smaller muscle size, differences in motor unit (MU) activation may contribute to age- related differences in muscle performance. However, research examining age-related differences in discrete MU behaviour is limited and inconsistent. Existing studies have focused exclusively on submaximal contractions, which may be insufficient to recruit the higher-threshold MUs, and none have explored MU activation patterns during fatigue. Thus, this study aimed to examine age-related differences in discrete MU properties during maximal volitional isometric contractions (MVC) of the knee extensors and during a maximal fatiguing contraction.
Twenty boys (10.2 ± 1.4 years) and 20 men (21.9 ± 2.6 years) completed familiarization and experimental sessions. During the experimental session, MVC torque of the knee extensors and flexors was first determined (Biodex System 3). Participants then completed a ramped MVC at 33%MVC/s, held for 20s. Following a 30-min recovery, participants performed a 50s sustained maximal, fatiguing contraction. To assess recovery, four additional MVCs were performed immediately, 1-, 3- and 10-minutes post-task termination. Surface electromyography (sEMG) was recorded from the vastus lateralis (VL) and decomposed into individual MU action potential trains (Trigno®, Galileo, Delsys Inc) from which recruitment thresholds (RT) and firing rates (MUFRs) were calculated.
Absolute and lean body mass-relative MVC torque was greater (p=.001) in men (277.9±68.9 Nm; 4.3±0.9 Nm/kg LBM respectively) than boys (73.4±25 Nm; 2.6±0.7 Nm/kg LBM, respectively). During the ramped MVC, the MUFR-RT relationship showed a higher yintercept (p<.001) and a steeper slope in the men (p=.005). The maximal RTs at which MUs
were identified were significantly higher in the men (p=.032), while the initial RTs did not differ between groups. Throughout the fatiguing contraction there was no difference in the decrease in relative torque between groups, but the pattern of torque decline, as reflected in the torque trace, differed (p=.18). MUFRs were significantly lower in boys than in men (p=.028) and significantly decreased over time in both groups (p<.001), but the temporal pattern differed (p<.001). Furthermore, boys’ torque returned to near-baseline values within 1-minute post-task termination, whereas men were unable to recover after 10-minutes.
In conclusion, age-related differences in muscle performance, fatigue and recovery may be partly explained by lower MU firing rates and different activation patterns during contraction. However, further research is needed to elucidate potential age-related differences in MU recruitment and the developmental factors which may affect them
Biography of the Hon. W. H. Merritt, M.P., of Lincoln, District of Niagara, by J. P. Merritt; with annotations, marginalia and handwritten additions, ca. 1875
Full text linkWilliam Hamilton Merritt was the most important entrepreneur in the Niagara region in his era. His contributions to the creation of the Welland Canal and of vital transportation routes between Upper Canada and Montreal, and to points across the Atlantic Ocean are widely known to be highly significant. Merritt was also involved in railroad development and banking.The record is the biography of William Hamilton Merritt written by his son J.P. (Jedediah Prendergast) Merritt.
The pages have been annotated and cross referenced, as perhaps by the author himself or by a close family member. Additional nine pages of handwritten notes have been glued into the book as providing additional information to the content. Three newspaper clippings were added as well, with a few others missing. The inside cover of the book has been inscribed, “Merritt Collection”
The development of children's social impressions of child faces
Full text linkSignificant advancements have been made in research on trait impressions from faces in recent years. Measurement techniques have moved away from rating scales and towards capturing participants’ trait impressions in their own words, allowing for a more naturalistic assessment of trait impressions of faces. Face datasets have also expanded, including more variability in age, ethnicity, and appearance. However, the field has focused primarily on adults’ trait impressions; research on children’s trait impressions has yet to catch up with these advancements. In the current research program, I applied new methodological techniques to explore children’s trait impressions of faces. Each chapter builds on the previous, progressively moving toward exploring children's spontaneous impressions in a way that more closely reflects the impressions children form from faces in everyday life. In Chapter 2, I explored children’s implicit trait impressions using a novel task design to see if children were sensitive to facial cues when interpreting ambiguous behaviour. The findings from Chapter 2 suggest that children as young as four are sensitive to face-trait cues, which led me to explore the content and vocabulary of children’s spontaneous impressions of faces in Chapter 4. However, a limitation of Chapter 2 is that the faces only included tightly controlled images of White child faces. To increase the diversity of the stimuli for Chapter 4, I created a highly realistic artificial database of child faces in Chapter 3 that varies in age and ethnicity, addressing the need for more diverse stimuli. The findings from Chapter 4 reveal that children as young as four spontaneously reference traits when viewing unfamiliar child faces. Together, the findings demonstrate that in two different first-impression contexts, without any explicit cueing by adults, trait impressions are relevant to children and emerge early in childhood. These findings enhance our understanding of the emergence of facial biases in childhood, using tasks and stimuli that reflect how trait impressions operate in everyday life. The results also provide insights into evolutionary and social learning theories of trait impressions. Critically, tracing the developmental trajectory of trait impressions provides a foundation for future research to implement interventions aimed at teaching children to avoid ‘judging a book by its cover.
Enhancing Well-Being and Academic Learning in Early Childhood Education: Exploring the Implementation of the Easy-Play Model With a Wholistic Education Approach
Full text linkIn Early Childhood Education (ECE), educators continually work to balance rigorous academic expectations with practices that nurture children’s developmental and emotional needs. Traditional approaches often emphasize standardized assessments and structured instruction, limiting opportunities for play-based, student-led learning. This study introduces the Easy-Play Model (EPM) as a research-informed approach that can be integrated into ECE environments. Rooted in the rationale that wholistic, inclusive education is essential for young learners, the study investigates how the EPM can simultaneously support academic growth and overall well-being. Guided by the research questions, this study offers meaningful insights for educators, researchers, and policymakers. It is significant in its contribution to the field by providing a model that integrates play-based, inquiry-based, and wholistic learning approaches to support the whole learner. Theoretical frameworks from Piaget, Vygotsky, Dewey, and Miller support the EPM’s emphasis on Autonomy, Enjoyment, Inclusion, Optimal challenge, and Unlimited ways of play (AEIOU). The study explores the EPM’s integration into ECE through a structural framework that includes educator training, environment design, curriculum planning, and family engagement, while acknowledging potential challenges and offering practical solutions. Implications for theory, practice, and future research are also discussed to inform and guide the continued development and application of the EPM in ECE settings. It is our hope that through the thoughtful implementation of the EPM, ECE will flourish, nurturing both the well-being and academic success of every child