IRis Bishop's University
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A study of the adjustment of World University Service of Canada (WUSC) teachers in Zimbabwe
Full text linkSending advisors overseas is an important part of Canada’s aid to developing nations. Such advisors are not always as effective as they should because of their failure to adapt successfully to the host culture.
This thesis is the result of a three year study which examines the adjustment phases of a group of Canadian teachers who were recruited to work in rural Zimbabwean secondary schools. It focuses on the so called ‘U’ curve pattern of adjustment and provides information about the rapport that exists between successful adaptation and degree of cross-
cultural contact.
The frustrations that the teachers faced during their contract overseas is testimony to the difficulties that lie in adapting successfully in a foreign milieu. Situational factors such as differences in language, custom, and race, are seen as handicaps to their establishing close relationships with their hosts.L’envoi de conseillers est un élément important des programmes canadiens d’aide au développement. Ces conseillers ne sont pas toujours aussi efficaces qu’ils le devraient à cause de leur difficulté à s’adapter à la culture locale.
Ce mémoire est le résultat d’une étude de trois ans qui examine les phases d’adaptation d’un groupe d’enseignants canadiens qui a été recruté pour travailler dans des écoles secondaires en région rurale au Zimbabwe. L’étude se base sur la courbe traditionnelle en ‘U’ d’adaptation et fournit de l’information sur le rapport qui existe entre la réussite à l’étranger et le degré d’interaction interculturelle.
Les frustrations que les enseignants ont eu à faire face durant leur contrat témoignent des difficultés qui existent à bien s’adapter dans un milieu étranger. Des facteurs circonstanciels tels que les différences de langage, moeurs, et race, sont vus comme étant des handicaps à l’établissement de relations proches avec leurs homologues locaux.© Robert Setlakwe, 199
Attitudes Toward Science of High School Students
Full text linkTwo hundred and seventy-seven high school students were surveyed regarding attitude toward science and knowledge of the process of science. Other than a significant drop in positive attitude at age 14 no other trends were detected.
It was found that attitude toward science correlated significantly (p < .01) with gender, hours of television viewing, motivation toward school, and present science class. The students failed to demonstrate any knowledge of the process of science. A regression equation was produced, using 10 predictors, that accounted for 32% of the variance in attitude toward science.© Lloyd Perkins, 199
Le style de gestion des femmes en éducation
Full text linkThe role of high school female principals never stimulated for real the discussions of school administration researchers. The studies done treated this element of their data as an anonymous body among male principals. More recently, in the height of the dramatically changing social and cultural values in the workplace and the efforts of school to adapt to the demands of the twenty first century, a tendency is emerging in education and consists of recognizing the female role behaviors related to their leadership style.
The purpose of this study was to view from the theories of leadership, female moral and management styles, the leadership style perception of high school female principals. The Personnel Management style questionnaire was used to obtain data from 33 female principals, in francophone public junior and senior high schools across the Province of Québec.
The analysis of the scores on the ordinal scale and the analysis of the frequency of the percentiles were used to determine the characteristics of the leadership style perception of the female principals. First, one way analysis of 12 variances from social background was used to identify the principals' profile.
Second, the study reported when the analysis was based exclusively among the female principals that they have a high interest in fostering development of subordinates, a concern for impartiality, an ability to form supportive relationships at work and an openness towards discussion and group work and a concern for equity. Nevertheless, this perception was slightly different when the results were compared to the normative group. Finaly, the interest in fostering development of subordinates and an openness towards discussion and group at work are the behaviors perceived as the better personnel management style of the female principals of francophone public school.La fonction de directrice d'école secondaire n'a jamais démesurément stimulé les recherches du champ de l'administration scolaire. Les personnes en recherche ont plutôt traité cet élément de leur donné comme une masse anonyme parmi les directions masculines des établissements d'enseignement.
Aujourd'hui, à la lumière des mutations sociales et culturelles qui transforment l'action humaine et les efforts d'adaptation de l'école à la modernité, quelques chercheurs ont proposé d'observer le phénomène des directrices d'école afin que soit réexaminée la nature de leur style de gestion incluant les caractéristiques les plus en exergue ainsi que les liens en relations avec les théories modernes des styles de gestion.
Cette étude a pour but de se pencher sur le style de gestion des directrices d'école secondaire en s'appuyant sur les théories du leadership, de la morale féminine et des styles de gestion du personnel. L'échantillon étudié était composé de 33 directrices francophones, issues des écoles secondaires publiques et réparties sur l'ensemble du territoire de la Province de Québec.
L'analyse des scores sur l'échelle ordinale et l'analyse de la fréquence des percentiles ont été utilisées afin de déterminer les caractéristiques du style de gestion des directrices d'école selon leur perception. De plus, à l'aide de 12 variables sociodémographiques, on a déterminé le profil type de la gestionnaire.
Par ailleurs, l'étude a révélé que si l'analyse de la perception du style de la gestionnaire se fait exclusivement parmi l'échantillon, les réponses montrent une forte préoccupation pour les comportements indicateurs d'intérêt pour le développement des subordonnés, du souci d'impartialité, du support au travail et d'une ouverture à la discussion et au travail en équipe, ainsi que du souci de l'équité. Toutefois, la perception du style de gestion des directrices se nuance au regard des réponses, quand les résultats sont traités en lien avec le groupe de référence norme. Finalement, l'intérêt pour le développement des subordonnés et l'ouverture à la discussion et au travail en équipe sont les comportements les plus en exergue et perçus comme le meilleur style de gestion du personnel chez les directrices d'école secondaire francophone au Québec.© France Lacourse, 199
The teaching of English in African schools in South Africa: a historical case study in the politics of education
Full text linkThis study traced the teaching of English in South Africa from the passing of the Bantu Education Act of 1953 to the revised English Second Language Higher Grade syllabi of 1985. The syllabi examined are for Sub-standards A and B through Standard ten. The study examined curriculum, school conditions and examination results to illustrate the general hypothesis that education and politics are inextricably linked.
The study noted an alarming decline in the standard of English in African schools since the passing of the Bantu Education Act in 1953 and pointed to a discrepancy between the curriculum objectives stated and the methods of evaluation employed, and between the resources required to implement the curriculum described and the realities of school funding, class sizes and facilities available. Political influences are observed on two levels: a general underfunding and separation of African schools, and a series of political events and legislative actions.
These factors are used to explain why African schools no longer produce the best African speakers of English on the continent. The study also suggested that the problem lies not in the curriculum proposed but in the method of evaluation and the resources required for the implementation of the curriculum.© Petrus M Macgare, 199
The influence of the fear of veteran unrest on the development of university education as a rehabilitation measure in re-establishing Canadian soldiers of World War II
Full text link© Kelly Andrew Burke, 199
Peer tutoring with learning disabled adolescents: a study of the effects on tutors' self esteem, academic performance, and personal skills
Full text linkA peer tutoring program for learning-disabled adolescents was developed to help high school students experiencing major learning deficiencies, particularly in reading. The purpose of the program was to provide a training program for tutors to carry out with younger tutees and to evaluate its effectiveness in improving the self-esteem, academic performance, and personal skills of both the tutors and tutees.
Based on an examination of the literature relating to learning¬ disabled students, self-esteem, and tutoring models, a program was designed and developed. In six training sessions, teaching strategies such as role-playing, simulation, social skills, practice and feedback were used to train a class of 14 learning-disabled and behavior-disordered adolescents, aged 15 to 16. They then tutored a class of 16 learning¬ disabled and behavior-disordered adolescents aged 12 to 13 for six weeks, three times a week. The structure of each tutoring period contained activities including Word Lists, Paired Reading, and Language Games.
Pretests and posttests were given to tutors and tutees to obtain measures of total self-esteem as a sum of the subscales of general, social, academic, and parent items. The tutors showed a perception of positive gains made in all areas and the total and academic self-esteem gains were statistically significant. The high initial self-esteem of the tutees may have enhanced the tutors’ self-esteem.
The language games were the most motivating activities followed by the Word Lists, Interview, and Paired Reading (Literature Books). The success of these learning activities suggests their possible use in other curricula.
Because of the teaching role of the tutors it was found important they were recognized and respected as a teacher and not subjected to discipline which would demean them in front of their pupil/tutee. The program monitors however made their attention to behaviour-disordered students very obvious and this forestalled most problems.
Acquainting these learning-disabled students with peer tutoring has prepared them for a future that may include an Adult Literacy Tutoring Program, their most promising prospect for functional literacy.© Carol Ann Mooney, 199
The understanding of effective schools in Newfoundland as reflected in the daily press, 1984-1989
Full text linkThis study attempts to structure selected educational writings from the daily press of Newfoundland. These writings cover the five year period from 1984 to 1989, and are taken from the Evening Telegram of St. John's and the Western Star of Corner Brook. These newspapers were the only two published on a daily basis in the province during the period under study.
The structure for this study was generated from the generally accepted characteristics of effective schools in the wider literature on the subject. Twelve categories were selected in order to compare public comment in the daily press. The study looks at educational comment pertaining to Kindergarten to Level III (Grade XII) . Representative samples from the two daily newspapers over the five years are presented.
The study found that public comment was both informed and comprehensive, and expressed some similarity with the generally accepted characteristics of effective schools. At the same time several exceptions were noted. Public comment appeared to have little to say about the role of the principal, and about task oriented "academic" activities in Newfoundland schools. It is suggested that the daily press of the province could be of considerable influence on educational innovation in the province.© Chesley Lloyd Snow, 199
The effect of mandatory moral and religious education courses on high school students' levels of moral judgement
Full text linkThis study compared levels of moral judgment (as measured by the Defining Issues Test, DIT) in two schools, one in Quebec and one in another province. In Quebec, Moral and Religious Education courses (MRE) are a required part of the secondary curriculum (Grades 7 to 11/ Levels 1 to 5): in the other province, such courses are not offered. Four classes were tested, one at the junior level (Grade 8/9) and one at the senior level (Grade 10/11) in each province. In addition, informal interviews were conducted with selected teachers and students in an attempt to identify their perceptions of moral education and its effectiveness. The DIT scores showed a significant difference at the senior level with the students pursuing the MRE course having significantly higher scores, but not at the junior level, suggesting as one possibility a cumulative effect of MRE courses.
Respondents in the interviews suggested that the most effective and utilized method of teaching the MRE material is that of class discussions. There were concerns expressed about the attitudes of the teachers teaching the MRE course, lack of prerequisites for teaching the course, as well as concerns about the type of material and the amount of time alloted to the course.© Michele C. Adams, 199
The impact of technology on the Eastern Townships of Quebec during the 1920's
Full text linkIn the decade 1920-1929, the Eastern Townships region of Quebec depended upon two principal forms of technology for its continued economic development, the internal combustion engine and hydro electricity. Tourists .came to the region in large numbers by automobile and contributed significantly to its economy. The automobile, truck and autobus increased personal mobility and business opportunities in the Townships and the infrastructure necessary to support them further contributed to economic growth. The provision of good roads was an important political issue throughout the period. Electrification of the region progressed rapidly for all but farm dwellers in thinly populated areas. As happened elsewhere, the availability of electric appliances resulted in an improved standard of living principally for urban rather than rural dwellers. Agriculture continued to be an important sector in the region's economy, aided by the automobile and truck. Few farmers adopted the tractor, partly because of the very geographic features which made the region attractive to tourists and also because of the predominance of dairy farming. The region's geography also limited the impact of radio. There were no appreciable differences in the assimilation of technology among the English and French speaking communities of the region.© Christopher Manning, 199
Education in Carbonear to 1875: a historic and religious perspective
Full text linkThe community of Carbonear is one of the oldest settlements in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Situated on the North Shore of Conception Bay, it has a rich past that is characterized by colourful personalities, historic events, political triumphs and sectarian unrest.
The main purpose of this thesis is to present and preserve a segment of the local history of Carbonear to the year 1875. The legends, events, stories and factual accounts are the life blood that courses through any community. To lose those is to lose touch with the past and, in doing so, lose the significance of present actions. The first aim, then, is to place some of those episodes in a coherent and chronological order for future reference.
A second aim is more specific: to examine the sectarian issues in relation to the early development of the denominational system of education in Carbonear. This issue has often been ignored and relegated to the category of 'shameful events.’ The old adage 'let sleeping dogs lie' seems to have been the rule when looking at these issues.
But, distasteful and abhorrent as these occurrences may seem, they did play an integral and significant role in the growth of the town and the evolution of various institutions.
Often these appear worse when left behind locked doors but when brought to the light of academic scrutiny lose some of their inherent evil.
One such institution that was directly affected by these matters was the educational system. It grew out of and was fostered by the many missionary groups that visited these rugged shores— beginning with the personal priest of the legendary Irish Princess, Sheila NeGeira. Their initial efforts and dogged determination were contributing factors to the eventual cultural, economic and educational growth that is noted in the Carbonear title ’Hub of the Bay.1 This thesis, then, will relate the original attempts to introduce religious and educational principles to the natives of this bay. These initial efforts led to the promotion and establishment of the educational system. They also acerbated the social and political problems between the Irish Catholics and Protestants of Carbonear and Conception Bay.
The thesis will also look at the effects of exposure to education and the resulting reactions of the population— especially as the system took on more overtones of direct church involvement.
The thesis will succeed if it gives a genuine feel for these often hectic and turbulent times. Thus will it expose the environment that spawned the seeds of education on the North Shore of Conception Bay.© Brian Vincent Manning, 199