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International Students Practicing their Wellbeing: Social Connections and Use of Professional Mental Health Services
Get PDFInternational students are a growing group of immigrants in Canada, and in particular in Ontario. Literature has consistently showed that international students experience unique mental health challenges, with reasons ranging from uncertainty about the future to having to cultivate social networks from scratch. Despite these stressors, they access professional mental health services at a lower rate than domestic students. Research has also shown that international students turn to their social connections to address their mental health concerns frequently. The aim of this study is to explore how international students utilize professional mental health services as well as their social connections to talk about their mental health, and how these sources of support differ from each other. In doing so, I also interrogate the structural factors that impact and show up in their preferences to seek social or professional mental health support. The conceptual framework of the study is based on critical theory and empowerment theory, with an emphasis on desire-based approaches. The narratives of 9 international students from different ethno-racial backgrounds are analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Five themes were generated: the empowering nature of social connection, exploration of mental health needs and desires, The power of good professional support, prioritization of the Canadian experience over the international student experience, and the role of the immigration system in navigating mental health. I discuss the practice and policy implications based on participants\u27 recommendations
Inside the Circle 2025: Exploring the Ontario CPE Supervisors\u27 Lived Experience of the Interpersonal Relations Group Process Portion of CPE
Get PDFThis research used a philosophical phenomenological (primarily Gadamer) methodology and asked the question, “What is the lived experience of Ontario Clinical Psychospiritual Education (CPE) Supervisors in the Interpersonal Relationships (IPR) group process portion of CPE?” It used a 90-minute, semi-structured interview format as it sought to understand the supervisor experience of safety in the group. 11 Ontario Certified Supervisors were interviewed and explored this question in relationship to participant supervisors’ experience as students and/or as educators. In the history of CPE, there has been significant harm done to students by some supervisors who were well-meaning, but unaware of their impact on students. This impact has been described as bullying, traumatic, and “surgery without anesthesia” at its worst (Ragsdale, 2009). At its best, it is transformative and enriching. While there has been movement toward trauma-informed approaches, there is much more that can be done to ensure student safety in these educational programs. There is little current research about this component of CPE, and this study adds to the understanding of the supervisor experience. From the data, three key things were learned. The first is that supervisors learned theory of IPR from their own experiences as a student, from what was handed to them in their supervisory training, and from intentional pursuit of new ways of thinking that were more resonant with trauma-informed practice. Secondly, it was found that participants described their experiences of IPR as either unsafe or safe enough, with no middle ground. They believed it was the responsibility of the supervisor to create a “brave space” in which student learning was optimized. Finally, participants shared their experience of vulnerability in teaching CPE/facilitating IPR as students circumvented laid out processes of conflict resolution and moved quickly to grievances. They also reported the lack of felt support from their managers, colleagues, and the institutions they worked for. The author recommends considering restructuring IPR to incorporate elements within verbatim and theological reflection work, and/or to require 10 hours of personal psychotherapy per unit of CPE in order to contribute to the goal of SEUS
MECHANICAL AND BIOCHEMICAL EFFECTS OF IL-1B AND DYNAMIC LOADING ON INTERVERTEBRAL DISCS
No full textIntervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration is a cell-mediated multifactorial process influenced by mechanical and biochemical factors. IL-1β, a proinflammatory cytokine, has been widely implicated in the promotion and amplification of degenerative pathways, yet its relationship with mechanical loading remained poorly defined. This dissertation aimed to investigate the combined effects of IL-1β stimulation and dynamic loading on the biochemical and mechanical properties of intervertebral discs utilizing a series of in vitro tissue culture studies.
The main findings of this dissertation were: (1) IL-1β increased IL-6 production in rat caudal IVD tissues, with injection-based delivery evoking the greatest inflammatory response, suggesting a more localized and potent inflammatory effect, even compared to sham injections (Study 1); (2) dynamic compressive loading led to increased joint laxity in rat caudal functional spinal units, as measured by an increased neutral zone length and decreased tensile stiffness, with no significant effects of IL-1β at the whole functional spinal unit level, indicating that IL-1β may not substantially alter functional spinal unit mechanics in isolation (Study 2); (3) at the annulus fibrosus level, IL-1β increased peel stiffness, supporting the hypothesis that inflammation alone could alter interlamellar adhesion, while a combination of IL-1β and cyclic tensile strain (CTS) significantly reduced adhesion strength, demonstrating a synergistic effect of inflammatory and mechanical stimuli (Study 3). These results suggest that IL-1β exerts measurable effects on the interlamellar matrix that lies between adjacent layers of the annulus fibrosus, but its impact on the intralamellar matrix and whole functional spinal unit mechanics remains unclear and may be confounded by variability in the data.
Supplementary analyses addressed unresolved questions from the main studies, showing that compressive loading may have reduced IL-6 production, perhaps through enhanced cytokine clearance or limitations of the culturing device, and that needle puncture injuries had a measurable increase in joint laxity, particularly in loaded functional spinal units.
The culmination of this dissertation is a greater understanding of the inflammatory response as stimulated during tissue culturing and a comprehensive characterization of the mechanical effects of IL-1β and dynamic loading at the levels of the annulus fibrosus and the whole functional spinal unit
Review of Boosters and Barkers: Financing Canada’s Involvement in the First World War by David Roberts
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Review of The Hidden Victims: Civilian Casualties of Two World Wars by Cormac Ó Gráda
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Technology-Enhanced Professional Development for Early Literacy: A Comparative Study of Online Teacher Learning Models in Kenya
Get PDFGrowing recognition of early literacy as essential for lifelong learning, along with evidence that teachers’ mastery of foundational literacy instruction influences student outcomes (Darling-Hammond et al., 2017; UNESCO, 2020), has led to increased investment in teacher professional development. Despite these efforts, many educators face significant challenges in accessing high-quality training, particularly in resource-constrained settings where geographical barriers and limited institutional support persist. This is especially true in rural Kenyan communities, where teachers often work in under-resourced schools with unreliable electricity and internet connectivity yet bear responsibility for laying critical literacy foundations. The present study examines the potential to deliver effective TPD using a novel literacy tool called ABRACADABRA to Kenyan teachers through two sequential iterations: an initial online-only pilot (Study 1, n = 15) and an expanded comparison (Study 2, n = 40) incorporating both fully online (n = 22) and blended (online plus two in-person sessions, n = 18) conditions. Both studies targeted primary school teachers in Kenya\u27s rural counties. These sessions were designed to accommodate rural teachers\u27 logistical constraints while providing essential opportunities for hands-on practice and peer collaboration. Grounded in Mishra and Koehler’s (2006) Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework, these studies explore how different delivery formats impact educators’ ability to integrate technology, pedagogy, and content knowledge in low-resource contexts, particularly among teachers with limited literacy skills—an underexamined application of TPACK that adds unique value to this dissertation. Both studies employed mixed-methods design to examine both learning outcomes and teachers’ experiences with the TPD. Quantitative measures included matched pre-post assessments of literacy content knowledge and technology integration confidence and teaching literacy confidence, while qualitative data examined the structured reflections and discussion boards. Findings from study 1 indicated that teachers participating in the fully online PD course reported high levels of confidence in teaching early literacy skills despite facing challenges in mastering core literacy concepts, integrating ABRA activities, and applying new pedagogical methods. This study suggests that while online PD can boost teachers’ self-perceived confidence, additional targeted support is needed to enhance the actual mastery and application of foundational literacy skills. Findings from Study 2 indicated that both delivery formats supported teachers\u27 literacy development, with notable improvements in phonological awareness instruction and technology-enhanced lesson planning. The blended format appeared particularly effective for helping teachers bridge theory and practice, as the in-person sessions provided instant problem-solving around technological issues. Implementation challenges specific to rural contexts emerged across both studies, including intermittent participation due to unreliable internet connectivity and lack of resources. The study contributes to understanding how technology-focused TPD can be designed to meet the demands of many teachers in challenging contexts (e.g., rural African contexts). Results suggest that even minimal in-person components within predominantly online programs can significantly enhance teachers\u27 ability to integrate technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge. These findings have important implications for organizations developing distance learning initiatives for underserved regions, highlighting the need for models that balance accessibility with opportunities for contextualized collaboration and problem-solvin
Credit Risk Modelling with Occupation Times
Get PDFThis thesis introduces and studies two new credit risk models: structural occupation time and occupation time hazard rate models. The defaults within the models are characterized in the form of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code Chapter 7 (a liquidation process) and Chapter 11 (a reorganization process). Structural occupation time models assume credit events are triggered as soon as the occupation time, which measures the total amount of time the firm\u27s asset value is below a certain threshold, exceeds the grace period. Occupation time hazard rate models extend the structural occupation time models and may presume that other random factors may lead to credit events. Both models take in a grace period to ensure the firm could fulfill its obligations during the grace period.
We arrive at new closed-form pricing formulae for credit derivatives, containing the risk-neutral probability of defaults and credit default swap (CDS) spreads as special cases, which are derived analytically via a spectral expansion methodology. This methodology works for any solvable diffusion, such as a geometric Brownian motion (GBM) and several non-linear diffusion processes, and allows us to write the pricing formulae explicitly as rapidly converging infinite series. In particular, we derive the explicit pricing formulae where the firm\u27s asset value is governed by the GBM process, and then extend them to some nonlinear solvable processes. We also study other numerical Laplace inverse transform methods, such as the Talbot and Gavor--Stehfest methods. The models are calibrated to typical market credit default swap (CDS) spreads, resulting in a near-perfect fit
Shared Reading of Dual Language Books Within Urdu Speaking Families: An Analysis of Code-switching in Urdu and English Languages During Reading Interactions
No full textAbstract
Code-switching is common during bilingual conversation, and it is also inevitable in bilingual children. The occurrence of English code-switching during the conversation of Urdu-speaking families is established but has not been thoroughly researched. While the benefits of shared book reading are well-researched, shared book reading in dual-language storybooks is a novel approach. It has not been extensively explored with parents in home settings. Dual language books, or bilingual books, convey the same story in two languages. Typically, the entire book presents the text in both languages side by side (Domke, 2023). This study seeks to fill this gap by investigating code-switching in Pakistani Urdu-speaking households with 4-6-year-old children during shared reading of dual-language storybooks in English and Urdu in two locations, Canada and Pakistan. Thirty parent-child dyads from each country participated in reading sessions for three selected books. The research employed a mixed-methods approach, primarily utilizing three storybooks read by parents to their children. It aimed to understand the dynamics of bilingual interactions and code-switching through the lens of shared reading experiences. The results revealed significant effects of the story\u27s language on language production. More code-switching into English occurred when parents read the book in Urdu. In contrast, parents often switched to Urdu while reading in English. In Pakistan, linguistic behaviour revealed frequent use of English words or switching back to English from Urdu when parents explained the story in Urdu. The most common form of code-switching was inter-sentential switching into English. However, no significant differences were observed in parents\u27 overall language behaviour across the two locations. Interestingly, children in Pakistan frequently requested to listen to the stories in English, reflecting a preference for the school language. In contrast, half of the children in Canada preferred the story in Urdu, demonstrating pride in their heritage language. These findings align with the research of McCarthy (2018) and Muysken et al. (1996), emphasizing the influence of social context and educational language on bilingual families\u27 language practices
Contemporary Views of Spiritual and Theological Reflection (2013-2023) compared to Forty Years ago: Analysis of 32 Texts
Get PDFWhat are contemporary views on spiritual and theological reflection? We answer this question using a hermeneutical research method analyzing 32 texts from the current situation. The data indicate five themes: 1) experiences as sources for spiritual/theological reflection, 2) meaning making as key component for spiritual/theological reflection, 3) growth in spiritual reflection and overlap with theological reflection, 4. some flexible methods; many without explicit method, and 5) spiritual but not religious. Discussion, limitations, and areas for future research are provided
