Mapping one university's response to internationalization : a case study

This study explored one university's response to the internationalization of higher education. Case study methodology was employed through a review of current and archival documents and interviews with key actors in the international spheres of the university. The historical, current, and future contexts were considered to situate the case study on a time line. Data analysis revealed that there were several points of division among the university community related to the response to internationalization, but also a major point of coherence in the centrality of inter-cultural understanding in efforts to internationalize. Other key findings included strengths, areas for improvement, and future directions of the university's response to internationalization. All of these findings were contextualized in findings related to the history of the university. In addition to these major findings, three themes in relation to the vision for internationalization at the institution were revealed: ( a) intercultural understanding, (b) the comprehensive status of the university, and (c) the financial benefits of internationalization. Recommendations are made for practice at the university in order to clarify this vision to develop a clear foundation from which to further build a response to internationalization that is solidly based on inter-cultural understanding, and recommendations for future research into the process of internationalization at the institutional level in Canada are suggested.

An exploration of women elementary school teachers' perceptions of how their decision to return to teaching part-time from a maternity leave influences their professional and personal lives /

The purpose of this research was to explore women elementary teachers' perceptions of how their decision to return to teaching part-time from a maternity leave influences their professional and personal lives. The investigation focused on the decisions surrounding a mother's choice to reenter the teaching profession parttime in a field where each mother had previously been employed full-time. A collective case study was undertaken based on an in-depth interview with five mothers who had made the choice to return to the classroom part-time. The data collected in this study were analyzed and interpreted using qualitative methods. The following four major themes emerged from the interviews: decisionmaking process, challenges faced by mothers who teach part-time, the importance of support, and the enhancement of instructional practice from parenthood. Using these four themes, an analysis was conducted to examine the similarities and differences among the experiences of the participants. The mothers' reflections, my analysis, and the related literature were used at the conclusion of this report to compile implications for teaching practice, theory, and further research.

Introduction to engineering : a case study of an interdisciplinary course in Mathematics, Science and Technology

This thesis research was a qualitative case study of a single class of Interdisciplinary Studies: Introduction to Engineering taught in a secondary school. The study endeavoured to explore students' experiences in and perceptions of the course, and to investigate the viability of engineering as an interdisciplinary theme at the secondary school level. Data were collected in the form of student questionnaires, the researcher's observations and reflections, and artefacts representative of students' work. Data analysis was performed by coding textual data and classifying text segments into common themes. The themes that emerged from the data were aligned with facets of interdisciplinary study, including making connections, project-based learning, and student engagement and affective outcomes. The findings of the study showed that students were positive about their experiences in the course, and enjoyed its project-driven nature. Content from mathematics, physics, and technological design was easily integrated under the umbrella of engineering. Students felt that the opportunity to develop problem solving and teamwork skills were two of the most important aspects of the course and could be relevant not only for engineering, but for other disciplines or their day-to-day lives after secondary school. The study concluded that engineering education in secondary school can be a worthwhile experience for a variety of students and not just those intending postsecondary study in engineering. This has implications for the inclusion of engineering in the secondary school curriculum and can inform the practice of curriculum planners at the school, school board, and provincial levels. Suggested directions for further research include classroom-based action research in the areas of technological education, engineering education in secondary school, and interdisciplinary education.

An investigation on peer feedback for EFL students ages 10 to 14 /

The purpose of this study was to leam more about how EFL (English as Foreign Language) students interacted during peer feedback conferences. Thirty EFL students from Mexico aged 10 to 14 years old participated in this study. The following four main questions were addressed: 1 . What criteria did the students use to evaluate their peers' writing? 2. What revisions were made in relation to peer feedback comments? 3. What was the students' behaviour like during peer feedback conferences? 4. What were the students' perceived attitudes concerning peer feedback conferences? Each of the 30 students wrote a first and a second draft and then took part in a peer feedback conference. All students were interviewed and asked to rate a story and provide a peer feedback comment for the author during interview. The study found that the EFL students were able to provide comments to their peers' writing, but only after their third conference were they actually able to provide higher level comments. The majority of students said that they liked peer feedback sessions. The results also indicated that the students needed more practice with their revisions because they did not make a lot of revisions to make their writing clearer with fewer mistakes. This study concludes that there still needs to be further research. First of all, it would be useful to conduct a similar study with EFL students but one that is conducted over a longer period of time in order to determine if the students continued to develop their peer feedback comments and revision strategies.