Aboriginal Parental Involvement/Engagement for Student Success

An increasing body of knowledge links parental involvement with student success but few studies address Aboriginal parental involvement in urban settings. While some critics argue traditional Aboriginal knowledge is best delivered at home, Aboriginal children who share parents’ stories in the classroom benefit other children who draw connections to these stories. Moreover, Aboriginal learners need to function in mainstream Western society and in public school settings in which educators often have a difficult time engaging Aboriginal parents. Consequently, this research sought to explore the perceptions and sense of engagement of parents/caregivers in the Aboriginal Student Program (ASP) in a publicly funded secondary school in Ontario. The study was an extension of the researcher’s existing work and focused specifically on a sample of parents/caregivers taking part in an Aboriginal feast at an Ontario secondary school. Nine individuals accepted an invitation to participate in a Talking Circle and shared perceptions of their children’s educational experiences. Data were collected and coded, and findings indicated that parental involvement in children’s educational journeys contributed significantly to a sense of parental engagement in the school and in Aboriginal programs. Results also suggest that Eurocentric pedagogy can be modified in mainstream secondary schools to directly involve Aboriginal parents/caregivers. Although many participants’ stories revealed they experienced racism during their own schooling, study findings demonstrate that the parents/caregivers want to be involved in their children’s education nonetheless. This thesis discusses the data that were grounded in the participants’ voices that in turn led to several key recommendations.

Our future in geriatrics : an examination of the knowledge, attitudes and career choices of physical therapy students in Ontario : a pretest-posttest study /

There continues to be a shortage of health professionals interested in providing care for the older adult. Part of the problem seems to stem from the negative perceptions of geriatrics as a clinical speciality. This study examines the knowledge, attitudes and career decisions of physical therapy students in Ontario before and after an educational intervention. Surveys were conducted with 144 physical therapy students from five universities before and after their geriatrics course in order to measure their knowledge, attitudes and interest in working with older adults. The incoming class of physical therapy students (n = 1 86) acted as control subjects for the study. The Revised Palmore Facts On Aging Quiz measured the students' knowledge of aging (Miller & Dodder, 1980). The Revised Tuckman-Lorge (Axelrod & Eisdorfer, 1961) and the Kogan Old People Scales (Kogan, 1961) were used to examine attitude. An environmental scale was developed based on the work of Snape (1986) to measure the impact of the working conditions on the students' career choices. A 10-point Likert-type scale based on the work of Michlelutte & Diseker (1985) was modified and used to measure career interest in working with the elderly. On independent sample t-tests, positive attitudes were related to the demographic characteristic of gender; ethnicity was negatively related; and marital status was found to be unrelated to attitude (fi<.05). Having a relationship with an older adult and taking courses in gerontology were also found to be positively related to attitude (fi<.05). Results on a betweensubjects design which compared students before and after the course found that knowledge scores improved from pretest to posttest (fi<.05). In general, attitude scores improved from T1 to T2 on both measurement tools (b<.05). The environmental and vocational interest scales yielded statistically significant differences between the control and experimental groups during the intervention period (p<.05). The results of this research indicated that knowledge and attitudes improve after an educational intervention; however, there was little impact on the students' overall career decisions. Further research is indicated to examine the complex relationship between attitude and behaviour and its impact on students' career choices. In addition, the impact of geriatric clinical environment on students' attitudes and career decisions needs to be further explored.

Spreading my wings : how can I improve my practice and contribute to the professional knowledge base through narrative-autobiographical self-study?

"How can I improve my practice and contribute to the professional knowledge base through narrative-autobiographical self-study?" Through the use of Whitehead's (1989) living educational theory and examination of my stories, I identify the values and critical events that have helped me come to know my own learning and shape my professional self. Building on the premise that educational knowledge/theory is created, recreated, and lived through educational inquiry; I strive to make meaning of this data archive, collected over 7 years of teaching. I chart my journey to reexamine my beliefs and practices, to find a balance between traditional and progressive practices and to align my theory and practice. I retell, and, thus, in some way relive, my own "living contradictions." A reconceptualization of the KNOW, DO, BE model (Drake & Burns, 2004) is used to develop strategies to align my practice, including a six-step model of curriculum design that combines the backwards design process of Wiggins and McTighe (1998), the KNOW, DO, BE model (Drake & Burns) and Curry and Samara's (1995) differentiation planner.

Sustainability, Fashion Design, and Consumerism: Undergraduate Entry Level Fashion Students' Knowledge, Attitudes, and Habits

This qualitative inquiry explored 7 undergraduate students' attitudes, habits, and knowledge of consumerism, fashion design, and sustainability. The postmodern study employed crystallization as its methodological framework to gain insight into how participants' knowledge is manifested in their daily habits, and used 4 methods of data gathering: semistructured interviews, visual exercises, journal entries, and the researcher's own reflections. Four major themes emerged: Knowledge-Concepts Linked and Fragmented; Dissonance Between Knowledge Versus Attitudes and Consumer Habits; Surrendering to the Unsustainable Structures; Design Process and Caring Attitude. Findings indicate that participants possessed some knowledge of sustainability but lacked a well-rounded understanding of environmental and humanitarian implications of Western consumer society. Findings also reveal a dissonance between participants' knowledge and attitudes-affecting how their knowledge influences their behaviour-and how reflection, creative thinking, and drawing initiate change in participants' underlying attitudes. Recommendations are made to merge a variety of theoretical frameworks into the educational system in order to create curricula that offer a holistic overview and unique insights into sustainability challenges, particularly in specialized areas of the fashion industry.

Ojibwe Elders' Experiences of Peace: To Teach Our Well-Being With the Earth

This research focuses on exploring the Anishinaabek/Ojibwe worldview founded upon the spiritual relationship with Mother Earth as the Anishinaabek view of peace to teach our well-being with earth. This research explores the experiences of four 21st century traditional Anishinaabek elders through describing their ways of knowing and of being as it relates to the Anishinaabek worldview of respect and peace with nature. This respect for Mother Earth and respecting earth’s way−akii-bimaadizi is articulated and shared regarding elders’ experiences of teaching our well-being with earth−Akinomaage mino akii-ayaa and is based upon Anishinaabek spirituality. This research details the Anishinaabek worldview from the elders’ shared experiences of earth as teacher and elder. Ten themes emerged from the data. These themes included (a) going back to our original gifts and instructions/building your sacred bundle/sharing your sacred bundle, (b) wisdom−nbwaakaawin: connecting the dots/original instructions/medicine−mshkiki/environmental consciousness, (c) sacred teachings/learning from the elders, (d) relationships/honoring elders/eldership, (e) political experiences and awareness, (f) a way of being in Anishinaabek research, (g) survival, (h) peace is our worldview demonstrated, (i) be aware of colonialistic thinking, (j) Akinomaage: earth as context. The researcher also shares her reflections as a researcher and as an Anishinaabekwe: Ojibwe woman.