Youth's experiences of motivation in school physical education and sport

This study's objective was to examine how thirteen year-old females perceive and describe their lived experiences of being physically active in school PE (physical education) and organized youth sport settings through a self-determination theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985) lens. Motivational factors and links between both settings were discussed with five participants using in-depth interviews. Participants discussed factors that facilitated and disrupted their motivation to be active in PE and sport settings. The selfdetermination theory was used as a framework in this qualitative study and results are based on participants' own words and perspectives. Results indicate that participants' positive experiences in school PE and organized sport have the potential to meet their needs of autonomy, competence and relatedness. The autonomy supportive behaviours of social agents, feeling challenged and successful at activities and the strong relationships formed in both settings are all things that motivated young people in this study to continue being physically active throughout high-school and into adulthood.

Emptying the bell jar: an exploration of adolescent responses to a women's literature unit /

This study examines adolescent student responses to a women's literature unit taught within a grade 12 Writer's Craft course. Current research (Gilligan, 1989, Pipher, 1994 & Slack, 1999) suggests that there is a great under-representation of female authors in the high school literature curriculum. The use of women's literature may draw attention to important literary figures who are historically overlooked within the curriculum. It gives voice to a marginalized group and presents students with alternative subjects and heroes. It encourages students to develop a critical perspective and reevaluate assumptions about institutions, ideologies, language and culture. It also allows me, as a teacher, to reflect on my own teaching practices and explore alternate feminist pedagogical principles and teaching styles encouraging multiplicity of voices, deconstruction of power relations, and alternative assessment tools within the classroom. As an educator, it is important for me to teach curriculum that is relevant and meaningful to students and help them become critical, self-reflective thinkers. It is also important for me to assist students in their exploration of self and encourage them to expand their awareness of historical, social and global issues. Sylvia Plath's (1963) The belljar is used as the primary text taught within this unit. In this novel, the bell jar is a central image that signifies entrapment and isolation. "To the person in the bell jar, blank and stopped as a dead body, the world itself is the bad dream"(p.l 54). As a metaphor, the bell jar resonates with young readers in a variety of ways.

Educators' attitudes to philosophies of music education

This study used Q methodology to measure the extent to which individuals with five educational roles (student teacher, elementary music teacher, principal, high school music teacher, and music consultant) held five proposed philosophies of music education (hedonic, utilitarian, aesthetic cognitivism, aesthetic formalist, and praxial). Twenty-seven sUbjects participated in the Q study. These subjects were a convenience sample based on their educational role, accessibility, and willingness to participate. Participants completed a background sheet which indicated their background in music, and their responsibility for teaching music. The sUbjects in this Q study rank-ordered a set of 60 Q sort items (each item representing a proposed philosophical position) twice: Sort P to reflect current practice, and Sort I to reflect the ideal situation. The results of the sorting procedures were recorded by the participant on the response page which organized the rankings according to an approximated normal distribution as required by Q methodology. The analysis of the data suggested that the comparison across philosophical positions was significant and that the results of the interaction between philosophical position and educational role were significant, although educational role alone was not significant. Post-hoc analysis of the data was used to determine the significant differences between the levels of the, independent variables used in the model: philosophical position, educational role, and music background. A model of the association of the five philosophical positions was presented and discussed in relation to the Q study results. Further research could refine the Q sort items to better reflect each philosophical position.

A study of ethical decision-making in hypothetical scenarios by secondary school principals /

The purpose of the study,was to investigate the ways in which secondary school principals make decisions that have an ethical dimension, and the reasons they use to justify their choices. The ethical principles and concepts, as well as the scenarios, were adapted from The Ethics ofSchool Administration by Strike, Haller, and Soltis (1998). In this study, 32 secondary principals from a school board in Ontario were asked to complete a descriptive survey which was designed to have principals make administrative decisions in response to 5 hypothetical scenarios. The open-ended questions were expected to elicit responses that were reflective of the principals' actual decision-making strategies. The survey also required them to justify and explain their reasons for each decision. The data were analyzed and 4 major categories ofjustifications emerged: pedagogy, legalism, moral code, and democracy. The results indicate that the decisions made by principals are grounded in various perspectives. While the data did not indicate any explicit knowledge of ethical principles and concepts, the principals' responses suggest sound and valid reasoning for their decision making, addressing the principles and concepts from a variety of viewpoints and using diverse justifications.

Enhancing personal effectiveness : the impacts of Costa Rica Outward Bound on students in an independent school in southwestern Ontario

This project examines students in a private school in southwestern Ontario on a 17 -day Costa Rica Outward Bound Rainforest multielement course. The study attempted to discover whether voluntary teenage participants could increase their self-perceptions of life effectiveness by participating in a 17-day expedition. A total of9 students participated in the study. The experimental design that was implemented was a mixed methods design. Participants filled in a Life Effectiveness Questionnaire (LEQ) at four predesignated times during the study. These time intervals occurred (a) before the trip commenced, (b) the first day of the trip, ( c) the last day of the trip, and (d) 1 month after the trip ended. Fieldnotes and recordings from informal group debriefing sessions were also used to gather information. Data collected in this study were analyzed in a variety of ways by the researcher. Analyses that were run on the data included the Friedman test for covariance, means, medians, and the Wilcoxon Pairs Test. The questionnaires were analyzed quantitatively, and the fieldnotes were analyzed qualitatively. Nonparametric statistical analysis was implemented as a result of the small group size of participants. Both sets of data were grouped and discussed according to similarities and differences. The data indicate that voluntary teenage participants experience significant changes over time in the areas of time management, social competency, emotional control, active initiative, and self-confidence. The types of outcomes from this study illustrate that Outward Bound-type opportunities should be offered to teenagers in Ontario schools as a means to bring about self-development.

The impact of integrated programming on student attitude and achievement in grade 9 academic mathematics and science

This research studioo the effect of integrated instruction in mathematics and~ science on student achievement in and attitude towards both mathematics and science. A group of grade 9 academic students received instruction in both science and mathematics in an integrated program specifically developed for the purposes of the research. This group was compared to a control group that had received science and mathematics instruction in a traditional, nonintegrated program. The findings showed that in all measures of attitude, there was no significant difference between the students who participated in the integrated science and mathematics program and those who participated in a traditional science and mathematics program. The findings also revealed that integration did improve achievement on some of the measures used. The performance on mathematics open-ended problem-solving tasks improved after participation in the integrated program, suggesting that the integrated students were better able to apply their understanding of mathematics in a real-life context. The performance on the final science exam was also improved for the integrated group. Improvement was not noted on the other measures, which included EQAO scores and laboratory practical tasks. These results raise the issue of the suitability of the instruments used to gauge both achievement and attitude. The accuracy and suitability of traditional measures of achievement are considered. It is argued that they should not necessarily be used as the measure of the value of integrated instruction in a science and mathematics classroom.

Margaret Glassford fonds, 1941, 1951, 1961, 1971, 1973-1975, 1977-1984, 1986-2000, 2002, 2005, n.d.

Margaret was an only child who grew up on a farm just east of Cayuga, Ontario. After high school, Margaret attended Hamilton Teacher’s College and took a position with Grantham Public School Board and taught at Power Glen school. Margaret was married in 1962 and had 2 children, a daughter and a son in 1963 and 1964, respectively. Margaret left her teaching job to raise her children. Margaret was very creative and artistic and during this time, focused on these talents, which included painting, graphic arts and sewing. Margaret was also an accomplished pianist. In her 40’s, Margaret enrolled at Brock University and in 1989 obtained a Honors Bachelor of Arts degree with First-Class Honors in Sociology. In partial fulfillment of her Honors B.A. she completed her thesis that is entitled ; The State and Liberal Feminism: The Ontario Government’s “Business Ownership For Women Program”. While living in St. Catharines, Margaret attended York University and graduated with a Master of Arts in Sociology in 1992 where her studies focused on women’s issues. Margaret received a scholarship from York University and was a teaching assistant. Margaret stayed on at York University and completed her academic requirements for a Doctorate degree in Sociology. Her dissertation was on self employed women in St. Catharines at the beginning of WWII -- not the” Rosie the Riveters” who took over jobs formerly held by men who had to go off to fight World War II, but women who ran their own businesses when that was still unusual. Margaret completed the research for her thesis but did not complete her written thesis as she made a difficult decision to put her academic work on hold in the mid-1990’s and she returned to her love for the arts, although she always remained a voracious reader and interested in women’s issues. In the last decade of her life, she took up quilting with a passion, which she referred to as fabric arts. Margaret loved colour and being non-traditional. Margaret had been a quilting instructor at the Flemington College for Fine Arts in Haliburton. In 1997, Margaret founded Project Smile in the St. Catharines region, a non-profit group who make quilts for children with cancer. Margaret was also the President of the Niagara Heritage Quilters’ Guild in 2006-2007 and was very involved with the Local Council of Women.

Patterns and correlates of tobacco use among young adults at college and university

This thesis describes college and university students' smoking behaviours and examines whether socioenvironmental and personal characteristics experienced during adolescence are differentially associated with their smoking participation. Results show more college students than university students currently smoke (37% and 21 % respectively) and more began smoking prior to post-secondary school (93% and 84% respectively). Early age of onset of alcohol use increased the odds of current smoking (main effect model, OR = 8.56 CI = 6.47, 11.33), especially for university students (interaction effect model, b = 2.35 CI = 7.50, 14.64). Lower levels of high school connectedness were associated with increased odds of current smoking but for university students only (interaction effect model, b = -0.15 CI = 0.84, 0.88). While limitations associated with convenience sampling and low response rate exist, this is the first Canadian study to examine college and university students separately. I t reveals that tobacco control programming needs to differ for college and university students, and early alcohol prevention and school engagement programs for adolescents may influence tobacco use. Given that both educational pathway and use of tobacco are associated with SES, future research may consider examining in more detail, SES-related socioenvironmental variables.

Narratives of Experience in Education: Living and Working Through Poverty in a Rural Community

In this study, I use my own experiences in education as a former elementary student, research assistant, and as a current secondary school teacher, to examine how living in a marginalised rural community challenged by poverty affected my formal education. The purpose of this study was to use stories to: (a) explore my formative elementary education growing up in a community that was experiencing poverty, and; (b) to examine the impact and implications of these experiences for me as a teacher and researcher considering the topic of poverty and education. This study used narrative inquiry to explore stories of education, focusing on experiences living and working in a rural community. My role in the study was both as participant and researcher as I investigate, through story, how I was raised in a marginalised, rural community faced with challenges of poverty and how I relate to my current role as a teacher working in a similar, rural high school. My own experiences and reflections form the basis of the study, but I used the contributions of secondary participants to offer alternative perspective of my interpretation of events. Participants in this study were asked to write about and/or retell their lived stories of working in areas affected by challenging circumstances. From my stories and those of secondary participants, three themes were explored: student authorship, teaching practice, and community involvement. An examination of these themes through commonplaces of place, sociality and time (Connelly and Clandinin, 2006) provide a context for other educators and researchers to consider or reconsider teaching practices in school communities affected by poverty.

Entrance Examination Certificate Collegiate Institutes and High Schools of Ontario - Mary Willson

A certificate from the Collegiate Institutes and High Schools of Ontario of the Education Department of Ontario stating: "It is hereby certified that Mary Willson has passed the entrance examination required by the Education Department for admission to a Collegiate Institute or High School. Dated at Welland August 1st, 1908. Signed John W. Marshall, B.A. Inspector of Public Schools.

Metaphorical Interpretation: Measuring and Facilitating Growth.

Abstract A total of 378 grade 9 students participated in this study to address the problem that although metaphorical literacy and thought are expected and necessary for success in junior and senior high school and beyond, metaphorical concepts and thought are not required to be explicitly taught to these students. The students were from 20 different classes from 4 levels: English language learners (ELL), school to work (SSTW), applied, and academic. All were from 7 secondary schools within a board in southern Ontario. Nine classes made up the control group and 11 classes made up the treatment group. All classes were given 3 pretests and the posttest. The treatment group was given Socratic lessons and direct instruction on metaphorical thought and expressions during 1 semester and in conjunction with their other classroom material. The pretest scores (TOLD, Peabody, preproverbs concrete, and preproverbs abstract) did not reveal any effect of gender, but the academic students had higher scores than the applied students. The SSTW student results are more variable: (a) for the TOLD test, SSTW scores were between those of the academic and applied students; (b) for Peabody scores, SSTW students’ scores are the same as academic and are greater than applied; (c) for preproverbs concrete and preproverbs abstract, the SSTW scores are not different from the applied scores. The postproverbs concrete and postproverbs abstract scores for the treatment groups also showed no effect of gender but revealed that all students who received the treatment did better on their post scores. The positive changes of the treatment group illustrate a measured movement from literal understanding to abstract understanding using direct Socratic instruction and proverbs as a medium.

Dorothy Rungeling fonds, 1887-2013, n.d.

Dorothy Rungeling was born in 1911 and raised in Fenwick, Ontario, by her adopted mother, Ethelwyn Wetherald. After graduating high school, she attended Fort Erie business College. She worked briefly in Toronto and then Hamilton, but eventually took a job with Brown Brothers’ Nursery in Pelham to be closer to home. Dorothy pursued many interests, learning to play the violin, saxophone and clarinet. She met her husband Charles at a local dance where she was playing. In 1939, they opened an automobile and farm machinery business in Welland. In their spare time, they were active in skeet and trap shooting, for which Dorothy won many trophies. In the early 1940s, Dorothy developed a passion for horses, training and showing them in addition to teaching riding at the Welland Riding Club, as well as judging at horse shows. By the late 1940s her interest in horses was waning, but she soon after discovered and pursued a new interest: flying. She joined the Welland Flying Club, obtained a flying licence, and in 1949 purchased her first plane. She proceeded to obtain a Commercial Pilot Licence in 1951, an Instructor’s Licence in 1953, and a Senior Commercial Licence in 1954. She participated in many air races in the 1950s, including the All Women’s International Air Races, the Women’s Transcontinental Air Races, and the Canadian Governor-General’s Cup Air Race. Some of the most notable races were the 1954 International Air Race, where Dorothy met with President Batista of Cuba, and the Governor-General’s Cup Air Race, where she won 1st place in 1953 and 1956 (and was the only woman competing). In 1958, she was also the first Canadian woman to solo pilot a helicopter. That same year she obtained her Airline Transport Licence. She also wrote several articles on aviation, contributing to publications such as Canadian Aviation and Air Facts, a U.S. aviation magazine. In addition to these articles, Dorothy authored several books about her life, as well as a selection of poems and articles by Ethelwyn Wetherald. As planes became more expensive, Dorothy spent less time flying, instead pursuing an interest in sailing. She and her husband bought a sailboat and became members of the Niagara-on-the-Lake Sailing Club. In 2003, Dorothy was awarded the Order of Canada for her accomplishments. She also wrote a regular column for the Voice of Pelham in 2012-2013, called A Century in Pelham. Dorothy celebrated her 100th birthday in 2011, and remains an active member of the community.

Utilisation des médecines complémentaires par les enfants atteints d'arthrite juvénile idiopathique et d'incapacités physiques

Contexte : Les enfants atteints de maladies chroniques utilisent souvent des médecines complémentaires. Plusieurs études traitent de l’utilisation de ces traitements et des facteurs qui y sont associés chez les enfants atteints d’arthrite juvénile mais aucune étude n’est longitudinale. De plus, aucune n’a documenté l’utilisation de ces traitements chez les enfants ayant des incapacités physiques en attente de services publics de réadaptation. Objectifs : Les objectifs de cette étude étaient de déterminer la fréquence d’utilisation des médecines complémentaires chez les enfants atteints d’arthrite juvénile et d’incapacités physiques, d’évaluer leur efficacité telle que perçue par les parents et d’explorer les facteurs associés à leur utilisation. Méthodes : Une cohorte d’enfants atteints d’arthrite juvénile idiopathique (n=182, âge moyen : 10,2 ans) qui fréquentent des cliniques d’arthrite et une cohorte d’enfants ayant des incapacités physiques en attente de services de réadaptation publics (n=224, âge moyen : 2,6 ans) ont été suivis durant une période d’un an. L’utilisation des médecines complémentaires et la perception de leur efficacité d’après les parents ont été évaluées à l’aide de statistiques descriptives à chaque trois mois pour la cohorte d’enfants atteints d’arthrite et au début de l’étude pour la cohorte d’enfants ayant des incapacités physiques. Les facteurs associés à l’utilisation de ces traitements ont été explorés par des analyses de type GEE (« Generalized estimating equations ») et des régressions polytomique et logistique. Résultats : L’utilisation antérieure de ces médecines était de 51,1% pour les enfants atteints d’arthrite et de 15% pour les enfants ayant des incapacités physiques. Les médecines complémentaires étaient considérées comme étant efficaces dans 72% des cas par les parents d’enfants atteints d’arthrite et dans 83% des cas par les parents d’enfants ayant des incapacités physiques. Les facteurs associés à l’utilisation des médecines complémentaires chez les enfants atteints d’arthrite étaient l’utilisation antérieure des médecines complémentaires par les parents et la perception des parents que les médicaments prescrits ne sont pas utiles pour leur enfant. Chez les enfants ayant des incapacités physiques, les facteurs associés à l’utilisation des médecines complémentaires étaient l’origine culturelle canadienne, un niveau de scolarité plus élevé que le diplôme d’études secondaires et une moins bonne qualité de vie reliée à la santé. Finalement, l’utilisation des médecines complémentaires semblait associée à de moins bons résultats chez les enfants atteints d’arthrite. Conclusion: Une proportion non-négligeable des enfants participant à la présente étude ont utilisé des médecines complémentaires. Leur utilisation était plus fréquente chez les enfants atteints d’arthrite juvénile idiopathique, surtout chez ceux dont les parents avaient déjà utilisé les médecines complémentaires par le passé et chez ceux qui trouvaient la médication peu efficace. Chez les enfants ayant des incapacités physiques, l’utilisation des médecines complémentaires était associée à des facteurs socio-démographiques et à des besoins plus élevés en matière de santé. Les médecines complémentaires étaient considérées comme étant efficaces dans les deux cohortes mais leur utilisation était associée à de faibles résultats chez les enfants atteints d’arthrite. Ces résultats démontrent l’importance d’évaluer l’utilisation des médecines complémentaires afin de mieux renseigner les parents et de les aider à prendre les meilleures décisions possibles concernant le traitement de leur enfant.

L’élaboration d’un programme d’Enseignement à distance par radio (EADR) pour l’amélioration des résultats d’examens officiels du baccalauréat 1ère partie en Haïti

Ce mémoire de maîtrise porte sur la contribution que pourrait apporter l’Enseignement à distance par radio (EADR) dans la réduction du taux d’échec aux examens du baccalauréat 1ère partie en Haïti. De manière spécifique, nous souhaitions élaborer un programme d’ « Enseignement à distance par radio » (EADR) afin d’aider l’ensemble des candidats bacheliers des classes de Rhéto à préparer les examens du bac 1ère partie. En Haïti, l’Enseignement à distance (EAD) est pratiquement absent. De nombreux pays ayant eu des situations similaires à Haïti ont mis en place des programmes de « Formations ouvertes et à distance » (FOAD) en complémentarité avec le mode d’enseignement classique ou en mode présentiel. La complexité de la situation exige d’envisager diverses pistes pour sortir le système éducatif haïtien de cette léthargie. Si l’on ne peut considérer l’EAD comme l’unique perspective, il est par contre pertinent et souhaitable de l’envisager comme une alternative non négligeable (Lubérisse, 2003). En nous appuyant sur les principales conditions d’efficacité des FOAD définies par Karsenti (2003), les principes théoriques de type R & D (Van der Maren, 2003?), le cadre théorique de la méthodologie de l’évaluation des besoins de Chagnon et Paquette (Institut universitaire des Centres Jeunesses de Montréal, 2005) et de Roegiers, Wouters & Gerard (1992), nous avons élaboré les grandes lignes générales de ce programme d’EADR et les avons soumises à douze (12) acteurs clés du système éducatif haïtien (4 élèves, 3 parents, 2 enseignants et 3 spécialistes de la radio ou de l’EADR). Cette ébauche de programme comportait principalement les objectifs du programme d’EADR, la méthode pédagogique, le contenu et les conditions de mise en œuvre. Des données recueillies par le biais d’entrevues individuelles il ressort que l’implantation d’un programme d’EADR peut être bénéfique au système éducatif haïtien, particulièrement sur les résultats d’examens officiels du baccalauréat 1ère partie. Les douze participants à notre recherche, croient que l’objectif poursuivi par le programme d’EADR est tout à fait réalisable et important pour le public cible. Tout en notant l’aspect positif du programme d’EADR proposé, les participants réclament certaines modifications quant à la méthode pédagogique, au contenu et aux conditions de mise en œuvre. Ainsi, les recommandations faites par les douze acteurs clés du système éducatif, jointes à notre recension nous ont permis d’élaborer un nouveau programme d’EADR revu et corrigé qui pourra servir de base à une évaluation plus large.

Fondements épistémologiques et représentations sociales d’enseignants d’histoire du secondaire à l’égard de l’enseignement de l’histoire et de la formation citoyenne

Cette thèse s’intéresse aux fondements épistémologiques et à la vision que des enseignants d’histoire au secondaire entretiennent à l’égard de l’enseignement de l’histoire et de la formation citoyenne. La réflexion s’inscrit dans le contexte de la refonte des programmes d’enseignement de l’histoire qui engage dorénavant les maîtres d’histoire à éduquer à la citoyenneté démocratique. Ce projet éducationnel repose sur le postulat suivant : l’apprentissage de l’histoire, de sa pensée et de sa méthode permet de former des individus capables de réflexion critique autonome et informée. Cette vision de l’enseignement de l’histoire implique que les élèves s’exercent à la pensée historienne, à l’analyse des sources et à la construction d’interprétations historiques. Ce faisant, ils développeraient une compréhension du monde fondée sur la maîtrise de concepts et une pensée complexe, ce qui servirait de ce fait la citoyenneté. La recherche a par ailleurs démontré que les maîtres avaient recours à des méthodes pédagogiques plus traditionnelles (Charland, 2003; Martineau, 1997). C’est donc à des changements de pratiques qu’appelle le ministère de l’Éducation. Or un tel changement ne se déclare pas « d’en haut ». Les convictions des maîtres sont lentes à se transformer et ce sont elles qui déterminent la formation historienne et citoyenne que recevront les élèves. Nous en avons fait notre objet d’étude pour cette recherche en recourant à la théorie des représentations sociales. Nous avons adopté le modèle du noyau central (Abric, 1994) et celui des principes organisateurs qui permet d’identifier les relations existantes entre plusieurs représentations. Nous avons effectué une recherche exploratoire de type qualitative. Des entretiens individuels semi-dirigés d’une durée moyenne de 120 minutes ont été réalisés avec un échantillon comptant 18 enseignants d’histoire au secondaire de Montréal, de Québec et de communautés amérindiennes du Québec. L’outil de cueillette et d’analyse des données s’inspire grandement des développements méthodologiques réalisés par la recherche sur les représentations sociales (évocation hiérarchisée continuée ou limitée, schémas conceptuels) (Abric, 1994; 1997). Les résultats permettent d’identifier les fondements épistémologiques et didactiques, le contenu et la structure, de même que les relations existant entre les représentations de l’enseignement de l’histoire et de la formation à la citoyenneté. Ils ont également mis en lumière les convictions idéologiques et pédagogiques des maîtres d’histoire.