Education, Faculty of
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- ItemNavigating masculinities: exploring the lived experiences of adolescent Albertan boys(Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Education, 2023) Symons, Katie M.; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Education; Burleigh, Dawn; Gunn, ThelmaThis phenomenological study investigates lived experiences of masculinity among a group of adolescent Albertan boys. The study’s aim is to better understand participants’ perspectives, improve the researcher’s teaching practices, and share implications with other educators. Seven participants, from an urban center in Alberta, were recruited and interviewed. Three themes were identified: The Expectations Placed on Boys, The Challenges of Being a Boy, and The Normalization of Negative Boy Behaviour. Expectations placed on boys explored how participants felt required to follow societal expectations of masculinity. Challenges of being a boy were described as difficult compared to those faced by girls due to having little autonomy based on societal expectations. Normalization of negative boy behaviour highlighted how participants were accustomed to negative behaviour from other males and accepted this behaviour as typical. This study provides an examination of these themes, identifies potential implications for educators, and poses questions for further research.
- ItemPerspective on instructional leadership throughout a pandemic(Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Education, 2023) Hughes, Sandi Darlene; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Education; Adams, Pamela; Mombourquette, CarmenThis study investigated the primary research questions of: What is the nature of instructional leadership on practices during the COVID-19 pandemic? and What were teachers’ and principals’ perceptions of the most effective and/or helpful instructional leadership practices throughout the pandemic? It was conducted through qualitative methodology using semi structured interviews of two principals and two teachers. The themes identified by participants as being the most effective leadership practices during the pandemic included: fostering effective relationships with the school community, maintaining relational trust, focusing on the wellness of staff, and uniting the staff to work together towards a common vision of what is best for students. These leadership practices are also supported by literature and the LQS. Whether it is another pandemic, a time of crisis, or simply supporting one staff member who is going through a tough personal time; focusing on these leadership practices will help a principal through the situation. As Leithwood, Harris, and Hopkins (2008) claimed, principals have an impact on teachers’ emotions, motivations, commitments, beliefs, and in how supported they feel in their practice which in turn impacts student learning. Through fostering effective relationships with the school community, maintaining relational trust, focusing on the wellness of staff, and uniting the staff to work together towards a common vision of what is best for students; principals can engage in effective instructional leadership.
- Item"A matter of my heart": teachers' experiences with inquiry-based professional learning(Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Education, 2023) Fitchett, Aaron B.; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Education; Adams, Pamela; Mombourquette, CarmenTeacher participation in professional learning and growth activities varies for myriad reasons including, but not limited to, the efforts of educational leaders within schools and school system leaders more broadly. The purpose of this study was to gather insight into what reveals, or is essential to, the role of inquiry in teachers’ experiences of professional learning and growth. Within the study, nine teachers from a mid-sized urban school division in Alberta, Canada were interviewed using a semi-structured interview process. Phenomenological processes were employed to design methodology and data analysis approaches that exposed the essence of participant experiences. Findings showed the relevance of relationships, identity, autonomy, resources, collaboration, and reflection, to the responses participants shared. This research study illuminates the lived experiences of participants for the purpose of generating essential understandings, while simultaneously avoiding judgment, interpretation, or criticism. Deriving that which is the essence of teachers’ experiences was the primary objective of this study; however, recommendations are shared for both the purpose of future research and the professional reflection of educational leaders seeking insight on the role of inquiry in teacher professional learning and growth.
- ItemAcademic outcomes following sexual assault: the function of post-traumatic stress(Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Education, 2023) Molstad, Taylor Dale; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Education; Luft, Toupey M.Sexual assault is a common experience among post-secondary students, with significant and long-lasting impacts such as the development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and difficulties in academic performance. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between sexual assault, PTSD, and academic outcomes. In addition, social support was tested as a potential moderator in this relationship among post-secondary students. Post-secondary students in Alberta, Canada (N = 100) who had experienced sexual assault since the age of 18 completed a survey on non-consensual sexual experiences, PTSD symptoms, social support, and academic success. The study found that sexual assault was significantly associated with higher PTSD symptom severity, which, in turn, was linked to lower academic success. The hypothesis that social support would moderate the relationship between sexual assault, PTSD, and academic outcomes was not supported. These findings underscore the importance of addressing PTSD symptoms in post-secondary students who have experienced sexual assault to support their academic success.
- ItemLearnings from land: a braided ecoportrait of meaning-full learning outdoors(University of Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Education, 2023) de Grandpré, Sylvie; University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Education; Shepard, BlytheIn British Columbia (BC), educators are increasingly interested in learning outdoors, learning in place. However, place is a colonized space. Educators, then, must reassess their relationships and habits regarding place, Indigenous knowledges, stories, and histories, and confront their own deeply ingrained colonial-isms. Constructed on Styres' (2017) assertion that anyone can develop a reflexive relationship with Land, this doctoral thesis asks: In what ways does Land inform educators’ own learning, relationships, and professional practice, while working and living on ʔamakʔis Ktunaxa? Listening and learning with relationships –human and more-than-humans– encompassed in Land is achieved through the methodology of ecoportraiture. Braided ecoportraits highlight experiences from a middle school Outdoor Program (OP), the 2020 pandemic, and connections in the forest. They offer differentiated perspectives relating to practice, identity, and place, which inform teaching but, as Styres (2017) stresses, shift the way “we think about and do education” (p. 195).