Browsing by Author "Danyluk, Patricia Jill"

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    Internationalization in the Formal Curriculum as Interpreted and Experienced by International Graduate Students in Canada – An Interpretive Case Study
    (2024-03-27) Liang, Siyin; Kawalilak, Colleen; Groen, Janet Elizabeth; Danyluk, Patricia Jill; Winchester, W. Lan S.; Goddard, John Timothy
    Many universities in Canada have dedicated themselves to internationalization as an educational approach to enhance students’ awareness of global complexities, engage with diversity, foster global citizenship, and encourage meaningful contributions to society. Despite the growing attention to modifying curricula to align with the internationalization agenda, the literature offering guidance on approaching this endeavour remains limited, particularly concerning insights from students and within the specific academic realm of education. In order to contribute to the ongoing discourse surrounding curriculum internationalization, deepen the comprehension of how recent international students interpret and experience this approach, and explore ways to enrich student learning experiences, I conducted an interpretive case study, the details of which are presented in this dissertation. Specifically, I delved into a case study centred on internationalization in the formal curriculum through the perspectives of international graduate students enrolled in a school of education at a comprehensive academic and research university in Canada. Using qualitative content analysis and reflexive thematic analysis, I analyzed data collected from public documents, semi-structured interviews with nine international graduate students, and my reflexive research journal. Guided by the framework of practice architecture theory, I identified and shared interpretations on four key themes: 1. Influential cultural-discursive arrangements in shaping interpretations; 2. Diversification of course content: The deliberate commencement; 3. Advancing inclusion in course design to mitigate inequalities; 4. Crucial social-political arrangements in facilitating intercultural learning. In dialogue with existing scholarship, my findings elaborate on the meanings and value of content integration in an ‘internationalized’ formal curriculum, as some international graduate students interpreted. The research findings also highlight the importance of being aware of the practice traditions on the site and incorporating inclusive course design to mitigate inequalities and the risk of system exclusion in an internationalized formal curriculum. Furthermore, the findings suggest that institutional discussions on diversity and inclusivity are notably influential in shaping how international graduate students interpret an internationalized curriculum. In addition, as my findings revealed, being aware of the hierarchical structure within a university and understanding the power dynamics between instructors and students can potentially lead international graduate students to perceive instructors as the primary initiators of the course internationalization process. Simultaneously, they tend to predominantly view their role as that of responsive participants. The study seeks to contribute to empirical and practical knowledge on international studies of internationalizing the formal curriculum in higher education. It shows the necessity for more recent, in-depth, and regional-specific studies regarding curriculum internationalization from students’ perspectives. It concludes by offering recommendations for higher education institutions to support curriculum internationalization.
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    Non-Indigenous Leaders’ Perceptions of their Leadership in K to 12 Nunavut Schools
    (2024-05) Sharif, Shamimara; Simmons, Marlon; Spencer, Brenda; Danyluk, Patricia Jill; Boz, Umit; Burleigh, Dawn V.
    This case study explores non-Indigenous leaders’ perceptions of their leadership in kindergarten to grade twelve (K to 12) Nunavut schools. Educational leadership influences student achievements, including graduation, in schools of Indigenous communities (Odulaja & Halseth, 2018; Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, 2015). Understanding the context that includes the social and historical circumstances of K to 12 Nunavut schools, perceptions the non-Indigenous educational leaders bring to the system, and the relationship between the two, is vital for non-Indigenous educational leaders in K to 12 Nunavut schools. Leaders’ perceptions of their leadership are also vital to educational pedagogy in schools as they influence their choices when leading. There is also insufficient research on non-Indigenous leaders’ perceptions of their leadership in K to 12 Nunavut schools. The following questions guided the study: How do non-Indigenous leaders perceive their leadership in K to 12 Nunavut schools? How do the beliefs and values of non-Indigenous leaders inform their leadership in K to 12 Nunavut schools? I approached the study through a qualitative case study methodology in keeping with Merriam’s (1998) interpretation. I gathered data using semi-structured interviews, reflective journals, and public records. The analysis of data reveals four main findings: (a) a necessity for understanding educational leadership from the perspective of Elders and Indigenous Knowledge Keepers, (b) the understanding of the continuity of colonial relations within the K to 12 Nunavut schools, (c) a necessity for Indigenous representation of their language, culture, and knowledge in K to 12 Nunavut schools, and (d) the importance of embedding Inuit Indigenous perspectives within the K to 12 Nunavut schools. The interpretation process highlights how I perceived my leadership, gaps in the K to 12 Nunavut education system, and the importance of Inuit Indigenous involvement in educational leadership in Nunavut to overcome the colonial narrative in Nunavut education.
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    The Nature of Faith Communities in Alberta’s Separate High Schools
    (2024-01-02) Sawula, Ryan Bruce; Winchester, Ian; Bohac-Clarke, Veronika Elizabeth; Donlevy, James Kent; Danyluk, Patricia Jill; Newton, Paul; Preciado Babb, Armando Paulino
    This qualitative study explored the question, “What is the nature of the relationship between Alberta’s Catholic high school principals and the formation and maintenance of their schools’ faith communities?” The work of school principals is complex in that they are expected to build relationships with stakeholders internal and external to the school community. Using a case study approach, semistructured one-on-one interviews were conducted with 10 Alberta Catholic separate high school principals in different school configurations to examine their perceptions of building community in Alberta’s Catholic high schools. Four types of data were collected: (a) interview data, (b) supporting documents provided by the participants, (c) reflective field notes from on-site school visits, (d) and documents in the literature review. Analysis of the data identified 12 key findings under four overarching categories: defining community in Alberta Catholic high schools, strategies leaders used to form faith communities in Alberta high schools, benefits as a result of establishing faith communities, and challenges leaders have faced in forming faith communities. These overarching categories were further evaluated to generate four analytic themes: setting a direction grounded in faith, having a distinct purpose rooted in Catholic social teachings, using collective leadership to enhance community, and enriching faith communities via the larger community. By highlighting principals’ voices, and synthesizing and clarifying the best practices they have employed to foster their schools’ faith communities, this study enhances the literature on Catholic school leadership and deepens understanding of the expectations upon school leaders. Recommendations for Catholic principals, Catholic school boards, provincial government policymakers, and Catholic school system leaders are provided.
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    There’s No Place Like Home: Post-Secondary Student Stories of Disaster-Induced Home Loss
    (2023-06) David, Alisha; Groen, Janet Elizabeth; Burwell, Catherine; Potvin, Bernard Lawrence; Clover, Darlene; Danyluk, Patricia Jill
    In the iconic 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, Judy Garland's character Dorothy exclaimed, "there's no place like home" (Fleming, 1939, 1:38:55). With the click of her heels, she awakes in her bed. Her wish to return to her most beloved place granted after a tornado turned her world upside down. Unfortunately, real life is often nothing like the films we view at leisure, and for many of us who have lost our homes due to a disaster event, our journey to find home again presents far more challenge and change than is depicted on the big screen. This difficulty is further compounded by concurring life factors, such as being a student. This research explores the transitional experiences of adult learners that navigated disaster-induced home loss in Alberta while enrolled in a full-time post-secondary program. Using a narrative methodological approach (Connelly & Clandinin, 2006) and guided by Schlossberg's Transition Theory (Schlossberg, 1981), the experiences of seven participants were storied from interviews and analyzed collaboratively. The findings of this endeavour suggest that the adult learners experienced a high degree of simultaneous transitions because of their disaster-induced home losses but noted that these transitions were often not recognized while they were occurring. When considered alongside their full-time post-secondary programming obligations, the participants noted that their educational experience had both a protective and inhibiting influence on their ability to manage the resultant change. This research has implications for policymakers and educators as they work to better support and understand adult learners in similar contexts, as well as implications for the adult learners themselves.