PRISM :: Browsing by Author "Groen, Janet"

Browsing by Author "Groen, Janet"

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Open Access
A Study of the Interplay between New Graduate Life Experience, Context, and the Experience of Stress in the Workplace: Exploring Factors towards Self-Actualizing as a Novice Nurse
(2018-04-17) Dames, Shannon Suzanne; Groen, Janet; Raffin Bouchal, Shelley; Kawalilak, Colleen A.
Prolonged levels of stress and feelings of insecurity in new graduate registered nurse work environments are an expected part of the transition experience, yet we continue to see high rates of emotional exhaustion leading to burnout. There is a significant amount of literature on the sources of new graduate stress. However, research is lacking regarding what makes one nurse more vulnerable than another within similar work environments. This qualitative study explored the interplay of life experiences that enable and disable eight new graduate nurses from engaging in the process of self-actualization or thriving. Three prominent themes emerged as significant factors that influence the new graduates’ ability to engage in self-actualization. Developmental factors were significant in the capacity to manage workplace stressors and included congruence from their childhood experience or time in their young adult life where they engaged in relationships that provided unconditional positive regard, the habitual practice of self-compassion, and the ability to resolve areas of moral and ethical dissonance. Biological factors also buffered the experience of stress in the field, which included age and having a personality suited to their nursing role. Finally, contextual factors included having a trusted mentor at work, feelings of meaning and purpose within another life role, threats of emotional and physical violence in the workplace, workloads that took novice inefficiencies into account, limiting redeployment, and work schedules that allowed for adequate rest between sets. These insights inform nursing curriculum and transition programs by deepening the understanding of the interplay between previous and current contexts and the experience of stressors that are endemic in the workplace.
Open Access
Can a Story Change a Life?
(2014-01-17) Wolski, Kristine; Groen, Janet
This paper explores the transformative learning experiences of nine generous volunteers whose change experience was catalyzed by fiction. Using narrative methodology (Clandinin & Connelly, 2000), volunteer experiences were analyzed in a three-dimensional inquiry space based on temporality (i.e., past, present, and future), sociality (i.e., relationship), and place. Commonalities included the readers’ love of fiction, type of fiction, informal learning experienced, evidence of change, and the role passage of time played in the experience. Links are made from their experiences to adult development, complex catalysts, the roles of emotion and motivation, our storied pasts, neuroplasticity, sustaining change, and motivation for change. Trends in the data compiled in this narrative-based, qualitative study add nuances of interest to adult educators hoping to promote transformative learning. The key to each participant’s transformative experience was the combination of cognitive, affective, and contextual meaning conferred by the reader on what they read. The four types of change revealed (i.e., formative, incremental, influential, epochal) coincided with the stages of adult development (i.e., adolescence, young adulthood, middle adulthood, maturity) at which they occurred as proposed by Erikson (1968). It was found that the interviewees were influenced greatly by both emotion and motivation, moving from a purely rational to integral, holistic approach to learning.
Open Access
Child Care Directors' Understanding of Leadership
(2017) Garrow-Oliver, Susan; Lenters, Kim; Seidel, Jackie; Steinberg, Shirley; Groen, Janet; Filipenko, Margot
Professionals who care for and teach young children are often treated with disrespect, and their voices go unheard. The role of the early childhood educator is not valued. Advocacy efforts for children’s and women’s rights by early childhood educators are rare, resulting in children being placed in unsafe care, and early childhood educators working in environments where they are often bullied, devalued, and silenced. Given this context, it is necessary to ask what role early childhood education (ECE) leaders play in the effort to advocate for change. While research on leadership as position is plentiful, inquiry into the topic of leadership as practice in early learning and child care (ELCC) is limited. The purpose of this study was to explore child care directors’ understanding of leadership and how, or if, it is connected to their role as social justice advocates. Through individual interviews with five child care directors and the telling of their stories, the study explored and considered different views and ideas of leadership as it related to their role as child care directors. The findings indicate that the participants’ understanding of leadership closely aligned with the business model of leadership, that is, leadership as position, with a top-down hierarchical and supervisory approach. Findings also indicate that participants’ advocacy efforts beyond the program level were rare. Participants were overwhelmed with managing their programs, and the practice of advocating for their own rights or those of children and families as a part of their leadership practice was nonexistent. Participants acknowledged a lack of confidence, skill, and knowledge, along with a fear of speaking out or supporting change. This study highlights the need for further exploration and understanding of leadership as practice, along with specific knowledge related to advocating for social justice issues in child care. Furthermore, this study reinforces the urgency for significant change in government investment and societal values as they pertain to early years education and care.
Open Access
Classroom Interrupted: Understanding Investment Through Action Research in the Time of COVID-19
(2022-01) Daniel, Maya; Dressler, Roswita; Groen, Janet; Boz, Umit; Falkenberg, Loren; Jordan, Steven
Through a social constructivist lens, and the use of an action research methodology, in this study I sought to answer the research questions: (1) What aspects promote and increase student investment in my business communication classroom? and (2) How can I positively impact student investment? These questions arose as a result of noticeable changes in student behaviour within my business communication classrooms, including: increased absenteeism, reduced completion of homework tasks and submission of assignments, waning participation in classroom discussions and activities, and an overall decline in course and program completion. This study provided an opportunity for all participants (students and myself) to grow in understanding what factors encourage students to invest in the practices of the classroom. There were three phases of action research in this study where I utilized the methods of student journaling, my personal reflection journaling, and my lesson plans as data sources. The classroom and the study were interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which affected the findings of the study. Active learning, teaching style, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic were identified as the aspects that most impacted student investment in my business communications classroom, and the aspects of active learning and teaching style were predominantly within my control as the instructor to influence and thereby impact student investment in a positive manner. The significance of this study rested in the co-construction of an understanding of investment in this specific adult learning context. Investment has the potential to bring understanding and meaning to the actions of individuals beyond the reach of the language learning context from which it originated, thereby adding value to a multiplicity of disciplines.
Open Access
Creative Flourish; The Effects of the Artifacts of Creativity Developmental Activity on Personal Wellbeing for Adult Learners
(2023-10-03) Dickerson, Teena; Poitras Pratt, Yvonne; Groen, Janet; Kelly, Robert; Russell-Mayhew, Shelly; Conrad, Diane
During the challenging isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic, individuals turned to a multitude of creative activities. Educators noted that engaging in creativity positively affected post-secondary learners’ wellbeing and resiliency during lockdowns and our triaged turn to online learning. Drawing on my experience as an artist and art educator while learning from and thinking through Indigenous principles, this arts-based research sought to understand how creativity developmental activity might affect wellbeing and contribute to the aims of reconciliation. This art-making research program examined the immediate and diachronic influences of artifacts of creative activity on wellbeing of adult learners at any level of creative capacity. These knowledge-based insights drew from the experiences of the participants and myself in the creative process and revealed creativity as a meaningful innate human characteristic with profound growth potential. In sum, educators could use creativity and the artifacts of the activity as an educational intervention to bolster wellbeing and sustain all learners through difficult times and the challenging topics of transformative learning in adult education.
Open Access
Creative Problem Solving (CPS) in Practice: A Case Study
(2017) Zidulka, Amy Diane; Groen, Janet; Parchoma, Gale; Kenny, Natasha; Drefs, Michelle; Butterwick, Shauna
Creative Problem Solving (CPS) is a structured process for navigating complex, open-ended problems and achieving creative results (Puccio, Murdock, & Mance, 2011). Although CPS has been the subject of significant scholarly attention (e.g. Parnes, 1987; Puccio et al., 2006; Isaksen & Treffinger, 2004; Puccio & Cabra, 2010), there is a paucity of research exploring the multiple outcomes that might emerge from a CPS. There is also a dearth of research that considers the context in which a CPS session occurs. This study addresses these gaps. This study is guided by the question, “What happens when employees operating within an organizational setting engage in CPS?” It draws its theoretical foundation from workplace learning theory and practice theory. Methodologically, it uses a single, interpretive case. Generating data through onsite observation, interviews, and document analysis, the researcher considered what happened before, during, and after a vice president in a global, publicly traded aviation company facilitated a CPS session for other members of the company’s executive team. The study found that the facilitator faced multiple struggles in introducing CPS; that participants adapted and innovated the process; that participants assessed the success of the CPS session based on criteria other than whether it achieved creative outcomes; and that contextual factors influenced what was deemed a successful solution. This study suggests that those responsible for guiding employees in introducing and facilitating CPS should consider the following: • Practitioner resources should further emphasize the political skills needed to introduce and facilitate CPS. • Proponents of CPS should highlight its multiple potential benefits—as opposed to focusing on the achievement of creative results. • Proponents should consider linking CPS to the process of strategic planning, since the two practices are compatible. • CPS-focused scholars should develop a version of CPS that might be more easily integrated into existing organizational practices. This study contributes to academic knowledge by pioneering a new methodological approach to studying CPS, advancing the empirical application of practice theory, and providing empirical substantiation for theoretical scholarly discussions around the strengths and limitations of community of practice (CoP) theories.
Open Access
Critical Thinking in International Contexts: Poly-Ethnographic Accounts of Multicultural Research Collaboration
(University of Calgary, 2016-05) Woodend, Jon; Fedoruk, Lisa; Beek, Avis; Wu, Xueqin; Roy, Sylvie; Groen, Janet; Li, Xiang; Werklund School of Education
In December 2015, selected doctoral students and faculty from Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and the University of Calgary (U of C) participated in a seminar hosted by Beijing Normal University (BNU) for interdisciplinary/international collaboration. In this paper the U of C participants outlined their reflections of this experience through a poly-ethnographic approach, with consideration for the Twelfth Dimension Framework for School Systems Success. The main themes that emerged included the role of culture and the impact of power dynamics when working academically on an international level.
Open Access
English Medium Instruction in Higher Education in the Arab Gulf: Faculty Beliefs and Practices
(2024-01-19) Waigand, Angela Unger; Sewell, Douglas; Groen, Janet; Boz, Umit
In higher education throughout the world, English as the medium of instruction has become increasingly common. Within some countries in the Arab Gulf region, English is now the primary mode of instruction in tertiary education. However, in the region, students’ lack of proficiency in English may hinder comprehension of their course materials and ultimately affect their academic performance. Although instructional practices may facilitate the learning of content for second language learners, content instructors may lack an awareness of the role of language in learning content or experience challenges in finding appropriate teaching methodologies that address the students’ needs. The purpose of this mixed methods research study was to examine the beliefs, knowledge, and teaching practices of content faculty teaching second language students in higher education institutions in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. This study used a convergent mixed methods design in which quantitative data was collected through 37 surveys and qualitative data through six semi-structured interviews. Results suggest that instructors have generally favourable views of English medium instruction and second language students, have a foundation of knowledge related to second language learning principles, and use some effective teaching strategies. Although the findings were generally positive, there were some gaps in their knowledge and practices. The findings also suggested that a relationship may exist between instructors’ beliefs, knowledge, and practices, with those more positively oriented toward teaching second language learners more likely to enact effective instructional practices. Instructors’ years of experience and diverse informal and formal learning experiences may also impact beliefs, knowledge, and practices, as may contextual factors related to the teaching environment. The results of this study may help inform the development of faculty orientations and professional development in institutions in the Arab Gulf region with the aim of assisting instructors in teaching second language students more effectively.
Open Access
Experiences and Impacts of a Cross-Cultural Professional Development Program from the Perspective of Chinese Visiting Scholars
(2018-04-20) Fedoruk, Lisa Margaret; Kawalilak, Colleen A.; Groen, Janet; Roy, Sylvie; Tweedie, M. Gregory; Benjamin, Amanda D.
Visiting scholar programs as a practice of internationalization in higher education are an increasingly common form of cross-cultural professional development in the era of globalization. Visiting scholars from China are among the largest group of academics and researchers in the world to engage in international programs and activities; however, scholarship on their experiences is limited. The purpose of this study was to better understand how a group of Chinese visiting scholars made meaning of their experiences, having participated in a 3-month professional development program in Canada, and if these experiences influenced and impacted their teaching practices upon returning to China. I employed a qualitative, descriptive case study to examine the real-life situations that the participants’ experiences were rooted in. I conducted semistructured interviews with 10 participants and constantly compared the data with participant reflective documents and researcher reflective notes to gain an in-depth understanding of the phenomenon. Guided by a transformative learning theoretical framework, I examined the motivations of the Chinese visiting scholars to partake in the program, what constituted significant learning moments and how they were experienced and interpreted, and the resulting impact on participants’ perspectives and teaching practices upon returning to their home higher education institutions. The findings revealed that a fundamental motivation for participants to sojourn abroad was to fulfil an international requirement within their teaching positions and for eventual job advancement. Participants were also motivated to attain cross-cultural professional development by enhancing their teaching practices and English proficiency. An additional finding pertaining to significant learning moments encompassed the challenges surrounding English language proficiency and cultural adjustments within higher education contexts, including student-centred instructional strategies and teaching theories. Through an organically developed community of practice and continuous reflection and dialogue, participants were able to overcome challenges and implement their knowledge upon returning to their home institutions. This qualitative study contributes to the scholarship on international practices in higher education and includes valuable strategies for all stakeholders to incorporate to enhance future cross-cultural professional development programs and prepare future scholars to embark on a similar journey.
Open Access
Exploring Transformative Learning Within a Community of Practice: A Case Study of Teacher Professional Development in Early Literacy
(2017-12-18) Mathezer Bence, Michelle; Roessingh, Hetty; Groen, Janet; Parsons, James
Despite the general acceptance of the Community of Practice model in the Alberta educational system, questions remain regarding the impact of this model. There is a need for research that provides insight into teacher professional development that transforms pedagogy and moves teachers from practice to praxis. This descriptive single case study explores how different critical factors helped to foster a transformative professional development experience among four elementary teachers. The data gathered through semi-structured interviews identified eleven key factors facilitating a transformative learning experience within a Community of Practice. These findings revealed two groups of key factors: 1) those fostering a supportive learning environment and 2) those acting as catalysts spurring teachers to examine and challenge the status quo of their practice. The findings support the critical action of embedding factors from both these groups into the design of teacher learning communities, maximizing teacher benefit from professional development.
Open Access
How Callings Are Expressed in the Workplace
(2014-06-26) Cohen, Mathew; Groen, Janet
“How Callings Are Expressed in the Workplace,” addresses the lives, experiences, and objectives of individuals pursuing their calling. Callings are purposeful and meaningful types of work of which many personal and organizational benefits have been attributed to. This research, drawing from phenomenology and hermeneutic philosophy, follows a constructivist epistemology exploring how people- following-their-callings engage their environments. A life history methodology, a methodology sitting at the nexus between phenomenology and sociology, was most appropriate for capturing the interplay between a person’s subjectivity and their context. Five participants from for-profit oil and gas organizations and three participants from not-for-profit organizations were selected using professionally developed surveys to identify individuals who have high levels of calling orientation. A holistic understanding of what callings express and how they are being expressed was developed by understanding the participants’ past, their present worldviews, and future goals. What has been discerned is that people must overcome environmental, self imposed, or socially and institutionally imposed thresholds in order to pursue a calling. A calling is found here to be a way-of-being towards a unity-of-being, expressed as pursuits towards perfection, equality, self/other acceptance, and responsibility for another. Pursuing a calling is what allows people to transform themselves and their perspectives of the world as objects into the possibilities of becoming a force, thus embodying the epigram: ‘Because I am, can we become, therefore a force.’
Open Access
Indigenous Dawn Breakers and Daybreak People: The Braided Journey of Indigenous Professors
(2021-08-20) Shawana, James; Poitras Pratt, Yvonne; Louie, Dustin; Groen, Janet
A growing number of Indigenous people have successfully obtained an undergraduate degree and have continued their educational journey to earn a graduate degree. Indigenous communities have more Indigenous people attending post-secondary institutes seeking Western Knowledge as this is what is offered. Indigenous graduate students can transcend the colonial imposition that exists in Canada and in universities by pursuing a graduate studies education as a tool of empowerment. This qualitative study involved interviews with eight Indigenous professors who shared experiences of their graduate educational journeys and thoughts for future Indigenous graduate students. By exploring these stories and their messages in this study, I am helping Indigenous professors share how they broke the trail for generations to come. Those who arise at dawn, when the sun rises, are known as Dawn Breakers and Daybreak People. In contemporary times, they are ones who have sought a new path of graduate studies and have gone on to create this new path for future generations of Indigenous scholars. This research presents its findings through the metaphor of a sweetgrass braid where the lived experiences, colonial-based experiences, and academic experiences of Indigenous faculty members are the three central strands. The first strand of lived experiences concerns the importance of families in graduate students’ lives, establishing a new Indigenous community, understanding an Indigenous cultural imperative, and relocating to attend graduate school. The second strand of colonial-based experiences represents some of the negative outcomes of a colonial past on those pursuing graduate degrees, including the personal struggles as graduate students with feelings of inadequacy, preserving Indigenous culture during graduate studies, awareness of the labour market, racism in society and universities, and universities’ deficiencies. The third strand of academic experiences represents the educational context of Indigenous professors, highlighting the need for mentors to help support Indigenous graduate students, understanding the relevance of a graduate degree as a condition of employment at universities, navigating finances, time management considerations, and having frank discussions to understand all that is involved in pursuing graduate studies. Culture is rooted in but not limited to the past, as this Braid of new Knowledge will serve as a gift to distil insights for the success of future Indigenous graduate students.
Open Access
Islam in the Public School Classroom: The Teacher as Adult Learner
(2015-09-25) Nanji, AFroza; Groen, Janet
This narrative research study explores the adult learning journey of teachers who teach about Islam in Alberta public schools. It tells stories of their experiences that are informed by personal convictions and sociocultural surroundings. The study focuses intentionally on how perceptions of Islam held by teachers change, if at all. It also directs attention to the impact of teaching and learning about Islam on teacher religious and nonreligious identities. Four teacher participants, from different schools, were invited to share their stories and experiences teaching about Islam in the World Religions course. Narrative inquiry proved to be an invaluable guide in discovering and interpreting teacher learning journeys. Participants brought forth various understandings of Islam and diverse religious and nonreligious identities to the classroom space. Teaching about Islam resulted in strengthened religious and nonreligious convictions, and influenced in an important way, the nature of changes in perceptions of Islam teacher participants developed. While the field of adult education is increasingly attending to the multidimensional ways that adults learn and change, the contribution of one’s religious convictions in interreligious learning has not been extensively explored. As well, this study suggests that teachers and students actively engage with diverse religious and nonreligious outlooks and lived experiences in order to support deep learning. Thus, while it explores teacher experiences and changes, this dissertation also aims to articulate a way forward in curriculum and teacher development. As we increasingly encounter diverse and fellow human beings, this study highlights the great importance of learning about each other, from each other.
Open Access
"It Scars": Meaning Making and Psychological Impacts of Parental Feeding Control
(2017) Brun, Isabel; Russell-Mayhew, Shelly; Groen, Janet; Strong, Tom
Given the negative physiological and psychosocial outcomes associated with childhood obesity, it is no wonder that parents may want to utilize parental feeding control practices in order to promote weight loss, or prevent weight gain, in their children. However, regardless of parents’ best intentions, parental feeding control practices have been found to have counterproductive effects on children’s eating behaviours and weight status. Despite these findings, minimal research has been conducted to examine how these parental feeding control practices are subjectively experienced by children. As such, the current study explored perceived meaning making and psychological impacts of parental feeding control practices through constructivist grounded theory methods. Results from the preliminary constructivist grounded theory indicate that individuals face lasting negative meaning making (e.g., viewing self-worth as contingent on weight), psychological (e.g., fearing weight gain), and behavioural (e.g., engaging in maladaptive eating behaviours) impacts as a result of experiencing parental feeding control practices during their childhoods. Findings have implications for counselling and future research.
Open Access
Leadership Capacity of Nonprofit Social Service Organizations in Alberta
(2021-12-09) Doan-Nguyen, Mylan; Eaton, Sarah; Groen, Janet; Kawalilak, Colleen; Hewson, Jennifer; Hamm, Lyle
Society relies on nonprofit organizations to provide essential services to marginalized populations and advocate for public policy; yet, service providers are constantly being challenged by funding competition, increasing demand for services, and leadership shortage. This qualitative multi-case study provides insights gathered from Alberta nonprofit executive leaders (n = 9) as to how they leverage their own leadership capacities for their social service organizations and also build organizational leadership capacity. Nonprofit leaders from organizations in the western Canadian cities of Calgary and Edmonton were interviewed. Six major themes and three sub-themes emerged. Participants brought a wide range of education and experience to their roles; they invested in themselves through lifelong learning, and they were the best fit for the organization they led. These executive leaders did not subscribe to any specific leadership styles, but made important decisions for their organization based on its vision and mission. Study participants were cognizant of their strengths and believed that emergent leaders should hone their entrepreneurial mindset and strive to be future-focused. Although leadership training is important to develop future leaders, inadequacies do exist in current training models, according to the study participants. Current training does not provide potential candidates the opportunities to build leadership capacities through experiential learning and mentorship, two components that the executive leaders in this study believed to be crucial to the success of future leaders.
Open Access
Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching: What do School Psychologists Know?
(2017) Gould, Kelsey; Drefs, Michelle; Groen, Janet; Makarenko, Erica
Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching (MKT) is widely recognized as being beneficial for teachers. Despite the contributions of school psychologists to mathematics education, the MKT possessed by school psychologists has not yet been considered. The current study explores the nature of school psychologists’ (n = 154) MKT pertaining to elementary number and operations. A number of factors were shown to influence school psychologists’ MKT including age, self-efficacy, science-based backgrounds, and mathematical education. Moreover, school psychologists appear to be slightly more mathematically informed in number and operations in comparison to their teacher counterparts. Future research may benefit from evaluating more areas of MKT across a greater number of mathematics domains. Continued research in this area has the potential to ensure that school psychologists are the most effective resource that they can be within schools, thereby improving mathematics education.
Open Access
The Musical Identities of Piano Students: A Phenomenological Case Study
(2022-09) Gerelus, Karen; Burwell, Catherine; Gereluk, Dianne; Groen, Janet; Seidel, Jackie; Bell, Adam; Burland, Karen; Creech, Andrea
It might be said that everyone has a musical identity. Whether you casually sing in the shower or seriously study Classical piano, music holds a role in everyone’s daily life. But what does it mean to incorporate the term musician into your identity? How does being a musician hold a place for who you are and how you describe yourself to others? This research investigated the musical identities of adolescent students in private piano lessons, with supporting evidence from their parents and piano teachers. It was formed around two research questions: How do piano students construct their musical identities and understand themselves as musicians? What kinds of experiences contribute to the formation of a salient musical identity? Drawing from a phenomenological approach, semi-structured interviews, photovoice, demographic surveys, and lesson observations brought forward the experiences which shaped students’ identities. Results suggested that the social environment, possible selves, and motivation were important themes in the formation of a musical identity because they provided experiences which shaped how students understood themselves as musicians. Beyond these three main themes, ability, choice, and relationships arose as their own emerging areas of consideration. Implications for teachers, parents, and students are provided, such as gaining a better understanding of student-centered learning to improve students’ experiences with piano lessons and harness more salient musical identities. This study offers an unprecedented use of photovoice methodology in music education research, and is unique in its focus on the musical identities of adolescent piano students. Further, this study offered a concurrent conceptualization of social environment, possible selves, and motivation. It connected the topics of musical identities and student-centered learning, providing new contributions and challenges to traditional piano pedagogy.
Open Access
Persistence in the Face of Adversity: What Drives Low-literacy Women Refugees to Continue on in LINC Classes in Calgary?
(2018-09-18) Perry, Rebecca; Groen, Janet; Sewell, Douglas; Seidel, Jackie
For the thousands of refugee women who arrive in Canada annually speaking a language other than English, the language barrier is one of the most significant obstacles to integrating into Canadian society that they will face. To help facilitate the process, the Government of Canada offers free English classes called Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) to all newcomers. However, it has only been recently acknowledged that those who arrive might have little to no prior formal educational experience and as such will be largely illiterate in their mother tongues. This demographic will arrive needing help with both language and literacy and due to the nature of their situation, have been classified as ESL literacy students. Despite the seemingly daunting task of simultaneously having to acquire a new language along with first-time literacy skills, there are women who are working their way through LINC programs in Calgary, but little is known of them as a demographic. In this study, a methodology of narrative inquiry was used along with semi-structured interviews to gather the stories of seven women and from the interviews three main themes emerged: 1) The influence of past experiences; 2) Navigating new surroundings through language acquisition and literacy learning; and 3) Who am I now? Results of the study provide an overview of the motivations, challenges, perspectives and triumphs that these women have experienced and gained through engaging in classes as well as suggestions for improved practice in the developing field of ESL literacy.
Open Access
Perspectives on Introversion and Engagement in the Adult ESL Classroom
(2016) Giles, Kelti; Kawalilak, Colleen; Dunn, William; Tweedie, Gregory; Groen, Janet; Roy, Sylvie
Adult learners who display introverted tendencies in formal English as a Second Language (ESL) learning environments are a heterogeneous group whose unique needs have gone relatively unexplored in the field of education. Research indicates that ESL instructional strategies typically viewed as “best practices” in North America may not always be the best fit for adult learners who display introverted tendencies. In this qualitative study, the author used semi-structured interviews and reflective journals to explore the stories of introversion and engagement of 11 adult ESL learners drawn from two educational institutions in Alberta. Interview questions included definitions of introversion, effects of introversion on learning English, barriers faced in the ESL classroom, and strategies for overcoming these barriers. After coding and categorizing individual interviews, and compiling and synthesizing information from all data sources, analysis and interpretation of findings were organized into three themes: 1) complex, multiple perspectives of identity, 2) sources of learners’ struggles, and 3) meeting learners’ needs. Findings indicated that there are diverse understandings of the term introversion based on cultural contexts, and that adult ESL learners demonstrate engagement in a number of ways that do not always align to traditionally accepted instructional practices within North America. The author concludes that introversion is complex, multidimensional, and changeable and offers an alternative framework for understanding the multi-faceted topic of introversion. Recommendations for instructors, instructional/curriculum designers, and adult ESL learners are aimed at creating more inclusive classrooms through the avoidance of labeling. The study could impact the way educators engage with learners who display introverted tendencies in formal, adult education learning contexts by providing additional context regarding barriers faced by such learners as well as strategies for assisting with their unique learning needs.
Open Access
Pre-service Teacher Attitudes Relevant to Trauma-Informed Practice
(2021-08) Howorun, Nina; Burns, Amy; Boz, Umit; Groen, Janet
Childhood trauma is widely acknowledged to be a leading cause of a diverse range of physical, biological, psychological, and social-emotional impairments, and these factors undoubtedly have an impact on students’ abilities to thrive academically and socially. However, while pre-service teachers are an important stakeholder group as future teachers, there is limited research on their perceptions of students demonstrating symptoms of traumatic stress and related trauma-informed practices/care (TIP/TIC). This study focused on pre-service teacher familiarity and attitudes regarding childhood trauma and TIP, through two main research questions: 1) What are pre-service teachers’ attitudes towards TIP? and 2) Amongst the variables of age, gender, racial/ethnic identity, knowledge/familiarity with childhood trauma, knowledge/familiarity with TIP, and support for TIP, are there statistical group differences in ARTIC-35 mean scores? This study utilized the Attitudes Related to Trauma-Informed Care (ARTIC) scale, an instrument developed to evaluate TIC-relevant attitudes of staff working in settings serving individuals with histories of trauma. Online survey data was gathered from (N = 70) participants recruited from the Bachelor of Education programs of four Alberta universities. Overall ARTIC-35 mean scores were calculated, and a series of one-way Analysis of Variances (ANOVAs), a Mann-Whitney U test, and independent samples t-tests were run using SPSS Version 26. Results showed that pre-service teachers demonstrated favourable attitudes towards TIC, 100% wanted to learn more about TIP, and there were statistically significant group differences between the variables of “familiarity with childhood trauma” and “familiarity with TIP” with overall ARTIC-35 mean scores. Additionally, four interconnected themes were developed using open-ended question data, including: 1) teachers should understand the underlying/root cause of students’ behaviours to improve their teaching practices; 2) knowledge of trauma and TIP could enhance empathic responses to problematic behaviour; 3) knowledge of trauma and TIP could contribute to teachers feeling better prepared to support students who exhibit symptoms of trauma; and 4) trauma in the classroom is inevitable, and teachers must have the knowledge and skills to address symptoms of trauma and create a safe learning environment. The study concludes with a discussion of ethical considerations, implications related to the findings, and directions for further research.