Browsing by Author "Lund, Darren E."

Now showing 1 - 19 of 19
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Aesthetic Experiences and Emergent Designs for Learning in Minecraft
    (2019-11) Gupta, Anindya Nandini; Kim, Beaumie; Clark, Douglas B.; Lock, Jennifer V.; Lund, Darren E.
    It is often argued that learners engage deeply as they set their own learning goals by playing games such as Minecraft. This phenomenon has been widely accepted and there has been a growing body of literature examining the potential of sandbox games like Minecraft for learning opportunities. Yet, few studies have illustrated how engagement occurs through learner-generated designs in Minecraft and what that entails for design-based learning and teaching practices. The purpose of this study was to explore aesthetic engagement in Minecraft using a constructionist epistemology that would help determine the design process of playable games and constructions based on curricular topics. This dissertation presents the two designs as two cases forming a multiple case-study on design-based learning in Minecraft. The design process, was then, examined as a comparative study to understand aesthetic experiences in Minecraft. The study revealed that learners, who designed games in Minecraft underwent continuous, fulfilling, and transformative experiences. They perceived the design exercise through connections that emerged through game-play, and engaged in various trajectories of participation that drew upon computational thinking and practices, as well as gaming culture. Comparatively, learners who designed artifacts based on Social Studies curricular goals could not consistently undergo fulfilling, continuous and transformative experiences. They faced difficulty in drawing connections across domains and subjects as they could not endogenously situate the design experience based on their syntonic understanding in Minecraft. Their individual approach to design further affected their understanding and critical evaluation from multiple perspectives. These cases suggested the need for playful and participatory learning involving authentic audiences for the realization of aesthetic experiences in Minecraft. The study also implicated the need to understand the design of games like Minecraft, and the principles of learning through such mediums through a consideration of their affordances and limitations.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Controversial Credits: Secondary Students’ Education on Heteronormativity
    (2018-04-11) Surette, Tanya Elaine; Callaghan, Tonya D.; Field, James C.; Lund, Darren E.
    In January of 2016, the Alberta Government launched new Guidelines for Best Practices: Creating Learning Environments That Respect Diverse Sexual Orientations, Gender Identities, and Gender Expressions (Alberta Education, 2016). This document was in response to the growing awareness of the ongoing oppression, marginalization, and discrimination affecting gender and sexually diverse children, youth, families, and faculty in schools across the province. These guidelines were met with a series of reactions, with much backlash and controversy erupting in Southern Alberta, which exemplified the ongoing homophobic and transphobic sentiments commonplace to many of the residents in this area. This study explores the experiences of secondary students in public secular schools related to the topic of gender and sexual diversity and the impact of the heteronormative discourse operating within their schools and community on their developing attitudes, identities, and emotional and mental well-being. I employed a multi-method qualitative research framework involving 1) critical discourse analysis of the documents from three courses where topics pertaining to gender and sexuality are most likely to occur; and 2) multiple in-depth semi-structured interviews with 6 secondary students. The central questions driving this study were: Are high school students’ perceptions of heteronormativity shaped by religious and secular aspects of the high school curriculum? If so, how? What practical insights can be applied to school policies and practices to inform more safe and inclusive school environments? To answer these questions, I drew upon critical theory and social justice scholars to explore how the forces of heteronormativity and privilege, particularly Christian privilege, are produced and reproduced in schools and how these forces maintain an ongoing oppressive and hostile school environment for gender and sexual minority students. The chief finding of this study is that, despite the efforts made through the recent release of the Guidelines for Best Practice (Alberta Education, 2016), gender and sexual minority youth are not experiencing a safe and inclusive school environment, with ongoing oppression experienced in multiple school spaces. This dissertation concludes with a discussion of participant-infused insights and wisdom for educators and educational leaders interested in creating more safe and inclusive learning environments.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Creating and Sustaining Safe and Inclusive Spaces for LGBTQ Youth: An Exploratory Investigation of the Role of Educational Professionals
    (2019-09-05) Luceno, Andrew; Andrews, Jac J. W.; McCrimmon, Adam W.; Lund, Darren E.; Andrews, Jac J. W.
    Recent evidence shows that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ) youth regularly face hostile school environments. Those hostile environments contribute to making LGBTQ youth increasingly vulnerable to a number of emotional, behavioural, and social problems. Educators can play a critical role in buffering LGBTQ youth from potential victimization. As such, the present study explored the following questions: 1) What are the roles of educators (i.e., teachers, school administrators) with respect to promoting and creating safe and inclusive spaces for LGBTQ youth; 2) what unique contributions can educators make in nurturing those spaces; and, 3) what barriers do educators face in creating safe and inclusive spaces for LGBTQ youth? This study used a convergent parallel design mixed-methods approach. Fifty-six educators in Alberta completed an online survey; among those educators, 17 of them self-selected to participate in a semi-structured interview. Descriptive statistics were gathered from survey results; the interview data was analyzed using thematic analysis in order to generate themes relevant to the research questions. Those themes were: 1) Lack of awareness; 2) the use of inclusive language; 3) the role of inclusive curriculum in support of LGBTQ youth; 4) the role of educators as allies; 5) situational factors as barriers to supporting LGBTQ youth; and 6) supporting LGBTQ youth through GSAs. Overall, the results from the present study have future research implications and practical utility for educators and policy-makers.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Crossing Borders in Schools: Racialized Experiences and Inclusive Education
    (2020-12-22) Aujla-Bhullar, Sonia Kaur; Lund, Darren E.; DePass, Cecille; Simmons, Marlon
    My doctoral research seeks to examine and reveal the ways in which schools engage with multicultural and racially diverse communities as a means of achieving inclusive education. This research is actively intended to inform both contemporary multicultural policies and practice by exploring the experiences of visible minority families and students in their school locations. Using critical ethnography as the guiding methodology with a theoretical framework informed by Critical Race Theory (CRT) as practiced through anti-racism discourse, this research seeks to bring forward the perspectives and voices of racially minoritized populations to increase the understanding of diversity and address inclusive practices within the institution of education.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Discourses on Internationally-Educated Tradespeople in Calgary
    (2018-09-18) Hilman, Brianna Irene; Roy, Sylvie; Lund, Darren E.; Guo, Shibao; Brandon, Jim; Abu-Laban, Yasmeen
    My goal is to examine the ideologies and discourses on internationally educated workers, that is, what people say and how what they say influences the lives of tradespeople in particular, as well as others. What are the ideologies represented and recreated in discourse that surround internationally-educated tradespeople in Calgary, Alberta? How do these ideologies and discourses affect how they are treated in the workplace? To explore these questions, I conducted semi-structured interviews of 36 construction workers and management personnel and used critical discourse analysis on a case study viewed through the lens of difference politics.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Employing Polyethnography to Navigate Researcher Positionality on Weight Bias
    (NSUWorks - The Qualitative Report, 2017-05-20) Arthur, Nancy; Lund, Darren E.; Russell-Mayhew, Shelly; Nutter, Sarah; Williams, Emily; Sesma-Vazquez, Monica; Kassan, Anusha
    Researchers often focus on the content of their research interests but, depending on the research approach, may pay less attention to the process of locating themselves in relation to the research topic. This paper outlines the dialogue between an interdisciplinary team of researchers who were at the initial stages of forming a research agenda related to weight bias and social justice. Using a polyethnographic approach to guide our discussion, we sought to explore the diverse and common life experiences that influenced our professional interests for pursuing research on weight bias. As a dialogic method, polyethnography is ideally suited for the reflexive work required of researchers seeking to address issues of equity and social justice. Beyond more traditional approaches such as journaling, personal interviews, or researcher notes, the intersubjectivity highlighted by this method affords a richer space for exploration, challenging ideas, taking risks, and collectively interrogating both self and society. Following a discussion of positionality, the dialogue between researchers is presented, followed by their critique of the discussion, informed by professional literature.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Evaluation of Experiences in the Canadian Conservation Corps: A Qualitative Content Analysis
    (2020-11-05) Butt, Nicholas; Shapiro, Bonnie L.; Lund, Darren E.; Alonso-Yanez, Gabriella
    A qualitative content analysis study was conducted in partnership with the Canadian Wildlife Federation (CWF) and Mitacs to explore the experiences of participants involved in the Canadian Conservation Corps (CCC) program. 27 semi-structured interviews conducted with 14 interviewees were audio-recorded and transcribed. Interview data were analyzed using an inductive qualitative content analysis of latent data. The analysis identified seven themes which are: Theme 1: Participants Discussed the Importance of Community Theme 2: Participants Learned Through Difficulty Theme 3: Participants Experienced Personal Growth Theme 4: Participants Developed a Range of Skills Theme 5: The CCC Supported Participants’ Career Development Theme 6: Stage 2 Leaders Described Benefits to Their Organizations Theme 7: Interviewees Offered Suggestions for Improvements to the CCC Findings were shared with CWF and stakeholders of the CCC to inform funders and to support future development of the program.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Foregrounding the Voice of Prospective Host Community Stakeholders in International Service Learning
    (2019-01-14) George, Merlene A.; Kawalilak, Colleen; Andreotti, Vanessa; Lund, Darren E.; Simmons, Marlon; Tweedie, M. Gregory
    While there is a growing body of research within the area of International Service Learning (ISL), research is skewed towards an interest in Western concerns and representation. Service learning that involves stakeholders from host countries in the global South is often predicated on relationships between stakeholders that are inherently inequitable. While there is ample research on ISL, most has been concerned with the stakeholders from the global North, with little critical insight coming from the host communities. This lack of community voice only serves to uphold a cultural hegemony, negating claims by proponents of service learning of mutual benefit and reciprocity. Therefore, this collective case study sought out the perspectives of six community leaders in St. Vincent and the Grenadines to determine how they might envision a meaningful ISL initiative. The research participants’ concerns with the unequal distribution of wealth, the moral condescension exhibited by foreigners, and the lack of community voice within the global arena, made embracing ISL ventures a tenuous proposition. Evident from the findings was a Western hegemonic ethnocentrism that impacted how the participants perceived service, reciprocity, and partnership within ISL.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    How do International Students Reconstruct their Identity as Readers when they Transition into Canadian Post-Secondary Education?
    (2019-01-22) Chen, Danni; Hanson, Aubrey Jean; Lund, Darren E.; Xie, Shaobo
    With increased numbers of Chinese international students in the Canadian higher education system and their growing needs to transition into a new cultural reading environment, this study endeavours to explore the difficulties that four Chinese students encountered, and figure out how they experienced, responded to, and transformed to a new cultural reading environment. With data from semi-structured interviews and journal entries, this study brings each individual participant’s experiences, perceptions, and feelings of reading in English to the fore. I analyzed participants’ unique experiences in order to understand their reading difficulties and readers’ identities. Through these examinations, this study shows that participants’ identities as readers are reconstructed in a new cultural reading environment, based upon their Chinese culture, academic fields, a new English cultural background, and their personalities. Moreover, data analysis reveals that, while reading in English, participants constructed the meaning of different language reading materials through the different lens of their identities as readers. Based on my findings, second language reading is discussed regarding the second language reader’s cultures and identities. The present study highlights the importance of social dimensions in second language reading. It concludes that readers’ identities reflect readers’ different cultural memberships. As Chinese international student cross cultural boundaries, their identities as readers shape how they interpret and understand the meaning of reading materials. When readers apply different reader’s identities while reading, they have the potential to interpret reading materials differently.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Inspiring Change: A Hermeneutic Phenomenology Exploring the Lived Experience with Emotional Labor by Female Health Champions Implementing Comprehensive School Health Reforms
    (2018-07-09) Kendrick, Astrid Helene; Lund, Darren E.; Kowch, Eugene Gary; Sengupta, Pratim; Francis, Nancy; Lind, Candace
    This hermeneutic phenomenological study explored the lived experience with emotional labor of five female Health Champions as they navigated through flux and systemic instability while implementing Comprehensive School Health initiatives. Framed by complex adaptive systems theory, the purpose of this study was to discover the immediate emotional and embodied experiences identified by five change agents having horizontal differentiation of roles including: pre-service student teacher, educational assistant, teacher, school leader, and system leader while undertaking educational reforms introduced between 2009 and 2016 in Alberta, Canada. This study uncovered insights into their common understanding the phenomenon of emotional labor while implementing the Comprehensive School Health framework, a reform to Physical and Health Education that coincided with the Inspiring Education movement. The findings of this study include: insight into the unique nature of the emotional work of change agents in educational settings; a phenomenological example of a possible lived experience with emotional labor; and suggestions for areas of future study for educational leaders interested in implementing Comprehensive School Health initiatives.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Nurses, Soft Skills and Power: Life Stories of Internationally Educated Nurses
    (2020-05) Kim, Mary Marcia; Guo, Yan; Fleming, Douglas; Groen, Janet Elizabeth; Lund, Darren E.; Roy, Sylvie
    The numbers of internationally educated nurses (IEN) who have joined the Canadian health care workforce have steadily increased since the mid-twentieth century. Much of the literature has framed their nursing knowledge, communication skills, and soft skills from a deficit perspective. Little research has been conducted on IENs and soft skills in the Canadian nursing context and in IENs’ own voices. To address this gap in the literature, this study explored IENs’ interpretations of soft skills and how IENs conform to or resist soft skills in their nursing practice in Canada. The theoretical framework included Foucault’s governmentality, pastoral power, and technologies of the self. It also used transculturation. Data were collected from IENs in Calgary, Alberta, through life story and analyzed through thematic analysis. Findings show that IENs perceive nursing procedures (hard skills) as inseparable from soft skills and soft skills as coming in packages rather than as isolated skills. They view nursing as holistic and use their transcultural knowledge and multilingual abilities to meet the needs of patients from diverse backgrounds. Findings indicate that contrary to the existing soft skills literature, IENs have sophisticated communication and interaction skills, as well as transcultural knowledge. Moreover, findings show that IENs have used their transcultural knowledge and multilingual abilities to challenge the English-only discourse in health care settings. The life stories of the IENs in this study add new perspectives for understanding the relationship between nurses, soft skills, and power. This study suggests that there is a need to find a way to recognize, value, and utilize IENs’ skills and knowledge that does not depend on the biased gatekeeping mechanisms of soft skills for certification and evaluation of nursing skills.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Positioning of Weight Bias: Moving towards Social Justice
    (2016-09-22) Nutter, Sarah; Russell-Mayhew, Shelly; Alberga, Angela S.; Arthur, Nancy; Kassan, Anusha; Lund, Darren E.; Sesma-Vazquez, Monica; Williams, Emily
    Weight bias is a form of stigma with detrimental effects on the health and wellness of individuals with large bodies. Researchers from various disciplines have recognized weight bias as an important topic for public health and for professional practice. To date, researchers from various areas have approached weight bias from independent perspectives and from differing theoretical orientations. In this paper, we examined the similarities and differences between three perspectives (i.e., weight-centric, non-weight-centric (health-centric), and health at every size) used to understand weight bias and approach weight bias research with regard to (a) language about people with large bodies, (b) theoretical position, (c) identified consequences of weight bias, and (d) identified influences on weight-based social inequity. We suggest that, despite differences, each perspective acknowledges the negative influences that position weight as being within individual control and the negative consequences of weight bias. We call for recognition and discussion of weight bias as a social justice issue in order to change the discourse and professional practices extended towards individuals with large bodies. We advocate for an emphasis on social justice as a uniting framework for interdisciplinary research on weight bias.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Positioning of Weight Bias: Moving towards Social Justice
    (Hindawi Publishing Corporation, 2016-09-22) Nutter, Sarah; Russell-Mayhew, Shelly; Alberga, Angela S.; Arthur, Nancy; Kassan, Anusha; Lund, Darren E.; Sesma-Vazquez, Monica; Williams, Emily
    Weight bias is a form of stigma with detrimental effects on the health and wellness of individuals with large bodies. Researchers from various disciplines have recognized weight bias as an important topic for public health and for professional practice. To date, researchers from various areas have approached weight bias from independent perspectives and from differing theoretical orientations. In this paper, we examined the similarities and differences between three perspectives (i.e., weight-centric, nonweight- centric (health-centric), and health at every size) used to understand weight bias and approach weight bias research with regard to (a) language about people with large bodies, (b) theoretical position, (c) identified consequences of weight bias, and (d) identified influences on weight-based social inequity. We suggest that, despite differences, each perspective acknowledges the negative influences that position weight as being within individual control and the negative consequences of weight bias.We call for recognition and discussion ofweight bias as a social justice issue in order to change the discourse and professional practices extended towards individuals with large bodies. We advocate for an emphasis on social justice as a uniting framework for interdisciplinary research on weight bias.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    The Invisible and the Visible: Understanding Intercultural Friendships of Chinese Immigrant Youth
    (2018-01-25) Feng, Xiaohong; Lund, Darren E.; Cappello, Michael; Ngo, Hieu Van; DePass, Cecille Marie; Burwell, Catherine
    This research, a critical ethnographic case study of a western city in Canada, explored the visible and hidden barriers young Chinese immigrants face when forming and developing friendships with non-immigrant peers. Qualitative data collection methods included 74 interviews with Chinese immigrant youth (16- to 18-year-old newcomers, Generation 1.5, and Generation 2), their parents, and teachers; school and home observations; documents; and autoethnography. By employing the theoretical perspective of postcolonial theories, critical pedagogy, and acculturation to contextualize the historical impact of social inequalities, cultural hegemony, and linguistic dominance, the research revealed the lived experiences of the marginalized in schools and sought both to disrupt hidden forms of racism and to build bridges for sociocultural integration in schools. The research presented here recognizes the dynamic dialectic nature of intercultural friendship-building set within a pluralistic world that is in cultural and social conflict. Barriers to intercultural relationships fall into three main categories: (a) cross-cultural exclusions, including polite exclusion, lack of acceptance, ignorance due to lack of contact, bullying, intangible psychological distance, and local cultural superiority; (b) family cultural influence, including parental ideologies, educational beliefs and values, and survival pressures; and (c) beyond cultural differences, including parents’ inability to be role models, curricular content, teaching strategies, and the hidden curriculum. Given the diversity of Canadian classrooms, a critical understanding of intercultural friendships is crucial to the ongoing achievement of social equity. This research thus takes a positive step towards intercultural communication, understanding, and respect.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    The Principal Pipeline: How Elementary School Principals Perceive Student-Centered Leadership to Impact Teaching Practice
    (2018-07-11) Drefko, Tracy J.; Brandon, Jim; Spencer, Brenda L.; Lund, Darren E.
    Student-centered leadership, as defined by Viviane Robinson, is an approach to instructional leadership that puts student outcomes at the center of school leadership work. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to investigate how elementary school principals perceived they enacted four aspects of student-centered leadership and how these actions were perceived to impact teaching practices in their schools. Through semi-structured interviews with three principals, data was generated about leadership actions perceived to facilitate professional learning and impact teaching practice. Focus group interviews with teachers from each of the three principal’s schools and documents contributed by all participants were also examined. Analysis of the data from all three sources revealed eleven common leadership actions that are illustrated through deeper, richer descriptions of the instructional leadership provided by the three principals. The study’s illumination of eleven specific student-centered leadership actions and their perceived impact on teaching practice will contribute to professional knowledge and offer transferable insights to other school leaders as they enact leadership practices to facilitate professional learning and quality teaching within their buildings.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Transformational Approaches to Cultivating Environmental and Cultural Reconciliation Through Post-Secondary Field Schools
    (2021-01) Brown, Sarah Elizabeth; Lowan-Trudeau, Gregory; Kawalilak, Colleen A.; Lund, Darren E.; Louie, Dustin William; Thompson, Judy
    This research study explored socially engaged transformational education through consideration of educational responses to the current challenges and opportunities of cultural and environmental reconciliation. There is an emerging educational phenomenon of post-secondary courses focused on reconciling relationships between Indigenous and Settler Canadians and our collective relationship to the earth. Many of these courses are intercultural, immersive, experiential, Land-based, and transformational in their teaching and learning approach. The theoretical framework that I applied to organize and broaden understanding of this educational phenomenon is that of socially transformative, critical adult education. This theory is informed by critical pedagogy, ecojustice education, and transformational learning theories. These approaches suggested that adult education should provide learners with opportunities to explore and transcend any ideologies imposed upon them. My theoretical framework is also informed by academic explorations of decolonization, Indigenization, and reconciliation. Areas of literature reviewed for this study include adult environmental education, ecojustice education, Indigenous Land education, transformational learning theory, and research on truth and reconciliation and decolonization at the post-secondary level. There are strong common threads that support the synthesis of these fields of study in my doctoral research and dissertation. In order to contribute to a deeper understanding of this emerging educational phenomenon of field courses focused on environmental and cultural reconciliation, I interviewed leading educators who facilitate the field schools, Indigenous cultural advisors that partner with them, and students who took the courses. An overarching reconciliation methodology was developed, informed by narrative and Indigenous methodologies with attendant methods for each. In order to equip citizens with the knowledge, skills, and leadership necessary to address the complex challenges of cultural and environmental reconciliation, post-secondary educators and institutions must become aware of their role in perpetuating the current problems, as well as imagine new possibilities to address them in effective ways. In this way, post-secondary institutions can become healthier ecosystems to nurture the growth of current and upcoming efforts by educators to address the complex challenges of environmental and cultural reconciliation.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Tuning into General Education: Understanding Student Experience in Undergraduate Education
    (2020-12-10) Ulmer-Krol, Simon Francis; Scott, David M.; Lund, Darren E.; Burwell, Catherine; Lucas, Jack
    General Education is a program that is generally defined as “the home for a well-rounded education that nurtures skills in communication, numeracy, and critical thinking” (Furman, 2013, p. 130) in post-secondary education. The purpose of this research was to investigate how students experience learning and living within a university in Western Canada that has structured all of its degree programs around General Education. Following case study methodology (Merriam, 2009), data was collected through multiple avenues, including: the review of four institutional and curricular documents, four semi-structured interviews with university faculty, and an online survey and three focus group interviews with current and graduated students. Interpretation of the data was guided by a hermeneutic lens (Smith, 2006), revealing that the student experience of General Education at this university is fundamentally experimental in nature, resulting in great divergences of experiences and understandings of the program. Students experience General Education as both transformative and hermeneutic, challenging and overcoming previously held assumptions and prejudices. Other participants, however, report their experiences as frustrating, irrelevant to their education, and interfering with their core studies. This study’s findings are significant in several respects, including providing the first investigation of a General Education program situated in a Canadian institutional context. These findings can further provide deeper insights into the tensions and incongruities that exist between the philosophical aims of General Education programs and how they are experienced by the students they are meant to serve.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Understanding how International Graduate Students in Canada Reconstruct their Writing Identities
    (2019-09-16) Wan, Ying; Lund, Darren E.; Mayr, Suzette; Guo, Shibao
    This study was designed to explore the reconstruction of writing identity of international students in Canada. This study was conducted based on the concepts of writing identity proposed by Ivanič, who classified writing identity as autobiographical self, discoursal self, self as author and possibilities for self-hood, to inform that writing identity is (re)constructed in the light of various influential factors. The data were collected from interviews and journals of four Chinese international graduate students from the University of Calgary regarding their intercultural perceptions and experiences of writing. Results indicated that the process of reconstruction of writing identity is fluid. Participants transformed their positionings as English academic writers in relation to the following impacts: (1) different disciplines and requirement of writing; (2) previous experiences; (3) ambient environment; and (4) discourse. In order to fit into the new academic discourse, some of the participants developed their L1 writing identity to a L2 writing identity, while some of them reconciled L1 and L2 writing identity to a hybrid identity or a shifted identity. The implications of this study revealed the importance of teaching international students with conventions of academic writing, and helping them change the Chinese way of writing and thinking since writing is likewise an interacting between their written texts and thoughts. Meanwhile, the discipline-specific workshops and courses were found useful in facilitating international students’ improvement on writing performance and (re)construction of their writing identity as English academic writers.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    The WiseGuyz program and gender transformative change: Playing the long game
    (2020-01-24) Claussen, Caroline; Nelson, Fiona; Langford, Tom; Lund, Darren E.; Estefan, Andrew; Flood, Michael
    This research addresses the gap in the literature on engaging boys in gender transformative programming by examining the long-term benefits of having participated in WiseGuyz, a male-only local sexual health and healthy relationship program using a mixed methods approach. The Male Role Norms Inventory-Adolescent Revised (MRNI-A-r), focus groups and semi-structured interviews were used to gather data from a sample of boys who were five months to three years out of the program, along with a comparison group of boys who did not participate in the program. Participant observation and focus groups with program facilitators were also used in order to understand the program mechanisms that contribute to young men’s experiences in the program. The study is grounded on several critical concepts from sociology of gender, particularly doing and undoing gender and the concept of masculine performance to make sense of, and ground my findings. The theory of gender relations, focused primarily on the social organization of masculinity, was also used to frame findings relative to structured power relations and dominant ideologies. These concepts provide a foundation for understanding the differences between the two groups of young men. My data show that there are significant and distinct differences between the two groups of young men in relation to their attitudes, beliefs, and behaviours about masculinity, gender, and relationships. Through participant observation and focus group/interview data, the program mechanisms that support change are highlighted and revealed. The thesis ends with an examination of the implications of using sociology of gender concepts and theories in gender transformative program design and closes with a call to action for funders and policy-makers to re-think the ways in which program research and evaluation of gender transformative change is conducted.