Leadership Research: Vol 02, No 1. (2011)
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Item The impacts of dual-credit programming for at-risk and non-at-risk students(Electronic version published by Vancouver Island University, 2011-05) Perrault, Rodney E.Dual credit programming provides the opportunity for students in British Columbia to take courses at a post-secondary level in their grade 12 year. In School District #47, Powell River, these programs have been in existence for several years. These programs serve to develop a skilled work force for the immediate community and beyond. These programs are highly valued by the school district as, in addition to providing the foundations for a skilled work force, they are also seen as an opportunity for students who struggle with traditional, academic programming to complete high school. This is especially true for students who have been traditionally perceived to be at-risk. Previously, however, no study had been undertaken to determine if these programs have actually had an impact on students' engagement in school and on their capacity for both academic and career success. To assess this, two surveys were conducted with students in the 2010-11 dual credit programs that were offered in trade and career related areas (welding, automotive mechanics, carpentry, culinary arts and cosmetology). The surveys were designed to determine if participation in dual-credit programs increased students' perception of their school engagement and their capacities for career and academic success and if the impact of participation in dual-credit programming in these areas was different for at-risk and non-at-risk students. The study concluded that, overall, students did report improvements in each of these categories and that at-risk students experienced greater increases in these areas than did their non-at-risk peers. This leads to further questions that relate to identifying which factors in the dual credit programs contribute to this growth and the impact this growth has on students? future academic and career choices and opportunities.Item Examining the relationship between participation in extracurricular activities and school connectedness(Electronic version published by Vancouver Island University, 2011-05) Waldriff, ErikA disconcerting number of alternative education students appear to be disconnected with school. The author of the present study hypothesized that students who spend more time in extracurricular activities have an increased sense of school connectedness. The sample consisted of 72 alternative education students in Grades 9 through 12 attending the Vast Education Centre in Port Alberni, British Columbia. Participants completed a questionnaire that produced two scores: reported degree of school connectedness and time spent in extracurricular activities per month. A correlational study was conducted to determine the strength of the relationship between the amount of time spent in extracurricular activities and the reported degree of school connectedness. The results of the study indicated a moderate positive relationship, indicating that as extracurricular participation increased so did school connectedness. The results bring to light a critical need for the inclusion of extracurricular activities in alternative education programming to promote school connectedness.Item Students’ attitudes about math at the high school level(Electronic version published by Vancouver Island University, 2011-04) Petersen, SeanThe purpose of this study was to observe whether or not senior (grade 11 and 12) math students’ motivational levels and the value that they placed on math would increase if a weekly communication occurred between parents and their math teacher. The communication would give the parents information about their child’s present mark in math class and marks on any recent assessments (quiz and test), upcoming assessment dates, possible solutions to increase their child’s present math mark (rewrites, etc.) and recent attendance. This study was done in two different math classes: Math 12 Applications (middle stream in grade 12) and Math 11 Principles (highest stream in grade 11) and included 35 student participants. The study occurred from September 28th until November 9th, 2010 at Alberni District Secondary School. A questionnaire (Appendix C) was completed by the participants three times during the time-series study and the means from the study were analysed to see if change occurred. Positive change occurred in students’ motivation to study for quizzes and tests, and the value that they placed on math in and outside of school.Item Developing social responsibility in middle school students(Electronic version published by Vancouver Island University, 2011-04) Pawliuk, RobinAn exploratory methods design was used to investigate the strategies used and barriers encountered as reported by middle school teachers when developing social responsibility with their students. Participating teachers (N=11) at three middle schools in one school district provided this information by filling out an open-ended questionnaire. Results were analyzed for common themes. As reported by the teachers, the top three strategies being used were classroom discussions, helping charitable or community groups and modelling of socially responsible behaviour by the teacher. The top three barriers reported by these teachers were student attitudes, parent attitudes, and time and resources. The findings of this study act as a resource for teachers who are motivated to develop socially responsible young adults and as a springboard for more indepth research into the use of social responsibility strategies in the classroom.Item Improving students' mathematical enjoyment through math-related literature(Electronic version published by Vancouver Island University, 2011) Haack, Cindy L.Students often cite mathematics as their least liked school subject. It is difficult to engage students when they do not enjoy their mathematics class. The purpose of this study was to investigate to what degree the use of math-related literature in a Grade 5 mathematics class affected students? enjoyment in the mathematics classroom. Starting in September 2010, students took part in a 'regular' mathematics class, consisting of a starting activity, direct teaching, and individual assignments for six weeks. After this six week period, students participated in a literature enriched mathematics program for another six weeks. These mathematics lessons involved the teacher reading a math-related story to the students at the beginning of the lesson and using the theme from the book as a focus for the direct teaching and assignments. This quantitative study using a survey administered three times to 16 Grade 5 student participants was conducted to determine students? mathematical enjoyment at the beginning, the mid-point, and end of the 12 week study. The data showed that the use of literature in the Grade 5 mathematics class increased students? mathematical enjoyment levels. The survey data indicated that throughout the study students began to enjoy mathematics more than any other class and students increased their confidence in mathematics. The results from this study may encourage teachers to explore ways to include math-related literature into daily mathematics lessons to build students' enjoyment levels and engage them in their mathematical learning.