Today, young children are exposed to death through various forms of media in their communities, schools, and home environments. With this inevitability of exposure, there is a need for death education in order to inform and support today's youth when facing the subject of death. Death is said to be one of the most emotional and complex…

This study was about a single case of educational innovation and excellence in educational technology in a secondary school in Ontario. The researcher explored the question of how the innovation resulted from an individual effort and attainment remained a "contained entity" after its decade-long existence. From the lenses of multiple realities,…

Motivational influences on the decision to pursue graduate studies in secondary music education were investigated. The population of secondary music education graduate students in one large Canadian university (N=13) completed a survey that included both open-ended and closed-ended response items. The greatest motivational influences to pursue…

A study examined socioeconomic and gender influences on student computer use. Surveys of 2,681 seniors from 60 Alberta high schools indicated higher computer use among males. Male and female students of higher socioeconomic status were more likely to use computers at home, but less likely to use them at school. Findings challenge claims that…

Interviews with seven recent-immigrant Chinese families in Canada examined parental expectations of their children's school performance. Parents' expectations motivated their children to pursue goals with hard work, which enhanced self-efficacy and nurtured good study habits. However, high parental expectations and unwillingness to accommodate…

A media unit for inner city high school students examined the relationship between youth and advertising by using drama as the medium through which learning and research occurred. Data were presented through scripted dramatic scenes. How the interpretation and generation of data were embedded in the process of writing these scripts is explained.…

Analysis of all January and June 2000 test scores for Alberta high school seniors found weak relationships between gender and both diploma examination and school-awarded scores. The largest statistical effect for gender was that the difference between the two sets of scores was greater for girls than boys, with school-awarded scores being higher.…

Analysis of three Canadian grade 10 social studies textbooks illustrates how the discrimination and persecution endured by Japanese Canadians have been marginalized. As long as textbooks present perspectives of the dominant social group, inequalities embedded in society will remain hidden. Using textbooks critically to interrogate biases inherent…

Instrumental aims in vocational education pose a genuine threat to democratic citizenship by undermining student critique of prevailing social circumstances. By employing a broadened Aristotelian framework, career education can combine work-related subject matter with critical learning objectives, but that would require significant reform in…

A study examined how culture influences Canadian Native student learning. Classroom observations, conversations, and student journals from 10 Aboriginal students in a Winnipeg high school social studies class identified five related themes: traditional Aboriginal approaches to learning, patterns of oral interaction, self-concept, curriculum…

Examination of old and new vocational initiatives in Alberta suggests that educators and employers support new school-to-work programs (Tech Prep; Registered Apprenticeships; Careers, the Next Generation). However, these programs are hampered by mixed policy messages; the resilience of existing practices; and lack of provincial resources,…

A study examining the relationship between gender and majoring in science surveyed 281 science and social science majors, 66 percent of whom were women, at a Canadian university. Women were less likely to major in science. High school preparation in mathematics and science accounted for over 40 percent of the effect of gender on majoring in…

A 4-year study of 9 Ontario secondary schools examined their capacity for change. Change capacity consisted of liberation from structures that inhibit innovation, honoring cognitive dissonance, and forging new relationships. Imposing new organizational structures was less likely to perpetuate change capacity than was a commitment improvement…

Surveys of 510 Chinese-Canadian adolescents attending 3 Chinese language schools in Calgary (Alberta) found that older immigrant children maintained or developed the native language better than younger ones, and limited teaching hours and insufficient reinforcement for using Chinese outside school hindered development of literacy in Chinese.…

A drug prevention program involving 167 at-risk students in grades 8-10 at 9 Ontario schools resulted in reduced use of and less supportive attitudes toward alcohol, cannabis, tobacco, and tranquilizers. Program success is attributed to high attendance and retention, community health professionals' participation, comprehensive approach, strong…