Submitted in Partialfulfillment Ofthe Requirements for the Degree of Master Ofeducation
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EXPERIENCE and INFLUENCE: STUDENT and PARENT PERSPECTIVES of an ALTERNATIVE SCHOOL by CAROL WILLIAMS A Thesis submitted in partialfulfillment ofthe requirements for the degree of Master ofEducation FACULTY OF EDUCATION LAKEHEAD UNIVERSITY THUNDER BAY, ONTARIO May 2010 © Alice Carol Williams Library and Archives Bibliothèque et 1*1 Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du Branch Patrimoine de l'édition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington OttawaONK1A0N4 OttawaONK1A0N4 Canada Canada Your file Votre référence ISBN: 978-0-494-71745-5 Ourfìle Notre référence ISBN: 978-0-494-71745-5 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accordé une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library and permettant à la Bibliothèque et Archives Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduire, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par télécommunication ou par l'Internet, prêter, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des thèses partout dans le loan, distribute and sell theses monde, à des fins commerciales ou autres, sur worldwide, for commercial or non- support microforme, papier, électronique et/ou commercial purposes, in microform, autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. The author retains copyright L'auteur conserve la propriété du droit d'auteur ownership and moral rights in this et des droits moraux qui protège cette thèse. Ni thesis. Neither the thesis nor la thèse ni des extraits substantiels de celle-ci substantial extracts from it may be ne doivent être imprimés ou autrement printed or otherwise reproduced reproduits sans son autorisation. without the author's permission. In compliance with the Canadian Conformément à la loi canadienne sur la Privacy Act some supporting forms protection de la vie privée, quelques may have been removed from this formulaires secondaires ont été enlevés de thesis. cette thèse. While these forms may be included Bien que ces formulaires aient inclus dans in the document page count, their la pagination, il n'y aura aucun contenu removal does not represent any loss manquant. of content from the thesis. 1*1 Canada Lakehead UNIVERSITY OFFICE OF GRADUATE STUDIES NAME OF STUDENT: A. Carol Williams DEGREEAWARDED: MEd ACADEMIC UNIT: Education TITLE OF THESIS: Experience and influence: Student and parent perspectives of an alternative school. This thesis has been prepared under my supervision and the candidate has complied with the Master's regulations. ' Signature of Supervisor Date LAKEHEAD UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF EDUCATION MEd THESIS REPORT FORM Candidate's Name: A. Carol Williams Field of Study: Educational Studies The undersigned members of the Supervising Committee certify that they have read, and recommend to the Department Graduate Studies in Education Committee for acceptance, the report of a Thesis entitled EXPERIENCE and INFLUENCE: STUDENT AND PARENT PERSPECTIVES OF AN ALTERNATIVE SCHOOL in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Education. ¦ J*c\/Y*My Supervisor: Donald Kerr Committee Meprrtfer: R. P^uT Berger Date: January 4, 2010 ABSTRACT Traditionally, education and schooling have been developed by and implemented through the adult perspective. An increasing number of educators and researchers focus on alternatives to mainstream education and this study adds to the growing body of research in this area. Specifically, it gives voice to children and parents at an alternative school. What are the experiences of children? What influences these? How do parents play a role? Semi-structured interviews with three students and four parents at a publicly funded alternative elementary school in Ontario provide a window into understanding student experiences and influences thereupon. Three main themes emerge: trust, environment and community. Together, these components provide students with some freedom to direct their own learning. Adults, who have been willing to step outside of the traditional perspective of education, are key. The community influences the directions taken at the school according to the needs of students and an increasingly diverse population; however, influences over which they have little or no control can be cause for concern. Many questions arise from this phenomenological study. Can this type of school support the growth and development of all children? Does it promote elitism? What factors contribute to coercion? These questions invite dialogue not only within this school community, but the larger educational system as well. Mainstream education can learn from this investigation and the questions posed. It requires acknowledging this alternative perspective, examining preconceived notions of schooling and learning, and letting go of control, both as a system and as individuals. p ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I would like to recognize the study participants: without their interest and commitment, this research would not be what it is. Truly, I have appreciated their openness, honesty, and willingness to entrust their stories to me. In addition, I am grateful to the school community for opening their doors to my request, and in particular, to R. S. who was a most supportive contact throughout. For embarking on this learning journey with me, I extend my sincere appreciation and gratitude to my advisor, Dr. Donald Kerr, and committee member, Dr. Paul Berger: from classroom discourse to probing questions, thought provoking comments and editing suggestions, they have encouraged and challenged my thinking. Too, the perspective of Dr. Alex Lawson has strengthened the focus and arguments throughout. As well, I recognize the time and expertise of the external examiner, Dr. Terry Wotherspoon: his comments and deep knowledge of this topic have enriched my own understandings. I am indebted to you all, and take full responsibility for areas in this work that may be lacking or in need of more consistent formatting. Many others have played a part in this adventure, particularly Dr. Gerald Walton, Dr. Anthony Bartley and Dr. Philip Allingham who offered opportunities to question and examine educational issues from different perspectives, and Florence Luke, who, many years ago, opened my eyes to the joy of real learning. Such a radical subject area, I have also greatly enjoyed discourse with open-minded colleagues, fellow graduate students, and others; these discussions have been invaluable to me. Kudos also to Diana Mason and of course the Education Library staff for the up front and behind the scenes support. Finally, I embrace and thank those close to me: for their ongoing support and words of encouragement, my friends and extended family, both near and far; for their unending love and faith in me, my parents, Jim and Joyce; for providing scholarly and brotherly advice, my oldest sibling, Dr. Joe Bishop; for summers spent watching over my son and being drawn into my research world, my sister Mari and her partner Krista, my brother Martin, my sister-in-law Nola and my nieces and nephew, Kaia, Courtney, Katie and Jimmy. I could not have done this without them all. Lastly, to my partner in love and life, Doug, and our son, Sebastien: for their love, patience, strength, confidence, comic relief and gift of time, without which these pages would have remained blank. m TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Abstract ü Acknowledgements iii Table of Contents iv I: Introduction 1 Context 1 Research Questions 3 Literature Review 5 Historical Educational Influences 7 Ontario's Historical Educational Debate 9 Education Practices in Ontario 12 Conflicting pressures: Neo-liberalism and Neo-conservatism 13 Accountability 15 Academic and hidden curricula 1 8 Deficit thinking 21 The youth perspective 23 What Alternatives Offer 28 Freedom, choice and democratic participation 30 Emotions and learning 32 Trust and learning 33 Diversity and learning 37 Individual measures of success: The student voice 40 Teaching and Learning 44 Self-directed learning 44 Children as valued citizens 47 Community involvement 49 Summary 5 1 Significance 52 iv II: Research Design 56 Method 56 Participants 58 Limitations 59 The Interview Process 60 Data Analysis 63 III: Findings and Discussion 66 Trust 67 Educational Experiences and Beliefs of Parents 67 Emotions 70 Environment 71 Freedom 72 Self-Directed Learning 74 The little kids 76 The big kids 79 Choice 82 Teachers 85 Success 87 Community 90 Whole-School Meetings for Children 91 Committee 92 Parents and Other Volunteers 94 Diversity and Equity 97 External Influences 99 Summary 102 IV: Conclusions 103 Summary 103 Implications 1 04 Final Words and Reflections References 109 Appendix 1 : Student Interview Protocol 119 Appendix 2: Parent Interview Protocol 120 Appendix 3 : Data Analysis Coding 121 Appendix 4: Interview Questions - Revised 122 Vl CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Context Though the idea for this research project did not enter my consciousness until several years ago, it has been in the making for some forty years. To set the context, I look to my memories, as Eber Hampton (1996) suggests, expanding my knowledge and understanding of the reasons and purposes behind this study. When I began my teaching career in 1990, a graduate of a prestigious Ontario Faculty of Education, I felt ill-prepared to teach my first class of Grade 6 students. Though I had learned educational theory and some instructional and classroom management strategies, I did not know what to teach the students in my care. When the