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2. Rethinking Social Policy for an Aging Workforce and Society: Insights from the Life Course Perspective. CPRN Discussion Paper.
- Author
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Canadian Policy Research Networks Inc., Ottawa (Ontario)., Marshall, Victor W., and Mueller, Margaret M.
- Abstract
Canadian population trends were examined from a life course perspective to identify needed social policy changes. First, the following principles underpinning the life course perspective were discussed: (1) aging involves biological, psychological, and social processes; (2) human development and aging are lifelong processes; (3) individuals' and cohorts' life courses are embedded in and shaped by historical time and place; (4) the antecedents and consequences of life transitions and events vary according to their timing in a person's life; (5) lives are lived interdependently; and (6) individuals construct their own life courses through the choices and actions they take within the opportunities and constraints of history and social circumstances. Next, the following policy domains were analyzed from the life course perspective: (1) education, the transition to employment, and lifelong learning; (2) family and the relationship between work and family; (3) work-to-retirement transitions; (4) income security in the later years; and (5) intergenerational relations and social cohesion. It was recommended that Canadian policymakers responsible for public, corporate, union, and educational policy focus on the increasing inequality that develops over the life course, avoid the error of assuming a model life course, and move toward consideration of need rather than age. (Contains 166 references.) (MN)
- Published
- 2002
3. Towards an Adult Literacy Policy for Ontario. A Discussion Paper.
- Author
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Ontario Dept. of Education, Toronto. and Thomas, Audrey
- Abstract
Although Ontario's Ministry of Education currently funds a variety of literacy programs, the province of Ontario (Canada) currently has no overall policy, evaluation process, or agreed-upon definition of adult literacy to guide further development in the field. When developing a comprehensive government policy regarding adult literacy in Ontario, policymakers must recognize that adult literacy exists in the broader context of adult basic education and adult education. Policymakers must address the following contextual issues: lifelong learning, equity of outcome, integrated services, and the financial implications of policy decisions. The policy developed must recognize that literacy is first and foremost a human service whose delivery must be tailored to give consideration to Ontario's multicultural character. Policy decisions regarding adult literacy must be developed with consideration for the following issues: access, language rights, diverse and flexible programs, support services, field development and support, and shared responsibility. (Appended are lists of the following: literacy and skills training programs funding by Canada's ministries of education and colleges and universities; Ministry of Education-funded adult literacy programs; people consulted during the project; and issues identified during the consultations.) (MN)
- Published
- 1991
4. Degrees of Alienation: This Paper Is Definitely Not a HEQCO Funded Policy Report
- Author
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Magnusson, Jamie
- Abstract
Walter Benn Michaels has argued that higher education policies have been fashioned through a diversity fetish, rather than grappling with class inequities produced through neoliberal restructuring. When the author was asked the question of whether Benn Michael's analysis pertained to Canadian higher education, she found herself writing the present article within which she argues that pitting class against race is a liberalizing strategy that obfuscates how each ruling relation is interlocking and mutually constitutive. She then goes on to show how such interlocking dynamics productive of racialized and gendered class relations currently function within the Ontario postsecondary system through the production of "tieredness", otherwise termed "system differentiation" in policy papers published by the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario (HEQCO). Because the paper grew out of her response to Benn Michael's analysis, the author will summarize her take on his book, "How to Love Identity and Ignore Inequality," in order to illustrate certain dynamics affecting equity politics within the Canadian, and in particular, the Ontario higher education landscape. These dynamics do not concern the college sector unto itself, nor the university sector unto itself, but rather spans the entirety of the system. (Contains 3 endnotes.)
- Published
- 2011
5. Instruction, Assessment, and Learning: From Standardization to a Focus on Students. A Position Paper from the British Columbia Teachers' Federation
- Author
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British Columbia Teachers' Federation (BCTF) (Canada)
- Abstract
A fundamental goal of teachers in public schools in British Columbia (BC) is to ensure all students of every age, through the principle of continuous learning, have an equal opportunity to develop their full capacity for artistic, cultural, emotional, intellectual, and physical growth. BC public school teachers believe that the primary purpose of assessment is to support and promote students' learning. They know it is important to use a variety of methods to assess students' progress and meet students' needs. Classroom instruction and assessment practices must be congruent with a belief that learning happens when the individual child is central to, engaged in, and excited by learning. With this focus, and through a series of finely tuned and complex decisions, the teacher's responsibility is to make curricular, instructional, and assessment choices to foster the growth of the whole child. Ongoing classroom assessment allows students to demonstrate, in a variety of ways, what they are learning and thereby informs teaching and learning. Teachers know that learning is a complex process, and that students learn in different ways and at different rates. The proliferation of mandated, district-wide, and provincial testing has taken time away from teaching and learning and has had an effect on the "taught" curriculum, by both narrowing it and making it shallower. The workload on teachers has increased dramatically, adding stress to the job, and forcing some to choose to teach part-time in order to be able to comply with the requirements imposed on the system. The misguided use of school district data has not improved the learning conditions of children nor increased the resources necessary for effective instruction to ensure success for students. The so-called accountability or achievement agenda has not produced any tangible improvements for the education system as a whole nor for the children who attend schools. Teachers are committed to ensuring the best possible education for every child. It is because of this commitment that they are so concerned about the current practices in, and direction of, the public education system. If teachers are being pressured to act in ways that are harmful to children, causing children undue stress, short-changing them on exciting educational opportunities, labeling them as failures because of their language, class, or gender then there is a need to change what is being done. This paper contends that educational policy and practice must shift away from standardization and return to focusing on student's individual learning needs.
- Published
- 2009
6. Recognizing the Role of Community in Civic Education: Lessons from Hull House, Highlander Folk School, and the Neighborhood Learning Community. Circle Working Paper 30
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Longo, Nicholas V.
- Abstract
This study unearths and examines rich models of learning in which multiple institutions collaboratively play a role in promoting civic education. Using historical and ethnographic case study analysis, this paper addresses the research question: What is the role of community in civic education? Specifically, the author examines Hull House and the pioneering social settlement work of Jane Addams at the turn of the 20th century; democratic education for social change put into practice during the civil rights movement by Myles Horton, Septima Clark, Bernice Robinson, and others at the Highlander Folk School; and the Neighborhood Learning Community in St. Paul, Minnesota, a network of community institutions, schools, and higher education institutions which applies the lessons from Hull House and Highlander in its efforts to create a neighborhood culture of learning. Short overviews of these cases are given, as well as detailed lessons for the role of community in civic education. The cases in this study present important historical and contemporary models where educators commit to making change over longer periods of time; place a deliberate emphasis on comprehensive, relational, and public education; make learning relevant to people's everyday lives; recognize the creative powers of diversity through public work; utilize the talents and instincts of non-professionals; foster reciprocal relationships; and embrace flexibility and trust in the messiness of democracy. [This paper was produced by the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE), University of Maryland.]
- Published
- 2005
7. Building Citizenship: Governance and Service Provision in Canada. CPRN Discussion Paper.
- Author
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Canadian Policy Research Networks Inc., Ottawa (Ontario)., Jenson, Jane, Harvey, Jean, Kymlicka, Will, Maioni, Antonia, Shragge, Eric, Graefe, Peter, Fontan, Jean-Marc, Jenson, Jane, Harvey, Jean, Kymlicka, Will, Maioni, Antonia, Shragge, Eric, Graefe, Peter, Fontan, Jean-Marc, and Canadian Policy Research Networks Inc., Ottawa (Ontario).
- Abstract
Citizenship is about more than the passport an individual holds; it goes far beyond nationality. The terms of citizenship determine in part who has access to goods, services, and resources and how they are distributed within a community. Rules of citizenship determine who can participate, who can decide about matters of diversity, distribution, inclusion, and exclusion. While citizenship is a useful concept, sometimes it is also a confusing one. The paper provides a brief overview of the concept of governance. It turns to a consideration of the appropriateness of this social initiative by the International Development and Research Centre (IDRC). It examines some of the reasons why Canada's historic and current experience of citizenship might advance IDRC's thinking about a citizenship entry point for its research agenda, and its attempt to answer the key question: "To what extent does the Canadian experience past and present have anything to say about options for Africans?" It provides a brief overview of the four commissioned papers and what they have revealed the links among citizenship, governance, and service delivery in Canada. The paper concludes with an overview of lessons drawn from the Canadian experience. (BT)
- Published
- 2001
8. Child Care and Canadian Federalism in the 1990s: Canary in a Coal Mine. Occasional Paper No. 11.
- Author
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Toronto Univ. (Ontario). Centre for Urban and Community Studies. and Friendly, Martha
- Abstract
There is broad recognition in Canada that offering both early childhood education to strengthen healthy development for all children and child care to support mothers' workforce participation is in the public interest. Noting that Canada does not currently provide adequate early childhood care and education, this paper examines federal/provincial jurisdictional obstacles to a national child care strategy, especially those that arose in the 1990s. The paper first examines how a national child care program has been envisioned over the years, and clarifies the proposed roles and responsibilities of the various levels of government. This part examines three failed attempts to secure a national child care strategy in the context of the shifting federalism between 1984 and 1995. The paper also analyzes child care within the concept of the social union that began to be debated as the federal role in social programs waned in the 1990s. Finally, the Social Union Framework Agreement of February 1999 and its possibilities for a national child care program are appraised. The paper maintains that the Agreement's principles and state objectives not only create a new imperative for a national child care strategy but also provide new opportunities for implementation. The paper also argues that federal leadership is necessary for any national child care strategy's success, and proposes that an effective national strategy be used as a benchmark from which to evaluate nation-shaping political arrangements such as the Social Union Framework Agreement. Appended is a list of the presentations from the conference at which this paper was originally presented. (Contains 63 references.) (KB)
- Published
- 2000
9. A Vision for the Future: Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Training--A Discussion Paper [and] Current Context and Selected Trends: A Profile of Apprenticeship and Industry Training in Alberta [and] A Vision for the Future: Responses to a Discussion Paper from the Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Training Board and the Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Training Division. Keeping You Informed....
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Alberta Learning, Edmonton. Apprenticeship and Industry Training.
- Abstract
These three publications examine the current state and future of apprenticeship and industry training in Alberta, Canada. The "Current Context" publication, released in October 1996, examines the following topics: the structure of apprenticeship and industry training in Alberta; enrollment and industry participation; Alberta's contribution to apprenticeship training and the interprovincial standards (Red Seal) program; funding apprenticeship and industry training; the emerging economic environment and skill requirements; and recent government initiatives. A "Vision for the Future," also published in October 1996, is a discussion paper and outlines the vision and principles of apprenticeship and industry training in Alberta. The "Keeping you Informed" publication, released in March 1997, presents the responses from stakeholders to the discussion paper. Both the "Vision for the Future" and the "Keeping You Informed" responses are structured around 14 specific goals and strategies related to responsiveness, accessibility, affordability, and accountability. The following are among the recommendations discussed in both papers: (1) redesign the advisory committee network; (2) consider opportunities for flexible certification; (3) increase flexibility in methods of formal instruction; (4) review the regulatory framework; (5) communicate alternative ways of accessing apprenticeship training; and (6) provide apprentices with appropriate financial supports. The three documents include a total of 21 tables/charts and a questionnaire examining the vision and principles of apprenticeship and industry training in Alberta and strategies for achieving them. (MN)
- Published
- 1997
10. Adults' Informal Learning: Definitions, Findings, Gaps, and Future Research. NALL Working Paper #21.
- Author
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Ontario Inst. for Studies in Education, Toronto. and Livingstone, D. W.
- Abstract
This paper on adult informal learning is divided into four sections. Section 1 examines different conceptions of informal learning and the issues and limitations associated with alternative definitions of informal learning. Section 2 is a review of empirical research on the estimated extent, role, and outcomes of informal learning and posited linkages between informal and formal methods of learning. It reports that, according to the New Approaches to Lifelong Learning (NALL) 2000 national survey, over 95 percent of Canadian adults are involved in some form of informal learning activities that they identify as significant. Section 3 critically assesses current research approaches to studying informal learning and identifies policy-relevant knowledge gaps concerning the general level and nature of informal learning, distribution of informal learning across the adult population, impact of informal learning on individual and firm performance, and relationship of informal learning to formal skills development. Section 4 recommends optimal approaches to future research on informal learning practices with a particular focus on survey research in Canada and finds it imperative to establish benchmarks of the general incidence, basic contents and modes, and any differential patterns of intentional informal learning and training, and to continue to track trends in relation to other dimensions of adult learning. (Appendixes include NALL questions and 69 references.) (YLB)
- Published
- 2001
11. The Storage and Transmission of Men's Non-Formal Skills in Working Class Communities: A Working Paper. NALL Working Paper.
- Author
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Ontario Inst. for Studies in Education, Toronto. New Approaches to Lifelong Learning. and Smith, Dorothy E.
- Abstract
A descriptive study observed the transmission of manual job skills from older to younger men in working class communities in Ontario and the effects of massive downsizing in industrial plants on this process. Current as well as previous ethnographic research was used. Some of the outcomes of the continual downsizing included the following: (1) the restructuring that destroyed many working-class communities also destroyed the social organization that stored and transmitted manual skills among men in working class communities; (2) within the workplace, the development of managerial technologies expropriated workers' skills and supported greater control of management over the work process and training; (3) the informal relationships among working-class men that were part of the community as well as the workplace were weakened by increasing technology, decreasing workforce, and managerial control; and (4) this process was gender-specific to men and included the transmission of values, such as anti-intellectualism and disdain for academic occupations. (Contains 13 references.) (KC)
- Published
- 2001
12. Performance Indicators in Postsecondary Education in Alberta: An Analysis. AIR 1996 Annual Forum Paper.
- Author
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Elford, I. Chris
- Abstract
This paper analyzes the current proposals by the government of Alberta, Canada, to implement an accountability framework for the province's postsecondary institutions using performance indicators. The paper develops a conceptual framework for performance indicators based on a discrepancy model of evaluation using three metaphors: mechanical, medical, and economic. This is followed by a critical examination of performance indicators with delineation of potential weaknesses and strengths as well as recommendations for practice. Finally, the Alberta plan is used as a case study to illustrate the concepts developed in the paper. The Alberta plan for performance indicators in the public postsecondary sector is seen as reflecting an economic metaphor of performance indicators which will result in measuring fiscal effectiveness as opposed to educational effectiveness. Further, while the Alberta government has indicated that the performance indicators will allow for inter- and intra-sectoral variations, no allowances seem to have been made for a value-added assessment of student outcomes, which is at the heart of the purpose for postsecondary educational institutions. (Contains 19 references.) (Author)
- Published
- 1996
13. An Integrated Framework To Enhance the Quality of Teaching in Alberta. A Policy Position Paper.
- Author
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Alberta Dept. of Education, Edmonton.
- Abstract
Following a review of Alberta (Canada) provincial policies related to teacher preparation, certification, evaluation, and professional development, the Council on Alberta Teaching Standards advised the Minister of Education on ideas that should be included in a framework to improve educational quality. The policy positions outlined in this paper reflect the Minister of Education's commitment to a provincial policy framework that guides individual, cooperative, and collaborative actions to enhance the quality of education provided to all Alberta students. This paper specifies the steps for enhancing the quality of teaching in Alberta, including: (1) The Quality Teaching Standard and descriptors of quality teaching to be used as guides in teacher preparation programs, teaching, teachers' initial and ongoing professional growth, and teacher evaluation; (2) improved teacher preparation with support for ongoing collaboration to improve teaching and establish procedures to assure the effectiveness of teacher preparation and competencies; (3) teacher certification and amending the Certification of Teachers Regulation to specify both academic and competency requirements for interim and permanent certification; and (4) teacher evaluation and professional development. Appendix A includes descriptions of elements in quality teaching; required knowledge, skills, and aptitudes; and certification implementation. (JLS)
- Published
- 1996
14. Rural Reflections. Occasional Paper No. 2. Fall 1995.
- Author
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Literacy Field Research Group, Dundas (Ontario). and Literacy Field Research Group, Dundas (Ontario).
- Abstract
This document contains six papers describing program-based research from rural literacy program in Ontario, Canada. Some of the reports describe action research from pilot projects. The papers raise questions about responding to the special challenges of rural needs, such as whether there is an additional expense to providing service of equal quality in rural areas. "The Lambton Learning Lab Project" (Carol Miller, Kevin Churchill) investigates how well a mobile learning lab work can in a rural program. "On Track: Using Tables to Organize and Schedule Data" (Val Hudson) shows how to use tables to improve the planning process. "Rural Literacy and Health Concerns" (Wendy Woodhouse) explains how to identify ways in which literacy needs relate to health concerns. How a literacy program can support job searches for the unemployed is explained in "A Living Library" (Margaret Maynard). "Flying by the Seat of My Pants: A Novice Researcher's Reflections" (Dan Woods) describes what the process of field research feels like the first time. "Recognition for Learning---Life Cycle of a Project" (Andrea Leis) discusses how to develop a system to recognize adult basic learners. The document also contains reviews of two papers: "Initial Assessment Survey Results" (by Bruce Henbest, reviewed by Donna Miniely); and "Learning to Learn: Impacts of the Adult Basic Education Experience on the Lives of Participants" (by Patty Bossort, Bruce Cottingham, and Leslie Gardner, reviewed by Linda Shohet). (KC)
- Published
- 1995
15. Pathways to Equality: Hearings on Access to Public Education for Aboriginal People. Discussion Paper.
- Author
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British Columbia Human Rights Commission, Vancouver.
- Abstract
Aboriginal people are not benefiting from the British Columbia school system, as evidenced by their poor performance on basic skills tests, overrepresentation in special education, and low high school completion rates. The British Columbia Human Rights Commission feels that Aboriginal students do not receive an equal education. Through research, public hearings, and follow-up actions, the Commission will identify ways to use its human rights mandate and legislative authority to remove barriers for Aboriginal students in the school system. The intention of the public hearings is to work cooperatively with all education stakeholders to identify and implement solutions to ensure educational equality for Aboriginal students. Educational equity will be achieved when Aboriginal children see themselves and their people reflected in the curriculum, feel a sense of belonging in the school system, and no longer face discrimination; Aboriginal parents are a part of their children's education; Aboriginal communities share control over their children's education; a holistic approach to education is adopted; and non-Aboriginal Canadians understand their country's history regarding Aboriginal people and respect the unique status of Aboriginal people. Key questions for public hearings include: How can the Commission work with education and Aboriginal communities to create an equal education system for Aboriginal students? How can identified barriers be eliminated? What educational barriers have yet to be identified? and Which programs and activities are successful? (Contains 28 endnotes.) (TD)
- Published
- 2001
16. Some Thoughts on Protocol in University/Community Partnerships. NALL Working Paper.
- Author
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Ontario Inst. for Studies in Education, Toronto. New Approaches to Lifelong Learning. and Haig-Brown, Celia
- Abstract
The pilot project, "A Pedagogy of the Land" (POL), provides an opportunity to ponder the relations between aboriginal community/university knowledges in this case, the relations between an Anishinaape land-based pedagogy and the developing theorizing around formal and informal learning. Traditional aboriginal education is not limited to elders teaching children. While elders are responsible for passing knowledge to the appropriate people when they are ready, any person older or more experienced in a particular knowledge than another has the potential to be that person's teacher. Education is a community responsibility taken seriously by each and every community member who at any moment can be in the position of teaching. The learning in POL does not fit any category of the "Basic Types of Intentional Learning." It involves traditional indigenous knowledge keepers with some fluency in their language whose knowledge arises from traditional Anishinaape world view in a program that allows them to build on one another's knowledge and prepare to pass it on to others who know less. Located on an isolated island in a large northern lake, POL has the goal to recreate indigenous knowledge in a contemporary context. Over a year, students attend two summer courses with an intervening research component. As participants work through their days in traditional activities, they incorporate sacred knowledge into their every action. Comments from Anishinaape teacher, Kaaren Dannenmann follow. (YLB)
- Published
- 2000
17. Taking Down the Walls: Communities and Educational Research in Canada's 21st Century. NALL Working Paper.
- Author
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Ontario Inst. for Studies in Education, Toronto. New Approaches to Lifelong Learning. and Haig-Brown, Celia
- Abstract
To take community seriously in the conduct of educational research, the researcher should consider taking down epistemological walls and the "real" ones that confine the processes and products of academic labor to artificially isolated settings. Epistemologically, the question of walls relates to the kinds of knowledge competed over, most often disciplinary knowledge. Within and around disciplinary walls are the walls of theory. Community in the context of the discussion means the creation of spaces that allow difference to be a constant, unpredictable part of who we are together. A pilot project, A Pedagogy of the Land (POL), is an example of current research in an attempt to take down the walls. POL involves traditional indigenous knowledge keepers with some fluency in their language whose knowledge arises from traditional Anishinaape world view in a program that allows them to build on one another's knowledge and prepare to pass it on to others who know less. POL addresses walls by taking the university a faculty member out of the walls of the campus. It begins from the premise that traditional knowledge has most often been pushed outside the epistemological walls of academe by being given inequitable status and prestige. What happens on the island in the north where POL is located is discourse that has been inaccessible to the English language, arises from the land, and is constructed by the people who have lived there since time immemorial. (Contains 13 references.) (YLB)
- Published
- 2000
18. Preparing Globally Minded Students and Employees. NATCON Papers, 2000.
- Author
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Arthur, Nancy
- Abstract
The changing world of work requires an evaluation of the ways of thinking about career development and the ways of preparing people for future roles. Canada's participation in a global economy is a reality that must be recognized and translated into career-planning strategies. There are three major global trends that career practitioners must be aware of: the increasingly technological world, the increasingly borderless world, and the increasingly polarized world. Competencies that workers need in order to be successful in the global marketplace are discussed as well as the barriers to their success. In order for career practitioners and workers to be globally minded, they need the following: access to information about the impact of global trends; assistance in seeing themselves as global workers; opportunities for international travel and study; knowledge about cross-cultural competencies; and role models. Both individual and organizational efforts are needed to prepare students and employees for future work roles. (Author/JDM)
- Published
- 2000
19. Using Surveys To Measure 'Value Added' in Skills in Four Faculties. Working Paper.
- Author
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York Univ., Toronto (Ontario). Inst. for Social Research. and Grayson, J. Paul
- Abstract
This study tested the amount of value added to critical and communication skills by the university experience using a strategy that compared the skills of entering and graduating students at York University (Ontario). The study involved, first, identifying skills that might be improved over the course of a university education; second, developing survey questions that measured skills for entering and graduating students at four faculties; and third, performing covariance analysis of survey results for entering and graduating students. Data were generated by three questionnaires, with response rates ranging from 55 to 58 percent for two surveys in the fall of 1995 to 58 percent one conducted in the summer of 1996. Eight tables detail skill categories and topics; list characteristics of survey respondents; correlate skills and grades for entering students, for graduating students, by gender, by ethnic origin, and by home language; and provide Z-scores to assess value added for entering and graduating students. Overall, graduating students were found to have better-developed skills than entering students. The paper also focuses on the rationale for the relatively cost-effective research design. (Contains 30 references.) (CH)
- Published
- 1997
20. The Changing Culture of Rural Ontario. Occasional Papers in Rural Extension, No. 9.
- Author
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Guelph Univ. (Ontario). and Sim, R. Alex
- Abstract
This paper overviews the evolution of rural society in Ontario (Canada) from the author's personal experience and research. The paper defines "rural" and "culture" and discusses how these concepts are relevant to social change and the resulting effects on technology, demographics, social organization, and community beliefs and meanings. Modern technology has resulted in the closure of rural schools, churches, businesses, and post offices. Additionally, daily travel between large and small communities has closed the gap between rural and urban life and changed rural demography. For example, rural teachers are now less likely to live in the community; to know much of the child's home life; or to meet socially with the children, their parents, or other individuals active in the community. Another impact of rural change is the centralization of local institutions and loss of local control. In rural Ontario, schools are managed by a cluster of highly trained and highly paid officials with whom parents, teachers, and principals have limited influence. In essence, urbanization has resulted in the adoption of urban values and beliefs at the expense of traditional rural values that emphasize the importance of community life. A form of social action is proposed that uses "community sounding" as a way to stimulate rural community rejuvenation. This effort solicits community participation and stresses local history to reestablish an awareness of rural values. Rural people must strive to develop a new definition of rural by freeing themselves from labels and stereotypes that are impressed on them by urban opinion makers. (LP)
- Published
- 1993
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