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Paul Kei Matsuda has written about the divide between US composition and applied linguistics, which he attributes to an institutionalization of the division of labour between applied linguistics and composition in the early 1960s. Therefore, when language concerns resurfaced in composition in the early 2000s, this division of labour led to a "lack of a community of knowledgeable peers who [could] ensure intellectual accountability" among compositionists. Did this same divide occur in a Canadian context, or has the field of second language writing developed differently in Canada? The goal of this article is to construct a history of L2 writing scholarship in a Canadian context to better understand the current situatedness of L2 writing in Canadian higher education. To this end, the paper extends the work of Alister Cumming, who narrates the evolution of L2 writing scholarship in Canada. Using data from Cumming's "Studies of Second-Language Writing in Canada: Three Generations," this article reports findings from archival research that traces the publication history of key knowledge-workers (identified by Cumming) from the 1980s to the 2000s. These findings tell a story about how L2 writing developed as a field in Canada and the ways in which it was influenced by fields like education and applied linguistics. Ultimately, these findings contribute to the broader narrative of how L2 writing has professionalized in Canadian higher education. By investigating the historic formation of L2 writing in Canada, scholars, writing instructors, and writing program administrators can draw on historic relations to create writing pedagogy that best meets the needs of an increasingly linguistically diverse writing classroom.

Influencers are individuals or entities that meaningfully contribute through a socially constructed process to the formation of educational aspirations and possibly to their attainment. The effect of a specific influencer may differ within the context of multiple influencers. The aim of the current mixed methods study was to investigate how various influencers shape the development of educational aspirations and may contribute to goal setting and eventual attainment of an early aspiration. One-on-one, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 44 participants who attended high school in Ontario, Canada. Most participants identified as Canadian (54.5%) with a mean age of 29 years and median income of $48,504 Canadian Dollars. Participants were asked about the educational aspirations they had in high school. Retrospective accounts provided the opportunity to ask in the interviews not only who the influencers were but also if aspirations were pursued, changed, or attained. Coding and thematic analysis revealed 11 categories of influencers. Further analysis revealed that individuals with a diverse set of influencers attained their educational goals with an important exception. Young adults with 3-5 types of influencers were the largest percentage (61.9%) who achieved their goals, whereas among those with 1, 2, or more than 5 influencers only 21.7% achieved their aspirations. Two influencers that have received little empirical attention emerged: Self and Society/Culture. Findings have implications for encouraging young people and influencers to consider not only how parents and teachers affect educational aspirations but also the composition and size of socio-educational networks.

Many First Nations people in Canada struggle in the acquisition of the skills associated with western literacy, that is, with the skills necessary to communicate through reading, writing, and numeracy in either English or French. Rooted in the history of colonial education, this problem continues to have a negative impact on the lives of individuals and communities. Its solution requires a change of attitudes, respect for Aboriginal knowledge and teachings, recognition of the importance of lifelong learning opportunities, academic research, political will and, most importantly, the real and continuing participation of all stakeholders.

Children of families involved with child welfare services are considered high-risk and are vulnerable to developing problems in a number of domains. In particular, educational achievement among this population tends to be lower relative to general population peers. The goal of this qualitative study was to understand the educational aspirations and subsequent pathways of young adults with former child welfare involvement. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven young adults (mean age of 31 years) from Ontario, Canada about their educational aspirations in high school and factors that served as facilitators and obstacles to their achievement. The results indicate youth had high hopes and dreams for their future in high school. However, complex challenges impeded the realization of these dreams. Although all seven participants initiated post-secondary programs, only one reached successful completion. None of the young adults achieved the educational and occupational dreams they had in high school. Nevertheless, returning to school remains a prominent future goal for most participants. Despite significant challenges and unrealized educational aspirations, youth with child welfare experiences continue to place high value on education in inspiring hope and optimism for the future. Addressing barriers to educational achievement for youth with child welfare involvement remains an important focus to help educational aspirations become a reality.

The COVID-19 pandemic has radically altered how we learn, work, and live. This qualitative research aimed to study the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the educational and occupational aspirations of young Canadian adults. All close to 29 years of age, sixteen participants took part in one-on-one semi-structured interviews conducted through Zoom. Questions probed participants' hopes, dreams, and perceived obstacles regarding school and work. Coding was completed using the research software Dedoose. Thematic content analysis was performed using both deductive and inductive approaches. Three themes emerged: the benefits and drawbacks of working and learning from home; financial changes and concerns; and hope and optimism despite challenges posed by the pandemic. Working and learning from home were discussed by 88% of participants, making it the most prominent theme. Participants generally agreed that working and learning from home had many benefits, but some expressed concern about the quality of online education. In addition, the pandemic caused financial hardship for a few participants, forcing them to delay educational or occupational plans. However, the majority (75%) expressed positivity and hope for the future. Overall, although the timeline of some participants' educational or occupational plans changed, their aspirations largely remained the same.

Background: Research suggests physicians may harbour paternalistic attitudes towards people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and lack the knowledge and skills to work with them. This study examined the impact of a brief intellectual and developmental disability curriculum intervention on these outcomes. Methods: First-year medical students completed a pre-post questionnaire on attitudes and knowledge of intellectual and developmental disabilities in conjunction with a curriculum (a virtual tour of a developmental service site; panel discussions; tutorial presentations). Paired data were available for 33 students. Results: Students' confidence communicating with the person increased (pre-mean = 5.7/10, SD = 1.9; post-mean = 6.3/10, SD = 1.7; p < 0.05) as did their feeling of competence taking a history (pre-mean = 4.2/10, SD = 1.9; post-mean = 5.5, SD = 1.7; p < 0.0001). Their inclination toward sheltering people with intellectual and developmental disabilities also increased (pre-mean = 2.8/6, SD = 0.7; post-mean = 3.2/6, SD = 0.7; p < 0.005). Conclusion: This intervention may contribute to student confidence and their sense of competence in interacting with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities but did not suggest they adopted the philosophy of community inclusion.

Purpose: In 2010, the Ontario Universities Quality Assurance Council was established and became responsible for monitoring the quality of university programs, and each university was tasked with establishing institutional quality assurance purposes. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the quality assurance process at facilitating change at one Canadian institution. Design/methodology/approach: To better understand the impacts of quality assurance, the authors analyzed 39 self-study documents, which were completed for all academic programs at Queen's University. Focus groups were also conducted with key stakeholders to gain more insights into the institutional change that resulted from completing these self-studies. Findings: After the analysis of the self-studies and focus groups, three themes emerged as impacts of completing self-studies: teaching and learning, identity and collaboration and resource allocation and strategic planning. This study demonstrates that self-studies completed by departments have value beyond simply meeting the provincial mandate, as they are effective in catalyzing positive institutional change. Research limitations/implications: The self-study documents were created for the purpose of institutional quality assurance process, not this research study, therefore limiting the data that could be collected. Practical implications: Four considerations are provided at the end of this study to spark conversations at other institutions when reviewing and assessing the impact of their quality assurance processes. Originality/value: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first time self-studies have been analyzed to evaluate the quality assurance process.

Studies have used psychological games testing to measure children's bioaffinity (a child's love of/for or connection to nature) as a result of time spent in nature enriching children's well-being. Discrepancies found between two studies in different countries (Sweden and Canada) informed this research. Both studies used the same bioaffinity testing tool with children who had more than average nature-exposure and were enrolled in preschools using the same nature-based philosophy (Reggio-Emilia approach). While the Swedish study found positive bioaffinity amongst the children (aged 5), the Canadian children's (aged 3-5) affinity with nature was weak. The inconsistencies between the Swedish and Canadian studies led to recommendations for further research and testing to determine the following: (1) the appropriateness of the measure for younger children, (2) the need to modify the test to be more culturally and geographically relevant for the participants, and (3) whether such revisions would increase participant understanding and completion of the test while producing more accurate results. As such, this study sought to modify the testing tool to be more culturally, geographically and developmentally appropriate for young Canadian children and then test it with a cohort of 3-5-year-old Canadian preschoolers. Interviews with early childhood education experts and current child development psychology literature informed the modification of the games testing tool. Reduction in the time needed to complete the testing and an increase in child engagement indicate that the new tool's revisions effectively enhanced the children's understanding of the game's testing.

Mental health problems are prevalent in autistic youth, but the underpinning mechanisms are not well explored. In neurotypical youth, stressful life events are an established risk factor for mental health problems. This study tested longitudinal bidirectional associations between family-level stressful life events and mental health problems and whether these were moderated by cognitive flexibility, in a cohort of autistic children (N = 247). Family-stressful life events, assessed using the parent-reported Family Inventory of Life Events and Changes, and mental health problems, assessed using the teacher-reported Child Behavior Checklist Internalizing and Externalizing Symptoms subscales, were measured at multiple points between 7 and 11 years. Analyses showed no significant pathways from internalizing or externalizing symptoms to family-stressful life events or from family-stressful life events to internalizing or externalizing symptoms. There was some evidence of moderation by cognitive flexibility; the family-stressful life events to internalizing symptoms pathway was non-significant in the group with typical shifting ability but significant in the group with clinically significant shifting problems. Information about family-level stressful life event exposure and cognitive flexibility may be helpful in identifying autistic youth who may be at higher risk of developing mental health problems. Established risk factors for mental health problems in neurotypical populations are relevant for understanding mental health in autistic youth. [This article was written with the Pathways in ASD Study Team.]

The ITEEA's Council for Technology and Engineering Teacher Education (CTETE) Curriculum Committee solicited, collected, and analyzed several examples of international lesson plans to find out how various countries understand and/or apply the "Standards for Technological and Engineering Literacy: The Role of Technology and Engineering in STEM Education" (STEL) in their own technology and engineering education classrooms. Several overarching themes--achieved independently and then confirmed through follow-up discussions among curriculum committee members--appeared in the analysis. These included: (1) Technology and Engineering Education is hands-on; (2) Problem-based learning (PBL) is a central tenet of the curriculum; (3) the STEL standards are/were not equally (or widely) utilized in lesson planning; rather, an emphasis on local (state, region, district, school) standards was evident; and (4) TEE learning is context-driven with an emphasis on the application of knowledge in specific settings/scenarios. As a means of broadening the understanding of what TEE "looks like" around the world, the lessons shared here are brief synopses of the collected lesson plans in addition to a summary of additional findings explored through the means of a follow-up survey sent to each of the contributing teachers.

The importance of spending time in nature is undeniable for child development, yet from an early age most children's time in nature is restricted. Beginning in preschool, the range and quality of a child's nature experience is restricted by accessibility to nature experiences and pedagogical approaches. This is a problem for building a sustainable future as the scholarly literature clearly demonstrates that children's environmental affinity is strongly affected by indoor and outdoor learning experiences, and can impact their pro-environmental behaviour in the future. Some pedagogical philosophies, like the Reggio-Emilia approach, attempt to increase nature exposure for children. This study uses a mixed-methods approach, including game testing, to examine the cognitive, emotional, and attitudinal bio-affinity of preschool children after being enrolled in Reggio-Emilia preschools for at least one year. Results suggest that although the Reggio-Emilia-inspired curriculum followed at the preschools provided various opportunities for children to be exposed to nature, the children's cognitive, emotional, and attitudinal affinity with nature was weak.

Actively engaging adolescents in meaningful program evaluation is a topic of growing interest. One possibility for such engagement is the use of photographs as part of visual evaluation, so that youth can directly engage with the research process. In this Method Note, we describe the development and implementation of a participatory, photo-based evaluation method for youth health promotion/prevention programs. Youth in this study were participants in a gender-transformative healthy relationships program for boys. We present literature supporting the use of photographs as a visual research method and for involving youth as active participants in evaluation, and explore the feasibility, utility, and acceptability of this innovative application of existing methods based on researcher experience and youth feedback. We conclude with implications for photo-based evaluation of health promotion/prevention programs, highlighting the promise of this method for promoting critical youth engagement in evaluation and the creation of meaningful knowledge translation tools.

The more than 200 years of chattel slavery in Canada is an example of the country's occluded history predicated on structural racism. This study of preservice elementary teachers in a social studies methods course helps to reveal how the history of Black enslavement in Canada has been effectively erased from the national consciousness. Using a symbolic interactionism/grounded theory methodology, I seek to make meaning from more than 70 preservice teachers' written responses to a reading on slavery and abolition in Canada. This study's findings help reveal some of the challenges to, and possibilities for, interrogating historical consciousness and national identity narratives as a process of learning within the contexts of methods courses.

Stop Now And Plan (SNAP®) is an empirically supported cognitive behavioural program for children identified as presenting with externalizing problems. The purpose of this investigation was to examine the implementation of the SNAP® for Schools program as a universal prevention program for children not identified as presenting with internalizing or externalizing problems, specifically, whether the program would lead to reductions in emotion dysregulation, anxiety, intolerance of uncertainty, and anxiety sensitivity. It was hypothesized that the SNAP® for Schools program would reduce emotion dysregulation and internalizing constructs in nonidentified, school-aged children. The sample consisted of elementary school children in Grades 3 and 4. Participating children completed a battery of symptom measures one week pre- (n = 65) and post-SNAP® (n = 57) as well as one month after (n = 54) completing SNAP® in their classrooms. For children who scored in the upper 10% on the measure total and/or subscale scores, reductions in emotion dysregulation, anxiety, and anxiety sensitivity were observed. Findings contribute to a better understanding of the effectiveness of SNAP® for reducing emotion dysregulation and internalizing symptoms in children with elevated internalizing symptoms and emotion dysregulation. Limitations and future directions are discussed.

This paper reports on a small-scale study in an elementary school in Southern Ontario, Canada. The study investigated relationships between students' perceptions and practices of gender in popular music education with particular attention given to communication, instruments and technology and development of freedoms and constraints. The findings present a more opaque picture than previous research, suggesting that students frequently transgress binary gendered patterns of practice and perception in this particular field. Gender monoglossia and heteroglossia provide a useful explanatory framework for analysis, indicating that further application of these concepts to issues in popular music education might be most fruitful.

Addressing global climate change beyond short-term fixes requires wider cultural change. Artists, as cultural workers, play a valuable role in attending to questions of social and ecological justice. While there is growing artistic engagement with environmental research, there are few studies which critically explore the confluence of contemporary art, sustainability, and informal education within Canada. Using a framework of poetics (poiesis), this study explores how an environmentally engaged arts practice is a form of transformative environmental education. We interviewed 24 current Canada-based visual, installation, and performance artists to understand how they conceptualize their role in fostering socioecological transformations. We used an inductive thematic coding scheme to analyze transcripts and compared emergent themes to current ecocritical literature. Results reveal a framework of artist-researcher-teacher as facilitator of conviviality, curiosity, and care, showing the agency of artists and a need for poetics in environmental work, research, and education.

Youth-Creative Action Research (Y-CAR) is a variant of participatory action research specifically suited for exploring and developing evidence-informed innovations to address complex social challenges such as climate change. In this paper, we present an overview of Y-CAR and explore its core defining features, potential for application in research and action, and connection to other action-oriented research methodologies. We draw on a range of examples of this emergent methodology that illustrates its evolution and core principles in action and show how it has been implemented in research. We conclude the paper by examining key learnings, future leverage points, and limitations to applying Y-CAR in practice.

Objective: To assess the feasibility and acceptability of a virtual food skills program for children with type 1 diabetes. Methods: Forty‐three patients, aged 6–14 years with type 1 diabetes, participated in an 8‐week online programme, summerlunch+ At Home, that included weekly live cooking classes, asynchronous learning modules, and quizzes accessed through Google Classroom. Grocery delivery or gift cards were provided to all participants to support equitable access to participation. Descriptive results were summarized, and thematic analysis was performed on answers to a post‐intervention questionnaire, parent/caregivers interview transcripts, and facilitators' field notes. Results: Participants reported having a positive experience and would recommend the programme to others. Acceptable elements included the online format, the cooking class demonstrations, and the well‐organized content. Families enjoyed the recipes, expressed an improvement in the families' cooking skills and nutrition knowledge, and noted the program as a way to improve family bonding and reduce participants' sense of social isolation given the opportunity of meeting peers with diabetes. The intervention also appears to increase participants' independence, confidence, and self‐esteem. While grocery cards were easier to coordinate compared with meal kits, both were deemed acceptable by caregivers. Barriers to participation include a distracting home environment and not feeling comfortable on camera. Factors that negatively impacted satisfaction were the large age range of participants and the class timing and duration. Caregivers noted a desire for more diabetes education, enhanced peer‐to‐peer interaction, and incorporation of animal‐based protein recipes in future programmes. Conclusion: The current study demonstrates the feasibility and acceptability of the virtual summerlunch+ At Home cooking and nutrition program that was adapted for children with diabetes. Similar food skills programmes may support the development of food skills imperative to diabetes self‐management long‐term. Further research can continue to assess food literacy skills, glycemic management, and the social benefits of such interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Interstitial lung disease (ILD) in CTDs has highly variable morphology. We aimed to identify imaging features and their impact on ILD progression, mortality, and immunosuppression response. Methods Patients with CTD-ILD had high-resolution chest CT (HRCT) reviewed by expert radiologists blinded to clinical data for overall imaging pattern [usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP); non-specific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP); organizing pneumonia (OP); fibrotic hypersensitivity pneumonitis (fHP); and other]. Transplant-free survival and change in percent-predicted forced vital capacity (FVC) were compared using Cox and linear mixed-effects models adjusted for age, sex, smoking, and baseline FVC. FVC decline after immunosuppression was compared with pre-treatment. Results Among 645 CTD-ILD patients, the most frequent CTDs were SSc (n  = 215), RA (n  = 127), and inflammatory myopathies (n  = 100). NSIP was the most common pattern (54%), followed by UIP (20%), fHP (9%), and OP (5%). Compared with the case for patients with UIP, FVC decline was slower in patients with NSIP (by 1.1%/year, 95% CI 0.2, 1.9) or OP (by 3.5%/year, 95% CI 2.0, 4.9), and mortality was lower in patients with NSIP [hazard ratio (HR) 0.65, 95% CI 0.45, 0.93] or OP (HR 0.18, 95% CI 0.05, 0.57), but higher in fHP (HR 1.58, 95% CI 1.01, 2.40). The extent of fibrosis also predicted FVC decline and mortality. After immunosuppression, FVC decline was slower compared with pre-treatment in NSIP (by 2.1%/year, 95% CI 1.4, 2.8), with no change for UIP or fHP. Conclusion Multiple radiologic patterns are possible in CTD-ILD, including a fHP pattern. NSIP and OP were associated with better outcomes and response to immunosuppression, while fHP had worse survival compared with UIP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: While there is a growing body of knowledge specific to understanding the experiences of nurses who work in various contexts in Canada’s northern territories, there continues to be a dearth of research specific to the care of critically ill patients and their families. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to further expand our understanding of how critical care nursing is experienced in the northern context. This study explored nurses’ experiences of providing critical care in all settings from purpose-built intensive care unit to community health centres. Study design: An interpretive descriptive approach was used. Methods: Telephone interviews were conducted with nine registered nurses currently employed in various settings, and three additional telephone interviews were used from an earlier pilot study. Interviews were transcribed and thematically coded. Findings: The following themes emerged: Always the Nurse; Working in Community; Must Haves and Managing Resources; Working Together – Even if We’re Not Together; and A Paradigm Shift: Working Up North. Conclusions: This study highlights the need to consider how nursing geography impacts nursing identity and how to best support nurses who provide critical care but, appropriately, may not identify as critical care nurses due to the expansive roles and responsibilities that some assume in nursing work outside of intensive care units. It also provides a strong incentive to establish relationships with those expanding our understanding of the northern context and what is required of nurses in this context to provide optimal care to patients, families and communities when and wherever critical illness is experienced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Explore occupational therapists' (OTs) and speech language pathologists' (SLPs) process of selecting and applying motor learning strategies (MLS) in their interventions for children with acquired brain injury (ABI), and identify similarities and differences between OTs and SLPs in MLS selection and application. Methods: This qualitative descriptive study involved individual semi-structured interviews with OTs and SLPs from the ABI program at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital (Toronto, Canada). Interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis. A modified constant comparison method permitted comparison within and between professions. Results: Four OTs and three SLPs were interviewed. Four themes were developed: aligning MLS application with the child's cognitive ability, using MLS to promote success within a single session, adjusting MLS across treatment sessions, and promoting generalization and transfer of motor skills beyond the therapy session. MLS application was predominately based on child-specific factors with task-specific considerations. OTs and SLPs used similar clinical reasoning processes for selecting and applying MLS. Conclusions: This study provides a greater understanding of OTs' and SLPs' clinical reasoning process when applying MLS in pediatric ABI interventions. The similarities in MLS selection and application between disciplines suggest that an interprofessional approach to MLS is suitable for pediatric ABI rehabilitation. IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION: Pediatric occupational therapists and speech language pathologists use a similar process for selecting and applying motor learning strategies (MLS) in their interventions Clinicians continually reflect upon and adapt their use of MLS based on each child's performance, progress, and goals Adopting an interprofessional approach to MLS selection and application, including the use of a common MLS language, has the potential to optimize motor outcomes in pediatric acquired brain injury rehabilitation [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While many studies have investigated environmental education programs, fewer have focused on the longer-term effects of these interventions. This study provides insight into the longer-term influences of an earth education summer camp in Nova Scotia, Canada. Data were collected using a semi-structured interview process with seven parents of participants 2-3 months after the program. Results indicate that the program may help to reinforce environmental knowledge and attitudes and encourage the adoption of environmentally responsible behaviors. Results also suggest that some children encouraged the adoption of environmentally responsible behaviors among their parents. Recommendations for future research are provided.

Ocean education can potentially improve understanding and engage individuals to act sustainably. Within Canada, a country bordered by three oceans with vast ocean resources, there is no formal mandate to teach ocean literacy within the school system. The ocean impacts the economy, culture, and ecology of Nova Scotia. This study examines, through semi-structured interviews, the challenges experienced by high school science teachers to the integration of ocean education into science courses. Results from this study indicate that despite placing value on the ocean the main challenges teachers incurred were limited background knowledge, lack of resources, curriculum outcomes, and time constraints.

Curriculum change involves struggles among political actors and interest groups, and those efforts related to sex education have been noted for their particularly vexatious character. When Doug Ford was elected Premier of Ontario, Canada in 2018, he immediately repealed the comprehensive health curriculum of 2015 and attempted to muzzle teachers during the 2018-2019 school year, only to unveil a strikingly similar "new" curriculum for 2019-2020. This article analyses Ford's treatment of sex education as part of a conservative populist agenda. Using Critical Discourse Analysis, we divide the government's approach into six components that illustrate how anti-elitism and fact-bending drove curriculum policy. Our analysis contributes to discussions in curriculum studies and educational politics by connecting the recently ascendant political ideologies in the West with the already contentious area of sex education.

In this paper, we use a day-long professional development workshop for higher education faculty conducted in an outdoor setting as the starting point for an examination of the value of such activities. We explore the potential benefits, in terms of learning and holistic well-being, of educational activities designed to provide participants with sessions either in the natural environment or the built (urban) environment beyond the four walls of the traditional classroom. Drawing on the literature of "place-based learning", the well-established traditions of some conference organizations, the emerging trend to mount such pre-conference workshops in the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (STLHE: Canada) and the feedback of past participants, we explore the nature of these experiences and the various outcomes, grappling with the challenge of identifying tangible "takeaways" at the individual and community levels. We conclude with directions for further analysis of the role of this type of session in terms of conference pedagogy and means of measuring impact on the well-being, outlook, and practices of instructors in higher education.

Koichiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO, asserts that education is one of the most effective instruments that society can employ in the effort to adopt sustainable development. This paper is a first effort to explore the degree to which Canadian institutions of higher education, including colleges and universities, have embraced this assertion. It includes the first census of the existing environment/sustainability policies and/or plans of Canadian postsecondary institutions (n = 220), and an examination of the relationships between the existence of an environment/sustainability policy/plan and the presence of other sustainability initiatives on campus. The focus on policies and plans is timely because in public institutions like colleges and universities, actions and practices are determined by policy. The results reveal a number of patterns and insights, including, for example, the influence of provincial legislation on the uptake of policies.

Many first-year university courses are large and content-driven, which can contribute to low student engagement and difficulty involving students in the dynamic, cross-disciplinary nature of inquiry. Learning communities can address these goals, but their implementation often poses logistical challenges, especially in large courses. Here, we apply learning communities using a linked-course model to enhance student engagement and inquiry across three large, first-year biology courses. These three courses (Discovering Biodiversity, Molecular and Cell Biology, and Biological Concepts of Health) offer different contexts for biological inquiry, introduce key biological concepts, and are connected through jointly mapped learning outcomes, shared online skill workshops, and integrative learning communities composed of students from each course. Diverse modes of student learning are used across the three courses, and contemporary problems are explored within classes and small group seminars, which promote the development of skills necessary for inquiry. This course structure requires the coordinated scheduling of seminars and interdisciplinary projects but allows flexibility in the use of lecture periods and online content while offering increased resource efficiency. Collectively, these courses provide opportunities for integration, skill development, and problem solving. In contrast to many other forms of learning communities, this particular model promotes both a disciplinary foundation and cross-disciplinary applications for large numbers of students.

Early childhood environmental education focusses on expanding children's bio-affinity, developing their environmental attitudes and encouraging them to behave in a more environmentally friendly manner. One example of the educational method that is based on high-quality practices of both early childhood education and environmental education is the Reggio-Emilia pedagogical approach, which provides children with various nature-related experiences. This study examines the frequency and variety of indoor and outdoor nature experiences for children and the preschool teachers' educational approaches and goals for children's development in nature in two Reggio-Emilia preschools located in Halifax, Canada. To do this, first-hand observations and semi-structured teacher interviews were used. Results suggest that the Reggio-Emilia curriculum followed at the preschools provided various opportunities for children to be exposed to nature. However, the teachers have emphasized more on anthropocentric than nature-related educational goals.

Many barriers restrict children's access to nature resulting in negative consequences, including a lack of opportunities to learn and engage with the natural environment. Fortunately, environmental education programs offer participants an opportunity to counteract these challenges. While the benefits of environmental education as measured by pre-determined outcomes are well documented, research focused on participants' perceptions and preferences related to their environmental learning experiences continues to be under-represented in the literature. Using a pre-/post-test survey approach, this study aimed to explore how an earth education summer camp, "Sunship Earth"[TM], contributed to participants environmental learning experiences. Results suggest that "Sunship Earth"[TM] provides children with various EL opportunities that help to increase their understanding of some ecological concepts. Results also suggest that this learning experience may have helped to broaden participants' understanding of environmental issues and actions, as well as enhance feelings of care, interest, and responsibility towards the environment.

Scholars of sexuality have argued that 'moral panics' about sexuality often stand in for broader conflicts over nationality and belonging. Canada has spent decades cultivating a national image founded on multiculturalism and democratic equality. The Ontario sexuality education curriculum introduced in 2015 drew audible condemnation from a variety of groups. Drawing from Critical Discourse Analysis and Critical Race Theory, we argue that the public discourse surrounding these protests exposed the limits of Canadian pluralism, fuelling a meta-debate about the 'Canadianness' of recent immigrants and the incompatibility of liberal values with those of non-Westerners, especially Muslims. We explain this in terms of contextual factors such as Ontario's publicly funded Catholic school system and anti-Muslim xenophobia in the post-9/11 era. Our analysis speaks to the importance of intersectional social justice efforts as part of the movement for comprehensive sex education.

Background and Objectives: An increasing number of blood operators around the world, including those in Canada, have removed time‐based deferral periods for gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men and replaced them with sexual behaviour‐based questions for all donors. While this marks a significant shift in screening approach, what remains unclear is how members of two‐spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (2S/LGBTQ+) communities view blood operators' initiatives to be more inclusive. As such, this study was conducted to assess the awareness of donor screening changes and other initiatives among members of 2S/LGBTQ+ communities and to explore their recommendations for blood operators' work with these communities. Materials and Methods: Semi‐structured qualitative interviews (n = 15) were conducted with 2S/LGBTQ+ people across Canada. Data were analysed using open inductive coding methods. Results: Reported here are the key results on recommendations for blood operators. Three themes were identified from the data: (1) the need for increased communications with 2S/LGBTQ+ communities surrounding changes to donor policies and guidelines; (2) the need for trans‐inclusive policy and procedures; and (3) the need for culturally responsive and equity‐informed staff training at donor centres. Conclusion: Results suggest that blood operators should consider 2S/LGTBQ+ communities when developing blood and plasma donation policies, screening procedures and staff training. Increased consultation with these communities is desired, and further research specific to the experiences of transgender blood donors is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To address: What are the experiences of 2SLGBTQQIA+ parents using parenting supports and services to meet their children's early childhood development needs (<5 years of age)? Design: Whittemore and Knafl's (2005) integrative review methodology. Methods: Electronic databases were searched from 2000 to October 14, 2022 for empirical studies or reviews addressing the research question. The title and abstract of 12,158 articles were screened for inclusion in the review by two independent researchers; 175 of these articles underwent full‐text review. Studies selected were critically appraised using a Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal tool. Relevant key findings were extracted from each study and entered into N‐VIVO‐12. Thematic content analysis was employed and PRISMA guidelines were adhered to. Results: A total of 18 articles (15 qualitative and three multi‐method studies) met the inclusion criteria and were selected for the review. Seven themes were revealed from analysis of the studies: (1) 2SLGBTQQIA+ Status kept a secret; (2) Forced to come out; (3) Heteronormative messaging; (4) Feeling excluded; (5) Stigmatised; (6) Parents act as educators; and (7) Positive experiences. Conclusion: This integrative review provides nurses with insight into the experiences of 2SLGBTQQIA+ parents using health care services for their young child. Implications for the Profession: This article highlights what changes nurses need to make to their practice to ensure appropriate, inclusive care for clients of diverse sexual and gender identities and their families. Impact: Health care providers, especially nurses, have an opportunity to improve the experiences of these families and positively impact their health and well‐being. Additionally, there is a need for research with the 2SLGBTQQIA+ parent community and the use of rigorous methodological techniques, including clearly linking participants' gender and sexual identities with study findings, to improve our understanding of 2SLGBTQQIA+ parent experiences. Patient or Public Contribution: Although there was no direct patient contribution to the work since it was an integrative review of the literature, indirectly patient contributions are incorporated from the original research results of studies incorporated into this review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article contends with queer joy as an epistemology to highlight an affective experience that grounds a basis for revising dominant approaches to sexual ethics. Drawing on findings from a mixed‐methods study with 100 2SLGBTQ+ young adults from Canada and the US, we argue that queer and trans people mobilize queer sexual joy as an epistemology of script breaking that led participants to explore freedom and play, enjoy novel forms of care and communality, and to challenge oppression. We found that 2SLGBTQ+ young adults are undermining dominant sexual cultures which perpetuate gender‐based violence through cisheteronormative logics of objectification and dominance. Rather than simply producing misery, normative sex and gender regimes produced a disorientation among 2SLGBTQ+ young adults which was fruitful for breaking sexual scripts and developing approaches to sex and relationships grounded in greater authenticity, creativity, reciprocity, play, and joy. We propose that by taking queer joy as a way of knowing, we may learn how queer and trans people negotiate the performativity of gender and sex, their own bodily knowledge, and the epistemic injustices that have precluded this knowledge from being valued. Pushing against the "joy deficit" in sociology that constrains the field to the study of the misery that minority communities face, this paper not only demonstrates what sociologists might learn from the texture of queer and trans lives, but also how these lessons can help to undermine cisheteronormativity as a root cause of gender‐based violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract2SLGBTQ+ people face disproportionately high rates of gender-based violence (GBV) compared to cisgender heterosexual people. Scholars have predominantly responded to this violence by reporting on victimization, which homogenizes queer and trans life as misery. To avoid reproducing this joy-deficit, we propose a novel approach that centers queer sexual joy. As rape culture is symptomatic of cisheteronormativity, queer sexual joy is a useful analytic with which to subvert GBV. Drawing on findings from the Queer Sexual Joy project, a mixed-methods study involving 100 young adults from Canada and the US, we introduce six recommendations for a framework to focalize queer and trans sexual joy in GBV prevention education, including: 1) containers for safety; 2) communication strategies; 3) bodily autonomy; 4) trauma-informed, anti-oppression, 5) pleasure; and 6) dissociation and grounding practices. We propose that GBV education rooted in queer sexual joy would reorient all youth from hegemonic sexual scripts and provide a frame for more just sexual cultures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evolving virtual health care experience highlights the potential of technology to serve as a way to enhance care. Having virtual options for assessment, consultation and intervention were essential during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, especially for children with disabilities and their families. The purpose of our study was to describe the benefits and challenges of outpatient virtual care during the pandemic within pediatric rehabilitation. This qualitative study, part of a larger mixed methods project, involved in-depth interviews with 17 participants (10 parents, 2 youth, 5 clinicians) from a Canadian pediatric rehabilitation hospital. We analyzed the data using a thematic approach. Our findings demonstrated three main themes: (1) benefits of virtual care (e.g., continuity of care, convenience, stress reduction and flexibility, and comfort within the home environment and enhanced rapport); (2) challenges related to virtual care (e.g., technical difficulties and lack of technology, environmental distractions and constraints, communication difficulty, and health impacts); and (3) advice for the future of virtual care (i.e., offering choice to families, enhanced communication and addressing health equity issues). Clinicians and hospital leaders should consider addressing the modifiable barriers in accessing and delivering virtual care to optimize its effectiveness. Families are invested in access to virtual care appointments and can benefit from clear communication about choices regarding appointment options and supports in how to access and use technology for equitable access to care. Hospitals should aim to provide clinicians with an appropriate workspace (i.e., private, quiet with adequate room to demonstrate what they need to do), equipment and technology to have virtual care appointments. Current understanding of virtual care delivery suggests a tailored approach, with some types of appointments, such as follow-ups or check-ins, more suited to this modality than other more hands-on therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Repeat photography offers distinctive insights into ecological change, with ground‐based oblique photographs often predating early aerial images by decades. However, the oblique angle of the photographs presents challenges for extracting and analyzing ecological information using traditional remote sensing approaches. Several innovative methods have been developed for analyzing repeat photographs, but none offer a comprehensive end‐to‐end workflow incorporating image classification and georeferencing to produce quantifiable landcover data. In this paper, we provide an overview of two new tools, an automated deep learning classifier and intuitive georeferencing tool, and describe how they are used to derive landcover data from 19 images associated with the Mountain Legacy Project, a research team that works with the world's largest collection of systematic high‐resolution historic mountain photographs. We then combined these data to produce a contemporary landcover map for a study area in Jasper National Park, Canada. We assessed georeferencing accuracy by calculating the root‐mean‐square error and mean displacement for a subset of the images, which was 4.6 and 3.7 m, respectively. Overall classification accuracy of the landcover map produced from oblique images was 68%, which was comparable to landcover data produced from aerial imagery using a conventional classification method. The new workflow advances the use of repeat photographs for yielding quantitative landcover data. It has several advantages over existing methods including the ability to produce quick and consistent image classifications with little human input, and accurately georeference and combine these data to generate landcover maps for large areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a period of student loan scandals and U.S. financial market instability impacting on the cost and availability of student loans, this paper looks at alternative models of higher education funding. In this context, it also considers the level of financial support that the government should provide to higher education.

This empirical study uses auto-ethnography to describe a higher education pedagogical process that facilitated largely doctoral students in preparing their candidacy proposals through the use of specific adult learning principles. Students' experiences and points of view of such a learning environment were explored, including: (1) how they contributed to their peers' learning; (2) how their peers contributed to their own individual learning; and (3) how the learning environment impacted the process. Key factors identified as pivotal to learning to learn, include creating a learning sanctuary and trusting relationships, engaging in mutual inquiry and the co-construction of meaning, and bridging research theory and practice. These factors enabled students to expand their identities to include a researcher identity and to negotiate deep knowledge at the personal level. Throughout this article, the students' points of view are used to elucidate shared and diverse experiences, in addition to supporting conclusions and recommendations for practice and further study. (Contains 1 footnote.)

Undergraduate classes typically involve a professor lecturing to 100 or more students. Too often, this results in minimal opportunities for student participation. Positive reinforcement was used to promote student participation (i.e., defined as relevant comments or questions) in a second-year psychology class (N = 97). Class participation was measured for five weeks in two 80-minute lectures per week. Baseline was collected in two lectures. In the unaware phase for two lectures, paper tickets were given without explanation to students who participated. Students were then informed that tickets were given for class participation, and would be entered into a draw for gift certificates. Data were collected for four lectures in this informed condition. Final baseline consisted of two lectures with no tickets distributed. Student attendance was recorded. Frequency of instructor questions remained relatively consistent. Class participation rose from 38 relevant comments and questions per week during initial baseline, to 47 during the unaware phase, 52.5 during the informed phase, and 60 for final baseline. Positive reinforcement was associated with increased class participation overall, but with little change for students with high initial participation. Students said they enjoyed and benefited from the class participation activity.

There are a growing number of university sustainability efforts, but the literature provides limited information to help universities decide if they are focused on sustainability aspects important to their stakeholders. To address this gap, Canadian student leaders' conceptualizations of sustainable development (SD) and sustainable universities were investigated using a mixed methods approach with qualitative interviews and nested quantitative concept checklists. Themes were developed through thematic analysis and compared with support for checklist concepts to explore similarities and differences between the datasets. Conceptual variance existed between student leaders concerning sustainability; there was greater agreement between participants regarding conceptualizations of sustainable universities. Participants also believed that universities have a responsibility to lead by example and to educate both students and the greater community about sustainability. This research provides insight into the conceptualizations of a key university stakeholder, the importance of localized discussions of sustainability and encouragement for universities to engage in sustainability.

Environmental education is a key tool in humanity's efforts to address environmental issues. The arts can help provide some of the affective components of environmental education -- emotions, values, and motivations driving pro-environmental behavior. As one of the arts, music can captivate, entertain, and create a sense of community. Using non-probabilistic purposive sampling, we interviewed a cohort of environmentally aware musicians with the goal of understanding their mental constructions around the role of music in environmental education and advocacy. A constant comparative coding method was used to code the interviews. The analysis revealed four artistic and five quality dimensions that the participants considered when sharing their pro-environmental values through their music. The four artistic dimensions emerged as continua representing ranges of choice regarding how a musician might create and deliver an environment-related song. The five quality dimensions emerged as recommendations for effectiveness of messaging through art that is perceived as authentic.

Although claiming leadership to be critical to school improvement, few studies seek the informative voice of principals regarding their understandings of roles and sources of leadership. Using a distributed perspective as a theoretical lens to reconceptualize leadership, this article explores principals' perspectives of leadership in relation to their roles as defined by legislation and policy. By examining the primary merits and limitations of Spillane's (2006) distributed framework, consideration is given to persistent issues yielding implications for the practice and study of educational leadership. Lastly, I urge further investigation into the extent to which distributed forms of leadership may contribute to school improvement. (Contains 1 footnote.)

Although many Canadian universities offer graduate level training or certificates on teaching in higher education, there is no national framework of expectations or provision for national certification of post-secondary teachers. There are models of post-secondary teaching expectations in the United Kingdom and in elementary and secondary systems in both the US and Canada. In addition, many US universities have competency-based graduate teaching assistant programs. The province of Ontario has adopted a mandatory framework of learning expectations for Baccalaureate and graduate degrees for all publicly funded universities. The question we address in this essay is: Has our teacher training practice evolved to the point where we should look ahead to consider formalizing expectations of effective post-secondary teaching practices through a national framework? In our view, there is now sufficient interest within the Society for Teaching and Learning Higher Education (STLHE) to establish a working group that would initiate a national consultation to discuss the process and structure for formulating an enabling framework.

In 1991, sixteen Canadian universities endorsed the Halifax Declaration (HD) at the Conference on University Action for Sustainable Development in Halifax, Nova Scotia. This Declaration recognized the leadership role universities could play in a world at serious risk of irreparable environmental damage and asserted that universities must re-think and reconstruct their environmental policies and practices in order to contribute to environmental sustainability on local, national, and international levels. This study discusses the degree to which initiatives outlined in the Halifax Declaration Action Plan were implemented at signatory universities, identifies emerging patterns in the implementation of Declaration initiatives, and examines the extent to which the Declaration encouraged universities to re-think and reconstruct their environmental policies and practices. (Contains 3 tables.)

OBJECTIVE: This literature review aims to explore research and conceptual pieces on the state of ophthalmology education and suggest potential ways to address current challenges. METHODS: A search was conducted in PubMed, ERIC, Web of Science, and Google Scholar with combinations of the following search terms: "ophthalmology education," "undergraduate medical education," "medical student," "United States," and "Canada." Eliminating irrelevant articles yielded 47 articles. Three were excluded because of region and focus, leaving 44. After examining the citations, we generated an additional 22 texts for review, totaling 66 articles. RESULTS: Four primary themes were identified: (1) challenges to ophthalmological education in the U.S. and Canada, (2) potential remedies for optimizing ophthalmology curriculum, (3) technology in ophthalmology education, and (4) innovative ophthalmology teaching approaches. Major challenges included the lack of a standardized curriculum and inadequate clinical exposure and skills training. A number of remedies were proposed, such as standardizing curriculum and furthering faculty involvement, utilizing technology as time-effective learning aids, and employing innovative teaching approaches such as service learning. CONCLUSION: In light of challenges in ophthalmology education, curriculum designers should consider Cognitive Load Theory (CLT) to assist students to remember meaningful exposures to ophthalmology knowledge and techniques. Based on CLT, we suggest two potential approaches to incorporating ophthalmology curriculum. The first is to embrace interdisciplinary collaborations and place ophthalmology knowledge in varied contexts to facilitate schema construction. The second is to incorporate ophthalmology diagnostics requirements into OSCEs and utilize simulation models for students to gradually increase the fidelity of tasks and devote cognitive resources fully to learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The UNICEF-WHO Global Report on Developmental Delays, Disorders, and Disabilities is an ongoing initiative aimed at increasing awareness, compiling data, providing guidance on strengthening health systems, and engaging country-level partners. Data from its caregiver survey assessing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic showed that half of youths with developmental delays and disabilities (DDDs) and their caregivers struggled to cope, with a significant portion reporting a lack of supports and difficulty managing the worsening of the child’s symptoms in isolation. Governments created service strategies supporting vulnerable groups. Little is known about the alignment between COVID-19 policies for persons with disabilities and their lived experiences. Contextualizing caregivers’ experiences can promote the development of tailored public supports for these families following a public health crisis. Methods: Online survey data were collected from June-July 2020, leading to a convenience sample of caregivers of youth with DDDs across Canada. Respondents answered two open-ended questions regarding challenges and coping strategies during the pandemic. We conducted a thematic analysis of responses using inductive coding on NVivo software. Overarching codes derived from the dataset were contextualized using an analysis of provincial policies published during the pandemic. Parallels with these policies supported the exploration of families’ and youths’ experiences during the same period. Results: Five hundred and seventy-six (N = 576) participants answered openended questions. Barriers to coping included family mental health issues, concerns about the youths’ regression, challenges in online schooling, limited play spaces, and managing physical health during quarantine. Environmental barriers encompassed deteriorating family finances, loss of public services, and a lack of accessible information and supports. In contrast, caregivers reported coping facilitators, such as family time, outdoor activities, and their child’s resilience. Environmental facilitators included community resources, public financial supports, and access to telehealth services. Few COVID-19 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]