Faculty of Education -- Graduate Theses

Permanent URI for this collection

https://hdl.handle.net/10587/592

Graduate theses completed in the department of Education as part of:

Master of Education (Concentrations in: Lifelong Learning, Curriculum Studies, Educational Foundations, Educational Psychology, Elementary and Middle School Education, Literacy Education, School Psychology)
Master of Arts in Education (Research)
Master of Arts in Education
Master of Arts in School Psychology

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Now showing 1 - 5 of 315

Unlocking Quality Enhancement in Nova Scotia’s Family Home Child Care Programs by Understanding the Key Role of Family Home Child Care Consultants
(Mount Saint Vincent University, 2025-09) Crocker, Cheryl
Family home child care is an integral but under-studied part of Nova Scotia’s early learning and child care system. While there is a substantial body of literature on the topic of quality in regulated child care, most of this literature focuses on child care centres. The differences between quality in child care centres and quality in family home child care are not yet well understood. Recognizing that the early childhood educators who work as family home child care consultants are adult educators who play a pivotal role in supporting quality in family home child care, this study contributes to the discourse around what quality means in family home child care. Possibilities for the provision of targeted professional development for family home child care consultants who work in a mentorship and supervision role with care providers who are often untrained in early childhood education are also considered. Using a critical feminist perspective, this qualitative study included interviews and focus groups to explore the following research questions: 1) What does quality mean to family home child care consultants? 2) What is the connection between the role of family home child care consultants and quality in family home child care? 3)How are family home child care consultants prepared for working in a role that provides both supervisory support and regulatory oversight? Data was analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Key findings were that consultants view themselves as pedagogical leaders and value having time to spend building relationships with care providers. Quality was defined by the consultants as being a “safe, responsive, nurturing, inclusive environment that is welcoming to all families.” There is currently no training specific to the role of family home child care consultants in Nova Scotia. The consultants who participated in this research advocated for the introduction of consistent training for family home child care consultants that would prepare them for their role as a mentor, coach, supervisor, and pedagogical leader for family home child care providers.
Understanding Refferral Barriers: A Scoping Review of Psychoeducational Assessment Pathways for EAL Students
(Mount Saint Vincent University, 2025-09) Hammam, Christina
This scoping review explores systemic inequities and missed opportunities in the psychoeducational referral process for English as an Additional Language (EAL) students in Canadian school systems. While research has focused on distinguishing language acquisition from learning disabilities, limited attention has been given to how institutional tools, policy frameworks, and educator perceptions collectively shape referral decisions. Guided by Disability Critical Race Theory (DisCrit), this review synthesizes findings from 14 empirical studies and 18 Canadian grey literature sources to examine how the intersecting dimensions of race, language, and ability influence whether, how, and when EAL students are referred for assessment. The analysis identifies four key themes shaping referral dynamics: bias and misclassification, multilingual and sociocultural considerations, inadequate professional knowledge, and limitations in referral decision-making tools and practices. These themes operate across two interrelated dimensions: Educator Perception, referring to how educators perceive and respond to student difficulties, and Systemic Instruments, encompassing the institutional structures that formalize or reinforce those perceptions. Despite increasing policy emphasis on inclusion, the review highlights persistent variability in practice, a lack of Canadian empirical research, and entrenched structural norms that privilege Whiteness, monolingualism, and normative ability. Recommendations include embedding culturally and linguistically responsive frameworks into referral policy, expanding professional learning grounded in cultural humility, and generating context-specific research to support more equitable and linguistically responsive assessment pathways for EAL learners.
An Examination of Lexical Neighborhood Density in Young Children’s Word Learning and Phonological Awareness
(Mount Saint Vincent University, 2025-09) Lewis, Christopher
The lexical restructuring model aims to explain the developmental origins of the phoneme as a unit in implicit and explicit phonological processing tasks (Metsala & Walley, 1998). Very little research, however, has directly examined the claims of the model using experimental methods — best suited for testing causal claims. One way this study explored claims of this model was by attempting to manipulate the lexical neighborhood density for a subset of items and examining the effects on early elementary students’ word learning and phonemic awareness. Additionally, the associations between task performance for items from different neighborhood densities and early literacy-related skills were examined. Twenty-nine students in kindergarten and 33 students in grades one and two completed a word learning training task that introduced 18 nonword-nonobject pairs. Six nonwords were from sparse neighborhoods, but had phonological neighbors introduced during the learning task (creating a sparse-to-dense condition) to experimentally facilitate lexical restructuring — or direct attention to the internal structure of these new items. Immediate word learning measures and pre- and post-test phonemic blending for the 18 nonwords were completed. Measures of word reading, phonological awareness, and nonword repetition were also completed. Overall, introducing neighbors for the six items did not facilitate word learning. However, the younger group did show greater gains in pre-to-post-test phoneme blending for items in the sparse-to-dense condition compared to items in the sparse and the dense conditions. Furthermore, repetition of multisyllabic nonwords composed of syllables with few lexical neighbors explained unique variance in word learning beyond grade and repetition of nonwords with many lexical neighbors. In the final analysis, phoneme blending for sparse nonwords explained unique variance in word reading beyond grade, general phonological awareness, and phoneme blending for dense nonwords. Overall, experimental support for a central claim of the lexical restructuring model was found in the younger sample. This study also provides correlational evidence related to the idea that processing words from sparse lexical neighborhoods (i.e., areas of the mental lexicon to undergo segmental restructuring the latest in development) is a better index of the degree of segmentation in lexical representations, and thus of individual differences in word reading development.
Facing Change: A Phenomenological Analysis of Experiences of Radical Facial Change after Orthognathic Surgery
(Mount Saint Vincent University, 2025-08) Dempsey, Holly
This study explores the lived experiences of individuals who underwent radical facial change after orthognathic surgery, with a particular focus on those who had mixed or negative feelings about the aesthetic outcome. Using a hermeneutic phenomenological approach grounded in van Manen’s four lifeworld existentials (corporeality, relationality, spatiality, and temporality), the research examines how four participants made sense of their altered appearances. Central themes include loss and grief, seeking validation, preoccupation with facial features, a distorted and evolving self-concept, resilience and becoming experts in their own experiences. While participants described significant emotional and relational challenges, they also demonstrated remarkable adaptability and personal growth. These findings highlight a critical gap in academic literature around dissatisfaction with aesthetic outcomes after orthognathic surgery and stress the importance of holistic, patient-centered care. This research also contributes to the field of adult education by offering insights that can inform healthcare professionals' training and deepen their understanding of the psychological and social impacts of radical facial change. Ultimately, this study calls for increased empathy, comprehensive informed consent practices, and integrated mental health support for individuals undergoing radical facial change after orthognathic surgery.
A Qualitative Examination of School Pyschologist's Knowledge of and Experiences with Supporting Newcomer Students in Nova Scotia Schools
(Mount Saint Vincent University, 2025-08) Yazbek, Yara
Nova Scotia schools are experiencing increased newcomer student enrolment, resulting in greater cultural and linguistic diversity. These students sometimes face complex academic, language, and mental health challenges that require specialized support. School psychologists are well-positioned to play an important role in addressing these needs, yet little is known about their preparedness to support this population. This study used qualitative description to examine how school psychologists in Nova Scotia understand and describe their knowledge and experiences working with newcomer students, particularly English as an Additional Language (EAL) learners. Nine psychologists participated in semi-structured interviews, and data were analyzed to identify common experiences and challenges. Participants expressed a strong commitment to ethical and inclusive practice but reported limited training, language barriers, and systemic constraints. Findings highlight the need for targeted professional development, culturally appropriate tools, and interdisciplinary collaboration. This study discusses implications for school psychologists and possibilities for future research.

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