Graduate Theses

Permanent URI for this collection

https://hdl.handle.net/10587/95

Browse

Recent Submissions

Now showing 1 - 5 of 641
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Constrained and Contested: Nova Scotia Teachers’ Experiences of Teaching Mi’kmaw Studies 11
    (Mount Saint Vincent University, 2024-11) Legge, Susan
    The Truth and Reconciliation Report’s 94 Calls to Action requested that Canadian schools create mandatory, age-appropriate curriculum “on residential schools, Treaties, and Aboriginal peoples’ historical and contemporary contributions to Canada” (TRC, 2015, p. 7), with the outcome to be the “building [of] student capacity for intercultural understanding, empathy, and mutual respect” (TRC Truth, 2015, p. 7). Mi’kmaw Studies 11, a course offered to grade 11 students in Nova Scotia as an option for fulfilling the Canadian history component of the high school diploma, appears well positioned to respond to these specific Calls to Action, and this project explores the course through the experiences of the teachers leading the learning. The overarching question of this research is “What is it like to teach Mi’kmaw Studies 11, a course that is purposively created as a tool for reconciliation in a settler colonial school system, in a public high school in Nova Scotia?” The methodology for the research is transcendental phenomenology, as described by Moustakas (1994) in his Phenomenological Research Methods. Phenomenology is a study of lived experiences that explore a recollected moment through the descriptive telling of the person whose experience is being studied. This study reflects the lived experiences of six teachers of Mi’kmaw Studies 11. They spoke about course material, pedagogical choices, students, the support (or lack thereof) from administrators, centres for education and the community, and the concepts and actions that come into play when one is teaching about a living culture from (mostly) the outside. Listening to the lived experiences of the six teachers is an opportunity for all the stakeholders involved with education working toward reconciliation to consider what is happening in those classrooms.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Older Adults and Storytelling – a Lifelong Learning Exploration
    (Mount Saint Vincent Univerity, 2024-09) Thompson, Xandie
    We make use of stories every day to express our feelings, to share experiences and traditions, and to help teach others. Across the world, there is a long and diverse history of storytelling, but its power has diminished in the modern and Westernized world. This research focuses on the stories that older adults tell people in their community, within the Halifax Regional Municipality in Nova Scotia. It focuses on people between the ages of 65 and 85. This study highlights the stories that older adults tell and explores what these stories entail, the intention of sharing these stories, where they are told and to whom. This research makes use of storytelling methodology. People are storytelling beings who, individually and socially, live storied lives. Storytelling methodology allows for research to be conducted in more inclusive and diverse ways. Additionally, stories can give us access to complex feelings, behavior, and traditions. The main research question is, what stories do older adults tell to convey their culture to others? Resonant themes include stories as learning opportunities, stories as social connectedness, stories as sharing lived experiences, stories as entertainment, and stories about meaningful things. This research highlights the importance of storytelling as informal learning and the role of older adults in communities.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Exploring Trust Between Parent Influencers and Parent Audiences on Social Media
    (Mount Saint Vincent University, 2024-09) Osei-Essah, Janice
    A trend within the current digital landscape is the rise of social media influencers— individuals who have cultivated significant followings by sharing various forms of content. Among these influencers, parenting influencers have gained notable footing, focusing on discussing topics relevant to parents in the form of parenting advice and support. Influencers achieve this through a blend of sharing and parenting, which describes how parent influencers utilize social media to disclose aspects of their daily lives and parenting experiences while educating their audience. Based on Sztompka’s (1999) framework of trustworthiness, this study explores how parenting influencers establish, maintain and convey trustworthiness on social media platforms with their audiences. Using a digital netnography approach as method and Instagram as platform, the findings of this qualitative study were grouped according to themes related to three dimensions of the framework of trustworthiness. That is, performance (education and credentials; commitment and consistency), reputation (peer -to-peer cross promotion; testimonials) and appearance (relatability and authenticity). Future research can explore trust- building strategies from both the influencer and audience perspectives and across diverse influencer types and platforms to address existing gaps and further enrich the understanding of trust in social media contexts.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Exploring Provincial Government Use of Instagram for Mental Health Outreach and Education Aimed at Youth in New Brunswick, Canada
    (Mount Saint Vincent University, 2024-09) MacMillan, Emma
    Youth mental health in Canada is declining, while their use of social media holds steady. This combination provides an opportunity for provincial governments and Regional Health Authorities to utilize social media for outreach and education regarding mental health aimed at youth. Previous research demonstrates that governments have used social media for healthcare information-sharing, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Studies further demonstrate that social media is a popular choice for youth seeking information about their health. This research comprises a case study exploring how the provincial government and two Regional Health Authorities in New Brunswick, Canada, have used social media for mental health outreach aimed at youth. Applying social exchange theory and social cognitive theory, a content analysis was conducted analyzing the topics and themes of Instagram posts published by the Government of New Brunswick and its two Regional Health Authorities between September 1, 2019, and August 31, 2023. Overall, findings indicate that there was little outreach aimed at youth regarding mental health and that these limited posts focused foremost on sharing support resources and recruiting or featuring staff. Prominent themes included supporting treatment and prevention, building connections, and fostering community. Mental health is an area of public health that merits intentional content from the New Brunswick healthcare system to promote positive mental health and mental health education so as to, in turn, positively influence the quality of life of young New Brunswickers.