Usman, Lantana

Canada implemented Bill C-127 to eliminate sexual assault against wives in 1983, while Ghana criminalized marital rape in 2007. Although Ghana was late in establishing the Domestic Violence Act, which eliminated the idea that husbands can rape wives, there has been little to no legal report of marital rape in Ghana. This study explored the experiences and perceptions on the factors that lead to the justification of marital rape among Ghanaian-Canadian women. The study adopted a qualitative research approach and a descriptive case study design. The general research question was: What factors influence the justification of marital rape as perceived and experienced by Ghanaian-Canadian married women? A purposeful sampling procedure targeted Ghanaian-Canadian women living in Canada. A total of twenty (20) highly educated women participants within the ages of 28-63 were identified. A case study was pursued using semi-structured interviews. Telephone interviews were conducted with all the participants. The methods of data analysis of the interview data involved transcription, categorization, and coding for major themes. Major themes identified as factors that influence the justification of marital rape include the following: lack of confidence in the Ghanaian judicial system, exaggerated ideas of the effectiveness and ruthlessness of the Canadian judicial system in dealing with marital rape, economic instability, and women's immigration status. Hence, one major factor that helped achieve these findings was the comparative approach the participants identified by relating the Ghanaian society to their host country, which helped to examine differing influences of the identified themes. Ethical consideration to confidentiality and anonymity are demonstrated in this thesis with pseudonyms used for the participants in the discussion of the findings. The thesis concludes with vital recommendations such as the need for further research to uncover the factors leading to the justification of rape from diverse religious and non-religious groups and tribes of diverse nationalities living in Canada, and further research to investigate the support services available within Canada’s provinces and their response to domestic violence, especially with women of colour.

The purpose of this project was to facilitate Portfolio-Based Language Assessment (PBLA) implementation in the context of government-funded Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) programs through a documentary analysis of four PBLA guiding documents. There are five chapters in this project: Chapter one provided an introduction to PBLA, significance and background of the project, researcher’s personal location, and purpose of the study. Chapter two shed light on some relevant literature on the topic. Three major themes were discussed which include the history of assessment and the gradual shift from summative to formative assessment in language instruction in recent years; the second theme explained PBLA and its salient benefits for learners while the last theme covered theoretical foundations of PBLA and discussed how principles of Assessment for Learning (AFL), principles of classroom-based instruction, and the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) interact to define classroom instruction and assessment. Chapter three discussed research methodology based on qualitative orientation and documentary research design, which reviewed and analyzed four PBLA guidelines text documents. Chapter four presented a teacher-learner friendly action plan for PBLA implementation in the classroom through two sample teaching units, instructional materials and assessment tasks. Chapter five is the summary, conclusion and researcher’s reflections.

The thesis investigated how conflicting gender ideologies influenced Nigerian-immigrant women's experiences of domestic violence in Canada. Nigeria, the participants' country of heritage, practices patriarchal social stratification while Canada, the country of current residence, has egalitarian structures. Using a qualitative research orientation and non-probability purposive snowballing sampling procedures with ten (10) Nigerian immigrant women to Canada, data collection procedures involved electronic phone interviews. The data analysis process involved transcription, categorization, coding, and theme generation by the researcher. The nine major themes identified that the study participants experiences a change or shift in gender ideologies towards more egalitarian ideologies while some of their partners did not experience the same change, thereby resulting in conflicting gender ideologies that influenced their experiences of domestic violence. The thesis concluded with recommendations for culturally sensitive services that combat domestic violence, and ease adjustment into Canadian communities for the study participants and immigrant women in general.

The goal of this research study was to investigate listening comprehension and demonstrate how a listening comprehension intervention could lead to improvement. This study intended to contribute to the knowledge base of research with elementary-aged students while providing educators with guidance in teaching listening. Two Grade 5 classes comprised of the participant groups; one class served as the intervention group, while the other class served as the control group. This study followed a quantitative research methodology using a quasi-experimental design that included pretesting and posttesting in listening and reading. Statistical analysis using t-tests compared the groups. The findings of this study did not achieve statistical significance but resulted in several educational significances. The implications of this study indicate that the task of designing an age-appropriate course and measuring improvement is challenging. Subsequent research in the area of listening comprehension course development and test development for this age group is recommended.

Widespread displacement of persons domiciled in northeastern Nigeria is one of the most profound aftermaths of the Boko Haram insurgency. This study investigates the challenges of internally displaced persons (IDPs), particularly women and girls, in northeastern Nigeria. The focus is primarily on the United Nations’ (UN) interventions and reintegration policies as the “government of the world,” the implementation of these policies in the Nigerian context, and their effectiveness for women and girls. The study asks the following questions: What are the general and gender-specific challenges of IDPs in northeastern Nigeria? How have the UN intervention and reintegration processes responded to those challenges? How gender-sensitive are the UN’s intervention and reintegration processes for Nigeria’s female IDPs in that part of the country? The researcher applied internationalism and a feminist perspective on human security as the conceptual framework for this study.

This project focused on fostering resilience amongst co-operative higher education students as a necessary skill for success in academia, the workforce, and in life. There are five chapters in this project. Chapter 1 outlines the significance, background, and purpose of the project, as well as my personal location as a researcher. Chapter 2 presents a thematic and study-by-study literature review that explores co-operative education and its models as well as ramifications of student resilience in higher education. The literature review identified major themes of academic, career, stress/emotional, and communication/social resilience common to co-operative higher education students. Chapter 3 discusses the research methods, which were based on an educational qualitative orientation and content and documentary research designs.