The construction of community in two ethno-culturally diverse educational settings, one Catholic and one public

grantor: University of TorontoThe purpose of this thesis is to explore the construction of community in two ethno-culturally diverse educational settings: one Catholic and one public. A qualitative approach was employed using a combination of structured interviews with selected members from each school and general observations as the basis for data collection. The schools were examined to see in what ways their organizational structures, curriculum, pedagogical practices, evaluation methods and the peri-curriculum exhibited characteristics associated with Tonnies' community of place, friendship and mind and with the neo-liberal, communitarian and critical socio-political perspectives used in this analysis. Although both schools faced similar challenges and employed similar means of promoting community-building, the effects of their actions did not always result in similar outcomes. The experience of these two secondary schools illustrates that perhaps no "ideal" or pure neo-liberal, communitarian or critical community may exist, but instead, secondary schools may exhibit different aspects of these types of communities in varying degrees. As a result, each school creates its own unique type of community. Evidence from both schools reveals that in diverse educational settings, a critical community of mind may be the most effective and socially just community for arousing a spirit of association, as well as for preparing students and teachers to live and work in a highly competitive, diverse and sophisticated society. However, a critical community of mind challenges current practices and proposed reforms by broadening the purpose of schooling such that it expands people's minds about the human experience, develops critical thinking and engages students in the larger questions of the day.Ph.D