Terry Wotherspoon

Bio: Terry Wotherspoon is an academic researcher from University of Saskatchewan. The author has contributed to research in topics: Indigenous & Indigenous education. The author has an hindex of 11, co-authored 28 publications receiving 588 citations.

The Sociology of Education in Canada: Critical Perspectives

Abstract: Sociology of Education 2e offers a well-rounded introduction to the sociological understanding of education, analysing key debates and issues with reference to critical research and theories of education. The book includes a sociological analysis of education in Canada, theories of education, historical and organizational dimensions of Canadian education, the politics of teaching, as well as educational opportunity and social reproduction. Throughout the book formal education is presented as a contested and contradictory endeavour that contributes to the reproduction of social inequality at the same time it offers possibilities for social justice and change.

The "Idle No More" Movement: Paradoxes of First Nations Inclusion in the Canadian Context

Abstract: Idle No More, a recent protest movement initiated to draw attention to concerns by Indigenous people and allies about changes in Canada's environment and economic policies, has also raised awareness about social and economic conditions experienced by much of Canada's Indigenous population. While discourses and policies oriented to social inclusion are not as prominent in Canada as in Europe and several other contexts, these conditions and the strategies adopted by governments to address them are consistent with narrowly-framed inclusion policies. We provide an overview of what these conditions represent and how they have come to be framed in the context of the Idle No More movement. However, we extend our analysis to understand how the Idle No More movement and discourses of inclusion and exclusion alike have often been framed in ways that further limit solutions to the problems that they are oriented to resolve by stigmatizing and distancing Indigenous people, especially when they ignore or undermine distinct Indigenous rights and the foundations of formal Aboriginal status. We draw upon Indigenous concepts of justice and critical analyses of power relations in order to explore the contradictory locations and experiences associated with Indigenous inclusion in the Canadian context. We conclude by exploring the movement's contributions to broadened conceptions of inclusion that build upon alternative conceptions of socioeconomic participation and success.

The Business of Placing Canadian Children and Youth "At-Risk"

Abstract: This article examines discourses and practices associated with designating some children and youth as being “at-risk” of academic and social failure in and out of school. To respond effectively to “at-risk” learners requires a refocusing of policy and research, an informed political and administrative will, effective use of sufficient resources, and systematic co- ordination of existing knowledge bases. We explore effective strategies based on a social justice vision of schooling and child development, arguing for an integrated understanding of and approach to child and youth-related activities and initiatives across school, community, socio-structural, and public policy spheres. L’article traite des discours et des pratiques associes au fait de designer certains enfants et jeunes comme des personnes « a risque » a l’ecole et dans la societe. Si l’on veut repondre aux besoins des apprenants « a risque », il faut une reorientation des politiques et des recherches, une volonte politique eclairee, des ressources suffisantes judicieusement utilisees et une coordination systematique des bases de connaissances existantes. Les auteurs explorent des strategies efficaces fondees sur une vision de l’education et du developpement de l’enfant axee sur la justice sociale. Ils pronent une approche integree des activites et des initiatives a l’ecole, dans la collectivite, dans les spheres sociostructurelles et en matiere de politiques publiques.

International student mobility and highly skilled migration: a comparative study of Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom

Abstract: Against the backdrop of demographic change and economic reconfiguration, recruiting international students, especially those at tertiary level, has drawn growing attention from advanced economies as part of a broad strategy to manage highly skilled migration. This comparative study focuses on three English speaking countries receiving international students: Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom. International student policies, in particular entry and immigration regulations, and the trends in student mobility since the late 1990s are examined drawing on secondary data. By exploring the issue from the political economy perspectives, this study identifies distinct national strategies for managing student mobility, determines key factors shaping the environment of student migration in each nation, and addresses the deficiency of human capital theory in the analysis of global competition for high skills.

Hofstede’s Model of National Cultural Differences and their Consequences: A Triumph of Faith - a Failure of Analysis

Abstract: Geert Hofstede’s legendary national culture research is critiqued. Crucial assumptions which underlie his claim to have uncovered the secrets of entire national cultures are described and challenged. The plausibility of systematically causal national cultures is questioned.

Teachers and Texts: A Political Economy of Class and Gender Relations in Education

Abstract: Introduction 1.The Politics of Teachers and Texts. Teachers 2. Controlling the Work of Teachers 3. Teaching and 'Women's Work'. Texts 4. The Culture and Commerce of the Textbook. 5. Old Humanists and New Curricula. 6. Educational Reports and Economic Realities. 7. Is the New Technology Part of the Solution or Part of the Problem in Education? Conclusion 8. Supporting Democracy in Education.