Doctor of Education Dissertation

Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto

2001

Dr. Rhonda L. Paulsen

This research provides a critical analysis of educational policy in both Hawaii and Canada. Policy development requires an understanding of social, political and historical issues of language and current curriculum development. The data gives institutional policy makers a lens through which to view educational policy and a more comprehensive framework to identify areas that require consideration and revision.

The importance of this research is that it identifies the need for change in policy development and makes recommendations in areas of instruction, evaluation, and cultural and linguistic inclusion in the curriculum. The analysis shows that current policy, particularly with regard to language, is not meeting the needs of a multicultural and multilingual society. The outcome of the research also indicates that there is more evidence needed to support multilingual education, and therefore this is an area from which the field can benefit from further research.