Date of Award

2007

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Education

Program

Education

Supervisor

Dr. Marianne Larsen

Second Advisor

Dr. Suzanne Majhanovich

Abstract

It is the intent of this thesis to highlight the role of culture on the phenomenon of educational borrowing. This study provides a critical analysis through the lenses of globalization theory and comparative education to determine the relationship among organizational culture, teachers’ values and attitudes about teaching and learning, and pedagogical approaches at a private American school in Egypt. This urban school instructs Egyptian students, employs both North American and Egyptian teachers, and implements an American curriculum. This ethnography included six participants employed at the school where the study was based; two Egyptian teachers, two NorthAmerican teachers, and two administrators. Data collection occurred over one month and included interviews with teachers and administrators, classroom observations of teachers, and various school documents, focusing on similarities and differences between local and foreign hire teachers. In making meaning of this ethnography, I discovered that although foreign and local hire participants shared similar values and attitudes about teaching and learning, the organizational culture which reflected local cultural values, was the strongest influence on teachers’ pedagogical approaches at EAS.

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