An Effective and Critical History of Canada’s National Standardized

Testing Program:

A Thesis

Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

for the Degree of

Doctor of Philosophy

in

Educational Psychology

University of Regina

by

Margaret Anne Dagenais

Regina, Saskatchewan

March 31, 2011

© 2011 M.A. Dagenais

UNIVERSITY OF REGINA

FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES AND RESEARCH

SUPERVISORY AND EXAMINING COMMITTEE

Ms. Margaret Anne Dagenais, candidate for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Education, has presented a thesis titled, An Effective and Critical History of Canada’s National Standardized Testing Program, in an oral examination held on March 31, 2011. The following committee members have found the thesis acceptable in form and content, and that the candidate demonstrated satisfactory knowledge of the subject material. External Examiner: *Dr. Louis Volante, Brock University

Supervisor: Dr. Heather Ryan, Faculty of Education, Educational Psychology

Committee Member: Dr. Douglas Brown, Faculty of Education, Curriculum & Instruction

Committee Member: Dr. Paul Hart, Faculty of Education, Curriculum & Instruction

Committee Member: Dr. Mhairi Maeers, Faculty of Education, Curriculum & Instruction

Committee Member: Dr. Morina Rennie, Faculty of Business Administration

Chair of Defense: Dr. Neil Ashton, Department of Physics *Video Conference

i

Abstract

This dissertation explores Canada‟s national large-scale testing program, the

School Achievement Indicators Program (SAIP) and its successor, the Pan-Canadian

Assessment Program (PCAP) using a methodology built on Foucault‟s theoretical

concepts. The product of the research is a critical and effective history of the production

of SAIP/PCAP within the Canadian social, political, and economic context. The study

considers the work of Canadian scholars and commentators working in the field of large-

scale testing and the work of those working in aspects of education that are proximal to

the field of interest. The research recognizes the key role of the investigator, the critical

importance of investigator‟s proximity to the field, her struggles within the field; and it

also recognizes the need of the investigator to step away from the obligation to argue a

particular perspective. The study also explores standardized testing regimes operating in

England and the United States as well as international testing programs to gather the

effects of these correlative spaces on the Canadian experience. The outcomes of the

research include the production of an understanding of how large-scale standardized

testing was produced in Canada, its resultant effects of harmonization on curriculum, and

the identification of possible research sites for further inquiry.

ii

Acknowledgements

It is my pleasure to thank those who made my thesis possible. I would like to

acknowledge the support and encouragement that I received from my family, friends, and

colleagues. I would also like to recognize the moral support and guidance provided by my

mentor and supervisor, Dr. Heather Ryan. My committee members - Drs. Doug Brown,

Paul Hart, Vi Maeers, and Morina Rennie - offered invaluable feedback and support

throughout the writing process.

Margaret Dagenais

iii

Dedication

This dissertation is dedicated to the memory of my Father, Henry Abraham Friesen. My

Father was my role model. His life was dedicated to research and inquiry, serving his

community, and creating a loving and caring home at a time of crisis and adversity.

iv

Table of Contents

Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... i

Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................ ii

Dedication ..................................................................................................................................... iii

CHAPTER ONE

Background and Introduction to an Effective History of Canada‟s National Standardized

Testing Program ........................................................................................................................... 1

Overview ............................................................................................................................ 1

The Research Space ......................................................................................................... 10

Why This Study and Why Now? ..................................................................................... 19

Purpose ............................................................................................................................. 22

Research Questions .......................................................................................................... 23

Methodology .................................................................................................................... 24

Method ............................................................................................................................. 28

Assumptions ..................................................................................................................... 30

Limitations ....................................................................................................................... 31

CHAPTER TWO

The Voice of the Self: An Ontological Perspective .................................................................... 34

Las Meninas: A Contemplation ...................................................................................... 36

The Gap ............................................................................................................................ 37

A Synthesis of Possibilities .................................................................................. 42

The Self as a Field of Knowledge .................................................................................... 42

Memory ................................................................................................................ 44

Method ................................................................................................................. 47

Meditation ............................................................................................................ 50

Synthesis .......................................................................................................................... 52