Show me the money: The use of ROI in performance improvement,part 1

This first of a two‐part series presents the evolution of value, moving from activity‐focused value to the ultimate value, return on investment (ROI). This feature clearly shows that the ROI methodology is not only appropriate for the performance improvement field, but is designed with a variety of performance improvement solutions in mind. The next article in this series will describe issues and challenges that those using this methodology face, along with a brief case study.     

Students’ Argumentation Skills across Two Socio-Scientific Issues in a Confucian Classroom: Is transfer possible?

This paper argues the possible simultaneous development and transfer of students' argumentation skills from one socio-scientific issue to another in a Confucian classroom. In Malaysia, the Chinese vernacular schools follow a strict Confucian philosophy in the teaching and learning process. The teacher talks and the students listen. This case study explored the transfer of argumentation skills across two socio-scientific issues in such a Form 2 (8th grade) classroom. An instructional support to complement the syllabus was utilised. The teaching approach in the instructional support was more constructivist in nature and designed to introduce argumentation skills which is uncommon in a Confucian classroom. The two socio-scientific issues were genetically modified foods and deforestation. This paper presents a part of the bigger case study that was conducted. Data collected from written arguments were analysed using an analytical framework built upon Toulmin's ideas. The whole class analysis indicated progression in students' argumentation skills in their ability to give more valid grounds and rebuttals during the transfer. The individual analysis suggests progression in the majority of students' performance, while several students demonstrated non-progression when they faced a different socio-scientific issue.     

Environmental education technologies in a social void: the case of ‘Greendrive’

This article is based on a case study that follows the trajectory of a technological device aimed at environmental education from the engineering laboratory in which it was designed into the contexts in which it is used. ‘Greendrive’ is a driving simulator that accurately reproduces the performance of a vehicle in terms of fuel consumption and greenhouse gases emissions, in order to instill the principles of safe and environmentally friendly driving. The text is divided into three parts. The first part introduces the issue of transport behavior as one of the causes of climate change and the role of eco-driving in reducing emissions. The second part describes how a team of Portuguese engineering researchers developed the driving simulator and how a local authority and a consulting and training company are using it. Finally, the discussion part aims to show that despite the intentions of its creators and their clients, the driving simulator is unlikely, by itself, to generate changes in behavior. An information-deficit approach to environmental education that fails to consider the social embeddedness of human action and disregards the engagement of citizens has a very limited chance of success.     

A Case Study of a Failed Organization Development Intervention Rooted in the Employee Survey Process

This case study illustrates some of the problems of naive over-reliance on employee surveys as part of the organization development process, and makes recommendations to practitioners for effectively managing a theoretically sound approach to their performance improvement work. In addition, this case provides a close-up view of an inexperienced consultant and the distractions that resulted in a failed intervention.     

“Relocating the Personal” to engender critically reflective practice in pre-service literacy teachers

This case study mapped candidates' responses to a pre-service literacy course designed to relocate teacher candidates' literacy histories and beliefs from a personal to political frame with the intent of promoting critical reflection and complex understandings of literacy, teaching, and learning. As part of a broader qualitative case study including 71 participants over 8 months, this paper focuses on data gathered from 7 candidates. Through a modified constant comparative method, the analysis confirmed the effectiveness of certain conditions created in the course while pointing to a need for further attention to issues of power and the unconscious in learning to teach literacy.     

Performance Appraisal System Impact on University Academic Staff Job Satisfaction and Productivity

The University of Zimbabwe (UZ) introduced a performance appraisal system (PAS) designed to improve performance indicators across the board in Public Service including academic/faculty staff at the University of Zimbabwe as part of a nation wide strategy. The Public service is a body responsible for all civil workers including academic staff, whose responsibility is to lecture to students, provide university to the community and conduct research activities. The objective of the study was to evaluate the impact of five years of PAS on productivity and job satisfaction of academic staff. A random sample of academic staff was studied using questionnaires and interviews. Job satisfaction and some indices of productivity decreased by half following introduction of PAS. A possible contributory factor for the decline in job satisfaction was that PAS was introduced without adequate preparation and when the socio‐cultural environment was not conducive to its implementation. This study underpins the importance of community ownership of interventions targeted at performance management improvement prior to their implementation.     

Can student teachers acquire core skills for teaching from part‐time employment?

Part‐time employment among university students has become commonplace internationally. Research has largely focused on the impact of part‐time employment on academic performance. This research takes an original approach in that it poses the question whether students can acquire core skills relevant to teaching from their part‐time employment. The research was conducted in a university college of education. A case study approach was adopted using an opportunistic sample of 285 students drawn from two BEd programmes. The project is based on an interpretive paradigm, focusing on students’ perceptions of their part‐time employment. The research methodology included a questionnaire containing both closed and open questions, a follow‐up focus group discussion and two case histories. The results showed that the majority of students believed that they had acquired core skills from their part‐time employment. The findings of this research raise important issues about how university courses can effectively build on such learning experiences.     

The value of adaptivity based on cognitive style: an empirical study

Adaptive Hypermedia Systems can be developed to accommodate a variety of individual differences, including learning style and cognitive style. This study investigates the hypothesis that adaptive hypermedia accommodating cognitive styles can be beneficial for the observed learning outcomes. A prototype system, designed to be adapted to individual cognitive styles, was developed as a case study. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of the prototype system, an empirical study was conducted. This paper presents the results of the summative evaluation of the system. Statistical analyses indicated that students in the experimental group performed significantly better than students in a control group. These findings indicate that student performance is mainly affected by adaptivity based on individual cognitive styles.     

Using case studies in business education to promote networked thinking: findings of an intervention study

Case studies are central to the way management is currently taught at universities. Among other benefits attributed to the case study method is that it promotes networked thinking by learners. Networked thinking takes account of interactions and repercussions, making it crucial to decision-making within the complex system of rules that shapes current business reality. However, there is virtually no empirical evidence of the extent to which the case study method actually delivers the advantages attributed to it. This paper aims to remedy that gap in the literature. The paper considers the extent to which the case study method promotes networked thinking on the part of students on business and management courses. The research is designed as an intervention study involving pre- and post-testing. The study finds that students who have worked on a case study correctly identify more interactions in post-testing than in pre-testing.     

About cooperative engineering: theory and emblematic examples

In this article we focus on ‘cooperative engineering’, in which teachers and researchers co-design didactic sequences. In the first part of the article, we present cooperative engineering by describing some of the main principles on which it is grounded. The second part is dedicated to a case study, which enables us to illustrate some elements of the collective work in a specific cooperative design in kindergarten. The designed learning game, the ‘Treasure Game’, aimed to assist kindergarten students to build a system of graphical representations, which was implemented in a series of phases in which students were asked to memorise a series of items with increasing levels of difficulty. The game demonstrated the students’ growing competence in recalling items using strategies such as making lists and working collaboratively to collectively recall items through a ‘treasure box’. In the third part of the article, we show how this case study embodies some of the main principles put forward in the first part.     

Design and evaluation of a development portfolio: how to improve students’ self-directed learning skills

In on-demand education, students often experience problems with directing their own learning processes. A Structured Task Evaluation and Planning Portfolio (STEPP) was designed to help students develop 3 basic self-directed learning skills: Assessing the quality of own performance, formulating learning needs, and selecting future learning tasks. A case study with 10 first-year students in the domain of hairdressing was conducted to evaluate STEPP’s use, usability, and perceived effectiveness. Results from student interviews show that usability and use are influenced by several factors. Students with low prior hairdressing skills, a weakly developed personal approach to direct their own learning, and an inclination to update STEPP as part of their weekly routine, use STEPP more frequently than students without these characteristics. Both the supervisor and students who frequently used STEPP perceived its use as a positive contribution to the development of self-directed learning skills. Furthermore, this study provides guidelines for the design of development portfolios in on-demand education.     

Practices and Innovations in Australian Science Teacher Education Programs

This paper reports part of a larger study which was designed to investigate current practices in initial teacher education programs in Australia. The main data collection was by telephone interviews, which were carried out with science education specialists and program coordinators at all institutions which offer primary teacher education or secondary science teacher education. The interviews focused on practices in relation to program structures, science content studies, science methods studies and links to science-related school projects or to science business/industry. A large number of innovative practices were described. In addition, several case studies were carried out, which focused on particular innovations. The study identified several aspects of science teacher education which were of concern.     

On Enhancing Teachers' Knowledge by Constructing Cases in Classrooms

This study was designed to enhance teachers' knowledge by constructing cases as part of a school-based professional development project in Taiwan. Cases, involving episodes and issues from real classroom events, were constructed collaboratively by a school-based team consisting of the researcher and four classroom teachers. The process of constructing cases, characterization of teachers' understanding of cases, and their skills for case writing were developed in the course of the study. In the process of constructing these cases, teachers improved their awareness of and their competence in dealing with the difficulties students encountered in the learning of mathematics; they enhanced their pedagogical content knowledge and their ability to reflect on classroom practices.     

Beyond physics: A case for far transfer

This is a case study of a physics undergraduate who claimed that he “uses physics to understand other subjects.” This statement suggested that this student could describe issues concerning the transfer of learning and especially instances of far transfer. Detailed instances of far transfer have been difficult to replicate in lab settings. Therefore, three interviews were designed to investigate this student’s claims about using physics to understand other subjects as a means to better understand far transfer processes. Transfer in this case study is defined as the personal construction of relations of similarity. Furthermore, I operationalize this definition of transfer via 12 aspects of transfer derived from the work of several contemporary researchers who study the transfer of learning. As part of this case study I also investigate the subject’s motivation for engaging in far transfer. Directions for future research are discussed which includes the need to study the role of personal epistemology in far transfer as well as a larger investigation of students who transfer broadly across school subjects.     

Professional development within the Effective Early Learning Programme: a contribution to a participatory and context-sensitive approach to ECEC evaluation

This paper aims to describe and analyse a case study on professional development that was centred on the Effective Early Learning (EEL) Programme. This process was a part of a larger dissemination project of the EEL programme nationwide, designed to train specialised facilitators at a local level who could, in turn, support the professional development of their peers. From a theoretical stance, it focuses on a democratic and participatory approach to the evaluation and development of quality in ECEC contexts. The study involved the participation of 12 pre-school teachers and a specialised trainer. Results show perceived effects of the process of staff development on professional learning at the level of observation skills, reflection-on-action and critical insertion. Also, the participants recognised that experimentation in practice contexts and shared reflection were the most meaningful and facilitative strategies in their learning.     

Applications of blogging in problem based learning

The context of the study presented in this paper is a sixth-semester undergraduate course on “Relational database management system” that was held in session 2009–2010. The course is part of the bachelor’s degree curriculum of Computer Science and Engineering branch at Punjab Technical University, Punjab, India. It consists of a lecture course and a concurrent lab course. The common approach has been to divide the course into lectures, tutorials, and practicals. To conduct practical sessions, lab plan is prepared beforehand by the faculty. The course duration is 14–16 weeks. Here the lab course was conducted in a blended learning mode, starting with syllabus related tasks, then subject specific projects, and presenting team project results. Problem based learning (PBL) and Blogging have been introduced for practical sessions. This paper describes this novel approach in which problems are designed to cover the syllabus topics, and blogging is used to bridge the communication gap. A significant difference was seen between performance and attitude of the treatment group (PBL with blogging) and control group (only PBL) for Lab sessions. Additionally teamwork and communication skills were also significantly improved in the case of PBL with blogging class.     

Models of Personal Development Planning: practice and processes

This article presents an analysis of case study data from a project evaluating Personal Development Planning (PDP) at a large post‐1992 university in England. The study was undertaken as part of a strategy of encouraging schools to build on existing experience while at the same time ensuring consistency with new national guidelines for the implementation of PDP across the whole sector. The aim of the research was to understand the models already available for supporting and developing PDP, and the views of different stakeholders about the place of PDP in the curriculum. The research was designed to engage with teacher beliefs in order to provide models of practice that could inform innovation. The study was based on interviews with staff and data were analysed on the basis of clusters of features to create models of different practices and approaches. Three ideal types of PDP emerged: professional, employment and academic. Each of the modes was associated with particular disciplinary domains, although none of them existed in pure form. The data suggest that pedagogic identities based on introjection and strong boundary maintenance displayed greater tension in relation to PDP than those areas already constructed on projection. UK moves towards PDP are part of an international trend. The great advantage of case study data, however, is that they allow insight into the dynamics of implementation at the local level and in this case the potential of generic initiatives based on projection to destabilise aspects of academic identity. New initiatives are more likely to succeed if they engage positively with teacher beliefs rather than being posed in contra‐distinction to them; the first step, however, is to understand and theorise them.     

促对话，重探究： UBC研讨式课程的教学设计与策略分析

课程学习是研究生教育阶段学生培养的重要环节。以加拿大不列颠哥伦比亚大学教育学院一门研究生研讨式课程作为对象,综合运用案例研究、教学观察等方法,深入剖析研讨式课程的理论基础、教学设计和实践策略。研究发现,基于对话教学观和建构主义知识观所设计的研讨式课程,有利于打破以往研究生教学中教师唱独角戏、学习者主体缺失和沉默的课堂等魔咒,形成既有教学计划又有对话自由的课堂。在具体的教学实践中,综合运用积极学习教学法,还能更好地促进学生的投入与探究性学习。这对我国研究生课程建设的政策变革和课堂教学的实践探索有一定的启示意义。     

Using web‐based activities to enhance writing in science: The dynamic earth project

Abstract

Content, literacy development, and technology use are being integrated as tools for learning. As part of this process, K‐12 educators and teacher preparation faculty have been trying to come to grips with what preservice teachers should know and be able to do regarding this integration. The university/school partnership in this case study sheds light on how content area standards, literacy, and technology standards can be addressed and taught in a project carried out in cyberspace. This case study investigated how literacy strategies embedded in a Web‐based project enhanced the writing performance of students in a middle school science classroom. After choosing a topic and researching, analyzing, and synthesizing the information, the students wrote essays on the earth's surface. Results of this case study suggest that Web‐based activities did have an effect on students’ performance as they became engaged in a cyber‐context to construct meaning.     

A Comparative Study of Positive and Negative Modeling in Counselor Training

Modeling procedures have come to play a major role in counselor training. A substantial body of literature has accumulated in support of the use of modeling in counselor training. Relatively little attention has been paid to the use of negative models in the training process. This is due, at least in part, to the hypothesis that negative models inevitably interfere with the acquisition of positive performance behaviors. This study was designed to directly compare the effects of positive and negative models in counselor training. Results suggest that negative modeling can produce training outcomes similar to those achieved by positive models. Further investigation of the role of negative modeling in counselor training is recommended. Several specific directions for continuing research are suggested.