Conflict between work and family among New Zealand teachers with dependent children

Changes in family and employment patterns have lead to an increasing need for families to balance work and family roles. Little research has examined work and family conflict among teachers. In the present study, 69 New Zealand teachers completed a survey examining occupational-related demands, family-related demands, work and family conflict, and perceptions of parenting programmes. Occupational task overload, their children's behaviour problems, hours of employment, and work experience increased conflict between work and family. A programme addressing inter-role conflict and managing children's misbehaviour would be of benefit to teachers. Teachers believed organisations should play a role in delivering such programmes.     

Workaholism and work–family conflict among university academics

Because of governance and management changes in universities in recent decades, the working environment of university academics has changed. The objectives of this cross-sectional study were to investigate whether university academics are more workaholic and report more work–family conflicts than other university personnel and to provide empirical knowledge about the antecedents and outcomes of workaholism and work–family conflict among university academics. A questionnaire was used to collect data on job demands, job resources, workaholism and work–family conflict from 2186 university academics and 2551 technical and administrative personnel at 3 universities in Norway. The results show that academic personnel experienced more workaholism and work–family conflict than non-academic personnel. High job demands, especially high role overload, affected both workaholism and work–family conflict. Job resources had a marginal effect on both workaholism and work–family conflict. Workaholism was positively associated with work–family conflict and partly mediated the relationship between role overload and work–family conflict. It is not clear how job demands and workaholism interact with work–family conflict. Nevertheless, paying attention to the risks of workaholism and preventing it at all levels are important, since workaholism is associated with work–family conflict, which may adversely affect the health of the individual, the family and the workplace.     

Factors of Role Conflict among Livestock Extension Professionals in Andhra Pradesh,India

Abstract

To know the factors of role conflict among livestock extension professionals in Andhra Pradesh, India. Study was conducted following ex-post facto research design. Data were collected from 180 respondents through survey questionnaires. The data were subjected to multiple regression and path analyses to know the factors of role conflict. Respondents were experiencing four types of role conflicts, viz., intra-role conflict, intra-sender conflict, inter-role conflict, and conflicting expectations. The 16 independent variables put together explained 59% variation in role conflict. Most of the variation was found to be governed by job experience, physical facilities, trainings undergone, participativeness, work motivation and persistence disposition. Persistence disposition, job satisfaction and work motivation were the channels for indirect effects of other variables on role conflict. If higher levels of role conflict and factors influencing role conflict are not properly coped, it affects the performance in a dysfunctional style. Therefore, an orientation program to newly recruited veterinarians on role conflict and its coping strategies is recommended. The other related implications for animal husbandry department are also discussed. With the knowledge on factors of role conflict, performance of the staff can be improved by addressing the related factors. Therefore, this investigation has a personal, social as well as organizational significance to animal husbandry departments in India.     

Work–family relations among mothers of children with learning disorders

The study examined conflict and facilitation in work–family relations among working mothers of children with learning disorders (LD) or with typical development. The study also focused on three maternal personal resources (maternal anxious/avoidant attachment security, affect and sense of coherence) as antecedents of these work–family relations, and examined outcomes of such conflict and facilitation between the two life domains, as they affected patterns of close relationships within the family (child attachment and family cohesion). The sample included 96 mother–child dyads: 48 mothers and their children with LD; and 48 mothers and their typically developing children. Children’s ages were 8–12 years. All attended public elementary schools in urban areas of central Israel. Significant group differences emerged on mothers’ family to work conflict and on mothers’ work to family facilitation. Findings indicated that several maternal personal resources were antecedents of these relations and also contributed to differences in mother–child attachment relationships and family cohesion. Discussion focused on understanding work–family relations among these mothers of children with LD, as well as the influence of maternal personal resources on patterns of close relationships (i.e., child attachment, family cohesion).     

Work–family conflict among female teachers

Work–family conflict was investigated among 187 Israeli women teachers to better understand relationships between teachers’ professional and family lives. The research examined perceived importance of work and family roles and effects of stress and support variables on W→F and F→W conflict. Additionally, effects of teachers’ years of experience and school level (primary, junior and senior high) on work–family conflict were examined. Cluster analysis revealed that many teachers attributed high importance to both roles and had higher W→F than F→W conflict. Relations between teacher stress and support variables and work–family conflict diverged from patterns found in other occupations. School level and teacher experience contributed to explaining the conflict.     

Tolerance of Infant Distress Among Working Parents: Examining the Roles of Attachment Anxiety and Work–Family Conflict

SYNOPSIS

Objective. Working parents of young children often face work–family conflict, but little is known about the impact of this stressor on distress tolerance in the parenting role. We examined whether work–family conflict is associated with heightened work–family guilt and reduced infant distress tolerance, and we tested whether these effects are strongest among parents high in attachment anxiety. Design. In an experimental study of 233 parents of children ages 1–3 years, parents first reported their attachment anxiety, then were randomly assigned to read a vignette depicting a subtype of work–family conflict—work-interfering-with-family (WIF) conflict—or to an attention control condition. Finally, parents reported their feelings of WIF-guilt and completed an infant distress tolerance paradigm. Results. Attachment anxiety predicted greater WIF-guilt and less distress tolerance cry task persistence and moderated associations between experimental condition and outcomes: Parents with low attachment anxiety reported less WIF-guilt when primed with WIF-conflict than parents with average or high attachment anxiety, and parents with high attachment anxiety displayed less distress tolerance when primed compared to parents with low or average attachment anxiety. Conclusions. Working parents with low attachment anxiety may fare better emotionally in the face of WIF-conflict than their peers with higher attachment anxiety. High attachment anxiety may represent a risk factor for the negative effects of WIF-conflict on distress tolerance in response to infant crying. Future work should explore interventions to support working parents with high attachment anxiety.     

Extension Agents and Conflict Narratives: A Case of Laikipia County,Kenya

Purpose: This work investigated the narratives of development extensionists in relation to natural resource conflict, in order to understand the competing discourses surrounding the wicked problems of natural resource management in Laikipia County, Kenya.

Methodology: Q methodology was used to elicit the conflict narratives present among extension professionals. A concourse of 221 statements were devised from interviews and group discussions with key informants and a final sample of 49 statements was used for the sorting. Thirteen Q-sorts were undertaken with among rural extension professionals from government, non-government, faith-based and private organizations.

Findings: Four factors were elicited from the data, labelled—A: ‘Improved Leadership’; B: ‘Resource-centred conflict’; C: ‘Improved Governance’; and D: ‘Improved Management’.

Practical Implications: Narratives of neo-Malthusianism and pastoral ‘backwardness’ persist among extension professionals in Laikipia, thereby perpetuating the received wisdom of natural resource conflict. However, narratives of the human dimension of conflict are also evident where power, politics and socio-economic inequalities are at the fore of natural resource conflict.

Originality: This work contributes to a growing body of literature interested in the role of extension agents in conflict management. By applying Q methodology, this work has shown that while extension agents are involved in conflict management, their perceptions of these conflicts are subjective and have the potential to exacerbate conflict. Conflict management processes need to explicitly consider the conflicting and overlapping world views of extension agents if they are to act as process facilitators.     

Preparing Minority Adolescents to Blend Work and Family Roles: Increasing Work-Family Conflict Management Self Efficacy

Ethnic identity, information about the world of work, and mastery in specific career skills crucially impact the process of career development among minority adolescents. Identity and conflict management skills also affect one of the major stressors experienced by employees today: the work-family conflict. This paper presents a culturally appropriate career intervention program for increasing Israeli Arab adolescents’ self-efficacy to manage work and family roles, and feedback from 15 participants in a preliminary pilot intervention. The program comprised three units: identity exploration, information, and skill transfer. The intervention was grounded in the career development literature on minorities, on work-family conflict research, and on social cognitive career theory. The proposed strategy also included process variables comprising critical career intervention components. The program is seen as having potential for being implemented in other cultural contexts.     

论中小学教师人际冲突及其调控

中小学教师之间的人际冲突是一种不可避免的组织行为，它对学校组织发展的影响具有两重性，即积极性和消极性。有效地对教师人际冲突进行调控，将人际冲突的消极作用化为积极作用，可以调动和激发教师的积极性和创造精神，高质量、高效率地培养建设人才。     

Stress and Burnout in Teachers

The purpose of this study was to determine causes of, and differences in, stress and burnout in 405 middle, upper, high school and sixth form college teachers in one Local Education Authority in England. Stress and bumout were generally low, but individual, e.g. locus of control, stability of personality; environmental, e.g. too much work, taking extra‐curricular activities, taking work home to do more often; and psychological, e.g. role conflict, role ambiguity; variables correlated with stress and burnout. Multiple regression analyses showed that high anxiety, spending more hours on work at home each time it was taken home and high role conflict collectively predicted stress, and high anxiety and high role conflict collectively predicted bumout. Role conflict, locus of control, stability of personality and anxiety were among the variables that accounted for significant differences in stress and bumout. There were no significant differences between headteachers and subject teachers or men and women on stress or bumout. Results indicated that although individual stress and burnout management is important, elimination of stress and burnout will not be possible without action to reduce/ eliminate environmental Stressors. Further studies could include case studies of a particular school, or studies of stress in students to determine whether it is possible to anticipate who is more likely to experience stress and burnout.     

Role stressors,engagement and work behaviours: a study of higher education professional staff

The study used data provided by 349 professional staff employees from 17 different US higher education institutions to assess aspects of their working conditions that could influence their own work engagement and the work-related behaviours of their colleagues. Relationships among three role stressors (role ambiguity, role conflict and role overload), work engagement, organisational citizenship behaviours, and in-role behaviours were examined using correlation, regression and relative weight analyses. The higher participants’ perceptions of role ambiguity, conflict and overload, the lower were the levels of their own work engagement and organizational citizenship and in-role behaviours of their colleagues. Work engagement partially mediated the relationships between role ambiguity, conflict and overload and both organizational citizenship and in-role behaviours. The analysis indicated that role ambiguity had the strongest relationship with work engagement, organisational citizenship and in-role behaviours, followed by role conflict and then by role overload. Practical implications are discussed and managerial interventions suggested.     

The mediating role of teacher self-efficacy in the relation between teacher–child race mismatch and conflict

The far-reaching impacts of the teacher–child relationship, including academic achievement and social/behavioral adjustment, have been well-documented. At the same time, literature also suggests that teacher perceptions of teacher–child relationships are impacted by the race/ethnicity match or mismatch between teacher and child, with matching related to more positive teacher perceptions. However, limited work has focused on children who are at-risk for emotional and behavioral disorders (EBDs) or tested the mechanisms that mediate the relation between a mismatch in the race and teacher-perceived conflict. Thus, the current study used multilevel structural equation modeling to test whether a higher proportion of race mismatch between children in the classroom with problem behavior and teachers was related to teachers' classroom management self-efficacy and, in turn, teacher-perceived conflict with children among 148 teachers and 354 preschool-aged children. Results indicated that among students most at-risk for EBDs, a higher proportion of race mismatch between teachers and children significantly predicted less teacher classroom management self-efficacy and, in turn, significantly predicted teachers' greater perceived conflict with children. Furthermore, this mediation pathway was significant. Findings highlight the importance of teacher training and support that focused on increasing self-efficacy to improve relationships between teachers and children.     

Conflict avoidance in a university context

This ethnographic study explores patterns of conflict avoidance among university students, professors, administrators and staff. Analysis of their narratives of conflict avoidance suggests that avoidance can be beneficial in some circumstances, depending upon personality issues, cost–benefit analysis, power imbalance, type of work, length of relationship and autonomy.     

个体工作压力源中的角色冲突与其人格的关系

遵循个体差异性原则，在我国组织与工作环境中，探讨个体工作压力源中的角色冲突与其人格特点之间的关系。158名组织员工完成了工作压力源问卷中角色冲突分量表和中国人人格量表。研究结果表明，个体工作压力源中的角色冲突与其人格特点显著相关，不同水平的个体人格特点对其工作压力源中的角色冲突有显著影响。研究结果提示，具有不同人格特点的个体对于相同环境中潜在的角色冲突的经历及其影响是不同的。     

Effect of the kinesthetic conflict on promoting scientific reasoning

The importance of the kinesthetic-cognitive conflict (bodily experience that contradicts cognition) in the development of thinking is rooted in Piaget's theory. This article presents three studies which demonstrate the efficiency of the kinesthetic conflict in promoting the understanding of three scientific concepts among children aged 5–12. The first study examines the effect of the kinesthetic conflict on promoting the concept of length in children aged 4.5–5.5 years; the second study compares the effect of four types of cognitive conflicts—two physical ones (visual and kinesthetic) and two social ones (between peers and between children and adults)—on promoting the concept of balance among children aged 5–6 years; and the third study compares the effect of the kinesthetic conflict with the visual conflict on promoting the concept of speed among sixth graders. In all three studies, the kinesthetic conflict was found to be the most efficient in causing a significant cognitive change. The results support Piaget's theory which determines that scientific thinking begins with the sensomotoric experience of the physical surroundings. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 34: 1083–1099, 1997.     

国有企业员工工作-家庭冲突及其与工作倦怠的关系

为揭示国企员工工作-家庭冲突状况及其与工作倦怠的关系,本文采用工作倦怠问卷、工作-家庭冲突问卷对某集团648名国企员工进行调查。结果表明：男性员工家庭侵扰工作的得分,显著高于女性员工;国企员工的家庭侵扰工作,在性别和职务上存在显著交互作用;工作-家庭冲突与工作倦怠相关,在控制了人口学变量对工作倦怠的影响后,工作-家庭冲突对工作倦怠的具体表现做出了有效预测。实施员工援助计划,可以缓解工作-家庭冲突,预防工作倦怠的发生。     

高校教师组织承诺现状及影响因素研究——以甘肃省普通高等院校为例

本研究随机选取甘肃省3所普通高等院校的教师为被试,探讨领导风格、工作家庭冲突以及情绪智力3因素对高校教师组织承诺的影响。研究发现：仁慈领导和权威领导分别对教师组织承诺有正向和负向的影响;工作一家庭冲突和家庭一工作冲突均对教师组织承诺有负向的影响;教师的情绪智力对组织承诺有正向影响;回归分析得出工作一家庭冲突、仁慈领导、权威领导、教师情绪智力4个变量能够较好地预测教师组织承诺。这一结论对我国高校管理者以及教师本身都有较大的指导意义。     

自我效能感对工作-生活冲突关系的实证研究

随着社会的发展,个体的工作生活冲突问题日益凸显。本研究在工作家庭冲突的理论和实证研究结果的基础上,着重验证了自我效能感这一个体特征对工作生活冲突的主效应以及对工作时间特征与工作生活冲突的关系的调节效应不仅仅局限在工作和家庭两个领域中。采用问卷法调查了202名来自各行各业的员工。层次回归结果显示,自我效能感与工作生活冲突显著负相关,并且对工作时长和工作生活冲突之间的关系起到调节作用。在此基础上,提出了人力资源管理的建议。     

An examination of the relationship among structure,trust, and conflict management styles in virtual teams

The emergence of new technologies has made it increasingly easy for distributed collaboration in both educational and noneducational settings. Although the effectiveness in traditional settings of the dynamics of small group work has been widely researched, there is limited research that offers evidence on how teams can work effectively in a virtual environment. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship among team structure, trust, and conflict management style, in addition to their impact on teamwork effectiveness in a virtual environment. An experimental design was used to assess the effects of structure on team performance. Forty‐four groups, divided into hierarchical and nonhierarchical groups, worked on an online simulation project in an online MBA course. The results suggest that team structure is strongly associated with team performance, whereas trust and a collaboration conflict management style contribute to teamwork satisfaction.     

从霍桑的《红字》看自然人与社会人之间的冲突

以霍桑的《红字》中自然人与社会人的矛盾冲突为线索,从两个层次探讨了作品中主要人物之间的冲突:代表自然人利益的人与代表社会人利益的人之间的冲突;三个主要人物的自然属性与社会属性的冲突。