Studying Headteachers' Professional Lives: Getting the life history

In order to obtain a better understanding of how headteachers frame their professional lives, a comparative project was set up with a life history approach. A series of open-ended interviews were conducted where headteachers talked about themselves, their work, background, experiences and career. The article focuses on the modes of inquiry used in the study and explores alternative approaches to analysis, especially of content and form. Several methodological issues are discussed, for instance the production of data as an interactive and collaborative process of creating meaning, the central role of the research relations, dialogical analysis and how to move from separate individual stories to an analysis of headteachers' lives across different countries. As the analysis has unfolded, new questions have been posed about the comparative aspect of the project. At the beginning, cross-national similarities and differences were relatively straightforward and were found in the content of interviews. Since then, explorations of the form and structure of the stories have raised more complex juxtapositions. More recently, new questions have begun to emerge, such as about the nature and meanings of 'professional confidence' and its relationship to external accountability in national contexts.     

Reconceptualizing a More Inclusive Faculty Engagement Model: Including and Engaging Part-time Faculty at Community Colleges

ABSTRACT

Because of the importance of faculty engagement to achieve our nationwide student completion goals, this paper comprehensively and critically reviews the conceptualizations of faculty and employee engagement in the extant literature. This review is a means to develop an improved, more inclusive, faculty engagement framework. It is a framework that positions adjunct faculty at community colleges—who have been too often marginalized—as a central group that should also benefit from new engagement models.     

Mentoring and Work Engagement for Female Accounting,Faculty Members in Higher Education

Women have comprised the majority of accounting graduates with bachelor and master degrees since the 1980s and 1990s, respectively, but currently only account for about 30% of doctoral students. Their representation in the accounting professoriate is essentially the same. Supportive strategies, such as mentoring, assist disciplines in which women are under-represented in attracting and retaining them in the work environment. Work engagement is one measure of a person’s commitment to their current employer. Therefore, understanding which aspects of mentoring increase the level of work engagement of those women currently in academia is important and can guide institutions in developing mentoring programs. In my study, I investigated factors that predict work engagement for female accounting professors.     

5·12震后社区中社会工作的专业智慧

社会工作是灾后社会重建的重要内容.上海社工灾后重建服务团在嵌入当地体制的基础上,参鉴社会工作的要素架构和过程模式,在四川省都江堰市开展了较长期的专业服务,协助当地居民较快地从负面消极状态恢复到生活常态.作者认为,灾后社会服务应该更好地领悟"社会工作场境"的内涵,在恪守专业伦理的基础上优化过程技术,并注重效果评估的科学性.在服务过程中,社会工作者应该体现液体角色,在进行实务之余积极进行专业研究,为后续服务打下基础.     

Effective Engagement Strategies for Non-Tenure-Track Faculty in Precollege Mathematics Reform in Community Colleges

The success of efforts to improve student outcomes in precollege mathematics at community colleges hinges on engaging and supporting non-tenure-track faculty [NTTF], who comprise a significant proportion of precollege instructional staff. Although research suggests weak departmental support and barriers and constraints to NTTF engagement, no studies have focused specifically on NTTF in the context of precollege mathematics reform in community colleges. This qualitative case study fills a gap in our understanding through interviews with seven tenure-track faculty [TTF] and 11 NTTF from three departments participating in the Washington State Rethinking Pre-College Mathematics grant. The case study examines the nature and effectiveness of strategies and incentives developed by TTF to engage their NTTF peers in department-led reform of precollege mathematics. Each department was successful in securing NTTF engagement across a broad spectrum, using strategies that included offering perquisites, professional development, and targeted instructional support. The NTTF detailed some changes in their practice, such as diversifying classroom instruction and approaches to assessment. Strategies that successfully initiated engagement (e.g., compensation) differed from those that sustained engagement, with the latter leveraging NTTF interest in growing professionally in order to improve student outcomes and build professional relationships with peers. Findings inform the delivery of NTTF professional development by suggesting that education and training expand beyond the delivery of new content to include relationship building with other faculty. The study's findings also consider NTTF professional development to be a shared responsibility among departments, colleges, systems, and NTTF.     

Student and Faculty Member Engagement in Undergraduate Research

Undergraduate research (UR) is a valued co-curricular activity that has involved an increasing number of students and faculty members in recent years. While there is a growing body of research on student participation in UR, there is less research available examining faculty perceptions of, participation in UR, and how those factors influence student participation in UR. This study examined approximately 110,000 responses to the National Survey of Student Engagement and 40,000 responses to the Faculty Survey of Student Engagement at over 450 four-year institutions. Findings revealed that individual and institutional characteristics predicted student and faculty member involvement and that the majority of faculty members perceived UR to be of importance. Implications for fostering faculty involvement, student success, and viewing UR as an institutional asset are discussed.     

Faculty do Matter: The Role of College Faculty in Student Learning and Engagement

This study uses two national data sets to explore the relationship between faculty practices and student engagement. Our findings suggest that students report higher levels of engagement and learning at institutions where faculty members use active and collaborative learning techniques, engage students in experiences, emphasize higher-order cognitive activities in the classroom, interact with students, challenge students academically, and value enriching educational experiences.     

随迁老人城市适应及社会工作介入——以福州某社区为例

通过对福州市某社区的18位随迁老人的非结构性访谈,了解老人的城市适应状况及其影响因素。在此基础上,对随迁老人进行社会工作介入,并通过回访了解社工介入后老人的感受和收获,发现随迁老人的城市适应得到改善。     

论我国高校教师专业发展及其培训

教师培训是其专业发展的必然要求,教师专业发展是其培训的重要依据。应坚持"以人为本"的发展理念,根据准备期、职初期、稳定期、倦怠期、专家期等不同阶段的教师专业发展特点,通过树立自我发展意识、尝试职前培养、开发校本培训、应对职业倦怠、孕育学术大师等自我实现或学校推动途径来创新教师培训策略,使教师顺利实现专业角色的转型与升级。     

Affiliation and Isolation in the Professional Lives of School Psychologists

In this article, researched exemplary practices related to systems that effectively avoid or limit referrals to special education through strengthening mainstream (heterogeneous) education are examined and updated. Emerging organizational and instructional practices which enable school personnel to meet the needs of a diverse population within heterogeneous classrooms are presented along with consultative roles and recommended behaviors for school personnel.     

Community College Faculty Motivation for Basic Research,Teaching Research,and Professional Development

Community college faculty members often find themselves divided between what they want to do and what they can do. Knowing what motivates faculty to engage in professional development and scholarly productive activities provides critical information for administrators. The present study explored the motivational characteristics of community college faculty and the contextual factors that support or thwart their engagement and productivity. It focused on three key professional activities: (a) basic or applied research, (b) classroom action/teaching research, and (c) faculty professional development. Findings indicate that community college faculty are motivated for all three activities primarily by intrinsic and value-related factors rather than by extrinsic or contextual factors. Further, faculty members present somewhat different motivational profiles for the three work activities. Their motivations also demonstrate responsiveness to workplace characteristics as faculty perceive and interpret them.

These findings provide implications to help college administrators make policy decisions to support the work of faculty and align with institutional mission and goals.     

谈高校辅导员队伍的职业化趋势

从2000年开始,随着中国高等教育规模的迅速扩大,各大学对学生事务管理者的需求迅速扩大,学生事务专业化、专家化的理念逐渐被大多数高校领导者接受。本文通过分析目前高校辅导员队伍建设中的问题,进一步分析高校辅导员队伍的职业化趋势。     

Faculty Learning and Professional Growth in the Sabbatical Leave

Innovative Higher Education - The faculty sabbatical leave has been present in many institutions of higher education since its inception at Harvard University in 1880 but is relatively...     

高校教师职业道德评价泛化与职业身份界定

社会舆论和高校自身对高校师德的评价出现了一种“泛化”倾向。社会舆论把许多高校里出现的、无论是不是教师职业群体身上发生的道德和非道德现象,都归结为“师德”问题。高校的研究者和管理者则倾向于把对高校教师的普遍的、一般的职业道德要求,运用到所有的高校教师个体身上。高校师德泛化的主要原因在于高校这一社会组织的复杂性和高校教师职业身份的模糊。     

A Critical Challenge: The Engagement and Assessment of Contingent,Part-Time Adjunct Faculty Professors in United States Community Colleges

In 2011, according to a National Center for Education Statistics report, part-time instructional staff in all higher education institutions exceeded full-time faculty members for the first time, accounting for 50% of all instructional staff (National Center for Education Statistics [NCES], 2012 National Center for Education Statistics . ( 2012 ). IPEDS, Digest of education statistics, Winter 2011–12, human resources component, fall staff section: Table 286 [data file]. Retrieved from http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d12/tables/dt12_286.asp  [Google Scholar]). The same report indicates part-time faculty in community colleges exceeds 70% of instructional staff. Perhaps more alarming are the numbers of contingent instructional staff—faculty without long-term employment commitments. According to this measure, nearly 70% of faculty members in all areas of higher education have little-to-no job stability (American Association of University Professors [AAUP], 2013 American Association of University Professors (AAUP) . ( 2013 ). Background facts on contingent faculty. Retrieved from http://www.aaup.org/issues/contingency/background-facts  [Google Scholar]; Schuster & Finklestein, 2006 Schuster , J. H. , & Finklestein , M. J. ( 2006 ). The American faculty: The restructuring of academic work and careers . Baltimore , MD : The Johns Hopkins University Press . [Google Scholar]). However, limited research exists on the working experiences of this major subpopulation of United States professors.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the experiences of part-time contingent community college faculty regarding the assessment processes their institutions implemented. Through interviews, researchers gathered data identifying what 20 part-time contingent faculty professors reported regarding teaching conditions and institutional assessment procedures. Participant interviews revealed two major themes centered on a lack of institutional engagement and meaningful assessment policies or procedures.     

美国大学教师的专业能力

美国大学教师专业能力结构是一个多向度、多层次的有机整体。从向度看,美国大学教师专业能力包括教学能力、研究能力和服务能力;从层次看,每一向度又包括基本要求和扩展重点。基本要求是美国大学教师作为一名从业者所具备的标准能力,扩展重点是美国大学教师作为时代引领者必须具备的能力,两者的结合是美国大学教师从岗位胜任走向绩效卓越的必然路径,是美国大学教师专业成熟的标志。     

温州社区居民闲暇生活现状和闲暇教育

本文认为闲暇教育直接影响居民生活质量和素质水平.随着社会经济发展和物质生活水平的提高,闲暇教育开展需要引起人们的重视.作者对温州社区居民闲暇生活现状进行调查分析,并且针对温州社区居民闲暇教育存在的问题,就如何开展温州社区居民闲暇教育提出建议.