The meaning of “power”

This investigation attempted to (a) determine how individuals in positions of status and authority respond to the concept of power, and (b) develop an instrument that could be used to measure an individual's power orientation. The inquiry represented a preliminary step toward explorations of the theoretical proposition that there is a relationship between power orientation and overt communication behavior. The responses of over 500 individuals in supervisory positions in business, industry, government, and law enforcement to items reflecting thirty‐seven possible “meanings” of power were factor analyzed. The following six power orientations explain much of the variance in the way individuals are oriented toward the concept of powers (a) power as good; (b) power as resource dependency; (c) pofer as instinctive drive; (d) power as political; (e) power as charisma; and (f) power as control and autonomy. A forty‐item Power Orientation Scale was developed to measure these orientations.     

Effective Advising of Diverse Students in Community Colleges

In-depth interviews with 363 students across nine campuses capture the experiences of Latino, African American, Asian, Native American, White and Immigrant students in the California community college system. Four themes emerged with respect to advising and counseling: (a) Differences in the Use of Counseling and Advising; (b) The Importance of the Counseling Relationship; (c) Knowing the System; and (d) Cultural Understanding and Racism.     

THOUGHTS ON THE PAST,PRESENT AND FUTURE

This year marks the 70th anniversarey of the establishment of the David Yellin Teachers College in Beth Hakerem, Jerusalem, a significant event in the story of teacher education and cultural life in Israel. The anniversary celebration coincides with the 120th anniversary of the birth of the founder David Yellin and the 100th anniversary of the birth of professor Ben Zion Dinur, Yellin's associate in the growth and development of the institution.     

Defining appropriate professional behavior for faculty and university students on social networking websites

The vast majority of university students have profiles on social networking sites (e.g., Myspace, Facebook) (Salaway et al. 2008). However, it is yet to be determined what role this rapidly evolving method of communication will play in an academic setting. Data for the current study was collected from 459 university students and 159 university faculty members. Participants’ opinions regarding faculty/student interaction on social networking sties (SNSs) were analyzed. Over one-third of the students and a quarter of the faculty participants reported that it is inappropriate for faculty members to have accounts on SNSs. Significant disagreement existed between the faculty and students, as well as among the faculty and among the students regarding what constitutes appropriate professional professor/student interaction on SNSs.     

The curriculum change process: Participants,strategies, and tactics

This investigation focuses on the participants, strategies, and tactics involved in the curriculum change process in higher education. Using the exploratory case study approach in three accredited graduate schools of business, the study identifies and describes the roles of two groups of participants: internals, (faculty, administration, students), and externals (trustees, alumni, community leaders, unions). Two basic strategies, the empirical rational and the power coercive, are found to be important approaches to curriculum change. A typology of factors is used to describe the specific methods used to implement (or resist) curriculum change. It was expected that the participants, strategies, and tactics involved in the curriculum change process in graduate schools of business would be unique. The findings suggest that strategies and tactics employed in higher education are quite similar to those employed in other organizations with respect to the process of change.     

Size and efficiency

It has been long assumed that it takes some optimum size in order to obtain a sufficient critical mass to have an economy of scale operation, but there has been little substantive study of the topic. This paper looks at the relationship between enrollment and costs at colleges and universities. The question under study is whether large size provides economy of scale for operating. The question, unfortunately, is masked by the complexity of an institution. The manner in which complexity, size, costs, and enrollment interrelate is the substance of this paper. The findings suggest that curricula and complexity have an exceedingly important bearing on per-student costs.Paper presented at the Nineteenth Annual Forum of the Association for Institutional Research, San Diego, California, May 1979.     

Living with children diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorder: parental and professional views

The number of children diagnosed with an autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) is rising and is now thought to be as high as 1:100. While the debate about best treatment continues, the effects of having a child diagnosed with ASD on family life remain relatively unexplored. This article, by Karola Dillenburger of Queens University Belfast, Mickey Keenan of the University of Ulster, Alvin Doherty from the Health Service Executive Western Region, Tony Byrne of Parents' Education as Autism Therapists (PEAT) and Stephen Gallagher of the University of Ulster, sets out to adjust that balance. Drawing upon data from a comprehensive study of parental needs, these authors argue that parental and professional views do not always concur; that families make extraordinary sacrifices; that siblings are affected; and that parents are under tremendous stress. Parents argue that educational and social service supports are not efficient and that they are forced to rely largely on support from within the family or from friends. In particular, some important differences between parental and professional perceptions became apparent in relation to interventions based on Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA). The authors of this article propose that these differences need to be taken seriously by teachers and other professionals as well as by policy-makers.