New Routes to the PhD: Cause for Concern?

Recent developments suggest that the PhD is at a turning point. Professional groups have criticised the so‐called ‘traditional PhD’. New routes to the PhD are proposed by several bodies and endorsed by one funding council. In light of these developments, it is appropriate to ask what the implications are for the PhD and for the academy. A focus group was used to gather student responses to these developments. The findings show qualified support: students agree that the PhD should cater for different careers but challenge what they see as a simplistic channelling of PhD routes. This paper demonstrates apparent consensus on the need for change in the PhD and reveals movement beyond reconceptualisation towards reconstruction. However, we argue that there is cause for concern in the lack of attention paid to student views and the continuing neglect of quality issues in the PhD.     

Absent from School: Educational Policy and Comprehensive Reform

State and federal policy constitutes a significant component of the educational environment. School leaders stand at the intersection of policy and practice in attempting to implement systemic school reform. This report begins with a brief overview of (1) recent federal policy alignment initiatives, (2) the Comprehensive School Reform Demonstration (CSRD) grants program, and (3) the general policy environment in North Carolina. We then draw on evaluation data from North Carolina schools receiving CSRD grants to suggest that initial school efforts are marked by two significant absences, chiefly, the absence of comprehensive design perspectives to guide improvement efforts and the absence of critical analysis during application of improvement models. We close by offering suggestions for school leaders engaged in systemic reform efforts.     

Teaching Practices Grounded in Foundational Knowledge,Visions, and Contexts

Drawing on our experiences as teacher educators in two programs designed specifically to prepare teachers for particular contexts, this article illustrates how we design our courses to help new teachers link foundational understandings to specific teaching practices in particular school and classroom contexts. We describe our integrated approach, in which candidates learn theory and practice simultaneously, breaking down the dichotomies of theory and practice while connecting to specific contexts or settings and understanding the relationship of practices to visions of good teaching.     

Counter-conduct in creative university research: deliberations on freedom

This article describes how a political assemblage currently at work in higher education is re-articulating academic subjectivities. This assemblage draws together entrepreneurial and humanist concepts of creativity into an intellectual resource that can change national economies. Academics are urged to use their creativity to counteract the narrowing funding base of the university. The article first introduces a history of the concept of creativity and explains how governmental agendas for creative industry and creativity in education emerged. Second, it describes a practice-based research project that grapples with the difficulties of knowledge transfer between the ‘creative’ and ‘social science’ academic disciplines. This raises questions about creative knowledge and reveals some ethical tensions in the performance of academic research. The research project is then positioned as a ‘counter-conduct’, used to short-circuit the procedures implemented for the conduct of creative research in the creative, entrepreneurial university.     

Career counselling for the 21st Century -- integrating theory and practice

This article describes the development of a model of career counselling that will be responsive to the nature of career in the 21st Century. It begins by providing a commentary on the relationship between theory and the practice of career counselling, from the early 1900's to the present day. Drawing from contemporary research and theorizing, the article argues for an integrated approach to theory and practice. A framework that integrates developmental perspectives on career learning and client-centred career counselling is proposed. The ontological, epistemological and methodological characteristics of the framework are considered. The development of a constructivist, hermeneutic model of career counselling is then described and demonstrated.     

An empirical investigation of the management practices and the development of electronic commerce in Mauritius

Electronic Commerce (EC) is expected to change dramatically the way that organisations operate. Businesses invest in Information Technology and prepare their infrastructure so that they can support EC applications. The potential of EC however, is not confined to individual companies but extends to whole nations. Governments are considered as a key stakeholder in the successful development of EC and their commitment and support must be ensured. This paper reports on a survey of 33 IS and business managers in Mauritius and discusses the management practices, applications, problems and technological situation with respect to EC development in this country. This Indian Ocean island state aims at developing and maintaining its competitive advantage through EC, thus becoming a centre in its region. The findings of this paper are useful for both researchers and practitioners as they provide an insight to critical EC management issues, which concern both individual organisations and policy makers. Furthermore the results of this study can be used as a vehicle for EC development evaluation at an organisational as well as at a national level.     

Leg muscle recruitment in highly trained cyclists

In this study, we examined patterns of leg muscle recruitment and co-activation, and the relationship between muscle recruitment and cadence, in highly trained cyclists. Electromyographic (EMG) activity of the tibialis anterior, tibialis posterior, peroneus longus, gastrocnemius lateralis and soleus was recorded using intramuscular electrodes, at individual preferred cadence, 57.5, 77.5 and 92.5 rev . min(-1). The influence of electrode type and location on recorded EMG was also investigated using surface and dual intramuscular recordings. Muscle recruitment patterns varied from those previously reported, but there was little variation in muscle recruitment between these highly trained cyclists. The tibialis posterior, peroneus longus and soleus were recruited in a single, short burst of activity during the downstroke. The tibialis anterior and gastrocnemius lateralis were recruited in a biphasic and alternating manner. Contrary to existing hypotheses, our results indicate little co-activation between the tibialis posterior and peroneus longus. Peak EMG amplitude increased linearly with cadence and did not decrease at individual preferred cadence. There was little variation in patterns of muscle recruitment or co-activation with changes in cadence. Intramuscular electrode location had little influence on recorded EMG. There were significant differences between surface and intramuscular recordings from the tibialis anterior and gastrocnemius lateralis, which may explain differences between our findings and those of previous studies.