Lifelong learning and the reform of the teaching practicum in Australia

This paper reports the findings of a project—‘Lifelong learning and teacher education’—undertaken by the Centre for Lifelong Learning, Australian Catholic University, under the auspices of the Australian Commonwealth Department of Education, Science and Training. The study was designed to investigate the operationalization of lifelong learning in Australian teacher education. The study revealed that there is a range of existing, innovative practices regarding partnerships between schools and higher and further education that are in keeping with emerging ideas about lifelong learning. Moreover, some of these take the form of collaborative action research projects focused on improving the learning occurring in the partnership schools. This paper describes some current approaches in Australia to collaborative action research by teacher educators' and their partnership schools and shows how they contribute to lifelong learning. The approaches are then analyzed to suggest ways of advancing lifelong learning within Australian Education Faculties thus helping to make lifelong learning more of a reality for all.     

International minority ethnic academics at predominantly white institutions

Using critical race theory, this article examines the racial positioning of British international minority ethnic (IME) academics in predominantly White institutions (PWIs). Empirical data, in the form of 28 in-depth interviews with IME academics, is used to analyze the complex raced and gendered positionalities of IME academics in institutions of higher education in the United States. We argue that the institutional contexts of predominantly White universities continue to re-affirm White privilege in ways that reflect the struggles in higher education to diversify faculty at PWIs. As scholars call for more diversity across higher education campuses, we suggest that it is important to understand the interconnections between policy and practice surrounding attempts to recruit and retain IME academics.     

How headmasters perceive their role: A case study in Botswana

This study investigates the extent to which junior secondary school headmasters in Botswana differ in their beliefs about the impact of their activities in instructional supervision, school management, and communications between the school and the community about student achievement. The study reveals that groups of headmasters who differ in these beliefs also differ in the way they view the dynamics of their school. Implications for headmaster selection, headmaster training, and decentralization of educational management are discussed.

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Zusammenfassung Diese Studie untersucht, inwieweit die Auffassungen der Lehrer an der junior secondary school (auf die Sekundarstufe vorbereitende Schule) in Botswana über den Einfluß ihrer Aktivitäten auf Unterrichtsüberwachung, Schulleitung und die Kommunikation zwischen den Schulen und der Gemeinde zu den Leistungen der Schüler voneinander abweichen. Die Studie zeigt auf, daß die Schulleiter, die unterschiedliche Meinungen vertreten auch die Dynamik ihrer Schulen unterschiedlich bewerten. Diskutiert werden auch die Auswirkungen auf die Auswahl von Schulleitern, Fortbildungen für Schulleiter und auf die Dezentralisierung der Bildungsverwaltung.

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Résumé Cette étude examine dans quelle mesure les jeunes directeurs des écoles secondaires du Botswana conçoivent différemment l'impact de leur activité sur l'orientation pédagogique, la gestion scolaire et la manière dont l'école informe la communauté des résultats scolaires. L'étude révèle que certains groupes de directeurs affichant des conceptions divergentes sur ces thèmes diffèrent également dans leur façon de considérer la dynamique de leur école. Il s'ensuit une discussion des conséquences à envisager dans la sélection des directeurs, leur formation et la décentralisation de la gestion scolaire.

     

Altered movement patterns but not muscle recruitment in moderately trained triathletes during running after cycling

Previous studies have shown that cycling can directly influence neuromuscular control during subsequent running in some highly trained triathletes, despite these triathletes' years of practice of the cycle-run transition. The aim of this study was to determine whether cycling has the same direct influence on neuromuscular control during running in moderately trained triathletes. Fifteen moderately trained triathletes participated. Kinematics of the pelvis and lower limbs and recruitment of 11 leg and thigh muscles were compared between a control run (no prior exercise) and a 30 min run that was preceded by a 15 min cycle (transition run). Muscle recruitment was different between control and transition runs in only one of 15 triathletes (<7%). Changes in joint position (mean difference of 3°) were evident in five triathletes, which persisted beyond 5 min of running in one triathlete. Our findings suggest that some moderately trained triathletes have difficulty reproducing their pre-cycling movement patterns for running initially after cycling, but cycling appears to have little influence on running muscle recruitment in moderately trained triathletes.     

Semi‐automating the manual literature search for systematic reviews increases efficiency

Background: To minimise retrieval bias, manual literature searches are a key part of the search process of any systematic review. Considering the need to have accurate information, valid results of the manual literature search are essential to ensure scientific standards; likewise efficient approaches that minimise the amount of personnel time required to conduct a manual literature search are of great interest. Objective: The objective of this project was to determine the validity and efficiency of a new manual search method that utilises the scopus ? database. Methods: We used the traditional manual search approach as the gold standard to determine the validity and efficiency of the proposed scopus method. Outcome measures included completeness of article detection and personnel time involved. Using both methods independently, we compared the results based on accuracy of the results, validity and time spent conducting the search, efficiency. Results: Regarding accuracy, the scopus method identified the same studies as the traditional approach indicating its validity. In terms of efficiency, using scopus led to a time saving of 62.5% compared with the traditional approach (3 h versus 8 h). Conclusions: The scopus method can significantly improve the efficiency of manual searches and thus of systematic reviews.     

The Impact of the Monographs Crisis on the Field of Communication

This study replicates and extends Yates and Chapman's [(2007), Behavioral & Social Sciences Librarian, 26(1), 39–51] study of references from Communication Monographs, Communication Research, and Journal of Communication for the years 2010 and 2015 to draw further conclusions on the use of monographs in journal literature in the field of communication. Results show that the use of monographs in these journals has been outpaced by references to journal articles by a ratio of 5 to 1. The references were further analyzed by date and publisher. The authors then selected a random sample of the monographs cited in the journals to explore the availability of these monographs in electronic format and found that many are available as ebooks, particularly the more recent titles. The authors also examined the references from a collection of scholarly books in communication from 2005, 2010, and 2015 and found that the use of monographs may be declining slightly. The most notable trend in these references was the increase in the number of references to items in other formats such as film, television, comic books, and websites. The authors conclude that the monographs crisis is indeed affecting citation patterns in the field of communication.     

Ambivalent journey: Teacher career paths in Oman

This study investigated the career paths of 625 university graduates who prepared to be secondary school teachers in Oman, their assessment of their current work situation, and the extent to which their initial commitment to teaching was related to their subsequent career satisfaction and intention to remain in teaching. While nearly all graduates entered teaching, their decision was marked by ambivalence. Nearly half of the graduates reported being only somewhat or not at all committed to teaching as a career when they graduated. It also appears that initial commitment to teaching operates as an important lens through which teachers view their subsequent careers. Those initially more committed to teaching were more likely to be satisfied with the progress they made in their career, more likely to think that their current teaching position offered them opportunities for advancement, and more likely to want to remain in teaching than were graduates who had a lower initial commitment to teaching. The authors discuss both the theoretical and practical implications of these findings.     

Preferences of Training Performance Measurement: A Comparative Study of Training Professionals and Non‐training Managers

ABSTRACT This survey‐based study addressed a perceived gap between training performance evaluation practice and decision‐making criteria required in business. Training professionals and non‐training managers in North Carolina were surveyed. The study found that the groups differ in the performance measures that motivate them to act on training issues. Non‐training managers preferred measurements of productivity, organizational climate, product quality, cost, and customer service reports. Training professionals preferred measures of opinions of the trainee's supervisor, end‐of‐training exam scores, progress/work performance reports, and opinions of the trainee. The study concluded that (1) training professionals and non‐training managers react to different training performance measures; (2) training professionals are more likely to react to job/individual‐level performance measures; (3) non‐training managers are more likely to rely on organizational‐level measures; (4) non‐training managers are not primarily concerned with converting training benefits to dollar figures; (5) on‐the‐job tests and customer service reports are valued by both the training profession and business and industry; and (6) the low response suggests a potential lack of interest for the strategic position of the training function.