‘I’m busy (and competitive)!’ Antecedents of knowledge sharing under pressure

This study considers the dilemma faced by employees every time a colleague requests knowledge: should they share their knowledge? We use adaptive cost theory and self-efficacy theory to examine how individual characteristics (i.e., self-efficacy and trait competitiveness) and situational perceptions (i.e., ‘busyness’ and perceived competition) affect knowledge sharing behaviours. A study was conducted with 403 students who completed a problem-solving exercise and who were permitted (but not required) to respond to requests for knowledge from people who were doing the same activity. Our results suggest that people who perceive significant time pressure are less likely to share knowledge. Trait competitiveness predicted perceived competition. This and low task self-efficacy created a sense of time pressure, which in turn led to people feeling ‘too busy’ to share their knowledge when it was requested. Perceived competition was not directly related to knowledge sharing. Implications for research and practitioners are discussed.     

Home Economics in the Middle Years

This paper discusses learning in Asian kindergarten and primary schools, mainly with reference to China, but also drawing on examples from Taiwan and Singapore. The paper seeks to show that culture and talk are inextricably linked so that the assumption that practice seen in Asian classrooms can readily be translated into English ones may not hold. The paper concludes with the suggestion that we might better learn from Asian classrooms by studying learners' behaviour within our own multi-cultural setting.     

Aptitude,learner control,and adaptive instruction

‘'Learner control'’ refers to the proposal that learners will benefit if given more control over the pace or style of instruction they receive. It is often assumed that providing increased learner control will “accommodate”; individual differences. This article argues that such a view is naive. It is argued that research on learner control will benefit from (a) avoidance of reference to panacea, (b) basic work on a detailed taxonomy of the various forms learner control might take, and (c) a substantial review of related research which, while not labelled “learner control,”; has implications for the educational benefits that can be expected from giving learners control of certain aspects of instruction. Research examples are used to explicate these suggestions. It is concluded that no form of individualization of instruction, including learner control, has yet been shown to erase the relevance of prior individual differences to learning from instruction.     

International Telecommunication

TELECOMMUNICATION ECONOMICS AND INTERNATIONAL REGULATORY POLICY: AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY by Marcellus Snow and Meheroo Jussawalla (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1986—$39.95)

DEREGULATING TELECOMS: COMPETITION AND CONTROL IN THE UNITED STATES, JAPAN AND BRITAIN by Jill Hills (Westport, CT: Quorum Books/Greenwood, 1986—$29.95)

US-JAPAN TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER: ACCOMODATING DIFFERENT INTERESTS by Anthony Green (1986, 128 pp.)

PROGRAMMING THE INVISIBLE HAND: THE COMPUTERIZATION OF KOREA AND TAIWAN by Morris Crawford (1986, 138 pp.)     

Normative Considerations in the Aftermath of Gun Violence in Schools

Gun violence in American and Canadian schools is an ongoing tragedy that goes substantially beyond its roots in the interlocking emotional and behavioral issues of mental health and bullying. In light of the need for effective policy development, Dianne T. Gereluk, J. Kent Donlevy, and Merlin B. Thompson examine gun violence in schools from several relevant perspectives in this article. The authors consider the principle of standard of care as it relates to parents, teachers, and community members in a particular school's context. They posit that normative principles may provide a procedural mechanism appropriate for policymakers and practitioners when contemplating and implementing heightened security measures. Finally, they propose Rawlsian reasonableness as an effective and deliberative democratic process that reduces emotional, reactive responses to school shootings. Through these overlapping concepts, the authors advocate for purposeful discussions regarding gun violence in schools based on the unique pragmatic, educational, social, political, and contextual circumstances of individual schools and their surrounding communities.     

Computerized Adaptive Testing With Different Groups

How does the use of computerized adaptive testing affect the performance of students from different groups? How consistent were the results of computerized adaptive and “conventional” tests? What did the students think about the test experience? What advice do the authors have for test developers and users?     

The Democratic Imperative to Address Sexual Equality Rights in Schools

Issues of sexual orientation elicit ethical debates in schools and society. In jurisdictions where a legal right has not yet been established, one argument commonly rests on whether schools ought to address issues of same‐sex relationships and marriage on the basis of civil equality, or whether such controversial issues ought to remain in the private sphere. Drawing upon an antiperfectionist liberal framework, Dianne Gereluk argues that schools have an obligation to educate students in two important ways. First, students must develop an awareness and understanding of the range of acceptable and permissible ways of life that may lead to human flourishing. Second, students must understand the requisite protections and recognition afforded to individuals in a pluralist society.