The impetus for organisational change: An exploration

Abstract

This paper examines the factors that cause universities to undertake academic change, specifically, changes to achieve more effective teaching and learning. Based on an analysis of 30 reform‐oriented US colleges and universities, it suggests that universities respond to diverse environmental pressures, not solely to external mandates. There is evidence, too, that internal forces within universities can be an impetus for change.     

CSE and the 16+: Teachers' Views

During the interview ‘Mary’ – who had last year been a school pupil and this year is a first‐year undergraduate on the new degree in Education (with Teaching Certificate) – talked at some length, and with considerable feeling, about how her main frustration as a female pupil had been what she saw as her systematic disenfranchisement from influence over the content and process of the schools' curricula which she had pursued over the previous thirteen years. Although she felt that all pupils suffered this lack of influence she was convinced that girls suffered disproportionately. [Some time later in the interview], when talking about the ‘teaching practice’ she had recently completed, ‘Mary’ described how her ‘music and movement’ work had met with ‘loud and disruptive’ reaction from some of the boys in the mixed class of 7–8 year‐olds, even though the majority of the children had clearly enjoyed and been engaged by the scheme she had designed. Faced with this rejection, and experiencing some anxiety about how the teachers and her tutor would assess her potential as a future teacher if she was not seen to be exercising what they would count as ‘good control’ of the class, ‘Mary’ resolved her ‘problem’ by designing an alternative scheme which the few boys would not (and did not) reject. Although the girls had ‘subsequently shown less interest’, their quiet acquiescence to what she offered them reduced her anxiety about her assessment as a teacher. When she related her pupil experience to her teaching practice experience ‘Mary’ was dismayed to realise that she had ‘reproduced for others precisely that frustration which [she herself] had experienced as a pupil’.

Extract from author's notes when evaluating a new pre‐service degree course, June 1983.     

Intention to Commit Online Music Piracy and Its Antecedents: An Empirical Investigation

Online piracy of copyrighted digital music has become rampant as Internet bandwidth and digital compression technologies have advanced. The music industry has suffered significant financial losses and has responded with lawsuits, although online music piracy remains prevalent. This article developed a research model to study the determinants of individual intentions to commit online music piracy. The model was derived from the theories of planned behavior and deterrence. A survey questionnaire of 216 respondents was used to test the model. Consistent with the theory of planned behavior, the results showed that attitude toward online music piracy, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control are significant antecedent factors of intention to commit online music piracy. Concerning deterrence theory, the results suggest that the effect of perceived punishment severity on attitude was highly significant for females, and the effect of perceived certainty of punishment on attitude was not significant for males or females.     

Each One Unique

A young mother shares the stories of her two sons'' births. Her first birth experience was complicated by muscle spasms and changes in her baby''s heart rate during labor and, later, by medical problems with her baby in the days after birth. The mother''s strength and commitment shine through at every twist and turn during labor and the days after her son''s birth. Two years later, in contrast to her first son''s birth, the mother''s second son was born so quickly that labor presented a different set of challenges. The mother''s confidence in birth and in herself are essential facets of the stories of the births of her two sons.     

Exposure to Media Violence and Young Children with and Without Disabilities: Powerful Opportunities for Family-Professional Partnerships

There is growing concern regarding the amount and type of violence that young children are exposed to on a daily basis. Through media, popular toys and video games violent images are consistently present in children’s lives starting at a very young age. This paper discusses (a) the growing presence of young children’s exposure to media violence, (b) the influence of media violence on early childhood development and well-being, (c) the impact of media violence on young children with disabilities, and (d) recommendations for addressing this national dilemma within the context of family-professional partnerships. A list of related web resources is also included.