The Economics of Museums: A Research Perspective

This paper examines the contribution economic analysis can make to the study of museums as productive organisations, and considers some related policy issues. The paper also suggests areas where research by economists might prove most fruitful.     

Google Scholar Goes to School: The Presence of Google Scholar on College and University Web Sites

This study measured the degree of Google Scholar adoption within academia by analyzing the frequency of Google Scholar appearances on 948 campus and library Web sites, and by ascertaining the establishment of link resolution between Google Scholar and library resources. Results indicate a positive correlation between the implementation of Google Scholar link resolution and the degree of Google Scholar adoption.     

Health Information and Health Literacy: Public Library Practices,Challenges, and Opportunities

This study investigated 18 libraries in two public library systems in Oklahoma to find out how they are addressing health literacy and facilitating access to consumer health information; how library staff members view their roles and responsibilities relative to health information and health literacy; what challenges libraries face; and what strategies are being used. Staff members recognized several challenges to providing health information and to developing programs, including staff and patron difficulties with reference interviews, and patron lack of awareness of library resources. Staff members often had only a partial understanding of health literacy, and were unaware of system strategies to address health literacy or provision of health information.     

Workforce diversity in Kenyan public universities: an analysis of workforce representativeness and heterogeneity by employee gender and ethnic group

Workforce diversity is considered an indicator of successful diversity and equal employment opportunity initiatives. In Kenya, it is a legal requirement for all public establishments to seek to represent the diversity of the population in employment of staff. This study analyses ethnic and gender representativeness and heterogeneity of the workforce in public universities. The results show over-representation of certain ethnic groups and non-compliance with diversity requirements in most universities. Variations between universities with regard to workforce heterogeneity are not statistically significant. However, the link between workforce heterogeneity and degree of urbanisation of university location is statistically significant. The conclusion is that compliance with legal requirements does not necessarily translate into representativeness and heterogeneity of the workforce. A shift from legal compliance to planned increase in numbers of under-represented gender and ethnic groups through diversity initiatives that identify and address barriers to equal employment and discriminatory employment practices is recommended.     

Beyond grades: developing knowledge sharing in learning communities as a graduate attribute

ABSTRACT

The ability to share knowledge is an important attribute that students develop in learning communities (LCs), enabling them to succeed in their education and careers. Insufficient research addresses the development of such knowledge sharing in LCs though, including whether it aligns with students’ success (i.e., grades). To address this gap, the current study investigates various determinants of knowledge sharing and their effects on student success. Survey data from 183 psychology students measure altruism, trust, belongingness (community identification), perceived social interaction, and attitudes toward and expectations of the benefits of knowledge sharing. A path analysis shows that trust affects the expected personal and community benefits of knowledge sharing indirectly, through students’ general attitudes toward knowledge sharing. Altruism, trust, and belongingness affect the personal benefits of knowledge sharing indirectly through social interaction. No significant relation emerges with first-year study success. Knowledge sharing as added attribute does not appear aligned with study success measured by individual course grades.     

Specificity of Reading Self-Efficacy Among Primary School Children

We investigated the specificity of reading self-efficacy among second- to fifth-grade children in Finland (N?=?1,327). Bandura (1997 Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. New York, NY: Freeman. [Google Scholar]) theorized that efficacy beliefs can be assessed at different levels of specificity; however, empirical support for this view is scarce among young children. Efficacy beliefs targeting reading-related activities were assessed at three specificity levels (general, intermediate, and specific). Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that these specificity levels are separable, but correlated, and the structure was invariant across gender and grade level. Self-efficacy factors were positively associated with reading fluency, but the strength of these associations varied according to specificity level. Findings suggest that reading self-efficacy in primary grades can and should be assessed at different specificity levels according to research aims.     

The Development and Validation of the Behavior and Emotion Expression Observation System to Characterize Preschoolers’ Social and Emotional Interactions

Research Findings: This article describes the development and evaluation of the Behavior and Emotion Expression Observation System (BEEOS), a direct observation tool to characterize preschoolers’ social and emotion behaviors during semistructured activities in the classroom. The BEEOS was used to observe 148 Head Start preschoolers, and questionnaires were completed by teachers and parents to provide psychometric comparisons to the observational system. Findings support both the reliability and criterion-related validity of the behavior indicators and emotion expressions that make up the BEEOS. Preschoolers in the current sample engaged in expected patterns of social behavior and emotion expression. Furthermore, both constructs were related to teacher and parent reports of preschoolers’ social behavior, externalizing and internalizing symptomatology, emotion regulation, and perceived emotion expressions. Practice or Policy: Findings suggest that the BEEOS can be used to supplement caregiver report and standardized assessments of preschoolers’ social and emotion behaviors. The potential applications and implications of the BEEOS for research and education are discussed and include informing teaching planning and practices as well as the effectiveness of social-emotional interventions.