Junior researchers’ experience of innovation in a multidisciplinary team environment

This paper describes junior researchers’ experience of innovative research, with the aim of encouraging fellow junior academics. Through the experience, the team recognised that context and flexibility are key factors in the research process. These factors are discussed in the light of three specific features of this project. First is the type of research the team engages in: meta-research, which includes looking at how research is managed. Second, the team is embedded in a larger organisation that holds a broad range of perspectives, from molecular scientists to sociologists. Third, the organisation offers unique opportunities not available through the traditional academic paradigm. Identification of these factors influenced the learning associated with engaging in innovative research, not in the least was the lesson that research does not follow a linear path. These concepts are framed by Blumer's theory of Symbolic Interactionism.     

Word-Level Evidence of the Role of Phonological Decoding During Orthographic Learning: A Direct Test of the Item-Based Assumption

The goal of this study was to test the item-based assumption of the self-teaching hypothesis by reanalyzing Cunningham’s (2006) data. In Cunningham’s study, 37 first graders participated in a self-teaching experiment, and their orthographic learning was measured by a spelling task and an orthographic choice task. A 2-level logistic regression model was used to analyze accuracy of phonological decoding of a target word and spelling acquisition of that word. The findings suggest that the probability of spelling a target word correctly increases as the decoding accuracy of the target word increases. In contrast, this relation was not found for the orthographic choice task. The discrepancy in the results between the 2 dependent measures might be due to the difference in cognitive processes required to complete a production task as opposed to a recognition task. The current findings provide item-based evidence for the accuracy of phonological decoding on participants’ performance on a spelling task.     

Fostering Creativity in Young Adults: Some Findings on the Structure and Dynamics of Creativity

Following current theories of creativity, a special syllabus and teaching materials were designed for a ten month study of Business College 4th year undergraduates (n = 16). Entry and outcome creativity were measured before and after the training, using Urban and Jellen's TCT‐DP, and these scores were compared with those of a control group (n= 11). The students' IQs were measured with Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices, and their attitudes were measured with structured interviews. Results from the experimental group indicated an increase in creativity. Moreover, the development of individual components of creative thinking, as measured during the course of the experiment, provided an interesting insight into the structure and dynamics of creativity. Some components seem more variable and subject to extrinsic influences (e.g., emotional appraisal, viewing a problem in perspective), others appear to be more independent, while still others can be regarded as permanent cognitive strategies of creative individuals. IQ was not correlated with creativity.     

Burnout among university faculty: the central role of work–family conflict

This study examined both direct and indirect associations of faculty burnout with psychosocial work environments, using the job resources-demands framework. A sample of 2,229 faculty members (57.1% male) throughout public universities in the Czech Republic completed a questionnaire comprising measures of burnout and psychosocial work environment characteristics from the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire II. We formulated a structural model that hypothesised a positive effect of job demands (quantitative demands, work-family conflict (WFC), job insecurity) and a negative effect of job resources (influence, social community, role clarity) on burnout. Results showed that the strongest predictor of burnout was WFC, which had a direct positive effect on burnout and mediated the positive effect of quantitative demands on burnout. Further, a small direct negative effect of age and an indirect positive effect of involvement in research grants and administrative paperwork on burnout were observed. The findings indicate that university management can most effectively address burnout in academic staff not only by implementing policies that reduce WFC, workload and administrative paperwork, but also by providing more job resources to younger faculty and faculty involved in grant-based projects.     

Neonatal sepsis

Neonatal sepsis is the most common cause of neonatal deaths with high mortality despite treatment. Neonatal sepsis can be classified into two subtypes depending upon onset of symptoms. There are many factors that make neonates more susceptable to infection. Signs of sepsis in neonates are often non-specific and high degree of suspicion is needed for early diagnosis. Some laboratory parameters can be helpful for screening of neonates with neonatal sepsis, but none of it is specific and sensitive enough to be used singly. Diagnostic approach mostly focuses on history and review of non specific signs and symptoms. Antibiotic treatment is the mainstay of treatment and supportive care is equally important. The aim of this review is to give an overview of neonatal sepsis, including incidence, etiology, clinical picture, diagnostics and therapy.     

An information processing approach to a theory of instruction

This paper is a version of the sixth ECTJ/ERIC-IR Young Scholar Paper, an annual award initiated to stimulate writing by young professionals in the field of instructional technology. Preparation of the paper was supported by the ERIC Clearinghouse on Information Resources at Syracuse, NY 13210.     

Author Index

Authors Index

Author Index     

Occupational Well-being Among University Faculty: A Job Demands-Resources Model

The effects of changing academic environments on faculty well-being have attracted considerable research attention. However, few studies have examined the multifaceted relationships between the academic work environment and the multiple dimensions of faculty well-being using a comprehensive theoretical framework. To address this gap, this study implemented the Job Demands-Resources (JDR) model to investigate how job demands/resources in the academic environment interact with multiple dimensions of faculty well-being. The study participants were 1389 full-time faculty members employed in public universities in the Czech Republic. The participants completed a questionnaire assessing perceived job resources (influence over work, support from supervisor and colleagues), job demands (quantitative demands, work-family conflicts and job insecurity) and three dimensions of faculty well-being (job satisfaction, stress and work engagement). A structural equation model was used to test the effects of “dual processes” hypothesized by the JDR theory, i.e., the existence of two relatively independent paths between job demands/resources and positive/negative aspects of faculty well-being. The model showed a very good fit to our data and explained 60% of the variance in faculty job satisfaction, 46%, in stress and 20% in work engagement. The results provide evidence for the dual processes, including the “motivational process” (i.e., job resources were related predominantly to work engagement and job satisfaction) and the “health impairment process” (i.e., job demands were predominantly associated with stress, mostly through work-family conflict). The study expands current research on faculty well-being by demonstrating the complex, non-linear relationships between academic work environments and different dimensions of faculty well-being.