Web‐delivered,problem‐based learning in organisational behaviour: a new form of CAOS

Recent calls have been made for a fundamental reorientation in higher education from a curriculum that simply transmits information (learner as receiver) to one that encourages students actively to construct their own knowledge and practice using new skills and concepts (learner as constructor). In response, the Case Analysis in Organisational Situations (CAOS) assessment tool was developed for use in teaching organisational behaviour. It follows the principles of problem‐based learning and group work, using an unfolding case design. A pre‐test (n=365), immediate post‐test (n=323) and delayed post‐test (n=129) design was implemented to evaluate the effectiveness of this new learning tool. The assessment of student approaches to learning revealed that students were more likely to adopt a deep approach to learning at the end of CAOS than at the beginning. In general, the results show that CAOS is a useful web‐based tool that promotes learning in organisational behaviour. The benefits of CAOS and some suggested improvements to the existing CAOS format are discussed.     

The School Counselor in Israel: An Agent of Social Justice?

In recent years, leaders in the school counseling profession worldwide have been calling on their colleagues to re-examine their role as “agents of social justice” in schools, with a view to promoting equal educational opportunities for all students. This research examines counselors’ perceptions of the role, role behaviors, personal justice sensitivity, the school’s justice sensitivity and the interrelations among these variables. Two hundred and six Israeli school counselors responded to a questionnaire. Findings show that the majority of counselors perceived their role as promoting social justice, and indeed engaged in activities meant to increase disadvantaged students’ chances of success. The variable of role perception was found to mediate between personal sensitivity to justice (justice sensitivity) and counselors’ actual behaviors. These findings have theoretical and practical implications for the professional socialization of counselors as agents of social justice.     

Communication openness,satisfaction, and length of employment in Japanese organizations

Hypotheses were generated regarding the relationship among communication openness, satisfaction, and length of employment in Japanese organizations. A questionnaire was administered to employees of Japanese organizations in the Tokyo area. The data revealed that upward, downward, and lateral communication openness were associated positively with both relational and organizational satisfaction. Length of employment also was associated with downward and lateral communication openness and with both relational and organizational satisfaction. The relationships between length of employment and satisfaction differed for employees in large and small‐to‐moderate sized organizations. Lateral communication openness was associated positively with satisfaction variables and there was a relatively small association between length of employment and satisfaction.     

Relationship with instructor and other variables influencing student evaluations of instruction

This study examined some of the factors which influence college students’ evaluations of their instructors. Data were collected from 557 students enrolled in a basic speech communication course. Overall, a student's relationship with the instructor was the best predictor of the student's evaluation of the instructor. This study lends partial support to the idea that students evaluate male and female instructors differently. The variables examined in this study were better predictors of student evaluation of female than male instructors.     

Beliefs von Studierenden sonder- und grundschulpädagogischer Studiengänge

The implementation of inclusion in schools currently requires new reflections of competence profiles of the teachers involved. Especially in elementary school, which can so far be considered as the most developed institution of inclusive schooling in Germany, questions of differences in the profiles of elementary and special education teachers have been raised. As professional skills also have motivational and volitional aspects, a beliefs model (domain overlapping) was developed based on the construction of the TEDS-M research project, which aims to study specific special educational beliefs. Using a quantitative questionnaire designed in the context of a corresponding preliminary investigation a three-factor-solution for mapping a special supportive belief profile among student teachers and teachers in the field of elementary and special education was tested. Initially this profile model was confirmed by the results of a subsequent analysis based on a nationwide sample of elementary school and special education students (N = 951). In addition to these findings different manifestations of the beliefs model could be identified among student teachers for elementary schools and student teachers for special education.