Enhancing the status of peer observation through the scholarship of teaching and learning

In this Reflection on Practice I argue the case for using the principles of scholarship of teaching and learning (SoTL) to serve as a framework for evaluating and designing peer observation programmes in higher education contexts. I suggest that for peer observation to be an activity worthy of SoTL, it should be systematic, collaborative, rigorous, peer reviewed, and focused on learning about teaching to improve teaching. Using a set of criteria to critique a current peer observation programme I account for its strengths and weaknesses and suggest a way forward for elevating the status of peer observation.     

Assessing end-use relevance of public sector research organisations

Measuring the effective impact of research and its relevance to society is a difficult undertaking but one that the public sector is keen to embrace. Identifying end-users of research and capturing their views of research relevance are challenging tasks and not something that has been extensively reported. The evaluation of end-use relevance demands a shift in organisational mindset and performance indicators away from readily quantifiable outputs towards a consideration of more qualitative end-user outcomes that are less amenable to measurement, requiring both a greater tolerance of ambiguity and a willingness to learn from the evaluation process.     

Improvements in fundamental movement skill competency mediate the effect of the SCORES intervention on physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness in children

Numerous studies have identified a positive association between fundamental movement skill (FMS) competency and physical activity in children; however, the causal pathways have not been established. The aim of this study is to determine if changes in FMS competency mediated the effect of the Supporting Children’s Outcomes using Rewards, Exercise and Skills (SCORES) intervention on physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness in children. Eight primary schools (25 classes) and 460 children (aged 8.5 ± 0.6, 54% girls) were randomised to the SCORES intervention or control group for the 12-month study. The outcomes were accelerometer-determined moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and cardiorespiratory fitness. The hypothesised mediators were actual FMS competency and perceived sport competence. Mediation analyses were conducted using multilevel linear analysis in MPlus. From the original sample, 138 (30.0%) and 370 (80.4%) children provided useable physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness data at post-test assessments. There were significant treatment effects for locomotor skills and overall FMSs. Changes in MVPA were associated with changes in object-control skills, overall FMSs and perceived competence. The overall FMSs had a significant mediating effect on MVPA (AB = 2.09, CI = 0.01–4.55). Overall FMSs (AB = 1.19, CI = 0.002–2.79) and locomotor skills (AB = 0.74, CI = 0.01–1.69) had a significant mediating effect on cardiorespiratory fitness. The results of this study conclude that actual but not perceived movement skill competency mediated the effect of the SCORES intervention on physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness.     

Rethinking knowledge hierarchies – bridging the gulf between theory and practice: the case of Frankfurt airport’s billing department

This paper examines the value of concrete empirical data in enhancing our understanding of knowledge hierarchies (KHs). Theoretical debate has generated different insights and perspectives, but the term (KH) remains a misconstrued principle. In today’s age of austerity, managing complex administrative processes in an airport billing environment, while striving for effectiveness and efficiency is challenging. These billing processes are influenced by the existing organisational KH. This study sheds light on the hybrid forms of KH: first, the theoretical impact: through data, information and knowledge as KH; second, the stakeholders’ understanding of their role within business processes. The method adopted for this study is influenced by the nature of the problem to be addressed. It uses a qualitative approach, analysing the billing processes and conducting interviews to gauge the stakeholders’ perceptions in order to demonstrate that there are significant variations in understanding organisational key roles.     

Stress,Anxiety, and School Burnout Post COVID-19: A Study of French Adolescents

This study examined the symptoms of exhaustion, school stress and anxious school refusal from a comparative developmental perspective in French adolescents enrolled in public and private general, technological and vocational schools. It is particularly important to consider academic stress levels, anxiety and school burnout in middle and high school students as they are linked to many mental health problems, such as depression or suicidal thoughts. In this study, four hundred and ninety-three adolescents completed an online questionnaire consisting of the School Burnout Inventory, the Echelle Toulousaine de Stress Scolaire perçu and the School refusal evaluation was developed. The results show a very high percentage of suffering among teenagers. The young people most affected are high school students and more particularly students in 10th and 12th grade, with nearly three-quarters of them suffering from school burnout and/or high school stress, without any distinction between the sexes or the type of schooling.