Action learning – a process which supports organisational change initiatives

This paper reflects on how action learning sets (ALSs) were used to support organisational change initiatives. It sets the scene with contextualising the inclusion of change projects in a masters programme. Action learning is understood to be a dynamic process where a team meets regularly to help individual members address issues through a highly structured, facilitated team process of reflection and action. The key findings from the evaluation of the students and facilitators’ experiences are reflected on, together with plans for improving the experience for all stakeholders for the next academic year. In sharing this experience, the purpose of the paper is to highlight the most significant learning from the evaluation. Good preparation for action learning is vital to ensure a positive experience for all involved. From the student perspective, an appropriate learning set mix is needed to ensure a balance of support and challenge for the ALS. In addition to a preparatory workshop for action learning facilitators, regular meetings with the action learning facilitators in the form of ALSs could be scheduled as a support especially for those new to the process. Finally, it is hoped that this account will encourage readers to use action learning for supporting and engaging students in organisational change initiatives.     

Effectiveness of a simulated clinical examination in the assessment of the clinical competencies of entry-level trainees in a family medicine residency programme

Clinical competence is a multidimensional concept and encompasses a variety of skills including procedural, problem-solving and clinical judgement. The initial stages of postgraduate medical training are believed to be a particularly important time for the development of clinical skill competencies. This study reports on an evaluation of a Simulated Clinical Examination (SCE) method as a means of assessing the clinical skill competencies of entry-level family medicine residents. Two entering cohorts of PGY1 family medicine residents (N = 35) participated in a SCE encompassing realistic clinical encounters with standardised patients (SPs). Residents were asked to complete pre- and post-evaluation surveys, and both faculty and residents were invited to participate in separate focus groups. The SCE was perceived as a useful method during the early phases of postgraduate training for assessing clinical skill competencies, providing constructive feedback to residents and enhancing self-awareness and confidence. The SCE also appeared to be useful in fostering confidence in interviewing and diagnostic reasoning, however self-reported confidence in the ability to perform clinical skill tasks related to history taking, physical examination and differential diagnosis was not associated with observed performance in these areas. The SCE was an effective technique for benchmarking skill performance, however further research is required to evaluate the effect of this on the self-assessment abilities of trainees over the course of postgraduate medical education.     

Commonwealth Communications

George Boyce, James Curran, and Pauline Wingate, eds. Newspaper History from the 17th Century to the Present Day (London: Constable Beverly Hills, Calif.: Sage, 1978—$20.00/10.95)

Frank W. Peers' The Public Eye: Television and the Politics of Canadian Broadcasting, 1952-1968 (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1979—price not given)

K. Watson, et al. "A Financial Analysis of the Private Radio Broadcasting Sector in Canada and the United States" (Ottawa: Department of Communications, Social Policy and Programs Branch, 1978—no price given, paper)

Outcomes from the Telecom 2000 Report (Australian Government Publishing Service, P.O. Box 94, Canberra, A.C.T. 2600 Australia—price not given, paper)

Australian Broadcasting Commission: 46th Annual Report (1977-78) (ABC, 145-153 Elizabeth St., Sydney NSW 2001, Australia—apparently free on request, paper)

Media Centre Papers series (Centre for the Study of Educational Communication and Media, School of Education, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria 3083, Australia—about A$2.50 each plus postage, paper)     

General Communications

Brent D. Ruben, ed. Communication Yearbook 2 (New Brunswick, N.J.: Transaction Books (Rutgers), 1978---$24.95)

Eric A. Havelock and Jackson P. Hershbell, eds. Communication Arts in the Ancient World (New York: Hastings House, J978---$12.50)

Kit Laybourne and Pauline Cianciolo's Doing the Media (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1978---$6.95, paper, with both library and trade hardbacks also available)

Periodicals: just begun under the (temporary) auspices of the Institute of Communication Research (122B Armory, University of Illinois, Champaign, Ill. 61820)

Warren K. Agee, Phillip H. Ault, and Edwin Emery's Introduction to Mass Communications (New York: Harper & Row, 1979---$7.95, paper)

Godwin C. Chu and Brent Cassan, Modern Communication Technology in a Changing Society: A Bibliography (1977, 162 pp., $1.50)

Syed A. Rahim, et al. Planning Methods, Models, and Organization: A Review Study for Communication Policy Making and Planning (1978, 260 pp., $3.00):     

Meeting Our Users Where They Conference: A Texas A&M Model to Support Librarian Attendance at Subject-Specific Conferences

Today's academic librarian is frequently called upon to function as a subject specialist, with or without advanced degrees in other disciplines. One method of monitoring trends within a given field is to study its literature; another is to attend conferences in the discipline. Discipline-specific conference attendance by academic librarians provides opportunities to interact with faculty in their disciplines that result in an increased communication with faculty, improved reference expertise, and more focused collection development. This paper describes the Texas A&M University Libraries' support for conference attendance and examples of the resulting benefits.     

The impact of an intervention on children's reading and spelling ability in low-income schools in India

The aim of this study using a quasi-experimental design was to investigate whether utilising synthetic phonics in schools catering for low-income families in India would increase reading and spelling attainment in English. Over 500 children in 20 schools took part in the 6-month programme. Just over half of the children experienced lessons organised around the synthetic phonics materials, whilst the other children continued with their normal English lessons. The findings show that there were statistically significant differences between the intervention and control groups in the improvements of the children in their test scores in reading and spelling.     

The relative quality and cost-effectiveness of private and public schools for low-income families: a case study in a developing country

The “mushrooming” of private schools for low-income families has been widely noted in the literature; however, very little is known about the quality of these schools. This research explored the relative quality of private unaided (recognised and unrecognised) and government schools in low-income areas of Hyderabad, India. A preliminary census to locate unrecognised private schools – not on official lists – was conducted. Data were collected on achievement and background variables for 3,910 pupils from a stratified random sample of schools. Using multilevel modelling shows that pupils in private unrecognised and recognised schools, when controlled for age, pupil's IQ, and class average IQ, achieve higher scores in mathematics and English than equivalent pupils in government schools. There is no significant difference between private and government schools in pupil achievement in Urdu. The achievement advantage for private schools did not arise because of greater resources available, at least in terms of per pupil teacher salaries.     

Private schools and the millennium development goal of universal primary education: a census and comparative survey in Hyderabad,India

Development literature suggests that private schools serving the poor are not part of the solution to meeting the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of universal primary education. The study conducted a census and survey of schools in notified slums of Hyderabad, India, to contribute to the sparse literature on the nature and extent of private schools for the poor. Of 918 schools found, 60% were found to be private unaided (PUA), enrolling about 65% of total enrolment. On a range of indicators, including pupil–teacher ratio, teaching activity, teacher absenteeism, and classroom and school inputs such as blackboards, desks, chairs, toilets and drinking water, PUA (including unrecognised) schools were found to be superior to government schools. Objections to a role for private schools in meeting the MDG target are explored and challenged.