An administrative mess: A case study from the officiating community

This case is written for instructors of classes focused on strategic management, organisational behaviour, human resource management, and/or an officiating course. The case highlights the numerous administrative processes a new employee in a sport organisation would face. Although the case is fictional it is based on the authors’ personal and professional experiences in athletics administration and officiating, and further draws upon the authors’ research in the area of officiating. Consequently, this case study was constructed based on first-hand observation, interviews and conversation with numerous officials and administrators, and through the examination of documents frequently used to manage officials. As a result, the case provides an opportunity for students to critically evaluate and address: (1) a sport organisation's policies and procedures; (2) issues related to human resource management within a sport setting; (3) the managerial response after an organisational failure.     

An Instructional Strategy to Introduce Pedagogical Content Knowledge Using Venn Diagrams

This paper describes the use of a three-circle Venn diagram as a vehicle for introducing pre-service elementary teachers to pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). Each circle of the diagram represents pedagogy, content and context individually. The overlap of any two circles represents the interaction between the circles. For example, the overlap of pedagogy and context relates to the ways that each of these general topics influences the other. The overlap of all three circles represents a complete lesson that is an integration of the three major components of PCK. The Venn diagram is an easily remembered graphic illustration of PCK that can be useful in planning lessons. The use of this graphic organizer in a science capstone course required of all pre-service elementary teachers is described.     

Defining Quality Child Care: Multiple Stakeholder Perspectives

Multiple perspectives regarding the definition of quality child care, and how child care quality can be improved, were examined using a focus group methodology. Participants were representatives from stakeholder groups in the child care profession, including child care center owners and directors (3 groups), parents (3 groups), child caregivers (3 groups), policy makers (1 group), and social service providers (1 group). Qualitative analysis revealed 6 components of quality that were consistently discussed across all participant groups: (a) communication and rapport, (b) caregiver practices, (c) staff characteristics, (d) finances and resources, (e) visibility and involvement, and (f) professionalism. Analyses highlighted differences among stakeholder groups and the complex interplay among quality components. Findings are compared to previously documented perspectives on child care quality, and a conceptual model is presented that (a) summarizes findings about how proximity to child impacts definitions of quality and (b) highlights the central role played by child care center directors. Implications for child care practice and policy are discussed.     

Government policy and technical choice in the West German reactor programme

This paper gives a concise historical account of government policy in the development of nuclear power reactors in West Germany. In addition to published sources, information is drawn from the minutes of government advisory bodies and from interviews with individuals involved in policymaking. It is found that the decentralization of decision-making was a key factor in the relative success of the West German reactor programme. Government support was given in a way that left the essential technical and commercial decisions with manufacturers and utilities. The development work for the eventual successful light-water reactor was a largely self-financed effort of firms commanding a strong technical and commercial tradition in power plant construction. The utilities based their decisions on the basis of internationally available technology independent of, and initially even against, the programmes devised by the government. In the period up to the year 1972, less than ten percent of government expenditure for reactor development was spent on types that are now in commercial use, i.e. on light-water reactors, while the bulk was given to reactor types that have a chance for commercial application only in the longer term, such as the high-temperature gas-cooled reactor and the fast breeder reactor.     

Book reviews

International Review of Education -     

Some observations on dropping out in distance education

This paper is an appraisal of drop‐out from a German perspective. This perspective is refreshingly and challengingly different — even to the rather casual German expression, ‘Karteileiche’, which means literally ‘file corpse’. The paper argues that drop‐out cannot and even should not readily be compared across systems, since significant parameters differ. The paper offers different professional viewpoints then moves to consider solutions to the problem. For die FemUniversitat the solution is not pragmatically driven but rather requires a theoretical research base.