The Profile of a Modern Filipino Librarian: An Examination of Perceived Competencies

ABSTRACT

This research created a profile of a modern LIS professional by discussing the competencies and skills essential in successfully conducting one's duties. Through a series of focus group discussions and interviews, the researcher identified essential competencies modern LIS professionals should possess. Aside from traditional skills such as cataloging and classification; indexing and abstracting; and library management, non-traditional competencies such as communication skills, advocacy skills, teaching skills, and technological skills were revealed to be vital competencies. These were identified and further supported by discussions of actual library work experiences. In the end, a profile was created it was concluded that a modern LIS professional should be pro-active; an effective communicator; well-informed; adaptable; and should advocate causes relevant to the practice of librarianship.     

Research on Teachers and Teacher Education in Scandinavia: a retrospective review

The important role in learning and upbringing played by teachers has been acknowledged for a long time. However, research on this question belongs with few exceptions, to the post‐war area in all the Nordic countries. During the last few decades a extensive research within a variety of studies have addressed the question. And, in accord with realistic expectations, the research conducted within this area since the middle of the 1950ties reflects a change in the interest of researchers similar to that found outside the Nordic countries, from studies of teacher behaviour to research on teacher cognition and analyses of the interactions between students and teachers in the classroom. The review also reveals a clear and significant change in the use of research methods: quantitative methods have declined while qualitative methods have expanded. It seems characteristic of research within this area that a great number of studies have been explorative in nature and that few of them have been followed up by more intensive and theoretically grounded research. It is the authors' opinion that, considering the great number of unanswered questions and the importance of solid knowledge of the questions related to teachers' qualifications and to teacher education, it seems that research within this area is still in its infancy stage.     

A qualitative investigation of student engagement in a flipped classroom

The flipped classroom is gaining acceptance in higher education as an alternative to more traditional methods of teaching. In the current study, twelve students in a Norwegian higher education institution were in-depth interviewed about their learning experiences in a two-semester long mathematics course. The first semester was taught using flipped classroom and the second semester using lectures, where both teaching modes contained a substantial amount of active learning. Overall, students report a more positive learning experience and higher engagement in the flipped classroom. The analysis revealed seven categories that the students highlight as especially conducive to their learning; commitment to peers, being recognized, feeling safe, instructor relationship, physical learning environment, learning with peers and using videos to learn new content. The results indicate that the affective dimension of student engagement is particularly prominent when students reflect upon learning in the flipped classroom.     

Parents’ expectations,perceptions and concerns when schools implement a 1:1 program

Implementing successful one-to-one computer programs where all students have access to mobile devices throughout the school day requires major stakeholders such as students, teachers and parents to support the initiative. However, parents are often the silent stakeholder when 1:1 programs are initiated and there is limited literature that explores their expectations, perceptions and concerns. In this longitudinal study, based at one school, 121 parents were surveyed across four years using a mixed methodology. The data collected consisted of qualitative interview data and questionnaires to provide quantitative responses. This enabled an exploration of the effect of the 1:1 program as reported by parents themselves as well as the examination of a range of related issues, such as the use of the devices and issues about the implementation of the program. The findings provided insight, through the lens of the parents, into how the 1:1 program was deployed. Three trends emerged from the study: a lack of understanding by parents of how their child would learn with the device, their belief that the mobile devices did not assist the child to be motivated, and that the devices were a distraction both at school and at home. The paper concludes with recommendations for the successful implementation of a 1:1 program to alleviate parental concerns and ensure that they are an equal stakeholder in these program. Further research needs to be undertaken about parental perspectives, expectations and concerns of 1:1 programs.     

Influence of Mindfulness,Emotion Regulation,and Perceived Social Support on Burnout

We used canonical correlation analysis to examine the predictive nature of three facets of wellness (mindfulness, emotion regulation, and perceived social support) on burnout in counselors-in-training (N = 136). The cognitive reappraisal construct made a significant contribution to the wellness predictor variate. Implications for counselor training programs are discussed.     

Bodily practices and discourses of hetero‐femininity: girls' constitution of subjectivities in their social transition between childhood and adolescence

In foregrounding how girls use their bodies when negotiating subjectivities as adolescents, this paper explores possible ways of doing, being and becoming an adolescent girl in urban, multicultural school contexts. Drawing on interview material generated through a longitudinal qualitative study of children's social transitions between childhood and adolescence, the paper more specifically examines how girls constitute subjectivities through bodily practices which position them according to dominant discourses of hetero‐femininity. The paper goes on to argue that the way in which girls negotiate these discourses through practices on and with their bodies has a significant impact on how they subsequently experience their social transition between childhood and adolescence.