The subjective well-being of first-year tertiary students during an induction programme

This article describes the perceptions of first-year students’ subjective appraisal of ttheir wellbeing before, during and after participation in an induction programme at a higher education institution (HEI). Twenty-two first-year students participated in focus group discussions (FGDs) and semi-structured individual interviews. Thematic and interpretative analyses suggested shifts in the students’ levels of well-being: high before, low during, and increased after the induction programme. Low levels of well-being were linked to experiences of fear, feeling disrespected, and disillusionment with university life, leaders, and a perceived loss of autonomy, independency and social-relatedness. An increase in well-being was associated with social integration, support, the ability for self-reflection and perspective taking. Wellbeing is a relational and collective matter which is embedded in broader contexts. Therefore, historical legacies of oppression and inequality should be challenged through constructive debate, involving previously neglected voices intentionally; and creating opportunities for the expression of students’ needs and growth potential     

Developing critical reflection as a part of teaching training and teaching practice

Academics in universities can no longer teach in the ways that have been appropriate in the past. The paradigm has shifted from the dissemination of knowledge to a focus on the students and how to facilitate the best learning outcomes for them. This paper proposes that critical reflection is at the heart of being an effective teacher. It invites teachers to evaluate their own philosophies about teaching and to be critically reflective of their own practice. It is suggested that teachers need to learn how to be reflective practitioners through both self-evaluation and the use of collaborative strategies. It is no longer appropriate to focus solely on the 'what', but also on the 'how' and 'why'.     

Competence development in the workplace: concepts, strategies and effects

In spite of the expectations that exist regarding efforts to develop competence and in spite of the large amounts of resources devoted to it, there is a marked lack of empirically-based research on competence development in companies and other organizations. The purpose of this article is to present a review of research on strategies for competence development in organizations, their prerequisites and effects. More specifically, the following three questions will be addressed: (i) Why do organizations invest in competence development? (ii) What effects can realistically be achieved through competence development? (iii) What characterizes successful strategies for competence development in organizations? Before these questions are dealt with, different views of the meaning of the concepts of competence and competence development are presented and discussed.     

Learning in Encounter and Addressing Normativity in Religious Education Faculties/Programs

Abstract

Working with normative considerations is an important part of empirical research in religious education (RE) and in the formation of practical theologians, in general, and of religious educators in RE faculties/programs, in particular. What does sufficient reflection on normativity look like in teaching religious educators? From a practical theological perspective, directions for working with normativity in RE faculties/programs are provided and discussed. These directions entail pedagogical and theological reflection on the levels of four layers of normativity: (1) discourse in religious practice, (2) the professional theory of practice, (3) the academic theory of practice, and (4) the metatheoretical foundation of observations of and research in practices. The author illustrates the argument with a discussion of the concept of learning in encounter.