Concentric collaboration: a model of leadership development for healthcare organizations

Drawing on their experience in a Midwest healthcare system, the authors propose a model of leadership development through action learning that embraces ‘concentric collaboration’ at its core. The present study suggests that the process of concentric collaboration can serve to strengthen the skills of the individual leader as well as foster collective leadership. Central to the model is the growth and development of the individual leader which extends outward to create connections with others, ultimately increasing the social capital necessary to effect organizational change. This work contributes to the leadership development literature by offering a comprehensive model that includes the process of individual growth as well as collective capacity, organizational factors that support or inhibit this process as well as implications for practice.     

Gender Adeptness Among Educational Administrators for Leading Innovative Initiatives in Public Education

It may be concluded that female administrators are perceived as being more adept than their male counterparts for leading innovation in schools and leveraging resources into productive outputs. It may be concluded that both genders of administrators perceive such efforts similarly. The only two skills where gender is significant are the two eornpetencies identified as being alert for new opportunities and synthesizing ideas into focused projects. For the other eight skills indicated in the survey, gender did not play a significant role in such perceptions.     

Teaching effectiveness: Comparisons between traditional and nontraditional college students

This article compares traditional college students' perceptions of effective teaching behaviors with nontraditional students' perceptions. A 15-item questionnaire was completed by undergraduates at a small Southeastern university. Nontraditional students viewed personality and interaction behaviors as more indicative of effective teaching, whereas traditional students focused on behaviors that potentially would enhance grades. The implications of the findings are discussed in light of techniques and approaches that facilitate the needs of both types of students.His major areas of interest include testing and counseling. Nina Mattie, M.A. is a recent graduate of the University of West Florida in the area of school psychology. Stephen J. Vodanovich, Ph.D. is an assistant professor in the psychology department at the University of West Florida. His major areas of interest are social psychology and industrial/organizational psychology. Chris Piotrowski, M.A. is a consultant in forensic psychology. His major areas of interest are personality assessment and online database searching.     

Teacher cognitive functioning as a factor in observed variety and level of classroom teaching behavior

A review of the literature suggests a relationship between life-long development of formal reasoning schema and performance in professional education careers. The study investigated implications of cognitive development of preservice teachers as it relates to their classroom teaching performance. Ninety-one seniors involved in a field-oriented teacher education program were given classroom responsibilities which included teaching a science unit. Formal thinking abilities were assessed using two types of developmental level tasks, performance on traditional type Piagetian tasks and recognition of formal thought approaches in solving educational tasks. Professional behaviors were assessed using observational ratings of classroom instructional and planning activities. Subjects assessed as formal operational, 30% of sample, using Piagetian performance tasks, had significantly higher facility in performing model classroom teaching behaviors than transitional or concrete subjects. Higher recognition ability of formal thought approaches to teaching was not related to facility in performing classroom teaching when compared to performance on Piagetian tasks. The relationship held up in seven of eight broad teaching behavior categories observed in classroom instruction. The results supported a general portrait of teaching behavior specifically related to teachers of differing cognitive functional levels. Implications for professional training programs are discussed.