Information privacy,gender differences,and intrinsic motivation in the workplace

We develop and test a model that examines the relationships between information privacy, gender differences, and intrinsic motivation. Information privacy can be defined as perceived control of information gathering (i.e., PCIG) and perceived control of information handling (i.e., PCIH). We surveyed 320 Chinese employees from various organizations and found that both PCIG and PCIH had positive effects upon intrinsic motivation. We found, however, that the impact of PCIG was completely mediated by PCIH and that the mediation process produced a stronger effect on intrinsic motivation for male employees than for female employees. In addition, the positive relationship between PCIG and PCIH was stronger for female employees than for male employees.     

The Value of a “Core” Business‐‐a Case Study of the Involvement of an Australian University in Vietnam: 1993‐1998

This article describes how two dovetailing processes led Swinburne University of Technology of Melbourne, Australia, to the setting up of business studies programmes in Vietnam. One of the processes was the increasingly felt need in Australia to make higher education more cost efficient that stimulated the identification and the exploitation of non‐governmental sources of funding. The other one was the decision, taken in 1986 by the Vietnamese government, to move progressively to a market‐based economy. Thus the Vietnamese government created a demand for increasing numbers of professional workers schooled in Western concepts of business management, accounting, administration, etc. The Swinburne University of Technology responded to this demand in a number of creative ways by setting up collaborative course programmes in some of the major cities of Vietnam.     

Profiles and Records of Achievement: a real alternative

Records of Achievement will shortly be introduced for all school‐leavers in England and Wales. In preparation for this a number of pilot schemes are currently being conducted. The national evaluation of these pilot schemes, for which the author is jointly responsible, will be the focus for this paper. It will consider the longer term possibilities for such alternative forms of assessment, both in the UK and other countries, in spelling the end of the era of more traditional forms of examination.     

Preliminary Evidence on the Social Standing of Students with Learning Disabilities in PALS and No–PALS Classrooms

Many researchers have documented the apparent fact that numerous students with LD have social–skill deficits and a lower social standing than their nondisabled peers. In principle, participation in peer tutoring would appear to be at least a partial solution. It requires classmates to work together on valued tasks and research indicates that it can promote academic growth among students with and without disabilities. Yet, little research has been conducted on the social benefits of peer tutoring. This study attempts to do precisely that by collecting sociometric data in 39 second– through sixth–grade classrooms, 22 of which were engaged in Peer–Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS), a form of peer tutoring. In each of the 39 classrooms, sociometric data are reported on four children—a student with LD and a low–achieving, average–achieving, and high–achieving student. Findings indicated that students with LD in PALS classes were (1) more socially accepted than their counterparts in No–PALS classes, and (2) enjoyed the same social standing as most nondisabled classmates. Strengths and weaknesses of this study are discussed, as are directions for future research.     

International standards

As the activities and markets of publishers are increasingly internationalized, it becomes vital to understand the process of developing standards that are accepted throughout the world. Patricia Harris describes the procedures used by the International Organization for Standardization to develop such standards, using as examples the development of the ISBN and the ISSN. She then discusses some of the international standards now being developed and offers some predictions about future trends in international standards.     

Real-time,evidence-based medicine instruction: a randomized controlled trial in a neonatal intensive care unit

Purpose: The study assesses potential for improving residents'' evidence-based medicine searching skills in MEDLINE through real-time librarian instruction.Subjects: Ten residents on a rotation in a neonatal intensive care unit participated.Methodology: Residents were randomized into an instruction and a non-instruction group. Residents generated questions from rounds and searched MEDLINE for answers. Data were collected through observation, search strategy analysis, and surveys. Librarians observed searches and collected data on questions, searching skills, search problems, and the test group''s instruction topics. Participants performed standardized searches before, after, and six-months after intervention and were scored using a search strategy analysis tool (1 representing highest score and 5 representing lowest score). Residents completed pre- and post-intervention surveys to measure opinions about MEDLINE and search satisfaction.Results: Post-intervention, the test group formulated better questions, used limits more effectively, and reported greater confidence in using MEDLINE. The control group expressed less satisfaction with retrieval and demonstrated more errors when limiting. The test and control groups had the following average search scores respectively: 3.0 and 3.5 (pre-intervention), 3.3 and 3.4 (post-intervention), and 2.0 and 3.8 (six-month post-intervention).Conclusion: Data suggest that measurable learning outcomes were achieved. Residents receiving instruction improved and retained searching skills six-months after intervention.