A Comparative Analysis of Graduate Employment Prospects in European Labour Markets: A Study of Graduate Recruitment in Four Countries

The aim of this paper is to provide a comparative analysis of higher education and the graduate labour markets in selected European countries (France, Germany, Spain and United Kingdom) in the context of the expectations of graduates and prospective employers, and respective recruitment and selection practices. Expectations of graduating students from a number of European collaborating universities are sought and analysed in order to find out about a match between the knowledge and skills of graduates and the needs of European employers. The study examines the process of graduate recruitment, employee and employer expectations, and the role of higher education institutions in meeting such expectations. Primary data was gathered from 252 employers and 485 final year (graduating) students through the use of questionnaires. The analysis of the data collected has revealed different approaches to but similar methods of graduate recruitment between the four countries. Despite the current differences in higher education systems and labour market trends, the expectations of employers and graduating students are more similar than different. It is concluded that EU graduates will have good employment prospects in an integrated labour market.     

‘Fractured communities’: uncertainty,stress, and (a lack of) communal coping in Palestinian refugee camps

This study examined how communal coping reveals itself in Palestinian refugee camps and the conditions that promote or prevent its occurrence. Individual and dyadic interviews were conducted with 40 mothers and one of their adolescent children living in Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon. The results revealed that communal coping existed within the mother–adolescent dyad to a certain extent, but was rare within the larger context of the refugee camps. While families and neighbors did not typically verbalize their hardships and actively cope with them as a group, there was often an implicit recognition that they were all experiencing the same uncertainty and stress. Acting upon their uncertainty as a collective, however, was greatly hampered by mistrust within and outside the camps, due to widespread violence, privacy violations, vying for scarce resources, and disloyalty. Parents and adolescents also engaged in protective buffering whereby they attempted to reduce the stress of the family by keeping stress and fears to themselves rather than communicating about them. Even though protective buffering helped the refugees cope with chronic uncertainty and maintain a sense of normalcy, it prevented them from acting upon the problem as a group. Finally, parents emphasized that the child’s education provided hope for the future. Practical implications are discussed.     

Effects of tapering on physical match activities in professional soccer players

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to examine: (i) the effect of decreasing training load (TL) during taper weeks on physical match activities in professional soccer players, and (ii) to disclose the relationship between weekly TL and physical match activities. Rating of perceived exertion was collected after each training session and match to quantify the TL in 19 professional players over 17 standard and 7 taper weeks during the season. Physical match activities were quantified by a computerised match analysis system and compared between standard training and taper weeks. Compared to standard weeks, the duration and frequency of training sessions during the taper weeks decreased (?21.7% and ?18.8%, respectively; P < 0.01) with no change in intensity (?4.8%; P = 0.09). Consequently, the weekly TL decreased during the taper weeks (?25.5%; P < 0.01). Increases in distance covered by intense running (+15.1%; P < 0.05), high-intensity running (HIR) (+15.7%; P < 0.01), number of sprints (+17.8%; P < 0.05) and number of high-speed runs (+15.7%; P < 0.05) were observed during the seven matches played after the taper weeks. High relationships were observed between TL and HIR distance covered, number of HIR and number of sprints (r = ?0.53; r = ?0.55; r = ?0.65, respectively; P < 0.01). Decreasing TL during taper weeks by reducing training duration and frequency but maintaining intensity was associated with an increase in physical activities during matches. However, it needs to be determined whether tapering or other match factors led to the changes in match activity.     

The effects of preferred representations on some tasks using solid geometrical figures

Privileged (typical, basic-level) representations are cognitive representations in which figurative features play a significant part. We specifically consider studies on the conventional point of view in object perception (Palmer, Rosch, & Chase, 1981). We propose an analysis of solid geometrical problems in the field of typicality theory and more generally in the theoretical field of mental models. Applied to this geometrical domain, the analysis suggests that individual cognitive representations — corresponding with different points of view from which a figure can be seen — are more or less representative examples of the category, that is to say they correspond more or less with the mental model built by the subject in this domain. Task 1 emphasizes the most representative point of view for four solid geometrical figures chosen by the experimenter. Then, we analyse two tasks on each figure from both the typical and non typical points of view. Errors occur most frequently when the geometrical figure is seen from its non typical viewpoints. Particular attention should be paid to this factor in analysing errors made by subjects.     

Exploration De La Résilience éducationnelle Chez Des Enseignants

AN EXPLORATION OF THE EDUCATIONAL RESILIENCE OF TEACHING STAFF – This study focuses on the degree of resilience displayed by teaching staff with the aim of promoting their professional development and preventing job-related exhaustion. Seven underprivileged schools in Montreal were selected, and 24 teaching staff with contrasting personal profiles were interviewed on the subject of their work. The Alceste software was used to analyse the conversations, which revolved around techniques applied when dealing with critical incidents. The main analysis identified five different discourses among the respondents. Three of these were associated with the more resilient of the teachers and two were associated with the more vulnerable ones. Resilient teaching staff characteristically discussed dealing with aggressive behaviour, the teaching-learning relationship and the subject of social relationships, whereas vulnerable teaching staff focused on work beyond the classroom, people in positions of higher authority and the community. The authors note that teachers who are just embarking on their careers appear more vulnerable than more experienced teaching staff, which suggests that more resources should be provided to support teachers in their profession.     

National,Regional and Global Perspectives of Higher Education and Science Policies in the Arab Region

In this paper we discuss the interaction between science policies (and particularly in the area of scientific research) and higher education policies in Gulf and Mediterranean Arab countries. Our analysis reveals a discrepancy between the two sub-regions with respect to integration in the global market, cooperation in scientific research and international mobility of students. The paper discusses the implications of the analysis of reform policies and higher education restructuring.     

Older Women and Lower Self-Rated Health

Several studies have found that older women report lower self-rated health than men. However, it is not clear why older women are more likely to report poor self-rated health than older men. Data for this study came from a national cross-sectional survey, Mental Health and Quality of Life of Older Malaysians (MHQoLOM). Included in the survey were 2980 respondents consisting of Malaysians aged 60 years and over, with both men (n = 1428) and women (n = 1552) represented. Results of t-tests showed older men expressed significantly higher levels of self-rated health and self-esteem than women (p < .01). Separate multivariate regression by gender revealed that age, life-threatening problems, and self-esteem were highly significant predictors of self-rated health among older men and women and explained 18.4% of variance in self-rated health for men and 18.2% for women. In the last step we examined the main effects of gender on self-rated health using General Linear Models (GLM) Univariate by adjusting for age, life-threatening problems, and self-esteem. Results showed an insignificant difference in self-rated health between older men and women (F _(1,2715) = 2.26, P = 0.13) only after adjusting for self-esteem. It can be concluded that self-esteem affects responses to self-rated health of older men and women.