52 research outputs found

    Quick Fix’ Or ‘Slow Deep Burn’? An Exploration Of The Benefits And Challenges Of Implementing A Joint Practice Development Approach In Further Education Institutions

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    The research aimed to explore the benefits and challenges of implementing a collaborative model of professional development where teachers learn from each other, rather than from more traditional approaches where knowledge or good practice is ‘cascaded’ to members of an audience from ‘experts’ outside the workplace. It aimed to examine the extent to which practitioners can take ownership of their professional development and improve their practice through an approach known as joint practice development (JPD) (Fielding et al, 2005). Rather than being concerned simply with the transfer of practice from one teacher to another, this approach provides opportunities for teachers to share and develop their practice with each other in their working context, with the result that all teachers engaged in the process benefit from the interactions, since all of those involved in the process have skills or knowledge to share. Typically, the model involves practitioners experimenting with new ideas, informed by peer observations, professional discussions and underpinned by relevant literature. A considerable amount of research has been undertaken to explore how the approach can be implemented in schools. However, there appears to be a lack of studies that have investigated whether JPD is a model that could flourish in further education and skills settings and so this research aimed to address this apparent gap in the knowledge. Fundamental to the research was to explore the concepts of professionalism, collaborative learning and specifically how teachers learn from one another in ways that enable them to develop their practice. Through a series of one to one interviews, the study explores how improvements in practice are subsequently spread to the benefit of organisations. By studying the activity through the eyes of a cross section of roles in six FE institutions, the research examines the possibilities of developing a model of joint working that can be generalised to other individuals, groups and further education and skills settings. Since FE organisations are often complex hierarchical structures, the extent to which power facilitates or constrains the approach was central to the study. Focusing on the relationships, interactions and cultural constraints when implementing a version of JPD, the research argues that the approach has the potential to improve practice at an individual level. The findings suggest, however, that JPD is not sustainable as a means to improve practice at the level of an institution in the current climate, due, at least in part, to the prevalence of managerialist cultures in further education organisations

    Differential Spring Migration in the White-throated Sparrow (\u3cem\u3eZonotrichia albicollis\u3c/em\u3e)

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    Differential migration timing between distinct classes of individuals is commonly observed in songbirds, however, the underlying behavioural mechanisms of differential timing are still uncertain for most species. My research applied a suite of advanced techniques to examine differential migration timing (by sex and morph) and its underlying behavioural mechanisms (refuelling rate, stopover duration, and wintering latitude) in spring migrating White-throated Sparrows (Zonotrichia albicollis) at a key stopover site. Protandry was the only form of differential migration timing observed, with males arriving at stopover on average 11 days earlier than females. Males and females had similar refuelling rate, stopover duration, and wintering latitude, suggesting that other behavioural mechanisms must contribute to the high level of protandry observed. Migration timing, stopover behaviour, and wintering latitude did not differ between morph classes. This study adds to the mounting evidence that differential migration timing does not result from differences in stopover behaviour

    Transformative Social Innovation Theory:Spaces & Places for Social Change

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    Influence Of The Enabling Environment On Drinking-Water Programs: Qualitative And Quantitative Analyses

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    Accounting for drinking-water quality, approximately 1.8 billion people lack access to safe drinking-water, increasing their risk of diarrheal diseases. To remedy this, Sustainable Development Goals, particularly target 6.1 to “achieve universal access to safe and equitable water” by 2030, were established. It is believed achieving this will require an enabling environment. However, the enabling environment for drinking-water programs is ill-defined. The term “enabling environment” is increasingly used in the drinking-water field but its meaning is vague and its influence on drinking-water programs has not been determined. The purpose of this dissertation is to clarify the meaning of the enabling environment and investigate its influence on drinking-water programs. I use the institutional analysis and development framework to explain the enabling environment. Key informant interviews are carried out to determine the influence of the enabling environment on drinking-water programs, specifically household-water treatment and safe storage (HWTS) programs and climate change adaptation of drinking-water systems. Additionally, multiple regression analyses are conducted to determine the significance of enabling environment variables on expenditures on drinking-water systems, a proxy for decision-making about providing access to drinking-water. I find that the enabling environment is the blend of formal rules, informal rules, and the physical environment that impact the capacity of individuals and organizations to achieve their objectives. All enabling environment elements—formal rules, informal rules, and the physical environment—were found to influence the drinking-water programs analyzed; however, their relative degree of influence varied. In the HWTS study, informal rules (e.g. cultures), were found to determine adoption of HWTS practices more than formal rules (e.g. policies). Formal rules had a greater impact on decisions to adapt drinking-water systems to climate change than informal rules. Formal and informal rules about partnerships were a recurrent theme in both studies. Regression analyses showed that policies supporting user participation and cross-sectoral partnerships had significant effects on expenditures on drinking-water systems regardless of rural or urban setting. I show that actors involved in drinking-water programs will benefit from shaping an enabling environment that facilitates access to drinking-water. This enabling environment will resemble one that is collaborative with clearly defined leadership.Doctor of Philosoph

    Proceedings of the CIB World Building Congress 2016: Volume IV - Understanding Impacts and Functioning of Different Solutions

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    Factors Influencing Customer Satisfaction towards E-shopping in Malaysia

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    Online shopping or e-shopping has changed the world of business and quite a few people have decided to work with these features. What their primary concerns precisely and the responses from the globalisation are the competency of incorporation while doing their businesses. E-shopping has also increased substantially in Malaysia in recent years. The rapid increase in the e-commerce industry in Malaysia has created the demand to emphasize on how to increase customer satisfaction while operating in the e-retailing environment. It is very important that customers are satisfied with the website, or else, they would not return. Therefore, a crucial fact to look into is that companies must ensure that their customers are satisfied with their purchases that are really essential from the ecommerce’s point of view. With is in mind, this study aimed at investigating customer satisfaction towards e-shopping in Malaysia. A total of 400 questionnaires were distributed among students randomly selected from various public and private universities located within Klang valley area. Total 369 questionnaires were returned, out of which 341 questionnaires were found usable for further analysis. Finally, SEM was employed to test the hypotheses. This study found that customer satisfaction towards e-shopping in Malaysia is to a great extent influenced by ease of use, trust, design of the website, online security and e-service quality. Finally, recommendations and future study direction is provided. Keywords: E-shopping, Customer satisfaction, Trust, Online security, E-service quality, Malaysia
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