Challenges faced by early-career researchers in the sciences in Australia and the consequent effect of those challenges on their careers : a mixed methods project

The purpose of the study was to explore the challenges faced by early-career researchers (ECRs) in the sciences in Australia and the consequent effect of those challenges on their careers. Using a realist/postpositivist paradigm, an evaluative approach, and a framework of job satisfaction, this project has explored and compared the views of ECRs to evaluate the factors which shape the ECR experience and contribute to job satisfaction or dissatisfaction and intention to leave, and to define the features which are necessary to keep an ECR in research. Data collection for this mixed methods study entailed a national survey of researchers working in universities and research institutes (n=658), a focus group discussion and semistructured in-depth interviews with eight women from a variety of scientific disciplines who had recently left academic research workplaces. I focussed particularly on the difficulties consequent to job insecurity: the constant need to attracting funding and a permanent position, lack of work-life balance and associated stress; and evidence of workplace difficulties such as bullying, harassment or inequity and support – or lack of it – offered by the research institutions. I examined the factors which contribute to and barriers which prevent job satisfaction of this population, and the consequent intention (if any) for ECRs to leave research or change their career path. I found an interesting situation whereby the satisfaction derived from a “love of science” was counterbalanced by stress and poor working conditions which are a consequence of lack of job security, typified by poor supervision, bullying or harassment, inequitable hiring practices, a concerning rate of impact from “questionable research practices” (impacting 34%-41% of respondents) and evidence of very high (80%) intention of ECRs to leave their position. The most significant predictor of intention to leave is time as a postdoctoral scientist: eventually the job insecurity and its associated stresses become too much and the ECRs leave their chosen career for work elsewhere. This decision, too, provides interesting findings as many of the ECRs have difficulty planning what to do next. They feel ill-prepared for an alternate career and suffer from a sense of failure as a result of having to leave academia. While addressing the shortage of funding is outside the scope of this study, in addition to offering my findings I put forward a range of recommendations which could lead to ar change of culture and benefit the wellbeing of ECRs in STEMM without incurring significant cost. The Australian Government, higher education institutions and the research community need to improve job security and workplace conditions and take better care of our people in STEMM disciplines or we will not have the scientists we need to deliver the “innovative Australia” planned for 2030 (Department of Industry Innovation and Science, 2018)Doctor of Philosoph

The Use of Digital Resources from the Commercial Series Breakthrough Intro as a Way to Improve English Language Learning of Students of Journalism Registered in Intensive English I, semester I, 2019 at the University of El Salvador

Communication is indispensable for everyone; it is as essential as water for plants and seeds to grow. Nowadays, in the period of globalization the way people communicate has extremely changed all around the world. Although in our country English is not official language, we can easily find advertisements, articles and sometimes important news reported in English. It means that no matter where we are, foreign languages can literally knock atdoors. According to the Journalist Poonam Vaydia (March,2017),in her article Why a Journalist Should Know Good English explains that a Journalist should know English as a need to build better communication models and reach out the entire world because English has become an international language. In few words, English nowadays is a useful tool for everybody in order to communicate with others no matter our profession. However, in the case of journalists, English has become an indispensible tool not only because of their daily action with different people around the world but also because of their need to accesses and understand first source information from around the world in order to inform without unintentionally misunderstands of the information they want to spread. According to Professor Rodriguez de Carranza (2019), in the current year, at the Journalism Department in the University of El Salvador there are (60) students registered in Intensive English I. According to the registration system in the last five years, 32% of the students have failed English I one or two semesters before. As a result, it emerges a concern because of the importance that English has in their professional world in order to succeed. In order to address this problem, the Breakthrough Book will implement a digital resource in order to give students the opportunity to put into practice what they are learning inside the classroom. The main objective of this research is to analyze the impact of using an educational digital resource for learning English to students registered in Intensive English I this current semeste

Self-Evaluation Applied Mathematics 2003-2008 University of Twente

This report contains the self-study for the research assessment of the Department of Applied Mathematics (AM) of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science (EEMCS) at the University of Twente (UT). The report provides the information for the Research Assessment Committee for Applied Mathematics, dealing with mathematical sciences at the three universities of technology in the Netherlands. It describes the state of affairs pertaining to the period 1 January 2003 to 31 December 2008

The dynamic layers of socially embedded vulnerability in preadolescence: How can support meet needs in family and school contexts?

Most preadolescents in Finland do well. However, growing inequality and the accumulation of vulnerabilities have raised concerns. This dissertation builds on bioecological transactional systems theory and unpacks the layered nature of vulnerability in preadolescence. More specifically, the dissertation aims to deepen understanding of: (i) the multidimensional ways in which vulnerability can be reflected (socio-emotional, motivational, cognitive), (ii) the risks embedded in relationships and interactions in family and school contexts, and (iii) the role of interactions and relationships in the realization of sensitive support that meets needs and promotes well-being and everyday resilience. To embrace the underlying complexity, versatile approaches were adopted. The longitudinal (fourth to sixth grade) data consist of preadolescents (N = 318), their parents, and teachers. In Studies I and Ⅱ, statistical analyses were conducted through variable- and personcentered approaches. In Study Ⅲ, longitudinal video observations were complemented with statistical analyses. Study I examined the stability and interdependence of social and emotional loneliness in preadolescence, and whether parents’ loneliness predicted their preadolescent children’s (N = 318) long-term loneliness. Social and emotional loneliness were found to be rather stable across preadolescence. Social loneliness did not predict future emotional loneliness, and the reverse was also true. Fathers’ loneliness predicted their sons’, but not their daughters’, long-term social loneliness, and mothers’ loneliness predicted their daughters’, but not their sons’, long-term social loneliness. These findings encourage acknowledging the type of loneliness experienced when designing interventions to tackle loneliness. Loneliness hurts, and it can do so also intergenerationally. Preventing and alleviating parents’ loneliness is important, not only to enhance their own well-being but also to help prevent and break intergenerational cycles of vulnerability. Study Ⅱ deepened understanding of socio-emotional vulnerability as socially embedded in families of preadolescents (N = 249). A latent profile analysis identified four family profiles of parental self-efficacy: (i) low–low, (ii) low–average, (iii) high–average, and (iv) high–high (a mother’s/father’s parental self-efficacy within the family). Intra- and extra-familial relationship vulnerability accumulated to low parental self-efficacy family profiles; parents reported the highest social and emotional loneliness and less open family communication environment, and preadolescents reported the highest social and emotional loneliness and were evaluated with the lowest prosocial (in parent, teacher, and peer evaluations) and the highest antisocial (parent evaluations) behaviors, compared to other family profiles. The findings suggest that parents with high parental self-efficacy and low loneliness experiences are better placed to help their preadolescent children form and maintain meaningful relationships. This emphasizes the need to ensure that parents feel efficacious and that no parent feels lonely. Study Ⅲ examined the role of emotional support in promoting resilience. Forty students identified with different combinations of socio-motivational vulnerability and reading difficulties were chosen for a three-semester intervention conducted by special needs teachers (N = 6). A multi-step video analysis was conducted (first step: 12 student pairs; next steps: four student pairs, with their teachers). Teachers allocated more support time to students with cumulated socio-motivational vulnerabilities, but this was not positively associated with development of competences. Emotional support was observed separately for those episodes when the teacher was in close proximity to the student pair (i.e., the teacher with the student pair) and when the pair collaborated without the teacher’s close proximity (i.e., peer dyadic). The findings appear to point to a trend that emotional support can promote resilience; when the interactions enabled mutual joy, meaningful participation and experiences of success, students’ development was more positive, especially in task orientation. However, variation was observed in how emotional support was realized across pairs and lessons. One teacher struggled to find positive emotion regulation strategies, with students’ needs repeatedly being unseen, unheard, or misunderstood. These kinds of interactions risk (re)producing vulnerability, rather than promoting resilience. It is important to ensure that teacher education provides all teachers with the competences to observe and meet their students’ diverse needs sensitively and flexibly and to promote peer collaboration. Encouraging teachers’ awareness of and reflective stance toward their own emotions and interpretations, especially in challenging situations, is further recommended. Taken together, the three studies contribute uniquely to unpacking the layered nature of vulnerability as multidimensional and extending beyond the individual. The practical implications are presented for professionals working with families, teachers and teacher educators, policymakers, and ultimately all of us. When striving to promote well-being and resilience in preadolescence, we must ensure that families and schools have meaningful resources accessible at multiple levels. Thus, in addition to structural changes we all need to re-evaluate how we encounter one another.Haavoittuvuuden dynaamiset ja sosiaaliset kerrokset varhaisnuoruudessa: Miten tuki voi vastata tuen tarpeisiin perhe- ja koulukonteksteissa? Valtaosa suomalaisista varhaisnuorista voi hyvin, mutta kasvava eriarvoisuus ja haavoittuvuustilanteiden kasautuminen herättävät huolta. Tässä väitöstutkimuksessa haavoittuvuuden kerroksellisuutta tarkastellaan bioekologisen transaktionaalisen systeemiteorian pohjalta. Väitöstutkimus pyrkii syventämään ymmärrystä: (i) haavoittuvuuden moniulotteisuudesta (sosioemotionaalinen, motivationaalinen, kognitiivinen), (ii) ihmissuhteisiin ja vuorovaikutukseen kietoutuvista riskeistä perhe- ja koulukonteksteissa, ja (iii) ihmissuhteiden ja vuorovaikutuksen roolista sensitiivisesti tarpeisiin sovitetun tuen toteutumisen ja hyvinvoinnin ja arjen resilienssin edistämisen näkökulmasta. Moninäkökulmaisuuden tavoittamiseksi hyödynnetään useita menetelmiä. Pitkittäisseuranta-aineisto (neljänneltä kuudennelle luokalle) koostuu varhaisnuorista (N = 318), heidän vanhemmistaan sekä opettajistaan. Tutkimuksissa I ja Ⅱ hyödynnettiin muuttuja- ja henkilösuuntautuneita tilastoanalyyseja. Tutkimuksessa Ⅲ pääpaino oli videohavainnoinneissa, joita täydennettiin tilastoanalyysein. Tutkimuksessa I tarkasteltiin sosiaalisen ja emotionaalisen yksinäisyyden pysyvyyttä sekä keskinäistä riippuvuutta varhaisnuoruudessa. Lisäksi tutkittiin, ennustaako vanhempien yksinäisyys varhaisnuorten (N = 318) pitkäaikaista yksinäisyyttä. Tulokset osoittivat, että sekä sosiaalinen että emotionaalinen yksinäisyys on varhaisnuoruudessa varsin pysyvää. Sosiaalinen yksinäisyys ei ennustanut emotionaalista yksinäisyyttä tai päinvastoin. Isien yksinäisyys ennusti poikien, mutta ei tyttöjen, ja äitien yksinäisyys ennusti tyttöjen, mutta ei poikien, pitkäaikaista sosiaalista yksinäisyyttä. Tulokset kannustavat kiinnittämään huomiota koetun yksinäisyyden laatuun kehitettäessä toimia yksinäisyyden vähentämiseksi. Yksinäisyys satuttaa, ja se voi tehdä niin myös ylisukupolvisesti. Vanhempien yksinäisyyden ennaltaehkäiseminen ja lievittäminen on tärkeää heidän oman hyvinvointinsa edistämiseksi, mutta myös ylisukupolvisten haavoittuvuuden polkujen ehkäisemiseksi ja purkamiseksi. Tutkimuksessa Ⅱ syvennettiin ymmärrystä sosioemotionaalisesta haavoittuvuudesta varhaisnuorten perheissä (N = 249). Latenttiprofiilianalyysin avulla tunnistettiin neljä vanhemmuuden minäpystyvyyden perheprofiilia: (i) matala– matala, (ii) matala–keskitaso, (iii) korkea–keskitaso, ja (iv) korkea–korkea (äidin/isän vanhemmuuden minäpystyvyys). Perheen sisäisiin ja ulkopuolisiin ihmissuhteisiin liittyvä haavoittuvuus kasautui matalan vanhemmuuden minäpystyvyyden profiileihin: vanhemmilla oli enemmän sosiaalista ja emotionaalista yksinäisyyttä, he arvioivat perheen kommunikaation vähemmän avoimeksi, ja varhaisnuorilla oli eniten sosiaalista ja emotionaalista yksinäisyyttä, heikoimmat prososiaaliset taidot (vanhempi-, opettaja- ja toveriarvio) sekä vanhempiensa arvioimana eniten antisosiaalista käyttäytymistä. Tulokset osoittavat, että vanhemmilla, joilla on vahva kyvykkyydentunne, ja jotka eivät ole yksinäisiä, on paremmat mahdollisuudet tukea varhaisnuorta mielekkäiden ihmissuhteiden muodostamisessa ja ylläpitämisessä. On tärkeää varmistaa, että jokainen vanhempi voi kokea kyvykkyyttä, ja että yksikään vanhempi ei tunne jäävänsä yksin. Tutkimuksessa Ⅲtarkasteltiin tunnetuen merkitystä resilienssin näkökulmasta. Neljäkymmentä oppilasta, joilla oli sosiomotivationaalista haavoittuvuutta ja lukemisen vaikeuksia, valittiin kolme lukukautta kestäneeseen interventioon, jonka toteuttivat erityisopettajat (N = 6). Tutkimuksessa toteutettiin monivaiheinen videoanalyysi (ensimmäinen vaihe: 12 oppilasparia; seuraavat vaiheet: neljä oppilasparia, opettajineen). Opettajat tarjosivat ajallisesti enemmän tukeaan oppilaille, joilla oli kasautunutta sosiomotivationaalista haavoittuvuutta, mutta tämä ei ollut yhteydessä taitojen kehitykseen. Tunnetukea havainnoitiin erikseen tilanteissa, joissa opettaja oli oppilasparin välittömässä läheisyydessä (opettaja ja oppilaspari) ja parin työskennellessä ilman opettajan välitöntä läheisyyttä (oppilaspari keskenään). Tulokset antoivat viitteitä tunnetuen merkityksestä resilienssin edistämisessä; kun vuorovaikutuksessa mahdollistui jaettu ilo, mielekäs osallistuminen, ja onnistumisen kokemukset, oppilaiden kehitys oli myönteisempää, erityisesti tehtäväorientaation osalta. Tunnetuen toteutumisessa oli vaihtelua oppilasparien ja oppituntien välillä. Yhdellä opettajista oli haasteita löytää myönteisiä tapoja säädellä tunnetilojaan, ja oppilaiden tarpeet jäivät toistuvasti näkymättä, kuulematta, tai tulivat väärin ymmärretyiksi. Tämä voi johtaa haavoittuvuustilanteisiin vuorovaikutuksessa, resilienssin edistämisen sijaan. On tärkeää varmistaa, että opettajankoulutus tarjoaa jokaiselle opettajalle taidot tunnistaa oppilaidensa moninaisia tarpeita ja vastata niihin sensitiivisesti, sekä tukea vertaisvuorovaikutusta. On myös tärkeää kannustaa opettajia tunnistamaan ja reflektoimaan omia tunteitaan ja tulkintojaan erityisesti haastavissa tilanteissa. Yhteenvetona voidaan todeta, että kaikki kolme tutkimusta valottavat ainutlaatuisella tavalla haavoittuvuuden kerroksellisuutta, nostaen esiin sen moniulotteisuutta ja ulottumista yksilöä laajemmalti. Käytännön suositukset on suunnattu perheen parissa työskenteleville ammattilaisille, opettajille ja opettajankouluttajille, päätöksentekijöille, sekä yleisemmin meistä jokaiselle. Kun pyritään vahvistamaan hyvinvointia ja resilienssiä varhaisnuoruudessa, on tärkeää varmistaa perheille ja kouluille mielekkäät, saavutettavissa olevat resurssit usealla eri tasolla. Tämä tarkoittaa, että rakenteellisten muutosten lisäksi meidän jokaisen tulee tarkastella sitä, kuinka kohtaamme toisemme

Investigating the predictive validity of TOEFL iBT® scores and their use in informing policy in a UK university setting

The project examined the predictive validity of TOEFL®iBT with a focus on the relationship between TOEFL®iBT scores and students’ subsequent academic success in postgraduate studies in one leading university in the UK, paying specific attention to the role of linguistic preparedness as perceived by students and tutors. We employed a mixed-methods approach in order to enrich traditionally quantitatively oriented studies with a qualitative perspective. For the sample of 504 students who entered the university for postgraduate studies in the years 2011-2013 on the basis of a TOEFL®iBT score, we analyzed the relation between TOEFL®iBT scores and final academic award by correlation and regression analyses, taking into consideration discipline, nationality, and additional language support. For the qualitative strand, students entering the university in 2013 on the basis of a TOEFL®iBT score were invited to questionnaires and interviews, as were their EAP and academic tutors. A total 48 students and 58 tutors participated, with 25 students and 36 tutors being interviewed at three points over the course of the year.Our findings show that students entering the university on the basis of TOEFL®iBT scores feel well prepared, and generally regard the test as an effective means of preparation for their academic studies in a UK setting. They cope well with the linguistic demands and a vast majority graduate successfully. Our findings support the appropriateness of the university’s entrance policy with regard to setting minimum test score requirements, thus underpinning the predictive validity of TOEFL®iBT in a UK setting

Spanish & Portuguese 2017 APR Self-Study & Documents

UNM Spanish & Portuguese APR self-study report, review team report, response report, and initial action plan for Spring 2017, fulfilling requirements of the Higher Learning Commission