Head-to-head: school leaders’ perceptions of excellence in high-performing secondary schools and academies in England

This is a qualitative study of leaders’ understanding of excellence and conceptions of leadership at eleven high-performing English secondary schools and academies. It uses semi-structured interviews between a headteacher-researcher and school leaders. The leader’s role in achieving and sustaining excellence is considered in the light of theories of leadership, notably Instructional, Transformational and Leadership for Learning. Distributed leadership, literature on Continuing Professional Development and the practices in successful and high-performing schools are also considered. Models of Servant Leadership, rarely seen in the literature on schools, are used to build a conceptual framework to understand leaders’ practices. The study confirms prior research that models of Leadership for Learning predominate, supported by Distributed Leadership practices. Servant Leader attributes complement the focus on pedagogy. Characteristics of schools in the study focus on pedagogy and innovation. Continuing Professional Development is a further feature, supported by the importance of recruiting talented staff. Leadership characteristics include the pursuit of high standards and expectations. Headteachers are ‘human’ leaders, who are visible, care for and empower colleagues. Moral purpose is also important in driving school leaders. The study also finds that leadership stability and succession planning are important. Furthermore, that for some leaders, whilst understanding the OFSTED accountability expectations, these do not unduly influence their actions in the pursuit of excellence. The study’s conclusions are useful to inform policy and practice with the aim of improving outcomes more widely for pupils. To this end, it is recommended that further research should be conducted into practices in high-performing schools and, in addition, their use of innovation, particularly in relation to pedagogy. Using models of Servant Leadership and the allied conception of moral purpose would also provide additional insights into the success of these schools

Black Women at BSU: A Qualitative Study of Relationship- Building Challenges at a Predominantly White Institution

This study sought to better understand the challenges of relationship formation as perceived by black, female students at Bridgewater State University (BSU). In particular, the study sought to understand what specific challenges black women at BSU experience in forming relationships with professors and with their peers in friendships and romantic relationships; whether these challenges have changed over time; and whether these challenges are similar to or different from those faced by the subjects other researchers have studied. The research will be useful to students, faculty, and the administrators at BSU and can be used to inform these groups about the experiences of black female students. This research also aims to make black female students feel more comfortable to form relationships in a college setting

Cultural Value Orientation, Social Networking Site (SNS) Use, and Homesickness in International Students

This study explores the relations between cultural value orientation, social networking site (SNS) usage intensity, and homesickness among a sample of international students studying in the United States. The results of this study determined that individuals high in collectivism and familism reported significantly more SNS usage in general. Other results revealed that students with high levels of individualism had significantly lower levels of homesickness. In addition, students with higher levels of homesickness reported a higher level of SNS usage with people back home. Based on the results this paper discusses implications and suggest interventions that could be used with international students

Personality and alcohol use: the roles of impulsivity, negative consequences, age and gender

Volume I thesis consists of a systematic literature review, empirical research paper, and public dissemination document. The main finding of the systematic review was that sensation seeking is a significant predictor of alcohol use in adolescence, but does not always directly predict problem drinking and related problems. The empirical showed, among a sample of young males who have not attended university, impulsivity and negative consequences are directly related to alcohol use, but that it important to consider mediating and moderating variables that may impact the nature and direction of these relationships. The public dissemination document provides succinct and accessible summaries of both the systematic review and the empirical research paper

A longitudinal examination of the consequences of OCBs for individuals in organisations: the moderating roles of percieved organisational support and control

The present thesis was conceptualised and conducted against the backdrop of rapidly emerging research that challenges the conventional depiction of OCBs as positive extra-role behaviours that produce beneficial outcomes to both individuals and organisations. The thesis contends that OCBs may be either beneficial or detrimental to individual performers depending on their perceptions of the psychosocial work environment – i.e. perceived job control and perceived organisational support. Both perceived job control and organisational support have been researched in existing theoretical models and prior research which depict and assess these variables as key moderators in the relationship between work stressors and job strain. Hence, the present thesis hypothesised that both job control and support will moderate the effects of Time 1 OCBs (peer reports of OCB-I and OCB-O) on various individual-level outcomes of job satisfaction, organisational commitment, role ambiguity, role overload, work-family conflict, physical exhaustion and work-related depression measured at Time 2, based on a two-wave longitudinal panel methodological design. This newly proposed moderation model was tested across three interrelated Studies (Study 1, Study 2, and Study 3) in which the first two studies were cross-sectional based on Time 1 and Time 2 data, respectively, and the final study provided a longitudinal version of the same analyses. A direct effects model (where the effects of Time 1 OCBs on the Time 2 outcomes were assessed) and a mediation model (in which role stressors were modelled as mediators between OCBs and job attitudes and health) were also examined, alongside the proposed moderation model. In Study 1, based on data from 562 employees in Barbados captured at the first wave, structural equation modelling (SEM) analyses revealed that the direct effects model emerged superior to the mediation and moderation models. There were no significant interaction effects of control and support on any of the outcomes in Study 1. In Study 2, based on data from 427 employees (an attrition rate of 24%) captured at the second wave, the SEM analyses revealed that both mediation and moderation models emerged as the superior models. In the moderation model, both control and support emerged as significant moderators in several relationships between OCBs and the outcome variables. Finally in Study 3, the longitudinal SEM analyses revealed that the ‘normal causation’ direct effects model emerged superior to the reverse and reciprocal causation models as well as the mediation models. The moderation model also emerged as a superior model in which both control and support moderated several relationships between Time 1 OCBs and Time 2 outcome variables. Overall, the present thesis provided some support for the proposed moderation model and is consistent with key assumptions underlying existing theoretical models and findings of prior research on the stressor-strain relationship. The findings reinforced the role of personal job resources such as job autonomy and organisational support as critical factors that can buffer the potentially negative effects of OCBs for individual performers. Theoretical and practical implications, future research recommendations, and study limitations have been discussed in the final chapter of the thesis

A longitudinal examination of the consequences of OCBs for individuals in organisations: the moderating roles of percieved organisational support and control

The present thesis was conceptualised and conducted against the backdrop of rapidly emerging research that challenges the conventional depiction of OCBs as positive extra-role behaviours that produce beneficial outcomes to both individuals and organisations. The thesis contends that OCBs may be either beneficial or detrimental to individual performers depending on their perceptions of the psychosocial work environment – i.e. perceived job control and perceived organisational support. Both perceived job control and organisational support have been researched in existing theoretical models and prior research which depict and assess these variables as key moderators in the relationship between work stressors and job strain. Hence, the present thesis hypothesised that both job control and support will moderate the effects of Time 1 OCBs (peer reports of OCB-I and OCB-O) on various individual-level outcomes of job satisfaction, organisational commitment, role ambiguity, role overload, work-family conflict, physical exhaustion and work-related depression measured at Time 2, based on a two-wave longitudinal panel methodological design. This newly proposed moderation model was tested across three interrelated Studies (Study 1, Study 2, and Study 3) in which the first two studies were cross-sectional based on Time 1 and Time 2 data, respectively, and the final study provided a longitudinal version of the same analyses. A direct effects model (where the effects of Time 1 OCBs on the Time 2 outcomes were assessed) and a mediation model (in which role stressors were modelled as mediators between OCBs and job attitudes and health) were also examined, alongside the proposed moderation model. In Study 1, based on data from 562 employees in Barbados captured at the first wave, structural equation modelling (SEM) analyses revealed that the direct effects model emerged superior to the mediation and moderation models. There were no significant interaction effects of control and support on any of the outcomes in Study 1. In Study 2, based on data from 427 employees (an attrition rate of 24%) captured at the second wave, the SEM analyses revealed that both mediation and moderation models emerged as the superior models. In the moderation model, both control and support emerged as significant moderators in several relationships between OCBs and the outcome variables. Finally in Study 3, the longitudinal SEM analyses revealed that the ‘normal causation’ direct effects model emerged superior to the reverse and reciprocal causation models as well as the mediation models. The moderation model also emerged as a superior model in which both control and support moderated several relationships between Time 1 OCBs and Time 2 outcome variables. Overall, the present thesis provided some support for the proposed moderation model and is consistent with key assumptions underlying existing theoretical models and findings of prior research on the stressor-strain relationship. The findings reinforced the role of personal job resources such as job autonomy and organisational support as critical factors that can buffer the potentially negative effects of OCBs for individual performers. Theoretical and practical implications, future research recommendations, and study limitations have been discussed in the final chapter of the thesis

Langue, musique et crise de la nation jamaïcaine

Cet article s’intéresse à l’évolution de pratiques linguistiques rivales dans les musiques populaires jamaïcaines, des années 1950 à nos jours. Deux langues coexistent et rivalisent en effet en Jamaïque : l’anglais, héritage linguistique de l’époque coloniale, et langue officielle de l’État jamaïcain postcolonial, dispute sa place dans les paroles des chansons avec la langue jamaïcaine (le créole jamaïcain, ou Patois). Ce dernier est la langue maternelle de la vaste majorité de la population, et constitue de facto la langue nationale. Cet article analyse la façon dont cet affrontement se déroule, et le type de langue qui en vient à être associé avec les différents genres musicaux jamaïcains. Son analyse culmine avec l’examen du rôle que la langue jamaïcaine a fini par jouer, par l’intermédiaire de la musique, dans le défi le plus important que l’État jamaïcain a dû affronter depuis l’indépendance : la confrontation militaire qui se déroula à Kingston Ouest/Tivoli Gardens en mai 2010 pour l’arrestation et l’extradition de Christopher « Dudus » Coke.The paper examines the evolution of language use in popular Jamaican music over six decades, between the two coexisting and simultaneously competing languages of Jamaica. English, a colonial linguistic inheritance, the official language of the post-colonial Jamaican state, competes for a place in music lyrics with the Jamaican Language (Jamaican Creole, Patwa). This is the native language of the mass of the population and the de facto national language. The paper discusses how this battle plays out in terms of which language varieties are predominantly associated with which Jamaican popular music genres. It culminates in examining the role which the Jamaican Language came to play, via its use in music, in the most significant challenge to the existence of the Jamaican state since independence, the military confrontation in West Kingston/Tivoli Gardens events of May 2010, around the arrest and extradition of Christopher “Dudus” Coke

Exploring Intercultural Understanding and Awareness Among French as a Second Language Students Through Web Pals

The need for more services and support for international students’ academic transition is evident, as their numbers continue to increase in postsecondary institutions. There is also a need for educational leaders to have a better understanding of how they can support international students’ academic transition and success. A phenomenological research design is being used to problematize academic transition by examining the experiences of international students who are ethnoculturally and linguistically diverse. The focus is on the students from cultural and educational backgrounds that are divergent to the Canadian educational system, and their adjustment to postsecondary academic writing and teaching strategies. In-depth, semi-structured interviews with six purposefully selected, international graduate students, and a document analysis was used to gather data for analysis and interpretation. The findings brought to bare culturally responsive practices that postsecondary educational institutions can adopt as they develop and structure programs and services for international students. The study also provides recommendations that can be implemented to ensure the smooth transitioning of all international students

Survival or Natural Death? Issues Related to the Sustainability of Writing across the Curriculum Programmes

This paper examines the issue of sustainability in Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) programmes, focusing on the role of ‘bottom up’ initiatives in their development and spread. It argues that, although this element is essential for the start up of WAC initiatives, sustainability can only be achieved through institutionalization, a process requiring ‘top down’ measures.  Since both bottom up and top down approaches are essential to successful implementation, it is critical to find the right balance between both approaches. The experience of WAC implementation at the Mona Campus of the University of the West Indies, Jamaica is used as a context within which to examine these issues. This example demonstrates a mix of bottom up and top down implementation approaches, but with insufficient top down commitment to guarantee sustainability.  It concludes by looking at lessons learned and areas of continued activism which have borne some fruit. It is suggested that the issue of sustainability in the case of grassroots advocates is perhaps better conceptualized as sustained efforts to establish programmes, rather than programme sustainability per se