The Pause that Refreshes: A Study of Self-Funded Leave

Self­funded leave programmes provide a time resource to employees so that they can pursue interests outside their normal employment. This article reports the results of qualitative research conducted on 16 workers who completed a self­funded leave programme. Semi­structured interviews were used to explore participants’ motivations to enrol in the self­funded leave programme, how the leave contributed to work­life balance through development of non­work life roles, and difficulties that arose during participation in the self­funded leave programme. Results reveal that participants did use self­ funded leave to improve their work­life balance and augment other life­roles. However, unpredicted events influenced how the leave time was actually used, which was often different from original plans and goals. Adult transition theory is used to conceptualize the process of participating in self­funded leave and to suggest how employees who undertake self­funded leave can be best supported by employers

A Comparison of the Motivations of Pre-degree and Degree Education Students for Becoming Teachers in Aotearoa New Zealand

In New Zealand the Ministry of Education is committed to attracting and retaining ‘high quality individuals’ to the teaching profession who represent the diverse cultural and socio-economic communities in the country. One way to achieve this has been through the provision of multiple pathways into initial teacher education (ITE). Such pathways provide access for students significantly underrepresented in Teacher Education. This research sought to investigate and compare the motivation of students enrolled on the Certificate of Introduction to Early Childhood Education (ECE) or the Bachelor of Education (BEd) Primary and ECE specialism. As other research has suggested, there is a correlation between student motivation to teach and their success in ITE programmes, through to being qualified and working in the teaching profession. Qualitative and quantitative data was gathered from a questionnaire and focus groups, using semi-structured questions to expand on questionnaire responses. Findings from data sources highlighted that, despite the differences in academic achievement on entry between both groups, motivations for pursuing teaching as a career were remarkably similar, showing comparable responses in relation to altruistic, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation

The Pause that Refreshes: A Study of Self-Funded Leave

Self­funded leave programmes provide a time resource to employees so that they can pursue interests outside their normal employment. This article reports the results of qualitative research conducted on 16 workers who completed a self­funded leave programme. Semi­structured interviews were used to explore participants’ motivations to enrol in the self­funded leave programme, how the leave contributed to work­life balance through development of non­work life roles, and difficulties that arose during participation in the self­funded leave programme. Results reveal that participants did use self­ funded leave to improve their work­life balance and augment other life­roles. However, unpredicted events influenced how the leave time was actually used, which was often different from original plans and goals. Adult transition theory is used to conceptualize the process of participating in self­funded leave and to suggest how employees who undertake self­funded leave can be best supported by employers

Encouraging lifelong learning through student-centred learning approaches in a Malaysian teacher education programme

Student-centred learning approaches employ activities that are intended to assist students to construct their own understandings and develop skills relevant to problem solving. These approaches are intended to promote development of learning skills, knowledge, attitudes and competencies for lifelong learning. In the student-centred environments, teachers relinquish being the main actor in the classroom for a facilitator‟s role. Students become active agents in the classroom where they learn how to assimilate and accommodate new information and to build new knowledge based on existing knowledge. This paper examines student-centred learning models as an alternative to traditional teacher-centred learning models. The report will present preliminary results of a case study that investigated the use of student-centred approaches at a Malaysian university teacher education programme. The qualitative approach examined teaching and learning from both the lecturers‟ and students‟ points of view. The results supported the notion of studentcentred learning in educating students toward the direction of lifelong learning development. The infusion of student-centred learning into courses in the teacher education programme provides students with opportunities to gain skills and knowledge needed to become teachers who contribute to a more lifelong learning in their classrooms. There is evidence from the study that studentcentred learning can nurture the students towards greater intrinsic motivated, self-expression and independence in their learning patterns and hence develop their lifelong learning process