The Motivational Stories of How Women become Scientists: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Inquiry

The under-representation of women in science careers is well documented (Astin, Green, Kom, & Riggs, 1991; Felder, Felder, Mauny, Hamrin, & Dietz, 1995; Green, 1989; National Science Foundation, 1996, 1998; Seymour & Hewitt, 1997; Strenta, Elliot, Adair, Scott, & Matier, 1994; Tobias, 1990, 1992). While important information has been published concerning various factors that influenced women to pursue science careers (American Association of University Women, 1992; Debacker & Nelson, 2000; Samuels, 1999), very few research projects have allowed women scientists to share their personal experiences ofwhat motivated them to become scientists in their own voices. The purpose of this inquiry was to investigate the elicited stories of seven women research scientists so that their retrospective motivational experiences with science as girls and young women inside and outside the formal school setting might be better understood. This inquiry examined specific motivational factors and experiences that encouraged or discouraged these women to pursue careers in science. These factors included the motivational influences of gender perceptions, science experiences, and social interactions. From the collective experiences offered, emergent themes were identified and interpreted. These motivational themes were compared with motivational findings in the literature review. Educational implications of the identified themes for these and other women considering careers in science, women\u27s parents, science educators and society, are discussed

Hospitality student learning styles: The impact of gender and nationality

Hospitality and tourism education at degree level is increasing in popularity for both home and international students and it has been argued that the student body is becoming more diverse. One consequence of the increased popularity of such programmes is the increasing cultural mix in the contemporary classroom in western countries. Consequently, academic staff are increasingly faced with teaching multicultural classes that comprise students with a range of preferred learning styles. Within the context of changes in the hospitality and tourism educational environment in Australia and the UK, this paper provides a comparative analysis of learning styles of students studying hospitality and tourism programmes in these two countries. Firstly, this paper compares the learning style preferences of students studying in Scotland and Australia and highlights how an understanding of students\u27 preferred learning styles could improve their educational experience. Secondly, it analyses the impact that students\u27 gender and nationality has on learning style preferences. The results indicate that certain groups of students possess learning style preferences that are at odds with their peers and consequently may have difficulty in learning effectively when, for example, tackling group projects. The results of this research also celebrate diversity and highlight the advantages to students of sharing their educational experience with students from other cultures and recognising the benefits of working with peers who adopt a learning style different from their own. The paper concludes with a discussion of the importance of understanding students\u27 learning styles in relation to curricula development, assessment methods and the achievement of deeply processed material

Identifying longitudinal sustainable hierarchies in activities of daily living

© 2017 Elsevier B.V. Activities of daily living serve as an indicator of progression in disability and rehabilitation. It is know that some of the measurement scales used show hierarchical properties indicating that activities of daily living are lost and gained in a consistent pattern. Few studies have investigated the extent to which these patterns are sustained across time and across a range of disability. The study aimed to investigate the hierarchical properties of the activity of daily living items in the ValGraf functional ability scale, to establish if there is a hierarchy of items in the scale and to study the sustainability of the hierarchy over time. Secondary analysis of a retrospective database from 13,113 people over 65 years in 105 nursing homes in northern Italy, between 2008 and 2013 was conducted. Data were gathered 6-monthly and analysed using Mokken scaling to identify a hierarchy of items in the scale and if this was sustainable over time. A sustainable hierarchy of items was observed running in difficulty from urinary incontinence to feeding. The hierarchical structure of the activities of daily living observed in the present study is stable over time meaning that changes in total score for these items can be compared meaningfully across time

Age-related gait standards for healthy children and young people: the GOS-ICH paediatric gait centiles

Objective To develop paediatric gait standards in healthy children and young people. Methods This observational study builds on earlier work to address the lack of population standards for gait measurements in children. Analysing gait in children affected by neurological or musculoskeletal conditions is an important component of paediatric assessment but is often confounded by developmental changes. The standards presented here do not require clinician expertise to interpret and offer an alternative to developmental tables of normalised gait data. Healthy children aged 1-19 years were recruited from community settings in London and Hertfordshire, U.K. The GAITRite ® walkway was used to record measurements for each child for velocity, cadence, step length, base of support, and stance, single and double support (as percentage of gait cycle). We fitted generalized linear additive models for location, scale and shape (gamlss). Results We constructed percentile charts for seven gait variables measured on 624 (321 males) contemporary healthy children using gamlss package in R. A clinical application of gait standards was explored. Conclusion Age-related, gender-specific standards for seven gait variables were developed and are presented here. They have a familiar format and can be used clinically to aid diagnoses, and to monitor change over time for both medical therapy and natural history of the condition. The clinical example demonstrates the potential of the GOS-ICH Paediatric Gait Centiles (GOS-ICH PGC) to enable meaningful interpretation of change in an individual’s performance, and describes characteristic features of gait from a specific population throughout childhood.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

Elementary School Library Collections: A Content Analysis of Science Trade Books

In this study, science trade books from the libraries of 10 elementary schools across the United States were evaluated using the modified Hunsader rubric for their overall quality pertaining to science content, literacy, and critical literacy criteria. Findings indicate that 62% of the books met the overall science content criterion, 99% met the overall literacy criterion, and 41% met the overall critical literacy criterion. The majority of science trade books in each school were life science books, and the majority of books across all schools were 18–23 years old, with many being much older. Implications and recommendations are provided

Physical and Digital Innovation in Shipping: Seeding, Standardizing, and Sequencing

Two innovations within shipping are analyzed. (1) Containerization, an analog innovation that commenced about 50 years ago, created a new system for the handling of global trade and drove shipping costs to the point of financial irrelevance. (2) Sea traffic management is an EU digital innovation in process that aims to revolutionize the shipping business. We identify the seed innovation, which in each case initiates a standardization process and a series of sequenced and coordinated innovations that created a new transport system in one case, and are planned to fashion a smarter system in the second. We conclude with some research questions on seed innovations and the sequencing of innovations for new system emergence.

A Comparative Study of Student Learning Styles in Hospitality and Tourism Management: A Hierarchical Perspective

Within the context of the hospitality and tourism educational environment in Australia and the UK, this paper provides a comparative analysis of the preferred learning styles of students studying hospitality and tourism programmes. Specifically, it compares the learning styles of students studying in Scotland and Australia depending on the year level of study and as such it highlights the learning style preferences displayed by students at different stages of their educational experience. The paper concludes with a discussion regarding the importance of recognising the potential changes in learning style preferences as student's progress in their studies. The paper further concludes with discussion regarding the implications of such changes for academic staff

Contextual understandings of hospitality management development - a realist approach

The aim of my thesis is to demonstrate how my research aids the academic understanding of the sub-disciplinary field of hospitality management development. I evaluate the extent to which the unique features of the UK hospitality industry and the characteristics of hospitality management influence the training and development regime of managers. I also explore the relationship of hospitality management development processes with organisational systems and how the nature of hospitality managerial roles and skills influence the development of managers in the UK hospitality industry. I view management development from a contingent perspective, asserting that this evolves in response to both internal operating requirements and influences external to the organisation. I provide a critical analysis of key literatures in management development, culminating with the development of my own conceptual framework. I then review the nature of the hospitality industry, and hospitality management development as practised in the UK. This enables me to develop a theoretical framework for understanding management development practices in the British hospitality industry. My commentary presents a critical reflection on nine of my academic writings in the sub-discipline of hospitality management development. From a realist research approach, I assess my contribution to this field, through reviewing my research journey as evidenced by the articles chosen for this submission. I seek to demonstrate progression in my understanding of hospitality management development, and the factors influencing its scope and character, through the development of the conceptual framework. I summarise my contribution to academic understanding within this area using three themes, namely macro-environmental and industry structural influences, organisation environment dimensions and identifying development needs through exploring hospitality managerial roles and skills. Assessing the opportunities to develop this area of research further, I suggest a need for further study of management development processes at both macro-and micro levels of the industry; for investigation of the relational and subjective human aspects of hospitality management development; greater focus on individual management learning; and for more critical research studies which explore the operation of power and politics within hospitality management development.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo