2,038 research outputs found
Resident Impacts of Immigration: Perspectives from America’s Age of Mass Migration
Elementary economic models are often used to suggest that immigration depresses the wages of native-born workers. These models assume that when immigrants enter a labour market, all other features of that market remain unchanged. Such an assumption is almost never valid. Here we explore the economic impacts of immigrants during America’s Age of Mass Migration a century ago. This was a period of dynamic structural change that witnessed the appearance of new industries, adoption of new technologies, discovery of new mineral resources, the rise of big business, and the geographic concentration of industries. We show that immigrants – and residents – selected destinations where labour demand and wages were rising. Thus, native workers experienced wage increases in the presence of heavy immigration. Models that abstract from the special characteristics of labour markets that attract immigrants misrepresent their economic impact.Immigration, Internal migration, Economic history of immigration, Counterfactual analysis
Improving leadership capacity by valuing the self and reprioritising the self's subjective well-being: principals need their oxygen mask
Should the cabin lose pressure, oxygen masks will drop from the overhead area. Please place the mask over your own mouth and nose before assisting children or other adults' (A typical Pre-flight Safety message). Pondering these words gave me clarity as to the importance of Subjective Well-Being (SWB) for school leaders. These words parallel the concept of maintaining the self's own SWB before seeing to the needs of others, fitting the oxygen mask to yourself first to ensure functioning. The truth is that we can't help anyone else if we ourselves are having difficulty functioning. Many of us have somewhere been tutored to think that it is self-centred to firstly take care of ourselves or our needs. This assumption needs to be challenged. Is it not probable that if we do ensure that our SWB is maintained then we will then come from a position of strength to help those around us thereby increasing our capacity for leadership? The article proposes that the maintenance of school principals' SWB contributes to their leadership capacity. This qualitative case study, utilised An Interactive Model of Design (Maxwell, 2009). Eleven school principals participated in the study which had two phases of data gathering. The first phase consisted of 11 interviews each of 60 to 90 minutes duration. This paper reports findings in relation to the first phase of data gathering. Ten key enablers were identified by participants as contributing to the maintenance of their SWB. Participants also asserted that the maintenance of their SWB contributed to their increased leadership capacity. Principals' effectiveness is influenced by their Subjective Well-Being so enhancing enablers to Subjective Well-Being is a worthy cause
Galadriel and Morgan le Fey: Tolkien\u27s Redemption of the Lady of the Lacuna
Looks at Galadriel’s role in the text of The Lord of the Rings—specifically at what is not revealed about her there—finding parallels with the treatment of Morgan le Fey in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, one of the Middle English texts with which Tolkien was most associated as a scholar
How satisfied are you as a leader, leading with subjective well-being maintained?
Leadership involves many things including leading equity, innovation and engagement. One significant challenge involved in doing this, is simultaneously also maintaining one’s own Subjective Well-Being (SWB). Research has highlighted that a person’s level of SWB, which essentially refers to how a person cognitively evaluates their own well-being, in terms how satisfied they are with life (Diener, 2006, 2009), can impact their capacity to make good decisions. The SWB of our school leaders should be a central focus as their sphere of influence in the school and broader community can have a very positive impact on the lives of others. Current National and Internal research illustrates that our schools leaders are finding it very challenging to maintain their well-being within the educational topography. This session provides hope and real world knowledge of how some experienced principals have effectually lead their school community and maintained their SWB. The material presented has been developed from scientific research conducted in Australia with experienced principals.
Participants will be presented with practical ways that some principals have used to maintain their SWB and introduced to the theory of MegaPositioning. Feeling competent in the role of leadership, experiencing a feeling of control over one’s life and having a strong sense of meaningful work are all important components of MegaPositioning
Holding it together: an explanatory framework for maintaining subjective well-being (SWB) in principals
Principals’ health and well-being has been recognised as a concern at National and State levels in Australia (Riley, 2012) and internationally (Pont, Nusche, & Moorman, 2008). Whilst this concern is well documented within the literature there is little research into how principals are actually maintaining their Subjective Well-Being (SWB). This study sought to investigate and explore the strategies that experienced principals utilised in order to maintain their SWB. Diener’s (2006, 2009) work on SWB formed the basis for the concept of SWB used in this study.
This study used an interpretive case study methodology. The focus of the case was principals’ SWB and within the case there were multiple participants. The model used in the design of this study was ‘An Interactive Model of Research Design’ (Maxwell, 2009). Data were gathered from a purposive geographical sample of school principals in one Australian state (N = 11) using two semi-structured interviews each approximately 60 to 90 minutes in duration. Four specific steps (referred to by Cohen et al., 2007) were used to analyse the data in order to: generate units of meaning; classify, categorise and order these units of meaning; structure narratives to describe the interview contents; and interpret the interview and survey data.
Data revealed that the participants in this study were constantly evaluating their own performance (action) against what they perceived a competent principal would do, given the circumstances. Each principal had a unique perspective as to what constituted competency. When the participants evaluated the moments alongside their perceived standard of what a competent principal should do and the evaluation was positive, it had a positive impact on their SWB. The impact was positive because the participants experienced positive affect, and/or experienced low level negative moods, and/or felt satisfied with life. Therefore principals saw themselves as doing a good job because of their actions (i.e., making a positive difference in the lives of students and others) and this contributed to their positive SWB.
Analysis of the data revealed that participants were utilising previous experience (i.e., tacit knowledge), and then surfacing this knowledge to inform particular ways of
working (i.e., tacit knowing) to maintain their SWB. Analysis of the data illuminated that this way of working involved three processes:
1) Fuel It (FIT) Process;
2) Awakening, Thinking, Enacting, Reflecting (ATER) Process; and
3) MegaPositioning.
Processes were selected based upon the principal’s evaluation of the moment, and their preferred way of working. The findings show that tacit knowing is strongly linked to the maintenance of SWB.
The study is significant as it highlights the process and strategy selection that experienced principals make in order to maintain their SWB and continue to effectively work in their role as principal. The process of maintaining SWB appears to be learnt and underpinned by experiential knowledge and the surfacing of this knowledge in the self (i.e., tacit knowing). The study makes three new contributions to the field; one is methodological (i.e., the use of methodology for investigating SWB) and the other two are theoretical (i.e., a process for maintaining SWB, captured in the explanatory framework; and tacit knowing informs evaluations linked to SWB).
Three recommendations are made as a result of this research: (a) principals need to engage in professional learning throughout their career around improving their own SWB: (b) principals should be provided with safe and supportive opportunities to improve their competency; and (c) principals need an appropriate reporting system for principals with low SWB and the signs of not coping.
The findings from this study allow the reader to explore how some Australian principals maintain their SWB. It is suggested that the research could be used in three ways: firstly to provide school principals with current research regarding ways of working that are being utilised in the field to maintain and enhance SWB; secondly to inform principals’ supervisors regarding these ways of working; and thirdly to share these practices with policy makers
School principals growing positive affect and sustaining overall satisfaction with life contributes to engaging positively with school community
Over the last decade there has been a focus to improve student attainment levels and be inclusive of all students, especially our most disadvantaged. This improvement can be seen to occur through enhancing leadership capacity (Riley & Mulford, 2007), and opportunity, in order to improve outcomes. Simultaneously a cacophony of educational leaders have described issues with job complexity and difficulty sustaining personal well-being (Devos, Bouckenooghe, Engels, Hutton & Aelterman, 2007; Fullan, 2009, Lacey, 2007, Phillips & Sen, 2011) leading to shortages as people choose not to undertake leadership roles (Norton, 2015). Research has shown that principals are unlikely to confide in a college if they are having issues with sustaining their well-being (Lacey, 2007: Carter, 2016), and this can lead to serious stress (Riley, 2013; 2015) affecting job performance and overall satisfaction with life (De Nobile & McCormick, 2010). This concern has been voiced both nationally and internationally (Devos, et al., 2007; Engels, Hutton, Devos, Bouckenooghe, & Aelterman, 2008; Riley, 2015). In 2010, Hurrell raised the issue that researchers still have much to learn about well-being in the workplace and there is minimal research into how experienced educational leaders sustain their well-being (Carter, 2016). This paper contributes to this research gap.
Providing a concise definition for well-being is a complex pursuit with numerous meanings available. Therefore, it is pertinent to conceptually clarify the definition of well-being used in this study which is based on Diener’s (2009) work. The definition consists of three components and two domains, all of which involve cognitive appraisal:
1) life satisfaction, where one has cognitively appraised that one’s life was good;
2) high levels of pleasant emotions; and
3) relatively low levels of negative moods.
Life satisfaction is considered a cognitive domain as it is based on evaluative beliefs and attitudes about one's life, where as positive affect and negative affect comprise the affective domain (Diener, 2009).
People’s views and definitions are personal and dependent upon how each individual evaluates their life and includes what lay people call happiness, peace, fulfilment, and life satisfaction (Diener, Oishi, & Lucas, 2003, p. 403).
Given that some, not all principals were reporting they were experiencing issues with maintaining their SWB (Lacey, 2007; Riley, 2013; 2015), the focus question became: How do principals maintain their SWB? In considering this question four conceptual questions surfaced:
1. How do principals conceptualise SWB?
2. What were the factors that impact upon SWB?
3. What strategies or processes are utilised to maintain SWB?
4. What are the dynamics of the interplay between how principals conceptualise their role, perform their work and maintain their SWB?
(Carter, 2016)
The main purpose of this study was to understand from the perspectives of principals, their experiences and how they maintained SWB to competently perform their role (i.e., lead a quality school) and in so doing understand those factors, which influence school leaders’ SWB and the various approaches used by the participants to maintain their SWB. Specific key aims that directed the study were:
• To reveal insights into how experienced principals maintained SWB.
• To identify potential mechanisms or strategies for maintaining SWB.
This paper illustrates a framework in action detailing how participants sought to grow positive affect and sustaining overall satisfaction with life in a manner that helped them to engage positively with the school community
A Study of the Internal Family Systems Model Applied to Remarried Couples of Stepfamilies in Different Stages of Adjustment
Problem. Stepfamilies are becoming the largest family type in the United States. This has significant implications for understanding the complications of remarriage and providing clinical interventions that support the adjustment process of stepfamilies. The Internal Family Systems Model, developed by Dr. Richard Schwartz, asserts that an individual\u27s personality is multiple naturally, and that there are interactions within the individual that have significant impact on their external systems. In applying the IFS model to the study of stepfamilies, this present study identifies the IFS maps of the partners of remarried couples active in stepfamily interaction and to determine how this IFS Map enhanced or detracted from stepfamily development.
Method. A combined qualitative and quantitative study was designed. The Stepfamily Adjustment Scale, developed by Dr. Margaret Crosbie-Burnett, provided quantitative assessment of the stage of stepfamily adjustment. Stepfamilies were assessed qualitatively as to their stage of stepfamily adjustment as well. The IFS Map of each individual in stepfamily interaction was identified along with their access to Self.
Results. Six stepfamilies were found to be in Stage II of stepfamily adjustment, two in Stage III, and two in Stage I. SAS results supported these qualitative conclusions, with one exception. IFS Maps disclosed both functional and extreme personality parts present in stepfamily interactions.
Conclusions. The ability to evoke Self leadership was found to be a significant factor in stepfamily adjustment with these stepfamilies. The SAS appeared to be a valid instrument in assessing stage of stepfamily adjustment, and more so when accompanied with a qualitative evaluation. Internal personality parts played acomplex role in the adjustment process of these stepfamilies
Trends and Disparities in TB among U.S.-born Black and White Chicago Residents, 1998-2008
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To describe the decline of tuberculosis (TB) cases among U.S.-born non-Hispanic (NH) black and white Chicago residents.
METHODS: Data from the National TB Surveillance System was used to analyze trends and characteristics of reported TB cases among U.S.-born NH black and U.S.-born NH white Chicago residents from 1998-2008.
RESULTS: Chicago reported a total of 3,821 TB cases over the 11-year time period. Of these, 1,916 were U.S.-born NH black and 235 were U.S.-born NH white. The proportion of cases attributable to U.S.-born NH blacks was 63% (294/469) in 1998 and 34% in 2008 (72/213). Analysis for trends from 2000-2008 revealed a greater than predicted decrease in rates among U.S.-born NH blacks (p
CONCLUSION: Despite more TB risk factors in Chicago’s U.S.-born black population, there was a narrowing of TB case disparity in Chicago from 1998-2008. Continued focused strategies aimed at controlling TB are needed
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