Gen X Meets Theory X: What New Scholars Want

“If they can’t understand that I want a kick-ass career and a kick-ass life, then I don’t want to work here,” sums up how many Generation X’ers (born between 1965 and 1980) view their workplace, according to Lancaster and Stillman (2002, p. 107). Further, “Why does it matter when I come and go, as long as I get the work done?” (p. 114). As a group, Gen X’ers are willing to work hard but want to decide when, where, and how. As this generation enters the professoriate in large numbers, some academic institutions may be wondering what hit them. Gen X has met Theory X (a metaphor for a 1960’s workplace) and it is not a pretty sight

Publications by Researchers and Institutions in Two Top IS Journals: 1990-1994

Several years ago Professor Bill Remus of the University of Hawaii reported on the most prolific researchers and institutions in the IS field based on an analysis of IS publications over a previous 5 year period in each case (Remus, 1989; 1991). These analyses, which were printed in the MIS Interrupt, proved to be useful for faculty promotion and tenure decisions as well as for individual and institutional hiring decisions. Moreover, prospective doctoral students may have also found the results helpful in selecting programs for advanced study. Finally, the findings very likely satisfied a certain intellectual curiosity on the partof the community as a whole. In a vein similar to Professor Remus\u27 analyses, the present analysis is based on articles published in the five years just past, specifically the period from January, 1990 to December, 1994. One major change has been made, however, to the previous methodology. In ranking institutions, credit has been given to the school where the author of published articles is currently located, giving a view of the schools that are currently most active in the IS research aren

Building Self-Efficacy as a First Year Primary Montessori Teacher

The purpose of this paper is to increase the self-efficacy of a first-year teacher, with a focus on increasing the subject’s comfort with the autonomy required of the position. The subject teaches in a Montessori classroom of preschool-aged children (designed for 3-6 year olds, serving 3 year olds) at a young school in an urban environment. This was done through interventions that focused on factors of vicarious experience and social persuasion, as informed by Albert Bandura’s research. Data was collected through surveys that measured self-efficacy, satisfaction with life and job satisfaction, and through daily physical, mental, and emotional scales. Written reflection was evaluated through charting positive, neutral, and negative language. Interventions resulted in a significant increase in self-efficacy, with the influence of social persuasion having the largest impact on all factors. Future research might consider collective efficacy’s connection to social persuasion, and how a novice teacher’s sensitivity to social persuasion and vicarious experience may shift towards other factors that influence efficacy, with greater work experience

The Impact of Job Skill Requirements on I.S. Curricula

With the pace of technological change today, it is nearly impossible to keep the IS curricula current. Skills and knowledge change so rapidly that it is difficult to keep up. The half-life of the technical knowledge of consultants today, for example, is approximately six months (Ernst & Young, 1994). This presents a unique challenge for IS educators, who must develop and maintain a curriculum that balances theory with enough current technical knowledge that students can land that all-important first job, and yet be well-grounded in information systems concepts that they can continue to develop as IS professionals as technology changes. Todd et al. (1995) recently published the results of a study that showed that IS job skills have shifted greatly since 1970. Their study involved a content analysis of a sample of IS job advertisements from four major newspapers at five-year intervals. While their study is an important contribution to understanding how IS job skills have shifted over the years for programmers, systems analysts, and IS managers, the usefulness of their results is somewhat limited for curricula design for the future because of its historical nature (the most recent data it is from 1990). What is needed is a methodology for identifying trends in the marketplace soon enough to allow faculty members time to respond in their courses. This paper presents such a methodology. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the recent shifts in job skills sought in IS job advertisements. From this data set, individual skills and groups of skills can be tracked over time, and recommendations can be made that will help with curriculum design. It is important to view skills both over time and across regions. Todd et al. (1995) showed the value of the time dimension; King (1993) found significant differences from city to city within a single region for the one year he studied

Exploring Children’s Self-Regulation for Learning within a Mindfulness-Based Social and Emotional Learning Program

A mixed-method, repeated measures research design was employed to explore (a) the psychometric properties of a shortened version of the Self -Regulation in School Inventory (SRISI), (b) young children’s development of SR/L within MindUP™, and the demographic and teacher factors implicated in opportunities provided for children to engage in SR/L. Data were gathered from 15 kindergarten teachers and eight ECEs (0 male) who provided teacher reports of children’s SR/L (N = 222 children, boys = 108, Junior Kindergarten = 109, Mean age = 4.57, SD = .57), and their teacher efficacy, burnout, and behavior attributions at Time A and Time B. Also, educators responded to focus group and short answer questions related to perceived changes in classroom functioning (e.g., educators supporting SR/L, social SR/L behaviours, solo SR/L behaviours). Results demonstrated that (a) the shortened 9-item SRISI yielded reliable and valid reports of kindergarten children’s social and solo SR/L, (b) children’s social and solo SR/L increased over implementation of the MindUP™ program, (c), boys and junior kindergarten children received lower ratings of social and solo SR/L at Time A and Time B, and, d) educators’ behavior attributions and feelings of personal accomplishment predicted children’s social SR/L at Time A and Time B, respectively. Finally, educators’ attributed changes to classroom functioning, and changes in children’s SR/L to the implementation of the MindUP program TM. Findings are interpreted as providing preliminary evidence that teachers can provide psychometrically sound ratings of kindergarten children’s SR/L using the SRISI. Also, that MindUPTM may support children’s social and solo SR/L in kindergarten classrooms. Overall, findings from this study highlight the need for teacher training geared towards teaching towards SR/L and supporting teachers’ efficacy