The importance of psychological well-being in organisational settings: moving beyond the pleasure principle

In contrast to the emphasis on affective states as components of Subjective Well-Being (SWB), the Psychological Well-Being (PWB) approach considers the role of personal resources, such as mastery and efficacy beliefs, a sense of autonomy, positive relatedness with others, and self acceptance. This study of 679 high-school teachers was based on the Organisational Health Research Framework and compared the contribution of PWB, personality and organisational climate to the prediction of SWB and organisational well-being. PWB was identified as a significant predictor of SWB even after controlling for demographic characteristics, organisational climate and personality variables with 46% of the variance in PA and 47% of the variance in NA explained. In addition, PWB contributed uniquely to the prediction of school morale and school distress with the overall set of predictors accounting for 69% of the variance in school morale and 66% of the variance in school distress. Individual interventions which promote PWB components would appear to be a most important avenue by which to improve employee SWB, while organisational interventions that focus on improving the organisational climate should have greater impact on organisational well-bein

Understanding the differential benefits of training for the unemployed

[Abstract]: This study examined the connection between background variables (such as length of unemployment and number of previous training courses), contextual variables (perceptions of training climate), dispositional variables (positive affect and negative affect), and psychological outcomes for unemployed trainees who attended either a five week occupational skills training program (control group) or the same five week program with an additional two day intervention before the start of the program (treatment group). The trainees in both the treatment and control conditions were found to reduce their levels of psychological distress over the course of a five-week training program. Trainees in the treatment condition who started with the lowest levels of general self-efficacy and the highest levels of psychological distress showed the greatest improvements at time 2 (T2). The measures of length of unemployment, number of previous training courses, and the perceptions of the training climate (with one exception) did not account for any unique variance in either of the well-being measures at time 3 (T3). Positive and negative affect (PA and NA respectively) accounted for 30% of the variance in initial levels of general self-efficacy and 43% of the variance in initial levels of psychological distress. However, PA and NA measured at T1 did not account for any unique variance in the T3 levels of general self-efficacy and psychological distress, after the initial levels of each of the variables were controlled. It was concluded that components of dispositional affect are the main influence on how individuals perceive stimuli in the environment and subsequently regulate their emotional response

Ends, means, beginnings: environmental technocracy, ecological deliberation or embodied disagreement

Technocratic attitudes suggest that decisions about environmental policy should be led by scientific experts. Such decisions, it is expected, will be more rational than any arrived at by a democratic mediation between the narrow, short-term interests and uninformed preferences of the general public. Within green political theory, deliberative democracy has emerged as the dominant repost to technocracy, offering an account of how democratic polities can deal with complex scientific and technological decisions through the emergence of communicative rationality. This article argues that neither appeals to expert knowledge, nor communicative rationality, are likely to deliver the optimal green outcomes that proponents suggest, but rather will cover up the inevitable disagreements over environmental policy making. Instead the article suggests that more ecologically-sensitive and democratic decision making about complex scientific and technological issues can emerge if we acknowledge the differently embodied perspectives of decision-makers – from scientists to citizens. This prioritises democratic means over green ends, yet incorporates the environment at the beginning of the decision-making process. The article aims to sketch out the theoretical and practical implications of such an embodied turn for responding to the anti-democratic tendencies of environmental technocracy

Personal effectiveness training for unemployed people: where to now?

Unemployment remains a major social problem in Australia. Successive governments have attempted to address the problem, in part, by funding occupational skills based training programs for the unemployed. This paper reviews the general area of occupational skills/personal effectiveness training for unemployed people, and reports on outcomes for individuals attending 'typical' courses in Australia. Also reported, are outcomes for unemployed people who attended specially devised training, based on the cognitive behavioural (e.g., Beck, 1976) and learned optimism (Seligman, 1990) intervention approaches, that was aimed at improving well-being, confidence and coping abilities. Variables assessed include individual well-being (e.g., psychological distress), confidence (e.g., self-efficacy), attitude-to-work (e.g., work-commitment); training climate; and labour market outcomes such as return-to-work. More positive outcomes were identified for unemployed people attending the specially devised programs. The authors argue that training targeted at unemployed people must be based on sound theoretical principles to produce measurable long-term benefits. Future applications of personal development programs are discussed in relation to occupational skills based training and as stand-alone programs

Pengaruh Permainan Call Cards Terhadap Hasil Belajar Dan Aktivitas Pembelajaran Biologi

Tujuan penelitian untuk mengetahui pengaruh permainan call cards terhadap hasil belajar dan aktivitas pembelajaran. Aktivitas pembelajaran yang diukur meliputi aktivitas individual siswa dan kinerja guru. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian eksperimental. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa media permainan call cards berkontribusi sebesar 46% terhadap hasil belajar siswa. Hasil belajar siswa yang diberi media permainan call cards lebih baik daripada hasil belajar siswa yang tidak diberi mediapermainan call cards. Dengan demikian, media permainan call cards dapat menjadi alternatif dalam pencapaian hasil belajar biologi yang lebih baik. Â Research purposes to determine the effect of call cards game against learning outcomes and learning activities. Learning activities that were measured included the activity of individual student and teacher performance. This research was experimental. The results showed that the media play call cards account for 46% of the student learning outcomes. Learning outcomes of students who were given media cards call the game better than the learning outcomes of students who were not given mediapermainan call cards. Thus, the media play call cards can be an alternative in achieving the learning outcomes of biology better

Implementasi Pendekatan Saintifik, Penanaman Karakter Dan Konservasi Pada Pembelajaran Materi Pertumbuhan

Implementasi kurikulum 2013 sangat menonjolkan pendekatan saintifik dengan pembelajaran yang berpusat pada peserta didik. Penelitian bertujuan untuk mengembangkan rencana pelaksanaan pembelajaran materi pertumbuhan yang menerapkan pendekatan saintifik, penanaman karakter dan konservasi serta menjelaskan pengaruh pendekatan ini terhadap hasil belajar. Metode penelitiannya adalah pre-experimental design dengan desain penelitian one-shotcase study. Teknik pengumpulan data melalui observasi dan tes tertulis. Penelitian ini menghasilkan RPP berbasis pendekatan saintifik dan penanaman karakter. Penerapan pendekatan ini berpengaruh positif terhadap hasil belajar kognitif, afektif dan psikomotorik serta telah mencapai ketuntasan klasikal yang ditetapkan. The implementation of 2013 curriculum highly recommends scientific approach in which learning is centered to student. The research aims to develop a lesson plan in growth material to characterize a scientific learning, character building and concervation effort, as well as explaining the effect of this approach on learning outcomes. The design of research used pre-experimental design with one-shotcase study and the technique of collecting data used observation and written tests. This research resulted the lesson plan based scientific approaches and character building. The application of this approach gave positive influence to cognitive, affective and psychomotor and it had already achieved the classical mastery

SMA Negeri 1 Dempet, Kabupaten Demak Jawa Tengah

This research aimed to identify a model of biotechnology teaching used by Senior Highschools, to develop a model of entrepreneurship-based biotechnology teach­ing and to identify the effect of the model on students learning achievement, entrepre­neurship attitude. The design of research involved using research and development (R&D) paradigm, consisted of 3 major steps, namely conducting an introductory research focussing on need analysis, developing a model of entrepreneurship-based biotechnology teaching, and then finally evaluating the efficiency of model. The findings showed that models of biotechnology teaching at Demak Senior Highschools did not yet satisfy the principles of School Competency-based Curriculum (KTSP). A model of entrepreneur­ship teaching was then necessary to develop, including its silabus & lesson plan, learning resources, student worksheets. The effect of the model upon students learning was signif­icantly high. There was significants difference in cognitive as well as psychomotoric learning achievement between control and treatment groups. The effect of the model upon students attitude towards entrepreneurship was significantly high. There was significant difference of attitude between control and treatment groups. The average attitude of treatment group was 90. The effect of the model on students process of learning (learning activities) was also significant significant, their average activity was 86,5 (very high), the average of teachers activities was significant (88,30), and classroom-based learning as­sessments results was 82,8 (high). Majority of students (95%) felt happy with the model of teaching, because it improved their attitude toward entrepreneurship was also im­proved. Student felt as if they were entrepreneur

Innovative teaching and learning of biblical Greek: A contextualised application of Fink’s taxonomy of significant learning

Teaching biblical Greek as compulsory module to tertiary theology studentscan be challenging. When students doubt the general value of studyingthis ancient language or experience anxiety during the learning process,they are prevented from attaining higher cognitive levels of learningwith the result of students failing to master Greek efficiently. This situationemphasised the need for innovation in the classroom. An exploration ofFink’s taxonomy of significant learning (Fink, 2003a) yielded a flexible, learnercentred approach that could engage students from many subject areas in deep and significant learning. The aim of this article is to illustrate how Fink’s taxonomy can be applied to the teaching and learning context of biblical Greek and possibly other language modules. Two examples from the Greek classroom are also presented to attest the applicability of Fink’s taxonomy as a framework for creating innovative and significant learning experiences for students.Keywords: Biblical Greek, innovative teaching, Fink’s taxonomy, taxonomyof significant learning, New Testament exegesis, higher educatio

Studies of energetic muons in cosmic ray showers

A magnet spectrograph situated at the British Universities joint air shower array at Haverah Park, near Harrogate, has been used for studies of various aspects of the muon component of extensive air showers (EAS).An introduction to EAS and the relevance of muon studies is given, and two momentum spectrographs are described, the second being an improvement over the first, yielding higher precision and momentum resolution. A detailed survey of track-fitting methods applicable to neon flash tube data from muon spectrographs is made, and an accurate method is described. The results of track fitting data from both instruments are presented and discussed. Theoretical model calculations on the muon component are described, and have been used to predict possible areas for further experiments. Comparisons are made between the prediction of model calculations and experimental data from the spectrograph in an attempt to determine several parameters governing the development of EAS. Two methods of obtaining the mean production height of muons in EAS are described, and the results interpreted in terms of the development of EAS. Further experiments which may be relevant to measurements of the primary particle mass are described

Floppy swimming: Viscous locomotion of actuated elastica

Actuating periodically an elastic filament in a viscous liquid generally breaks the constraints of Purcell's scallop theorem, resulting in the generation of a net propulsive force. This observation suggests a method to design simple swimming devices - which we call "elastic swimmers" - where the actuation mechanism is embedded in a solid body and the resulting swimmer is free to move. In this paper, we study theoretically the kinematics of elastic swimming. After discussing the basic physical picture of the phenomenon and the expected scaling relationships, we derive analytically the elastic swimming velocities in the limit of small actuation amplitude. The emphasis is on the coupling between the two unknowns of the problems - namely the shape of the elastic filament and the swimming kinematics - which have to be solved simultaneously. We then compute the performance of the resulting swimming device, and its dependance on geometry. The optimal actuation frequency and body shapes are derived and a discussion of filament shapes and internal torques is presented. Swimming using multiple elastic filaments is discussed, and simple strategies are presented which result in straight swimming trajectories. Finally, we compare the performance of elastic swimming with that of swimming microorganisms.Comment: 23 pages, 6 figure