Job satisfaction of professional staff and administrators within the associated colleges of the south : a study of Herzberg’s duality theory of motivation in higher education.

This study examined the ability of four groups of factors to predict the job satisfaction levels of fulltime, exempt, professional staff at four institutions of higher education within the associated Colleges of the South consortium. Based on a similar study of professionals in higher education conducted by Smerek and Peterson (2007), this study used hierarchical multiple regression to determine the amount of variability explained by each group of factors according to the conceptual model. The conceptual model for this study, as well as the study by Smerek and Peterson, was based on the theory of Frederick Herzberg (1959), an industrial organizational psychologist who described job satisfaction and job dissatisfaction as disparate variables. Professional staff members received an anonymous web-based survey that measured levels of job satisfaction and collected information on personal and work characteristics. The survey also collected employee responses to two categories of variables – motivator factors and hygiene factors - identified by Herzberg as components of job satisfaction and job dissatisfaction. Results of this survey suggested that four variables accounted for statistically significant portions of job satisfaction – responsibility, work itself, effective supervisor, and recognition. One variable had a negative statistically significant relationship with job satisfaction – core values. The combination of statistically significant factors supports the acceptance of one of this study’s hypotheses, that the Herzberg duality theory of job satisfaction is not supported in a higher education context. The job satisfaction levels of fulltime professional exempt employees in higher education matter; not only have higher levels of job satisfaction been connected to higher levels of efficiency and effectiveness, increases in job satisfaction have been linked to more positive work environments, improved campus culture, higher employee retention and ultimately with institutions identified as “Great Places to Work For.” The importance of job satisfaction in the higher education environment and was the impetus for this examination of Herzberg’s duality theory of motivation. The results of this study are encouraging for leaders in higher education as they suggest opportunities for increasing job satisfaction that may be of relatively low cost while creating high impact

An Analysis of the Workforce Pipeline in School Psychology

A shortage of school psychologists in the USA jeopardizes the capacity of schools to meet the needs of struggling students. The aim of the study was to evaluate the progression of school psychologists through the professional preparation—to practice pipeline for attracting, preparing, and retaining school psychologists. Descriptive research methods were used to retrospectively track three annual cohorts of graduate students from eight school psychology programs as they progressed through key milestones in their preparation and early professional practice. The results indicate that a large percentage of students completed their graduate program and continued to work in the field 1-, 3-, and 5-year post-internship for a sample that was predominately White and female. The implications of the study reinforce previous calls for graduate programs to engage in targeted, personalized efforts for recruiting graduate students with minoritized cultural identities to better meet the needs of students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds

Cross-cultural Adaptation of International College Students in the United States

The number of international students attending U.S. colleges and universities has increased considerably over the past decade, and the adaptation of these students is an important concern in cross-cultural research. Using survey data collected from a sample of 169 international students attending a U.S. university, this study examines the temporal patterns of students’ psychological and socio-cultural adaptation. Theresults suggest a two-phase U-curved process of psychological adaptation, with the most obvious culture shock occurring during a student’s first nine to 24 months of residence. Socio-cultural adaptation is found to increase steadily over time, without significant retreat. Interpretations, implications, and limitations of the findings are provided

Psychosocial Needs of Children in Foster Care and the Impact of Sexual Abuse

Children in family foster care, especially those who have experienced sexual abuse, require a safe and nurturing environment in which their psychosocial needs are met. However, there is limited knowledge on how youth prioritize various needs and what impact previous experiences have on these needs. In this study, we asked youth (formerly) in family foster care to indicate their psychosocial needs, and analyzed if youth with a history of sexual abuse have different needs. A Q methodological study was conducted with 44 youth (age 16–28). Fifteen of them reported sexual abuse during their childhood. Using by-person factor analyses, respondents who share similar subjective views were grouped together. Qualitative interpretations of the factors show differences and similarities between and within the two groups, related to help from others, being independent, processing the past, and working toward the future. Although the needs of youth with and without experiences of sexual abuse seem mostly similar, one group of sexually abused youth specifically indicated not wanting an emotional connection to foster parents, but instead a strictly instrumental, professional relationship. This study captured the diverse perspectives of youth themselves, revealing that children in foster care differ with regard to what they consider as (most) important safety, belonging, self-esteem and self-actualization needs

The needs of foster children and how to satisfy them:A systematic review of the literature

Family foster care deeply influences the needs of children and how these are satisfied. To increase our knowledge of foster children’s needs and how these are conceptualized, this paper presents a systematic literature review. Sixty- four empirical articles from six databases were reviewed and categorized (inter-rater agreement K = .78) into four categories: medical, belongingness, psychological and self-actualization needs. The results give a complete overview of needs that are specific to foster children, and what can be implemented to satisfy these needs. This study shows psychological needs are studied more often compared to the other categories, which specially relates to much attention for mental health problems. Furthermore, most articles focus on how to satisfy the needs of foster children and provide no definition or concrete conceptualization of needs. Strikingly, many articles focus on children’s problems instead of their needs, and some even use these terms interchangeably. This review illustrates that future research should employ a proper conceptualization of needs, which could also initiate a shift in thinking about needs instead of problems

Non-invasive ventilation for COPD, outcome depending on body weight

Bei Patienten mit chronisch ventilatorischer Insuffizienz bei COPD finden sich die eher übergewichtige Gruppe der Blue Bloater und die eher untergewichtige Gruppe mit ausgeprägtem Lungenemphysem der Pink Puffer . Allgemein wird angenommen, dass die Gruppe der Blue Bloater besser auf eine Therapie mit nicht-invasiver Beatmung anspricht als die Gruppe mit ausgeprägtem Lungenemphysem. Im Zeitraum von 1989 bis 2004 wurden in der Abteilung für Pneumologie des Ev. Krankenhaus Weende (Standort Lenglern) 35 Patienten mit einem Body-Mass-Index (BMI) 30 kg/m2 und einer CVI infolge einer COPD nicht-invasiv beatmet und mit einem Beatmungsgerät für den häuslichen Bereich versorgt. Es wurden Daten zu Beginn, nach 6 12 Wochen und nach 6 12 Monaten erhoben. Bei der Einleitung der NIV zeigten alle Patienten eine Hyperkapnie mit normalem pH im Sinne einer chronisch ventilatorischen Insuffizienz. Bei beiden Gruppen konnte durch die nicht-invasive Beatmung eine Normokapnie unter Beatmung als auch im beatmungsfreien Intervall erreicht werden. Das Ansprechen auf eine Therapie mit nicht-invasiver Beatmung ist also bei COPD-Patienten mit Untergewicht ( Pink Puffer ) ähnlich gut wie bei COPD-Patienten mit Übergewicht ( Blue Bloater )