scholarly journals Chasing a moving target: perceptions of work readiness and graduate capabilities in music higher research degree students

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 205-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott Harrison ◽  
Catherine Grant
Keyword(s):  
Career Paths ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Music Students ◽  
Work Readiness ◽  
Moving Target ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Research Education ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative ◽  
Workplace Readiness ◽  
Career Opportunities

Recent efforts to increase workplace readiness in university students have largely centred on undergraduates, with comparatively few strategies or studies focusing on higher research degree candidates. In the discipline of music, a wide diversity of possible career paths combined with rapidly changing career opportunities makes workplace readiness a moving target. Drawing on qualitative and quantitative data from semi-structured interviews, dialogue forums, an online survey and pre-existing literature, this paper explores perceptions of higher degree research (HDR) music students about their work readiness, and critically examines these perceptions against graduate capabilities frameworks. It recommends ways to better prepare HDR music students for life beyond their studies, advocating in particular a more collaborative model of research education than is currently the norm. The findings may help improve the student experience and graduate outcomes among HDR students, both in music and more broadly.

scholarly journals Artificial Intelligence: The Attitude of the Public and Representatives of Various Industries

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (8) ◽  
pp. 339
Author(s):  
Tatjana Vasiljeva ◽  
Ilmars Kreituss ◽  
Ilze Lulle
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
The Public ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative ◽  
Public Survey ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Main Factors ◽  
Negative Factors ◽  
Near Future

This paper looks at public and business attitudes towards artificial intelligence, examining the main factors that influence them. The conceptual model is based on the technology–organization–environment (TOE) framework and was tested through analysis of qualitative and quantitative data. Primary data were collected by a public survey with a questionnaire specially developed for the study and by semi-structured interviews with experts in the artificial intelligence field and management representatives from various companies. This study aims to evaluate the current attitudes of the public and employees of various industries towards AI and investigate the factors that affect them. It was discovered that attitude towards AI differs significantly among industries. There is a significant difference in attitude towards AI between employees at organizations with already implemented AI solutions and employees at organizations with no intention to implement them in the near future. The three main factors which have an impact on AI adoption in an organization are top management’s attitude, competition and regulations. After determining the main factors that influence the attitudes of society and companies towards artificial intelligence, recommendations are provided for reducing various negative factors. The authors develop a proposition that justifies the activities needed for successful adoption of innovative technologies.

scholarly journals Service-user efforts to maintain their wellbeing during and after successful withdrawal from antipsychotic medication

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
pp. 204512532198913
Author(s):  
Miriam Larsen-Barr ◽  
Fred Seymour
Keyword(s):  
Antipsychotic Medication ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Obsessive Compulsive ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Internal Resources ◽  
Compulsive Disorder ◽  
What Works ◽  
Systemic Factors ◽  
The Impact

Background: It is well-known that attempting antipsychotic withdrawal can be a fraught process, with a high risk of relapse that often leads people to resume the medication. Nonetheless, there is a group of people who appear to be able to discontinue successfully. Relatively little is known about how people do this. Methods: A convenience sample of adults who had stopped taking antipsychotic medication for more than a year were recruited to participate in semi-structured interviews through an anonymous online survey that investigated antipsychotic medication experiences in New Zealand. Thematic analysis explored participant descriptions of their efforts to maintain their wellbeing during and after the withdrawal process. Results: Of the seven women who volunteered to participate, six reported bipolar disorder diagnoses and one reported diagnoses of obsessive compulsive disorder and depression. The women reported successfully discontinuing antipsychotics for 1.25–25 years; six followed a gradual withdrawal method and had support to prepare for and manage this. Participants defined wellbeing in terms of their ability to manage the impact of any difficulties faced rather than their ability to prevent them entirely, and saw this as something that evolved over time. They described managing the process and maintaining their wellbeing afterwards by ‘understanding myself and my needs’, ‘finding what works for me’ and ‘connecting with support’. Sub-themes expand on the way in which they did this. For example, ‘finding what works for me’ included using a tool-box of strategies to flexibly meet their needs, practicing acceptance, drawing on persistence and curiosity and creating positive life experiences. Conclusion: This is a small, qualitative study and results should be interpreted with caution. This sample shows it is possible for people who experience mania and psychosis to successfully discontinue antipsychotics and safely manage the impact of any symptoms that emerge as a result of the withdrawal process or other life stressors that arise afterwards. Findings suggest internal resources and systemic factors play a role in the outcomes observed among people who attempt to stop taking antipsychotics and a preoccupation with avoiding relapse may be counterproductive to these efforts. Professionals can play a valuable role in facilitating change.

ICT and sustainable tourism development: an innovative perspective

2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alisha Ali ◽  
Andrew J. Frew
Keyword(s):  
Technology Acceptance ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Sustainable Tourism ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sustainable Tourism Development ◽  
Stakeholder Relationships ◽  
Tourism Product ◽  
Electronic Distribution ◽  
Information And Communication

Purpose – The aim of this research is to foreground information and communication technology (ICT) as an innovative approach for sustainable tourism (ST) development of destinations. ICT is the technology required for information processing which facilitates data processing, information sharing, communication, searching and selection. This paper concentrates on the Abernathy and Clark model and its usefulness in applying ICT as innovative in managing ST. Design/methodology/approach – An online survey was administered to destination managers and to eTourism experts. Destination managers were selected as they were identified as the person responsible for the overall management of a Destination Management Organisation. eTourism experts were identified as someone who possesses special expertise, knowledge and skills on ICT applications to tourism and offered expertise on which ranged from such areas as electronic distribution, recommender systems, user-generated content, online communities, mobile technology, technology acceptance, tourism networks and Web 2.0. This was followed by semi-structured interviews. Findings – These ICT tools were found to be innovative for information management and distribution for critical decision-making. Innovation was fostered through the use of ICT for ST by leading to a better understanding of the tourism product, monitoring, measuring and evaluating, forecasting trends, developing partnerships and engaging and supporting stakeholder relationships. ICT would provide novel ways of approaching marketing, energy monitoring, waste management, and communication for destinations. Originality/value – This research is important in demonstrating the value that technology can have to ST and further develops the work on tourism innovation theory.

Bureaucratic organization and innovation : a mixed-methods study of U.S. State Department of Transportation website adoption

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
A. J. Million
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
State Level ◽  
State Department ◽  
Third Parties ◽  
Department Of Transportation ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
University Of Missouri ◽  
Bureaucratic Organization ◽  
Barriers To Change

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] This study explores bureaucratic organization and innovation in U.S. state department of transportation (DOT) websites. To determine if working with third parties fosters change in state DOT websites, it employs a two-part, explanatory sequential mixed-methods design. In phase one, an online survey was disseminated to IT managers and communications officers in all 50 states to collect data regarding agency demographics, bureaucratic models, and Web infrastructure. In total, 45 valid responses (or 90 percent) were received from DOTs indicating that most built, hosted, and managed their websites in-house, but that state-level IT consolidations required many to pool resources with third parties. In research phase two, 12 semi-structured interviews were conducted of a maximum variation sample of survey respondents. These interviews were conducted to explain why DOTs built and operated their websites with the support of third parties. Employing a grounded theoretical approach, analysis revealed 6 themes explaining website adoption and showed that working with third parties can foster innovation; however, not all change is positive. Therefore, a need exists for governments to selectively work with others, ascertain future barriers to change, and ensure that adopted innovations meet desired ends. Finally, five best practices informed by study findings are presented that may help decision-makers and civil servants provide e-government services in a flexible manner.

scholarly journals ICT to Promote Well-Being within Families

Sensors ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (9) ◽  
pp. 2760 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jure Trilar ◽  
Andrej Kos ◽  
Simona Jazbinšek ◽  
Lea Jensterle ◽  
Emilija Stojmenova Duh
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Family Time ◽  
Development Fund ◽  
European Regional Development Fund ◽  
The Family ◽  
The Republic ◽  
Family Centered ◽  
Future Program

Within the Active Living and Well-Being Project (RRP3), funded by the Republic of Slovenia and the European Regional Development Fund Investing in Your Future program, we aim to develop different approaches and prototype solutions to provide ICT solutions for the family in order to connect its members; communicate; promote quality family time, active life, a health-friendly lifestyle and well-being; and integrate various sensor and user-based data sources into a smart city ecosystem platform. A mixed methodology, combined qualitative and quantitative approaches, was selected to conduct the study. An online survey with a structured questionnaire as well as semi-structured interviews were performed. Through the analysis of the results, we tried to establish a family-centered design approach that would be inclusive as much as possible, creating benefits for all generations in order to develop an interactive prototype solution that would allow us to further test and verify different use-case scenarios.

scholarly journals Workplace exercise programmes – how organizational factors influence employee participation

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (6) ◽  
pp. 37-39
Author(s):  
Anna Little ◽  
Russell Wordsworth ◽  
Sanna Malinen
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Organizational Factors ◽  
Employee Participation ◽  
Past Research ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Practical Significance ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Leadership Support

Purpose Past research identifies many positive outcomes associated with workplace exercise initiatives. Realizing these outcomes is, however, dependent on securing sustained employee participation in the initiative. This study examines how organizational factors influence employee participation in workplace exercise initiatives. Design/methodology/approach The study utilizes data from 98 employees who were provided with the opportunity to participate in a workplace exercise initiative. Data were collected via an online survey as well as semi-structured interviews. Findings The paper shows that organizational, rather than individual-level, factors had the greatest impact on employee participation in workplace exercise initiatives. Leadership support for well-being was particularly important and had a significant effect on participation frequency. This relationship was moderated by employee perceptions of employer intentions, such that the more genuine and caring an employer’s intentions were perceived to be, the more likely employees were to participate. Our findings also show that perceived employer intentions have a significant direct effect on employee participation. Research implications We extend research on employee participation in well-being initiatives by considering the influence of organizational, rather than individual-level, factors. Practical implications This research is of practical significance as it highlights the importance of positive leadership in fostering physical well-being in the workplace. It reinforces that sustained participation in workplace exercise initiatives requires deliberate planning, promotion and support from organizational leaders. Originality/value Most studies of workplace exercise and well-being initiatives focus on individual barriers to participation. Our study highlights the important role of leadership support and perceived intentions as organizational influences on employee participation.

Implementing ELF-informed Activities in an Elementary Level English Preparatory Classroom

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sibel Sert ◽  
Yonca Özkan
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
English Language ◽  
English Language Teaching ◽  
Elementary Level ◽  
Standard English ◽  
Educational Setting ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative ◽  
Mixed Method Design ◽  
Personal Interests

AbstractUpon the advocacy of the integration of English as a lingua franca, namely ELF, into English language teaching, some scholars (Hino & Oda, 2015) have focused on its possible implications for classroom settings. Implementing ELF-informed activities in an elementary level classroom within a norm-based educational setting, this study aimed to enable students to experience these activities, and explore their pre and post views regarding Standard English, the concepts of good English, and my English. In addition, it also investigated students’ preference for their educational setting after the implementation. The implementation took seven weeks and the activities were created by the researchers. Within a mixed method design, qualitative and quantitative data were collected via semi-structured interviews and two statement lists. The findings indicated that the majority of the students enjoyed the activities and their pre and post views regarding Standard English, good English and my English differ from each other. However, a substantial number of them preferred to be educated with Standard English in their language learning process. Findings also revealed that potential reasons behind this preference may be the domination of norm-based approach in their context, personal interests and prime objectives, and norm-based exams.

scholarly journals Development of a tool for identifying and addressing prioritised determinants of quality improvement projects led by healthcare professionals: a mixed-methods study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne van Tuijl ◽  
Hub C. Wollersheim ◽  
Cornelia R.M.G. Fluit ◽  
Petra. J. van Gurp ◽  
Hiske Calsbeek
Keyword(s):  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Healthcare Professionals ◽  
Learning By Doing ◽  
Mixed Methods Study ◽  
Quality Improvement Initiative ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Priority Score ◽  
A Priority

Abstract Background: Several frameworks have been developed to identify essential determinants for healthcare improvement. These frameworks aim to be comprehensive, leading to the creation of long lists of determinants that are not prioritised based on being experienced as most important. Furthermore, most existing frameworks do not describe the methods or actions used to identify and address the determinants, limiting their practical value. The aim of this study is to describe the development of a tool with prioritised facilitators and barriers supplemented with methods to identify and address each determinant. The tool can be used by those performing quality improvement initiatives in healthcare practice. Methods: A mixed-methods study design was used to develop the tool. First, an online survey was used to ask healthcare professionals about the determinants they experienced as most facilitating and most hindering during the performance of their quality improvement initiative . A priority score was calculated for every named determinant, and those with a priority score ≥ 20 were incorporated into the tool. Semi-structured interviews with implementation experts were performed to gain insight on how to analyse and address the determinants in our tool Results: The 25 healthcare professionals in this study experienced 64 facilitators and 66 barriers when performing their improvement initiatives. Of these, 12 facilitators and nine barriers were incorporated into the tool. Sufficient support from management of the department was identified as the most important facilitator, while having limited time to perform the initiative was considered the most important barrier. The interviews with 16 experts in implementation science led to various inputs for identifying and addressing each determinant. Important themes included maintaining adequate communication with stakeholders, keeping the initiative at a manageable size, learning by doing and being able to influence determinants. Conclusions: This paper describes the development of a tool with prioritized determinants for performing quality improvement initiatives with suggestions for analysing and addressing these determinants. The tool is developed for those engaged in quality improvement initiatives in practice, so in this ways it helps to bridging the research to practice gap of determinants frameworks. More research is needed to validate and develop the tool further.

scholarly journals It’s good to talk! Reflective Discussion Forums to support and develop Reflective Practice among Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Practitioners in Ireland.

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris O'Connor ◽  
Joe O'Hara
Keyword(s):  
Reflective Practice ◽  
Emergency Care ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Learning Strategy ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Discussion Forum ◽  
Discussion Forums ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Hospital Emergency ◽  
Confidentiality Agreement

<p><strong>Background</strong></p><p>Since the mid 1980’s, reflective practice has become formally acknowledged and adopted as a key strategy for learning and has become one of the cornerstones of medical education for doctors, nurses, and many of the allied healthcare professions. In the education of pre-hospital emergency care practitioners in Ireland, it is only in the last decade that the notion of reflective practice has been tentatively approached.  Indeed until recently it has largely been ignored by practitioners and educators alike, who have been slow to engage with this new way of learning. This paper explores the attitudes of practitioners to the use of a reflective discussion forum to encourage and support reflection and reflective practice among pre-hospital emergency care practitioners in Ireland.  It also examines the experiences of practitioners who participated in a collaborative reflective discussion forum.</p><p><strong>Literature</strong></p><p>The research was informed by reviewing literature from a number of areas including:  Adult Learning, Reflective Practice, Educational Research directly relating to Emergency Medical Services (EMS), and EMS &amp; Nursing Journals and publications.</p><p><strong>Methodologies</strong></p><p>This paper is part of a larger project which consisted of three cycles of action research.  Data was collected via an online survey questionnaire, and by conducting a series of semi-structured interviews with participants in the reflective discussion forum.  These included all three clinical levels of pre-hospital emergency care practitioners and the three hierarchical levels within the organisation.</p><p><strong>Findings</strong></p><p>The collaborative reflective discussion forum was found to be beneficial.  Among the benefits cited were, the opportunity to draw on the experience of more experienced colleagues, the development of critical thinking skills, and the potential for use as part of a mentoring process.  It was also felt that the collaborative nature of the forum had the potential to improve workplace relationships through the empowerment of the staff. Concerns were raised regarding the potential for abuse and misuse, particularly in relation to the areas of patient confidentiality and a lack of trust within organisations.</p><p><strong>Recommendations</strong></p><p>The establishment of a regular Reflective Discussion Forum within organisations as a key learning strategy. Any collaborative forum must be chaired by a trusted, experienced and highly skilled facilitator. A learning contract for all participants and faculty, including a confidentiality agreement, must be in place prior to the establishment of any collaborative forum.</p>

scholarly journals EFL secondary teachers’ assessment literacy: Assessment conceptions and practices

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 402-421
Author(s):  
Roghibatul Luthfiyyah ◽  
Iin Wariin Basyari ◽  
Dwiniasih Dwiniasih
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Teachers ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Assessment Literacy ◽  
Single Element ◽  
Literacy Assessment ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Assessment Practice ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Conceptions Of Assessment ◽  
Literacy Level

Assessment literacy is defined as knowledge, conceptions, and skills to conduct an assessment. Having sufficient assessment literacy levels, teachers can assist students in improving learning and in achieving learning outcomes. This study employs a descriptive quantitative design that explores EFL secondary teachers' assessment literacy and assessment practice. The data were gathered using an online survey and semi-structured interviews. Forty-eight respondents willingly fulfilled an online questionnaire containing 32 questions adapted from the Teachers Assessment Literacy Questionnaire (TALQ). The data obtained from the survey were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Furthermore, three participants representing each assessment literacy level were selected for interviews to explore their classroom assessment practice. The interview data were analyzed using thematic analysis in terms of the conceptions of assessment, the procedure of assessment construction, and some challenges in assessment practice. The findings reveal that EFL secondary teachers generally have a moderate assessment literacy level. However, the participants reflect different conceptions of assessment, procedures, and challenges in assessment practice depending on an individual level of assessment literacy, institutional and national policies, and socio-culture factors. It shows that assessment literacy is not a single element that can influence teachers' assessment practices.

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