scholarly journals A personal construct approach to employability: comparing stakeholders’ implicit theories

2019 ◽  
Vol 61 (4) ◽  
pp. 390-412 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stella Williams ◽  
Anatoli Karypidou ◽  
Catherine Steele ◽  
Lorna Dodd
Keyword(s):  
Group Process ◽  
Implicit Theories ◽  
Personal Construct ◽  
Personal Construct Theory ◽  
Differential Analysis ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Emotional Management ◽  
Construct Theory ◽  
Grid Technique ◽  
The Uk

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to adopt the perspective of personal construct theory to conceptualise employability. The study explores differences in the implicit employability theories of those involved in developing employability (educators) and those selecting and recruiting higher education (HE) students and graduates (employers).Design/methodology/approachA repertory grid technique (RGT) was employed to uncover the implicit theories of 22 employers and 14 educators across the UK.FindingsA total of 717 constructs were elicited. A differential analysis of data gathered demonstrated several areas of consensus among employers and educators (including emotional management, confidence, professionalism), as well as divergence in representations of commitment, proactivity, interpersonal competencies and vision to the conceptualisation of employability.Practical implicationsFindings from this analysis indicate a need to integrate group process assessments within undergraduate programmes and recruitment procedures.Originality/valueThis study represents a personal construct approach to employability, utilising the unique value of RGT to further inform our understanding of employability within an HE context. This study contributes to an understanding of employability as a continually re-constructed concept. This study provides insights to its nature via two information rich cases that have extensive knowledge on the topic.

Visitor interactions with hotel employees: the role of nationality

2012 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 173-185 ◽  
Author(s):  
Girish Prayag ◽  
Chris Ryan
Keyword(s):  
Personal Construct ◽  
Personal Construct Theory ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Hotel Employees ◽  
Tourism Product ◽  
Textual Data ◽  
Construct Theory ◽  
Staff Interactions ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThis paper aims to report the results of a study into visitor evaluations of interactions with hotel employees in Mauritius. Given that the island's core tourism product is based on luxury resorts, tourist‐hotel employee interactions possess a potential for determining satisfactory or unsatisfactory holiday evaluations on the part of visitors.Design/methodology/approachA sample of 103 visitors is interviewed using a semi‐structured guide comprising open‐ended questions. This approach reflects the lived experiences of guests and helps to better assess the role played by nationality when reporting visitor‐staff interactions. Data are analyzed using both thematic analysis and textual analysis software.FindingsNationality, ethnicity and languages spoken are found to be factors that determine differences in requirements from hotel staff on the part of tourists. Nationality is the strongest discriminator of these requirements.Research limitations/implicationsAs with many examples of qualitative research, the findings are time and place specific. Yet nonetheless, the concepts of personal construct theory permit some generalization.Practical implicationsResort complex staff and management need to note the differences required by guests of different national groupings, and to appreciate that less than warm responses by some clients are not indicative of dissatisfaction.Originality/valueThe paper distinguishes between guests not only on the basis of nationality and ethnicity, but also languages spoken. No similar study relating to resort complexes in Mauritius has been identified. The study also uses two modes of textual data analysis to support the interpretation offered.

Personal Constructs in School Psychology

1987 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Reynolds ◽  
Henry L. Janzen
Keyword(s):  
School Psychology ◽  
Work Experience ◽  
Personal Construct ◽  
Personal Construct Theory ◽  
Personal Constructs ◽  
Positive Aspect ◽  
Construct Theory ◽  
Grid Technique

George Kelly's personal construct theory and Rep Grid technique was followed to analyse perceptions of some aspects of the role of psychologist in the schools. Differences in role subsystems for ‘trainees’ and ‘experts’ were examined in the light of personal construct corollaries. Subjects were 23 ‘trainees’ and 15 ‘experts’. Investigation of the results indicated tentative support for the existence of a specific subsystem for the role of psychologist in the schools. Subjects who had previous work experience were able to make more extreme and consistent characterizations than their inexperienced counterparts. More agreement was evident for both groups when role descriptions contained a positive aspect.

scholarly journals Researcher-practitioner reflections: the therapeutic utility of the visually adapted repertory grid technique (VARGT) with stalkers

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 97-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachael Wheatley ◽  
Daria J. Kuss
Keyword(s):  
Psychosocial Functioning ◽  
Mixed Methods Research ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Repertory Grid ◽  
Personal Construct ◽  
Personal Construct Theory ◽  
Repertory Grid Technique ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research Engagement ◽  
Grid Technique

Purpose This paper outlines researcher–practitioner reflections on the use of a visually adapted repertory grid technique (VARGT) with men convicted of stalking. It draws on and assimilates participant experiences of the VARGT as a research engagement tool. Further, it extends discussion to propose its value as a generic engagement tool for when personal insights and collaborative case formulations may otherwise be difficult to access. Design/methodology/approach The repertory grid technique, developed from Kelly’s Personal Construct Theory (1955), was adapted visually for utility in a mixed methods research study with those who commit stalking offences (Wheatley, in preparation). Analytical and reflexivity processes within this original study highlighted rich and recurrent data across the sample pertaining to the positive participant experience of the VARGT, unrelated to its core research question. Findings This paper presents reflections and psychological discussion for experiences of using the VARGT. Key features clustered around therapeutic alliance and engagement, enlightenment and a motivation for positive change. Practical implications This paper suggests the VARGT has value in participant–client engagement, particularly where sensitive topics are being investigated and participants have difficulty directly articulating their psychosocial functioning. Originality/value This novel technique offers potential as an engagement tool for use in research and clinical settings.

scholarly journals Identity play and the stories we live by

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (5) ◽  
pp. 683-695
Author(s):  
Babak Ghaempanah ◽  
Svetlana N. Khapova
Keyword(s):  
Identity Construction ◽  
Narrative Identity ◽  
Self Concept ◽  
Personal Construct ◽  
Personal Construct Theory ◽  
Personal Constructs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Dialogical Self ◽  
Construct Theory

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to advance our understanding of identity play process by including the stories we live by in depth. Over the past decade, identity play literature has placed more emphasis on the role of self-narratives. Yet, the “stories we live by”, including the told or untold stories of past and imagined events of the future, have not been considered in depth in these self-narratives.Design/methodology/approachThis conceptual paper draws on the personal construct theory, narrative identity and constructivist psychotherapy literatures and attempts to include the stories we live by in scholarly conceptualizations and explorations of identity play processes.FindingsDrawing on the personal construct theory, narrative identity and constructivist psychotherapy literatures this paper offers a comprehensive conceptual model of how the stories we live by infuse individual identity construction processes. The model highlights the inter-connectivity among stories we live by, identity play, identity work, sensemaking and social validation. Looking through the lens of the personal construct theory and taking these inter-connectivities into account lead to the observation of temporality in identity construction and the plurivocality of self-narratives.Originality/valueThis paper looks at identity play through the lens of the personal construct theory. However, self-narratives are seen as a medium for manifestation of personal constructs. Thus, this paper also draws on the narrative identity literature and dialogical-self concept, which helps access the multiplicity of the self-narratives to widen our grasp of personal constructs. This paper combines discourse of deconstruction with the dialogical-self concept and provides more means for the explication of identity play.

Cognitive Research in Information Systems Using the Repertory Grid Technique

2011 ◽  
pp. 261-290
Author(s):  
Felix B. Tan ◽  
M. Gordon Hunter
Keyword(s):  
Information Systems ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Cognitive Mapping ◽  
Repertory Grid ◽  
Personal Construct ◽  
Personal Construct Theory ◽  
Organizational Research ◽  
Cognitive Research ◽  
Construct Theory ◽  
Grid Technique

This chapter discusses the design and application of a cognitive mapping methodology known as the repertory grid. Grounded in personal construct theory (Kelly, 1955), the repertory grid is an extremely flexible technique to conduct both qualitative and/or quantitative research and, in organizational research, is the preferred methodology for mapping the content and structure of cognition. The aim of this chapter is to expound upon the potential of this technique to information systems researchers by considering the variety of ways the repertory grid may be employed. This application is illustrated by examining published studies in both the information systems and the broader management fields.

scholarly journals DEVELOPING A MODIFIED REPERTORY GRID INSTRUMENT FOR ELICITING RESEARCH PARTICIPANT’S PERSONAL CONSTRUCTS

2014 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sri Imelwaty
Keyword(s):  
Repertory Grid ◽  
Personal Construct ◽  
Personal Construct Theory ◽  
Repertory Grid Technique ◽  
Personal Constructs ◽  
Construct Theory ◽  
Grid Technique ◽  
Research Questions

Previous application of the repertory grid technique in exploring participants’ personal constructs has been noteworthy. However, this technique could be modified to suit the purposes of the research questions, the conditions of the participants and the context of the study. This paper presents personal constructs theory which underpins the repertory grid technique and it also proposes the ways to developa modified repertory grid instrument for eliciting teachers’ personal constructs. According to Kelly (1955), a seminal psychologist, individual forms their constructs based on their observations and experiences and these personal constructs are used to interpret events. To elicit participants’ personal constructs regarding the topic under study, the repertory grid instrument, which is developed based on Kelly’s Personal Construct Theory, could bemodified through interview trials. After conducting the interview trials, the resultsshould be analyzed to identify whether this instrument is effective not only for participants but also for the researchers. The modified repertory grid instrument should allow and support participants in formalizing and elaborating their personal constructs. For the researchers, the instrument should be helpful to identify the participants’ personal constructs based on their own conceptions and understandings toward the topic under study.

scholarly journals Does “mentoring” offer effective support to autistic adults? A mixed-methods pilot study

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 229-239 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicola Martin ◽  
Damian Elgin Maclean Milton ◽  
Tara Sims ◽  
Gemma Dawkins ◽  
Simon Baron-Cohen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Personal Construct ◽  
Personal Construct Theory ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Autistic People ◽  
Construct Theory

Purpose The Research Autism Cygnet Mentoring project was a two-year pilot study, completed in 2016, which aimed to develop, trial and evaluate a mentoring scheme designed with input from autistic people, their families and supporters. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach The mentoring scheme involved 12 matched pairs (mentor/mentee) meeting once per week for one hour, over a six-month period. All mentors attended a training day, led by the principles of personal construct theory and an emancipatory research ethos. The project and training involved significant involvement of autistic people in both its design and delivery. Findings Participants on the autism spectrum found their mentoring experience very helpful in enabling them to progress towards self-identified goals, and mentees felt empowered by the person-centred ethos and the methods employed on the project. However, a number of aspects of the mentoring project have been identified that require further investigation, including: caution over offering mentoring without formal structures, boundary setting, supervision, flexibility and the matching of mentees with mentors. Originality/value The project has highlighted the potential benefits of time-limited goal-orientated mentoring and the negligible evidence base underpinning current mentoring practice with adults on the autism spectrum. In order for the project to realise its emancipatory aim, there is a need for a large-scale quantitative study and a health-economics analysis to provide the necessary evidence base for mentoring to be recommended as a cost-effective intervention with clear benefits for individual wellbeing.

Self-Concept in Dyslexic School Children

1991 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 29-33
Author(s):  
Rae Paterson ◽  
Ann D. Knowles
Keyword(s):  
The Self ◽  
Personal Construct ◽  
Personal Construct Theory ◽  
Ideal Self ◽  
Grid Data ◽  
Dyslexic Group ◽  
Construct Theory ◽  
Grid Technique ◽  
The Ideal ◽  
Dyslexic Students

ABSTRACTPersonal construct theory and the repertory grid technique were used to investigate the self-concepts of 30 dyslexic and 30 non-dyslexic children aged between 9 and 16 years. It was predicted that he self-concepts of the dyslexic students would be more negative than the self-concepts of the non-dyslexic students and that there would be a greater discrepancy between the self-constructions and the ideal self-constructions of he dyslexic group than of the non-dyslexic group. Results indicated hat the dyslexic students ranked themselves as significantly worse at reading and significantly less important than did the non-dyslexic students. The dyslexic children also exhibited significantly greater discrepancy between their ideal self and actualself. A cluster analysis of the grid data indicated that the dyslexic students perceived the constructs ‘Hardworking’, ‘Clever’ and ‘Good at Reading’ as similar, while no such connection was made by the non-dyslexic group.

The Rationale and Clinical Relevance of Repertory Grid Technique

1965 ◽  
Vol 111 (479) ◽  
pp. 977-982 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Bannister
Keyword(s):  
Repertory Grid ◽  
Personal Construct ◽  
Personal Construct Theory ◽  
Repertory Grid Technique ◽  
Repertory Grids ◽  
Sorting Tests ◽  
Construct Theory ◽  
Grid Technique ◽  
Sorting Test ◽  
Derivatives Of

All forms of Repertory Grid technique are derivatives of an original proposed by G. A. Kelly (1955) as an integral part of the development of Personal Construct Theory (summarized Bannister, 1962). In essence, repertory grids are forms of sorting test. They differ from conventional sorting tests in that there are no standard sorting materials or sorting categories nor is there any standard single form of administration or scoring procedure. Their unique characteristics are that:

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document