Positive educative programme

2017 ◽  
Vol 117 (2) ◽  
pp. 215-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teuntje R. Elfrink ◽  
Jochem M. Goldberg ◽  
Karlein M.G. Schreurs ◽  
Ernst T. Bohlmeijer ◽  
Aleisha M. Clarke

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to report on a process and impact evaluation of the Positief Educatief Programma (Positive Education Programme (PEP)), a whole school approach to supporting children’s well-being and creating a positive school climate in primary schools in the Netherlands. PEP adopts a competence skill enhancement approach with a focus on developing children’s positive emotions and strengths. Design/methodology/approach A process and impact evaluation was performed within the context of two schools piloting the programme. Employing questionnaires and interviews, the evaluation sought to examine the implementation of PEP, participants’ experiences with key components and the programme impact of PEP. Findings The findings reveal largely positive attitudes towards PEP. Staff and parents were positive about the core components of PEP. Results from standardised questionnaires provide preliminary evidence about the positive impact of PEP on children’s self-reported well-being and problem behaviour, teachers’ awareness of children’s strengths and overall school climate. The provision of practical strategies and activity-based resources was considered essential to the ongoing implementation of PEP. Research limitations/implications This study reports on findings from two implementation schools and therefore lacks generalisability. Further research using more robust research methods exploring the effectiveness of PEP when compared with “business as usual” is needed. Originality/value School frameworks aimed at creating a positive school climate and promoting well-being at the whole school level have not been carried out in the Netherlands to date. The results from this study provide a unique insight into the implementation and perceived impact of a whole school framework in the context of two primary schools.

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 8184
Author(s):  
Chia-Ming Chang ◽  
Huey-Hong Hsieh ◽  
Yu-Hui Chou ◽  
Hsiu-Chin Huang

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between a principal’s transformational leadership and creative teaching behavior of physical education teachers at junior and senior high schools in Taiwan (at the individual level) and the cross-level effect on creative teaching behaviors of physical education teachers in an innovative school climate (at the school level) and the moderator effect of an innovative school climate on the relationship between a principal’s transformational leadership and creative teaching behaviors of physical education teachers. A total of 800 questionnaires were distributed to physical education teachers at 59 junior and senior high schools and 477 valid surveys were collected for data analysis. Using hierarchical linear modeling, we found that at the individual level, a principal’s transformational leadership has a positive impact on creative teaching behaviors of physical education teachers, and at the school level, an innovative school climate has a positive impact on creative teaching behaviors (at the person level) of physical education teachers. An innovative school climate at the school level has no moderating effects on the relationship between a principal’s transformational leadership and creative teaching behaviors of physical education teachers. This study provides implications and applications for cross-level studies, and builds the foundation for future multilevel research.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Adeleke ◽  
Opeyemi Alabede ◽  
Tolulope Osayomi ◽  
Ayodeji Iyanda

Purpose Globally, corruption has been identified as a major problem. Even though corruption is widespread, it varies in magnitude, types and consequences. In Nigeria, corruption is endemic, and it is responsible for the many socioeconomic problems in the country. Hence, the study aims to determine the patterns and state level correlations of corruption in Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach Data for this study were sourced from the National Bureau of Statistics and other official sources and were analyzed with Global Moran’s I, Local Moran’s I and multivariate step-wise regression. Findings This study’s findings revealed significant clustering of corruption in the country with Rivers States as the only hotspot (I = 0.068; z = 2.524; p < 0.05), while domestic debt and market size were the state level significant predictors. Research limitations/implications Only bribery as a form of corruption was examined in this study, more studies are needed on the predictors of other forms of corruption. Practical implications This study recommends increased market competition through investment grants, subsidies and tax incentives to facilitate trade interactions among Nigerians, which can lead to exchange of cultural norms that discourage corruption. It is also advocated that domestic debt must be effectively and efficiently channelled towards economic development which in the long run will have a positive impact on the socio-economic well-being of the citizens as well as drive down corrupt practices. Originality/value Although the causes of corruption have received considerable attention in the literature, little is known on the geographical distribution and the effect of market size and domestic debt on corruption in Nigeria.


2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 273-288 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthias Pepin ◽  
Etienne St-Jean

Purpose Many countries around the world have now introduced entrepreneurship into their curricula and educational practices, starting at the elementary school level. However, recent studies show the relative (un)effectiveness of K-12 enterprise education on diverse learning outcomes. The purpose of this paper is to report on a research aimed at assessing the impacts of enterprise education on students’ entrepreneurial attitudes. Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted a quasi-experiment between May and June 2017 to assess the entrepreneurial potential of students at Elementary Cycle 3 (10–12 years) in Quebec, Canada. Relying on attitude theory, the authors used Athayde’s Attitudes toward Enterprise for Young People test, which assesses students’ entrepreneurial potential through four entrepreneurial attitudes (leadership, creativity, achievement and personal control). The experimental group consisted of 11 classes which had conducted an entrepreneurial project during the 2016–2017 school year (n = 208 students), while the 7 classes of the control group had not (n=151 students). Findings At first glance, data showed no difference between the two groups. Further investigation showed that private and Freinet (public) schools’ students, both from the control group, show significantly higher leadership scores than those of the experimental group. In-depth analyses also show that increasing the number of entrepreneurial projects significantly impacted three of the four attitudes assessed, although negligibly. Research limitations/implications Taken together, those results question the relevance of single entrepreneurial activities in developing students’ entrepreneurial attitudes. They also suggest the positive impact of a progressive, constructivist pedagogy in developing such entrepreneurial attitudes. Moreover, the paper raises several factors likely to impact students’ entrepreneurial attitudes for further research. Originality/value K-12 enterprise education remains an understudied context, largely crossed by unproven statements. This research contributes to understand and give direction to educational initiatives targeting the development of young students’ entrepreneurial attitudes.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer Bray ◽  
Dawn Brooker ◽  
Isabelle Latham ◽  
Darrin Baines

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to populate a theoretical cost model with real-world data, calculating staffing, resource and consumable costs of delivering Namaste Care Intervention UK (NCI-UK) sessions versus “usual care” for care home residents with advanced dementia. Design/methodology/approach Data from five care homes delivering NCI-UK sessions populated the cost model to generate session- and resident-level costs. Comparator usual care costs were calculated based on expert opinion and observational data. Outcome data for residents assessed the impact of NCI-UK sessions and aligned with the resident-level costs of NCI-UK. Findings NCI-UK had a positive impact on residents’ physical, social and emotional well-being. An average NCI-UK group session cost £220.53, 22% more than usual care, and ran for 1.5–2 h per day for 4–9 residents. No additional staff were employed to deliver NCI-UK, but staff-resident ratios were higher during Namaste Care. Usual care costs were calculated for the same time period when no group activity was organised. The average cost per resident, per NCI-UK session was £38.01, £7.24 more than usual care. In reality, costs were offset by consumables and resources being available from stock within a home. Originality/value Activity costs are rarely calculated as the focus tends to be on impact and outcomes. This paper shows that, although not cost neutral as previously thought, NCI-UK is a low-cost way of improving the lives of people living with advanced dementia in care homes.


2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dhirapat Kulophas ◽  
Philip Hallinger ◽  
Auyporn Ruengtrakul ◽  
Suwimon Wongwanich

Purpose In the context of Thailand’s progress towards education reform, scholars have identified a lack of effective school-level leadership as an impeding factor. The purpose of this paper is to develop and validate a theoretical model of authentic leadership effects on teacher academic optimism and work engagement. Authentic leadership was considered a suitable model of school leadership in light of Thailand’s explicit recognition of the importance of developing the moral capacity of students and emphasis on ethical leadership. Design/methodology/approach The study employed a quantitative cross-sectional survey design. Survey data were obtained from 605 teachers in a nationally representative sample of 182 primary schools. The data were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling. Findings The results indicated that the model of authentic leadership effects on teachers’ academic optimism and work engagement was validated. A moderate relationship was observed between authentic leadership and the dependent measures of teacher attitudes. Practical implications The study identified a potentially important lack of alignment between the espoused values and actions/decisions of school principals in Thailand. When combined with prior research conducted on leadership for educational reform in Thailand, our findings highlight the systemic nature of the problem faced in changing traditional patterns of behavior in Thai schools. More specifically, despite change in the nation’s educational goals, human resource management of the nation’s school leaders continues to produce administrators and managers rather than leaders, either instructional or moral. Originality/value The study extends prior studies of school leadership in the context of Thailand’s education reform that focused more specifically on principal instructional leadership in Thailand. In addition, this study of authentic school leadership is one of only a few conducted outside of Western societies.


2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 26-28

Purpose The purpose of the study was to determine, first, whether both numeric diversity and racial climate impacted the psychological well-being and workplace experiences of faculty of color (FOC). But the authors also considered whether there was an “additive” effect when both diversity factors existed at the same time. Design/methodology/approach The authors used surveys of academics from various backgrounds in multiple US regions to test the effects of numeric diversity and racial climate on three dependent variables – invisible labor, stress from discrimination and dissatisfaction with co-workers. For the purposes of the study, FOC were defined as black, Latinx and Asian faculty. Findings The results showed significant support for the authors' prediction that there was more stress from discrimination, invisible labor, and co-worker dissatisfaction against FOC in institutions with low numeric diversity and poor racial climate compared with institutions with high numeric diversity and a positive racial climate. They also found that negative impacts were smaller in institutions with both high numeric diversity and a positive racial climate, compared to institutions with high numeric diversity, but a poor racial climate. However, similar results were not found for institutions with low numeric diversity and positive racial climate. Originality/value The authors concluded that the findings showed that “diversity climate may be the primary driver of mitigating psychological disparities between FOC and white faculty”. They said that education officials should take action to construct a positive racial climate, but neither should they ignore numeric representation.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 687-726
Author(s):  
Diego Aboal ◽  
Marcelo Perera ◽  
Flavia Rovira

Purpose Impact evaluations of cluster programs at firm level are still scarce in the literature. The available evidence on the effectiveness of such programs based on rigorous quantitative impact evaluations is mixed. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the body of literature the evaluates quantitatively the impact of cluster programs in emerging economies on firms’ performance. In particular, the authors evaluate the impact of a cluster program in Uruguay on firms’ sales and exports. Design/methodology/approach The authors use state-of-the-art impact evaluation methods to evaluate the impact of the program. In particular, difference in differences and matching methods Findings There is very strong evidence that the program had a positive impact on exports and the propensity to export of firms. However, the evidence of a positive impact on sales is weak. The evidence suggests that the maximum effect of the program can be found in the fourth or fifth year after the intervention. Originality/value The contribution of this paper to the literature is fourfold. First, this paper adds to the scarce body of literature evaluating the effects of cluster development programs with state-of-the-art impact evaluation methods. Second, it adds evidence for Latin America, a region that has implement a number of cluster policies (Maffioli et al., 2016) and where, as far as the authors know, there is only one additional paper evaluating rigorously the impacts of them (Figal-Garone et al., 2015). In addition, the authors provide evidence about the timing of the effects after the implementation of a cluster policy, an important issue that is mostly overlooked in the existent literature. Finally, the paper focus its attention on the impacts on exports and the propensity to export of firms, key elements for small open economies in Latin America that are heavily reliant on foreign currency inflows.


Kybernetes ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 43 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 614-628 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mihaela Brumen ◽  
Branka Cagran ◽  
Matjaž Mulej

Purpose – The presented study aims to address the subject of educating youngsters in cross-border regions to be responsible persons, tourists, hosts and neighbours, to accept cultural pluralism, and to raise awareness that knowledge of neighbouring countries' languages supports cross-border cooperation. Design/methodology/approach – The approach double-checked theory and legal regulation, and children's knowledge of neighbouring countries' (Slovenia, Hungary, Austria, and Croatia) languages was empirically researched. Indirectly, parental attitudes were examined. The study focused on Slovene and Hungarian languages and on their trans-border (or: cross-border) tourism as a cultural rather than economic topic. Findings – Cross-border tourism depends also on mutual understanding as a precondition of ethics of interdependence as a precondition of the requisite holism of one's approach via social responsibility enabling the well-being of both tourists and hosts. The socio-linguistic and socio-cultural aspects of neighbouring regions, e.g. Slovenia's Prekmurje and Hungary's Örseg, can support positive interaction between ethnic groups and enhance effective cross-border collaboration, including tourism. Poor knowledge of neighbouring countries' languages submits communities to third languages and hinders these trans-border experiences, making the regions a shared destiny maintaining their cultures, languages and identity. Language learning therefore must start at the earliest possible age. Originality/value – This case study advocates cross-border educational and cultural policy that (primary) schools should increase the awareness of the dependence of cross-border peace, positive stereotypes, economies and tourism on knowledge of neighbouring countries' languages and socially responsible (young/future) persons, tourists and hosts.


2015 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 77-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elaine Argyle ◽  
Tony Kelly

Purpose – Recent years have seen the advocacy of person-centred approaches to dementia care. An important component of this approach has been the use of arts in the promotion of health and well-being. However, relatively little attention has been given to the barriers and facilitators experienced in trying to implement these types of interventions in a dementia care setting. It is therefore, the purpose of this paper is to help to redress this neglect by examining the process of implementing a personalised musical intervention for the clients of a specialist dementia home care service. Design/methodology/approach – Drawing on interviews with five project stakeholders, the paper examines, not only the potential benefits to be gained from the musical intervention but also identifies the barriers experienced in its implementation and ways in which they could be overcome. Findings – It was found that although the musical intervention had a potentially positive impact, there were multi-levelled barriers to its implementation including issues of training, leadership as well as contextual issues such as commissioning and resourcing more generally. Originality/value – The key role played by these issues in the process of implementation suggests that practice should transcend its focus on individual wellbeing and address the wider factors that can facilitate or prevent its fulfilment. While the multi-levelled nature of the obstacles identified suggest that the implementation of innovative interventions within health and social care settings should adopt a similarly eclectic approach.


2017 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 164-177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nelleke Bakker

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the meaning of child health as applied by school doctors in the Netherlands and the way it was adapted to the rapidly improving standard of living and the increasing importance of mental health after the Second World War. The extension of the concept beyond physical health into emotional and social well-being is particularly interesting as the school medical inspection was the only public child-hygienic service in a country where religious groups opposed the extension of public hygienic care into parenting and the family. Design/methodology/approach On the basis of secondary literature, the paper discusses the early development of Dutch school medical inspection from a comparative perspective. Changes in the national authority’s and the school doctors’ concepts of what a “healthy” child was between the 1930s and 1970 are examined using a variety of primary sources. These concern both the national discourse and sources that shed light on the daily practice of school medical inspection from the single province for which these are available. Findings Although they adopted a new and more inclusive concept of health in theory, school doctors in the Netherlands were reluctant to actually take up issues of mental health in their daily practice. This reluctance was inspired by the fear of losing their pivotal role in child hygiene and their status as public servants. Originality/value Studies in the history of school medical services have focussed mainly on their establishment and development as an institution. They seldom extend into the post-war era and do not discuss the extension of the inspection into mental health.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document