Theory into practice in Australian progressive education

2015 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 115-127
Author(s):  
John P. Hughes
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Progressive Education ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Historical Trends ◽  
Content Type ◽  
School Practice ◽  
Historical Literature

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to scrutinize the avowedly progressive curriculum delivered in the 1930s at the Enmore Activity School. Through this examination it delineates a gap in Australia between the theoretical formulations of progressive education and school practice. The study of this curriculum is used to locate historical trends and influences that aided or hindered the application of progressive education in Australia during the 1930s. Design/methodology/approach – Through a review of the archival and historical literature on the curriculum at the Enmore Activity School the paper defines the ways progressive education was understood in Australia at that time. Findings – The analysis reveals that Enmore delivered a type of progressive education Tyack dubs “administrative progressivism” in a programme that remained essentially orthodox. Yet although an authentically progressive curriculum proved elusive at Enmore the school did, by example, influence several later curriculums. Originality/value – This close up study provides insights into how central tenets of progressive education were understood, accepted, or rejected at the local level in Australia in the 1930s. It offers fresh perspectives on contemporary educational debates about progressive education.

Excellence and gender

2015 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Farinaz Fassa
Keyword(s):  
Gender Equality ◽  
Common Good ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Local Level ◽  
National Level ◽  
Academic Careers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Feminist Movements

Purpose – Discussing the Swiss case, the purpose of this paper is to examine how gender equality policies deal with the present requirements for scholars to be considered “excellent”. It aims to pinpoint the lines of tension or coherence between excellence, meritocracy and gender politics. Design/methodology/approach – In order to specify the norms of academic careers and their different renditions, the author draws on two studies (at local and national levels) to illustrate where the changes and resistances are taking place. Findings – The translations of a number of demands of feminist movements into the policies set up to favour equality between the sexes may combine to challenge the norms of academia as a gendered realm. Nevertheless, without strong pressure from feminists at local level and the conduct of research pursuing the enterprise of deconstructing norms, top-down policies may prove less “corrective” than affirmative action. This pressure is not only useful to build gender equality in science but also to broaden the spectrum of knowledge that can become a common good. Research limitations/implications – As neither the names nor the positions of the experts who select the candidates at national level are made public, we had to opt for other, less satisfactory means. Originality/value – The originality of the paper lies in the link made between the enhancements brought by Equalities policies and the changes they bring. It attempts to bring to light the extent to which gender equality policies conform to the neo-managerial order or challenge its norms to build a world that is more just.

Trust-culture leadership in local public administrators’ work

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 260-273 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew R. Fairholm ◽  
Michael K. Dzordzormenyoh ◽  
Godlove A. Binda
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Public Administrators ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Public Leadership ◽  
Public Managers ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Public Leaders

Purpose Trust and culture are common themes in leadership literature and research. The purpose of this paper is it to describe an emergent model of trust-culture leadership from the comments of local government managers in the USA. The environment of local government requires a level of trust between government and citizens. Comments from local government managers suggest trust is also a component of leading public organizations. The elements of the model culled from practical insights serve to both verify and elucidate much of what is found in leadership theory in a local government context. Design/methodology/approach This research is based on qualitative interviews of practicing local government managers coupled with an analysis of essays on leadership also written by local government managers. Findings The research indicates eight elements of a model divided into three categories (descriptions of leadership in practice, tools and behaviors, and approaches to followers) that help to both describe and perhaps prescribe the work of trust-culture leadership in a local government context. Originality/value While some of what is summarized below is found in leadership literature already, the fact that these elements of leadership are intuitive to local government managers and internalized in their practice is significant. Linking both trust and culture in leadership literature is limited, and linking them both to the practical insights of public managers is even more unique. The findings verify that public leaders at the local level actually engage in leadership of a particular sort, that of trust-culture leadership. It highlights the priority of trust in local government administration. The elements of the model serve to offer public managers specific things to focus on to promote trust-culture leadership and suggest to public leadership scholars specific avenues for further investigation.

Learning in municipalities after disasters

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tore Betten ◽  
Kristian Vian Pettersen ◽  
Eirik Albrechtsen
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Preparedness ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Interview Study ◽  
Learning Processes ◽  
Civil Protection ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Important Contributor ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
Resilient Communities

PurposeLearning at the local level is an important contributor to safe and resilient communities. The purpose of this article is therefore to explore what motivates municipalities in Norway to learn from disasters and how they learn from them. This purpose has been fulfilled by (1) addressing the process of learning from disasters occurring within municipalities, and (2) learning from disasters in other municipalities, in particular from the terrorist incidents that occurred in Oslo on 22 July 2011.Design/methodology/approachAn interview study was conducted of individuals responsible for municipal emergency preparedness.FindingsUnwanted events that occur outside municipal borders only trigger learning processes if they are geographically proximate. Events occurring within the geographical borders of the municipality represent greater potential for learning than those occurring outside its borders. Availability of resources for municipal civil protection activities is another factor that has an impact on learning.Originality/valueThe local level plays a key role in generating and maintaining adequate civil protection and emergency preparedness in society. Although the literature on learning from disasters is extensive, learning processes at the local level have been given little attention. This article thus contributes to the existing body of knowledge by studying learning processes following disasters at the local level.

Sport in Europe’s era of austerity: crisis or adaptation?

2017 ◽  
Vol 37 (1/2) ◽  
pp. 123-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ken Roberts
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Financial Crisis ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Review Of Literature ◽  
Consumer Spending ◽  
Historical Trends ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Financial Crisis Of 2008 ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess whether European sport has been damaged or adapted during the austerity in public sector and consumer spending that has followed the financial crisis of 2008-2009. Design/methodology/approach Review of literature and data. Findings Sport has adapted successfully. Research limitations/implications The overall conclusions will not apply to every sport in every country. Practical implications Sport flourishes when it adapts to historical trends. Originality/value Updates all previous reviews.

Two faces of decentralization in South Korea

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 291-302
Author(s):  
Jun Koo ◽  
Byoung Joon Kim
Keyword(s):  
South Korea ◽  
Historical Development ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Local Autonomy ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Historical Progress ◽  
Political Theories ◽  
Administrative Decentralization

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to review historical progress and current picture of decentralization in Korea from political, administrative and fiscal perspectives. Design/methodology/approach This paper draws on economic as well as political theories regarding decentralization and describes historical development of the local autonomy system in Korea. Findings This paper discusses the current discrepancies among the progress of political, administrative and fiscal independence in the local autonomy system in Korea and concludes that the lack of fiscal independence in the local level significantly undermines the efficacy of political and administrative decentralization in Korea. Originality/value Decentralization has three distinct perspectives. This paper examines decentralization in Korea from all three perspectives.

Kindergarten teachers as leaders of children, makers of society

2014 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kay Whitehead
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Liberal Arts ◽  
Social Reform ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Progressive Education ◽  
School Teachers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Childhood Education ◽  
Practical Education ◽  
A Site

Purpose – In Australia as elsewhere, kindergarten or pre-school teachers’ work has almost escaped historians’ attention. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the lives and work of approximately 60 women who graduated from the Adelaide Kindergarten Training College (KTC) between 1908 and 1917, which is during the leadership of its foundation principal, Lillian de Lissa. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is a feminist analysis and uses conventional archival sources. Findings – The KTC was a site of higher education that offered middle class women an intellectual as well as practical education, focusing on liberal arts, progressive pedagogies and social reform. More than half of the graduates initially worked as teachers, their destinations reflecting the fragmented field of early childhood education. Whether married or single, many remained connected with progressive education and social reform, exercising their pedagogical and administrative skills in their workplaces, homes and civic activities. In so doing, they were not only leaders of children but also makers of society. Originality/value – The paper highlights the links between the kindergarten movement and reforms in girls’ secondary and higher education, and repositions the KTC as site of intellectual education for women. In turn, KTC graduates committed to progressive education and social reform in the interwar years.

Do different approaches to clinical governance development and implementation make a difference? Findings from Ireland and New Zealand

2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (7/8) ◽  
pp. 682-695 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robin Gauld ◽  
Simon Horsburgh ◽  
Maureen Alice Flynn ◽  
Deirdre Carey ◽  
Philip Crowley
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Policy Implementation ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Response Rates ◽  
Clinical Governance ◽  
Local Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
High Performing

Purpose Clinical governance (CG) is an important foundation for a high-performing health care system, with many countries supporting its development. CG policy may be developed and implemented nationally, or devolved to a local level, with implications for the overall approach to implementation and policy uptake. However, it is not known whether one of these two approaches is more effective. The purpose of this paper is to probe this question. Its setting is Ireland and New Zealand, two broadly comparable countries with similar CG policies. Ireland’s was nationally led, while New Zealand’s was devolved to local districts. This leads to the question of whether these different approaches to implementation make a difference. Design/methodology/approach Data from surveys of health professionals in both countries were used to compare performance with CG development. Findings The study showed that Ireland’s approach produced a slightly better performance, raising questions about the merits of devolving responsibility for policy implementation to the local level. Research limitations/implications The Irish and New Zealand surveys both had lower-than-desirable response rates, which is not uncommon for studies of health professionals such as this. The low response rates mean the findings may be subject to selection bias. Originality/value Despite the importance of the question of whether a national or local approach to policy implementation is more effective, few studies specifically focus on this, meaning that this study provides a new contribution to the topic.

scholarly journals Integrating crime prevention into urban design and planning

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 153-165 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline L. Davey ◽  
Andrew B. Wootton
Keyword(s):  
Crime Prevention ◽  
Urban Design ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Conceptual Models ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Building Design ◽  
Specific Context ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Local Stakeholders ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This paper aims to understand the delivery of crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) across Europe – from European-wide procedures through national schemes to effective local strategies. Design/methodology/approach The findings come from a review of published literature and reports, case studies and site visits conducted primarily during COST Action TU1203 (2013-2016). Findings Innovative approaches and methods to integrate crime prevention into urban design, planning and management have been generated by multi-agency partnerships and collaborations at European, national and city levels. Methods and procedures developed by the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) Working Group on “Crime Prevention through Urban Planning and Building Design” are pioneering. However, findings show that implementation is best achieved at a local level using methods and procedures tailored to the specific context. Research limitations/implications In-depth research is required to appreciate subtle differences between local approaches and conceptual models developed to better understand approaches and methods. Practical implications Practitioners and academics working to prevent crime benefit from participation in focused, multi-agency collaborations that, importantly, facilitate visits to urban developments, discussions with local stakeholders responsible for delivery “on the ground” and structured and sustained exploration of innovations and challenges. Originality/value The authors hope that this paper will contribute to developing a new direction for CPTED practice and research that builds on significant progress in creating safer environments over previous decades.

scholarly journals Public libraries in Switzerland: RDA and the FRBRization watershed

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (1/2) ◽  
pp. 98-112
Author(s):  
Elisa Banfi ◽  
Arnaud Gaudinat
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Social Implications ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Linguistic Structure ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Face ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate how Swiss public libraries are experiencing a normative revolution connected to new cataloging standards, such as RDA and the FRBRization of catalogs.Design/methodology/approachThanks to semi-structured interviews, the paper analyzes the current positioning of Swiss public libraries on the “bibliographic transition” issue by using a case study of the network of municipal libraries in Geneva.FindingsIn Switzerland, the federal and multi-linguistic structure of the library networks increases the organizational obstacles to the adoption of new cataloging principles and formats. At the local level, the Swiss municipal libraries have to cope with this complexity to transform their structures and continue to offer competitive and effective services to their users.Practical implicationsThe paper proposes six scenarios of technology watershed for the analyzed case study and their consequences for cataloging standards and rules.Social implicationsThe paper shows how the adoption of technological and conceptual innovations has to be done in the face of real organizational and administrative constraints, especially in the case of public lending libraries.Originality/valueThe paper analyzes at the empirical and theoretical levels how, especially in Switzerland, the variety of governance levels and linguistic areas have made strategizing more complex for public lending libraries.

The relationship between local government economic freedom and bond ratings

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 435-449
Author(s):  
John Dove
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Economic Freedom ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Bond Ratings ◽  
Municipal Governments ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose With a newly developed measure of economic freedom across US local government jurisdictions, this paper aims to estimate the relationship between economic freedom and bond ratings. Design/methodology/approach The author uses a battery of cross-sectional econometric models to identify the impact that economic freedom might have on bond ratings using a sample of US municipal governments. Findings Overall, the results indicate that relatively more economic freedom within a local jurisdiction is associated with higher bond ratings and thus lower borrowing costs. However, similar to Roychoundhury and Lawson (2010), no specific subcomponent seems to affect bond ratings. Originality/value To the author’s knowledge this is the first scholarly work to address this topic at the local level.

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