Scholarly skills as everyday practice – implications for education

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 224-236
Author(s):  
Inga Wernersson ◽  
Monica Hansen Orwehag
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Professional Education ◽  
Design Education ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Work Practice ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Analytical Skills ◽  
One Year ◽  
Almost All

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to understand how teachers, nurses and engineers view the use of scholarly skills, such as research and critical thinking, in occupational practice and what implications this understanding may have for (especially) teacher education. Design/methodology/approach – Engineers, nurses and teachers who had worked for at least one year after their education was interviewed (telephone interviews). Four interviews from each category were made in this exploratory study. Findings – Few of the interviewees spontaneously connect their research methods training or other elements of scientific thinking in their education to everyday work practice, but all give examples of systematic, reflective and critical elements as features present in the occupational context. Almost all also view the final thesis work done in their respective programmes as a gratifying experience. Further, they describe the freedom and independence they have in their choice of research question and form of work as appealing and encouraging. Research limitations/implications – The study is exploratory and the results should be used to develop ideas about how to improve scholarly/scientific training in profession-oriented higher education programmes. Practical implications – This paper explore ways to understand and further develop the teaching of scholarly/scientific attitudes and ways of thinking in profession-oriented university programmes. Social implications – Scholarly skills such as critical thinking, analytical skills and awareness of different perspectives are important in all professions. How to design education to optimize such skills is important for people and society. Originality/value – The value of the study is that it is a try to use experiences from different fields to improve the generic scholarly aspects of professional education (especially teacher education).

Concepts of Care in Teacher Education

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nel Noddings
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Interdisciplinary Studies ◽  
The Other ◽  
Central Concept ◽  
Care Theory ◽  
One Year

Care theory emphasizes relation, attending to the expressed needs of the other in human encounters. It does not ignore virtue and justice, but its central concept is relation. In education, this means that the expressed needs of students must be considered—not always satisfied, but always included in the teacher’s deliberations. Choice, continuity, and connection are central concepts in the application of care theory to education. In consonance with its emphasis on attention to their expressed needs, care theory recommends listening to students and engaging in discussion to learn about their interests and help them to make intelligent choices. It also suggests that we give more attention to continuity—that is, to the possibility of keeping students and teachers together for more than one year. Similarly, continuity and connection may be increased by encouraging interdisciplinary studies. Finally, care theory emphasizes the need for critical thinking and civility—to educate, not fight, those who may be morally mistaken.

scholarly journals Investigating and critiquing teacher educators’ mobile learning practices

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 110-125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin John Burden ◽  
Matthew Kearney
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Mobile Learning ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Teacher Educator ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Learning Practices ◽  
Creative Media ◽  
The Uk

Purpose This study aims to investigate contemporary mobile learning practices in teacher education, exploring the following research question: how are teacher educators exploiting the pedagogical features of mobile learning? Design/methodology/approach The study uses data from an online survey that elicited information about how 46 teacher educator participants were using distinctive mobile pedagogical features (Personalisation, Authenticity and Collaboration) in their mobile learning practices. It uses the iPAC theoretical framework to analyse the data collected. Findings Findings indicated high self-ratings of authenticity, and positive perceptions of collaborative sharing (Collaboration construct), often involving generative tasks that required use of creative, media production mobile applications. There were weaker perceptions of personalisation and online conversation (Collaboration construct). In light of these findings, we discuss implications for teacher education and recommend future directions for research and development. Research limitations/implications This study underlines our contention that teacher educators struggle to exploit the entire range of mobile pedagogical approaches. The findings suggest that teacher educators are cautiously exploring the potential for online collaboration mediated through mobile devices, but have not yet fully grasped the opportunities to design tasks which exploit (and model) the personalised nature of m-learning. The limitations of the study include the size of the sample (46), its self-selected nature and its bias towards Australian and the UK respondents. Practical implications In response to the issues raised in this paper, the authors are developing a mobile learning toolkit (www.mobilelearningtoolkit.com) for teacher educators. Originality/value There is a scarcity of m-learning studies in teacher education exploring pedagogical insights, and the views of teacher educators themselves are often absent.

scholarly journals Big data in the Danish industry: application and value creation

2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 645-670 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sune Dueholm Müller ◽  
Preben Jensen
Keyword(s):  
Big Data ◽  
Value Creation ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Organizational Context ◽  
Business Processes ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Business Strategies ◽  
Processing Technologies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Analytical Skills

Purpose The development within storage and processing technologies combined with the growing collection of data has created opportunities for companies to create value through the application of big data. The purpose of this paper is to focus on how small and medium-sized companies in Denmark are using big data to create value. Design/methodology/approach The research is based on a literature review and on data collected from 457 Danish companies through an online survey. The paper looks at big data from the perspective of SMEs in order to answer the following research question: to what extent does the application of big data create value for small and medium-sized companies. Findings The findings show clear links between the application of big data and value creation. The analysis also shows that the value created through big data does not arise from data or technology alone but is dependent on the organizational context and managerial action. A holistic perspective on big data is advocated, not only focusing on the capture, storage, and analysis of data, but also leadership through goal setting and alignment of business strategies and goals, IT capabilities, and analytical skills. Managers are advised to communicate the business value of big data, adapt business processes to data-driven business opportunities, and in general act on the basis of data. Originality/value The paper provides researchers and practitioners with empirically based insights into how the application of big data creates value for SMEs.

Exploring Challenges and Possibilities in Pre-Service Teacher Education

2021 ◽  
pp. 179-194
Author(s):  
Larisa Kasumagić-Kafedžić
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Critical Thinking ◽  
Critical Pedagogy ◽  
Bosnia And Herzegovina ◽  
English Language ◽  
Teacher Education Program ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Analytical Skills ◽  
Pre Service Teacher Education ◽  
Pre Service Teacher

Twenty years after the war (1992-1995) in Bosnia and Herzegovina the country is still very fragile, dysfunctional and continues to face numerous political and socio-economic challenges. Ethnically fragmented and exclusivist approaches to education in Bosnia and Herzegovina are anathema to the development of critical thinking and analytical skills necessary to open young minds, reduce intolerance and question the ethnic status quo narrative (Perry, 2015). This paper will try to present a good example of academic and social successes achieved with students who are attending an English language teacher education program at the University of Sarajevo in the context of challenging teaching and learning environments. The paper will explore the possibilities and challenges for using a critical pedagogy framework and intercultural approach to foreign language education in pre-service teacher education courses that emphasizes reflection, critical thinking, empathy, multiperspectivity along with other aspects of intercultural communicative competences which are integrated in this course.

Finnish student teachers’ critical conceptions of entrepreneurship education

2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marja-Leena Rönkkö ◽  
Jaana Lepistö
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Student Teachers ◽  
Basic Education ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Entrepreneurship Education ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Teacher Education Department ◽  
The University

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to reveal and investigate differences in how Finnish student teachers understand entrepreneurship education and how critical they are of it. The research question is: what kind of critical understanding do student teachers reveal in their conception of entrepreneurship education? Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative research approach termed content analysis was used to investigate student teacher’s conceptions. The data were collected from essays written by 257 student teachers at the University of Turku’s, Rauma teacher education department during 2010-2012. Findings – The conception of entrepreneurship education is, in many ways, related to how much one already knows about entrepreneurship education or how one reacts to it. It seems that most student teachers’ conceptions of entrepreneurship are positive, but even those in favour of it, in principle, do not necessarily want to see entrepreneurship education included in the basic education curriculum. Nevertheless, they think that enterprising pedagogy is useful and that the way of thinking about teaching is inspiring. They also feel that both teacher education and basic education benefit from some kind of entrepreneurship component, but do not take entrepreneurship education for granted. On the basis of this study, it is proposed that teacher education should incorporate more teaching that supports critical thinking in all study modules. Originality/value – The findings of this study illustrate that there is much more to do in teacher education and its curricula. Teaching situations and learning situations are always social situations and both learners and teachers have a vital role to play.

The influence of cognitive tasks on mentoring provided

2014 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Torbjørn Waaland
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Professional Education ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Group Analysis ◽  
Cognitive Tasks ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Measurement Models ◽  
Professional Teacher

Purpose – The main purpose of this article is to study the influence of cognitive tasks on mentoring provided and the moderating influence of professional teacher education. Design/methodology/approach – This cross-sectional survey was based on a questionnaire that was sent to a total of 435 employees from 29 pre-schools in Norway. A total of 284 responses were returned, a response rate of 65.3 per cent. Two research hypotheses were formulated. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to develop three measurement models and structural equation modelling (SEM) based on multi-group analysis was used to test the hypotheses. Findings – The results revealed that cognitive tasks increase the occurrence of mentoring provided at work and professional teacher education moderates this relationship. Research limitations/implications – The use of convenience sampling and self-reports are discussed, especially related to representativeness and reporting biases. Practical implications – The findings implicate a need for increased interdisciplinary co-operation both at work and in the teacher education. Originality/value – This is an under-studied area and no previous research has used a confirmatory approach to investigate how cognitive tasks and professional education influence the occurrence of mentoring provided.

scholarly journals Assessing large-scale digitization using Web analytics

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Lapworth
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Web Analytics ◽  
Digital Collections ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Main Research ◽  
Item Level ◽  
Digital Collection ◽  
One Year ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this study is to assess the use of digital collections created via the large-scale digitization of archival collections. The large-scale digitization method specifically examined is the reuse of archival description from finding aids to create digital collections that consist mainly of compound digital objects, equivalent to a folder of items, minimally described at the aggregate level. This paper compares Web analytics data for two large-scale digital collections and one digital collection with rich, item-level description. Design/methodology/approach This study analyzed one year of Web analytics for three digital collections. The main research question of this study is: Are digital collections of minimally described compound objects used less than digital collections of richly described single objects? Findings This study found that the large-scale digital collections analyzed received less use than the traditional item-level collection, when examined at the item level. At the object level, the large-scale collections did not always receive less use than the traditional item-level collection. Research limitations/implications This study is limited to three different digital collections from one institution. Web analytics also represent a limited interpretation of “use.” Practical implications This study presents a method for other institutions to assess their own large-scale digitization efforts and contributes to the profession’s understanding of the impact of large-scale digitization. Originality/value This paper is unique because it uses Web analytics to compare the use of large-scale digital collections to the use of traditional boutique digital collections.

Institutional repositories in South India: an exploratory study

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shajitha C. ◽  
Abdul Majeed K.C.
Keyword(s):  
South India ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Institutional Repositories ◽  
Author Identification ◽  
South Indian ◽  
Institute Of Technology ◽  
One Year ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Technology Area ◽  
Comprehensive Study

Purpose The purpose of this study is to evaluate the institutional repositories (IRs) in South India in terms of policy and procedures, technology, content and contributors, promotion and assessment and personnel. Design/methodology/approach A voluntary survey was conducted to assess IRs in South India. The questionnaire was designed according to the study framework, which comprises 64 indicators across five areas: policy and procedures, technology, content and contributors, promotion and assessment and personnel. Furthermore, all of the 23 IRs identified were monitored over one year period (from February 2018 to January 2019) to analyse the content growth. Findings The Research Archive of Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad was found to provide more services to users than other South Indian IRs and it was the sole IR to embed a metadata field for author identification. Almost all the IRs were actively engaged in promotion and assessment activities. IR performance in the technology area was substandard in comparison with performance in the policy and procedures and promotion and assessment areas. For all South Indian IRs, content growth was low. Originality/value Very few in-depth studies have evaluated South Indian IRs across all five of the areas listed above and in recent years, no such comprehensive study has been conducted in India at all.

Social media's impact on the empowerment of women and youth male entrepreneurs in Egypt

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rania Miniesy ◽  
Engy Elshahawy ◽  
Hadia Fakhreldin
Keyword(s):  
Self Assessment ◽  
Female Entrepreneurs ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Psychological Dimension ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Greater Cairo ◽  
One Year ◽  
Almost All ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Digital Entrepreneurship

PurposeThis study aims to examine the impact of social media (SM) on the creation of digital entrepreneurship by female (irrespective of age) and youth male (aged 18–29 years) entrepreneurs, investigate if SM empowers those entrepreneurs and compare the empowerment characteristics between female and youth male entrepreneurs before and after starting their businesses.Design/methodology/approachSelf-assessment questionnaires were collected from a sample of 408 Egyptian female and youth male digital entrepreneurs from Greater Cairo, whose businesses had been operating for more than one year.FindingsThe research showed the following four results: Of the surveyed entrepreneurs, 95% asserted that without SM, they would not have started their businesses. Female and youth male entrepreneurs are empowered both on personal and relational levels, and women’s empowerment is more evident in the latter. Before digital entrepreneurship, youth males have significantly higher averages than female entrepreneurs in almost all empowerment characteristics, whereas after digital entrepreneurship, female entrepreneurs have significantly higher averages in making decisions related to investment, personal education and personal health, as well as those of other household members. Female entrepreneurs are relatively more empowered than youth males after digital entrepreneurship when each group is compared with its initial status.Originality/valueThis study’s originality stems from using a large sample of entrepreneurs, including youth males, not just females; employing a more structured, comprehensive measure of empowerment than found in the literature because it included the rarely used psychological dimension; considering more than one SM tool and comparing empowerment of females to that of youth males.

scholarly journals Associate teachers' learning networks: a figurational analysis of initial teacher education

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 205-218
Author(s):  
Luke Jones ◽  
Steven Tones ◽  
Gethin Foulkes
Keyword(s):  
Teacher Education ◽  
Initial Teacher Education ◽  
Learning Networks ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Mentor Training ◽  
Innovative Teaching ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Adequate Understanding ◽  
One Year ◽  
Interdependent Relationships

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to use the lens of figurational sociology to analyse the learning networks of physical education (PE) associate teachers (ATs) in England. More specifically, it aims to develop a more adequate understanding of who is involved in the learning networks and how they influence ATs during their one-year postgraduate initial teacher education (ITE) programme.Design/methodology/approachA total of 35 ATs within a university ITE partnership took part in the study during the final phase of their postgraduate programme. Questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were used to examine the nature and impact of the interdependent relationships that they had developed with other individuals and groups. A process of content analysis was used to identify and analyse patterns in the data.FindingsMentors have the most influence over ATs. They support the inclusion of the ATs within the PE department, but elements of the mentors' role are contradictory and can unintentionally hinder the ATs' teaching. Mentors, teachers and tutors also share a common social habitus that ensures a degree of conformity within the PE community. New experiences tend to reinforce ATs' existing beliefs about the nature and practice of teaching PE.Practical implicationsThese findings have implications for providers of ITE in deciding who is involved in mentor training and how it is approached. If ATs are to be introduced to more innovative teaching approaches that promote change, then tutors need to collaborate with mentors and teachers to develop awareness of their often-unplanned influence.Originality/valueApplying the distinctive, and more generally sociological, concepts that make up the figurational perspective helped to develop a more adequate understanding of the ATs' learning networks. It provided an insight into the changing relationships that ATs have with their mentors and other individuals who work within the school and university context.

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