UAE study of student-mothers highlights importance of mentoring and time management for successful internships

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 33-35
Keyword(s):  
Time Management ◽  
Role Model ◽  
Retention Rates ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Cultural Backgrounds ◽  
Content Type ◽  
College Life ◽  
Home Life ◽  
Student Mothers ◽  
Local Schools

Purpose The purpose was to find out the experiences of student mothers on internships and assess how best to make the process go as well as possible. Design/methodology/approach The author interviewed student mothers in the UAE enrolled on full-time four-year degree courses. The 12-week internships in local schools were part of their final year and had just been completed. The interviews lasted 30 minutes and were transcribed, then analysed for common themes. Findings The biggest factor in a successful experience was time management, which allowed mothers to balance work and home life demands. All 10 students found work placements to be more challenging than college life because of the less relaxed atmosphere, greater accountability and lack of familiarity. The study also highlighted the importance of both mentoring and peer support. Originality/value The research was important because successful internships improve retention rates. In the UAE, especially, national teachers are highly sought after for their similar cultural backgrounds, religious understanding and ability to role-model bilingualism.

Academic capital and the world of work: experiences of mature students

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 265-276 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda Ronnie
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
South African ◽  
Time Management ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Working Lives ◽  
Mature Students ◽  
Academic Capital ◽  
The World ◽  
And Gender

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the effects of the pursuit of academic capital – a form of cultural capital – on the working lives of mature students. The paper highlights the uneven educational conversion experience across class and gender for a group of mature students and argues that the higher education environment needs to be and do more for students in terms of support. Design/methodology/approach – In total, 42 in-depth individual interviews were conducted over an 18 month period with 13 mature students located at a South African university. The students in the study – all in full-time employment – were enroled on a part-time management programme. Findings – Through focusing on the narratives of mature students attending a South African university, the findings show that class trajectory and gender work differently for mature students, shaping both reasons for entry into higher education and influencing the relationships between mature individuals and significant others in their working lives. Practical implications – The findings highlight the need for awareness regarding the role educational institutions can and should play in addressing the challenges faced by these non-traditional students. The world of work should also create an enabling environment where support and encouragement are provided. Originality/value – Although several articles discuss the experiences of mature students, few delve into the issue of mature students’ ability to convert or exchange their academic capital to something of value within the world of work. The reasons for returning to study as mature individuals are also explored in the paper.

scholarly journals Student persistence in open and distance learning: success factors and challenges

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 191-202 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oliver Tat-Sheung Au ◽  
K. Li ◽  
T.M. Wong
Keyword(s):  
Distance Learning ◽  
Time Management ◽  
Student Persistence ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Low Level ◽  
Open And Distance Learning ◽  
High Level ◽  
Study Performance

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify the success factors and challenges for students studying in an open and distance learning (ODL) mode and recommend strategies for student persistence based on the findings. Design/methodology/approach Three groups of ODL students with various levels of study performance – nine high-level, nine mid-level and eight low-level students – were invited to participate in three focus group interviews. They were asked about their motivation, success factors and challenges in their studies. Findings The different groups of participants showed observable variations in their response. The mid-level students believed that word-by-word rote memorisation was their best strategy in preparing for examinations. The low-level students believed that they needed to master multitasking to learn well in tight schedules. All these weak student participants considered quitting at some points, but no high-level student did so. To improve student persistence, the authors focus on meeting the needs of weak students and recommend the following actions for student persistence: add a time management and study skills component to existing courses for students to practise; appoint advisors to distance learning students to help them create an appropriate study plan and acquire a sense of belonging; make learning videos short and engaging; consider adopting student leaders or peer tutors that have been used successfully in full-time study; and conduct focus periodically with students to hear their views. Originality/value This study revealed the factors contributing to student persistence in ODL for the students of various levels of study performance. The results help in formulating measures to meet the diverse needs of ODL students for persistence in their studies.

CURRENT SITUATION OF MANAGEMENT AND USE OF TEACHING EQUIPMENT UNDER ORIENTATIONS FOR DEVELOPING STUDENT CAPACITY IN LOWER SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN DIEN BIEN DISTRICT, DIEN BIEN PROVINCE IN THE PRESENT PERIOD

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pham Van Phuc ◽  
Ngo Quang Son
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Schools ◽  
Teaching Methods ◽  
Time Management ◽  
Current Trend ◽  
Equipment Management ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Special Cases ◽  
Effective Use ◽  
Lower Secondary Schools

Last time, management of equipment, maintenance and use of teaching equipment in lower secondary schools in Dien Bien district, Dien Bien province has been paid more attention, making important contributions to keeping sustainably, improve the quality of education in the district. Every year the lower secondary schools have been given funding and have plans to equip additional teaching equipment. Most lower secondary schools have full-time staff in charge of teaching equipment; with equipment storage rooms, cabinets are gradually added; laboratories and classrooms have been built more and more; have a system of records of teaching equipment management established; The work of inventorying and purifying teaching equipment periodically was also concerned. The movement of innovating teaching methods has made education managers and teachers more interested in using teaching equipment effectively. The positive management measures have caused many teachers to use teaching equipment as an integral part of the lesson, helping the quality of the lessons be increasingly improved to meet the requirements of changes. New teaching methods. Education administrators, teachers, teaching equipment staff are becoming more and more serious in teaching device management. However, the reality of teaching equipment management still reveals many limitations: The management of teaching equipment in schools is still administrative and ineffective. The equipment has no overall and detailed plans; The procurement of teaching equipment is not guaranteed in terms of quantity, lack of uniformity (some are redundant, some are lacking), quality is limited (durability, accuracy is not guaranteed, some new ones are not used); preservation still has many shortcomings; lack of specialized staff; lack of storage space or insufficient storage; lack of cabinets, prices, laboratories, subject classrooms; specially managing the use of teaching equipment is not tight; Many places teachers have not paid attention to use, ineffective use. The situation of “teaching vegetarianism” is still common, teaching equipment used is still movement, mostly used only in special cases such as competitions for good teachers, lectures or when there is a delegation check; There are many cases of information technology abuse in teaching. The effective use of teaching equipment oriented student capacity development is not much. The management of the use of teaching equipment oriented to develop student competencies in the current trend of Industry Revolution 4.0 is a matter of great concern to educational managers.Thus, the task of surveying the situation of managing the effective use of teaching equipment, finding subjective and objective reasons in order to propose measures to effectively manage the use of teaching equipment in the direction of developing students’ practical capacities and contributing to improving the quality of teaching in secondary schools in Dien Bien district, Dien Bien province is a very important and necessary task today.

Factors That Influence Mental Illness Among Students in Public Universities

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Illness ◽  
Financial Distress ◽  
Public Universities ◽  
Positive Relationship ◽  
Social Relation ◽  
Health Condition ◽  
College Life ◽  
Home Life ◽  
Thinking Processes ◽  
Universiti Utara Malaysia

This study is about the interrelations between three factors which are financial distress, health condition and social relation with mental illness among students in Universiti Utara Malaysia. Mental illness affects individuals feeling, mood as well as thinking processes. This condition eventually disturbs the ability and functions that relates towards others. People with same diagnosis face different experience. A mental illness is not based on one specific event, therefore may include a stressful job or home life, victim of a crime, entering the college life or workforce, marriage, children, divorce, job changes or a job loss. Statistical Package software for Social Science (SPSS) Version 25.0 was used to analyse the data. Results showed that financial distress, health condition and social relation have a positive relationship towards mental illness.

Rationales of gender diversity management policies and practices in India: an exploratory empirical study in the Indian IT/ITeS industry

2020 ◽  
Vol 39 (6) ◽  
pp. 667-688
Author(s):  
Shreyashi Chakraborty ◽  
Leena Chatterjee
Keyword(s):  
Survey Methodology ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Diversity Management ◽  
Business Case ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Indian Context ◽  
Management Policies ◽  
Policies And Practices

PurposeThe Indian context is marked with weak anti-discrimination laws and patchy implementation of protection of civil rights of women at workplaces. The purpose of this paper is to unearth the rationales of the adoption of gender diversity management policies and practices in India, in the absence of laws and regulations.Design/methodology/approachInspiration is drawn from previous studies on diversity management in other national contexts, and a survey methodology was adopted. The lead researcher administered the questionnaires personally to all respondents to ensure that the understanding of the questions is uniform across respondents as gender diversity management is a relatively new concept in India.FindingsSize of the organisation (number of full-time employees), the influence of external organisations and perceived enhanced organisational flexibility were found to explain the adoption of gender diversity management policies and practices in the Indian IT/ITeS industry. Findings also indicate that Indian subsidiaries of foreign multinationals tend to adopt more gender diversity management policies and practices as compared to Indian-owned organisations.Research implicationsThis study provides evidence that organisations do not always enact structures or behaviours in the pursuit of normative rationality and also consider the economic value of them, establishing an organisational agency in adopting legitimated norms or practices. The study also shows that gender diversity management policies and practices are not only dependent on the enactment of laws but also are adopted because of the economic benefit perceived.Originality/valueDiversity management policies and practices have been mostly studied in national contexts with anti-discrimination laws or affirmative action programs and have been claimed to be a successor of equal employment opportunity (EEO) policies. In the absence of stringent laws to reduce or eliminate discrimination against women employees in Indian workplaces, this study contributes to the literature by determining whether the business case for gender diversity drives the adoption of gender diversity management in the Indian context.

Process conflict management among Indian software employees

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 140-160
Author(s):  
Swati Alok ◽  
Jayasree Raveendran ◽  
Anil Kumar Jha
Keyword(s):  
Structural Equation ◽  
Role Model ◽  
Software Projects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Software Companies ◽  
Conflict Situations ◽  
Tpb Model ◽  
Structural Assurance ◽  
Conflict Handling ◽  
Process Conflict

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to test the possible influence of the Ajzen’s theory of planned behaviour (TPB) in predicting conflict-handling intentions during process conflict episodes. Conflict situations are often to be managed with limited time in software projects. With this cue, the study is conducted in the context of software companies in India. Design/methodology/approach – Five variables of the TPB comprising attitude, injunctive subjective norms, descriptive subjective norm, conflict efficacy (CE) and structural assurance (SA) have been studied in relation to the two standard conflict-handling intentions: integrating and dominating approach. By developing vignettes on process conflict, salient beliefs towards process conflicts were elicited among software employees in India. A questionnaire using Ajzen’s guidelines was administered. Structural equation modelling for 150 responses is used for testing path suitability and significance. Findings – Employees with positive attitude towards conflict, high CE and high SA intend to integrate during process conflict. Employees with low efficacy and who are influenced by the action of their role model intend to dominate during process conflict. Research limitations/implications – The study is contextualized to Indian software employees. Findings should not be generalized until replicated in samples from other settings. Practical implications – This study will help practitioners in understanding the various elements that play role in a process conflict and also help in developing appropriate interventions in managing conflicts. This can be done by identifying and resolving issues related to unfavourable attitude and behavioural norms towards process conflicts. Originality/value – This study is the first to examine the efficacy of the TPB model in predicting multiple conflict-handling intentions among Indian software companies.

scholarly journals Exploring producers' motivations and challenges within a farmers' market

2020 ◽  
Vol 122 (7) ◽  
pp. 2089-2103
Author(s):  
Rosario Michel-Villarreal ◽  
Eliseo Luis Vilalta-Perdomo ◽  
Martin Hingley
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Farmers Markets ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Farmers Market ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Food Supply Chains ◽  
Part Time ◽  
Short Food Supply Chains

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to explore food producers' motivations and challenges whilst participating in short food supply chains (SFSCs). This paper compares findings with previous literature and investigates the topic in the context of producers' motivations.Design/methodology/approachThe paper includes a literature review concerning producers' motivations to engage in SFSCs. A case study was designed to investigate motivations underlying producers' engagement in SFSCs, as well as the challenges that they face. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in a farmers' market located in Mexico. Thematic analysis is used to identify the principal issues for producers'. Propositions based on findings are presented.FindingsFindings suggest that small, large, part-time and full-time producers are willing to engage with farmers' markets for diverse primary economic and non-economic motivations. Individual and collective challenges were also identified.Originality/valueThis research helps to explain producers' motivations and challenges within SFSCs in an under-researched context, namely a focus on producers' and in the Global South.

Encouraging millennials to collaborate and learn on the job

2015 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 118-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren Trees
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
Social Networking ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Retention Rates ◽  
Direct Access ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Business Outcomes ◽  
Wide Range

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present enterprise social networking and gamification as two potential tools to help organizations engage Millennial employees in collaboration and learning. Design/methodology/approach – The research provides general descriptions of enterprise social networking and gamification approaches, shares data on adoption of these approaches from APQC’s “2015 Knowledge Management Priorities Data Report” (based on a January 2015 survey of 524 knowledge management professionals) and includes four company examples adapted from APQC’s Connecting People to Content and Transferring and Applying Critical Knowledge best practices studies. The methodology for APQC’s best practices studies involves screening 50 or more organizations with potential best practices in a given research scope area and identifying five or six with proven best practices. APQC then conducts detailed site visits with the selected organizations and publishes case studies based on those site visits. Findings – Enterprise social networking platforms are in place at 50 per cent of organizations, with another 25 per cent planning to implement them by the end of 2015. By providing near-immediate access to information and answers, enterprise social networking helps Millennials learn the ropes at their new workplaces, gives them direct access to more knowledgeable colleagues who can assist and mentor them, and helps them improve their business outcomes by reusing knowledge and lessons learned across projects. Younger workers can also harness the power of social networking to create a sense of belonging and build their reputations in large, dispersed firms, where it is particularly difficult for them to gain visibility. A recent APQC survey indicates that 54 per cent of organizations either currently employ gamification to encourage collaboration or expect to implement it within the next three years. The rush to gamify the enterprise is, at least in part, a reflection of employers’ desire to satisfy Millennials and make them feel connected to a community of co-workers. Although games appeal to a wide range of age groups, Millennials grew up with digital interaction and tend to prefer environments that emphasize teamwork, social learning and frequent feedback – all of which can be delivered through gamification. Originality/value – The value of this paper is to introduce the value of and relationship between enterprise social networking and gamification platforms to human resource (HR) professionals looking to increase engagement and retention rates for Millennial employees.

Exploring privacy and trust for employee monitoring

2015 ◽  
Vol 115 (1) ◽  
pp. 88-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuchih Ernest Chang ◽  
Anne Yenching Liu ◽  
Sungmin Lin
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Culture ◽  
Employee Performance ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Employee Monitoring ◽  
Communication Privacy ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to evaluate privacy boundaries and explores employees’ reactions in employee monitoring. Design/methodology/approach – The research used the metaphor of boundary turbulence in the Communication Privacy Management (CPM) theory to demonstrate the psychological effect on employees. The model comprised organizational culture, CPM, trust, and employee performance in employee monitoring to further investigated the influence exerted by organizational culture and how employees viewed their trust within the organization when implementing employee monitoring. Variables were measured empirically by administrating questionnaires to full-time employees in organizations that currently practice employee monitoring. Findings – The findings showed that a control-oriented organizational culture raised communication privacy turbulence in CPM. The communication privacy turbulence in CPM mostly had negative effects on trust in employee monitoring policy, but not on trust in employee monitoring members. Both trust in employee monitoring policy and trust in employee monitoring members had positive effects on employee commitment and compliance to employee monitoring. Research limitations/implications – This research applied the CPM theory in workplace privacy to explore the relationship between employees’ privacy and trust. The results provide insights of why employees feel psychological resistance when they are forced to accept the practice of employee monitoring. In addition, this study explored the relationship between CPM and trust, and offer support and verification to prior studies. Practical implications – For practitioners, the findings help organizations to improve the performance of their employees and to design a more effective environment for employee monitoring. Originality/value – A research model was proposed to study the impacts of CPM on employee monitoring, after a broad survey on related researches. The validated model and its corresponding study results can be referenced by organization managers and decision makers to make favorable tactics for achieving their goals of implementing employee monitoring.

scholarly journals A study of ethnic perception gap on consumer boycott of Korean and Canadian University students

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mie Kyung Jae ◽  
Hyang Ran Jeon
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Parent Company ◽  
Practical Case ◽  
Corporate Accountability ◽  
Cultural Backgrounds ◽  
Korean Students ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cross Cultural Comparison ◽  
Influential Variable

Purpose In this paper, the authors aim to offer a cross-cultural comparison of the boycott intentions of university students in Canada with those of students in Korea. Design/methodology/approach The data were collected from students at Inje University and York University via self-administered questionnaire. A t-test found that Canadian students’ answers showed significantly greater scores in ethnocentrism, boycott attitudes prior to reading the target article and motivations related to self-enhancement compared to those acquired from Korean students. However, the motivation of counterarguments and the boycott intentions of Korean students’ toward Rogers, the parent company of Maclean’s magazine, showed significantly higher scores than those gained from Canadian students. Findings The boycott case used in the study is Maclean’s magazine, a Canadian news magazine, which published a controversial article called, “Too Asian? Some frosh don’t want to study at an “Asian” University”. A noticeable gap in each group of students’ boycott attitude and intentions toward Rogers, the parent company of Maclean’s magazine was found. Originality/value In the multiple regression analysis, the boycott motivation of self-enhancement was the most influential variable on boycott intentions. The boycott case examined in this paper is a practical case study of cross-national grouping as well as the perceptional difference of the locus of corporate accountability that comes from cross-cultural backgrounds.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document