The values and visions of the professional department head: not so different from the past?

2015 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 298-308 ◽  
Author(s):  
Svein Møthe ◽  
Brit Olaug Bolken Ballangrud ◽  
Bjørn Stensaker
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Department Head ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Academic Leaders ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Daily Work ◽  
Current Leadership ◽  
Funding Mechanisms ◽  
Cross Sectional Design

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze how appointed leaders in Norwegian higher education perceive their role and influence, and their discretion as academic leaders. Design/methodology/approach – The paper applies strategic, cultural and political perspectives on leadership to investigate the understanding and perceptions held by academic leaders regarding their own work. The study applied a qualitative strategy based on a cross-sectional design. The findings are based on semi-structured interviews with 18 purposefully selected academic leaders. Findings – The findings reveal that appointed academic leaders are struggling with traditions and cultures and current governing structures and funding mechanisms on the other. The paper argues that this dilemma limits the potential for academic leaders to instigate change and that leadership perhaps has been overemphasized as a factor driving transformation of higher education. Originality/value – The paper suggests the heated debates in Norway about whether academic leaders should be elected or appointed has limited relevance for understanding how academic leadership is performed in the actual daily work of leaders. The paper suggest that the current interest in selection of leaders perhaps should be downplayed in favor of a perspective focussing on the cultural factors framing current leadership practices.

Perceptions of higher education quality at three universities in Vietnam

2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 369-393 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huong Thi Pham ◽  
Louise Starkey
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Rapid Expansion ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Academic Leaders ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Societal Needs

Purpose Vietnam is experiencing rapid expansion in the provision of higher education that requires quality assurance appropriate for the Vietnamese-centralised Confucian cultural context. This paper aims to examine the concept of quality from the perspectives of academic leaders, quality assurance members and academics at three higher education institutions in Vietnam. Design/methodology/approach Based on an interpretative study, semi-structured interviews were used as a major research instrument augmented with document analysis across three case studies. Interviews were conducted with 35 participants from three groups of stakeholders. Findings The concept of quality was found to be under-conceptualised in this Vietnamese context. Quality was conceptualised as meeting societal needs across the case studies underpinned by the belief that the purpose of higher education is to prepare graduates for employment. Research limitations/implications The study was conducted in similar disciplines at three state-owned universities in Vietnam in 2011. This provides insight within this context and timeframe that may not be generalised. It is suggested to extend this research to other disciplines, the private sector and other groups of stakeholders. Practical implications The paper discusses the necessity of revisiting the philosophy of higher education and re-conceptualising quality in Vietnam that informs quality assurance processes that are relevant to the cultural context. Originality/value This paper provides a centralised Confucian perspective to the literature on quality assurance in higher education. How quality is perceived by academic leaders, quality assurance members and, in particular, academic staff can be used to inform policy. In a centralised country such as Vietnam, academic leaders and quality assurance members may indicate their “obedient” attitudes to policies, leading to the same view with what is centrally enacted, while the academic staff have a different perception of quality.

scholarly journals Teaching innovations in Asian higher education: perspectives of educators

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 179-190 ◽  
Author(s):  
T.M. Wong
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
The Other ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Advanced Technologies ◽  
The Many

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify the teaching innovations that have been implemented in higher education institutions in Asia and the perspectives of educators on them. Design/methodology/approach Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 28 educators who were affiliated with 23 higher education institutions in ten Asian countries/regions. The interviews covered information about the teaching innovations of the participants’ institutions, the characteristics of the innovative practices and the participants’ views on them. The relationships between the characteristics of institutions and their teaching innovations were also examined. Findings The results showed that the teaching innovations included two main categories, namely, those which involved the use of advanced technologies and those which did not. The innovations that involved the use of advanced technologies were mainly from larger institutions, while the other category was mainly from smaller ones and had been practised for less than 1.5 years. Differences were also identified between the two categories in terms of the aims and importance of innovations, innovative features, the evaluation of innovations and improvements needed for them. Originality/value The results highlighted that technology is only one of the many aspects of teaching innovations, which is different from the view prevailing in the literature. They also suggested that differences in the scale of institutions (in terms of number of students) possibly influences the kind of teaching innovations adopted.

Framing the role of higher education in sustainable development: a case study analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzanna Elmassah ◽  
Marwa Biltagy ◽  
Doaa Gamal
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Educational Leaders ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Study Analysis ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Case Study Analysis

Purpose Higher education institutions (HEIs) should play a fundamental role in achieving the international 2030 sustainable development (SD) agenda. Quality education is the fourth of the sustainable development goals (SDGs), and one of the targets related to this is to ensure that by 2030 all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote SD. Therefore, the SDGs provide a motive for HEIs to integrate SD concepts into their day-to-day practices. This study aims to introduce a framework for HEIs’ sustainable development assessment. Such a framework guides HEIs and educational leaders to support their countries’ commitments to achieving the SDGs. Design/methodology/approach This paper presents the results of a case study analysis of the role and successful techniques of HEIs in achieving SD in three countries, namely, Germany, Japan and Egypt. Primary data was collected by semi-structured interviews with three Cairo University officials, while secondary data was collected by reviewing the universities' official websites, reports, publications and related papers. This study introduces a novel framework for HEIs' SD analysis and assessment, which guides HEIs and educational leaders to support SD to fulfill their countries' commitments to achieving the SDGs. This framework is based on the following five categories: strategic direction and institutional working practices, supporting students, supporting university staff competencies, supporting society's stakeholders and networking and sustainable campus. Consideration is given to the potential role of HEIs to support SD in each of these areas. Findings Cairo University could learn from the novel and pioneer practices of the Leuphana University of Lüneburg, and the University of Tokyo to fill in the gaps it has in different roles. It can also put more effort into adopting the suggested higher education programs of Egypt's Vision 2030. Research limitations/implications This paper is limited to a case analysis comparing three countries, Germany, Japan and Egypt. Second, this study has not considered school education, which is equally essential in countries' SD. Practical implications HEIs can use the framework and the findings in this paper to evaluate their current roles in supporting SD, identify the gaps and take actions accordingly to address their weaknesses. Originality/value The paper compares three universities, one in each of the case study countries. It draws conclusions that identify ways in which the paper's framework and findings can guide SD practice in HEIs internationally, especially those in the developing world.

Can do and reason to: when are proactive employees willing to share negative information?

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura E. Marler ◽  
Susie S. Cox ◽  
Marcia J. Simmering ◽  
Bryan L. Rogers ◽  
Curtis F. Matherne
Keyword(s):  
Online Survey ◽  
Negative Information ◽  
Proactive Personality ◽  
Interactive Effects ◽  
Personality Factors ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Motivational States ◽  
Final Sample ◽  
Cross Sectional Design

Purpose Information sharing is vital to organizational operations, yet employees are often reluctant to share negative information. This paper aims to gain insight into which employees will be reluctant to share negative information and when by drawing from the proactive motivation literature examining effects of proactive personality and motivational states on individuals’ willingness to share negative information. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional design was used, with data collected from a final sample of 393 individuals via an online survey. Hypotheses were tested using correlation and hierarchical multiple regression analyses. Findings Interactive effects indicate proactive individuals with accompanying high levels of role breadth self-efficacy (“can do”) or high levels of felt responsibility for constructive change (“reason to”) were less likely to be reluctant to share negative information. However, findings also suggest proactive individuals with lower levels of proactive motivation avoid sharing negative information. Originality/value The findings extend what is known about personality factors and employee willingness to share information to highlight which employees may be likely to avoid sharing negative information. The authors also examine the moderating influence of proactive motivational states on the relationships between proactive personality and reluctance to share negative information.

Person–job fit and job involvement: the curvilinear effect and the moderating role of goal orientation

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dong Ju ◽  
Jingjing Yao ◽  
Li Ma
Keyword(s):  
Goal Orientation ◽  
Job Involvement ◽  
Job Fit ◽  
Performance Goal ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Learning Goal Orientation ◽  
Cross Sectional Design ◽  
Employee Needs

PurposeJob involvement is an important predictor of how well employees perform and feel at work. However, despite fruitful findings, little is known about how person–job (P–J) fit affects job involvement.Design/methodology/approachThis study used a cross-sectional design and collected data from 375 employees and 50 managers. Multivariate regression was applied to test the moderated curvilinear model.FindingsThis study found an inverted U-shaped relationship between P–J fit and job involvement. For employees with a strong performance goal orientation, maximum job involvement occurred at a higher level of P–J fit, whereas for employees with a strong learning goal orientation, maximum job involvement occurred at a moderate level of P–J fit.Practical implicationsManagers should be aware that solely maximizing fit may not constantly yield positive outcomes, and that ignoring differences in employee needs and goals may be counterproductive.Originality/valueThe study challenges the conventional wisdom that a high P–J fit is always productive by showing that a high fit may sometimes jeopardize job involvement, particularly for certain employees.

Exploring the student perspectives on the barriers of online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study using interpretative phenomenological analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shikha Rana
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Online Learning ◽  
Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Student Perspective ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Student Teacher Relationship ◽  
Academic Courses ◽  
The Government

PurposeThe present study aims to gauge the perspectives of students on the difficulties they faced during online learning during the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) through the interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) technique.Design/methodology/approachThe current study employed IPA, and it was conducted among the students enrolled for professional courses in the government, private and deemed-to-be universities in Uttarakhand, India, using semi-structured interviews for the purpose of data collection.FindingsThe findings have been grouped under five parts referred to as “superordinate themes” or “barriers” which comprises learning in an online class environment, online learning in the home environment, student–teacher relationship in online learning, technical hindrances in online learning and health issues in online learning. These superordinate themes were further grouped under sub-themes.Research limitations/implicationsThe present study focused on the students of various private, public and deemed-to-be universities of the Uttarakhand region and represents the higher education sector only and did not tap the primary, secondary and vocational education. The students of academic courses or degree courses like arts, commerce, basic sciences and humanities, etc. were not included in the research study. Hence, the study lacks generalizability.Practical implicationsThe research findings of the present study have implications for higher education institutions (HEIs), teachers, students and policymakers.Originality/valueThe present study addresses the methodological gap by offering a new line of research where IPA has been used as the methodology to determine the barriers of online learning in the COVID-19 situation, and to the best of the authors’ knowledge, none of the studies have used it so far to ascertain the barriers to online learning from the student perspective.

Changing times and women on the wheels: a qualitative investigation of the experiences of female commercial drivers in Lagos State, Nigeria

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Temitope Owolabi ◽  
Tunde A. Alabi ◽  
Sofiat A. Busari-Akinbode
Keyword(s):  
Public Space ◽  
Work And Family ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Family Responsibilities ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Lagos State ◽  
Commercial Drivers ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Changing Times ◽  
Cross Sectional Design

Purpose This study aims to investigate female commercial drivers in the Lagos metropolis. The study sought to know the circumstances that motivated women to venture into commercial driving; the experiences they encounter whilst engaging with other stakeholders in the public space; the dimension of the conflict between work and family, and the coping strategies used and finally, the health concerns of female commercial drivers. Design/methodology/approach The study adopted a cross-sectional design and a qualitative method of data collection. An in-depth interview guide was used to elicit information from 18 female drivers drawn from three sectors of commercial transportation in Lagos State. Findings It was found that the major motivation for engaging in commercial driving is the need for survival and family support; although participants acknowledged that they cannot be in the profession for a long time. Married women had less time to engage in commercial driving due to other family responsibilities. Women drivers have experienced mixed reactions from other road users. Commercial driving is physically demanding and poses threat to the health of female commercial drivers. Originality/value The findings highlight the circumstances behind women participating in commercial driving. Despite the challenges encountered in this course of this activity, they are still bent on continuing because of the need to take care of their children, a majority of their spouses are not fully contributing to the maintenance of the home.

A psychometric evaluation of the job crafting questionnaire (JCRQ) among employees working in Jordanian universities

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammed Yasin Ghadi
Keyword(s):  
Construct Validity ◽  
Discriminant Validity ◽  
Factor Model ◽  
Five Factor Model ◽  
Psychometric Evaluation ◽  
Job Crafting ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Five Dimensions ◽  
Cross Sectional Design

Purpose Job crafting is recently argued to have five dimensions (Nielsen et al., 2017): increasing challenging demands, decreasing social demands, increasing social job resources, increasing quantitative demands and decreasing hindrance demands. The purpose of this study aimed to investigate the psychometric properties and construct validity of the five-factor model of job crafting, introduced by using a sample of Jordanian university employees. Design/methodology/approach A pre-determined survey on was used. Accordingly, 513 professional workers in several universities completed the survey. Cronbach’s alpha was used to assess the internal consistency of the scale, whereas series of confirmatory factor (CFA) analysis and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) were conducted to assess the scale’s factorial and discriminant validity. Other tests were also conducted. Findings As predicted, the proposed model best fit the data. Statistical analysis yielded several findings. First, the results of the reliability test revealed that the five sub-scales of job crafting had significant and sufficiently strong internal consistencies. Second, the results showed that the 15 items loaded significantly with a factor loadings more than 0.50. Third, the CFA results confirmed that the five-factor model best fitted the data in comparison to the one-factor model. Finally, the construct validity of JCRQ-15 was confirmed through its correlation with several validating variables. Research limitations/implications Some limitations need to be addressed. First, the sample came from participants working in specific Jordanian universities which may limit the generalization that could be made from the results to other occupations. Second, due to the cross-sectional design of the present study, the question remains whether the JCRQ-15 are stable overtime. Third, the common methods bias might be a problem because it is one of the main sources of measurement error in validation studies using self-reported scales. Originality/value The present study provided an early supportive evidence for the use of the JCRQ-15 as a valid measure of job crafting in the Jordanian context.

scholarly journals Women's Rising Share of Tertiary Enrollment: A Cross-National Analysis

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne McDaniel
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Gender Gap ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Fertility Rates ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
The World ◽  
Education Enrollment ◽  
Cross Sectional Design ◽  
Dramatic Shift ◽  
National Analysis

In recent decades, a dramatic shift occurred in higher education throughout the world. Women now enroll in and complete more education than men in the majority of countries. Using a lagged cross-sectional design on a dataset of 75 countries from 1990 to 2008, this study examines the predictors of the current gender gap in tertiary enrollment. I find that prior arguments developed by neo-institutionalist theorists do predict the gender gap in tertiary enrollment to some degree. Countries that have historically supported women's rights and experienced more rapid educational expansion are linked to a larger share of women enrolled in tertiary education than men. However, countries with greater memberships in IGOs and INGOs do not influence women's share of higher education enrollment. Additionally, fertility rates are important predictors of women's share of tertiary enrollment. Countries with lower fertility rates are associated with a larger female share of higher education. The results support the hypotheses that both neo-institutionalists arguments and fertility norms shape the female-favorable gender gap in tertiary enrollment throughout the world. ??? ?????????? , ?? ?????? ????? ?????? ?? ??????? ?????? ?????? . ????????? ?? ??? ?????? ???? ?? ????? ?? ????? ??? ??????? ?? ????? ??? ???? ?????? ???? . 1990-2008 ??? 75 ????? ?? ?? ??????? ?? ?? lagged ??? ?? ???????? ?????? ?? ????? ????, ?? ?????? ?????? ??????? ??? ??????? ?????? ???? ?? ????????????? ?? ??? ???? ?? . ??? ?? ?????????? ????????????? ?????? ?????? ????? ???? ??? ?? ?? ?????? ??????? ??? ?????? ???? ?? ?????????? ???? ???. ???????? ?????? ?? ??????? ?? ???????? ?? ?????? ???? ?? ???? ???? ?? ?????? ?? ??????? ????? ???? ?? ?? ??? ?? ??????? ?? ????? ??? ?????? ?????? ??? ?????? ??????? ?? ?? ???? ?????? ?? ????? ???. ???????, IGOs ?? INGOs ??? ???? ?? ???? ??????? ?? ??? ????? ?? ???? ?????? ??? ??????? ?? ??????? ?? ?????????? ?? ???????? ???? ???? . ???? ???????? , ?????? ?? ?????? ??????? ?? ??????? ?? ?????????? ?? ?????????? predictors ??? . ?? ?????? ?? ?? ??? ??? ??? ???? ?????? ?? ?? ???? ????? ?? ??? ????? ??? ??? . ?????? ?? institutionalists ???? ?? ?????? ?????? ???????? ????? ?????? ?? ??? ?????? ??????? ??? ????? ?????? ?????? ???? ?? ???? ?? ????????? ?? ?????? ??. ????????????????????????????????????????????????1990??2008??75???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????IGOs??????????INGOs???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? In den letzten Jahrzehnten ist eine dramatische Verschiebung in der Hochschulbildung weltweit eingetreten. In den meisten L

Employees’ eldercare demands, strain, and perceived support

2015 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 183-198 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannes Zacher ◽  
Heiko Schulz
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Perceived Support ◽  
Use Of Self ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cross Sectional Design ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Employed Caregivers

Purpose – In many countries, both the number of older people in need of care and the number of employed caregivers of elderly relatives will increase over the next decades. The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which perceived organizational, supervisor, and coworker support for eldercare reduce employed caregivers’ strain and weaken the relationship between eldercare demands and strain. Design/methodology/approach – Survey data were collected from 100 employed caregivers from one organization. Findings – Results showed that eldercare demands were positively related to strain, and perceived organizational eldercare support (POES) was negatively related to strain. In addition, high POES weakened the relationship between eldercare demands and strain. Research limitations/implications – The cross-sectional design and use of self-report scales constitute limitations of the study. Practical implications – POES is a resource for employed caregivers, especially when their eldercare demands are high. Originality/value – This research highlights the relative importance of different forms of perceived support for reducing employed caregivers’ strain and weakening the relationship between eldercare demands and strain.

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