The relevance of teacher factors in understanding tertiary students’ performances

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 476-488
Author(s):  
Maame Afua Nkrumah
Keyword(s):  
Student Performance ◽  
Computer Literacy ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Teaching Experience ◽  
Important Variable ◽  
Internal Quality ◽  
Content Type ◽  
First Semester ◽  
Teacher Survey ◽  
Starting Point

PurposeThis study aims to find out the relevance of observable teacher characteristics – age, gender, teaching experience and qualification in understanding the performance of tertiary students.Design/methodology/approachA quantitative approach was taken. The input-process–output-context framework by Schereens (2004) was used in selecting appropriate variables for the study. Students’ examination results and other administrative records as well as data collected via teacher survey were analyzed using multilevel statistical techniques. Overall, 40 teachers and over 1,800 students were involved in the study.FindingsThe effect of the selected teacher variables was mixed. For example, while female teachers impacted negatively on first semester Communication Skills (CS1), their effect on the same course during the second semester was positive. Also, teachers with teaching experiences between five and eight years impacted negatively on CS1 but positively on first semester Computer Literacy (CL1).Research limitations/implicationsEven at the tertiary level, the teacher factor is an important variable influencing student performance. However, a contextualized interpretation of the findings is emphasized considering the fact that only one Ghanaian Polytechnic was studied.Practical implicationsThe study provides a starting point for building a body of evidence that would inform policymakers, quality assurance practitioners and Polytechnic staff alike of possible approaches, methodologies and variables to focus on in ensuring internal quality.Social implicationsThe study would help the studied Polytechnic to direct its resources to areas that can practically improve educational quality and society in general.Originality/valueThe study contributes to the debate about quality in African higher education given that studies that use the value-added approach in examining institutional effectiveness in the African context are almost non-existent.

Toward understanding principals’ hiring practices

2016 ◽  
Vol 54 (2) ◽  
pp. 173-190 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mimi Engel ◽  
F. Chris Curran
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Teacher Recruitment ◽  
Geographic Location ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Chicago Public Schools ◽  
Hiring Practices ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Case Examples ◽  
Starting Point

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore variation across principals in terms of the number and types of strategies they engage in to find teachers to fill the vacancies in their schools. The practices that the authors consider to be strategic are aligned with the district’s goals and objectives for teacher recruitment. Design/methodology/approach – The authors selected 31 schools from the Chicago Public Schools system through a combination of stratified random sampling and purposive sampling. Through analysis of qualitative interviews with the 31 principals of these schools, the authors explore a range of principals’ hiring strategies and provide brief case examples to illuminate differences in hiring practices across principals. Findings – The authors find that the majority of principals in the sample engage in relatively few of the practices considered strategic. Interestingly, sample principals who engaged in seven or more strategic practices were more likely to work in high schools than in elementary schools. Research limitations/implications – While the range of strategic hiring practices the authors explore provides a starting point for analyzing principals’ hiring practices, it is important to recognize that the list of strategies the authors consider is not exhaustive. For instance, the context of the study did not allow the authors to analyze practices such as the consideration of teacher value-added scores. Practical implications – This study should be replicated in other contexts in order to see whether and how principals’ hiring practices vary by country, geographic location, urbanicity, and other factors. Originality/value – This study is the first, to the authors’ knowledge, to detail principals’ hiring practices in relation to their district’s teacher recruitment plan with the aim of adding to the knowledge base on teacher hiring.

Winemaking performance: whether the crisis is over

2019 ◽  
Vol 121 (5) ◽  
pp. 1064-1077
Author(s):  
Anatoliy G. Goncharuk
Keyword(s):  
Government Regulation ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Recent Decade ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Positive Contribution ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Endogenous Factors ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Main Determinants ◽  
The Government

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to find how much the efficiency of winemaking has changed since the crisis of 2008 and what are the main determinants of winemaking performance in the recent decade. Design/methodology/approach This study applied a three-stage approach to explore productivity, efficiency and profitability changes. At the first stage of the empirical study, the Malmquist Total Factor Productivity indexes based on the data envelopment analysis are used to reveal tendencies of wineries’ productivity and the reasons for its changes. At the second stage, productivity indexes were used to find out the main exogenous and endogenous factors. At the final stage, the profitability change after the crisis in the context of the wine types and a size of wineries is explored. Findings The main trends and factors of winemaking performance after 2008 were defined. It was found that a crisis in winemaking in Ukraine has been going on for almost decade with the greatest failure in 2014 that led to the falling overall efficiency. This failure was caused mainly by the military and political factors regarding the annexation of Crimea by Russia, the changes in consumer behaviour with a tendency to reduce overall alcohol consumption, and the government regulation increased excise duties on wines. Despite the efficiency crisis in Ukrainian winemaking, the positive contribution of technological progress provides its productivity growth. The small- and medium-sized enterprises in winemaking have a high resistance to the crisis and fiscal pressure. Despite it losing a half of value-added and being unprofitable, the small wine business has managed to increase the labour and capital productivities and overtake big wine business on these indicators. Research limitations/implications This study is limited to one country and the relatively small sample of the wineries. However, it can be a starting point for a series of research on the development of anti-crisis winemaking strategy. Practical implications The findings of the study can be helpful for the Ukrainian Government to prevent crisis continuation in the winemaking sector. This case may be instructive for other countries, faced with a protracted crisis of efficiency in winemaking. Originality/value This is the first study that examines the winemaking performance and its factors after the world financial crisis, based on the case of Ukraine.

scholarly journals The Impact of Tertiary Students' Entry Characteristics and their Academic Performance

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 73-100
Author(s):  
Maame Afua Nkrumah
Keyword(s):  
Academic Performance ◽  
Computer Literacy ◽  
English Language ◽  
Value Added ◽  
African Studies ◽  
First Semester ◽  
Key Words Age ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
And Gender ◽  
The Impact

This article examines the effect of tertiary students’ entry characteristicson academic performance using the ‘value added’ approach and METPolytechnic, Ghana as a case study. The input-process–output-contextframework presented in the Global Monitoring Report (2005) by Scheerenswas used to select appropriate variables for the study. The studyfocused on three generic courses - African Studies, Communicative Skills,and Computer Literacy. Data from different sources, including secondarydata and administrative records from the Polytechnic were analysed usingmultilevel analysis. The overall effect of the selected variables was mixedand outcomes specific. For example, English language impacted positivelyon African Studies but negatively on second-semester Computer Literacy,while age and gender had a negative effect on first-semester ComputerLiteracy. Although the findings may not directly benefit analogous institutions,several lessons, including the need to create appropriate institutionaldatasets for future comparisons across institutions can be learnt. Key words: Age, gender, department context, previous achievement, SES,‘value added’.

A framework for the evaluation of the perceived value added by internal auditing

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 413-434 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lise Muriel Botha ◽  
Naomi Wilkinson
Keyword(s):  
Service Quality ◽  
Perceived Value ◽  
Quality Measurement ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Internal Audit ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Internal Auditing ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Stakeholder Satisfaction ◽  
Starting Point

Purpose The purpose of this study is to propose a framework for the evaluation of the perceived value internal audit functions add to their organisations. The framework is based on service quality measurement principles, specifically SERVPERF, which is applied to internal auditing. Design/methodology/approach Insights obtained from the literature on internal auditing and service quality disciplines were synthesised to identify and structure value-adding attributes of internal auditing. A thematic analysis of published profiles (by Protiviti) of various organisations’ internal audit functions were analysed and evaluated against those attributes identified in the literature to formulate an evaluation framework based on service quality measurement principles. Findings The identified value-adding attributes were categorised according to the dimensions of the SERVPERF service quality measurement instrument to formulate a framework for evaluation of the value added by internal audit functions. It was found that the SERVPERF dimensions appear to be relevant to internal auditing. The SERVPERF instrument was therefore adapted to evaluate the value added by internal auditing as a service. Practical implications This paper contributes to both the theory and practice of internal auditing by proposing formal dimensions of a value-adding internal audit service which can then serve as a reference point from which to evaluate the value added to an organisation. The framework can serve as a starting point for internal audit functions to develop their service offering and/or form the foundation of stakeholder satisfaction surveys. Originality/value The study contributes to the literature by applying service quality principles to internal auditing. A holistic framework that can be used for the evaluation of the value added by internal audit functions based on stakeholder perceptions is proposed. The framework juxtaposes attributes of value-adding internal auditing with recognised service quality performance measures. The notion of value added is investigated to better understand the concept in the context of internal auditing services.

Manager as coach characteristics for dealing with team challenge

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 165-173 ◽  
Author(s):  
H.A. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Qualitative Assessment ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Self Assessment ◽  
Validity Of Results ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Training Tool ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Coaching Style

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to reference academic publications and semi-structured interviews with management experts employing a coaching style within their teams to create a platform for evaluating specific coaching mechanisms, evolving insights to the characteristics required of a manager applying coaching to deal with team challenge. A practical perspective led by managers using critical incidents to explore and highlight areas of experience and expertise in dealing with team challenge. Design/methodology/approach This qualitative assessment was derived from 30 semi-structured interviews which were recorded, transcribed and thematically analysed to assist in added insight for work-based management of dealing with team challenge. Data from 30 interviews were collected via Skype, FaceTime or Zoom to create the necessary rapport and capture the experience of dealing with team challenge. An audio record of each interview was captured to create a synchronised, fully indexed transcript from which characteristics and mechanisms could be identified. Findings Findings illustrated that the characteristics of the work-based manager themselves is an essential part of the mix when dealing with team challenge, the application of a coaching style accentuated the competencies and characteristics required of the manager to successfully address team challenge, demanding a specific coaching mindset. The starting point is the manager themselves knowing all the details before they intervene by utilising the traditional competencies of a professional coach. Research limitations/implications Only one sample of 30 interviewees contributed to this research, a wider sample would be advisable, including a wider cultural base to assess characteristics in a variety of contexts. There was a wide sector representation in this research (public, private and third sector), but specific sector analysis would also be interesting to assess validity of results more rigorously. Practical implications The practical outputs from this research of the manager’s self-assessment can be used by managers as a check list when dealing with team challenge or by HR managers as an assessment tool to decide which managers to invest in coaching training. The characteristics may be a means of deciphering the skills of the managers. Finally the self-assessment could be used as a training tool to support work-based learning or coach training on how to address team challenge and offer a discussion prompt around these elements as being essential. Social implications Coaching dialogue is a social interaction and this research contributes to enhancing the quality and purpose of social interactions in the workplace. By employing a coaching style of listening, questioning and reflecting managers can utliise a standard framework for solving issues in the workplace. Originality/value Dealing with challenge in teams through the analysis of the coaching style applied by 30 managers is unique, the value added through this research has been an enhanced appreciation of the manager as coach role and an appreciation to the established team models of Fleishman, Katzenbach and Smith, Hackman and Edmondson. This added layer enabling managers to deal with team challenge associated with our ever changing work environment.

Peer review of teaching at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 402-424 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zsuzsanna Eszter Tóth ◽  
György Andor ◽  
Gábor Árva
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Organizational Development ◽  
Peer Review ◽  
Student Performance ◽  
Internal Quality ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Peer Reviewing ◽  
University Of Technology ◽  
Economics Faculty ◽  
Teaching Programs

Purpose This paper aims to describe an internal quality enhancement system based on peer reviewing and summarizes the first results of application at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences. Design/methodology/approach A peer review framework has been developed to evaluate and further develop the teaching programs and practices. The questionnaire-based peer review program included 22 courses and involved almost 100 lecturers. Peer review outcomes are completed by end-of-semester student course evaluations. Findings The results allow us to map differences between lecturers and courses and to identify correlations between the assessment criteria applied for peer reviewing. Practical implications The implemented framework implies individual, faculty and organizational development to enhance a deeper understanding of how to create quality in teaching programs and processes. Secondly, the peer review program contributes to the establishment of a learning community with a growing common understanding of what is considered good quality in business education. Originality/value The paper is valuable as a guide to faculty management wishing to implement a peer review framework within their own institution. The novelty of the presented approach is that it focuses on a semester-long teaching performance including classroom performance, course outlines, teaching materials, course requirements and processes and means of student performance assessments.

Socioeconomic effects of pension spending: evidence from Spain

2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (5) ◽  
pp. 599-617
Author(s):  
Fernando Bermejo ◽  
Eladio Febrero ◽  
Andre Fernandes Tomon Avelino
Keyword(s):  
Peer Review ◽  
Social Protection ◽  
Pension System ◽  
Decomposition Analysis ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Total Output ◽  
Alternative View ◽  
Input Output ◽  
Structural Decomposition Analysis ◽  
Content Type

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to provide broader understanding of the significant role that the pension system has in the Spanish economy by estimating the sectoral production, employment and income sustained by pensioners' consumption.Design/methodology/approachBased on input–output tables by the World Input–Output Database and consumption data from the Household Budget Survey by the Spanish Statistical Office, a demoeconomic model is applied to quantify the direct impacts, indirect impacts from interindustry links and induced impacts from income–consumption connections over a nine-year period (2006–2014). Then, the factors driving the evolution of total output, employment and value added during such period have been examined by using structural decomposition analysis.FindingsThe growing participation of consumption by pensioner households in final demand had proven crucial during the 2008 crisis to alleviate the negative trend in production and employment derived from the collapse in consumption suffered by the rest of households.Practical implicationsDetermining the underlying factors driving changes in both employment and income during the 2008 crisis can be of interest in political decision-making on the sustainability of the Spanish pension system.Social implicationsThe results of estimating both the employment and income supported by pensioners' consumption reveal the significant stabilizing effect of the public spending on pensions, particularly during the 2008 crisis.Originality/valueThe current Spanish approach of attaining the pension system sustainability by merely reducing social protection costs ignores the adverse consequences of a lower pensioners' demand. This paper addresses an alternative view in which pension spending is not considered a burden on economic growth but rather a means of improving the level of production and employment.Peer reviewThe peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-01-2019-0047

Utilizing a systematic literature review to develop an integrated framework for information and knowledge management systems

2017 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 250-264 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chulatep Senivongse ◽  
Alex Bennet ◽  
Stefania Mariano
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Systematic Literature Review ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Specific Area ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
Knowledge Management Systems ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Integrated Framework ◽  
Information And Knowledge Management

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the value of using a systematic literature review to develop an integrated framework for information and knowledge management systems. Design/methodology/approach First, the systematic literature review method is introduced, differentiating it from traditional literature reviews in terms of value-added and limitations. Second, this methodology is used in a research application focused on absorptive capacity internal capabilities with regard to the processes of acquisition, assimilation, transformation and exploitation. Third, an integrated framework for information and knowledge management systems is developed from this application. Findings The systematic literature review approach provides a rigor that can assist in reducing researcher bias while simultaneously enabling the definition of a precise scope of review, with a clear explanation of selection criteria with the objective to find and review all the studies that are relevant to the search definitions. As a research method, it effectively supports a qualitative, quantitative or mixed methodology. Research limitations/implications This methodology was applied to one specific area of research. Specific limitations include the availability of articles in subscribed databases and the analytical capabilities of the tools used for text mining and analytics. Originality/value This paper demonstrates the usefulness of the systematic literature review methodology in developing an integrated framework for analysis.

Experience and expression of social isolation by inner-city high-rise residents

2014 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 151-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Love M. Chile ◽  
Xavier M. Black ◽  
Carol Neill
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Inner City ◽  
Social Isolation ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
High Rise ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Health And Social Care

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the significance of social isolation and the factors that create social isolation for residents of inner-city high-rise apartment communities. We critically examine how the physical environment and perceptions of safety in apartment buildings and the inner-city implicate the quality of interactions between residents and with their neighbourhood community. Design/methodology/approach – The authors used mixed-methods consisting of survey questionnaires supplemented by semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions using stratified random sampling to access predetermined key strata of inner-city high-rise resident population. Using coefficient of correlation we examine the significance of the association between social isolation, age and ethnicity amongst Auckland's inner-city high-rise residents. Findings – The authors found the experience and expression of social isolation consistent across all age groups, with highest correlation between functional social isolation and “being student”, and older adults (60+ years), length of tenure in current apartment and length of time residents have lived in the inner-city. Research limitations/implications – As a case study, we did not seek in this research to compare the experience and expressions of social isolation in different inner-city contexts, nor of inner-city high-rise residents in New Zealand and other countries, although these will be useful areas to explore in future studies. Practical implications – This study is a useful starting point to build evidence base for professionals working in health and social care services to develop interventions that will help reduce functional social isolation amongst young adults and older adults in inner-city high-rise apartments. This is particularly important as the inner-city population of older adults grow due to international migration, and sub-national shifts from suburbs to the inner-cities in response to governmental policies of urban consolidation. Originality/value – By identifying two forms of social isolation, namely functional and structural social isolation, we have extended previous analysis of social isolation and found that “living alone” or structural social isolation did not necessarily lead to functional social isolation. It also touched on the links between functional social isolation and self-efficacy of older adults, particularly those from immigrant backgrounds.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document