scholarly journals Undergraduate Students Still Experience Difficulty Interpreting Library of Congress Call Numbers

2013 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 139
Author(s):  
Michelle Dalton
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Multiple Case Study ◽  
Library Of Congress ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
Actual Performance ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Based Instruction ◽  
Correct Reasoning ◽  
High Level

Objective – To explore how undergraduate students interpret Library of Congress call numbers when trying to locate books. Design – Multiple case study. Setting – A public, residential university in Illinois, United States of America. Subjects – 11 undergraduate students (10 upper division, 1 freshman; no transfer students included). Methods – A qualitative approach was adopted, with a multiple case study design used to facilitate the collection of data from several sources. Students were recruited for the study via convenience and snowball sampling. Participants who volunteered were interviewed and requested to complete a task that required them to organize eight call numbers written on index cards in the correct order. Interviewees were also asked about any instruction they had received on interpreting call numbers, and their experiences locating materials in other libraries and bookstores. Responses were then coded using colours to identify common themes. Main Results – The study reported that there was little correlation between the students’ own estimation of their ability to locate materials and their actual performance in the index card test. Five students who reported that they could find materials 75-100% of the time performed poorly in the test. Of the 11 participants, only 4 ordered the cards correctly, and in 1 such case this was by fortune rather than correct reasoning. Of these, three self-reported a high level of confidence in their ability to locate material, whilst one reported that he could only find the material he was looking for approximately half of the time. Of the seven students who incorrectly ordered the cards, no two students placed their cards in the same order, indicative that there is no clear pattern in how students misinterpret the numbers. During the interview process, five students stated that they experienced more difficulty locating books in bookstores compared with the library. Conclusion – Based on the findings of the study, the authors recommend several interventions which could help students to locate material within the library, namely through improved signage in shelving areas including the listing of subjects and colour-coding, as well as integrating training on understanding call numbers into subject-based instruction. The possibility of using online directional aids such as QR codes and electronic floor maps is also suggested as a strategy to help orient students.

Change readiness as fluid trajectories: a longitudinal multiple-case study

2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (5) ◽  
pp. 1153-1175 ◽  
Author(s):  
Florian Hemme ◽  
Matthew T. Bowers ◽  
Janice S. Todd
Keyword(s):  
Public Service ◽  
Resistance To Change ◽  
Multiple Case Study ◽  
Relative Strength ◽  
Change Readiness ◽  
Content Type ◽  
External Stakeholder ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
High Level

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze change process perceptions of public service employees and document how change readiness belief salience fluctuates and evolves throughout the implementation of a major organizational restructuring effort. Design/methodology/approach This research is a longitudinal multiple-case study of a major transformation initiative in a large North American public recreation organization. Over the course of 15 months, the authors conducted four rounds of personal interviews with 19 participants (65 interviews in total, each lasting 25–45 min). Additionally, the authors analyzed internal e-mail correspondence, memos, and meeting agendas, as well as external stakeholder communication. Finally, the primary researcher spent a significant amount of time collecting field notes while shadowing high-level managers and employees and attending meetings. Findings Overall, the authors documented a clear hierarchy of change readiness dimensions. The relative strength and temporal persistence of these dimensions can be traced back to various public organizing particularities. Moreover, the authors found that an initial focus on some readiness dimensions facilitated subsequent sensemaking processes whereas others hindered such engagement with the change project. Research limitations/implications This research is the first to empirically document temporal fluidity of change readiness dimensions and salience. Moreover, it offers a rare in-depth look at a changing public service organization. Practical implications This research helps change agents in developing tailored change messages and to better understand potential sources of frustration and resistance to change efforts. Originality/value No similar efforts exist to document the underlying dynamism of evolving change readiness perceptions.

scholarly journals Exploring the MACH Model’s Potential as a Metacognitive Tool to Help Undergraduate Students Monitor Their Explanations of Biological Mechanisms

2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. ar12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caleb M. Trujillo ◽  
Trevor R. Anderson ◽  
Nancy J. Pelaez
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Multiple Case Study ◽  
Educational Tool ◽  
Biological Mechanisms ◽  
Undergraduate Biology ◽  
Biology Students ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Written Explanations

When undergraduate biology students learn to explain biological mechanisms, they face many challenges and may overestimate their understanding of living systems. Previously, we developed the MACH model of four components used by expert biologists to explain mechanisms: Methods, Analogies, Context, and How. This study explores the implementation of the model in an undergraduate biology classroom as an educational tool to address some of the known challenges. To find out how well students’ written explanations represent components of the MACH model before and after they were taught about it and why students think the MACH model was useful, we conducted an exploratory multiple case study with four interview participants. We characterize how two students explained biological mechanisms before and after a teaching intervention that used the MACH components. Inductive analysis of written explanations and interviews showed that MACH acted as an effective metacognitive tool for all four students by helping them to monitor their understanding, communicate explanations, and identify explanatory gaps. Further research, though, is needed to more fully substantiate the general usefulness of MACH for promoting students’ metacognition about their understanding of biological mechanisms.

Die Problematik der Implementierung von Kinästhetik in Einrichtungen der stationären Langzeitpflege – Eine Multiple Case-Study

Pflege ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Carola Maurer ◽  
Heidrun Gattinger ◽  
Hanna Mayer
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Case Study ◽  
Multiple Case

Zusammenfassung. Hintergrund: Einrichtungen der stationären Langzeitpflege investieren seit Jahren Ressourcen in die Entwicklung der Kinästhetikkompetenz der Pflegenden. Aus aktuellen Studien geht hervor, dass die Implementierung, bzw. die nachhaltige Förderung der Kinästhetikkompetenz problematisch ist, vertiefte Erkenntnisse zu den Ursachen fehlen jedoch. Fragestellung: Welche Hemmnisse verhindern eine nachhaltige Implementierung von Kinästhetik in Einrichtungen der stationären Langzeitpflege? Methode: Es wurde eine Multiple Case-Study in drei Einrichtungen der deutschsprachigen Schweiz durchgeführt. Aus leitfadengestützten Interviews und (fallbezogener) Literatur zum externen Kontext wurden in den Within-Case-Analysen die Daten induktiv verdichtet und diese Ergebnisse in der Cross-Case-Synthese miteinander verglichen und abstrahierend zusammengeführt. Ergebnisse: Die Synthese zeigt, dass die Implementierung von Kinästhetik innerhalb der Einrichtung auf drei verschiedenen Ebenen – der Leitungs-, Pflegeteam- und Pflegeperson-Ebene – als auch durch externe Faktoren negativ beeinflusst werden kann. Schlussfolgerungen: In der Pflegepraxis und -wissenschaft sowie im Gesundheitswesen benötigt es ein grundlegendes Verständnis von Kinästhetik und wie dieses im Kontext des professionellen Pflegehandelns einzuordnen ist. Insbesondere Leitungs- und implementierungsverantwortliche Personen müssen mögliche Hemmnisse kennen, um entsprechende Strategien entwickeln zu können.

Creating autonomous learners in the teaching of English as a second language (ESL) in Zimbabwean secondary schools : a reality or a myth?

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 103-132
Author(s):  
Rungamirai Matiure ◽  
Erick Nyoni
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Second Language ◽  
Multiple Case Study ◽  
Document Analysis ◽  
Learner Autonomy ◽  
Case Study Design ◽  
Midlands Province ◽  
Multiple Case ◽  
Comprehensive Framework

This study explored the utility of the learner autonomy concept in the Zimbabwean O Level English as a Second Language (ESL) classroom focusing on three Gweru urban high schools of the Midlands Province. The researchers intended to establish whether learner autonomy was a reality or just a myth in Zimbabwean classrooms. A qualitative multiple case study design was applied focusing on teaching strategies, availability of resources, challenges faced and ways of optimising it. Questionnaires and document analysis were used for data collection. The findings revealed that the concept did not manifest in explicit terms, the learners did not participate in decision making, and the teachers were not adequately prepared to administer autonomous processes with students. For it to be a reality, the Education Ministry is recommended to establish a comprehensive framework of how autonomous learning should be implemented. Teacher training should explicitly focus on how to develop autonomous learners. Teachers ought to be flexible enough to accommodate learners' contributions towards their learning.

Co-constructing engagement in pediatric rehabilitation: a multiple case study approach

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Gillian King ◽  
Lisa A. Chiarello ◽  
Michelle Phoenix ◽  
Rachel D’Arrigo ◽  
Madhu Pinto
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Case Study ◽  
Case Study Approach ◽  
Pediatric Rehabilitation ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Multiple Case
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