scholarly journals Exploring the Learning Journeys of Academic Head of Department Preparations and Access to Their Roles: The Case of a Selected University in Ghana

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. p11
Author(s):  
Gloria Nyame
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Educational Leaders ◽  
Formal Training ◽  
Management Skills ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Academic Leaders ◽  
Reference Guide ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Head Of Department

Leadership training for educational leaders in the academia has been considered paramount to empower them both for leadership and management skills, knowledge and experience necessary to bring about quality in teaching and learning. Majority of the academic leaders are appointed without any preparation for the role and tend to struggle on the role in order to be effective. Most studies carried out on academic leaders in Africa focus mainly on challenges, roles and theories of leadership. This study explores the journeys involved in the preparations of academics who become Head of Departments in a selected university in Ghana in order to enable them play their roles effectively. The case study approach was used to study the journeys involved in the preparations of 16 academic HoDs in a selected university in Ghana, focusing on how they accessed their roles, their understanding about the roles, preparations they have had on the roles and the preparations they would have wished for the roles. It sought to describe, understand and interpret the learning journeys of academic HoDs regarding how they became HoDs and preparations they received to be effective in their roles. Interviews and documentary evidence were employed. Semi structured interviews were conducted with sixteen university head of departments. Using thematic analysis, the study revealed among others that most newly appointed academic HoDs were not given formal training before they began to play their roles, Again, the findings revealed different degrees of preparations which were mainly informal and were not directly linked to the roles of the HoDs, which were consistent with the literature that majority of academic HoDs did not receive preparations for their roles and tended to use their experiences to play their roles. Based on these findings, recommendations are that there should be a formal training on the HoD’s duties and their implementations for all newly appointed HoDs to enrich them with the necessary skills and knowledge to make them effective and efficient. There is the need to conduct needs assessment from the HoDs to inform their preparation or training and development of HoDs manual to serve as a reference guide to the HoDs. It is hoped that the findings will contribute to effective preparations of the academic HoDs. The research may also lead to the production of HoD’s manuals. More importantly, it may inform policies to identify areas for effective preparations of the academic HoDs.

scholarly journals Synergistic Team Teaching for Professional Development: A Case Study Approach

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (35) ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalia Ramírez Casalvolone
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Team Teaching ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Classroom Context ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Contextualized Learning ◽  
The University ◽  
Teacher's Knowledge

This study proposes an innovative approach for English professors who lack the time to engage in professional development (PD) programs, believe such programs are conducted in a decontextualized manner, or regard them as too expensive. Based on a qualitative case study performed from January to September 2018, this study addresses the following question: How can team teaching promote PD for mid-career English as a foreign language university professors? It investigates the types of PD that emerged when two English professors at the University of Costa Rica engaged in synergistic team teaching. Theparticipants team taught a course for students newly admitted into the English-teaching major. In this study, synergistic team teaching is understood as a method in which two professors share classroom space and teaching practices and engage in planning discussions together. To understand what the participants learned when practicing team teaching, data were collected through semi-structured interviews and coded following Creswell and Poth’s (2018) data analysis spiral. The coding was developed in light of the conceptualization of PD developed by Guskey (2002), Sparks (2002), and Johnson (2006). Accordingly, thisstudy identifies instances (during the interview or during the classroom observation) that can be interpreted as change of the classroom practices, change in the attitudes and beliefs of the professors (Guskey, 2002), continuous improvement of teaching and learning (Sparks, 2002), and teacher’s knowledge transformed into practice (Johnson, 2006). This study shows how team teaching offers professors a community of practice in which they can share, discuss, and implement new teaching knowledge. Through team teaching, teachers receive PD benefits that match their classroom context perfectly, enabling them to engage in authentic, fully contextualized learning opportunities.

scholarly journals The contribution of online mathematics games to algebra understanding in Grade 8

Pythagoras ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tichaona Marange ◽  
Stanley A. Adendorff
Keyword(s):  
Social Constructivism ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Mathematics Problems ◽  
Mathematics Games ◽  
Algebraic Concepts ◽  
Online Mathematics ◽  
Grade 8

This study explores how online mathematics games contribute to Grade 8 learners’ understanding of basic principles and more sophisticated aspects of algebra. This project documents the trajectory of a purposive sample of 30 Grade 8 learners doing mathematics and one mathematics educator. The study is premised on the argument that learners with the guidance of the teacher can grasp algebraic concepts better and learn to manipulate these imaginatively and independently, by integrating new online mathematics games into standard classroom teaching of mathematics. The study was located within the interpretive qualitative research paradigm and used a case study approach. Data were collected by means of (1) lesson observations, (2) questionnaires and (3) semi-structured interviews. The data collected were analysed through the lens of the sociocultural theory, social constructivism and the activity theory. This study supports the view, set out in the literature reviewed, that the way in which resources are utilised can substantially improve the teaching and learning of algebraic concepts. Teachers should encourage learners to venture into the world of online mathematics games to learn algebra because they help learners to be creative, look for patterns, make conjectures, collect data, express their own thoughts, accept the ideas of others and establish structured forms of cooperation. The teacher’s role is to show and guide the learners how to use online mathematics games to solve mathematics problems. This study’s main recommendation, among others, is a revision of the curriculum to integrate online mathematics games into all subjects in classrooms at all levels.

scholarly journals Toward A Business Resilience Framework for Startups

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 3132
Author(s):  
Leo Aldianto ◽  
Grisna Anggadwita ◽  
Anggraeni Permatasari ◽  
Isti Raafaldini Mirzanti ◽  
Ian O. Williamson
Keyword(s):  
Innovation Process ◽  
Dynamic Capability ◽  
Case Study Approach ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Continuous Innovation ◽  
Technology Capability ◽  
Resilience Framework ◽  
Business Resilience

Covid-19 has had a significant impact on the disruption of the global economic sector, including for startup businesses. This encourages entrepreneurs to carry out a continuous innovation process to become more ambidextrous and continue to innovate in an effort to futureproof their business. The paper aims to provide a business resilience framework by exploring capability (innovation ambidexterity, dynamic capability, and technology capability), behavior (agile leadership), and knowledge (knowledge stock) in startup businesses. This study uses a literature review synthesis to gain a greater understanding of startup resilience and its implementation. This study also uses a case study approach in building a framework by obtaining data from semi-structured interviews with three startups owners in Indonesia. This preliminary research has identified four propositions that will be used to develop questionnaires and data collection instruments. Thus, this study provides new insights on how startups can overcome contradictory pressures for business resilience in anticipating, dealing with, and emerging from business turbulence due to the Covid-19 pandemic by considering the factors proposed in this study. The implications and recommendations of this study are also discussed in detail.

Social urbanism: public policy and place brand

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 326-337 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline Doyle
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Social Problem ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Local Stakeholders ◽  
Place Brand ◽  
The City

PurposeThis paper aims to focus on how a public policy designed to address a social problem ultimately became the place brand.Design/methodology/approachThis paper uses a qualitative case study approach focusing on the city of Medellín, Colombia. It draws from fieldwork conducted in Medellín over 2014 and 2015, including semi-structured interviews with an array of local stakeholders.FindingsThe paper concludes that local governments should be aware that the policymaking process can become part of their branding. It also shows the importance of the continual involvement of stakeholders in the place brand process to ensure it is a sustainable brand.Originality/valueThere are limited studies which focus on how a public policy designed to address a social problem ultimately becomes the place brand. This paper shows how a public policy, social urbanism, became the branding of Medellín.

scholarly journals “You would expect the successful person to be the man”

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 303-320 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sally Jones
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Entrepreneurship Education ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
Symbolic Violence ◽  
Cultural Norms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Multiple Method ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – This paper aims to to explore power and legitimacy in the entrepreneurship education classroom by using Pierre Bourdieu’s sociological and educational theories. It highlights the pedagogic authority invested in educators and how this may be influenced by their assumptions about the nature of entrepreneurship. It questions the role of educators as disinterested experts, exploring how power and gendered legitimacy “play out” in staff–student relationships and female students’ responses to this. Design/methodology/approach – A multiple-method, qualitative case study approach is taken, concentrating on a depth of focus in one UK’s higher education institution (HEI) and on the experiences, attitudes and classroom practices of staff and students in that institution. The interviews, with an educator and two students, represent a self-contained story within the more complex story of the case study. Findings – The interviewees’ conceptualization of entrepreneurship is underpinned by acceptance of gendered norms, and both students and staff misrecognize the masculinization of entrepreneurship discourses that they encounter as natural and unquestionable. This increases our understanding of symbolic violence as a theoretical construct that can have real-world consequences. Originality/value – The paper makes a number of theoretical and empirical contributions. It addresses an important gap in the literature, as educators and the impact of their attitudes and perceptions on teaching and learning are rarely subjects of inquiry. It also addresses gaps and silences in understandings of the gendered implications of HE entrepreneurship education more generally and how students respond to the institutional arbitration of wider cultural norms surrounding entrepreneurship. In doing so, it challenges assertions that Bourdieu’s theories are too abstract to have any empirical value, by bridging the gap between symbolic violence as a theory and its manifestation in teaching and learning practices.

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.

The use of environmental performance indicators in “the greenest city in Europe”

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 122-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Alpenberg ◽  
Tomasz Wnuk-Pel ◽  
Philip Adamsson ◽  
Johannes Petersson
Keyword(s):  
Performance Indicators ◽  
Environmental Performance ◽  
Environmental Indicators ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
External Stakeholders ◽  
Municipal Managers ◽  
Environmental Performance Indicators

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine why and how municipal managers and CEOs for municipally owned companies use the environmental performance indicators. Design/methodology/approach A case study approach as a research design was used. In total, 18 semi-structured interviews were conducted among managers for administrative departments and municipal company CEOs. Findings This study found that the environmental performance indicators are used by department managers mainly for resource allocation, control and for teaching the employees. The CEOs of the municipal companies use the environmental indicators for communicating with external stakeholders and see the indicators primarily as marketing tools. The main reason why the environmental performance indicators are used in the municipality can be the strong demand from the local politicians to push the “green agenda,” and therefore the managers have to comply. Research limitations/implications As in any case study, generalizations from the research should be made with care, but since this is only one municipality, further research is needed to find additional evidence. Practical implications The findings of this study have a number of implications for future practice, and it is worth mentioning that clear guidelines for how the information could be made more useful for managers at the managerial level in Växjö municipality (VM) are requested for both the municipal managers and the CEOs. Social implications Overall, this study strengthens the idea that environmental performance indicators could be used to a larger extent for communicating with external stakeholders both for municipal departments and companies. Originality/value The research adds to the literature by examining different patterns of using environmental performance indicators in a unique setting – in VM, which is called “the greenest city in Europe” and is one of the “pioneers” in environmental work and extensively uses performance indicators.

scholarly journals Sustainability Practice of a Multinational Oil Company in Nigeria: A Case Study

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 29
Author(s):  
Charles Afam Anosike
Keyword(s):  
Nonprofit Organizations ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Community Relations ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Oil Companies ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
High Level ◽  
Oil Company

Environmental degradation and socioeconomic dilemma continue to affect agricultural productivity in the Niger Delta of Nigeria. Several works of literature confirm the high level of pollution and contamination of land and water as a result of over 50 years of oil production in the region. The effects of environmental pollution continue to aggravate the hardship of the local people, which generates development friction, threaten oil operation, and mutually contrive relational efforts, by so invoking mistrust between oil companies and the host communities. Sustainability programs of oil companies often provide the channel to engage and promote community relations from which projects are conceived and executed. Despite sustainability efforts of oil companies, the region continues to experience oil spills and environmental degradation.Hence, the current research explores the sustainability efforts of a multinational oil company to establish whether the company’s leadership makes environmental considerations and to identify possible corrections that could be adopted to achieve sustainable value. For this purpose, the paper employed a single case study approach using open-ended interview sessions in collecting data. Research data were gathered from a sample of 20 experienced sustainability practitioners of the oil company, partnering nonprofit organizations, and community leaders through face-to-face semi-structured interviews. Data were segmented and categorized. The data analysis process revealed several themes regarding the challenges and shortfalls of sustainability programs in the region. The evidence found suggests that implementing a transparent and inclusive sustainability management system is essential to enable a systems view in contemplating sustainability programs. In so doing, oil MNCs leaders could enable effective environmental consideration in their sustainability programs to help reinvigorate productive agriculture and ensure continuing oil operation.

scholarly journals Implementing English-medium instruction

2021 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 129-153
Author(s):  
Kari Sahan
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Teaching Practice ◽  
State University ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Language Preference ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Engineering Programs ◽  
English Medium Instruction ◽  
University Department

Abstract As part of the trend toward internationalization of higher education, governments and universities have introduced policies to encourage the expansion of English-medium instruction (EMI). However, top-down policies do not necessarily translate to teaching and learning practices. This article provides a case study examining the implementation of undergraduate EMI engineering programs at a state university in Turkey to explore the gaps that exist between national- and institutional-level EMI policies and classroom-level practices. Data were collected through policy documents, classroom observations, semi-structured interviews with teachers, and focus group discussions with students. The findings suggest that the implementation of EMI varies across classrooms, even within the same university department. Despite policies that envision one-language-at-a-time instruction, the EMI lecturers in this study varied in terms of language preference and teaching practice in their EMI lectures. Implications are discussed with respect to policy planning, teacher training, and the expansion of EMI across university contexts.

scholarly journals Ketahanmalangan Pengelola PKBM Dalam Mengembangkan Inovasi Pendidikan Nonformal

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 987
Author(s):  
Devi Merina Tuz Sa’diyah ◽  
Ahmad Ahmad ◽  
Nilna Sa’adayah
Keyword(s):  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Formal Education ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Learning Activities ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Learning Activity ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Matrix Methods ◽  
Main Partner

<p>The focus of this research is to describe the strategy of adversity quotient for the management of the Community Learning Activity Center (PKBM) to develop innovations in turning barriers into opportunities for non-formal education programs. Qualitative research with this type of case study was carried out at PKBM Mentari, using structured interviews as the primary data collection method, in order to obtain primary data and document matrix methods to obtain secondary data. the data were analyzed using interactive techniques belonging to Miles and Huberman with the stages of data reduction, data presentation and conclusion drawing. The results of this study are the adversity quotient strategy that generally implemented by PKBM is very good, this can be seen from the indicators including: 1) Organizing learning activities flexibly in terms of time, so that it does not interfere with the daily activities of the community; 2) Provide learning at affordable costs so as not to burden the community in participating in learning; 3) Making the community the main partner in the continuation of teaching and learning activities at PKBM and 4) Building synergies with local village officials. The relatively short research time is the main limitation in compiling this study, so that it only maximizes the statements of the main informants. </p><p><strong> </strong></p>

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document