Andrea M. Kent and Jennifer L. Simpson
Increasing reading achievement has become a nationwide priority resulting from the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 2005 (Dole, 2004). Due to this emphasis, coupled with…
Abstract
Increasing reading achievement has become a nationwide priority resulting from the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 2005 (Dole, 2004). Due to this emphasis, coupled with the fact that an elementary school’s success is generally not correlated with test scores in social studies, teachers of the elementary grades find limited time to teach the social studies curriculum. However, in effort to combat this tragedy, elementary educators should be taught and encouraged to integrate content area teaching with literacy strategies. Using the appropriate.
Andrea M. Kent, Frances Kochan and Andre M. Green
The purpose of this paper is to identify and summarize the primary themes and issues examined in relevant international research dealing with the relationship between culture and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to identify and summarize the primary themes and issues examined in relevant international research dealing with the relationship between culture and mentoring. The focus is on formal mentoring programs for educators in primary and secondary schools and higher education settings.
Design/methodology/approach
The literature surveyed covered the direct and indirect impacts of culture on mentoring in primary, secondary and higher education settings. Manuscripts were organized around the topics of teacher education, teacher and leader development, and higher education. A thematic synthesis approach was used to summarize the findings.
Findings
Findings indicated that research on cultural aspects of mentoring in education has focused on three primary themes: cultural aspects of the mentoring relationship; the impact of organizational structures on mentoring programs and relationships; and the manner in which ethnicity and societal beliefs relate to the purposes and structures of mentoring.
Research limitations/implications
There is a lack of research that deals specifically with the manner in which culture influences mentoring programs and relationships.
Practical implications
It is vital for those involved in developing mentoring programs and relationships to be culturally aware of and sensitive to cultural dynamics in order to counteract and overcome possible barriers to success.
Originality value
Fresh insights are offered into the research that has been conducted within these educational settings. Areas and topics are identified where research is lacking and recommendations for future research that would enlighten the field are presented.
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Henrik Sternberg, Andreas Hagen, Paolo Paganelli and Kent Lumsden
Today, the transport industry is facing increasing demands on reducing both the environmental impact and cost of freight transports. Another demand, coming from the end consumers…
Abstract
Today, the transport industry is facing increasing demands on reducing both the environmental impact and cost of freight transports. Another demand, coming from the end consumers, is the demand for ecological accountability, so‐called ecological foot‐printing, meaning that the emission of every freight movement is distributed to the freight. Previous research shows that transport planning, system integration and control are some of the key factors to achieve more sustainable transport setups. One of the major obstacles preventing these factors is the complexity of international supply chains, with several involved actors. Smart Freight is a holistic concept, integrating transport management and state‐of‐the‐art technologies for freight tracking and vehicle monitoring, in order to enable improved management and accountability of freight transportation. The purpose of this research is to explore how Smart Freight can be used to control, track and reduce the environmental impact of goods transportation. This research is based on two in‐depth case studies and a demonstration prototype of one of the studied transport setups. An extensive amount of data was collected between 2006 and 2008 through interviews, video filming, document studies, physical travel with the freight flows, seminars, prototype building, literature and desktop studies. The result of this research highlights the weaknesses in today’s control of transport operations and presents a model for how Smart Freight enables a more environmentally friendly and accountable transport system.
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Christina Vadasi, Michalis Bekiaris and Andreas G. Koutoupis
This paper aims to provide empirical evidence of the association between audit committee characteristics and internal audit quality through internal audit professionalization.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to provide empirical evidence of the association between audit committee characteristics and internal audit quality through internal audit professionalization.
Design/methodology/approach
The investigation of the research question was based on 45 usable responses that were received from a survey of chief audit executives from firms listed on the Athens Stock Exchange and combined with publicly available information from annual reports.
Findings
The results indicate that audit committee characteristics (independence, diligence through frequent meetings and interaction with internal audit through valuation) influence internal audit professionalization. In addition, they demonstrate that internal audit professionalization is also influenced by CEO duality and firm’s external auditor.
Practical implications
The findings of this study have implications for audit committees wishing to improve their overall effectiveness, by identifying areas with substantial impact on internal audit quality. Moreover, regulators of corporate governance bodies can also benefit from the results to strengthen audit committee’s efficiency regarding internal audit function oversight.
Originality/value
The results add to the literature on the discussion of internal audit professionalization and complement the work of other researchers in the field of audit committee’s impact on internal audit quality/effectiveness. This study attempts to fill a gap in the literature on the effect of audit committee characteristics on internal audit professionalization, an element introduced from an institutional theory perspective.
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Elizabeth Kenyon, Andrea Christoff and Sonya Wisdom
This action research project determines the extent to which the authors were able to expand ideas of both citizen and scientist through their integrated science and social studies…
Abstract
Purpose
This action research project determines the extent to which the authors were able to expand ideas of both citizen and scientist through their integrated science and social studies middle childhood methods course.
Design/methodology/approach
Applying the ideas of citizen science, students in the course developed inquiry projects of their choice centering on the topic of local and global water issues. In addition, students participated in book groups focusing on the ideas of citizen science explicitly. The researchers used surveys, student assessments and interviews to assess the extent to which students' ideas changed.
Findings
While the data reveal the students' conceptions of scientist and citizen both expanded, there was greater change in their conceptions of what it means to be a scientist.
Originality/value
The authors argue that the expansion of ideas of science is important for enacting critical citizenship.
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Paul Capriotti, Ileana Zeler and Andrea Oliveira
This study aims to analyze whether companies from six Latin American countries are encouraging dialogic communication on Facebook.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to analyze whether companies from six Latin American countries are encouraging dialogic communication on Facebook.
Design/methodology/approach
To do so, the paper studied the level of predisposition for interaction and the type of interaction achieved by companies on Facebook to produce an effective dialogic communication exchange and to generate conversation through different types of communication exchange between organizations and users. This research includes a specific analysis of the active presence, interactive attitude, interactive resources, responsiveness and conversation of 29,078 posts on 135 corporate fanpages of companies from six Latin American countries.
Findings
The results show that companies have a low interest in managing communication from a dialogic perspective on the social network, not only because a greater predisposition to interaction is needed, but also because the interaction generated is very low. Therefore, the paper identifies the need to review the communication strategy on social networks and to define a strategy aligned to the dialogic nature of the social network.
Originality/value
This research contributes to broadening the conceptual reflection on the evaluation of the dialogue in the digital context and aims to generate new methodological contributions to the evaluation of dialogic communication in an integrated way.
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Stephanie Grace Prost, Cynthia Golembeski, Vyjeyanthi S. Periyakoil, Jalayne Arias, Andrea K. Knittel, Jessica Ballin, Heather D. Oliver and Nguyen-Toan Tran
The targeted use of standardized outcome measures (SOMs) of mental health in research with older adults who are incarcerated promotes a common language that enables…
Abstract
Purpose
The targeted use of standardized outcome measures (SOMs) of mental health in research with older adults who are incarcerated promotes a common language that enables interdisciplinary dialogue, contributes to the identification of disparities and supports data harmonization and subsequent synthesis. This paper aims to provide researchers with rationale for using “gold-standard” measures used in research with community-dwelling older adults, reporting associated study sample psychometric indexes, and detailing alterations in the approach or measure.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors highlight the mental health of older adults who are incarcerated. They also discuss the benefits of SOMs in practice and research and then identify gold-standard measures of mental health used in research with community-dwelling older adults and measures used in research with older adults who are incarcerated. Finally, the authors provide several recommendations related to the use of SOMs of mental health in research with this population.
Findings
Depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder are common among older adults who are incarcerated. Researchers have used a variety of measures to capture these mental health problems, some parallel to those used with community-dwelling samples. However, a more targeted use of SOMs of mental health in research with this population will contribute to important strides in this burgeoning field.
Originality/value
This review offers several practical recommendations related to SOMs of mental health in research with older adults who are incarcerated to contribute to a rigorous evidence base and thus inform practice and potentially improve the health and well-being of this population.
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This case study illustrates how one social studies teacher used the International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme (MYP)' s framework and philosophy to teach for global…
Abstract
Purpose
This case study illustrates how one social studies teacher used the International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme (MYP)' s framework and philosophy to teach for global citizenship. The research question that framed this study was: How is an IB MYP Individuals and Societies (I&S) teacher enacting their perceptions and understanding of global citizenship education? Findings illustrate that this teacher enacted a proactive pedagogy, using her own personal perceptions and what IB MYP offered her through their affective and cognitive frameworks to apply her conceptions of global citizenship education.
Design/methodology/approach
The data for this single case study came from teacher semi-structured interviews (Rubin and Rubin, 2012), observations, field notes (Merriam and Tisdell, 2016) and teacher created documents. The goal for the teacher created documents was to provide detail, depth and evidence to support or contrast with what was found in the interviews and observations. Simultaneous, in vivo, and values coding were used to analyze the data and to get an overall picture of what the participant said, believed and practiced. Theories surrounding global citizenship education provided the lens for the study.
Findings
The findings are organized according to (1) the way this teacher's developed constructions of global citizenship and global citizenship education and IB led her to use the IB philosophy and framework to shape her beliefs and practices and (2) the way she embraced the tensions and possibilities inherent in her teaching for global citizenship in an IB MYP classroom to teach a proactive form of global citizenship education.
Research limitations/implications
This research provides insight into the curriculum framework of IB MYP and the curriculum and instruction decisions of an I&S teacher. For the global citizenship education field, this study provides an example of how global citizenship can be incorporated into a social studies classroom.
Practical implications
For social studies education, this study uncovered the possibilities present in the curriculum when a teacher is given the space to make their own instructional decisions. This study also gives guidance on how international curriculum frameworks can be utilized for global citizenship education. Finally, this study illustrates teachers must fully subscribe to IB and the MYP as a means of teaching for global citizenship for it to be beneficial.
Originality/value
This study has value because it highlights how a social studies teacher successfully uses an international curriculum framework to teach for global citizenship. Few studies have shown examples of teachers, especially IB MYP teachers, who are committed to teaching for global citizenship and use the tools they are given to center student choice and connect the content to their students' lives. Teachers and researchers will be able to view the pedagogical possibilities inherent in this teacher's global citizenship methods.