– The purpose of this paper is to explore insights based on the phenomenology of Martin Heidegger, on the dynamic relationships between human experience and work roles.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore insights based on the phenomenology of Martin Heidegger, on the dynamic relationships between human experience and work roles.
Design/methodology/approach
Drawing on the findings of a hermeneutic phenomenological study of nurse mentors, the topics of new roles and role challenges are explored, along with a consideration of their relevance to wider issues of workforce redesign. Heidegger’s philosophy of Dasein, in particular his concepts of inauthentic and authentic self, provided an interpretational lens. This paper applies these philosophical concepts to challenges associated with a changing workforce.
Findings
Concepts elaborating human existence as proposed by Heidegger may offer analytic structures for understanding shifts in the lived experience of a changing workplace. In particular, the concepts could help managers to explore the implications of introducing novel work roles or extending roles. The understanding gained can also extend to situations where work practices may need to be challenged.
Originality/value
As work roles and skill mix undergo rapid shifts, this paper offers an original way of understanding the experience of work roles.
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Lois Crabtree, Anthea Tinker and Karen Glaser
The purpose of this paper is to explore older men’s perceptions of the health and wellbeing benefits of participating in men’s sheds.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore older men’s perceptions of the health and wellbeing benefits of participating in men’s sheds.
Design/methodology/approach
Qualitative semi-structured interviews with eight men aged 65 and over from men’s sheds in London. Interviews were audio recorded and transcribed by hand, and analysis was conducted through coding of the transcripts.
Findings
The results of this study suggested that men’s sheds improved older men’s perceived level of social interaction, men’s outlook, led to self-reported improvements in depression, and all perceived themselves to be fitter since joining. Despite the research being conducted in an urban area, it highlighted the lack of prior community engagement.
Research limitations/implications
The sample size used in the research was small and may not be representative of other men’s sheds in different areas, therefore further research with a larger sample should be conducted.
Practical implications
A health policy dedicated to males which includes the promotion and funding of men’s sheds, such as in Ireland, should be considered by the government. In addition, clinical commissioning groups should recognise men’s sheds as a non-clinical alternative for their patients through social prescribing in general practice. Finally, in order to achieve the World Health Organisation initiative of creating “age friendly cities” community groups such as men’s sheds need to be promoted and further utilised.
Originality/value
There has been little research in the UK.
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For elderly people the decision to enter an institution is usually the result of complex interactions which involves not only themselves but also professionals and family members…
Abstract
For elderly people the decision to enter an institution is usually the result of complex interactions which involves not only themselves but also professionals and family members. This research concerns the role of families in the decision‐making process over the admission of their elderly relatives to nursing homes in Taiwan. The families' views, including their influence and involvement in the process, were examined. It was found that most elderly people in Taiwan were cared for in their own homes by family members, but under certain circumstances, nursing home entry seemed inevitable. The decision‐making process, mainly within a family context, was influenced by the needs of the elderly people, by their adult children, including their availability, and by perceptions about nursing home entry. The pattern of family care and involvement may change and reasons are suggested for this.
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Rachel M. Lofthouse, Anthea Rose and Ruth Whiteside
The research demonstrates the role of activity systems based in Cultural Historical Activity Theory as a means of analysing characteristics and efficacy of specific provisions of…
Abstract
Purpose
The research demonstrates the role of activity systems based in Cultural Historical Activity Theory as a means of analysing characteristics and efficacy of specific provisions of coaching in education.
Design/methodology/approach
Three examples of coaching in education were selected, involving 51 schools in England. The three examples were re-analysed using activity systems. This drew on existing evaluation evidence, gathered through interviews, questionnaires, focus groups and recordings of coaching.
Findings
In each example, the object of the coaching was to address a specific challenge to secure the desired quality of education. Using activity systems it is possible to demonstrate that coaching has a range of functions (both intended and consequential). The individual examples illustrate the potential of coaching to support change in complex and diverse education settings.
Research limitations/implications
The use of existing data from evaluations means that direct comparisons between examples are not made. While data were collected throughout the duration of each coaching programme no follow-up data was available.
Practical implications
The analysis of the examples of coaching using activity systems provides evidence of the efficacy of specific coaching provision in achieving individually defined objectives related to sustaining and improving specific educational practices.
Originality/value
The research offers insights into how coaching in education might be better tuned to the specific needs of contexts and the challenges experienced by the individuals working in them. In addition, it demonstrates the value of activity systems as an analytical tool to make sense of coaching efficacy.
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Floyd Morris and Anthea Henderson
The purpose of this paper is to present a case study of a process undertaken to improve the provision of information and communication technologies (ICTs) for children with…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present a case study of a process undertaken to improve the provision of information and communication technologies (ICTs) for children with disabilities in the formal education system of a developing country.
Methodology/Approach
We review two inclusion-oriented interventions that have been implemented by a disability centre at a regional university in the Caribbean; firstly a survey of 100 primary and high schools in Jamaica to assess their technology accessibility and inclusiveness for children with disabilities, and secondly, a collaborative project between the centre and a government institution to provide assistive technologies, training and curriculum components for students with disabilities.
Findings
The results indicate that more than 77 per cent of Jamaican schools are inaccessible to children with disabilities, and 90 per cent of children with disabilities have not been provided with modern technologies to assist with their education. Inadequacies with the technological infrastructure of the educational system are related to broader inaccessibility issues for children with disabilities. A significant hindrance to ICT procurement is connected to costs of technology hardware and software, but institutional advocacy can be instrumental in mobilizing support for technology investments, particularly for vulnerable groups.
Originality/value
Partnerships between institutions, advocacy groups and government are important in developing countries in order to incorporate and sustain initiatives for ICT provision for children with disabilities in the education system.
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Sara Cheloni and Anthea Tinker
Motivation is central to the ongoing professional development, performance and retention of healthcare workers. Despite the increasing prevalence of people with dementia (PwD) and…
Abstract
Purpose
Motivation is central to the ongoing professional development, performance and retention of healthcare workers. Despite the increasing prevalence of people with dementia (PwD) and the associated demand for geriatric nurses, there exists a paradoxical shortage. The purpose of this paper is to explore the motivation and demotivation of healthcare professionals for working with older PwD, challenges faced, factors influencing intention to leave the field of work and methods to enhance staff motivation to continue working with this group.
Design/methodology/approach
This grounded-theory study used thematic analysis to synthesise data from 13 semi-structured interviews relating to the motivating and demotivating factors of healthcare professionals (nurses and healthcare assistants) for working with older PwD in a hospital setting.
Findings
Staff were motivated by previous personal experiences, personal characteristics and the fulfilment of the carer–patient relationship. Conversely, staff were mostly demotivated by organisational and working environment factors (e.g. poor leadership characteristics, inadequate staffing levels, lack of development opportunities), negatively influencing their intention to remain in employment.
Research limitations/implications
The generalisability of the results is limited by the size of the sample. Different organisational strategies/interventions (i.e. support, training, recognition and rewards) are necessary to nurture staff motivation, improve retention, create positive working environments and enhance patient care.
Originality/value
This study offers numerous ways in which to address factors contributing to demotivation in working with PwD, thereby helping to improve staff retention and support the needs of a growing population.
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Michelle Jayman and Naomi Field
School-based social and emotional learning (SEL) programmes aim to improve pupils’ decision-making, emotional regulation and social skills. A body of international evidence has…
Abstract
School-based social and emotional learning (SEL) programmes aim to improve pupils’ decision-making, emotional regulation and social skills. A body of international evidence has demonstrated the effectiveness of this type of early intervention for improving both mental health and educational outcomes. Nonetheless, if evidence of a programme’s effectiveness is to be usefully applied, educators need to know not only what works but how, and this is the theme of the chapter. Clearly, collaboration and consultation with teachers are essential to properly develop school-based provision. This case study introduces the Book of Beasties SEL intervention (which is based on a mental wellness card game and linked wellbeing activities) and charts its implementation in a primary school setting. Challenges and facilitators associated with embedding the programme are considered through the first-hand reflections of a primary school teacher who was also the delivery agent. Practical recommendations for a smooth and effective implementation, as well as pitfalls to avoid, are provided and can be applied to a local setting.
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This chapter considers the modes and politics of refugee representation, and the function of art and literature as sites of resistance to, or the reinforcing of, dehumanising or…
Abstract
This chapter considers the modes and politics of refugee representation, and the function of art and literature as sites of resistance to, or the reinforcing of, dehumanising or idealised tropes of people seeking refugee protection. Specifically, the chapter addresses the connection between dehumanised representations of the imagined refugee and the violence and ‘logic’ of Australia’s offshore detention regime in Nauru and Papua New Guinea. In engaging with these issues, the chapter draws on Manus Prison Theory and its focus on who gets to represent refugee experience, and to generate knowledge about it and on what terms. It considers these questions through an examination of two contrasting art projects, which alternately raise and contest the idea of the ‘deserving refugee’. In exploring these questions, the chapter also engages with the temporalities of refugee representation and the role of crisis in generating ‘stock’ refugee representations. It ultimately argues that the politics of refugee representation are central to questions of refugee and migrant justice, and further, that we cannot separate contemporary forms and representations of violence against refugees from colonial and neocolonial acts of sovereignty and expulsion.
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In order to succeed in an action under the Equal Pay Act 1970, should the woman and the man be employed by the same employer on like work at the same time or would the woman still…
Abstract
In order to succeed in an action under the Equal Pay Act 1970, should the woman and the man be employed by the same employer on like work at the same time or would the woman still be covered by the Act if she were employed on like work in succession to the man? This is the question which had to be solved in Macarthys Ltd v. Smith. Unfortunately it was not. Their Lordships interpreted the relevant section in different ways and since Article 119 of the Treaty of Rome was also subject to different interpretations, the case has been referred to the European Court of Justice.
WITH eloquence which we cannot imitate, or repeat, the national loss has been sufficiently expressed by others. It is true, Kipling and William Watson being dead, and Alfred Noyes…
Abstract
WITH eloquence which we cannot imitate, or repeat, the national loss has been sufficiently expressed by others. It is true, Kipling and William Watson being dead, and Alfred Noyes silent, the poets have not risen to the height of a great occasion, but that is by the way. Our own tribute to the late King must be based on his work for libraries, since any other tribute is general to a whole Empire. Kings can have few hours in which to read and yet some of the stories, true or apocryphal, of King George V. touch upon his reading. He showed, however, a closer interest of late years in libraries than any other of our monarchs has done, and at the opening ceremonies of the National Central Library and the Manchester Public Library he uttered words which are the best slogans that libraries have received. Even if he did not write them—a matter which we have no right to affirm or deny—his utterance of them gave them the royal superscription. We repeat them, as they cannot be too often repeated:—