Jianjing Tang, Darren A. Bryant and Allan David Walker
This paper aims to explore developments over the past 25 years in the knowledge base on instruction-oriented middle leadership in schools. The authors document the trends in the…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore developments over the past 25 years in the knowledge base on instruction-oriented middle leadership in schools. The authors document the trends in the literature since middle leadership began to attract scholarly interest in the late 1990s and explore the shifting structural and content patterns in the knowledge base.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors use a topographic methodology to analyse both structural elements and major results drawing from 147 peer-reviewed journal articles.
Findings
The authors draw on the review's outcomes to propose a model that frames a core set of middle leaders' instructional leadership practices. They also identify the personal, departmental, organizational and external influences shaping middle leadership practices and identify a lack of research conducted outside Anglo–American societies. This gap in the literature suggests the need for the increased study of middle leadership in different national settings and systems and how these influence the practice and enactment of middle leaders around instruction. There is also a need to employ a greater range of methodologies to understand middle leaders' instructional roles.
Research limitations/implications
The paper lays a foundation for the future development of middle leadership for instruction and highlights signposts to guide future inquiry.
Originality/value
The paper contributes to the middle leader knowledge base by focussing on their enactment of instructional leadership.
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E. Hoult and W. Alexander Mills
Explosions Some five years ago a serious explosion took place from a vertical boiler in Middlesbrough with fatal injury to personnel. A month later, a similar explosion occurred…
Abstract
Explosions Some five years ago a serious explosion took place from a vertical boiler in Middlesbrough with fatal injury to personnel. A month later, a similar explosion occurred in Aberdeen, again with fatal consequences. The circumstances in connection with these explosions were investigated by the Ministry of Transport and several facts came to light:
The paper seeks to propose the adoption of an alternative metaphor to that of the “journey”, currently the most pervasive characterisation for the student's experience of doctoral…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper seeks to propose the adoption of an alternative metaphor to that of the “journey”, currently the most pervasive characterisation for the student's experience of doctoral education.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper adopts a conceptual and rhetorical approach.
Findings
The paper offers a critique of the journey metaphor as a characterisation of the student's doctoral experience and proposes instead the metaphor of the Quest, a cultural and literary form found in most societies. It argues that the six elements of the Quest identified by W.H. Auden resonate with the contemporary doctoral experience and emphasise the uncertainty involved in research rather than the linearity implied by the journey metaphor.
Social implications
The paper argues that the quest metaphor offers a cross‐cultural basis for both staff and student development activities through which sense can be made of the research experience, student concerns can be surfaced, and potentially difficult issues raised for discussion in an unthreatening way.
Originality/value
The paper is the first to apply the quest as a metaphor for the student's doctoral experience and offers a new way of interrogating that experience which will be of use to those involved in supporting research students.
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Kim Brown, Lara Sanderson, Rachel Spronken-Smith and Claire Cameron
This paper aims to understand the experiences of disabled doctoral students at one Aotearoa New Zealand University, identifying barriers to accessibility and meaningful…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to understand the experiences of disabled doctoral students at one Aotearoa New Zealand University, identifying barriers to accessibility and meaningful participation, and enabling practices.
Design/methodology/approach
This research was underpinned by the social model of disability and used an explanatory sequential mixed methods approach. A survey comprising closed and freeform questions was distributed to all doctoral students. From the 64 respondents, 12 also took part in an unstructured, narrative interview. Data were analysed using a combination of methods: descriptive statistics, thematic analysis and poetic inquiry.
Findings
Findings are presented mainly as data poetry. The poems centre on complexities faced by disabled doctoral students, and articulate challenges, enabling practices and possibilities for the future encountered by students in this study. Findings are additionally supported with quotes from narrative interviews, open-ended survey questions and descriptive data analysis.
Originality/value
The poetic inquiry approach gives voice to the collective experiences of disabled students. The poetic texts bear witness to the intersections of disability, impairment, chronic illness, neurodiversity and doctoral study, and the lives of students who navigate these intersections. These poems voice and seek to be lightning-rods for social change.
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Disasters can result from corrosion of some vital part of boilers and pressure vessels. Periodic examination by qualified inspectors ensures that risks are minimised. Such…
Abstract
Disasters can result from corrosion of some vital part of boilers and pressure vessels. Periodic examination by qualified inspectors ensures that risks are minimised. Such examination is carried out by engineering insurance offices whose accumulated experience is invaluable. Nevertheless, disasters do occur, which only underlines the necessity for thorough and regular inspection.
Yuepeng Zhang, Guangzhong Cao, Linglong Li and Dongfeng Diao
The purpose of this paper is to design a new trajectory error compensation method to improve the trajectory tracking performance and compliance of the knee exoskeleton in…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to design a new trajectory error compensation method to improve the trajectory tracking performance and compliance of the knee exoskeleton in human–exoskeleton interaction motion.
Design/methodology/approach
A trajectory error compensation method based on admittance-extended Kalman filter (AEKF) error fusion for human–exoskeleton interaction control. The admittance controller is used to calculate the trajectory error adjustment through the feedback human–exoskeleton interaction force, and the actual trajectory error is obtained through the encoder feedback of exoskeleton and the designed trajectory. By using the fusion and prediction characteristics of EKF, the calculated trajectory error adjustment and the actual error are fused to obtain a new trajectory error compensation, which is feedback to the knee exoskeleton controller. This method is designed to be capable of improving the trajectory tracking performance of the knee exoskeleton and enhancing the compliance of knee exoskeleton interaction.
Findings
Six volunteers conducted comparative experiments on four different motion frequencies. The experimental results show that this method can effectively improve the trajectory tracking performance and compliance of the knee exoskeleton in human–exoskeleton interaction.
Originality/value
The AEKF method first uses the data fusion idea to fuse the estimated error with measurement errors, obtaining more accurate trajectory error compensation for the knee exoskeleton motion control. This work provides great benefits for the trajectory tracking performance and compliance of lower limb exoskeletons in human–exoskeleton interaction movements.
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David E. Biegel, Elizabeth A.R. Robinson and Marilyn J. Kennedy
This paper examines the effects on families of a broad range of intervention programs designed to assist family caregivers of persons with mental illness. In so doing, the paper…
Abstract
This paper examines the effects on families of a broad range of intervention programs designed to assist family caregivers of persons with mental illness. In so doing, the paper critically discusses the intervention designs utilized, similarities and differences in intervention modalities, the characteristics of study subjects, and the effects of these intervention programs on a variety of caregiver outcomes. The paper addresses the degree to which particular interventions are more effective than others, and assesses the strengths, weaknesses, and limitations of these intervention studies. Implications for future practice, policy, and research are presented.
Sheila Corrall and James O'Brien
Legal information work has expanded with the growth in knowledge management and emergence of a new type of knowledge/information manager, the professional support lawyer. This…
Abstract
Purpose
Legal information work has expanded with the growth in knowledge management and emergence of a new type of knowledge/information manager, the professional support lawyer. This study aims to investigate competency requirements for library‐based information work in UK law firms, including the specialist subject knowledge required, methods of development and the impact on information professionals of professional support lawyers.
Design/methodology/approach
The investigation used a pragmatic mixed‐methods approach, including a mainly quantitative questionnaire, administered online to 64 legal information professionals, followed by eight semi‐structured interviews and a focus group with four participants. A literature review informed the questionnaire design and contextualised the findings.
Findings
The survey confirmed a broad range of competency requirements and clarified the specific subject knowledge needed. Participants favoured a varied combination of formal, and informal learning. Most participants also wanted specialised professional education for the sector.
Research limitations/implications
The nature of the sample and use of categorised questions were limiting factors, partly compensated by inviting open‐ended comments and follow‐up interviews. A larger study using qualitative methods with professional support lawyers and fee‐earners would provide a fuller more rounded picture.
Practical implications
The findings indicate that the subject knowledge needed for legal information work in law firms is more extensive than for other sectors and suggest that information science departments should strengthen and extend curriculum content to reflect this need.
Originality/value
The study has advanced the understanding of the competency, education and training needs of UK legal information professionals, challenging assumptions about academic/professional qualifications and illuminating the blend of competencies needed.
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Hazel Kershaw-Solomon, Nick Beech, Jeff Gold, Julia Claxton, Tricia Auty and Susan Beech
The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact competency frameworks as standardisation can have on the employee engagement of academic staff within higher education (HE…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact competency frameworks as standardisation can have on the employee engagement of academic staff within higher education (HE) through their employment as managerial tools.
Design/methodology/approach
A literature review is conducted from which the conditions for effective competency frameworks are evaluated and the influence of changes in the HE environment in the form of political agendas and tight resources are explored.
Findings
This paper provides insights into the dynamics of public service modernisation and the tensions between the dominant discourse of managerialism and the degree of agency afforded to professional academics. It highlights the relevance of informal peer relationships in setting the climate to generate collegial bonding and professional engagement that underpin successful teacher fellowship accreditations. It further highlights the key role managers play in this process and provides a conceptual framework highlighting the dynamics and combined effect of employee engagement and competency frameworks set within complex HE environment.
Practical implications
This paper brings together the prerequisites for effective implementation of competency frameworks to implement successful employee engagement strategies set within the complexities of the HE context, which has not been studied to date. Armed with such insights, Human Resource Development (HRD) departments and universities can implement competency assessments that generate greater staff engagement.
Originality/value
The paper provides a critical approach in reviewing the impact of Continued Professional Development and its link to professional status and thus helps British Universities and others to understand how the mechanisms at work affect engagement levels of academic staff. Armed with this depth of understanding of how the change initiative works, with whom and under what circumstances, universities will be better able to meet target UK Professional Standards Framework membership levels required by the higher education academy (HEA) and, subsequently, the HEA to meet their targets for the government.
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In response to increasing competition for consumer attention, sport governing bodies have innovated short-format, action-oriented versions of traditional sports to attract new…
Abstract
Purpose
In response to increasing competition for consumer attention, sport governing bodies have innovated short-format, action-oriented versions of traditional sports to attract new fans. This article explores how sport governing bodies (SGBs) manage the need for innovations to both conform to existing stakeholder expectations whilst offering novel benefits in comparison to competition (i.e. legitimate distinctiveness).
Design/methodology/approach
Created by the English Cricket Board (ECB), The Hundred competition was used as a case study to explore the conformity-differentiation tension through a legitimacy lens using document and media analysis.
Findings
Seven themes were created to explain how the ECB managed legitimacy tensions: rule modification, team creation, scheduling, game-day experience, broadcasting, gender equity and sponsorship. In each theme, differentiation and conformity were traded-off by the ECB to prioritise pragmatic legitimacy with broadcasters and sponsors.
Practical implications
For sport management professionals, the Hundred demonstrates the commercial value of differentiating new sporting events from competitors via hybrid broadcasting partnerships, embedded gender equity and designing game-day experiences that attract hard-to-reach consumer demographics.
Originality/value
SGBs must trade-off legitimacy between sources when innovating to survive, and when faced with conflicting expectations, commercial imperatives determined whether to conform or differentiate.