Working in the academy can be both challenging and exciting as it can be trying and difficult to negotiate if one is unprepared. Past research has acknowledged the importance of…
Abstract
Purpose
Working in the academy can be both challenging and exciting as it can be trying and difficult to negotiate if one is unprepared. Past research has acknowledged the importance of reflective practice in order to face such trials positively. This study utilises arts-based/multimodal reflection to contemplate the lived experience of one early career researcher in her first five years of employment. Adopting an arts-based approach, the researcher regularly reflected via the medium of collage. The purpose of this paper is to report on recollaged artefacts that are analysed in relation to meta-semiotic meanings as well as how they correspond to Schwab’s “lines of flight”, revealing both positive and negative acuities. Findings show that taking the time to delineate feelings via arts-based reflection can illuminate silent thoughts and deliberations and support an early career academic in appreciating and improving awareness of higher education regularities. Implications highlight how recollage can be an effective tool for the self-care of early career academics.
Design/methodology/approach
Adopting an arts-based approach, the researcher regularly reflected via the medium of collage. This paper reports on recollaged artefacts. These were analysed in relation to meta-semiotic meanings as well as how they corresponded to Schwab’s “lines of flight”, taking both positive and negative acuities.
Findings
Findings showed that taking the time to delineate feelings via arts-based reflection can reveal silent thoughts and deliberations and support an early career academic in appreciating and improving awareness of higher education regularities as well as self-care.
Research limitations/implications
Implications highlight how recollage can be effective for early career academics in reflecting on their everyday work and improve self-care.
Practical implications
Practical implications include the fact that readers will be able to adopt the arts-based methods used in this paper in order for them to reflect on their everyday work in the academy. The recollaged practice will improve their self-care and allow time to reflect effectively and creatively.
Social implications
Social implications include that colleagues could do recollaged practice together. Reflection done collaboratively can also improve self-care and well-being for those working in the academy.
Originality/value
Recollage is a new method of autoethnography the author has developed for the purpose of reflecting on my journey as an early career researcher. Now, in leadership roles, this approach has allowed the author to move forward positively in the academy.
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Georgina Barton, Stewart Riddle and Nathan Lowien
Faced with increasing systemic constraints and pressures, secondary school English teachers often implement transactional approaches to pedagogy and curriculum aimed at improving…
Abstract
Purpose
Faced with increasing systemic constraints and pressures, secondary school English teachers often implement transactional approaches to pedagogy and curriculum aimed at improving student results on external exams, which are then used to rank schools. Despite the pressure to teach this way, teachers acknowledge the power of literature, literacy and language in the English curriculum as vehicles for educating students to be critical readers of texts for a democratic society. As such, the purpose of this paper is to share perspectives of secondary English teachers in relation to the democratic potential of their subject.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a qualitative case study method, this paper shares data from six Australian secondary school English teachers who work in culturally diverse schools. Teachers were interviewed about their perspectives regarding how the Australian English curriculum enabled and/or constrained the teaching of critical and creative thinking in support of a democratic society.
Findings
Using Marri’s model of multicultural democratic education, interview data were deductively analyzed to identify elements of the model, including critical pedagogies, disciplinary content and community building. Teachers were concerned that building critical literacy skills was minimized by the system and students’ personal dispositions.
Originality/value
The English teachers in this study held a strong belief that the subject of English could emancipate students, although they felt it might be “the last bastion” for a democratic education.
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Georgina Barton and Anh Hai Le
Employee satisfaction is critical in any workplace. Research suggests that the environment that people work in can contribute greatly to levels of satisfaction as well as…
Abstract
Purpose
Employee satisfaction is critical in any workplace. Research suggests that the environment that people work in can contribute greatly to levels of satisfaction as well as productivity. Limited research exists, however, on how the aesthetics of a workplace impact both employee satisfaction and well-being. This paper aims to identify whether the aesthetics in a workplace environment at one university influences employee satisfaction and well-being.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper shares data from a survey that determined whether the workplace environment at one university in Queensland, Australia supports its workers’ job satisfaction and well-being. The survey was distributed amongst all staff at three campuses with a total of 73 usable responses.
Findings
Findings showed that there is a strong need for an aesthetically pleasing workplace and its positive impacts on employees. In addition, an aesthetically pleasing workplace was perceived to have a positive impact on the respondents’ likelihood of spending more time at work, hence, a greater sense of satisfaction. The respondents indicated a moderate level of satisfaction with the aesthetics of their workspace and environment including feeling safe.
Research limitations/implications
Implications show that further improvements could be attained in the workplace through the addition of natural lighting, plants and artwork. The employees also indicated they would like more control over the aesthetics of the work environment.
Originality/value
This research is original as it was not known whether aesthetics in the workplace influenced worker satisfaction and/or well-being.
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Yasir Latif, Neil Harrison, Hye-Eun Chu, Ashish Malik and Mai Nguyen
This study aims to investigate international students’ experiences through a lens of knowledge management perspective, emphasizing their strategies for knowledge management in…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate international students’ experiences through a lens of knowledge management perspective, emphasizing their strategies for knowledge management in tandem with cultural adaptation. The primary objective is to elucidate how international students navigate cultural differences and use knowledge management strategies to augment their learning and integration, thereby supporting their academic progress in a new academic environment.
Design/methodology/approach
An in-depth qualitative research strategy was used, using semistructured interviews with Pakistani doctoral students who were studying in Australia. A thematic analysis was conducted to identify recurring themes and patterns in the data.
Findings
The findings reveal that international students adeptly adopt various knowledge management strategies to facilitate cultural adaptation. These strategies encompass embracing otherness through a sense of belonging, engaging in both personal and shared learning experiences, achieving individual success, and using critical inquiry as a guiding framework for observations. Notably, this study underscores the pivotal role played by cultural competence in conjunction with social networks, influencing cultural intelligence and, subsequently, impacting knowledge sharing and integration for academic progress.
Practical implications
This study’s findings provide practical insights for higher education institutions and policymakers, emphasizing the importance of supporting international students in their cultural adaptation and knowledge management endeavors. These practical implications encompass fostering a welcoming and inclusive environment, supporting intercultural engagement, using technology for enhanced learning and communication and promoting the development of cultural intelligence among international students.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the literature on international student experiences and knowledge management by providing insights into the strategies used by international students to navigate knowledge of cultural differences to enhance their learning experiences and advance academic progress. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the intersection between cultural adaptation and core knowledge management concepts of knowledge sharing and integration in the context of higher education.
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This article describes a study examining the influence of a curricular intervention on 25 third-graders' stereotypes and biases related to world cultures and the people who embody…
Abstract
Purpose
This article describes a study examining the influence of a curricular intervention on 25 third-graders' stereotypes and biases related to world cultures and the people who embody them.
Design/methodology/approach
The qualitative study focused on privileging student voice through an inductive analytical approach. Triangulated data sources include focus group and paired interviews, recorded lessons, student and teacher curricular documents, as well as field notes.
Findings
Results—primarily reported through the children's own thoughts and voices—describe students' initial ideas about world cultures and people prior to experiencing the curriculum, and afterward, documenting shifts in stereotypical beliefs and biased attitudes. Findings indicate many students made positive changes, altering incorrect assumptions about other cultures and people. In addition, some children became able to recognize stereotypes and biases, generalize what they learned to other situations beyond those addressed in the curriculum and identify their own bias.
Originality/value
This study provides insight into an understudied topic and population in social studies education. It presents evidence that young children are capable of successfully engaging with the complex topics of bias and stereotypes in meaningful ways, thus providing a rationale for addressing stereotypes and bias concerning world cultures in elementary classrooms.
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Christine Cooper and Joanne Johnston
The purpose of this paper is to critically reflect upon the use of the term accountability in the twenty‐first century and its role in “remaking the world in favour of the most…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to critically reflect upon the use of the term accountability in the twenty‐first century and its role in “remaking the world in favour of the most powerful” using the theories of Pierre Bourdieu and Jacques Lacan.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper examines the notion of accountability by analyzing a case study of the hostile takeover of Manchester United Football Club by the Glazer family. The field of football presents an interesting arena in which to study accountability because of its extremely interested and active fans who search for information on every aspect of their clubs. Lacanian theory is drawn upon to add to understanding of the psychopathology which the demands for accountability and transparency place on individuals. Bourdieu's work on illusio is drawn upon to understand the motivations of the field of football.
Findings
The paper finds that calls to “hold the most powerful to account” in practice lack political force. Thus the case study demonstrates the common (mis)recognition of the term of accountability. The ability to correct the abuses of the most powerful requires power.
Originality/value
The conflation of Bourdieu and Lacan adds to understanding of accountability as an empty cipher with performative power.