Junie Ong, Kinjal Doshi, Keng Hao Chew, June H.M. Tay and Jonathan Jon-Chung Foo
Teaching is a demanding profession with educators often experiencing high levels of stress, leading to burnout and associated negative outcomes such as diminished job satisfaction…
Abstract
Purpose
Teaching is a demanding profession with educators often experiencing high levels of stress, leading to burnout and associated negative outcomes such as diminished job satisfaction and compromised health. Enhancing social and emotional competence through mindfulness practices has shown promise in mitigating these effects. However, the demanding schedules of teachers often impede regular mindfulness practice. Virtual reality (VR) technology offers a novel solution by providing an immersive environment conducive to mindfulness. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of VR-assisted mindfulness practices among educational professionals.
Design/methodology/approach
This study evaluated the effectiveness of VR-assisted mindfulness practices among 35 educational professionals. Participants, recruited via email, completed pre- and post-intervention surveys and engaged in a 10-min mindfulness session using an Oculus Go headset, which simulated a 360-degree forest environment accompanied by audio-guided practice.
Findings
The findings suggest that VR can be an effective tool for facilitating mindfulness among teachers, offering a more accessible and engaging way to practice. This study underscores the importance of the quality of the virtual environment and relevant audio cues in enhancing mindfulness experiences. However, limitations include the small sample size and single-session intervention. Future research should explore larger-scale studies, long-term effects and improvements in VR hardware to enhance comfort.
Originality/value
VR technology has the potential to serve as an effective adjunct to traditional mindfulness training, helping educators manage stress and prevent burnout. These insights contribute to the growing literature on VR-assisted therapies and provide a foundation for future research.
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Russel Poskitt and Peihong Yang
This study investigates the impact of the enhanced continuous disclosure regime introduced in December 2002 on several measures of information risk in NZX‐listed stocks. We employ…
Abstract
This study investigates the impact of the enhanced continuous disclosure regime introduced in December 2002 on several measures of information risk in NZX‐listed stocks. We employ two microstructure models and an intraday data set to measure information risk in a sample of 71 stocks. Our empirical results show that the reforms enacted in December 2002 had no significant effect on either the level of information‐based trading or the adverse selection component of market spreads in our sample of NZX‐listed stocks.
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WITH most of the exacting Tay test programme completed — the programme is in fact ahead of schedule by 200 running hours, equating to four months in terms of cycles completed with…
Abstract
WITH most of the exacting Tay test programme completed — the programme is in fact ahead of schedule by 200 running hours, equating to four months in terms of cycles completed with certification targeted for June 1986. More than 85 Gulfstream IV aircraft powered by the Tay engine have now been ordered and the Fokker 100 short to medium haul jet, also Tay powered, has been selected by Swissair, KLM Royal Dutch airlines and USAir, representing 38 firm orders and 31 options. The Fokker 100 is expected to fly in mid 1986.
Yaw A. Debrah and Ian G. Smith
Presents over sixty abstracts summarising the 1999 Employment Research Unit annual conference held at the University of Cardiff. Explores the multiple impacts of globalization on…
Abstract
Presents over sixty abstracts summarising the 1999 Employment Research Unit annual conference held at the University of Cardiff. Explores the multiple impacts of globalization on work and employment in contemporary organizations. Covers the human resource management implications of organizational responses to globalization. Examines the theoretical, methodological, empirical and comparative issues pertaining to competitiveness and the management of human resources, the impact of organisational strategies and international production on the workplace, the organization of labour markets, human resource development, cultural change in organisations, trade union responses, and trans‐national corporations. Cites many case studies showing how globalization has brought a lot of opportunities together with much change both to the employee and the employer. Considers the threats to existing cultures, structures and systems.
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Melissa G. Keith, Peter D. Harms and Alexander C. Long
Despite widespread interest in the gig economy, academic research on the topic has lagged behind. The present chapter applies organizational theory and research to compose a…
Abstract
Despite widespread interest in the gig economy, academic research on the topic has lagged behind. The present chapter applies organizational theory and research to compose a working model for understanding participation in the gig economy and how gig work may impact worker health and well-being. Drawing from past research this chapter defines the gig economy in all its diversity and advances a framework for understanding why individuals enter into gig economy. Next, the authors discuss how various characteristics of the gig economy and gig workers can be understood as both demands and resources that influence how gig work is likely to be experienced by the individual. To understand how these characteristics are likely to influence worker health and well-being, we draw from past research on alternative work arrangements and entrepreneurship, as well as the limited extant research on the gig economy. Finally, a research agenda is proposed to spur much needed research on the gig economy and its workers.
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The Professors of the Imperial College of Science and Technology have addressed to Lord Crewe, the Chairman of the Governors of the College, a memorial urging the necessity of the…
Abstract
The Professors of the Imperial College of Science and Technology have addressed to Lord Crewe, the Chairman of the Governors of the College, a memorial urging the necessity of the encouragement of science and of research. In commenting upon this document the Journal of Chemical Technology observes that “a satisfactory feature of the memorial is the recognition on the part of the signatories that scientific education should be on broad lines.” “We have always contended that an indispensable preliminary to a professional career should be a thoroughly sound general education. Whether or not the study of science is the best kind of study may be a debatable point, but it is certain that exclusive attention to science is thoroughly bad. A man's mind is narrow when he is unable to recognise the importance of things outside his own particular sphere of action, and it is precisely this state of mind that the exclusive study of science tends to produce. It is, therefore, the more necessary, in seeking to secure greater attention to scientific studies in the reform of our educational system, to take care that nothing be done which may curtail the period required for the acquisition of general knowledge. It is far better to delay than to hasten specialisation. A step in the right direction has been made when scientific men themselves state that they do not believe that “an education which includes good teaching of science need be a narrow education,” but we wish that this opinion had been positively rather than negatively expressed. The memorial refers to the “lethargy, misconception, and ignorance” of the public regarding national education. It is pertinent here to remark that when anything goes wrong and no particular individual or individuals can be held to be, or will acknowledge themselves to be, responsible, the “public” is blamed; the public being everybody with the exception of the denunciator and his friends. In the present instance the fault is not, even for the greater part, with the people. They are, naturally enough, interested in education only in so far as it is expressed in terms of school and college accounts and of wage‐earning capacity. Of the bearing that improvement in education and the advancement of physical science has on the welfare of the community the average man knows little and cares less. He has to be educated in the value of education. He is not, and probably never will be, interested in education as an abstract good. What interest he has in it is purely utilitarian. If he sees that the knowledge which he himself does not possess carries with it but doubtful prospects for the future, poor remuneration in the present and a social position little better than his own, he is unlikely to be impressed with the value of education. The fact is that there is a lamentable want of opportunity for the intellectual classes in this country and until this state of things is remedied the public will continue to display—and with every justification — “lethargy, misconception, and ignorance” in respect to national education.
THE twentieth Salon International de l'Aéronautique was held from June 26 to July 5, the stands being housed in a new permanent building at the south‐eastern extremity of the…
Abstract
THE twentieth Salon International de l'Aéronautique was held from June 26 to July 5, the stands being housed in a new permanent building at the south‐eastern extremity of the airport of le Bourget with the outside static aircraft part and runways nearby. Apart from being much more convenient for exhibitors and public, the new arrangement seems to coincide with a resurgence of confidence in the French aircraft industry. A number of interesting new prototypes were shown, and there are now more aircraft for which production orders have been placed, although usually only in moderate quantities.
Brad Hagen and Christopher Armstrong‐Esther
Despite the increasing evidence about the inappropriate use of medications by older people, there is very little published evidence about the control and monitoring of neuroleptic…
Abstract
Despite the increasing evidence about the inappropriate use of medications by older people, there is very little published evidence about the control and monitoring of neuroleptic drugs used in nursing homes. As others have indicated, this is all the more worrying when set in the context of the paucity of research on nursing home care and the trend to replace registered nurses with untrained care assistants. In the United States, legislation in the form of the Nursing Home Reform Act (OBRA 1987) was introduced, in part, to regulate the prescribing and administration of neuroleptic (antipsychotic) drugs. No such legislation exists in Canada or the United Kingdom. In the case of the latter jurisdiction, the recent Royal Commission on Long‐Term Care for older people (The Stationery Office, 1999) has recommended a national care commission to monitor care, and set assessment and quality benchmarks. In Canada this debate has not even begun, and the purpose of this paper is not to ignite controversy, but to raise questions about the use of these drugs with nursing home residents. Voluntary guidelines and education of physicians, nurses and care attendants would be infinitely better than legislation. In the meantime, we need research to address the following questions: For what reasons should these drugs be given to older people? Are these drugs being used appropriately? Is the risk of side‐effects too great with these drugs? Are the numbers and type of staff employed in nursing homes adequate/qualified to detect and report side‐effects? How well do these drugs manage the behaviours they are given to control? Are they being used as chemical restraints or to make the older person compliant? Are the so‐called ‘atypical’ neuroleptic drugs any better? What we offer in this article is background information that might encourage others to not only review their practice but also to address these questions.