Lauren J. Davenport, Amanda F. Allisey, Kathryn M. Page, Anthony D. LaMontagne and Nicola J. Reavley
Benefits of positive mental health have been demonstrated across work and non-work domains. Individuals reporting positive mental health experience better work performance, better…
Abstract
Purpose
Benefits of positive mental health have been demonstrated across work and non-work domains. Individuals reporting positive mental health experience better work performance, better social relationships and better physical health. Additionally, positive work environments can contribute to employee mental health. The purpose of this paper is to develop “expert” consensus regarding practical, actionable strategies that organisations can implement to promote positive mental health in the workplace.
Design/methodology/approach
A Delphi consensus method was used to establish expert consensus on strategies to promote positive workplace mental health. A 278-item questionnaire was developed and strategies were rated over three survey rounds by two panels comprising 36 workplace mental health practitioners and 36 employer representatives and employees (27 and 9, respectively), employees with experience of promoting positive mental health and well-being in the workplace (total – 72 panellists).
Findings
In total, 220/278 strategies were rated as essential or important by at least 80 per cent of both panels. Endorsed strategies covered the topics of: mental health and well-being strategy, work environment that promotes positive mental health, positive leadership styles, effective communication, designing jobs for positive mental health, recruitment and selection, supporting and developing employees, work-life balance, and positive mental health and well-being initiatives.
Originality/value
The guidelines arising from this study represent expert consensus on what is currently appropriate for promoting positive mental health at work from the perspectives of workplace mental health practitioners, employers and employees, and constitute a resource for translating the growing body of knowledge in this area into policy and practice.
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Charmine E.J. Härtel and Kathryn M. Page
The purpose of this paper is to provide theoretical and practical insight into the process of crossover with the proposition that affect intensity is an important explanatory…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide theoretical and practical insight into the process of crossover with the proposition that affect intensity is an important explanatory mechanism of crossover.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper provides an empirical and conceptual overview of the construct of crossover, and addresses key gaps in the literature by proposing a process of discrete emotional crossover. It is proposed that individual differences in affect intensity may moderate and/or explain the crossover of discrete emotions in the workplace.
Findings
This paper responds to the call of various researchers within the crossover field by putting forth a unique explanation for the occurrence of crossover. This explanation draws significantly on emotions theory and research.
Originality/value
This paper is unique in its presentation of affect intensity as a moderator of the crossover process and in its discussion of the crossover of discrete emotions such as joy and fear rather than the crossover of emotional or psychological states.
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Kathryn Goldman Schuyler, with Margaret Wheatley, Otto Scharmer, Ed Schein, Robert E. Quinn, and Peter Senge
Bonnie Brubaker Imler, Kathryn Rebecca Garcia and Nina Clements
The purpose of this study is to investigate user reaction to pop-up chat widgets for possible use as a promoter of online reference services in libraries.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to investigate user reaction to pop-up chat widgets for possible use as a promoter of online reference services in libraries.
Design/methodology/approach
Librarians at three different campuses of the Pennsylvania State University interviewed ten students at each campus. Librarians used a script to ask students to respond to various library websites and the potential utility of a pop-up widget. Students also responded to a sample chat widget and were asked to evaluate the timing of its appearance on the page.
Findings
All participants indicated on a timeline their preferred time for a pop-up to appear on a web page. Only 16 per cent of study participants had used the “Ask a Librarian” reference service from its current access point as a linked button on the libraries’ web pages. However, 83 per cent indicated that they would be more likely to use the Ask service if the widget appeared on the screen.
Originality/value
This research is unique, as there are no other studies in the library literature that explore pop-up chat widgets.
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Melissa Braaten, Chris Bradford, Kathryn L. Kirchgasler and Sadie Fox Barocas
When school leaders advance strategic plans focused on improving educational equity through data-driven decision making, how do policies-as-practiced unfold in the daily work of…
Abstract
Purpose
When school leaders advance strategic plans focused on improving educational equity through data-driven decision making, how do policies-as-practiced unfold in the daily work of science teachers? The paper aims to discuss this issue.
Design/methodology/approach
This ethnographic study examines how data-centric accountability and improvement efforts surface as practices for 36 science teachers in three secondary schools. For two years, researchers were embedded in schools alongside teachers moving through daily classroom practice, meetings with colleagues and leaders, data-centric meetings, and professional development days.
Findings
Bundled initiatives created consequences for science educators including missed opportunities to capitalize on student-generated ideas, to foster science sensemaking, and to pursue meaningful and equitable science learning. Problematic policy-practice intersections arose, in part, because of school leaders’ framing of district and school initiatives in ways that undermined equity in science education.
Practical implications
From the perspective of science education, this paper raises an alarming problem for equitable science teaching. Lessons learned from missteps seen in this study have practical implications for others attempting similar work. The paper suggests alternatives for supporting meaningful and equitable science education.
Originality/value
Seeing leaders’ framing of policy initiatives, their bundling of performance goals, equity and accountability efforts, and their instructional coaching activities from the point of view of teachers affords unique insight into how leadership activities mediate policies in schools.
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Lea M. McGee and Kathryn S. Nelson
Purpose – To provide classroom teachers with an understanding of how children’s errors in reading provide evidence of sources of information that children draw upon to solve…
Abstract
Purpose – To provide classroom teachers with an understanding of how children’s errors in reading provide evidence of sources of information that children draw upon to solve problems and monitor their reading.Design/methodology/approach – This chapter provides a theoretical discussion of sources of information found in text and their use during reading followed by examples from two case study children.Findings – One of the case study children primarily relies on meaning and syntax and ignores visual/print information. The other case study child relies primarily on visual/print information and ignores meaning and syntax.Research limitations/implications – Only two case study children are examined and only at the very beginning stages of reading in first grade.Practical implications – The decisions made by the teacher used in the examples provide valuable suggestions for classroom teachers who have a range of different readers in their classrooms.Originality/value of chapter – Teachers need information about how to shape children’s reading behaviors as they read text, solve problems during reading, and monitor their attempts.
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Kathryn E. Eccles, Mike Thelwall and Eric T. Meyer
Webometric studies, using hyperlinks between websites as the basic data type, have been used to assess academic networks, the “impact factor” of academic communications and to…
Abstract
Purpose
Webometric studies, using hyperlinks between websites as the basic data type, have been used to assess academic networks, the “impact factor” of academic communications and to analyse the impact of online digital libraries, and the impact of digital scholarly images. This study aims to be the first to use these methods to trace the impact, or success, of digitised scholarly resources in the Humanities. Running alongside a number of other methods of measuring impact online, the webometric study described here also aims to assess whether it is possible to measure a resource's impact using webometric analysis.
Design/methodology/approach
Link data were collected for five target project sites and a range of comparator sites.
Findings
The results show that digitised resources online can leave traces that can be identified and used to assess their impact. Where digitised resources are situated on shifting URLs, or amalgamated into larger online resources, their impact is difficult to measure with these methods, however.
Originality/value
This study is the first to use webometric methods to probe the impact of digitised scholarly resources in the Humanities.
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Kathryn M. Obenchain, Bob Ives and Launie Gardner
This study examines one social studies teacher’s experience developing and implementing an Experiential Education-based (EE) curriculum and her reflection on the experience of…
Abstract
This study examines one social studies teacher’s experience developing and implementing an Experiential Education-based (EE) curriculum and her reflection on the experience of putting theory and research into practice. Using a qualitative case study research strategy, we focused on the single case of the teacher’s experience. We identified four categories related to the implementation of EE elements into her classes: (a) teacher’s values, (b) students’ values, (c) teacher directedness versus student directedness, and (d) accountability. We used the teacher’s values as the central category for our discussion to explore how these values conflicted and coordinated with manifestations of the other categories. Through this study, we learned more about the importance of teachers as researchers and the value of university and school collaboration. However, the critical result was the disconnect between what is valued by the teacher and what is assessed and the need for a continued examination of this issue.