Educational organizations confront a number of failures along with successful practices. Although a potential learning source for organizations, failures encountered are not…
Abstract
Purpose
Educational organizations confront a number of failures along with successful practices. Although a potential learning source for organizations, failures encountered are not normally welcomed and utilized to improve future practices. However, the existing literature emphasizes that individuals and organizations can learn a lot from their failure by adopting a pragmatic understanding toward the concept of failure and implementing a learning-from-failure (LFF) approach in their practices. Drawing on these assumptions, the purpose of this study is to explore how school principals identify educational failures and implement an LFF approach in their managerial practices.
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopted a qualitative research paradigm. The research was conducted in a middle-sized city in Turkey. The data for the study came from individual semi-structured interviews conducted with 12 school principals. The interview data were coded and analyzed using a conceptual coding framework.
Findings
Findings indicated that school principals’ definitions of failure are classified as learning related and nonlearning related. Failures were generally considered to be a learning opportunity rather than a complete loss, although principals’ identification of important examples of failure varied across school levels. In operating an LFF approach at schools, certain limitations existed such as a lack of institutional policy and professional skills, heavy workload and limited autonomy.
Originality/value
This study attempted to explore domains of educational failures and the application of an LFF approach at educational organizations. The LFF approach has previously been studied and discussed in business organizations. This study applied the concept to the education field.
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Mehmet Karakus, Mustafa Toprak, Omer Caliskan and Megan Crawford
This study aims to examine the role of teachers’ emotional intelligence (EI) and emotional labour (EL) strategies in their affective and physical well-being.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to examine the role of teachers’ emotional intelligence (EI) and emotional labour (EL) strategies in their affective and physical well-being.
Design/methodology/approach
The quantitative data were collected from 436 primary school teachers. Likert-type scales were used to measure the variables. Confirmatory factor analyses were performed for the construct validity of the scales, and path analysis was used to test the hypothesised model.
Findings
The final structural equation model suggests that teachers' EI levels and display of appropriate EL strategies significantly reduce their stress, anxiety, burnout and psychosomatic complaints (PSCs). The final model shows that the deep acting strategy, which includes more adaptive emotion regulation strategies, improves teachers’ affective and physical well-being, while the surface acting strategy has a detrimental effect on their well-being.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first in the literature to highlight the importance of school teachers’ EI and EL strategies in managing stress, anxiety, burnout (affective well-being),and alleviating PSCs (physical well-being) within a single structural equation model. The findings have implications for educational leaders in fostering teachers’ emotional competencies and resources.
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Yasar Kondakci, Merve Zayim Kurtay and Omer Caliskan
Drawing on and theorizing continuous change, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the antecedents of continuous change behavior in schools. Relying on conceptual…
Abstract
Purpose
Drawing on and theorizing continuous change, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the antecedents of continuous change behavior in schools. Relying on conceptual discussions about organizational change (OC), three sets of variables including context (workload, participatory management, trust), process (knowledge sharing, social interaction) and outcome (job satisfaction) were identified as antecedents of continuous change.
Design/methodology/approach
To test the predictive value of the antecedents for continuous change, a correlational study was design and structural equation modeling was used to test the direct and indirect relationships among study variables. The data were collected from a sample of 648 primary and secondary public school teachers.
Findings
The results showed that context, outcome, and process factors function through direct and indirect paths to contribute to the prediction of continuous change behavior. Moreover, knowledge sharing either directly or indirectly played a central role in the prediction of continuous change behavior.
Research limitations/implications
These results suggested that a widened knowledge base provides the basis for ongoing experimentation with, alteration, and modification of work categories in schools. Providing such factors in schools seems to facilitate the ongoing improvement of work practices in schools, even in the absence of a planned change intervention.
Originality/value
This study is one of the first empirical studies tested the predictive value of antecedents of continuous change in school organizational context, where OC is the norm and change failures are very common.
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Omer Caliskan and Karri Holley
The growing demand for doctoral education and the role of the doctoral degree to advance nations socially, economically, and culturally forces countries and individual…
Abstract
Purpose
The growing demand for doctoral education and the role of the doctoral degree to advance nations socially, economically, and culturally forces countries and individual institutions to respond to concerns stemming from the doctoral process. Numerous initiatives to support doctoral students have been adopted with varying features across countries. The purpose of this paper is to examine doctoral student support programs in two countries: the USA and Turkey. These countries offer higher education systems at different stages of maturity and stability.
Design/methodology/approach
The data for this study came from a comparative case study analysis of doctoral student experiences in support programs at two research universities, one in the USA and one in Turkey. Ten American doctoral students and eight Turkish doctoral students were interviewed, for a total of 18 interviews. The study utilized the conceptual framework specified by the PhD Completion Project initiated by the US Council of Graduate Schools.
Findings
The two national systems featured in this study are at different points of their development. These developmental starting points influence the rationale and construction of a student support program, particularly one focused on advanced degrees, research activity, and knowledge production. The Turkish higher education system faces the challenge of building its infrastructure to be responsive to national needs in future decades, including producing qualified faculty as teachers and researchers. The American model of doctoral student support concentrates on increasing diversity within the academy. By focusing on first-generation students, students of color, and women in STEM disciplines, efforts are directed toward not just improving the quantity of graduates, but also the diversity of those graduates.
Originality/value
While doctoral student support programs are increasingly common in multiple national contexts, analyses of these programs are rare, and comparative analyses even more so. The emergence of new academic disciplines, the trend toward interdisciplinary research, and the prevalence of neo-liberal policies has made the doctoral experience increasingly complex. The data presented here reveal that while doctoral education is influenced by country-specific contexts, doctoral students from multiple countries share many of the same experiences.
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The study seeks to understand the experiences and perceptions of the university youth regarding the democratic atmosphere of a public university located in Turkey. To this end…
Abstract
The study seeks to understand the experiences and perceptions of the university youth regarding the democratic atmosphere of a public university located in Turkey. To this end, the objective of this research is twofold: (1) to investigate university students’ level of civic engagement regarding student activism, exercising rights, and interest in politics; and (2) to explore students’ perception of their university environment regarding the promotion of tolerance, respect for ideas, and participation in decision-making. This study was carried out at a public university located in the middle of Turkey. A mixed-method approach was employed, including both qualitative and quantitative data. A total of 332 undergraduate students participated in the quantitative part while 14 undergraduate students were interviewed in the qualitative part of the study. In quantitative data collection, two self-developed scales were used: Civic Engagement Scale and Perceptions of Democratic University Environment Scale. The results of the data analysis indicated that students’ overall civic engagement level was below the average level. In particular, the level of students’ activism was significantly lower than that of students’ interest in politics and exercising rights, respectively. In addition, the level of students’ interest in politics was significantly lower than that of students’ exercising rights. With respect to the students’ perception of democratic university environment, the data revealed that students’ overall perception of the university environment was slightly above average level. Specifically, the students’ perception of university environment regarding respect for ideas was significantly higher than that of university environment regarding participation in decision-making.
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Enakshi Sengupta and Patrick Blessinger
Academic freedom has been the topic of debate and discussion since the concept evolved in academia. It has been a controversial topic that has different dimensions and explores…
Abstract
Academic freedom has been the topic of debate and discussion since the concept evolved in academia. It has been a controversial topic that has different dimensions and explores the significance of this concept with relation to knowledge development and enhancement of student’s progress. Academic freedom expects faculty members to submit their ideas and research results to rigorous peer review and to experts who excel in the subject matter. The current debate surrounding the topic lacks clarity and has taken a different shape in different countries. In some countries, it has assumed the role of individual freedom, in some the collegial and institutional freedom, and in others it respects the freedom of students. Apart from teaching–learning, it is the freedom to conduct research and explore new avenues of knowledge. In this book, the concept of academic freedom is examined in the lights of globalization and challenges it poses to the development of higher education. We have seen that in recent years the concept of academic freedom has been threatened and some academics expressing their right of academic freedom were fired from their academic position, and in some cases, were imprisoned. Such case studies where academic freedom was silenced have been highlighted in this book. Authors have tried to explore how the concept has been balanced with transparency and accountability and what role did racial and gender biases played in pairing with rights and responsibilities. Case studies from Turkey, Iraq, Pakistan and Hungary have been presented along with other interventions and programs meant to support and uphold academic freedom.
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Amanpreet Kaur and Balwinder Singh
The purpose of this study is to examine the existence of bi-directional relation between corporate reputation and financial performance in developing nation like India.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine the existence of bi-directional relation between corporate reputation and financial performance in developing nation like India.
Design/methodology/approach
The study conducts panel regression analysis on data collected from annual reports of Indian companies constituting BSE 500 index over a period of 10 years (1 April, 2002 to 31 March, 2012).
Findings
The results of the study point towards the existence of strong positive bi-directional liaison between reputation and performance in India, thereby confirming the presence of “vicious circle” in context of emerging economy like India. The results are in line with the findings of Roberts and Dowling (2002) and Eberl and Schwaiger (2005), who asserted existence of reputational “vicious circle” in developed nations.
Research limitations/implications
The current study measures the performance of companies through accounting-based measures only. However, incorporating market-based measures could have provided better insights into the relationship between corporate reputation and financial performance. The period of study pertains to the pre-mandatory regime, wherein changes brought about by the enactment of companies act, 2013 is out of the scope of the present research.
Practical implications
It is argued that in actual practice managers should realise the ingenuity of intangible resources and incorporate them into their strategical plans. It is high time that corporate managers of developing nations give impetus to reputation building activities and uphold a good reputation to improve their financial outcomes. Thus, where good financial performance seems indispensable to build a good reputation, at the same time having the resource (good reputation) is not sufficient, its nurturing, management and effective use is all the more crucial if it is to improve financial performance.
Originality/value
There exists hardly any study comprehensively examining the relationship between corporate reputation and financial performance in the Indian context. This is the first known study to empirically test the lag relation between corporate reputation and financial performance in the Indian market. The study is unique as it follows a different approach in measuring corporate reputation. It is the first longitudinal study to analyse the bi-directional reputation-performance liaison in an emerging economy like India.
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Usage of gas turbine engines has increased by day due to rising demand for military and civil applications. This case results in investigating diverse topics related to energy…
Abstract
Purpose
Usage of gas turbine engines has increased by day due to rising demand for military and civil applications. This case results in investigating diverse topics related to energy efficiency and irreversibility of these systems. The purpose of this paper is to perform a detailed entropy assessment of turbojet engines for different flight conditions.
Design/methodology/approach
In this study, for small turbojet engines used in unmanned aerial vehicles, parametric cycle analysis is carried out at (sea level-zero Mach (hereinafter phase-I)) and (altitude of 9,000 m- Mach of 0.7 (hereinafter phase-II)). Based on this analysis, variation of performance and thermodynamic parameters with respect to change in isentropic efficiency of the compressor (CIE) and turbine (TIE) is examined at both phases. In this context, the examined ranges for CIE is between 0.78 and 0.88 whereas TIE is between 0.85 and 0.95.
Findings
Increasing isentropic efficiency decreases entropy production of the small turbojet engine. Moreover, the highest entropy production occurs in the combustor in the comparison of other components. Namely, it decreases from 2.81 to 2.69 kW/K at phase-I and decreases from 1.44 to 1.39 kW/K at phase-II owing to rising CIE.
Practical implications
It is thought that this study helps in understanding the relationship between entropy production and the efficiency of components. Namely, the approach used in the current analysis could help decision-makers or designers to determine the optimum value of design variables.
Originality/value
Due to rising isentropic efficiencies of both components, it is observed that specific fuel consumption (SFC) decreases whereas specific thrust (ST) increases. Also, the isentropic efficiency of a compressor affects relatively SFC and ST higher than that of the turbine.