In Australia as elsewhere, kindergarten or pre-school teachers’ work has almost escaped historians’ attention. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the lives and work of…
Abstract
Purpose
In Australia as elsewhere, kindergarten or pre-school teachers’ work has almost escaped historians’ attention. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the lives and work of approximately 60 women who graduated from the Adelaide Kindergarten Training College (KTC) between 1908 and 1917, which is during the leadership of its foundation principal, Lillian de Lissa.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is a feminist analysis and uses conventional archival sources.
Findings
The KTC was a site of higher education that offered middle class women an intellectual as well as practical education, focusing on liberal arts, progressive pedagogies and social reform. More than half of the graduates initially worked as teachers, their destinations reflecting the fragmented field of early childhood education. Whether married or single, many remained connected with progressive education and social reform, exercising their pedagogical and administrative skills in their workplaces, homes and civic activities. In so doing, they were not only leaders of children but also makers of society.
Originality/value
The paper highlights the links between the kindergarten movement and reforms in girls’ secondary and higher education, and repositions the KTC as site of intellectual education for women. In turn, KTC graduates committed to progressive education and social reform in the interwar years.
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Business Process Re‐engineering (BPR) appears to have had its 15 minutes of fame and is now viewed by many managers as an unqualified failure. It is important that managers…
Abstract
Business Process Re‐engineering (BPR) appears to have had its 15 minutes of fame and is now viewed by many managers as an unqualified failure. It is important that managers realize that every concept has some merit and that lessons can be learned even from a failure. This paper reviews the similarities that exist between BPR and Supply Chain Management (SCM). These similarities allow supply chain practitioners to obtain valuable lessons from the mistakes associated with BPR implementation. These lessons are reviewed and their application to SCM is explained.
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All societies in the modern world are troubled by crime, and the general public is equally fascinated by criminals and fearful of criminal behaviour. In the United Kingdom, events…
Abstract
All societies in the modern world are troubled by crime, and the general public is equally fascinated by criminals and fearful of criminal behaviour. In the United Kingdom, events such as the murders of Jack the Ripper, the Yorkshire Ripper and Harold Shipman, and the Soham tragedy, coupled with film and television programmes including Silence of the Lambs, Cracker and Crime Scene Investigation, have fuelled the public's consciousness of the criminal mind.In the fight against crime, the development of offender profiling by the FBI in the USA has further captured people's imagination. The technique was introduced to help law enforcement agencies solve serious crimes such as serial rape or murder, and to a lesser extent arson and property crime. At the heart of profiling lies the belief that by combining psychological principles with crime scene analysis, it is possible to identify the likely characteristics of a perpetrator.Although advances in crime detection are welcomed, the profiling field appears riddled with contradiction and disagreement. Social scientists argue that the discipline is unscientific due to methodologically weak research, while police officers appear sceptical about its benefits for solving crime. In Britain, profiling has witnessed both notable successes, for example Canter's profile of the serial rapist and murderer John Duffy, and dramatic failures, such as the Colin Stagg profile in the Rachel Nickell inquiry. This article reviews the offender profiling literature, examines its applicability in the legal system and identifies areas for future research.
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Julie Rachel Adams-Guppy and Andrew Guppy
The purpose of this study is to compare driver knowledge, attitudes and perceptions (in terms of hazard, risk, accident, offence detection and driving skill perceptions) and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to compare driver knowledge, attitudes and perceptions (in terms of hazard, risk, accident, offence detection and driving skill perceptions) and self-reported driving style in a sample of 461 drivers before and after attending a UK driver improvement scheme for culpable collision-involved drivers, to inform future directions in the design of driver retraining programmes.
Design/methodology/approach
Participants were a sample of 461 drivers attending a UK 1.5 day driver improvement scheme course for culpable collision-involved drivers. The course contained classroom-based training and a practical driving component. Participants completed a driver improvement scheme questionnaire before and immediately after attending the 1.5-day course and again 3 months later.
Findings
Results indicated significant pre- and post-course effects in terms of increased driving safety with respect to driving knowledge, perceptions of control, perceived likelihood of accident-involvement, hazard perception and reported risk-taking. Key positive effects of reduced risk-taking and near-misses persisted three months after course completion.
Research limitations/implications
One limitation of this study is that at the 3-month follow-up there was a reduction in the response rate (44.69%) which included significantly fewer young drivers.
Practical implications
Results indicate positive behavioural, perceptual and behavioural changes, along with specific age, gender and driving experience effects which have implications for the design of future driving courses.
Social implications
This study has implications for community safety through enhanced road safety training measures.
Originality/value
The analysis of age, gender and driving experience effects of the impact of this driver improvement scheme will allow targeted training methods for specific groups of drivers.
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Rachel Dittrich and Linda Burgess
This article aims to report the findings of a consultation in which people with autism, their families, carers and professionals were asked about their experiences of living with…
Abstract
Purpose
This article aims to report the findings of a consultation in which people with autism, their families, carers and professionals were asked about their experiences of living with autism and using services in Hampshire. The consultation took place in order to develop a strategy for people with autism within Hampshire.
Design/methodology/approach
Hampshire Autism Voice and other stakeholders made it clear that it was important to include both adults and children to truly explore the needs of the local population who have autism. A questionnaire was devised and distributed to adults and children, parents and carers, and professionals.
Findings
The responses to the consultation show that experiences in Hampshire are similar to those reported elsewhere in the literature. They reaffirm the importance of the Autism Act and the necessity to address the needs of older children and adults who have slipped though the diagnosis and eligibility nets, but also highlight how pathways in life can be better when autism is recognised and supported early on, how serious damage to people's lives may be prevented, and how a holistic approach that starts from early childhood and promotes awareness and understanding throughout services is desired amongst Hampshire residents affected by autism.
Practical implications
The article advocates taking a strategic approach to improving services and facilities for people with autism across the whole life course, rather than focusing only on adults.
Originality/value
This was the first Hampshire autism‐specific consultation to obtain the views of people with autism, their families, carers and professionals on their experiences of living with autism and the services provided in the county. Taking a life course approach to autism‐related needs might, to date, be innovative within an English county council.
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Rachel Paschoalin and Nigel Isaacs
Holistic renovation of historic and heritage buildings involving different stakeholders has the potential to reduce environmental impact. Climate change concerns are emphasizing…
Abstract
Purpose
Holistic renovation of historic and heritage buildings involving different stakeholders has the potential to reduce environmental impact. Climate change concerns are emphasizing environmental issues of cultural built heritage leading to new policies, guidelines and methods dealing with the challenge on how to lessen the environmental impact of built heritage without damaging its cultural significance. The purpose of this paper is to review existing international and New Zealand holistic guidelines for renovation of historic and heritage buildings.
Design/methodology/approach
A systematic review is used to identify international projects, methods and criteria within the holistic approach. Secondly, the New Zealand context is explored and compared with best international practices.
Findings
For instance, in New Zealand one increasingly important issue is the many vacant heritage and historic buildings in provincial town centres that need action to deal with building code seismic changes. Upgrades and adaptive reuse are opportunities to make them more sustainable and climate change resilient. However, the lack of national holistic guidelines regarding the challenge of reducing environmental impact whilst keeping the heritage values is a critical gap which urgently needs to be resolved. The need is further increased within the context of the recently passed Zero Carbon Act 2019, which aims for national zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Originality/value
These shared responsibilities for conserving historic and heritage buildings to maintain life in provincial towns on one hand, and the need to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions on the other, have the potential to contribute to a sustainable development of cities and communities.
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This chapter critically examines the provision and underlying partnership structure of a range of online and distance teacher preparation courses introduced in Scotland from 2014…
Abstract
This chapter critically examines the provision and underlying partnership structure of a range of online and distance teacher preparation courses introduced in Scotland from 2014 to 2018. These courses reflect a period of teacher shortages and were developed by Universities in partnership with local authority employers, particularly in rural areas. This chapter explores the geographic and policy context before analysing the national and local policy drivers that led to the expansion of online and distance provision. The structures of a range of programmes introduced by the University of the Highlands and Islands, the University of Aberdeen and the University of Dundee are considered in detail. This is reflected against the national policy drivers of teacher shortages in rural areas, the challenges of recruiting secondary science and technology teachers and the introduction of national funding from the Scottish Government for ‘New Routes into Teaching’. The Government aim of recruiting highly qualified graduates into teaching as a career is contrasted with the local requirement to support a wider more equitable access to a teaching career, for people already committed to living in rural Scotland. This chapter concludes with an analysis of the processes and technology utilised in these programmes before considering the future of online and distance teacher preparation in Scotland.
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Rachael Dixon and Jenny Robertson
The COVID-19 pandemic has provided us a striking demonstration that the future is dynamic, unpredictable, complex and volatile. It is increasingly important that those working in…
Abstract
Purpose
The COVID-19 pandemic has provided us a striking demonstration that the future is dynamic, unpredictable, complex and volatile. It is increasingly important that those working in the field of school-based health education reimagine the possibilities and potential of the subject to rise to the challenges presented and make a difference in learners' worlds. In this paper we explore the potential of health education learning to contribute to aspects of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development's (OECD's) Learning Compass 2030 from our perspective in Aotearoa New Zealand. This is a learning framework that uses the metaphor of navigation to demonstrate the competencies young people need in order to thrive in the world and has a significant focus on wellbeing for people and society (OECD, 2019).
Design/methodology/approach
We explore the links between the learning compass and a socio-critical approach to secondary school-based health education learning opportunities by producing and refining our own knowledge of the learning contexts and experiences that could potentially contribute to the elements of compass. We present this as dialogue produced through asynchronous online conversations between the paper's two authors across a three-month period in 2020 – a method befitting our COVID-19 times.
Findings
After employing a deductive thematic analysis we found extensive links between health education learning and aspects of the compass which are congruent with the notion that it is more about how the subject is taught than what is covered in a socio-critical health education. We communicate our findings by organising them into three themes that arose for us in analysis: learners' capability to understand the world, navigate the world and change the world.
Originality/value
We conclude the paper with key questions to consider if we are to reimagine school-based health education in order for learning experiences in the subject to enrich learners' understanding of how to navigate the complex and uncertain times they will face across their lives.
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A. Can Inci and Rachel Lagasse
This study investigates the role of cryptocurrencies in enhancing the performance of portfolios constructed from traditional asset classes. Using a long sample period covering not…
Abstract
Purpose
This study investigates the role of cryptocurrencies in enhancing the performance of portfolios constructed from traditional asset classes. Using a long sample period covering not only the large value increases but also the dramatic declines during the beginning of 2018, the purpose of this paper is to provide a more complete analysis of the dynamic nature of cryptocurrencies as individual investment opportunities, and as components of optimal portfolios.
Design/methodology/approach
The mean-variance optimization technique of Merton (1990) is applied to develop the risk and return characteristics of the efficient portfolios, along with the optimal weights of the asset class components in the portfolios.
Findings
The authors provide evidence that as a single investment, the best cryptocurrency is Ripple, followed by Bitcoin and Litecoin. Furthermore, cryptocurrencies have a useful role in the optimal portfolio construction and in investments, in addition to their original purposes for which they were created. Bitcoin is the best cryptocurrency enhancing the characteristics of the optimal portfolio. Ripple and Litecoin follow in terms of their usefulness in an optimal portfolio as single cryptocurrencies. Including all these cryptocurrencies in a portfolio generates the best (most optimal) results. Contributions of the cryptocurrencies to the optimal portfolio evolve over time. Therefore, the results and conclusions of this study have no guarantee for continuation in an exact manner in the future. However, the increasing popularity and the unique characteristics of cryptocurrencies will assist their future presence in investment portfolios.
Originality/value
This is one of the first studies that examine the role of popular cryptocurrencies in enhancing a portfolio composed of traditional asset classes. The sample period is the largest that has been used in this strand of the literature, and allows to compare optimal portfolios in early/recent subsamples, and during the pre-/post-cryptocurrency crisis periods.
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Rachael Hansen-Garshong, Feikoab Parimah, Elias Kekesi and Collins Badu Agyemang
In the sub-region even though most entrepreneurial activities are borne out of necessity, such as need for employment, there are some entrepreneurs, particularly women who are…
Abstract
In the sub-region even though most entrepreneurial activities are borne out of necessity, such as need for employment, there are some entrepreneurs, particularly women who are opportunity-driven, who are pulled to start businesses due to the positives associated with the entrepreneurial journey. Opportunity-driven entrepreneurs start their businesses with an aim to fulfill a dream, realize a passion, or gain some independence and experience their autonomy. They are growth-oriented and develop creative ways to solve problems and effectively deal with challenges they face in their firms and satisfy the needs of their clients. Some female entrepreneurs in Ghana use innovative ways such as growth-oriented training, innovative recruitment, and selection practices. Innovation training practices, for instance reflect the personal values of the entrepreneur thus making innovation within the small and medium enterprises to be vision-led rather than market-led. Entrepreneurs who are innovative and growth-oriented provided proactive training and made use of technology to provide leadership and to better equip their employees.