Adrienne M. Young, Heather H. Keller, Rhiannon Barnes and Jack J. Bell
The purpose of this paper is to advance understanding about the facilitation process used in complex implementation projects, by describing the function of novice clinician…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to advance understanding about the facilitation process used in complex implementation projects, by describing the function of novice clinician facilitators, and the barriers and enablers they experience, while implementing a new model of care for managing hospital malnutrition.
Design/methodology/approach
Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with local facilitators (n=7) involved in implementing The SIMPLE Approach (Systematised Interdisciplinary Malnutrition Pathway Implementation and Evaluation) in six hospitals in Queensland, Australia. Facilitator networks and training supported the clinicians acting as novice facilitators.
Findings
Key functions of the facilitator role were building relationships and trust; understanding the problem and stimulating change through data; negotiating and implementing the change; and measuring, sharing and reflecting on success. “Dedicated role, time and support” was identified as a theme encompassing the key barriers and enablers to successful facilitation.
Practical implications
When implementing complex interventions within short project timelines, it is critical that novice clinician facilitators are given adequate and protected time within their role, and have access to regular support from peers and experienced facilitators. With these structures in place, facilitators can support iterative improvements through building trust and relationships, co-designing strategies with champions and teams and developing internal capacity for change.
Originality/value
This case study extends the knowledge about how facilitation works in action, the barriers faced by clinicians new to working in facilitator roles, and highlights the need for an adapt-to-fit approach for the facilitation process, as well as the innovation itself.
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Keywords
Jill Willis, Kelli McGraw and Linda Graham
A new senior curriculum and assessment policy in Queensland, Australia, is changing the conditions for teaching and learning. The purpose of this study was to consider the…
Abstract
Purpose
A new senior curriculum and assessment policy in Queensland, Australia, is changing the conditions for teaching and learning. The purpose of this study was to consider the personal, structural and cultural conditions that mediated the agency of Senior English teachers as they negotiated these changes. Agency is conceptualised as opportunities for choice in action arising from pedagogic negotiations with students within contexts where teachers’ decision-making is circumscribed by other pressures.
Design/methodology/approach
An action inquiry project was conducted with English teachers and students in two secondary schools as they began to adjust their practices in readiness for changes to Queensland senior assessment. Four English teachers (two per school) designed a 10-week unit of work in Senior English with the aim of enhancing students’ critical and creative agency. Five action/reflection cycles occurred over six months with interviews conducted at each stage to trace how teachers were making decisions to prioritise student agency.
Findings
Participating teachers drew on a variety of structural, personal and cultural resources, including previous experiences, time to develop shared understandings and the responsiveness of students that mediated their teacher agency. Teachers’ ability to exert agentic influence beyond their own classroom was affected by the perceived flexibility of established resources and the availability of social support to share student success.
Originality/value
These findings indicate that a range of conditions affected the development of teacher agency when they sought to design assessment to prioritise student agency. The variety of enabling conditions that need to be considered when supporting teacher and student agency is an important contribution to theories of agency in schools, and studies of teacher policy enactment in systems moving away from localised control to more remote and centralised quality assurance processes.
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Annie Williams, Hannah Bayfield, Martin Elliott, Jennifer Lyttleton-Smith, Honor Young, Rhiannon Evans and Sara Long
Using a mixed methodology comprising interviews, case file analysis and descriptive statistics, this study aims to examine the experiences of all 43 young people in Wales subject…
Abstract
Purpose
Using a mixed methodology comprising interviews, case file analysis and descriptive statistics, this study aims to examine the experiences of all 43 young people in Wales subject to secure accommodation orders between 1st April 2016 and 31st March 2018.
Design/methodology/approach
Children in the UK aged 10–17 years who are deemed to be at a significant level of risk to themselves or others may be subject to a secure accommodation order, leading to time spent in a secure children’s home (SCH) on welfare grounds. Following a rise in the number of children in Wales referred to SCHs for welfare reasons, this paper describes these young people’s journeys into, through and out of SCHs, giving insight into their experiences and highlighting areas for policy and practice improvements.
Findings
Findings indicate that improvements in mental health support and placement availability are key in improving the experiences of this particularly vulnerable group of young people throughout their childhood.
Practical implications
Other practical implications of the study’s findings, such as improvements in secure transport arrangements, are also discussed.
Originality/value
While the findings are limited by the reliance on self-report methods and the size of the study, namely, the small number of young people with experience of SCHs who were able to participate, the findings build on the existing knowledge base around children’s residential accommodation and provide new insights into how best to support these children.
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Basma Badreddine, Yvette Blount and Michael Quilter
The purpose of this study was to investigate how personality traits influence participative behaviour in an Online Cancer Community (OCC).
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to investigate how personality traits influence participative behaviour in an Online Cancer Community (OCC).
Design/methodology/approach
Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with 42 users of one of the largest OCCs in Australia – Cancer Council Online Community in New South Wales (NSW).
Findings
The results showed that extraversion, emotional stability and agreeableness traits influence posting behaviour, whereas the conscientiousness trait influences lurking behaviour. The openness trait did not affect either posters or lurkers’ online behaviour.
Research limitations/implications
The research highlights the pivotal role of personality traits in users’ decisions to post or lurk using a multi-theory perspective that combined the social exchange theory and the Five-Factor Model. Future studies should explore personality traits that can benefit from online participation in an OCC to transition only lurkers who may benefit from posting.
Practical implications
Insights from the study inform OCC practitioners and moderators when designing the OCC platform. Except for the openness trait, lurkers and posters exhibited different attitudes, which indicates that integrating these findings in the OCC design can facilitate adopting strategies to elicit more participation by OCC users.
Originality/value
This is the first study that explored the role of personality traits in users’ decisions to participate in an OCC.