Xiangming Chen, Qunhui Ou, Chao An and Dongyun Zhang
The purpose of this study is to provide an alternative approach to teacher learning on top of the usual practices of listening to experts' lectures and conducting school-based…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to provide an alternative approach to teacher learning on top of the usual practices of listening to experts' lectures and conducting school-based activities among peers in China. A boundary-crossing lesson study (BCLS) through school-university partnership served as an example to illustrate how a class teacher's mindset changed towards her students in equal interactions with university scholars.
Design/methodology/approach
With the lenses of action science theory and boundary-crossing learning theory, the study used qualitative research approach to collect and analyze data. One Chinese primary school class teacher from a workshop on narrative action research was selected as the case for this study. Interviewing, observation and document analysis were used to collect data. Data analysis methods included categorization and contextualization of the teacher's mindset change towards her student.
Findings
The case teacher, Mrs. Li, collaborated closely in paired teaching with her university partner AP Yu in all the four phases of their BCLS. Each phase was marked with an interactive event such as dialogic illumination, reflexive theorization, embodied conversation, and fusion of teacher and trainer roles. With inspirational trust as a major interactive mechanism, Mrs. Li jumped out of her single-loop learning (changing strategies according to results) to double-loop learning (changing both strategies and values/values). As a result, her mindset changed from attribution to appreciation towards her low-achieving student.
Originality/value
This study made contributions in two ways. First, it examined a class teacher's mindset change towards her student, rather than that of subject matter teachers towards their teaching materials and methods. Second, it revealed how reflective interactions in a special kind of BCLS by school teachers and university scholars may promote the teacher's mindset change. The findings further confirm that having differences as boundaries is not enough for teacher learning. For deep learning like Mrs. Li's mindset change, it requires a respectful and inspirational relationship between school teachers and university scholars in the BCLS.
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Preventing and tackling bullying effectively are important agenda for schools to safeguard all children’s well-being, engagement and sense of belongingness. Children perceived to…
Abstract
Preventing and tackling bullying effectively are important agenda for schools to safeguard all children’s well-being, engagement and sense of belongingness. Children perceived to be different from their peers tend to have a higher risk of being bullied at school, in particular, children with disabilities. It can be challenging for teachers to stop bullying that targets children with disabilities. This chapter considers bullying as a barrier to ensuring inclusive and quality education for everyone. It draws on findings from an ethnographic study concerning the status of inclusion of children identified as having learning difficulties in mainstream schools in China, by listening to what children and teachers have to say (Wang, 2016). The study found that the child participants were subject to forms of bullying. They found it useful to gain support from others when bullying happened, and they showed empathy towards peers’ well-being. The teacher participants reflected on the dilemmas and challenges of dealing with bullying and were keen to share experiences about what they found helpful in addressing the issue. The chapter discusses how insights about bullying learned from children and teachers can be used to inform the enactment of inclusive pedagogy. It is concluded that an inclusive pedagogical response that recognizes every child’s voice is necessary for tackling bullying and co-creating an inclusive environment.
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This chapter shows how the community college plays a unique role in producing American citizens with “global competence,” one of the main aims of institutions of higher education…
Abstract
This chapter shows how the community college plays a unique role in producing American citizens with “global competence,” one of the main aims of institutions of higher education under the banner of its internationalization. While much discussion on how to achieve that aim has centered on study-abroad programs and curriculum changes targeting American-born students, this chapter focuses on the community college's contribution to producing “globally competent” American citizens through extensive classes in English as a Second Language (ESL) for immigrants. Based on ethnographic fieldwork from 2001 to 2002 in ESL classes at a community college in the northeastern United States, this chapter examines three ways a community college's ESL classes foster such “global competence” in immigrants of various backgrounds: (1) by grooming them to be “American educated subjects” by disciplining them and teaching them “common sense” knowledge of American life, (2) by providing them with a space to develop a supportive community that goes beyond their ethnic networks, and (3) by nurturing students’ self-esteem in their new home. This chapter highlights the worldwide importance of the type of higher education, such as a community college, that serves the needs of local communities, including internationalized and underserved local communities – that of immigrants. It also points out the imbalance in the discussion of “global competence,” which focuses mainly on study abroad, and opens up a field of enquiry about “global competence” from another angle.
International experience (IE) has been acknowledged to be the most useful method for developing global leaders. However, not everyone benefits equally from IE. During the last two…
Abstract
International experience (IE) has been acknowledged to be the most useful method for developing global leaders. However, not everyone benefits equally from IE. During the last two decades, our understanding of why this is the case and how global leaders learn from IE has rapidly increased. Several individual and organizational enablers facilitating global leader learning from IE have been identified in the literature, as have learning mechanisms that make such learning possible. However, the literature remains fragmented, and there is a great need to integrate the findings in the field. Therefore, the present paper systematically examines peer-reviewed studies on global leaders' learning from IE published between 1998 and 2019. The study contributes to the extant literature by identifying and integrating individual enablers, organizational enablers, and key learning mechanisms from global leaders' IE and by suggesting topics for future research.
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This chapter uses the entrepreneurial experiences of women entrepreneurs in urban China as an empirical case to discuss contextual influences on women's everyday entrepreneurial…
Abstract
This chapter uses the entrepreneurial experiences of women entrepreneurs in urban China as an empirical case to discuss contextual influences on women's everyday entrepreneurial experience in developing countries. Based on thematic analysis of women's own accounts of their entrepreneurial experiences, four contextual influences emerged: (1) preentrepreneurial work experience, (2) national entrepreneurial development, (3) cultural values, and (4) gendered work ideology. These influences shaped and were shaped by women's entrepreneurial identities, decisions, and actions in situated contexts. To further understand women's negotiations with these influences in developing countries, future research are called for to investigate how women resist dominant structures to carve out entrepreneurial agencies and enact resiliency to build sustainable businesses.
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AiHua Zhu, Shang Yang, Jianwei Yang, Dongping Long and Xin Li
Metro wheels running on different lines can undergo wear at different positions. This paper aims to investigate the effects of wheel wear at two typical positions, i.e. wheel…
Abstract
Purpose
Metro wheels running on different lines can undergo wear at different positions. This paper aims to investigate the effects of wheel wear at two typical positions, i.e. wheel flange and tread, on the dynamic performance of metro vehicles and analyzes the differences, with an aim of providing theoretical support on wheel reprofiling for different metro lines.
Design/methodology/approach
Wheel profile data were measured on two actual metro lines, denoted A and B. It was observed that wheel wear on Lines A and B was concentrated on flanges and treads, respectively. A metro vehicle dynamics model was built using multibody dynamics software SIMPACK. Then it was applied to analyze the differences in effects of wheel wear at different positions on vehicle dynamic performance (VDP) for various speeds (50, 60 and 70 km/h) and line conditions (straight line, R1000m, R600m and R300m curves). Critical speed and vibration acceleration were used as indicators of VDP during linear motion (on straight track), while VDP during curvilinear motion (on curved track) was evaluated in terms of wheel/rail lateral force, wheel/rail vertical force, derailment coefficient and wheel unloading rate.
Findings
First, compared to wheel profile with tread wear, wheel profile with flange wear showed better performance during linear motion. When the distance traveled reached 8 × 104 and 14 × 104 km, the vehicle’s critical speed was 12.2 and 21.6% higher, respectively. The corresponding vertical and lateral vibration accelerations were 59.7 and 74.8% lower. Second, compared to wheel profile with flange wear, that with tread wear showed better performance during curvilinear motion, with smaller wheel/rail lateral force, derailment coefficient and wheel unloading rate. When the vehicle speed was 50, 60 and 70 km/h, the maximum difference in the three indicators between the two wheel profiles was 40.2, 44.7 and 23.1%, respectively. For R1000m, R600m and R300m curves, the corresponding maximum difference was 45.7, 69.0 and 44.4%, respectively.
Practical implications
The results of the study can provide a guidance and theoretical support on wheel reprofiling for different metro lines. On lines with large proportions of curved sections, metro vehicles are more prone to wheel flange wear and have poorer dynamic performance during curvilinear motion. Therefore, more attention should be paid to flange lubrication and maintenance for such lines. On lines with higher proportions of straight sections, metro vehicles are more prone to tread wear and have poorer performance on straight sections. So, tread maintenance and service requires more attention for such lines.
Originality/value
Existing research has focused primarily on the effects of wheel wear on VDP, but fails to consider the differences in the effects of wheel wear at different positions on VDP. In actual metro operation, the position of wheel wear can vary significantly between lines. Based on measured positions of wheel wear, this paper examines the differences in the effects of wheel wear at two typical positions, i.e. tread and flange, on VDP in detail.
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Carol Huang and Connie Chuyun Hu
The study examines how the tourism concept developed amongst Chinese students in the United States from 1905 to current juncture. Through the contrasting views presented in two…
Abstract
The study examines how the tourism concept developed amongst Chinese students in the United States from 1905 to current juncture. Through the contrasting views presented in two landmark mega-reviews of Chinese students in the United States and France, the authors concluded that tourism enhances understanding of the host countries resulting in more comprehensive and overall success of Study Abroad Program. After the reopening, China encouraged touring the host country but with extreme financial constraints in the beginning. Tourism of Chinese students became popular and fashionable only in late 1990s with China’s economic prosperity and policy changes to open tourism to foreign countries. As tension with China grew during the COVID pandemic, Chinese students in the United States were used by the Trump Administration as a lever in trade and diplomatic negotiation, and touring became wishful.
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Kashish Madaan, Divya Jain and Himani Sharma
Drawing insights from a self-determination perspective, this study aims to investigate the impact of paradoxical leadership (PL) on job performance among hospitality employees. It…
Abstract
Purpose
Drawing insights from a self-determination perspective, this study aims to investigate the impact of paradoxical leadership (PL) on job performance among hospitality employees. It also explores harmonious work passion (HWP) and innovative work behavior (IWB) as sequential mediators in this direct association.
Design/methodology/approach
A self-report structured questionnaire was used to collect survey data from 298 employees working in Indian four-, five- and five-star luxury hotels. To test the hypothesized model, partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used.
Findings
This study found PL positively influences HWP, IWB and job performance of hospitality employees. Also, the positive association between PL and employee job performance is significantly mediated by HWP and IWB, individually as well as sequentially.
Practical implications
Adopting PL in hotels can significantly boost employees’ HWP and IWB, resulting in enhanced job performance. This leadership style empowers employees to navigate conflicting demands, fostering creativity and adaptability. Consequently, hotels can benefit from a more engaged workforce, improved service delivery and a competitive edge.
Originality/value
This research adds to the limited literature on PL in the hospitality sector by highlighting its impact on employee behavior and performance outcomes. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to empirically link PL with HWP, IWB and job performance in a sequential mediation model. It uncovers the “black box” of mechanisms connecting PL to work outcomes from emotional and cognitive perspectives.
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THIS journal is not devoted exclusively to public libraries; they are only part of the library fabric but, because the preponderant number of workers in our craft are in public…
Abstract
THIS journal is not devoted exclusively to public libraries; they are only part of the library fabric but, because the preponderant number of workers in our craft are in public libraries, they and their work naturally occur more often in our pages than do those of others. We have always urged that the profession is indivisable and that a librarian is a person who, in his fundamental training, should be equipped to serve in any kind of library. The tendency to create distinctions, based upon slight—and they usually are slight—differences of work, are unfortunate and have led to bickerings and sometimes recriminations. Even between the two arms of the public library service, the county and the urban, there has been an emphasis on the differences rather than the likenesses; and every wise librarian knows that the services of a fully‐engaged library in a town are exactly the same as those of a county except that the county has to cover longer distances. The emphasis is even stronger where public and nonpublic libraries are in question.
She Li, Xiangyang Cui and Gang Wang
The purpose of this paper is to apply the element decomposition method (EDM) in the study of the bending and vibration properties of plate and shell.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to apply the element decomposition method (EDM) in the study of the bending and vibration properties of plate and shell.
Design/methodology/approach
In the present method, each quadrilateral element is first divided into four sub-triangular cells, and the local strains are obtained in those sub-triangles based on linear interpolation. The whole strain filed is formulated through a weighted averaging operation of local strains, implying that only one integration point is adopted to construct the stiffness matrix. To reduce the instability of one-point integration and increase the accuracy of the present method, a stabilization item of the stiffness matrix is formulated by variance of the local strains. A mixed interpolated tensorial components (MITC) method is used in eliminating the shear locking phenomenon.
Findings
The novel EDM based on linear interpolation is effective in bending and vibration analyses of plate and shell, and the present method used in practical problems is reliable for static and free vibration analysis.
Originality/value
This method eliminated the instability of one-point integration and increased the accuracy by a stabilization item and performed stably in engineering analysis including large-scale problems of vehicle components.