Steve Connolly, Gareth Bates and James Shea
The purpose of this paper is to report the findings from an action research project in which the researchers sought to develop a set of questions for use by mentors (experienced…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to report the findings from an action research project in which the researchers sought to develop a set of questions for use by mentors (experienced teachers) and mentees (pre-service teachers) on a course of initial teacher education (ITE) when they first met – the “initial encounter”.
Design/methodology/approach
The researchers used an action research approach in order to address the lower retention rate of pre-service teachers from different backgrounds, such as Black and Minority ethnic (BAME) and the issues around mentoring which may exacerbate this problem. Discussions between the course team and participating mentors and mentees suggested that the initial encounter between mentor and mentee was significant, and an action research methodology would allow for developing questions that might structure such encounters.
Findings
The researchers found that a useful and effective set of questions could be developed and used by mentors and mentees. Additionally, this process gave researchers insights into the nature of the first encounters between mentors and mentees on an ITE course and how both groups see their roles. In several cycles of action research, the participants produced a number of iterations of such questions, which were refined across a two-year period.
Research limitations/implications
While it is too early to tell if the issues leading to the lower retention rate of pre-service teachers that prompted the project have been reduced in any significant way, the researchers suggest that thinking about these initial encounters can have an impact on the way mentors and mentees go on to build a relationship.
Originality/value
The authors found that there is very little research in the field of teacher education which looks at initial encounters between mentors and mentees, and thus make an original contribution to the mentoring literature.
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Addington High School is a Visual and Media Arts College located in the community of New Addington on the edge of the London Borough of Croydon. The school is an 11‐16 Community…
Abstract
Addington High School is a Visual and Media Arts College located in the community of New Addington on the edge of the London Borough of Croydon. The school is an 11‐16 Community school, which takes students from six local primary schools, all located, like AHS on an estate that was built, both pre‐ and post‐World War II, to house families after slum clearance. The area is one, which experiences high levels of social, economic and cultural deprivation and is characterised by significant unemployment levels and benefit dependency. The school achieved Specialist Status as a Visual and Media Arts College in September 2007 under the auspices of the government's specialist schools programme. This article describes how animation is used at the school as an assistive technology to build community relationships.
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Gerald Dunning, Chris James and Nicola Jones
The purpose of this paper is to report research into the social defence of splitting and projection in schools. In splitting and projection, organisational members separate their…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to report research into the social defence of splitting and projection in schools. In splitting and projection, organisational members separate their unbearable feelings from the more acceptable ones and project them, typically towards other individuals and groups.
Design/methodology/approach
The research was undertaken in three secondary (11‐18), co‐educational, maintained schools in Wales, UK, using a case study method and a psychoanalytic approach and interpretive perspective. Data were collected during interviews and meetings with key players.
Findings
The cross‐case analysis and interpretation showed how features in the whole system such as institutional stress can create a setting in which splitting and projection may flourish. The inadequate definition and management of institutional roles may also contribute. Individuals and groups may act as “lightning rods” receiving and taking in projected feelings and may play a part in establishing themselves in that role. Splitting and projection can develop into blame, demonisation, scapegoating and bullying. The ability of those involved to transform projected feelings, that is, to accept them, contain them, change them into benign and acceptable forms, and then return them in that different form, is crucial to minimising the impact of splitting and projection and to ensuring that it does not grow into more dangerous organisational phenomena. This transformation‐and‐return process is a key educational leadership task.
Originality/value
The paper provides a new perspective on a widespread behaviour in schools and colleges and describes how the behaviour can be managed. It has implications for all educational leaders.
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In this chapter, I analyze the decision calculus of President Donald Trump, using the Applied Decision Analysis (ADA) method (Mintz, 2005, Mintz & DeRouen, 2010). I analyze seven…
Abstract
In this chapter, I analyze the decision calculus of President Donald Trump, using the Applied Decision Analysis (ADA) method (Mintz, 2005, Mintz & DeRouen, 2010). I analyze seven foreign policy decisions taken in the first six months of Trump’s presidency. I find that in his decision-making process, President Trump applies six dimensions. My analysis reveals that the imagery dimension has affected President Trump’s decisions across the board, and led to the rejection of non-compensatory alternatives. Based on my research, I conclude that President Trump demonstrated a poliheuristic decision code. Furthermore, from my analysis derives that President Trump’s decision-making process is mostly intuitive. Moreover, this chapter reveals a polythink syndrome in Trump’s decision unit, manifested in the battle between his two groups of advisors, known as the nationalists and globalists.
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John Davidson Egan, Thomas S. Clark and Iolani M. Connolly
The purpose of this study was to explore the leadership competencies that are effectively transferring into the workplaces of recent military college alumni from both their…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to explore the leadership competencies that are effectively transferring into the workplaces of recent military college alumni from both their curricular and co-curricular experiences.
Design/methodology/approach
Through semi-structured interviews, this study explored 15 military college alumni’s perspectives on the leadership competencies they developed in college and currently apply in the workplace.
Findings
The findings indicated the 15 military college alumni participants developed and applied the following student leadership competencies at work: productive relationships, helping others, supervision, empathy, ethics, functioning independently, resiliency, positive attitude and scope of competence.
Originality/value
Limited research explores leadership learning at military colleges and service academies in the United States. Yet these collegiate military environments have a missional focus on leadership education and development. This article highlights the importance of the alumni lens in assessing leadership learning in collegiate military environments and provides recommendations to administrators of this institution type.
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Marc D. Street, Vera L. Street, Thomas J. Calo and Frank Shipper
The purpose of this research was to investigate how Mid South Building Supply, a 100% employee-owned company, survived the Great Recession. Research has found that employee-owned…
Abstract
The purpose of this research was to investigate how Mid South Building Supply, a 100% employee-owned company, survived the Great Recession. Research has found that employee-owned companies are more likely to survive recessions than other companies. Why this happens was unclear. Thus, this research was conducted to learn why this might happen.
The case study approach was chosen to uncover the causes because this approach has played a significant role in uncovering organizational phenomena. Moreover, the industry was chosen because of the vulnerability of firms in it to recessionary forces.
Mid South uses practices that enhance both financial and psychological ownership. Prior research has suggested that both are important.
Case study research is limited because only a single frim is investigated. Thus, additional studies need to be performed to confirm the results.
Although this is a single case study, the practical implication is that enterprises that want to improve their probability of surviving should apply the findings of this study.
Firms that provide employment stability to employees are more likely to survive. In turn, research would suggest that this is associated with greater family and community stability.
Whereas prior studies have used across-industry data to find that employee-owned firms are more likely to survive recessions than others, what such firms do differently was unclear. A literature review failed to reveal a prior study that looked at the internal practices that may cause this to happen.
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Steve McDonald, S. Michael Gaddis, Lindsey B. Trimble and Lindsay Hamm
Purpose – The introductory chapter to this special issue highlights contemporary scholarship on networks, work, and inequality.Methodology – We review the last decade of research…
Abstract
Purpose – The introductory chapter to this special issue highlights contemporary scholarship on networks, work, and inequality.Methodology – We review the last decade of research on this topic, identifying four key areas investigation: (1) networks and hiring, (2) networks and the labor process, (3) networks and outcomes at work, and (4) networks and institutional dynamics.Findings – Social networks play an important role in understanding the mechanisms by which and the conditions under which economic inequality is reproduced across gender, race, and social class distinctions. Throughout the review, we point to numerous opportunities for future research to enhance our understanding of these social processes.