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1 – 10 of over 69000Herman B. Kok, Mark P. Mobach and Onno S.W.F. Omta
The purpose of this paper is to define the added value of facility management (FM) in general and to develop a typology of facility services based on their added value in the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to define the added value of facility management (FM) in general and to develop a typology of facility services based on their added value in the educational environment.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper is based on a literature review and first assesses the different aspects of FM added value. The different variables and relations between the use of facility services and their effects on the educational achievement are then conceptualised and studied.
Findings
Research shows that FM added value is the customer perceived trade‐off between the effects of the use of facility services on the outcome of their processes, its costs and risks. On this basis, a typology of facility services was constructed around their level of fixity and their influence on the learning outcome.
Practical implications
The typology strongly indicates for FM when to engage in the decision‐making process relating to the educational environment in order to contribute to education. Also the typology is useful for deriving priorities for adjusting the current use situation of facility services to enhance their effectiveness in both a time and financially efficient manner.
Originality/value
This paper operationalises the concept of FM added value and provides several hypotheses and firm recommendations for further research to maximise the contribution of FM. The paper also presents a practical framework for evidenced‐based decision making on the use of facility services in the educational environment. It thus offers opportunities for FM to support the future learning landscape.
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A. JOHN RENTOUL and BARRY J. FRASER
The School‐Level Environment Questionnaire (SLEQ) is a new instrument measuring teachers' perceptions of the following eight psychosocial dimensions of the environment of primary…
Abstract
The School‐Level Environment Questionnaire (SLEQ) is a new instrument measuring teachers' perceptions of the following eight psychosocial dimensions of the environment of primary or secondary schools: Affiliation, Student Supportiveness, Professional Interest, Achievement Orientation, Formalisation, Centralisation, Innovativeness and Resource Adequacy. Noteworthy features of the SLEQ are its consistence with the literature, coverage of Moos's three general categories for conceptualising all human environments, salience to practising teachers, specific relevance to schools, minimal overlap with classroom environment instruments, and economy. Administration of the SLEQ to two samples of 83 and 34 teachers, respectively, revealed that each seven‐item scale possessed satisfactory internal consistency and discriminant validity. Preliminary use of the SLEQ provided evidence of its usefulness in research into the effects of school‐level environment on classroom‐level environment and on teachers' pedagogical attitudes.
Explores the relationship between schools and school systems on theone hand, and, on the other, the world or environment in which they arelocated. The typical presentation in the…
Abstract
Explores the relationship between schools and school systems on the one hand, and, on the other, the world or environment in which they are located. The typical presentation in the literature stresses the requirement for organizations to adapt to external pressures, and the key role of managers in that process. However, theoretical and empirical work casts doubt on both these assumptions. Raises questions as to what is meant by the environment of an organization, about how organizations come to pay attention to some external pressures rather than others, about the kinds of responses organizations make, and about the role administrators play in the process. Concludes with suggestions for further research in the area.
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Meng Wang and Miguel Baptista Nunes
This study aims to present a meta-analysis of the use of serious educational games in museums. The analysis is based on a critical literature review that maps educational roles of…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to present a meta-analysis of the use of serious educational games in museums. The analysis is based on a critical literature review that maps educational roles of museums against serious educational games used in support of those roles. The meta-analysis focuses on the specific context of informal learning in museums.
Design/methodology/approach
The research design presented in this study is based on a meta-analysis research design that consists of a critical literature review, a multi-matrix representation of findings of the literature review and a conceptual visualization of the multidisciplinary area of the usage of serious games in support of educational roles in museums.
Findings
Clear and detailed categorizations of educational roles and serious games types for informal learning are presented. These are followed by matching these educational roles with published reports of the use of serious games within museums. The study concludes with observations and a conceptual map of the design of serious games for museums.
Originality/value
This study presents the first meta-analysis of research in this emergent multidisciplinary field. It will help serious game designers, museum educators and educational practitioners to make decisions regarding the choice of game type, customization and content design to support informal learning in the specific context of museum educational activities.
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Innara Lyapina, Elena Sotnikova, Olga Lebedeva, Tatyana Makarova and Nataliya Skvortsova
The system of higher education is ineffective – it has to change the concept of educational process, which is peculiar for increase of the volume of education of labor resources…
Abstract
Purpose
The system of higher education is ineffective – it has to change the concept of educational process, which is peculiar for increase of the volume of education of labor resources. According to this, there is a necessity to pass to the system of higher education with elements of smart technologies. The purpose of this paper is to determine the role of smart technologies as an innovational and intellectual tool in development of the system of higher education and formation of actual skills with students.
Design/methodology/approach
The aspects of classical education in universities with elements of remote forms of implementation of smart technologies on IT platforms are studied; peculiarities of smart technology as intellectual tools of higher education are analyzed; perspectives of usage of smart technologies as innovational tools for development of higher education are determined. The research methods include analysis, synthesis, abstraction, comparison and logical method.
Findings
Information technologies become an inseparable part of life of society and human. A new network generation of people that cannot imagine life without new technological devices is growing. However, despite this, modern education does not sufficiently influence the development of human capital in the conditions of digital environment.
Originality/value
Scientific novelty consists in conducting the research in the sphere of significance and perspectives of implementing smart technologies into the systems of higher education of the Russian Federation. This paper could be interesting for public officers who form the program of development of higher education and academic staff of higher educational establishments.
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The purpose of this study is to develop an evaluation index. For this, questionnaire survey was conducted to assess the educational value of the library. This study encourages…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to develop an evaluation index. For this, questionnaire survey was conducted to assess the educational value of the library. This study encourages librarians and users to gain confidence in the educational benefits of the library and enables the students and general users to capture and appreciate the educational presence of the library, thereby contributing to the increase of activity in libraries.
Design/methodology/approach
To develop an evaluation index for assessing the educational value of the library, domestic and foreign papers were collectively gathered and analyzed to develop a preliminary evaluation index. Next, ten experts were selected and the three-step Delphi method was used to develop a final evaluation index. Questionnaires were developed based on the final evaluation index, and librarians and users of 100 public libraries were asked to assess educational values of their respective libraries. In Korea, there are 978 public libraries (as of 2015), and in this study, 10% of the public libraries were selected. To select the libraries, every tenth library was chosen from the data of the national library statistics system.
Findings
By presenting the educational value of the library, this study encourages libraries to improve their services and increases library usage. The educational value has been divided into five evaluation areas of literacy improvement; learning and educational support; research support and information resources provision; improvement of the quality of educational environment and education; and strengthening of competency. The strengthening of competency evaluation areas were the highest at 3.87, and those of research support and the information resources provision were the lowest at 3.63. Statistical analysis comparing responses by social status, gender, age and number of visits revealed that the majority (23 of 39) of significant differences found occurred between librarians and users.
Practical implications
The evaluation indicator developed in this research is expected to be a basic tool that can be applied to public libraries as well as other types of libraries. In addition, the evaluation indicator developed in this research can be applied to nonprofit organizations and this research is expected to have an educational impact as a study that evaluates and presents the educational values of libraries. In addition, because the research was conducted in a personal context, the questionnaire survey was administered in 100 libraries with limitations among the public libraries nationwide. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the educational value of libraries of other kinds such as university libraries, school libraries and specialized libraries, using the indicator developed in this research.
Social implications
The biggest feat the present study achieved is the development of the evaluating indicator of the educational value of libraries. As examined in previous researches, the studies on the value of libraries are partly being executed but such studies tend to be mostly ones about such an institute’s economic merits. However, a library is not evaluated only by its financial significance but by its cultural, social and educational prominence. The present research can be extremely meaningful in that within it, the authors endeavor to estimate a library’s educational value, considering the countless papers mentioning the value of similar establishments within and outside Korea, and based on such data produce an indicator to evaluate the educational value of such institutes. Also, in the present research, it is noteworthy that the developed indicator is verified while at the same time the authors apply it in real life to estimate the educational value of such a hub for books. For such an application, the authors conducted a survey on 100 Korean public libraries, amounting to 10% of all the libraries in Korea, and the research is meaningful in that it even compared and analyzed the common notions of the librarians and users. Finally, the educational value of libraries is proven through such a process. It can be seen that the users evaluate that a library contributes to the improvement of literacy on the part of the user, and by supporting studies, education, research and academic activities adds to the user’s reading ability, character and creativity. To recount the specifics, it can be seen that they think that such an establishment heightens reading ability and results, contributes to continuing education and improves emotional stability. Such a research result is seen to be of particular use for the executive team of a library while they secure the budget or plan services to better user satisfaction with the value judgment of libraries at its basis.
Originality/value
There is very little research conducted on the educational influence or value of the library, although they are referred to in part when overall value of the library is discussed. Therefore, research that focuses on the educational value of the library is needed. In this respect, this research is meaningful; the evaluation index developed in this research is a basic tool that can be applied to all public libraries as well as other types of libraries. Furthermore, the evaluation index developed in this study may also be applied to nonprofit organizations, such as libraries, and will likely have a social impact as research that evaluates and presents the educational value of the library.
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Joshua L. Glazer, Laura Groth and Blair Beuche
This paper considers the implications of reform efforts that rely on charter management organizations to assume operational control of underperforming neighborhood schools. The…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper considers the implications of reform efforts that rely on charter management organizations to assume operational control of underperforming neighborhood schools. The purpose of this paper is to examine the way in which changes to the education sector place enormous pressure on these organizations to both manage instruction and their social environments.
Design/methodology/approach
The research presents the results from a longitudinal case study of two organizations operating within the Tennessee Achievement School District (ASD). Interviews, observations and document analysis provided insight into the perspectives of school operators, state officials and community leaders. The study design allowed researchers to observe the influence of the environment on school operators over a four-year period.
Findings
Results show that the environment that included a muscular state, market pressures, NGOs and local communities placed an extreme and contradictory set of demands on organizations operating schools, pressing them to develop robust systems of instruction, leadership and teacher development while actively working to ensure social legitimacy in the community. Neither a national network nor a small local startup began with a strategy aligned to these environmental demands, and both needed to make substantial revisions.
Research limitations/implications
Research into contemporary educational reform should account for rapidly evolving environments that feature a complex mix of resources and incentives. Careful examination of the consequences of these environments for educational organizations will further our understanding of how markets, communities and governments are shaping the education sector.
Practical implications
The extraordinary challenges that confront organizations that operate in crowded and contested environments preclude fast or dramatic results. Policymakers and the public should assume an incremental process of organizational learning and improvement. Setting unrealistic expectations and focusing exclusively on impact risks delegitimizing organizations and policy initiatives before they have time to adapt.
Originality/value
This research reported here is among the few studies that have explored the experiences and implications of NGOs that have attempted to assume operational control of underperforming neighborhood schools. The popularity of this approach among a growing number of states highlights the importance of this topic.
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Kittichai Rajchamaha and Jatupat Prapojanasomboon
This study examines the perspectives of undergraduate science and technology students in Thailand regarding the influence of various role models on their entrepreneurial skills.
Abstract
Purpose
This study examines the perspectives of undergraduate science and technology students in Thailand regarding the influence of various role models on their entrepreneurial skills.
Design/methodology/approach
This study employed the single case study research method. Purposive sampling was used to select the participants. The sample consisted of 142 key informants, whose responses were analysed using a direct content analysis method.
Findings
From the students' perspectives, entrepreneurial role models indirectly influenced their entrepreneurial skills.
Practical implications
The findings have clear implications for educators and policymakers. Educational institutions should design and implement educational strategies that help connect informal learning gained from the family with formal training at higher education institutions. On-the-job or apprenticeship training should also be included as a component of course content.
Originality/value
Our findings regarding the influence of role models differ from those of previous studies in relation to two of the four role models considered here. First, according to the students, their family environment has no direct impact on their entrepreneurial skills. In addition, science- and technology-based educational environments should adopt an entrepreneurial orientation to help students understand various market and business pressures, which will enable them to make a positive contribution to the workplace.
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Planning and design of university campuses is as important as the instructional philosophy of universities for determining academic and social development of university students…
Abstract
Planning and design of university campuses is as important as the instructional philosophy of universities for determining academic and social development of university students. However, mainstream university campuses have often been designed with typical “normal” or “abled” users in mind and have neglected the needs of students with physical, sensory, and developmental disabilities. Universal design perspective with its equality, social inclusion and social justice agenda can be helpful in giving insights for inclusive educational environments. This study presents a research based design process conducted at a university campus in Turkey to create an inclusive educational environment for the students with disabilities, and to improve their participation in campus' academic and social life. For this purpose, existing campus spaces were evaluated for their inclusiveness both objectively through a checklist and subjectively through participatory workshops and meetings. The findings from both studies were used to identify the needs of the users with disabilities in the campus' settings. The results obtained from these studies were used to inform the implementations, and a holistic plan for creating an inclusive campus environment was developed. This study provides the implications for architectural and urban needs of users with physical, sensory, and vision disabilities or restraints in campus environments, develops methodology for future studies with similar context, and informs about the challenges and opportunities present in the process of creating inclusive university campus environments. .
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Michael Newby and Laura D. Marcoulides
The purpose of this paper is to model the relationship between student performance, student attitudes, and computer laboratory environments.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to model the relationship between student performance, student attitudes, and computer laboratory environments.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from 234 college students enrolled in courses that involved the use of a computer to solve problems and provided the laboratory experience by means of formal closed laboratory classes. The a priori proposed model that student performance can be explained by perceptions of the computer laboratory environment and attitudes towards computer was tested using structural equation modeling.
Findings
The proposed model was determined to fit the data reasonably well. These results indicate that student performance scores can be explained by perceptions of the computer laboratory environment and attitudes toward computers.
Originality/value
The theoretical and practical implications of the model concerning student performance within the framework of educational management are discussed.
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