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Book part
Publication date: 12 November 2018

Nicola Gratton and Ros Beddows

With confidence in the British Political system in decline, it is more important than ever that the top-down approach to decision-making and service strategy in public services is…

Abstract

With confidence in the British Political system in decline, it is more important than ever that the top-down approach to decision-making and service strategy in public services is challenged. In this chapter, we examine how coproduction of services can be achieved using Get Talking, an approach to participatory action research that utilizes creative consultation techniques to engage with publics. We explain how the approach enabled Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) to involve young people in the development of a Children and Young People’s Strategy. The case study approach, building on qualitative methods including focus groups and semi-structured interviews, demonstrates how creative approaches were used by public sector staff to engage young people and partners in strategy development. Creative consultation techniques were used to facilitate the focus group activity. While using Get Talking as an approach to policy development required a resource investment in terms of staff time, it provided SFRS with insight into the needs of service users. This resulted in a more relevant strategy being developed and a cultural shift in how the organization works with young people. Engagement with the Get Talking process had a positive effect on staff, providing them with a sense of ownership over the resulting strategy, enhanced the reputation of SFRS with partners, and improved relationships with young people through demonstrating that they were valued partners in coproduction. While the approach was well received by all parties, challenges of using Get Talking in a public service setting resulted in pragmatic adaptations to a traditional PAR approach.

Details

From Austerity to Abundance?
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78714-465-1

Keywords

Abstract

Details

Autistic Spectrum Disorders: Educational and Clinical Interventions
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-0-76230-818-7

Article
Publication date: 4 January 2016

Greg Peake

The purpose of this paper is to high-light the very well-known potential downside of technology found in many sales environments and to provide a fail-safe remedy to telephone…

150

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to high-light the very well-known potential downside of technology found in many sales environments and to provide a fail-safe remedy to telephone Call Reluctance.

Design/methodology/approach

The typical, illogical thinking that underpins the reasons that sales people offer for their Call Reluctance are discussed in detail. A time tested platform built upon sound logic and decades of successful implementation is provided. The approach appeals equally to managers and sales personal because it is simple, doable and highly motivational.

Findings

The results demonstrate the powerful effect that accurate thinking and an easily implemented management approach has for sales organizations and individuals when embracing the unparalleled value of telephone communication.

Originality/value

The work is based upon the authors 40 plus years of applying the thinking and platform presented in the paper. In addition, for the past 15 years, the author has enthusiastically witnessed the incredibly positive impact of his approach to over 400 companies worldwide. He does not claim absolute originality of the content, as like most successful sales people, he is indebted to many, many sales people he has had the pleasure to know and learn from.

Details

Industrial and Commercial Training, vol. 48 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0019-7858

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Abstract

Details

Propping up the Performative School: A Critical Examination of the English Educational Paraprofessional
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83982-243-8

Article
Publication date: 15 June 2012

Jenny Condie

Interview data is often the cornerstone of qualitative field studies, yet problems with getting sufficient, rich, reliable data in a cost effective manner can inhibit the progress…

2423

Abstract

Purpose

Interview data is often the cornerstone of qualitative field studies, yet problems with getting sufficient, rich, reliable data in a cost effective manner can inhibit the progress of field study research. The purpose of this paper is to describe the use of a novel interview method, the cognitive interview, in an exploratory field study of management accounting change where in‐depth access was impractical.

Design/methodology/approach

The cognitive interview was developed by cognitive psychologists for use in police witness interviewing. It has been found to substantially improve the amount of information that subjects recall while maintaining or slightly improving accuracy levels.

Findings

The cognitive interview was found to be effective at gathering rich, detailed data despite the restriction of conducting only one or two interviews at each company. The cognitive interview uncovered information that did not fit with the participants' initial account of events. The structure of the cognitive interview often led participants to provide narrative accounts, allowing narrative analysis techniques such as genre analysis to be used. Asking participants to retell their accounts in reverse order may allow researchers to discern the schema (mental template) that the participant was using to organise their memories of the change process.

Originality/value

In its first known use for business research, the cognitive interview was effective at moving beyond the rationalized accounts that participants often provide initially. Researchers who conduct interviews to collect data may find this of particular interest.

Details

Qualitative Research in Accounting & Management, vol. 9 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1176-6093

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 May 2007

Airi Rovio‐Johansson

The aim of this paper is to investigate actors' ways of sensemaking through the use of rhetorical strategies, frames, and categories, in a management team meeting.

1026

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to investigate actors' ways of sensemaking through the use of rhetorical strategies, frames, and categories, in a management team meeting.

Design/methodology/approach

The empirical data were generated from a video recorded and transcribed management meeting, and participant observation. The analysis of institutional discourses and practices builds upon the assumption that language and texts are the main tools for understanding actors' social reality. The managers' ways of sensemaking of institutional discourses and practices is captured through their use of tools like rhetorical strategies, frames, and categories in talk‐in‐interaction.

Findings

The team managers' ways of sensemaking through mobilizing rhetorical strategies, institutional categories, and how they recontextualise frames in negotiation of a disputed issue, adds new aspects to previous studies of the multi voiced complex integration processes in a cross‐border acquisition. The significance of the results is the revealing of actors' frequent use of rhetorical strategies, frames, and categories in sensemaking processes. The study calls for further research on structural features of institutional talk as related to the dynamics of talk‐in‐interaction.

Originality/value

The findings and methods of analysis contribute to international business studies and to the empirical‐based research on institutional interaction through text and talk.

Details

Qualitative Research in Organizations and Management: An International Journal, vol. 2 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1746-5648

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 7 February 2019

Paulina Haduong

Some empirical evidence suggests that historically marginalized young people may enter introductory programming experiences with skepticism or reluctance, because of negative…

Abstract

Purpose

Some empirical evidence suggests that historically marginalized young people may enter introductory programming experiences with skepticism or reluctance, because of negative perceptions of the computing field. This paper aims to explore how learner identity and motivation can affect their experiences in an introductory computer science (CS) experience, particularly for young people who have some prior experience with computing. In this program, learners were asked to develop digital media artifacts about civic issues using Scratch, a block-based programming language.

Design/methodology/approach

Through participant observation as a teacher and designer of the course, artifact analysis of student-generated computer programs and design journals, as well as with two follow-up 1-h interviews, the author used the qualitative method of portraiture to examine how two reluctant learners experienced a six-week introductory CS program.

Findings

These learners’ experiences illuminate the ways in which identity, community and competence can play a role in supporting learner motivation in CS education experiences.

Research limitations/implications

As more students have multiple introductory computing encounters, educators need to take into account not only their perceptions of the computing field more broadly but also specific prior encounters with programming. Because of the chosen research approach, the research results may lack generalizability. Researchers are encouraged to explore other contexts and examples further.

Practical implications

This portrait highlights the need for researchers and educators to take into account student motivation in the design of learning environments.

Originality/value

This portrait offers a novel examination of novice programmer experiences through the choice in method, as well as new examples of how learner identity can affect student motivation.

Details

Information and Learning Sciences, vol. 120 no. 5/6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2398-5348

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 April 2016

Barbara Rawlings

– The purpose of this paper is to describe the learning from action (LfA) workshop held in Italy in October 2014 and to evaluate how well the workshop achieved its aims.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to describe the learning from action (LfA) workshop held in Italy in October 2014 and to evaluate how well the workshop achieved its aims.

Design/methodology/approach

The researcher joined the workshop as a member, and data were collected through participant observation. Evaluation was carried out using relevant audit standards and a follow-up questionnaire.

Findings

The evaluation found that an authentic transient therapeutic community was created, which provided an effective learning experience for participants.

Research limitations/implications

The description is a single study based on the findings of a single researcher, as is usual with ethnographic work of this kind. Only a few participants completed the questionnaire.

Originality/value

This is the first detailed research description of the LfA programme for training mental health practitioners who work in therapeutic communities. It provides a description of events, comments on how some of these impacted on the researcher-participant and an evaluation of the workshop.

Details

Therapeutic Communities: The International Journal of Therapeutic Communities, vol. 37 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0964-1866

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 1 August 2004

Naomi Zigmond and David W Matta

This naturalistic observation study sought to identify the activities undertaken by the special education co-teacher in co-taught high school content subject classes in urban…

Abstract

This naturalistic observation study sought to identify the activities undertaken by the special education co-teacher in co-taught high school content subject classes in urban, rural, and suburban high schools, and to understand the contributions of the special education teacher, the value-added, to the educational experiences of the students in the class. The work focused on what is accomplished when ordinary special education teachers go about doing their assigned co-teaching jobs. We found that, as a group and across subject areas, special education co-teachers spent more time in contact with students than not, and most of their contact time helping individual students or small groups of students through an assigned task. There were substantial differences in the distribution of co-teacher activities across subject areas.

Details

Research in Secondary Schools
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-0-76231-107-1

Book part
Publication date: 30 October 2009

Lisa K. Hussey

Although there is great potential for diversity, library and information science (LIS) is a relatively homogenous profession. Increasing the presence of librarians of color may…

Abstract

Although there is great potential for diversity, library and information science (LIS) is a relatively homogenous profession. Increasing the presence of librarians of color may help to improve diversity within LIS. However, recruiting ethnic minorities into LIS has proven to be difficult despite various initiative including scholarships, fellowships, and locally focused programs. The central questions explored in this research can be divided into two parts: (1) Why do ethnic minorities choose librarianship as a profession? (2) What would motivate members of minority groups to join a profession in which they cannot see themselves?

The research was conducted through semi-structured, qualitative interviews of 32 ethnic minority students from one of four ethnic minority groups (African American, Asian American, Hispanic/Latino, and Native American) currently enrolled in an LIS graduate program. Eleven themes emerged from the data: libraries, librarians, library work experience, LIS graduate program, career plans and goals, education and family, support, mentors, ethnicity and community, acculturation, and views of diversity.

The findings seem to support many assumptions regarding expectations and career goals. The findings related to libraries, librarians, mentors, and support illustrate that many recruitment initiatives are starting in the right place. However, the most noteworthy findings were those that centered on identity, acculturation, and diversity because they dealt with issues that are not often considered or discussed by many in the profession outside of ethnic minority organizations.

Details

Advances in Library Administration and Organization
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-84950-580-2

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