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1 – 10 of 81
Article
Publication date: 14 November 2016

Yiye Han and Steven Yates

Monash University Library (MUL) has embraced eLearning as a strategy in its contribution to information research and learning skills development within the university. The purpose…

Abstract

Purpose

Monash University Library (MUL) has embraced eLearning as a strategy in its contribution to information research and learning skills development within the university. The purpose of this paper is to describe an evaluation of the implementation of the strategy with recommendations for sustaining and improving practice.

Design/methodology/approach

The evaluation is divided into four categories using a mixed methods methodology for evidence gathering. Quantitative and qualitative data are obtained from both primary and secondary sources for an enriched understanding of practices.

Findings

Findings suggest that library staff have gained knowledge and skills indicating a sustainable strategy. However, further work is required to sustain staff development and support staff requirements in the long term.

Research limitations/implications

This research is limited by its wide focus. Although this is mostly resolved through the use of multiple data collection methods, the thoroughness of the evaluation may have suffered while attempting to be comprehensive.

Practical implications

The conclusions of this evaluation as well as methods of its execution can be shared with other institutions wishing to produce eLearning resources in a sustainable and effective manner.

Originality/value

MUL develops its eLearning resources in-house, whereas many other institutions outsource. The findings of this case study could be viewed as a positive indication of this in-house practice, which in turn might inform other organisations who are looking for a financially beneficial eLearning alternative.

Details

Library Management, vol. 37 no. 8/9
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0143-5124

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 9 October 2007

Steven Yates

The purpose of this research is to document the development and evaluation of a multimedia resource for the principles, techniques and syllabus content for Rough and Tumble (RAT…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this research is to document the development and evaluation of a multimedia resource for the principles, techniques and syllabus content for Rough and Tumble (RAT) – a South African martial art.

Design/methodology/approach

The researcher uses the Eclectic‐Mixed Methods‐Pragmatic Paradigm (EMMPP) as the theoretical framework. Development research provides the basis for varied research methods and instruments, which tie into the practical and complex nature of the EMMPP. The researcher uses both a quantitative and qualitative approach, but the study is mostly qualitative in nature, due to the small numbers of participants. Data and findings are triangulated with a wide variety of methods, instruments and participants. Methods include expert reviews, observation, records, and learner feedback.

Findings

Experts, learners and users report favourably on the usefulness, usability, functionality, appeal, and effectiveness of the RAT CD‐ROM as a learning and reference resource. Observation (cognitive walkthrough) reveals that inexperienced users experienced problems with navigation.

Research limitations/implications

This study is limited by its small numbers of participants, making it difficult to conduct useful quantitative analysis. As the project matures the researcher is creating a version of the RAT CD‐ROM on the WWW, which requires further evaluation.

Practical implications

This research is useful in the domain of online learning, as it shows that support for kinaesthetic kinds of learning can occur in computer mediated environments.

Originality/value

This study is not the only work being done on martial arts learning on the WWW, but it is unique in that the researcher has created complex learning environments that allow learners to create, contribute, and demonstrate new knowledge, skills and attitudes. The RAT CD‐ROM has value for learners and teachers of RAT, as they have useful, effective learning and reference resources. Other martial artists may benefit from the RAT CD‐ROM, as several other martial arts systems have been included on the RAT CD‐ROM.

Details

The Electronic Library, vol. 25 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0264-0473

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 21 August 2012

Steven J. Kahl, Gregory J. Liegel and JoAnne Yates

Purpose – The broader aim of this research is twofold. First, we aim to better understand how the business computer was conceptualized and used within U.S. industry. Second, this…

Abstract

Purpose – The broader aim of this research is twofold. First, we aim to better understand how the business computer was conceptualized and used within U.S. industry. Second, this research investigates the role of social factors such as relational structure, institutional entrepreneurs, and position in the formation of conceptualizations of new technologies.

Design/methodological/approach – This paper is theoretically motivated in the sense that it responds to the lack of attention to the failure of institutional entrepreneurs to change belief systems. Through detailed archival, network, and descriptive statistical analysis, the paper shows how the failed institutional entrepreneur fits conventional explanations for success. The paper then analyzes two matched cases, comparing the insurance industry's rejection of the institutional entrepreneur with manufacturing's acceptance, in order to identify what is missing in current explanations of institutional entrepreneurs.

Findings – Our analysis reveals that the role of the audience structure in interpreting the institutional entrepreneur's message influences the change outcome. In our case, the institutional entrepreneur's view of the computer as a brain that supported decision-oriented applications did not fit with views of the insurance groups who had centralized authority over interpreting the computer. Because manufacturing had less centralized control in its discourse around the computer, there were fewer constraints on assimilation, allowing the entrepreneur's views to resonate with some of the occupational groups.

Research limitations/implications – This paper develops a theoretical approach to institutional entrepreneurship that situates the entrepreneurial efforts of individual actors within a system characterized by the structure of its audience and subject to distinct historical macro-structural processes that present significant obstacles to the realization of their entrepreneurial projects.

Book part
Publication date: 7 October 2019

Charlotte McPherson

Young people are widely known to have poorer outcomes, social status and political representation than older adults. These disadvantages, which have come to be largely normalized…

Abstract

Young people are widely known to have poorer outcomes, social status and political representation than older adults. These disadvantages, which have come to be largely normalized in the contemporary context, can be further compounded by other factors, however, and are particularly amplified by coming from a lower social class background. An additional challenge for young people is associated with place, with youth who live in more remote and less urban areas at a higher risk of being socially excluded (Alston & Kent, 2009; Shucksmith, 2004) and/or to face complex and multiple barriers to employment and education than their urban-dwelling peers (Cartmel & Furlong, 2000). Drawing upon interviews and focus groups in a qualitative project with 16 young people and five practitioners, and using Nancy Fraser’s tripartite theory of social justice, this paper highlights the various and interlocking disadvantages experienced by working-class young people moving into and through adulthood in Clackmannanshire, mainland Scotland’s smallest council area.

Details

Human Rights for Children and Youth
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78973-047-0

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 24 November 2022

Juan-Pablo Osman and Nancy R. Gómez

This chapter analyses the pilot episode of the ABC TV series Charlie's Angels (Spelling & Goldberg, 1976–1981) and the latest film of this media franchise, Charlie's Angels

Abstract

This chapter analyses the pilot episode of the ABC TV series Charlie's Angels (Spelling & Goldberg, 1976–1981) and the latest film of this media franchise, Charlie's Angels (Banks, 2019). The chapter undertakes an analysis of the three main characters in the series pilot and the three starring roles in the film, applying methodologies proposed by the cinematic poetic formalism (Bordwell & Thompson, 2006) and observing specifically the roles and motivations of these six women from a feminist perspective. On the one hand, the TV pilot engages with several of the main premises of the second-wave feminism that was in full swing at the time the series was released. On the other hand, the 2019 film was launched in the contemporary era of post-feminism, reflecting a number of the concerns that shape the post-feminist agenda. However, the main argument of this chapter is that both the series pilot released in 1976 and the 2019 film construct ambivalent feminist narratives. The analysis reveals that the Charlie's Angels franchise fluctuates between characteristics that can be labelled as feminist discourses, but also as replicators of a patriarchal model. Forty-six years later, while a few things have changed for the Angels, we argue that the characters and franchise have not lived up to its potential as a transformative feminist text.

Details

Gender and Action Films 2000 and Beyond
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80117-518-0

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 12 September 2019

Shona Adams and Steven Allan

Rewind is a trauma-focussed exposure technique that is part of Human Givens (HG) therapy. However, there have been no controlled studies examining the effectiveness or…

Abstract

Purpose

Rewind is a trauma-focussed exposure technique that is part of Human Givens (HG) therapy. However, there have been no controlled studies examining the effectiveness or acceptability of Rewind, and a previous study comparing HG therapy outcomes with cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) benchmarks has yet to be replicated. The paper aims to address these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

This preliminary investigation used an observational, quasi-experimental design. Using both between-subject and within-subject designs, the outcome measures of those who had Rewind in the second session and participants who had treatment-as-usual (TAU) in the second session followed by Rewind in the third session were compared. Pre–post treatment scores were used to evaluate the overall HG therapy and to compare with benchmarks.

Findings

Rewind was more effective than control treatment sessions, with 40 per cent recovered and 57 per cent having reliably improved or recovered after the Rewind treatment session. Rewind sessions were rated as acceptable as other treatment sessions. The effect size of HG therapy was above the CBT Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation Outcome-10 (CORE-10) benchmark of 1.22. The recovery rate for treatment completers was 63 per cent, with 91 per cent recovered or reliably improved and was equivalent to the top quartile of services.

Practical implications

Rewind is a promising alternative trauma treatment, as people need not discuss details of the trauma, multiple traumas can be treated in one session and fewer treatment sessions may be needed.

Originality/value

There are few HG studies reported in the peer-reviewed literature. This preliminary study is the first controlled study of Rewind. The findings are also in line with previous research on HG therapy.

Details

Mental Health Review Journal, vol. 24 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1361-9322

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Article
Publication date: 17 August 2023

Nora Moran, Steven Shepherd and Janice Alvarado

The purpose of this paper is to study how individuals assess responsibility during an uncontrollable event requiring collective action, using crises affecting service workers as…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to study how individuals assess responsibility during an uncontrollable event requiring collective action, using crises affecting service workers as contexts. Specifically, the authors examine what parties consumers hold responsible for ensuring service worker welfare following an uncontrollable event and determine what factors make customers more open to accepting responsibility for ensuring worker welfare themselves.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors surveyed a nationally representative sample of US consumers regarding their attitudes toward protecting service workers during COVID-19 and used regression analysis to identify factors that predict attributions of responsibility to customers. The authors also conducted an experiment (using a new crisis context) to determine whether certain key factors impact customer perceptions of their own responsibility for helping employees during an uncontrollable event.

Findings

The survey results show US consumers hold firms most responsible for worker welfare, followed by customers and, finally, government. When examining factors that drive attributions of responsibility for customers, perceptions of how sincere firms are in their efforts to help employees predict higher responsibility attributions, and experimental results confirm that higher perceived firm sincerity increases consumers’ own sense of responsibility toward workers.

Social implications

This research identifies factors that affect consumer support for efforts to help service employees and collective action problems more generally.

Originality/value

This research highlights an under-studied crisis context – uncontrollable events that require collective action – and shows how consumers make assessments about their own responsibility (in addition to the responsibility of the service firm) in these contexts.

Details

Journal of Services Marketing, vol. 37 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0887-6045

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 April 1981

Allison L. Gould

The verification of bibliographic information in a known item search can be both lengthy and tedious. The difficulties in using some of the traditional sources are well‐known. For…

Abstract

The verification of bibliographic information in a known item search can be both lengthy and tedious. The difficulties in using some of the traditional sources are well‐known. For example, the National Union Catalog provides access only through main entry; Books in Print and the Cumulative Book Index have author, title, and subject access but are limited by the fact that they cover only books either in print in a given year or published in a given year. The result can be a frustrating and, at times, fruitless search.

Details

Reference Services Review, vol. 9 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0090-7324

Content available
Book part
Publication date: 21 August 2012

Abstract

Details

History and Strategy
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78190-024-6

Article
Publication date: 9 May 2016

Steven Buchanan and Lauren Tuckerman

The purpose of this paper is to evidence and better understand adolescent information behaviours in disadvantaged and disengaged circumstances, and explore issues of social…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to evidence and better understand adolescent information behaviours in disadvantaged and disengaged circumstances, and explore issues of social integration.

Design/methodology/approach

Interdisciplinary theoretical framework bringing together theories of information behaviour with theories of social capital. Mixed method design incorporating observation, interviews, and focus group conducted in areas of multiple deprivations. Participants’ young people aged 16-19 not in education, employment or training (NEET); and their support workers.

Findings

Heightened access and internalised behavioural barriers found beyond those common to the general adolescent population, the former influenced by technology and literacy issues, the latter by social structures and norms. There is evidence suggestive of deception, risk-taking, secrecy, and situational relevance in information behaviours, and a reliance on bonding social capital characteristically exclusive and inward facing. Low levels of literacy and self-efficacy are significant interrelated issues, with NEET youth dependent upon support workers when seeking and processing information, and demonstrating passive non-motivated information behaviours often abandoned.

Research limitations/implications

Highlights the need for further interdisciplinary research to explore complex relations between social and affective factors, and that seeks to both understand and influence information behaviours in disadvantaged and disengaged circumstances.

Practical implications

Remedial literacy education recommended as an immediate priority for public and third sector agencies.

Originality/value

First study of adolescent information behaviours in disadvantaged and disengaged circumstances. Novel interdisciplinary theoretical framework evidences and draws attention to understudied and enduring information poverty issues of significant societal concern, potentially consigning a significant proportion of the youth population to a stratified existence within an impoverished (small) information world. Sets a focused interdisciplinary research agenda.

Details

Journal of Documentation, vol. 72 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0022-0418

Keywords

1 – 10 of 81