This role-play focuses on a whistle-blowing scenario involving data management issues in a research lab, complicated by uncomfortable personal relationships. Whistle-blowing involves raising concerns or allegations of wrongdoing or misconduct. There is an obligation for whistle-blowers to do so in good faith, which means based on reasonable belief or facts. Suspecting that someone has engaged in research misconduct is one of the most difficult situations researchers face. This is especially true when relationships are strained for other reasons. If you have the suspicion of research misconduct, the possible consequences for all involved can be serious. To handle the situation responsibly and in the best possible manner for your career and the other people involved, you should move deliberately and carefully. Universities are required by the federal government to have procedures for protecting whistle-blowers against retaliation and for reporting misconduct. Inform yourself not only of the formal rules (see your university's policies) but you should also inform yourself of the informal rules for having a dispute in a professional manner while protecting yourself and your career. See the paper on how to report research misconduct and still have a successful career afterwards (Gunsalus, 1998). Also, any paper discovered to have incorrect information should be retracted and errata should be issued for the benefit of other researchers.
This article explores trust in children&rsquo ; s relationships with professionals in the context of safeguarding concerns. With exception, existing research with children about trust in professionals often fails to unpick trust. Using sociological conceptualisations of trust, most often considered in relation to adults, this article unravels this complex concept. It arrives at a conception of trust as socially situated, an attribute of relationships, and a combination of interpretation (knowledge and experience) and faith. This conceptualization of trust is examined in the context of interview accounts from children that were aged 8&ndash ; 10 in an English primary school. Interviews invited their perspectives on three fictional vignettes about peer conflict, domestic abuse, and child sexual abuse. My analysis, although small-scale, argues that focusing on the process of trust in children&rsquo ; s professional relationships and the social, cultural, political, and relational contexts that shape this process, is a lucrative way to gain enhanced understandings of how trust is generated and what facilitates and undermines trust. It sheds light on children&rsquo ; s interpretations of existing relationships and imagined interactions with professionals, revealing the knowledge that they hold and what they do not yet, or cannot know, and how this knowledge (or lack of) influences their trust. This analysis is socially situated attending to children&rsquo ; s biographies, which offers insights that provide good grounds for improving children&rsquo ; s relationships with professionals.
Abstract OBJECTIVE Analyzing the relationships among professionals and between professionals with managers and users based on the user embracement analyzer. METHOD A qualitative study incorporating the theoretical-methodological reference of institutional analysis. The data were produced through focus groups and organized from transcription, transposition and reconstitution. Seventeen (17) focus group sessions were conducted involving six municipalities and health professionals from various backgrounds. RESULTS 137 professionals participated in this study. User embracement has been carried out with the aim to organize spontaneous demand. Doctors have not been directly involved, although they have the final say. Intermediate nursing deals with the users and nurses perform important negotiation work among the network sectors. The receptionists and the community agents develop the first approach to the users, forwarding them to nursing to negotiate the service. Managers hope to avoid complaints by attending everyone. Users take advantage of party politics and of the media for services when there is no access. CONCLUSION User embracement is an analyzer, since it produces visibility and readability of the relations being produced in health services, and when analyzed can lead to denaturalizing these actions.
Debates over the relationship between professional practice, professional standards and professional identity have been a feature of Australian and international educational and political discourse for the last two decades (Ball, 1997; Bodman, Taylor & Morris, 2012; Doecke, Howie & Sawyer, 2006; Power, 1994; Sachs 2001). The discourse is replete with neo-liberal claims about educational reform that supposedly benefits everyone. It invariably includes appealing rhetoric about greater transparency, democratic participation, individual choice, and the freedom for individuals within the system to express themselves openly. Much research has shown that these claims are belied by the increasingly dominant regimes of performativity (Ball, 2003) and audit cultures (Avis, 2003; Power, 1994) that seek to standardise and narrow educators' professional practice. In their quest for professional recognition, teachers and teaching communities are obliged to engage with the twin banner of standardisation and accountability as a measure of whether young Australians are meeting important educational outcomes. Yet, the literature shows that teachers in Australia have engaged with their working practices in different ways (see Gannon, 2012; Parr, 2010). This inquiry investigates how a small number of (mostly) experienced educators in Australia have engaged with this rhetoric and this neo-liberal policy making. It explores and reflects on the actions and professional choices they have made in their day to day professional lives, and the attitudes and emotions that have underpinned these actions. Adopting institutional ethnography (Smith, 2005, 2006) as an important dimension to this research, I map out how educators, individuals and groups act and are acted upon across time and space, drawing attention to the complex negotiations they undertake in their particular educational sites. The study involves interviews with twelve secondary school teachers (most of them with more than 20 years' experience, but some beginner teachers, too) and school leaders in Melbourne and overseas. A multifaceted narrative, this thesis is also informed by references to literature in the fields of philosophy, autobiography (Florio-Ruane, 200 I), poetry, and literary fiction as well as the expected literature in educational theory. One element that draws this perhaps disparate range of literature together is my interest, as both a literature teacher and a researcher, in language. Language, with its creative and educational possibilities, and also its power to control and contain, is centre-stage in this study. Through close attention to the language I use, I make explicit the impact on the research of my own professional and personal background (Mackenzie & Knipe, 2006) and this same close attention to language enables me to explore how my activities, feelings and experiences hooked me into "extended social relations" (Smith, 2004, p. 5) in my work in the classroom and in conducting this research. I explore these institutional relations and practices reflexively through journal entries and autobiographically as part of the "memory work" of this study (Haug et aI., 1987). 3 A key focus of this study is to explore the extent to which emotion is an important dimension of the intellectual, critical and relational practices of teachers. This exploration is underpinned by socio-cultural (e.g., Ball, 2003) and dialogic (e.g., Bakhtin, 1981) theory. I challenge traditional psychologistic studies that see emotion located in the individual, a 'natural' phenomenon that one must learn to 'control' (e.g., Boler, 1999; Rose, 1998). This study critically and reflexively teases out some ofthe consequences of practitioners engaging in their work, rather, with a degree of "emotionality" (Denzin, 1984). Expression of feelings may often be considered 'inappropriate' in neo-liberallandscapes and political agendas that are pre-occupied with standardised learning outcomes and professional performance (see Zembylas, 2003). When teachers repress their feeling, they learn - sometimes at great emotional cost - how to self-regulate emotions and know which ones may be expressed and which may not. While this study shows some examples of this, it also shows the potential for the relational and emotional dimensions of teaching to re-form subjectivities and 're-embody' professional practice. The research accentuates the diverse local, contextual and social factors that shape teachers' everyday work in ways that challenge neo-liberal politics of standardisation, regulation and technicism. It illustrates how in any open and democratic society the social world can be "a site of debate" (Smith, 2004, p. 27), opening up for engagement with all members of a professional community the mUltiple views and intellectual positions that exist in that community. As the narratives from the participants in this study reveal, in educational settings which understand and appreciate the complex interplay of intellectual, emotional and relational dimensions of teachers' work, teachers are best able to commit to a vision of participating, caring and learning. They can forge trusting professional relationships and collaboratively work together to create rich and robust professional practice and professional learning that ultimately benefit their students and the futures they hope to build.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) manages approximately 245 million acres in the U.S., the majority of which are in the western half of the country. There have been several conflicts in Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Arizona, since 2010 that have resulted in a fatality, armed militias, several incarcerations, and lawsuits facing the federal government. Following a preliminary needs assessment conducted in Box Elder County, Utah, and a comprehensive review of the literature, further research was needed to understand BLM professional (BLM managers or BLM specialists) and rancher perceptions regarding BLM policies and procedures. The study specifically looked at attitudes, perception and knowledge concerning the implementation of range improvement projects to potentially address conflicts and relationship issues between ranchers and BLM professionals. A needs assessment model was used to frame the research. Two similar questionnaires, one for BLM professional and the other for permitees (ranchers) using federal land managed by the BLM, were developed by the researcher. The questionnaire was divided into four sections: participant characteristics; perceptions concerning BLM policies; knowledge questions related to BLM policies; and attitudes concerning federal land ownership and BLM policies. The rancher questionnaire was mailed to 182 ranchers and netted a 37.2% response rate. The BLM questionnaire was emailed to 15 BLM professionals in the Salt Lake Field office and netted an 84.6% response rate. Results were analyzed using descriptive and appropriate correlation statistics. Multiple relationships between rancher and BLM professionals' perceptions and knowledge were identified. Rancher interventions should include (a) when to submit rangeland improvement projects, (b) what could result in a temporary reduction in AUMs on a grazing allotment, (c) where to access online NEPA documents, and (d) who makes final land management decisions for the BLM. BLM professionals' interventions could include the steps required for planning a juniper removal project, and when to submit a new waterline or fenceline request. Ranchers' background has minimal influence on their perception. Rancher age had a medium, positive relationship on ranchers' attitude regarding the NEPA process working and needing no revisions. Finally, the majority of rancher respondents identified as somewhat agreeing, somewhat disagreeing, or strongly disagreeing with the federal government owning land.
Demands to changes of instruction for mathematics classrooms are presented in standards promoted by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, Illinois State Board of Education and other government reports creates a demand for teacher professional development to support teachers to adapt to these changes of instruction. The overall purpose of this study investigated characteristics of effective professional development and how those characteristics are associated with teacher job satisfaction and teacher working conditions. With the completion of this dissertation, this study adds to the literature relevant to teacher professional development by demonstrating an association between teacher professional development and teacher working conditions. This non-experimental quantitative study examined 23 lists of characteristics of professional development to provide designers of professional development programs the frequency that specific characteristics were mentioned on the 23 lists. Also, this study administered a Likert scale questionnaire to secondary mathematics teachers to measure the teachers' perception of the three variables: teacher professional development, teacher job satisfaction, and teacher working conditions. The completed questionnaires were used to calculate measures of the three variables and these measures were used to calculate Pearson correlation coefficients. Ultimately, tests of correlations were conducted with the Pearson correlation coefficients to measure the associations between the three variables. Four research questions relating to these associations were created that guided the details of this quantitative study. The results of the data analysis revealed a statistically significant association between teacher professional development and teacher working conditions. Also, the results of a second test of correlation revealed that the association between teacher professional development and teacher job satisfaction was not significant.
The Polish political and media systems changed dramatically after the 2015 parliamentary elections. The Law and Justice Party gained power and started to restructure the conditions for political communication – journalists, press secretaries and politicians. However, despite structural and organisational changes within public service media, journalists keep working and reporting about political events. This chapter presents the relationships between Polish journalists and their political sources – both politicians and press secretaries. The interviews show a mutual dependency between politics and the press, where both sides recognise the need for formal as well as informal relationships. The nature of the relationship varies with the political climate: when the political situation becomes complicated, politicians become less accessible and press secretaries block the information flow. As a result, journalists in Poland prefer direct contact with politicians and/or other complementary sources of information. The respondents further emphasised the need for a professional relationship and adhering to professional norms. ; Go to the full book to find a version of this chapter tagged for accessibility.
The study explored principal-teacher relationships in four Junior High schools in the Sekyere South District of Ashanti in Ghana. One of the things that government, policy-makers and educators in Ghana rarely or never discuss is the value and significance of human connections - the relationships in schools. The focus of the study was to uncover the significance of developing and sustaining a high-quality relationship between principals and teachers for effective leadership and performance. Again, the study projects a broader conception of leadership, one that shifts away from the traditional thinking approach where the figure-head is seen as ultimately responsible for the school outcomes, to involve all staff members as a collective responsibility pro-cess. The qualitative case study adopted semi-structured one-to-one interviews to collect data from one principal and a teacher from each of the four schools selected. The data was analyzed through a content analysis approach. The results revealed that a quality exchange relationship between principals and teachers has a significant influence on cooperation, commitment and performance to both principals and teachers. The results also showed that working together in a cordial relationship and in a more democratic environment brings long-lasting dividend for the school and the learners. But these vital elements are mostly hampered by the mundane procedures, dictatorial decisions, strict supervision of the directorate of education and some principals. This had not only negatively affected the principals' and teachers' work roles and exchange relationship, but teaching and learning as well. These traditional behaviors have also created fear, pressure and resentment in teachers, and prevent them from sharing innovative ideas and being committed to school activities. The interpretation of this study was purely engrained in the respondents' context. The study recommends a further study in a larger scale to ascertain the affect and effect of the results or the hypothesis revealed. Perhaps it might be good if further discussion can be done on enhancing a quality exchange relationship among principals, teachers, circuit supervisors and the directorate of education. Effective leadership occurs as a result of building a quality relationship with the leader and the led.
Organizational control and environmental influences on organizational behavior are central themes in organization studies, yet little effort has been made to bring them together. In this paper we seek to contribute to filling this gap by investigating and conceptualizing environmental influences on organizational control. The paper examines patterns of organizational control and their environmental couplings through three parallel case studies of public universities in three European countries. We provide a systematic characterization of the space of configurations of control in professional knowledge-intensive organizations along the two axes of centralization of power and formalization of social relationships. We show that environmental characteristics do matter for the contestation and selection of control models. Finally, we unpack and conceptualize the synergetic influence of three environmental characteristics (institutional pressures, resource environment, and external social relationships) as providing sources of legitimacy and power for specific control regimes.
In: Broadhurst , K & Holt , K 2010 , ' Partnership and the limits of procedure: Prospects for relationships between parents and professionals under the new Public Law Outline ' Child and Family Social Work , vol 15 , no. 1 , pp. 97-106 . DOI:10.1111/j.1365-2206.2009.00648.x
This work suggests that diplomacy is no longer restricted to a single vocation nor official diplomatic work implemented only through interaction amongst official representatives. In exploring the challenges that these transformations produce, it surveys firstly, the genealogy of diplomacy as a profession, tracing how it transformed from a civic duty into a vocation requiring training and the acquisition of specific knowledge and skills. Secondly, using the lens of the sociology of professions, the development of diplomacy as a distinctive profession is examined, including its importance for the consolidation of the power of modern nation-states. Thirdly, it examines how the landscape of professional diplomacy is being diversified and, we argue, enriched by a series of non-state actors, with their corresponding professionals, transforming the phenomenology of contemporary diplomacy. Rather than seeing this pluralization of diplomatic actors in negative terms as the deprofessionalization of diplomacy, we frame these trends as transprofessionalization, that is, as a productive development that reflects the expanded diplomatic space and intensified pace of global interconnections, networks and relationships, and the new possibilities they unleash for practising diplomacy in different milieus.
The beginning and the first years of teaching can be viewed in various ways. For example, the image of a triangle with the person's teaching in one of its vertices. As a person, the novice teacher has a particular vision of his work and a sense of mission or task. The beginning teacher feels more capable in some areas than others and with a confidence variable with respect to its initial preparation (although this perception may change with the first experiments). From the other sides of the triangle together towards this new professional messages that come from the context of work and messages of social and political context relating to education, quality or otherwise of their initial preparation and what they should or should not make teachers. In their place of work, in concrete form, is facing demands or conflicts, receives support, and asks questions that do not always have the answer. The beginning teacher welcomes, rejected, interpreted and reinterpreted these experiences as a sort of re-shaping the professional identity that maybe he thought he had acquired in their initial training. In this, no different from other professionals faced with his first work experiences, but those living in more complex by the interweaving of relationships that will demand accountability with students, parents, peers, authorities and his own social environment of friends, and possible by the diversity of expectations regarding their work, both personal and from others.
In Ireland, large and progressive contractors are claiming significant benefits in construction management efficiency through the implementation of BIM (Building Information Modelling). While these contractors note that the cost benefits to the project budget alone justify the implementation of BIM in the field, they are acutely aware that in 2011 the UK Government has mandated the construction industry in the UK to use BIM on all public projects by 2016. In the Republic of Ireland however, in 2007, the Government introduced the Public Works Contracts (PWC) suite for the procurement of all public sector works. After 8 years of working with the PWC suite of contracts, these contracts have now been widely identified as being unfairly balanced in favour of the Employer and as being a barrier influencing the prospect for recovery of the construction industry in Ireland. A recent Irish Government agency report recommended a review of the current contract for Public Works by both Government and Industry stakeholders with a view to implementing any changes required to ensure fair and reasonable terms for all parties involved. This review has called for the PWC to be revised to include a more collaborative and co-operative approach. This paper will consider the experiences of other jurisdictions in adopting collaborative construction contract practices through BIM and will propose how the industry in Ireland can leverage BIM to create a more integrated and collaborative environment for the purpose of delivering better project outcomes for the key stakeholders involved in construction projects.
Improved student learning continues to be a pressing issue compelling schools and districts to undergo change. Schools are complex organizations and there are a number of interrelated factors that contribute to the success or failure of change into a new model. In Alberta, organizational change was mandated in 2003 through government acceptance of a Commission's recommendation that all schools operate as a professional learning community. The context of mandated change provided a unique opportunity to examine large scale change with factors that may have a relationship to successful change. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the relationship among three variables: (a) change into a professional learning community, (b) faculty trust in the principal, and (c) enabling school structures. Data collected through questionnaires was obtained from teachers of 45 schools in southern Alberta. The questionnaire contained a demographic data form and three previously developed instruments to measure the variables. Descriptive and correlation analysis was conducted to determine the relationship among the variables. The correlations among the variables were both strong and significant. It was concluded that schools imbued with high levels of trust in the principal were more successful in implementing change into a professional learning community, and more likely to possess enabling school structures. It was also concluded that schools perceived as having high levels of enabling bureaucratic structures were more successful in implementing change as a professional learning community. Overall, the variables of faculty trust in the principal and enabling school structures can be described as conditions related to successful change into a learning organization structure. The results have implications for educational stakeholders charged with instituting change in the context of reform. The conclusions implied that it is imperative for principals to recognize the importance of relationships and the foundation of trust, and attend to behaviors and processes required to build trust and relationships. There is a need for principals to understand the attributes of enabling bureaucracies and learning organizations in order to assess current capacity. Implications for system leaders include giving attention to leadership development, enabling structures at a system level, and modeling relational behaviors that foster trust.
What would a professional development experience rooted in the philosophy, principles, and practices of restorative justice look and feel like? This article describes how such a professional development project was designed to implement restorative justice principles and practices into schools in a proactive, relational and sustainable manner by using a comprehensive dialogic, democratic peacebuilding pedagogy. The initiative embodied a broad, transformative approach to restorative justice, grounded in participating educators' identifying, articulating and applying personal core values. This professional development focused on diverse educators, their relationships, and conceptual understandings, rather than on narrow techniques for enhancing student understanding or changing student behaviour. Its core practice involved facilitated critical reflexive dialogue in a circle, organized around recognizing the impact of participants' interactions on others, using three central, recurring questions: Am I honouring? Am I measuring? What message am I sending? Situated in the context of relational theory (Llewellyn, 2012), this restorative professional development approach addresses some of the challenges in implementing and sustaining transformative citizenship and peacebuilding pedagogies in schools. A pedagogical portrait of the rationale, design, and facilitation experience illustrates the theories, practices, and insights of the initiative, called Relationships First: Implementing Restorative Justice From the Ground Up.
