Showing papers on "Competence (human resources) published in 2000"

The "What" and "Why" of Goal Pursuits: Human Needs and the Self-Determination of Behavior

Abstract: Self-determination theory (SDT) maintains that an understanding of human motivation requires a consideration of innate psychological needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness. We discuss the SDT concept of needs as it relates to previous need theories, emphasizing that needs specify the necessary conditions for psychological growth, integrity, and well-being. This concept of needs leads to the hypotheses that different regulatory processes underlying goal pursuits are differentially associated with effective functioning and well-being and also that different goal contents have different relations to the quality of behavior and mental health, specifically because different regulatory processes and different goal contents are associated with differing degrees of need satisfaction. Social contexts and individual differences that support satisfaction of the basic needs facilitate natural growth processes including intrinsically motivated behavior and integration of extrinsic motivations, whereas those that forestall autonomy, competence, or relatedness are associated with poorer motivation, performance, and well-being. We also discuss the relation of the psychological needs to cultural values, evolutionary processes, and other contemporary motivation theories.

Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation : the search for optimal motivation and performance

Abstract: C. Sansone and J.M. Harackiewicz, Looking Beyond Rewards: The Problem and Promise of Intrinsic Motivation. Are the Costs of Rewards Still Hidden: A New Look at an Old Debate: R.M. Ryan and E.L. Deci, When Rewards Compete with Nature: The Undermining of Intrinsic Motivation and Self-Regulation. B.A. Hennessey, Rewards and Creativity. J.M. Harackiewicz and C. Sansone, Rewarding Competence: The Importance of Goals in the Study of Intrinsic Motivation. J.Y. Shah and A.W. Kruglanski, The Structure and Substance of Intrinsic Motivation. A New Debate: Hidden Costs (and Benefits) of Achievement Goals: D.C. Molden and C.S. Dweck, Meaning and Motivation. R. Butler, What Learners Want to Know: The Role of Achievement Goals in Shaping Information Seeking, Learning, and Interest. E.A. Linnenbrink and P.R. Pintrich, Multiple Pathways to Learning and Achievement: Teh Role of Goal Orientation in Fostering Adaptive Motivation, Affect, and Cognition. K.E. Barron and J.M. Harackiewicz, Achievement Goals and Optimal Motivation: A Multiple Goals Approach. The Role of Interest in Learning and Self-Regulation: "Extrinsic" versus "Intrinsic" Motivation Reconsidered: M.R. Lepper and J. Henderlong, Turning "Play" Into "Work" and "Work" Into "Play": 25 Years of Research on Intrinsic Versus Extrinsic Motivation. S. Hidi, An Interest Researcher's Perspective: The Effects of Extrinsic and Intrinsic Factors on Motivation. C. Sansone and J.L. Smith, Interest and Self-Regulation: The Relation Between Having to and Wanting to. K.A. Renninger, Individual Interest and its Implications for Understanding Intrinsic Motivation. J.E. Jacobs and J.S. Eccles, Parents, Task Values, and Real-Life Achievement-Related Choices. Part 4: Conclusion: C. Sansone and J.M. Harackiewicz, Controversies and New Directions - is it Deja Vu All Over Again? Index.

Why Are You Learning a Second Language? Motivational Orientations and Self‐Determination Theory

Abstract: The data for this study were collected in my first year of graduate school for a term paper for a course I was taking from Luc Pelletier. When I began graduate school, Luc also started at the University of Ottawa as a new faculty member, and he taught a course in motivation. I had worked with Richard Clement for a couple of years already as an honors student and as a research assistant and had conducted research on orientations and motivation under his supervision as part of my honors thesis project. Luc was very interested in self-determination theory (SDT) and had worked with Bob Vallerand on an instrument to assess academic motivation from this perspective. Luc and I decided to carry out a study on language learning orientations using SDT and enlisted Richard's and Bob's involvement in the project. As a bilingual institution where all students were required to demonstrate competence in their second language (L2), whether French or English, the University of Ottawa was an ideal setting for this type of research. The project was a first examination of SDT in the language learning context, and to the best of my knowledge it was the only, or at least one of the very few, empirical investigations of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in the area. It involved the development of a valid and reliable instrument to assess the different subtypes of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. It also explored the link between these motivational subtypes and various orientations to language learning that had been identified by Clement and Kruidenier (1983), including the travel, friendship, knowledge, and instrumental orientations. The results showed that the instrumental orientation and the SDT external regulation orientation were strongly correlated, and that the travel, friendship, and knowledge orientations were quite highly intercorrelated with identified regulation and intrinsic motivation. Moreover, the instrumental and external regulation orientation scales correlated in similar ways with the hypothesized antecedents of perceived autonomy and competence and the hypothesized consequences of intention to pursue L2 study and anxiety. In addition, the travel, friendship, and knowledge orientations were correlated with the hypothesized antecedents and consequences in a manner similar to intrinsic motivation and identified regulation. These results suggested that Clement and Kruidenier's 4 orientations may be tapping a similar construct as the SDT orientations. My only regret with this study is that I did not include a scale to measure the integrative orientation (Gardner, 1985) to determine its relation with the SDT subtypes. This issue would have to wait until a later study to be addressed. The results of this initial investigation encouraged me to pursue research integrating SDT with other theoretical frameworks of language learning motivation. I believe that the SDT framework has several advantages over some other formulations of learner orientations. SDT offers a parsimonious, internally consistent framework for systematically describing many different orientations in a comprehensive manner. It also offers considerable explanatory power for understanding why certain orientations are better predictors of relevant language learning variables (e.g., effort, persistence, attitudes) than others. Also, by invoking the psychological mechanisms of perceived autonomy, competence, and relatedness, it can account for why certain orientations are evident in some learners and not in others. Moreover, the framework is empirically testable and indeed has stood up well under empirical scrutiny in our studies. Its clear predictions may also be particularly valuable in applying the theory in language teaching and program development. [The present article first appeared in Language Learning, 50 (1), 2000, 57–85]

Understanding Human Competence at Work: An Interpretative Approach

Abstract: In the prevalent rationalistic approaches, human competence at work is seen as constituted by a specific set of attributes, such as the knowledge and skills used in performing particular work. As a...

Clustering competence in emotional intelligence: Insights from the Emotional Competence Inventory.

Abstract: Appeared in Reuven Bar-On and James D.A. Parker (editors)(2000), Handbook of Emotional Intelligence, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, pages 343-362. Correspondence should be addressed to Richard E. Boyatzis, Department of Organizational Behavior, Weatherhead School of Management, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio, USA, 44106-7235. Reproduced by The Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence in Organizations with special permission of the authors.

Cognitive task analysis

Abstract: Cognitive task analysis is defined as the extension of traditional task analysis techniques to yield information about the knowledge, thought processes and goal structures that underlie observable task performance. Cognitive task analyses are conducted for a wide variety of purposes, including the design of computer systems to support human work, the development of training, and the development of tests to certify competence. As part of its Programme of Work, NATO Research Study Group 27 on Cognitive Task Analysis has undertaken the task of reviewing existing cognitive task analysis techniques. The Group concludes that few integrated methods exist, that little attention is being paid to the conditions under which methods are appropriate, and that often it is unclear how the products of cognitive task analysis should be used. RSG.27 has also organized a workshop with experts in the field of cognitive task analysis. The most important issues that were discussed during the workshop were: (1) the use of CTA in the design of new systems, (2) the question when to use what technique, and (3) the role of CTA in system design. RSG.27 emphasizes: (1) that is important for the CTA community to be able to empirically demonstrate the added value of a CTA; (2) it is critical for the success of CTA to be involved in the design process from the start to finish, and to establish clear links with methods that are used by other disciplines, and (3) recommends that more research effort be directed to the issue of the reliability of CTA techniques. (P)

Self-regulation and academic learning: Self-efficacy enhancing interventions.

Abstract: Publisher Summary This chapter argues that students' self-regulatory competence can be enhanced through systematic interventions that are designed to teach skills and raise students' self-efficacy for learning. Self-regulation (or self-regulated learning) refers to self-generated thoughts, feelings, and actions that are planned and systematically adapted as needed to affect one's learning and motivation. Self-regulation comprises such processes as setting goals for learning, attending to and concentrating on instruction, using effective strategies to organize, code, and rehearse information to be remembered, establishing a productive work environment, using resources effectively, monitoring performance, managing time effectively, seeking assistance when needed, holding positive beliefs about one's capabilities, the value of learning, the factors influencing learning and the anticipated outcomes of actions, and experiencing pride and satisfaction with one's efforts. Self-regulation is not an all-or-none phenomenon; rather, it refers to the degree that students are metacognitively, motivationally, and behaviorally active in their learning. Students may self-regulate different dimensions of learning, including their motives for learning, the methods they employ, the performance outcomes they strive for, and the social and environmental resources they use. Thus, self-regulation has both qualitative and quantitative aspects because it involves which processes students use, how frequently they use them, and how well they employ them. The hallmarks of self-regulation are choice and control: Students cannot self-regulate unless they have options available for learning and can control essential dimensions of learning. Students have little opportunity for self-regulation when teachers dictate what students do, when and where they do it, and how they accomplish it.

Cross Cultural Competency and Multicultural Teacher Education

Abstract: Teachers require support as they face the challenge of effectively teaching diverse students in their classrooms. Teacher-educators have used various methods to foster change in teachers' thinking, attitudes, and behaviors regarding cultural diversity, but these efforts have produced mixed results because they often focused on content rather the process of cross-cutural learning. The purpose of this review is to examine three process-oriented models that have been used to describe and measure the development of racial identity and cross-cultural competence. These models include Helm's model of racial identity development, Banks's Typology of Ethnicity, and Bennett's Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity. Research using the models revealed insights for multicultural teacher education in assessing readiness to learn, designing effective learning opportunities, and providing appropriate support and challenge for teachers.

Social-emotional classroom climate in child care, child–teacher relationships and children's second grade peer relations.

Abstract: We used a five-year longitudinal study of children’s teacher-child relationships and social-emotional competence to examine the relative contributions of preschool social-emotional climate and early individual child-teacher relationships and behavior problems in predicting second grade social competence with peers. Three hundred and seven children (152 girls) had complete second grade data on peer social competence. We used the Peer Play Scale to measure the climate of peer social competence in preschool classrooms. We used the Classroom Behavior Inventory to measure behavior problems and the Student-Teacher Relationship Scale to measure child-teacher relationship quality at both the classroom and individual level. Children’s second grade social competence with peers could be predicted by preschool classroom social-emotional climate, four-year-old behavior problems and child-teacher relationship quality, and contemporary child-teacher relationship quality. The particular pattern of these predictors differed by aspect of social competence with peers.

Double Standards for Competence: Theory and Research

Abstract: This article reviews theory and research on double standards, namely, the use of different requirements for the inference of possession of an attribute, depending on the individuals being assessed. The article focuses on double standards for competence in task groups and begins by examining how status characteristics (e.g. gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic class) become a basis for stricter standards for the lower status person. I also discuss other bases for this practice (e.g. personality characteristics, allocated rewards, sentiments of either like or dislike). Next, I describe double standards in the inference of other types of valued attributes (e.g. beauty, morality, mental health) and examine the relationship between these practices and competence double standards. The article concludes with a discussion of “reverse” double standards for competence, namely, the practice of applying more lenient ability standards to lower status individuals.

The Parenting Sense of Competence Scale: Evidence of a Stable Factor Structure and Validity

Abstract: In this study, 110 mothers and 110 fathers of 5- to 12-yearold boys and girls completed the Parenting Sense of Competence (PSOC) scale and measures of child behaviour, parenting style, and marital satisfaction. We replicated the factor structure of the Parenting Sense of Competence Scale produced by Johnston and Mash (1989), and provided evidence that the Satisfaction and Efficacy scales from this measure assess distinct aspects of parenting selfesteem. Interestingly, parents of girls reported higher Efficacy scores than parents of boys. To address the validity of the PSOC scale, we calculated partial correlations between Efficacy and Satisfaction PSOC scores and other measures of family functioning, controlling for the shared variance between the two scales. Significant small-tomoderate size correlations were found between parents' reports of both internalizing and externalizing child problems and Satisfaction scores, but correlations with Efficacy scores were generally small and nonsignificant, particularly for mothers. We also found that mothers and fathers who reported a more easy-going, low-conflict parenting style were more satisfied in parenting; for mothers, a similar relationship was found for parenting efficacy. In addition, Satisfaction scores shared a small but significant amount of variance with mother-father agreements in parenting style, as well as marital satisfaction. Implications of the findings for the use of the Parenting Sense of Competence scale are discussed. Resume

The proactive employee: Managing workplace initiative

Abstract: Executive Overview Business and behavioral undertakings such as job enrichment, participation, empowerment, and transformational leadership are organizational attempts to expand the employee role. This article examines a number of these undertakings to illustrate how they function as role-expansion mechanisms, and how they implicitly define five role characteristics generally reflective of a proactive employee. While job and task competence, interpersonal effectiveness, and organizational orientation have always been associated with the employee role, the other two role characteristics—enterprising qualities and personal integrity—represent relatively new expectations. These new demands raise some important issues for firms and managers, centered on differences associated with the firm's, the manager's, and the employee's expectations regarding the use of judgment and initiative. The article examines some implications of these differences, discusses person-environment fit considerations, and proposes reco...

Self-report multicultural counseling competence scales: Their relation to social desirability attitudes and multicultural case conceptualization ability.

Abstract: This study examined the relationship between 4 self-report multicultural counseling competence measures and a general index of social desirability. The authors also investigated the association between these 4 multicultural scales and multicultural case conceptualization ability. Results revealed significant positive relationships between 3 of the 4 multicultural counseling competence inventories and a measure of social desirability attitudes. Additionally, after controlling for social desirability, none of the self-report multicultural counseling competence scales were significantly related to multicultural case conceptualization ability. Limitations of self-report multicultural counseling competence measures are discussed, and implications of the findings for counseling training, practice, and research are delineated.

Local systems of innovation in a globalized world economy

Abstract: National systems of innovation (NSIs) make many assumptions concerning the nature of the actors, their competence, habits and practices with regard to the linkages that lead to learning and innovat...

Fairness and Competence in Citizen Participation: Theoretical Reflections from a Case Study

Abstract: This article reports progress on developing a theory of public participation that may prove useful to administrative bodies. The authors review a theory of public participation based on Habermas’s ...

Development and Content Validation of a "Hyperdimensional" Taxonomy of Managerial Competence

Abstract: In light of repeated prescriptions for theory-driven prediction of job performance (Guion & Gottier, 1965; Tett, Jackson, Rothstein, & Reddon, 1999), the complexity of the manager's role calls for a comprehensive performance taxonomy more detailed than those offered previously. Review of recent discussion of the fidelity-bandwidth tradeoff (e.g., Hogan & Roberts, 1996; Ones & Viswesvaran, 1996) and the need for greater articulation of job performance (Campbell, 1994; Murphy & Shiarella, 1997) raise important issues regarding construct specificity in considering managerial behavior. None of 12 earlier managerial performance taxonomies (e.g., Borman & Brush, 1993; Tornow & Pinto, 1976; Yukl & Lepsinger, 1992) offers adequate specificity for meeting key research challenges. A "hyperdimensional" taxonomy of managerial competencies, derived from the earlier models and developed using unique methods, was subjected to content validation by expert review in 3 studies. In the first 2, a total of 110 Academy of Man...

Situated learning in the practice placement.

Abstract: Nurses who had just completed their training in Scotland were interviewed with regard to their experiences on placements. The nurses had either completed a traditional training course or came from the first cohort of the Project 2000 diploma level course. The interviews focused on the way in which the student nurses had learned in their practice placements. The results suggest that the placement is a complex social and cognitive experience in which there are elements of situated learning. Acceptance into the community of practice is important but this can be separated, conceptually at least, into a social acceptance which might be extended to any student and a professional acceptance which relies on the display of appropriate competence. The nurses described the way in which their mentors had interacted with them in terms which suggested that cognitive apprenticeship strategies had been used to further their learning in practice. It is concluded that, in view of the central importance of the placement for training nurses, explicit use of mentoring techniques derived from situated learning and cognitive apprenticeship might be beneficial.

Patient-oriented learning: a review of the role of the patient in the education of medical students

Abstract: Aim To explore the contribution patients can make to medical education from both theoretical and empirical perspectives, to describe a framework for reviewing and monitoring patient involvement in specific educational situations and to generate suggestions for further research. Methods Literature review. Results Direct contact with patients can be seen to play a crucial role in the development of clinical reasoning, communication skills, professional attitudes and empathy. It also motivates through promoting relevance and providing context. Few studies have explored this area, including effects on the patients themselves, although there are examples of good practice in promoting more active participation. Conclusion The Cambridge framework is a tool for evaluating the involvement of patients in the educational process, which could be used by curriculum planners and teachers to review and monitor the extent to which patients are actively involved. Areas for further research include looking at the ‘added value’ of using real, as opposed to simulated, patients; more work on outcomes for patients (other than satisfaction); the role of real patients in assessment; and the strengths and weaknesses of different models of patient involvement.

Ensuring Competency in End-of-Life Care Communication and Relational Skills

Abstract: Physician competence in end-of-life care requires skill in communication, decision making, and building relationships, yet these skills were not taught to the majority of physicians during their training. This article presents a 7-step approach for physicians for structuring communication regarding care at the end of life. Physicians should prepare for discussions by confirming medical facts and establishing an appropriate environment; establish what the patient (and family) knows by using open-ended questions; determine how information is to be handled at the beginning of the patient-physician relationship; deliver the information in a sensitive but straightforward manner; respond to emotions of the patients, parents, and families; establish goals for care and treatment priorities when possible; and establish an overall plan. These 7 steps can be used in situations such as breaking bad news, setting treatment goals, advance care planning, withholding or withdrawing therapy, making decisions in sudden life-threatening illness, resolving conflict around medical futility, responding to a request for physician-assisted suicide, and guiding patients and families through the last hours of living and early stages after death. Effective application as part of core end-of-life care competencies is likely to improve patients' and families' experiences of care. It may also enhance physicians' professional fulfillment from satisfactory relationships with their patients and patients' families.

Accumulating technological competence: its changing impact on corporate diversification and internationalization

Abstract: Recent studies have suggested that firm-specific technological competence may be diversified and internationalized. We show that increases in competence increased corporate technological diversification until the early 1970s, and then again more recently. However, a new interrelationship has now emerged between the accumulation, diversification and internationalization of technological competence, due to the formation of internationally integrated networks within firms. The empirical analysis consists of a dynamic cross-section model applied to the corporate patenting in the US, of 166 of the largest European and US industrial firms from 1901 to 1995. Copyright 2000 by Oxford University Press.

Assessing User Competence: Conceptualization and Measurement

Abstract: Organizations today face great pressure to maximize the bene its from their investments in information technology (IT). They are challenged not just to use IT, but to use it as effectively as possible. Understanding how to assess the competence of users is critical in maximizing the effectiveness of IT use. Yet theuser competence construct is largely absent from prominent technology acceptance and it models, poorly conceptualized, and inconsistently measured. We begin by presenting a conceptual model of the assessment of user competence to organize and clarify the diverse literature regarding what user competence means and the problems of assessment. As an illustrative study, we then report the findings from an experiment involving 66 participants. The experiment was conducted to compare empirically two methods (paper and pencil tests versus self-report questionnaire), across two different types of software, or domains of knowledge (word processing versus spreadsheet packages), and two different conceptualizations of competence (software knowledge versus self-efficacy). The analysis shows statistical significance in all three main effects. How user competence is measured, what is measured, what measurement context is employed:all influence the measurement outcome. Furthermore, significant interaction effects indicate that different combinations of measurement methods, conceptualization, and knowledge domains produce different results. The concept of frame of reference, and its anchoring effect on subjects' responses, explains a number of these findings. The study demonstrates the need for clarity in both defining what type of competence is being assessed and in drawing conclusions regarding competence, based upon the types of measures used. Since the results suggest that definition and measurement of the user competence construct can change the ability score being captured, the existing information system (IS) models of usage must contain the concept of an ability rating. We conclude by discussing how user competence can be incorporated into the Task-Technology Fit model, as well as additional theoretical and practical implications of our research.