Showing papers on "Competence (human resources) published in 2009"

Knowing in practice: Enacting a collective capability in distributed organizing

Abstract: Knoving in practice: Enacting a collettive capability in distributed organizing - In this paper, I outline a perspective on knowing in practice which highlights the essential role of human action In knowing how to get things done in complex organizational work. The perspective suggests that knowing is not a static embedded capability or stable disposition o\ actors, but rather an ongoing social accomplishment, constituted and reconstituted as actors engage the world in practice. In interpreting the findings of an empirical study conducted in a geographically dispersed hightech organization. I suggest that the competence to do global product development is both collective and distributed, grounded in the everyday practices of organizational members. I conclude by discussing some of the research implications of a perspective on organizational knowing in practice.

Autonomy, competence, and relatedness in the classroom: Applying self-determination theory to educational practice

Abstract: Self-determination theory (SDT) assumes that inherent in human nature is the propensity to be curious about one's environment and interested in learning and developing one's knowledge. All too ofte...

Barriers to the Successful Integration of ICT in Teaching and Learning Environments: A Review of the Literature

Abstract: The use of ICT in the classroom is very important for providing opportunities for students to learn to operate in an information age. Studying the obstacles to the use of ICT in education may assist educators to overcome these barriers and become successful technology adopters in the future. This paper provides a meta-analysis of the relevant literature that aims to present the perceived barriers to technology integration in science education. The findings indicate that teachers had a strong desire for to integrate ICT into education; but that, they encountered many barriers. The major barriers were lack of confidence, lack of competence, and lack of access to resources. Since confidence, competence and accessibility have been found to be the critical components of technology integration in schools, ICT resources including software and hardware, effective professional development, sufficient time, and technical support need to be provided to teachers. No one component in itself is sufficient to provide good teaching. However, the presence of all components increases the possibility of excellent integration of ICT in learning and teaching opportunities. Generally, this paper provides information and recommendation to those responsible for the integration of new technologies into science education.

Achieving Desired Results and Improved Outcomes: Integrating Planning and Assessment Throughout Learning Activities

Abstract: Most physicians believe that to provide the best possible care to their patients, they must commit to continuous learning. For the most part, it appears the learning activities currently available to physicians do not provide opportunities for meaningful continuous learning. At the same time there have been increasing concerns about the quality of health care, and a variety of groups within organized medicine have proposed approaches to address issues of physician competence and performance. The authors question whether CME will be accepted as a full partner in these new approaches if providers continue to use current approaches to planning and assessing CME. A conceptual model is proposed for planning and assessing continuous learning for physicians that the authors believe will help CME planners address issues of physician competence, physician performance, and patient health status.

Competency benchmarks: A model for understanding and measuring competence in professional psychology across training levels.

Abstract: The Competency Benchmarks document outlines core foundational and functional competencies in professional psychology across three levels of professional development: readiness for practicum, readiness for internship, and readiness for entry to practice. Within each level, the document lists the essential components that comprise the core competencies and behavioral indicators that provide operational descriptions of the essential elements. This document builds on previous initiatives within professional psychology related to defining and assessing competence. It is intended as a resource for those charged with training and assessing for competence.

Community engineering for innovations: the ideas competition as a method to nurture a virtual community for innovations

Abstract: ‘Crowdsourcing’ is currently one of the most discussed key words within the open innovation community. The major question for both research and business is how to find and lever the enormous potential of the ‘collective brain’ to broaden the scope of ‘open R&D’. Based on a literature review in the fields of Community Building and Innovation Management, this work develops an integrated framework called ‘Community Engineering for Innovations’. This framework is evaluated in an Action Research project – the case of an ideas competition for an ERP Software company. The case ‘SAPiens’ includes the design, implementation and evaluation of an IT-supported ideas competition within the SAP University Competence Center (UCC) User Group. This group consists of approximately 60,000 people (lecturers and students) using SAP Software for educational purposes. The current challenges are twofold: on the one hand, there is not much activity yet in this community. On the other, SAP has not attempted to systematically address this highly educated group for idea generation or innovation development so far. Therefore, the objective of this research is to develop a framework for a community-based innovation development that generates innovations, process and product ideas in general and for SAP Research, in particular, combining the concepts of idea competitions and virtual communities. Furthermore, the concept aims at providing an interface to SAP Human Resources processes in order to identify the most promising students in this virtual community. This paper is the first to present an integrated concept for IT-supported idea competitions in virtual communities for leveraging the potential of crowds that is evaluated in a real-world setting.

User-generated content on the internet: an examination of gratifications, civic engagement and psychological empowerment:

Abstract: As they relate to user-generated content on the internet, civic engagement and psychological empowerment have received significant interest in recent years. While past studies have examined online civic participation and political empowerment, the way in which civic engagement offline and content generation online are related to psychological empowerment has not been thoroughly explored. The purpose of this study is to address the roles that gratifications of content generation online (e.g. satisfying recognition needs, cognitive needs, social needs and entertainment needs) and civic engagement offline play in predicting levels of user-generated content on the internet; and how the gratifications of content generation online, civic engagement offline and user-generated content influence the three components of psychological empowerment (i.e. self-efficacy, perceived competence and desire for control). This study reasserts that psychological empowerment can be enhanced by one’s degree of content generation...

Predicting Elections: Child's Play!

Abstract: In two experiments, children and adults rated pairs of faces from election races. Naive adults judged a pair on competence; after playing a game, children chose who they would prefer to be captain of their boat. Children's (as well as adults') preferences accurately predicted actual election outcomes.

Constructing competence: an analysis of student participation in the activity systems of mathematics classrooms

Abstract: This paper investigates the construction of systems of competence in two middle school mathematics classrooms Drawing on analyses of discourse from videotaped classroom sessions, this paper documents the ways that agency and accountability were distributed in the classrooms through interactions between the teachers and students as they worked on mathematical content In doing so, we problematize the assumption that competencies are simply attributes of individuals that can be externally defined Instead, we propose a concept of individual competence as an attribute of a person's participation in an activity system such as a classroom In this perspective, what counts as “competent” gets constructed in particular classrooms, and can therefore look very different from setting to setting The implications of the ways that competence can be defined are discussed in terms of future research and equitable learning outcomes

Socioeconomic variation, number competence, and mathematics learning difficulties in young children.

Abstract: As a group, children from disadvantaged, low-income families perform substantially worse in mathematics than their counterparts from higher-income families Minority children are disproportionately represented in low-income populations, resulting in significant racial and social-class disparities in mathematics learning linked to diminished learning opportunities The consequences of poor mathematics achievement are serious for daily functioning and for career advancement This article provides an overview of children's mathematics difficulties in relation to socioeconomic status (SES) We review foundations for early mathematics learning and key characteristics of mathematics learning difficulties A particular focus is the delays or deficiencies in number competencies exhibited by low-income children entering school Weaknesses in number competence can be reliably identified in early childhood, and there is good evidence that most children have the capacity to develop number competence that lays the foundation for later learning

What is emotional intelligence at work

Abstract: Anna Koczwara BA, MSc, PhD, C. Psychol Senior Consultant, Work Psychology Group Tamsin Bullock BSc, MSc Higher Psychologist, Occupational Psychology Team, Home Office Over the past decade, emotional intelligence has been a popular topic of research and debate in the business psychology literature. Emotional intelligence is concerned with an individual’s capacity to recognise emotions (their own and those of others) and to understand and regulate emotions across social situations. Interventions designed to develop skills associated with emotional intelligence can be beneficial in understanding and improving areas of job performance; thereby helping individuals to develop confidence and competence to deal with emotionally charged situations. This article presents an overview of academic models of emotional intelligence, followed by discussion of its relevance to GPs. A case study shows how emotional intelligence has been used to develop feedback skills in Home Office employees, and the authors comment on how GPs could develop their emotional intelligence to benefit themselves, their patients and the wider practice team. Abstract

Formación basada en competencias

Abstract: The starting point for this research is an overview of 21st century society. Mobility has imposed itself as a culture in its own right, and the teacher is now expected to “know”, “to know how to”, “to know how to be” and “to know how to be there”. As has been repeatedly shown by a long and extensive body of research which has its inspiration in the Delors report (1996), this new vision of education obliges us to overcome the purely instrumental view, where education is seen as the necessary route for obtaining given results (practical experience, skill acquisition, economic objectives, etc), and move on to consider the role of education in the fullest sense; the realisation of the person, enabling the individual to become everything he or she wants to be. Competence development based on training programmes requires changes in teaching strategies, in curricular approaches and in the traditional roles assigned to teachers and pupils. In this article the basic components of competence based training will be described and analysed. In the first place we examine the establishment of competence norms, and then coninue by looking at the diagnosis of training needs. Following this we outline a teaching methodology –based on a learning process which is structured in training modules. Finally an evaluation, recognition and accreditation process – which may or may not lead to some form of certification –is described.

Assessing social-emotional development in children from a longitudinal perspective.

Abstract: This paper provides an overview of methodological challenges related to the epidemiological assessment of social-emotional development in children. Because population-based studies involve large cohorts and are usually multicentre in structure, they have cost, participant burden and other specific issues that affect the feasibility of the types of measures that can be administered. Despite these challenges, accurate in-depth assessment of social-emotional functioning is crucial, based on its importance to child outcomes like mental health, academic performance, delinquency and substance abuse. Five dimensions of social-emotional development in children are defined: (1) social competence; (2) attachment; (3) emotional competence; (4) self-perceived competence; and (5) temperament/personality. Their measurement in a longitudinal study and associated challenges are discussed. Means of making valid, reliable assessments while at the same time minimising the multiple challenges posed in the epidemiological assessment of social-emotional development in children are reviewed.

Competency Assessment Toolkit for Professional Psychology

Abstract: A “toolkit” for professional psychology to assess student and practitioner competence is presented. This toolkit builds on a growing and long history of competency initiatives in professional psychology, as well as those in other health care disciplines. Each tool is a specific method to assess competence, appropriate to professional psychology. The methods are defined and described; information is presented about their best use, psychometrics, strengths and challenges; and future directions are outlined. Finally, the implications of professional psychology’s current shift to a “culture of competency,” including the challenges to implementing ongoing competency assessment, are discussed.

Beyond “see one, do one, teach one”: toward a different training paradigm

Abstract: In the process of acquiring new skills, physicians-in-training may expose patients to harm because they lack the required experience, knowledge and technical skills. Yet, most teaching hospitals use inexperienced residents to care for high-acuity patients in complex and dynamic environments and provide limited supervision from experienced clinicians. Multiple efforts in the last few years have started to address the problem of patient safety. Examples include voluntary incident-reporting systems and team training workshops for practising clinicians. Fewer efforts have addressed the deficits in training new physicians, especially related to knowledge, skills and competence. The current apprenticeship or "see one, do one, teach one" model is insufficient because trainees learn by practising on real patients, which is particularly an issue when performing procedures. Residents have expressed that they do not feel adequately trained to perform procedures safely by themselves. In this paper, we conduct an informal review of the impact of current training methods on patient safety. In addition, we propose a new training paradigm that integrates competency-based knowledge and clinical skills, with deliberate attitudinal and behavioural changes focused on patient safety in a safe medically simulated environment. We do so with the hope of creating a better marriage between the missions of training and patient safety.

The Descriptive Tyranny of the Common Assessment Framework: Technologies of Categorization and Professional Practice in Child Welfare

Abstract: The Common Assessment Framework is a standard assessment tool to be used by all professionals working with children for assessment and referral. The CAF is hailed as a needs-led, evidence-based tool which will promote uniformity, ensure appropriate ‘early intervention’, reduce referral rates to local authority children's services and lead to the evolution of ‘a common language’ amongst child welfare professionals. This paper presents findings from a study, funded under the Economic and Social Research Council's e-Society Programme. Our purpose in is not primarily evaluative, rather we illustrate the impacts of CAF as a technology on the everyday professional practices in child welfare. We analyse the descriptive, stylistic and interpretive demands it places on practitioners in child welfare and argue that practitioners make strategic and moral decisions about whether and when to complete a CAF and how to do so. These are based on assessments of their accountabilities, their level of child welfare competence and their domain-specific knowledge, moral judgements and the institutional contexts in which these are played out.

Remediation of the Deficiencies of Physicians Across the Continuum From Medical School to Practice: A Thematic Review of the Literature

Abstract: Despite widespread endorsement of competency-based assessment of medical trainees and practicing physicians, methods for identifying those who are not competent and strategies for remediation of their deficits are not standardized. This literature review describes the published studies of deficit remediation at the undergraduate, graduate, and continuing medical education levels. Thirteen studies primarily describe small, single-institution efforts to remediate deficient knowledge or clinical skills of trainees or belowstandard-practice performance of practicing physicians. Working from these studies and research from the learning sciences, the authors propose a model that includes multiple assessment tools for identifying deficiencies, individualized instruction, deliberate practice followed by feedback and reflection, and reassessment. The findings of the study reveal a paucity of evidence to guide best practices of remediation in medical education at all levels. There is an urgent need for multiinstitutional, outcomes-based research on strategies for remediation of less than fully competent trainees and physicians with the use of long-term follow-up to determine the impact on future performance. Acad Med. 2009; 84:1822–1832. Medical educators and accrediting organizations have shifted their emphasis from what is taught in the curriculum to what a medical student, resident, or practicing physician can perform. Whereas most trainees and practicing physicians can demonstrate competence in clinical and communication skills, a minority fail to meet the expected standard and require remediation. Despite widespread endorsement of the expectation that physicians-in-training and practicing physicians be assessed for their competence, it remains challenging to identify accurately and reliably those trainees and physicians who are incompetent or less than fully competent and to remediate their deficiencies effectively. Less than fully competent physicians or trainees fail to maintain acceptable standards in one or more areas of professional physician practice, whereas incompetent physicians lack the abilities (cognitive, noncognitive, and communicative) and qualities needed to

Developing Pedagogies in Teacher Education to Support Novice Teachers' Ability to Enact Ambitious Instruction

Abstract: What might it take to support novice teachers to develop the commitment and the capacity to enact ambitious mathematics instruction? In this paper, we describe our experimentation with pedagogies in teacher education to develop novice teachers’ competence in eliciting, responding to, and advancing students’ mathematical thinking. Our efforts centre on the use instructional activities as a tool in supporting the learning and doing of features of ambitious instruction. We explain our use of guided public rehearsal as a pedagogical practice for helping novices practice the interactive contingent nature of classroom teaching in a way that supports their direct interaction with children. This paper describes the aims of a collaborative effort 1 to support novices 2 to teach mathematics. We will discuss our efforts to re-imagine and develop our practice for supporting mathematics instruction. To accomplish this, we will describe what we mean by preparing novice teachers for ambitious practice, explain why we have chosen to use instructional activities as the unit of practice to engage novice teachers, and describe our use of public guided rehearsals in teacher education courses. We end this paper with challenges we have faced thus far in developing our pedagogies. Our collaboration began because of a nagging dissatisfaction with how we prepare teachers to teach ambitiously. Ambitious teaching requires that teachers teach in response to what students do as they engage in problem solving performances, all while holding students accountable to learning goals that include procedural fluency, strategic competence, adaptive reasoning, and productive dispositions (Kilpatrick et al., 2001; Lampert, 2001; Newman & Associates, 1996). At the heart of our dissatisfaction was our observation that while we had experienced much success in developing teachers’ ability to analyze depictions of practice, we had a long way to go in improving teachers’ ability to use such knowledge judiciously in their direct interaction with students.

The Role of Teachers' Psychological Experiences and Perceptions of Curriculum Supports on the Implementation of a Social and Emotional Learning Curriculum

Abstract: . The present study examined how teachers' psychological experiences of burnout and efficacy as well as perceptions of curriculum supports (e.g., coaching) were associated with their implementation dosage and quality of Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies, a social-emotional curriculum. Results revealed that teachers' psychological experiences and perceptions of curriculum supports were associated with implementation. Teacher burnout was negatively associated and efficacy was positively associated with implementation dosage. Teachers who perceived their school administration as more supportive reported higher implementation quality, and positive perceptions of training and coaching were associated with higher levels of implementation dosage and quality. Teachers who reported the highest levels of burnout and the most negative perceptions of curriculum supports reported the lowest levels of implementation dosage and quality. The findings suggest that both individual and organizational factors are related to self-reported implementation and may be important to address in order to maximize the effectiveness of school-based curricula. ********** The role of teachers has changed and expanded over the past few decades. As a result, teachers' rates of stress and burnout are believed to have increased, particularly in urban schools, and in turn may be influencing teachers' effectiveness (Jennings & Greenberg, 2009). When asked to implement new curricula, it is likely that teachers who have these psychological experiences in the workplace, and who perceive low levels of support for the innovation, will be the most vulnerable to poor implementation quality. Guided by an ecological systems framework (Bronfenbrenner, 1986) and recent conceptualization of individual and organizational factors that influence school-based implementation efforts (Greenberg, Domitrovich, Graczyk, & Zins, 2004), the present study examined how teachers' psychological experiences of burnout and efficacy as well as their perceptions of curriculum supports (e.g., school administration, training, and coaching) were associated with teachers' self-reported implementation of an evidence-based, social-emotional curriculum. The Changing Roles and Conditions for American Teachers Teachers' roles have evolved with new demands that result, in part, from federal legislation. Most recently, the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act (2001) has placed additional pressures and accountability on teachers and schools. For instance, teachers must ensure that all students make adequate progress in core academic areas. Under NCLB, districts that fail to make adequate yearly progress for multiple consecutive years become subject to increasingly serious consequences and interventions (No Child Left Behind Act, 2001). Although many occupations require their employees to demonstrate ongoing competence in their roles and adapt to new job requirements, the recent changes for teachers are without precedent. Given the fact that students' performance is determined by a variety of factors that lie outside of teachers' control, the pressure regarding student performance can cause a high degree of stress (Huberman, 2005). Even prior to NCLB, heightened expectations, broader demands, and the implementation of multiple reforms had already led to significant job intensification in teachers' work lives (Hargreaves, 1994). In the current economy, teachers are pressed to do more work with fewer resources, and many face persistent and chronic overload (Vandenberghe & Huberman, 1999). In the most recent report of the nationally representative School and Staffing Survey (2003-2004), public school teachers reported that they were contracted to work 37.7 hr per week, but when they were asked to also take into account time spent on school-related work outside of the school day, teachers reported actually working an average of 52.8 hr per week (Strizek, Pittsonberger, Riordan, Lyter, & Orlofsky, 2006). …

European Association of Echocardiography recommendations for training, competence, and quality improvement in echocardiography.

Abstract: The main mission statement of the European Association of Echocardiography (EAE) is 'to promote excellence in clinical diagnosis, research, technical development, and education in cardiovascular ultrasound in Europe'. As competence and quality control issues are increasingly recognized by patients, physicians, and payers, the EAE has established recommendations for training, competence, and quality improvement in echocardiography. The purpose of this document is to provide the requirements for training and competence in echocardiography, to outline the principles of quality measurement, and to recommend a set of measures for improvement, with the ultimate goal of raising the standards of echocardiographic practice in Europe.

The management of professionalism: A contemporary paradox

Abstract: Profession and professionalism are increasingly being applied to work and workers in modern societies yet the conditions of trust, discretion and competence, which historically have been deemed to be necessary for professional practice, are continually being challenged, changed or ‘regulated’ This represents a contemporary paradox that is important to clarify and understand

Different forces, same consequence: conscientiousness and competence beliefs are independent predictors of academic effort and achievement.

Abstract: Conscientiousness and domain-specific competence beliefs are known to be highly important predictors of academic effort and achievement. Given their basis in distinct research traditions, however, these constructs have rarely been examined simultaneously. Three studies with 571, 415, and 1,535 students, respectively, found a moderate association between conscientiousness and competence beliefs. Both conscientiousness and competence beliefs meaningfully predicted academic effort, irrespective of how academic effort was measured (single-measurement questionnaire or diary data). The associations of competence beliefs with academic effort were highly domain specific, whereas conscientiousness was predictive of academic effort across a wide range of academic subjects. Conscientiousness and competence beliefs were also associated with academic achievement. Figural and verbal reasoning ability, although associated with academic achievement, only loosely predicted academic effort.

Towards a model of translation competence and its acquisition: the longitudinal study TransComp

Abstract: The first part of this article gives a short survey of how translation competence and its acquisition have been modelled so far and of what we know from expertise research about the cognitive processes involved in expert performance. Drawing on this, a model of translation competence is presented as a framework of reference for the research project TransComp, a longitudinal study which explores the development of translation competence in 12 students of translation over a period of three years and compares it to that of 10 professional translators. The model will be used to generate hypotheses to be verified in TransComp. In the second part of the article, the design of TransComp, the research questions asked, and the methods of measuring those features which are assumed to be indicators of central sub-competences of translation competence will be presented. The article concludes with information on the availability of the materials used for the study and the data collected in TransComp.

Distinctive qualities of expert teachers

Abstract: This paper attempts to identify the distinctive qualities of successful veteran teachers, referred to as “expert teachers”, which separates them not only from novice teachers but more importantly from experienced non‐expert teachers. Based on earlier case studies, this paper maintains that the critical differences between expert and non‐expert teachers are manifested in three dimensions: their ability to integrate aspects of teacher knowledge in relation to the teaching act; their response to their contexts of work, and their ability to engage in reflection and conscious deliberation. The paper further addresses the question of why some teachers become experts while others remain experienced non‐experts by examining the developmental processes of the experienced teachers in the case studies. The findings suggest that engagement in exploration and experimentation in teaching and learning, in problematizing the unproblematic, and in tasks which challenge teachers to extend their competence are crucial to th...