Competence (human resources)

About: Competence (human resources) is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 53557 publications have been published within this topic receiving 988884 citations. The topic is also known as: competence (human resources) & Competency.

What is Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK)

Abstract: This paper describes a teacher knowledge framework for technology integration called technological pedagogical content knowledge (originally TPCK, now known as TPACK, or technology, pedagogy, and c...

Professional Competence of Teachers: Effects on Instructional Quality and Student Development

Abstract: This study investigates teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge, professional beliefs, work-related motivation, and self-regulation as aspects of their professional competence. Specifically, it examines how these aspects impact instruction and, in turn, student outcomes. In a nationally representative sample of 194 German secondary school mathematics classes, multiple measures were used to assess teacher competence, instructional quality, and students’ achievement and motivation. The effect of teachers’ professional competence on student outcomes was estimated in a 1-year repeated-measures design. Two-level structural equation models revealed positive effects of teachers’ pedagogical content knowledge, enthusiasm for teaching, and self-regulatory skills on instructional quality, which in turn affected student outcomes. In contrast, teachers’ general academic ability did not affect their instruction. The multidimensional model of teachers’ professional competence introduced in this article seems suited to stimulate further research on the personal indicators of teacher quality.

The Social Psychology of Leisure and Recreation

Abstract: PrefaceThis book is a direct outgrowth of two social psychological courses I havenbeen teaching at The University of Iowa since the Fall of 1976. One ofnthese courses is an undergraduate class entitled qIntroduction to SocialnPsychology of Leisure,q and the other is a graduate class bearing the title qAdvanced Theory and Methods of Social Psychology of Leisure.q The contentnand approach taken in these courses are a result of my strong dissatisfactionnwith past attempts to explain leisure and recreation behaviornby sociological approaches using such variables as occupation, income,nand social class. The book is based upon the lectures of both classes andntherefore represents a combination of introductory and advanced material.When starting this project, my goal was to write a book which wouldnbe sufficiently simple to be comprehended by students with little or nonknowledge of social psychology and research, and sufficiently complexnto interest students familiar with the approach and concepts of this area.nTo the degree that this objective is achieved, the book can serve as antextbook for undergraduate and graduate students taking introductoryncourses in the psychological and social psychological aspects of leisurenand recreation. The book can also be used as a supplement to otherntextbooks and journal articles for advanced undergraduate and graduatenstudents. While the book was written with students of recreation in mind, Inbelieve that it is also applicable to courses in related fields such asnpsychology and physical education.In addition to college and university students, the book is intendednfor recreation practitioners. While it contains some material irrelevant tonthe actual delivery of leisure and recreation services, the work presentsnessential information to practitioners. For example, research reviewed onnchildren's play clearly condemns the present practice of furnishing playgroundsnwith standard equipment such as swings and slides. Furthermore,nbased upon theoretical and empirical research, I developed the point thatnLittle League baseball players should be randomly divided into teams before the season, and no recruitment should be allowed. Research reviewednin the chapter on leisure needs and motives shows that socialninteraction is as important as (if not more important than) equipment andnphysical areas where recreational participation takes place. Yet, attentionnis typically centered on the physical aspects of recreational activitiesnwhen delivering leisure services. On the other hand, this is hardly surprisingnin light of the fact that recreation curricula throughout the country arenorganized around such courses as parks and recreation facility management.nTo state it bluntly, it seems to be more important to know wherenvolleyball nets are put after a game than to know how to best facilitatensocial interaction and feelings of competence during the game! It seemsnto be more important to first build recreation centers and programs andnthen worry later about people, rather than vice versa.To give still another example of relevance of this book to practitioners,nconsider the finding (discussed in the chapter on therapeutic recreation)nthat lack of perceived responsibility and control over life has detrimentalneffects on psychological and physical well-being of the institutionalizednaged; it has also been found that these factors increase thenmortality rate among the institutionalized elderly. In view of such drasticnimpact of lack of personal responsibility and control, it is hard for me tonsee how we can permit our students to work as therapeutic recreationnspecialists in nursing homes and other settings, without knowledge ofnthese influencing processes. To stretch the point to the extreme, it may benstated that through the provision of leisure services therapeutic recreationnspecialists are in fact manipulating their patients' perceived responsibilitynand control and thereby affecting the death rate of patients. In addition tonthis area, social psychological research was reviewed on such relevantnand q appliedq topics as drug abuse, vandalism, and littering. In sum,ndespite its theoretical orientation, the book spells out practical implications.nSince practitioners, in most cases, are qsocial psychologistsq whonuse leisure and recreation services as tools of improving people's qualitynof life, they should be familiar with a social psychological analysis of leisurenand recreation behavior.Finally, this book is intended to be of heuristic value for researchers. Inhave not only reviewed past research on each topic as thoroughly as Incould but have pointed out weaknesses of previous studies. In doing so Inhave attempted to be a constructive critic, in that new directions for futurenresearch have been identified in many areas. Past research is frequentlyncriticized, not to minimize the work of individual researchers, but to helpnadvance the field. This work presents new ideas, hypotheses and modelsnwhich should be subjected to rigorous empirical testing. If the book isnable to stimulate theoretical and empirical research, it has achieved onenof its objectives.n n n n n