Is it only 'what works' that 'counts' in new knowledge economies? Evidence-based practice, educational research and teacher education in Australia

Recent texts on globalisation and education policy refer to the rapid flow of education policy texts producing or responding to common trends across nation states with the emergence of new knowledge economies. These educational policies are shaping what counts as research and the dynamics between research, policy, and practice in schools, creating new types of relationships between universities, the public, the professions, government, and industry. The trend to evidence-based policy and practice in Australian schools is used to identify key issues within wider debates about the ‘usefulness’ of educational research and the role of universities and university-based research in education in new knowledge economies.

Is it only 'what works' that 'counts' in new knowledge economies? Evidence-based practice, educational research and teacher education in Australia

Recent texts on globalisation and education policy refer to the rapid ¯ow of education policy texts producing or responding to common trends across nation states with the emergence of new knowledge economies. These educational policies are shaping what counts as research and the dynamics between research, policy, and practice in schools, creating new types of relationships between universities, the public, the professions, government, and industry. The trend to evidence-based policy and practice in Australian schools is used to identify key issues within wider debates about the `usefulness' of educational research and the role of universities and university-based research in education in new knowledge economies.

Using organizational justice to predict in-role and extra-role performance works in different ways for men relative to women

Distributive, procedural, interpersonal and informational justices were included in this study of gender differences in in-role and extra-role behavior. Distributive justice predicted performance, organizational commitment and OCB for men but only performance and job satisfaction for women. Procedural justice predicted job satisfaction for men and did not predict any outcomes for women. Informational justice predicted job satisfaction for both male and female respondents. Informational justice predicted female but not male organizational commitment and in-role performance. Interpersonal justice predicted male but not female organizational citizenship behavior. The study demonstrates important distinctions between the four organizational justice types and how men and women respond differently to those distinctions. The differences in the drivers of in-role performance between men and women may also have practical implications for managers. For example, distributive justice was a direct in-role performance driver for both genders, but informational justice provides an incremental direct effect for women.

Generating an ontology from scientific works : initial results

Attempts to produce adequate and long-lived subject indexes of information systems and computer science research have failed. In this paper we report preliminary results of an approach by which the terms expressed in research literature, such as that in information systems, can be systematically and meaningfully categorised. The approach is based on Roman Ingarden’s ontological theory of the written scholarly work: its nature, existence, and categorisation, and builds on Grounded Theory: a rigorous grounded qualitative research method addressing how meaningful categories can be analysed from text and related to each other. We have found that the key guiding unit of analysis operationalising Ingarden’s approach through Grounded Theory is the “reported research activity” and that the process is possible although labour intensive. On the basis of using the approach, we propose simple steps to improve the quality of keywords in reported research.

Reducing the risk of re-offending among Australian indigenous offenders : what works for whom?

This paper discusses the application of the “what works” approach to the rehabilitation of indigenous Australian offenders. It is suggested that those from indigenous cultures may not share some of the theoretical assumptions that underpin the “what works” approach, potentially leading to discussion about the cultural appropriateness of rehabilitation programs. Finally, some options are presented about how cultural differences might be understood in ways that facilitate the further development of rehabilitation programs for indigenous peoples.

Capital works procurement policies in Australia : implications for understanding and meeting client needs

This paper undertakes a case study of procurement through a comparative analysis of the capital works procurement policies of the Commonwealth, State, and Territory Governments in Australia. Capital works procurement policies provide the mechanism by which governments manage procurement processes, and frame how individual government agencies, as clients, participate in those processes. The paper proposes a typology of capital works procurement approaches, together with implications of how these different policies play out for clients. A tentative proposition is advanced that policy approaches to capital works procurement either explicitly or implicitly, make assumptions about the organisational capability of clients to plan and deliver capital works projects, including their ability to understand and articulate their own building needs. Additionally, the paper concludes that innovation has occurred at a policy level in capital works procurement. Recommendations for further research are suggested.