To what extent is the Mayer and Salovey (1997) model of emotional intelligence a useful predictor of leadership style and perceived leadership outcomes in Australian educational institutions?

Researchers have found that transformational leadership is related to positive outcomes in educational institutions. Hence, it is important to explore constructs that may predict leadership style in order to identify potential transformational leaders in assessment and selection procedures. Several studies in non-educational settings have found that emotional intelligence is a useful predictor of transformational leadership, but these studies have generally lacked methodological rigor and contextual relevance. This project, set in Australian educational institutions, employed a more rigorous methodology to answer the question: to what extent is the Mayer and Salovey (1997) model of emotional intelligence a useful predictor of leadership style and perceived leadership outcomes? The project was designed to move research in the field forward by using valid and reliable instruments, controlling for other predictors, obtaining an adequately sized sample of current leaders and collecting multiple ratings of their leadership behaviours. The study (N = 144 leaders and 432 raters) results indicated that emotional intelligence was not a useful predictor of leadership style and perceived leadership outcomes. In contrast, several of the other predictors in the study were found to predict leadership style.

Learning without boundaries

Discipline boundaries of science and technology education are inevitable. Often, such barriers are an obstacle to industry-based learning leading to preventable complexities. Industry-based learning is a complex scenario, rather than conventional learning, leading to the study of liquid learning, which is a timely concept to investigate learning without boundaries. Liquid learning consists of accountability, expectations and driven by outcomes with different learning choices. Liquid learning is a significant phenomenon requiring awareness in the science and technology education. This paper aims to discuss some practical issues when designing industry-based learning without boundaries. A case study approach is reviewed and presented.

Accounting for volunteer services : a deficiency in accountability

The purpose of this study is to identify the extent to which NFP organisations disclose information on volunteer contributions of services. Design/methodology/approach – The study relies on information disclosed in the websites of NFP organisations. Findings - We find that disclosure was more prevalent on NFP websites compared to digital annual report disclosures. We find that more NFPs provided disclosure on the activities of their volunteers than other items pertaining to volunteers and the quantification and valuation of volunteer contributions were the least likely to be disclosed. Importantly, the findings illustrate an accountability deficiency in the comprehensiveness of disclosure which results in an under-representation of the contribution volunteers provide to organisational sustainability and impact on mission fulfilment. Research limitations/implications – The convenience sample size restricts further interrogation to tease out organisational characteristics that may influence current disclosure practices. Practical implications - The findings contribute to international debate over the inclusion of volunteer contributions in the assessment of a NFP’s accountability over its resources and ultimately the enhancement of its sustainability.

A new era : personal technology challenges educational technology

As we race towards a new era, rapid change of conventional models has become the norm. Just as technology has etched itself to the core of society, the sheer quantity of student devices connecting to university networks presents a sector wide challenge coinciding almost perfectly with many universities creating technology rich learning spaces. New fears include future proofing. It is not just a matter of technology becoming outdated. In seeking to accommodate the teaching styles and experience of staff across diverse faculties, is this technology simply too vanilla to meet their needs as they become increasingly skilled and inspired by technology’s potential? Through the early findings of a study into staff use of technology within Queensland University of Technology's next generation collaborative learning spaces, this paper explores whether the answers lie in a model presented by students equipping themselves with the tools they need to learn in the 21st century.

A review of the educational needs of nurses administering cancer chemotherapy in rural and remote areas of Queensland

This paper describes current issues in chemotherapy nursing practice in rural and remote Australia. There is a trend to refer chemotherapy clients back to their rural and remote health facility for treatment from major oncology centres in Australia. However, it is increasingly apparent that the majority of nurses administering chemotherapy in smaller centres lack the theoretical and clinical knowledge to ensure optimum client outcomes and nurse/client safety. There are also issues unique to rural and remote life which will influence optimum chemotherapy service delivery. The research program described in the paper will ascertain the education requirements of rural and remote nurses administering chemotherapy and the design and delivery of a chemotherapy education package specific to the rural and remote context. Similar programs will ensure the best standards of chemotherapy practice in non-metropolitan areas by enhancing the practical and theoretical knowledge base of rural and remote nurses.

Contemporary comment : is it time for Australia to adopt Circles of Support and Accountability (COSA)?

Circles of Support and Accountability (COSA) - an innovative process for reintegrating child sex offenders into the community after a period of incarceration - have not yet been firmly established in any Australian jurisdiction. This is the case despite their widespread use in Canada, the United Kingdom. and parts of the United States of America, and despite a growing body of research evidence that demonstrates their efficacy in reducing recidivism among child sex offenders. This Contemporary Comment outlines the emergence of COSA and the existing evidence in support of COSA. It argues that COSA should be piloted in Australia.

The potential of Circles of Support and Accountability (COSA) to reduce child sexual abuse in Australia

This report addresses a number of issues relating to Circles of Support and Accountability, and their compatibility with the Australian criminal justice context, including: - What are Circles of Support and Accountability? - When and how did Circles of Support and Accountability emerge? - What forms do Circles of Support and Accountability take? - What is the purpose of Circles of Support and Accountability? - Where do Circles of Support and Accountability currently operate? - Why is it important for Australia to understand Circles of Support and Accountability? - What is the scope of the problem of child sexual abuse in Australia? - What is the research evidence about the effectiveness of Circles of Support and Accountability? - Some key issues for consideration. - Some limitations and potential “dangers” of Circles of Support and Accountability. - Recommendations for Australia. The report concludes that given the research evidence about Circles of Support and Accountability, Australia should build on its existing interest to more fully implement Circles of Support and Accountability, while taking the limitations of this criminal justice measure into consideration.

The journey of the role of religious faith in corrections : the case of circles of support and accountability

A renewal of interest has occurred in the relationship between religion, penal policy, and systems of criminal justice in different countries. This has been manifested in the development of religious programmes in prison and community settings. The subject has also precipitated a substantial body of empirical research, in addition to theorising the impacts of religion upon offending behaviour. However, specific faith‐based measures have attracted limited attention, mainly because of the empirical complexity of measuring the relationship between faith and behavioural change. These issues are addressed in this article by considering the recentlyemerged practice of Circles of Support and Accountability (COSA).

Improving usefulness of eHealth systems through Information Accountability

With the implementation of the Personally Controlled eHealth Records system (PCEHR) in Australia, shared Electronic Health Records (EHR) are now a reality. However, the characteristic implicit in the PCEHR that puts the consumer (i.e. patient) in control of managing his or her health information within the PCEHR prevents healthcare professionals (HCPs) from utilising it as a one-stop-shop for information at point of care decision making as they cannot trust that a complete record of the consumer's health history is available to them through it. As a result, whilst reaching a major milestone in Australia's eHealth journey, the PCEHR does not reap the full benefits that such a shared EHR system can offer.

The effect of employment while in high school on educational attainment : a conditional difference-in-differences approach

Using American panel data from the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988, this article investigates the effect of working during grade 12 on attainment.We employ, for the first time in the related literature, a semiparametric propensity score matching approach combined with difference-in-differences. We address selection on both observables and unobservables associated with part-time work decisions, without the need for instrumental variable. Once such factors are controlled for, little to no effects on reading and math scores are found. Overall, our results therefore suggest a negligible academic cost from part-time working by the end of high school.

Realigning capital portfolios : international students' educational experiences in higher education

This paper reports on first year experiences of international students who use English as an additional language (EAL) in higher education in Australia. It examines how valued resources can foster a positive educational experience of these students from sociological perspectives. It draws data from an interview study, exploring narrative accounts of 17 EAL international students from nine countries about their educational relations and strategies across their first year of study. Their narratives were analysed through Bourdieu's concepts of field, habitus, capital and legitimation, as well as tools of narrative inquiry. The paper finds that the students took up strategies to realign their capital portfolios with new rules of the game. Their decisions were dependent on their personal trajectories and conditions on offer. This paper suggests that more effort needs to be made to understand international students' differentiated access to valued resources in higher education.

Towards fairer assessment

Drawing on the largest Australian collection and analysis of empirical data on multiple facets of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education in state schools to date, this article critically analyses the systemic push for standardized testing and improved scores, and argues for a greater balance of assessment types by providing alternative, inclusive, participatory approaches to student assessment. The evidence for this article derives from a major evaluation of the Stronger Smarter Learning Communities. The first large-scale picture of what is occurring in classroom assessment and pedagogy for Indigenous students is reported in this evaluation yet the focus in this article remains on the issue of fairness in student assessment. The argument presented calls for “a good balance between formative and summative assessment” (OECD, Synergies for Better Learning An International Perspective on Evaluation and Assessment, Pointers for Policy Development, 2013) at a time of unrelenting high-stakes, standardized testing in Australia with a dominance of secondary as opposed to primary uses of NAPLAN data by systems, schools and principals. A case for more “intelligent accountability in education” (O’Neill, Oxford Review of Education 39(1):4–16, 2013) together with a framework for analyzing efforts toward social justice in education (Cazden, International Journal of Educational Psychology 1(3):178–198, 2012) and fairer assessment make the case for more alternative assessment practices in recognition of the need for teachers’ pedagogic practice to cater for increased diversity.

The view from here : educational program creates momentum for positive change

Kate Nayton, Elaine Fielding and Elizabeth Beattie describe how they developed a successful program to educate hospital staff about dementia care. The program may soon be trialled in other acute care facilities.

‘Teachers flipping out’ beyond the online lecture : maximising the educational potential of video

While video is recognised as an important medium for teaching and learning in the digital age, many video resources are not as effective as they might be, because they do not adequately exploit the strengths of the medium. Presented here are some case studies of video learning resources produced for various courses in a university environment. This ongoing project attempts to identify pedagogic strategies for the use of video; learning situations in which video has the most efficacy; and what production techniques can be employed to make effective video learning resources.

Delirium knowledge and recognition : a randomized controlled trial of a web-based educational intervention for acute care nurses

Delirium is a significant problem for older hospitalized people and is associated with poor outcomes. It is poorly recognized and evidence suggests that a major reason is lack of education. Nurses, who are educated about delirium, can play a significant role in improving delirium recognition. This study evaluated the impact of a delirium specific educational website. A cluster randomized controlled trial, with a pretest/post-test time series design, was conducted to measure delirium knowledge (DK) and delirium recognition (DR) over three time-points. Statistically significant differences were found between the intervention and non-intervention group. The intervention groups' DK scores were higher and the change over time results were statistically significant [T3 and T1 (t=3.78 p=<0.001) and T2 and T1 baseline (t=5.83 p=<0.001)]. Statistically significant improvements were also seen for DR when comparing T2 and T1 results (t=2.56 p=0.011) between both groups but not for changes in DR scores between T3 and T1 (t=1.80 p=0.074). Participants rated the website highly on the visual, functional and content elements. This study supports the concept that web-based delirium learning is an effective and satisfying method of information delivery for registered nurses. Future research is required to investigate clinical outcomes as a result of this web-based education.