An exploration of women elementary school teachers' perceptions of how their decision to return to teaching part-time from a maternity leave influences their professional and personal lives /

The purpose of this research was to explore women elementary teachers' perceptions of how their decision to return to teaching part-time from a maternity leave influences their professional and personal lives. The investigation focused on the decisions surrounding a mother's choice to reenter the teaching profession parttime in a field where each mother had previously been employed full-time. A collective case study was undertaken based on an in-depth interview with five mothers who had made the choice to return to the classroom part-time. The data collected in this study were analyzed and interpreted using qualitative methods. The following four major themes emerged from the interviews: decisionmaking process, challenges faced by mothers who teach part-time, the importance of support, and the enhancement of instructional practice from parenthood. Using these four themes, an analysis was conducted to examine the similarities and differences among the experiences of the participants. The mothers' reflections, my analysis, and the related literature were used at the conclusion of this report to compile implications for teaching practice, theory, and further research.

Elements that contribute to staff nurses' commitment to lifelong professional development

This research explored the elements that contribute to staff nurses' commitment to lifelong professional development. This exploration has been undertaken to provide insights into those factors that motivate individuals to continue their education for professional development and for clinical practice improvement. This study was conducted in an acute care hospital in Southern Ontario, and investigated the thoughts and experiences ofhealth care staffworking within that setting. A qualitative case study was undertaken which involved the collection of interview, document, and class observation data. Two exemplary clinical nurse educators and two motivated, professionally committed staffnurses were interviewed during the study. Teaching document review and observation ofclasses involving the clinical nurse educators were conducted to facilitate triangulation of fmdingswith data sources and strategies. These participants provided rich data that were captured in field notes and coded for conceptual meaning. Emerging from the data were the identification ofthree major elements of influence that contribute to staffnurses' commitment to lifelong professional development. Identified within the three intersecting spheres of influence upon staff nurses' lifelong commitment to professionalleaming were the environment, the clinical nurse educator, and the staff nurse. This research explored the intersecting spheres of influence and the elements within the partnership model ofprofessional education for staff nurses.

Exploring the relationship between professional and organizational commitment : the attitudes of Ontario chartered accountancy students

This study was undertaken to investigate the attitudes of chartered accountancy (CA) students toward professional commitment and organizational commitment. The focus of the study was to discover if a relationship between these two constructs existed and determine which situational and individual characteristics facilitate or impede commitment. The sample included those CA students who wrote the 1995 UFE (n=423). Four instruments were used for data collection: Job Diagnostic Survey, Organizational Commitment Questionnaire, Career Commitment Questionnaire, Career Facilitation Survey, and individual demographic inquiry. The study found a significant relationship between professional commitment and organizational commitment. Situational characteristics tended to influence organizational commitment, while individual characteristics more often governed professional commitment. Specific satisfactions, general satisfaction, growth satisfaction, and satisfaction with compensation, co-workers, and supervision were found to facilitate organizational commitment. Organizational commitment was also influenced by supplemental job characteristics, internal work motivation, career facilitation, and autonomy. Implications for practice involved the cooperation and collaboration of the governing body for the CA profession and the CA firms in activities addressing pertinent issues that influence commitment. Implications for future research were also discussed.

Pausing at the river's edge : a narrative inquiry into the practice of a reading teacher /

In this narrative self-study I retell and connect the stories ofmy personal journey with literacy from childhood to the present. I use narrative as both methodology and method as I story my life experiences and my personal encounters with literacy. The heart ofmy reflections comes from the pages of personal journals written and storied over many years of trying to make meaning of powerful literacy experiences in my life. Now, in going back through the stories and reconstructing meaning, I make connections between the memories along the journey and the place from which I now tell my story. The interpretations I construct give voice to beliefs 1 have lived by and illuminations to moments in time that I have come to see with new eyes as I have engaged in this inquiry. The journey and self-reflection within the pages of this inquiry provide understanding of the driving force behind my personal passion for literacy. I am better able to understand my motivations and share the stories that validate my personal and professional path through time.

An exploration of the impact of a mandatory quality assurance program on the staff nurse's commitment to professional development /

This study explored experiences in relation to the impact of the College of Nurses of Ontario's (CNO's) mandatory Quality Assurance (QA) program on registered nurses (RNs) working in a clinical setting of an acute care hospital. A qualitative descriptive research design was used and data collection was done in 2 stages. First, a survey with open-ended questions was given to 45 nurses. Second, 8 respondents from the survey were interviewed using a semistructured format. Data were obtained from 2 groups-diploma-prepared and post diploma-prepared RNs. Findings demonstrated that the CNO's QA program had varying influences on the RNs' learning paths, and these differences appeared to be related to the educational background of the individual. The diploma-prepared nurses reported that their commitment to professional development was influenced by their level of internal motivation, the pressures associated with time, and the need for a strong external motivator, namely the obligation of management to conduct formal performance appraisals. They further reported that the QA program played a part in positively altering their commitment to continuing education. The post-diploma baccalaureate nurses reported that the QA program played a positive role in influencing their ongoing learning, along with their level of internal motivation, the work and health care environment, and the element of professionalism. Several implications for nursing practice, theory, and fiirther research also became evident.

An exploration of interdisciplinary practice through an examination of specific disciplinary interpretations of stereotypic behaviour

As identified in the literature, a lack of understanding of the functional properties and triggers of stereotypic behaviour exists. When looking at this behaviour from an Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) framework, limitations are evident around identifying specific sensory modalities and functional properties of such behaviour. Antecedents particularly are difficult to identify and interpret. Therefore an interdisciplinary approach to assessment using two types of professional services commonly received by individuals with autism was proposed. However before this approach could be investigated the current interpretations of Stereo typic behaviour by each professional must be examined along with perceptions of interdisciplinary collaboration. The purpose of this study was to use an in-depth qualitative analysis to reveal the interpretations of stereotypy and collaboration from the perspectives of two particular professionals. The results of the study demonstrated that occupational therapists and behaviour analysts likely have different interpretations of the same behaviour,that consultation is the common model used to interact with other disciplines, and that professionals may have mixed feelings toward interdisciplinary practices as an approach to stereotypic behaviour. Strengths and limitations of the study were highlighted along with specific directions for future research.

Deconstructing Evidence-Based Practice and Its Application in Children to with Mental Health Disorders

This is a mixed methodology study that uses an autoethnographic approach to combine both an autobiography and a survey of practitioners who work in children’s mental health. It is largely about the implementation of Evidence-Based Practice (EBP), and the questions, concerns, experiences that I have had, and compared them with those of my fellow practitioners. In addition, it is about my journey as a mental health professional, and how I have come to recognize that in order to achieve the goals I wanted to achieve, I needed to return to university to pursue a Master’s degree. Within the research, I identify and discuss different definitions of EBP and identify several themes. I deconstruct the implementation of EBPs through the lens of Foucault and his notions of governmentality. I offer policy and practice recommendations to improve the implementation of EBP and the services received by children facing mental health issues.

Reflection Reframed: The Process of Photography as Strategy for Teachers' Reflective Practice

Teacher reflective practice is described as an effective method for engaging teachers in improving their own professional learning. Yet, some teachers do not understand how to effectively engage in the reflective processes, or prefer not to formalize the process through writing a reflective journal as taught in most teacher education programs. Developing reflective skills through the process of photography was investigated in this study as a strategy to allow enhanced teacher reflection for professional and personal growth. The process of photography is understood as the mindful act of photographing rather than focusing on the final product-the image. For this study, 3 practicing educators engaged in photographic exercises as a reflective process. Data sources included transcribed interviews, participant journal reflections, and sketchbook artifacts, as well as the researcher's personal journal notes. Findings indicated that, through the photographic process, (a) teacher participants developed new and individual strategies for professional leaming; and (b) teacher participants experienced shifts in the way they conceptualized their personal worldviews.

The Implementations of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) in Beijing and Ontario Schools

Since the knowledge-based economy has become a fashion over the last few decades, the concept of the professional learning community (PLC) has started being accepted by educational institutions and governments as an effective framework to improve teachers’ collective work and collaboration. The purpose of this research was to compare and contrast the implementations of PLCs between Beijing schools and Ontario schools from principals’ personal narratives. In order to discover the lessons and widen the scope to understand the PLC, this research applied qualitative design to collect the data from two principal participants in each location by semistructured interviews. Four themes emerged: (a) structure and technology, (b) identity and climate, (c) task and support, and (d) change and challenge. This research found that the root of the characteristics of the PLCs in Beijing and Ontario was the different existing teaching and learning systems as well as the test systems. Teaching Research Groups (TRGs) is one of the systems that help Chinese to organize routine time and input resources to improve teachers’ professional development. However, Canadian schools lack a similar system that guarantees the time and resources. Moreover, standardized test plays different roles in China and Canada. In China, standardized tests, such as the college entrance examination, are regarded as the important purpose of education, whereas Ontario principals saw the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) as a tool rather than a primary purpose. These two main differences influenced principals’ beliefs, attitudes, strategies, and practices. The implications based on this discovery provide new perspectives for principals, teachers, policy makers, and scholars to widen and deepen the research and practice of the PLC.

The Impact of Mindfulness Meditation on Educator Growth and Professional Development: A Personal Account

This study examined the use of mindfulness meditation in educator growth and professional development. The purpose was to create recommendations for an effective mindfulness meditation practice for educators. To this end, as the researcher is an educator as well as an experienced mindfulness meditation practitioner, the research methodology was self-study through narrative inquiry. The exploration of mindfulness meditation on the researcher’s personal and professional development was viewed through the lenses of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and Mezirow’s transformational learning theory. These theories provided an analytical framework that guided this research. Themes were drawn from the exploration and connected with academic literature. The results were a mindfulness meditation framework for educators that is based on the Socratic Method, and utilizes the conceptual frameworks of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and Mezirow’s transformational learning theory.

Professional Development of Academic Library Professionals in Kerala

The paper aims to bring out the problems and prospects of the professional development opportunities of academic library professionals in the Universities in Kerala. The study is a part of research undertaken to survey the professional development activities and educational needs of library professionals in the major Universities of Kerala because of the developments in Information communication technology. The study recommends methods for improving the knowledge/skills of library professionals. The aim of the study is to evaluate the professional development activities of Library professionals and their attitude towards continuing education programmes. In order to achieve the objectives of the study a survey was conducted with the help of structured questionnaires distributed to 203 library professionals in seven major universities in Kerala, (South India) of which 185 questionnaires were returned. Results of the analysis show that majority of the professionals have pursued higher degrees in library science or IT allied courses after entering the profession, and that they have a positive attitude towards participation in training programmes and workshops. The results show that developments in ICT have a positive influence on majority of library professionals‘ attitude towards continuing education programmes.

INFO2009 Professional Bodies in the workplace

Links to BCS Code of Conduct and Royal Academy of Engineering Ethical Principles are used in classroom activity. BCS code of good practice also linked. Also archive from A/y 2009-10. See also shares 6232 and 4009

Reflections about physiotherapist professional performance in the field of physical activity

The physiotherapist professional activities, in the beginning were focused only in the clinical field, nowadays it has many different action fields including Physical Activity. Physical activity can be viewed from two dimensions: one biological, which is defined as any activity which requires energy expenditure involving the combined action of multiple systems; on the other side social, understood as a human activity concerning subjectivity conditions influenced by the environment where the individual and the community are developed. Given these dimensions as well as national and international benchmarks this paper’s objective is to present a series of reflections that the authors have done regarding the physiotherapist professional performance in the field of physical activity and the large possibilities derived from their practice in this field.

Good practice : communication skills in English for the medical practitioner. Teacher's book.

Recurso para médicos y estudiantes de medicina que necesitan el inglés para comunicarse con los pacientes. Se centra en las habilidades del lenguaje y la comunicación que los doctores necesitan para hacer las consultas más eficaces con los cinco elementos para una buena comunicación: comunicación verbal, escucha activa, administración de voz, comunicación no verbal y conciencia cultural. Enseña a los estudiantes a manejar un repertorio de situaciones como pueden ser historia del paciente, malas noticias de última hora, tratar diferentes tipos de pacientes. El libro del profesor ofrece las herramientas esenciales y los antecedentes necesarios para potenciar en el aula el inglés para médicos. En los clips de DVD se hace una réplica de escenarios clínicos simulados que es probable que encuentren en su labor profesional.

Good practice : communication skills in English for the medical practitioner. Student's book.

Recurso para médicos y estudiantes de medicina que necesitan el inglés para comunicarse con los pacientes. Se centra en las habilidades del lenguaje y la comunicación que los doctores necesitan para hacer las consultas más eficaces con los cinco elementos para una buena comunicación: comunicación verbal, escucha activa, administración de voz, comunicación no verbal y conciencia cultural. Enseña a los estudiantes a manejar un repertorio de situaciones como pueden ser historia del paciente, malas noticias de última hora, tratar diferentes tipos de pacientes. Los clips de audio hacen una réplica de escenarios clínicos simulados que es probable que encuentren en su práctica profesional.