<p>ABSTRACT</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>A new group of medically fragile young adults with conditions such as Duchenne’s Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) is graduating from pediatric palliative care programs with limited expectations to live beyond early adulthood, and there are very limited comparable adult health and social services to support their complex needs. When these young adults leave supportive pediatric services, they are poorly served by adult services that are not prepared to accommodate to their needs. Accessing this population is difficult because of the complexity of the individuals’ conditions, their limited mobility to travel and commit to specific interview times, and divergent communication abilities due to weakness, that lead to the use of computer mediated voice recognition, typing or speech.</p> <p>Purpose</p> <p>This case study is among the first research articles to describe the experiences of young adults with pediatric life threatening conditions (pedLTC) who have transitioned from pediatric to adult services. Further, to engage this population of medically fragile participants in the research process, an innovative online data collection method, a bulletin board focus group (BBFG), was utilized.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A descriptive single case study design with embedded units was selected to examine the complexity of the transition process for young adults with pedLTC. Face-to-face interviews or bulletin board focus groups were conducted with 10 young adults with pedLTC and 4 expert consultants. Reviews of six documents were also conducted. Conventional and directed qualitative content analysis was conducted on the interview transcripts and documents; and the existing literature and clinical expert opinions were used to triangulate, develop and confirm final interpretations.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>After nearly a decade of effort toward implementing programs, protocols and policies to improve transition from pediatric to adult care, very limited progress in new services has been made. Current resources in the adult health, education, and social service systems are inadequate to meet the needs of young adults with pedLTC. Some of the participants in this study demonstrated a striking capacity to navigate through system barriers, whereas others “got stuck” and were delayed and thwarted from pursuing their ambitions. Bulletin board focus groups facilitated an innovative means to reach medically fragile populations and offered creative and richly contextual data.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>System resources are imperative to provide the necessary resources such as counselling and mental health services, support for educational and vocational opportunities, development of community programs, and socioeconomic improvement. Connectedness across levels of practice and policy, and education, health and social systems is important to create synergistic effects of intervention. Young adult hospice programs can provide the resilience lifelines required to counter the risks associated with declining health, and decreasing support from health, social and educational services to support young adults with pedLTC to pursue their ambitions.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Yes / Although prior research has examined the effects of different forms of disruptive market shift on organizational practice, structure, and performance, knowledge is lacking on its conceptual domain, antecedents, and organizational response outcomes. This study draws insights from an in-depth analysis of 23 organizations to conceptualize disruptive market shift and explore its antecedents and consequences. We find that digitization, technological advancements, political uncertainty and government regulations, competitive pressures, the media, and customer dynamism are major drivers of disruptive market shifts. Furthermore, evidence suggests that organizations establish collaborative relationships, initiate internal transformational processes, and develop innovative metrics and patterns to respond to disruptive market shifts. We discuss the theoretical and managerial implications of the findings. / The full-text of this article will be released for public view at the end of the publisher embargo on 27 Oct 2024.

Yes

在知識經濟(Knowledge Economy)的時代中，企業經營最重要的生產要素已由知識取代機器、資金、原料或勞工，亦是在商場上競爭與存活的重要武器。所以，能夠針對知識做重大投資的企業，其成長率最快，且其價值與產值亦最大，例如資訊業、半導體業、通訊業等的知識密集之產業。 我們可以發現許多高科技上市櫃公司的股價均很高，但其所擁有的有形資產並不多，其中更有些公司的市值可能達到有形資產的數十倍甚至百倍，其中的差距，並無法從財務報表一窺究竟，其實就是無形資產，也是所謂的智慧資本(Intellectual Capital)。因此，對企業而言，如何充分利用此智慧資本，將知識整合進新的核心能力，轉型成為一個知識導向的組織，就成為一個很重要的課題。 因此，在智慧資本議題受到普遍重視的同時，另外一個很重要的議題亦引起大家的注意，那就是知識管理。如前所述，知識管理乃透過創造、儲存、分享、維持等活動，進而鞏固企業的競爭優勢。然而企業的競爭優勢究竟為何？知識管理活動該如何有效地協助競爭優勢的建立與維持？知識管理活動的成效又是如何得以衡量？ 本研究的目的即希望能夠透過瞭解企業知識管理及智慧資本運作機制，並深入探討高科技公司創新研發中心的知識管理模式，包含其型成過程與要素，以辨別公司是否有足夠人力、結構，並適時由人力資源策略、組織學習來調節並幫助決策者做出正確的調整策略，順利推動知識管理制度，不致於使知識管理活動流於形式，而使得企業活動毫無目標與方向。 / In the “Knowledge economy” era Knowledge is being substituted for the machine, capital, materials or labors, and to be the most important competitive weapons for the enterprise. We observe many high technology companies, which have the very high stock price, but they do not have many tangible assets. Although some of them have hundred times of marketing values compare with their tangible assets. The main difference is the Intellectual Capital which can not be expressed by the financial statement. Therefore, for the businesses, it is the most important issue to integrate the knowledge and enterprise core competency. Furthermore, there is another important issue is “Knowledge Management.” Knowledge management is through creation, storage, sharing, and maintenance to consolidate the competitive advantage of enterprise. However, what is the exactly competitive advantage of enterprise? How to help enterprise to establish and maintain competitive advantage effectively by Knowledge Management? How to evaluate the performance of Knowledge Management related activities? In this study, we hope through understanding the business Knowledge Management and Intellectual Capital operation mechanism, and probing into the Knowledge Management model of innovative research and development center in high-technology business to clarify the company if they have enough human power, structure with appropriately human resource and organizational learning strategy to help the decision maker to make the right strategy, thus can advance the knowledge management system.

本研究旨在探討國民小學的公共關係、組織創新經營與學校效能之關係，以瞭解目前國內國民小學推動公共關係的情形，以及確認組織創新經營與學校效能之高低情形，以作為國民小學行政實務運作的參考，以達成學校校務革新與發展的目的。 本研究採用調查研究法，並根據研究目的，研究問題及文獻探討結果，編製「國民小學公共關係、創新經營與學校效能現況調查問卷」進行預試，並依據因素分析結果編製正式問卷進行調查研究。本研究以台灣地區公立國民小學的教師為母群體，依北、中、南、東四區以分層隨機抽樣方法進行抽取樣本，總計抽取1375 位國小教師，回收有效樣本1023人。問卷調查結果採用描述性統計、Pearson積差相關、t 檢定、單因子變異數、多元迴歸分析、結構方程模式等統計方法進行分析。 本研究之主要發現如下： 一、國民小學公共關係實際情況良好，並以「成果回饋」為最佳。 二、國民小學創新經營表現良好，並以「行政運作創新」為最佳。 三、國民小學學校效能實際情況良好，並以「溝通協調」最佳。 四、國民小學公共關係、創新經營與學校效能三者間具有正向的關聯。 五、國民小學公共關係及創新經營的分層面對學校效能有正向預測作用。 六、國民小學公共關係可透過組織創新經營，增強對學校效能的正向影響力。 依據以上之研究發現，本研究對教育行政機關、學校與未來研究分別提出以下建議： 一、對教育行政機關之建議： （一）應給予教職員工更多進修機會，鼓勵終身學習。 （二）提供具體策略，有效降低小型與大型學校辦學壓力。 （三）將公共關係與創新經營之課程納入培育課程中。 （四）訂定獎勵辦法推動學校行銷與創新。 二、對學校之建議： （一）加強教師參與，使所有成員共同參與校務推動。 （二）尊重資深教師之經驗及意見，善用人力資源。 （三）積極鼓勵教職員工進修以落實終身學習理念。 （四）提供與建置相關資源，鼓勵教師發揮創造力。 （五）都會區大型學校，應強化溝通機制，追求團隊合作。 三、對未來研究之建議： （一）研究對象方面，建議擴大研究群體。 （二）研究方法方面，建議兼採質性研究。 （三）研究變項方面，建議納入其他變項進行分析。 / The main purposes of this study are: (1) to understand the present condition of public relations, organization innovative management, and school effectiveness in the elementary schools; (2) to analyze the diversity of different background variables in public relations, organization innovative management, and school effectiveness in the elementary schools; (3) to discuss the relationships among the public relations, organization innovative management, and school effectiveness in the elementary schools; (4) to investigate the preditive analysis of public relations, organization innovative management, and school effectiveness in the elementary schools; (5) to conclude the path relationships among public relations, organization innovative management, and school effectiveness in the elementary schools. The present study applied literature analysis and questionnaire survey method. According to related literature, the theoretical foundation was constructed and “Elementary School Public Relations, Organization Innovative Management, and School Effectiveness Survey Questionnaire” was organized. 117 elementary schools were chosen randomly from north, central, south, and east regions in Taiwan. Totally there were 1023 elementary school teachers. Subjects’ viewpoints about elementary school public relations, organization innovative management, and school effectiveness were collected. The data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA, Pearson product-moment correlation, stepwise regression, and structural equation modeling. The findings of this research were as follows: 1. The perceptions from the elementary school teachers about public relations are positive. And “outcome feedback” is the highest. 2. The perceptions from the elementary school teachers about organization innovative management are positive. And “administration operation” is the highest. 3. The perceptions from the elementary school teachers about school effectiveness are positive. And “communication and coordination” is the highest. 4. There are significant relationships between school effectiveness and public relations as well as between school effectiveness and organization innovative management. 5. Public relations and organization innovative management can effectively predict school effectiveness. 6. The results from the structural equation model indicated that there is a positive indirect effect between public relations and school effectiveness when organization innovative management served as a mediator variable. Based upon the findings, some suggestions are addressed for educational administrators, elementary schools, and future researchers. 1. For educational administrators (1)Provide more opportunities of further education and encourage lifelong learning. (2)Administer effective and concrete strategies about lower stress in large and small school management. (3)Include public relations and innovative management among the curriculum of administrator preparation. (4)Prompt school marketing and innovation by reward. 2. For elementary schools (1)Amplify the scope of teacher participation in school management. (2)Respect senior teachers’ experiences and opinions by human resource management. (3)Encourage school members to participate in further education and achieve the vision of lifelong learning. (4)Provide correlative resources and encourage teachers to amplify creativity. (5)Reinforce communicative mechanism and pursuit team cooperation in large and urban schools. 3. For future researchers (1)The samples should be expanded. (2)Qualitative studies should be adopted to make more in-depth data. (3)More demographic variables and environmental variables should be added.

本研究旨在瞭解國民小學校長運用品牌領導與學校創新經營關係之指標、內涵與現況，並 且探討與預測其關係，進而建構及驗證其互動模式，並依研究結果提出建議。 首先，進行初步文獻探討，作為本研究之研究架構的理論基礎；其次，實地訪談五位在現 場服務之國民小學校長，並依據教育部編製之九十七年度國民小學名錄中抽樣二十三縣市之公 私立國民小學，回收情形為預試問卷調查80 位國民小學校長，正式問卷269 位國民小學校長， 驗證問卷121 位國民小學校長，共抽樣700 位國民小學校長，總共回收470 份調查問卷，有效 問卷470 份，以分析現況、驗證理論；最後，依據研究結果進行討論與結論建議。研究主要發 現如下： 一、 國民小學校長運用品牌領導與學校創新經營關係的指標、內涵及其現況 （一） 國民小學校長運用品牌領導包括「學校品牌領導架構與流程」、「學校品牌識別與定位」 與「校長實施品牌領導的計畫」三個向度；除分向度「校長實施品牌領導的計畫」向 度得分為高程度外，整體與其他二個分向度得分均為中高，其中以「校長實施品牌領 導的計畫」得分最高。 （二） 國民小學校長之學校創新經營包括「行政管理創新」、「教學專業創新」、「知識管理創 新」、「公共關係創新」、「資訊科技創新」，以及「學校建築創新」六個向度；除「學校 建築創新」向度得分為中高程度，整體與其他向度得分皆為高程度，其中以「公共關 係創新」得分最高。 二、 不同背景變項在國民小學校長運用品牌領導與學校創新經營之差異情形 （一） 不同背景變項在國民小學校長運用品牌領導的得分方面：研究發現在性別、總服務年 資、學校所在區域有顯著差異。 （二） 不同背景變項在國民小學校長之學校創新經營的得分方面：研究發現在性別、總服務 年資有顯著差異。 三、 國民小學校長運用品牌領導與學校創新經營之相關情形 整體國民小學校長運用品牌領導與國民小學校長之學校創新經營間呈顯著中度正相關，國 民小學校長之學校創新經營各分向度中，以行政管理創新與國民小學校長運用品牌領導總量表 之相關程度最高。 四、 國民小學校長運用品牌領導各向度對國民小學校長之學校創新經營的預測情形 國民小學校長運用品牌領導之學校品牌領導架構與流程、學校品牌識別與定位與校長實施 品牌領導的計畫變項對整體國民小學校長之學校創新經營有顯著的預測力。 五、 國民小學校長運用品牌領導各向度對國民小學校長之學校創新經營的互動模式各項適 配度指標良好 上游潛在變項「國民小學校長運用品牌領導」對下游潛在變項「國民小學校長之學校創新 經營」具有顯著的影響力。 最後，本研究根據研究發現，提出相關建議，俾提供教育行政機關、國民小學校長們以及 後續研究參考。 / The main purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship of the elementary school principals utilizing the brand leadership and the school innovative management. This study included literature analysis, interview, and questionnaire survey to be the survey methods. The purpose of literature analysis was aimed to explore the brand leadership and school innovative management. The purpose of interviewing 5 experts was aimed to get more opinion and information about school brand leadership and school innovative management. Based on arranging related theory, document, and opinion, researcher made the questionnaires of this study. The subjects of the questionnaire included the principals of elementary school in 23 cities and counties of Taiwan. The data of this study was analyzed 470 sampling subjects by description statistics, t-test, correlation and ANOVA, Multiple Regression and LISREL model. According to the statistics analysis of the questionnaire, we can get the following results. A. In the aspect of the principals of elementary school utilizing the brand leadership a. The school brand leadership includes three parts, which are (1) the structure and process of school brand leadership, (2) recognizing and stating school brand, (3) principals utilize the plans of brand leadership. Except for the perception of “principals utilize the plans of brand leadership” was high degree of these three parts, other aspects were above average. For all, the best dimension is “principals utilize the plans of brand leadership”. b. Principals’ sexual, total years of servicing, and school site have significant influences on school brand leadership. B. In the aspect of the principals of elementary school operating the school innovative management a. The school innovative management includes six parts, which are (1) the innovation of administration and management, (2) the innovation of professional teaching, (3) the innovation of knowledge management, (4) the innovation of public relationship, (5) the innovation of information technology, (6) the innovation of school building and facilities. Except for the perception of “the innovation of school building and facilities” was above average, other aspects were high degree. For all, the best dimension is “the innovation of public relationship”. b. Principals’ sexual, total years of servicing have significant influences on school innovative management. C. In the aspect of the relationship between the principals of elementary school utilizing the brand leadership and school innovative management a. There was positive correlation and regression existed among the principals of elementary school utilizing brand leadership and school innovative management. b. The principals of elementary school utilizing brand leadership did promote school innovative management. In the last part, according to the findings and results, the researcher proposed some suggestion for the educational officers and the principals of elementary school, hoping to benefit the improvement and development of education of elementary school in the future.

3D動畫企業之營運結合藝術、科技與管理，本研究選擇D公司、P公司進行個案研究，希望透過研究的過程，找到我國專注於原創的D公司的優勢，以及與國外重要的原創動畫公司P公司相比，能否有我國動畫公司可以學習的地方，整合訪談與量化研究作出結論與建議，為我國動畫產業發展、為我國管理領域發展盡一份心力。 D公司為我國動畫原創公司中規模最大者，因此本研究選擇D公司進行研究。探討原創動畫公司如何能夠成功，除了經營理念、人才、科技等等因素之外，經由文獻回顧的過程，發現P公司在組織創新氛圍方面亦是有其獨特之處，評估正向組織創新氛圍可能對其創造力有正面助益，因此針對D公司之組織創新氛圍進行研究，利用哈佛大學Amabile的組織創新氛圍量表KEYS量表(政大修正版)作為量化研究工具，並透過訪談進行質性研究。 研究範圍則是涵蓋D公司所有與3D動畫創作有直接關連的部門，計有Layout、Lighting、TD、RD、MIS、Surface、Prop design、Animation、SFX、compose、model、Rigging、APM、音效等十四個部門。在實務面可以探討3D動畫領域相關之管理議題；在學術面可以為我國組織創新氛圍之研究開創新猷；也提出如何優化組織創新氛圍的模型，未來可以更進一步深入研究。 / When talking about art management, we cannot ignore 3D animation industries. The art management in the past did not involve technology, but right now technological aesthetic gradually becomes the mainstream.Technology and art are two discrete fields, but nowadays the upgrade of people’s aesthetic and taste allows the combination of the two. Both in the art and industrial sectors, domestic and foreign scholars start to focus on art management. Also, because the 3D animation's art management is a field that combines art, technology and management, using the 3D animation company as the case study is the first choice. This research will use this industry as case study to discuss the issue of art management and how Taiwan can break away from the limit of agent manufacture and become innovative and creative. The company I choose in this research is D company which emphasizes originality and has the largest scale in Taiwan. I hope through the process of the research to find the advantage of Taiwan’s animation industry. I will also compare with P company, an important foreign animation company, to analyze whether or not we can copy their mode. After all, because of the cultural factors, there may be some problems if we just copy everything. I combine interview and quantitative research to draw a conclusion and make some suggestions, and hope to devote to the development of Taiwan’s animation industry and art management. To discuss how an originative animation company succeeds, aside from the business philosophy, experts, technology, through reflecting on the literatures, I found that there is also some unique part of P company’s organizational innovative atmosphere which can enhance creativity. Thus focusing on the organizational innovative atmosphere, I will also use statistical analysis to assess its influence. With “organizational innovative atmosphere scale” as a tool, improved by NCCU from KEYS of Amabile, we can evaluate the members’ perception of the organizational innovative atmosphere and their confidence in engaging in the innovative activities. The organizational innovative atmosphere perceived by the members will activate their innovative motivation, creativity, and promote the innovation of the organization. Also, through the interview we conduct quality study of D company's organizational innovative atmosphere, and compared that with P company. The scope of the study cover all the fourteen departments related to 3D animation making in D company, including Layout, Lighting, TD, RD, MIS, Surface, Prop design, Animation, SFX, compose, model, Rigging, APM, sound effect, and so. To sum up, this research touches on the art management especially on the part of animation originality. It can also apply the “organizational innovative atmosphere scale” to the other animation-related or art-related industries. It provides the model for how art management can improve the working atmosphere which allows further research.

Ce mémoire porte sur l’impact des attributs organisationnels sur l’attraction des mains-d’œuvre. Spécifiquement, ce mémoire étudie l’impact de l’offre d’avantages sociaux novateurs, de la formation et développement et de l’éthique sur l’attraction organisationnelle. De plus, il examine l’effet modérateur du genre sur ces relations. Pour ce faire, nous avons formulé différentes hypothèses inspirées de la littérature et des théories recensées. La première hypothèse est subdivisée en trois sous-hypothèses stipulant respectivement que l’offre d’avantages sociaux novateurs, l’offre de beaucoup de possibilités de formation et développement et une organisation où l’éthique est importante augmentent le niveau d’attraction organisationnelle. La deuxième hypothèse avance que l’offre combinée d’avantages sociaux novateurs, de formation et développement et de l’éthique augmente le niveau de l’attraction organisationnelle. Enfin, la troisième hypothèse suggère que le genre modère l’impact des attributs organisationnels sur l’attraction organisationnelle. Notre étude utilise des données d’une enquête quasi-expérimentale effectuée auprès de 340 futurs diplômés provenant de deux universités situées à Montréal. Les résultats montrent que l’offre d’avantages sociaux novateurs et de beaucoup de possibilités de formation et développement ainsi qu’une organisation où l’éthique est importante influencent tous positivement l’attraction organisationnelle. De plus, les résultats montrent que l’offre combinée d’avantages sociaux novateurs avec la situation de peu de possibilités de formation et développement augmente davantage l’attraction organisationnelle ; aussi, que l’offre d’avantages sociaux novateurs dans une organisation où l’éthique est importante contribue à augmenter davantage l’attraction organisationnelle. Enfin, quant à l’effet du genre, les résultats indiquent qu’il joue un rôle modérateur sur une relation entre les attributs organisationnels et l’attraction organisationnelle. Plus précisément, les résultats montrent que chez les femmes, l’offre d’avantages sociaux novateurs attire davantage, que les organisations aient peu ou beaucoup de possibilités de formation et développement ; pourtant, chez les hommes, l’offre d’avantages sociaux novateurs attire davantage seulement en situation de peu de possibilités de formation et développement. L’effet d’interaction des attributs organisationnels sur l’attraction organisationnelle est alors nuancé par le genre. Ce mémoire discute des résultats et propose aux gestionnaires des stratégies pour faire face à une problématique majeure de l’organisation qui est l’attraction de la main-d’œuvre. À la lumière des résultats empiriques, nous pouvons conclure qu’une composante de la rémunération indirecte et que certaines pratiques organisationnelles sont des avantages compétitifs pour attirer les mains-d’œuvre. Enfin, le constat sur l’effet du genre peut servir d’outil aux gestionnaires dans un contexte d’équité en emploi. / This dissertation explores the effect of organizational attributes on the attraction of new talent. Specifically, it examines the impact of innovative perks, training and development opportunities, as well as the presence of strong ethical ideals within an organization. Moreover, the presence of a moderating effect of gender within these relationships is also investigated. In order to carry out the objectives of the study, several different hypotheses were developed in line with the reviewed literature and theoretical frameworks. The first hypothesis, which is divided into three sub-hypotheses, stipulates that the offer of innovative perks, the presence of many training and development opportunities as well as the extent to which an organization emphasizes ethical behavior, each increase organizational attractiveness. The second hypothesis suggests that an organization offering a combination of innovative perks, training and development opportunities, as well as emphasizing strong ethical ideals further increases attractiveness. The final hypothesis suggests that gender moderates the relationship between the three organizational attributes and attractiveness. The current study utilizes data gathered through a quasi-experimental study conducted among 340 future graduates from two universities in Montreal. The results reveal that innovative perks, the presence of many training and development opportunities, as well as strong ethical ideals each positively influence organizational attractiveness. Moreover, the results indicate that organizational attractiveness is further increased when innovative perks are combined with very few training and development opportunities. The effect of innovative perks in combination with the presence of strong ethical ideals also further increases organizational attractiveness. Finally, the results reveal that gender plays a moderating role in the relationship between only one organizational factor and attractiveness. More precisely, the results reveal that for women, the presence of innovative perks leads to increased attractiveness whether organizations have few or many training and development opportunities. For men, however, the presence of innovative perks leads to increased attractiveness only in situations with few training and development opportunities. Thus, the interaction effect of innovative perks on attractiveness is nuanced by gender. This dissertation provides a discussion of the results and suggests strategies that could be implemented by managers to improve workforce attraction, which constitutes a major issue currently faced by organizations. In light of the empirical results found in this study, it can be concluded that the presence of innovative perks, which is part of the indirect compensation an organization offers to its employees as well as two specific organizational practices (training and development and strong ethical ideals) can give organizations a competitive advantage with regard to attracting new talent. Finally, the finding revealing a moderating role of gender can be useful for managers in the context of employment equity.

Individual personality traits of pre-service teachers may have a significant influence on their confidence in teaching. Confidence in teaching does not always align with the experience of pre-service teachers. simSchool enables transformational experiences for teacher candidates to improve in general teaching skills, connect learning theories in the classroom, and develop confidence to be an effective teacher without the ill impacts of practicing on real students. This study executed a quasi-experimental design to explore the personality traits of 152 pre-service teachers and examined how their perceptions of teaching confidence and teaching experience were related in the context of simSchool. A treatment and comparison group completed the Survey of Teaching Skills pre/post tests and the OCEAN survey for quantitative data analysis to investigate four research questions: 1. Is there a difference between treatment and comparison groups on educator’s gains in confidence and experience? 2. Is there a relationship between personality type and perceived teaching effectiveness? 3. Is there a relationship between personality attributes and pre-service educator ratings of teaching experience in a simulated teaching environment? 4. Is there a relationship between personality attributes and pre-service educator ratings of teaching confidence in a simulated teaching environment? Findings from repeated measures MANOVA tests indicated that the simSchool treatment group increased their perceptions of experience with significant gains (p < .05), in contrast to the comparison group. Two key constructs of personality and effective teaching, the latter of which is comprised of the pre-service teachers’ self-reports of teaching confidence and teaching experience, were examined using canonical correlation analysis. The traits of openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism were components linked by structure coefficients to the synthetic variable of personality, the latter of which was found to be correlated with effective teaching. Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients were produced to assess the relationship between experience and confidence and relationships between experience and confidence with the personality traits of conscientiousness, openness, extraversion, and emotional stability. Multiple regression analyses were run using the predictors of openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, and neuroticism. These were found to be significantly (p < .05) effective in predicting self-reported teaching experience and confidence from personality traits. Furthermore, the variable of openness was individually found to be a significant (p < .05) predictor of teaching experience and confidence. These findings suggest that personality traits affect the experience and confidence ratings of pre-service teachers in a simulated classroom environment and that simSchool training can foster the development of teaching effectiveness.

Background: The rapid diffusion of Novel Psychoactive Substances (NPS) constitutes an important challenge in terms of public health and a novelty in clinical settings, where these compounds may lead to erratic symptoms, unascertained effects and multi-intoxication scenarios, especially in emergency situations. The number of NPS available on the illicit drug market is astonishing: official reports suggest the appearance of a new drug every week. NPS may be enlisted in many different families such as synthetic phenethylamines, tryptamines, cathinones, piperazines, ketamine-like compounds, cannabimimetics and other plant-derived, medical products and derivatives. Therefore, healthcare services and professionals are often called to face this unknown 'galaxy' where NPS users seem to perceive traditional services 'unfitting' for their needs, requiring an attention which is quite different from known classic drug abusers. In this context, the Recreational Drugs European Network (ReDNet), a research project funded the European Commission and led by the University of Hertfordshire, aimed to explore the NPS galaxy and develop information tools for vulnerable individuals and professionals working with them. This initiative reported specific Technical Folders on new drugs and disseminated the collected information through innovative communication technologies (e.g. multimedia tools, social networking and mobile phone services) internationally. Aim and objectives: The aim of this work is to evaluate and contribute to expand the knowledge of health professionals on NPS. The key objectives are: 1) to assess the level of knowledge on NPS amongst a sample of Italian healthcare professionals; 2) to evaluate the effectiveness of dissemination tools developed by ReDNet, including an SMS-Email/mobile service (SMAIL); 3) to understand the clinical impact of NPS by providing four Technical Folders and collecting two clinical cases on NPS. Methodology: According to the objectives, the methodological approach has been articulated in the following three phases. Phase 1: investigating knowledge and preferred channels of information via an online survey among health professionals in Italy. This first Italian study on NPS awareness had been online from February to July 2011, recruiting participants from Departments of Addiction, Psychiatry and other services. Phase 2: evaluating the ReDNet initiative. An evaluation questionnaire was designed and disseminated online to assess the various resources provided by ReDNet project; it had been online from April to July 2013, targeting professionals registered to ReDNet services. This phase also investigated the SMAIL service, a mobile application that was the latest technological tool developed by ReDNet team. Phase 3: promoting evidence based work in clinical practice through the preparation of four Technical Folders and two case reports. Technical Folders followed the methodology optimised during the ReDNet experience, organising NPS data under specific headings, measured for the need of health professionals. Case reports were collected in a Dual Diagnosis Unit in Italy ('Casa di Cura Parco dei Tigli'); assessed patients revealed for the first time the use of NPS; clinical interviews were conducted to collect a full anamnesis while for the first time psychopathological characteristics were measured in NPS abusers, using a psychometric instrument (MMPI-2). Results: In Phase 1 Italian services, in particular interviewees (n=243) from Departments of Psychiatry and Addiction, showed a strong interest for the subject but a poor understanding of NPS: 26.7% of respondents did not know if their patients ever used NPS; at the same time they considered this phenomenon as very relevant to their profession (e.g. psychomotor agitation [75.7%], errors in the assessment [75.7%], management of the clients [72%]); in addition less of a quarter of them had reliable information on new substances. Interviewees also reported the need for easily accessible channels of information to expand their expertise in the field (including emails [70%] and dedicated websites [51.9%]). The ReDNet initiative (Phase 2) reached professionals (n=270) from European countries and various other regions; they appreciated the website above all (48.5%), which provided access to other information (in form of academic papers, news, technical folders, etc.). The integration of technological-based and classic educational resources was used to self-educate professionals (52.6%) and supply information for research (33.7%) with up-to-date and 3 reliable information; in the same Phase the SMAIL service was analysed in its first 557 searches: in the pilot period 122 professionals used SMS inquiries (95%), asking information on NPS while highlighting the increasing number of NPS available on the market. Technical folders (Phase 3) described two new phenethylamines (Bromo-dragonfly and 25I-NBOMe), a novel ethno drug (Kratom) and a new synthetic cathinone (alpha-PVP) whose severe effects were also described in one of the clinical cases. The first case report (Alice) involved a clubber who used mephedrone and other NPS with a severe worsening of her psychiatric disturbances; the second one (Marvin) described a patient who was referred by a psychiatric service and revealed himself as a 'psychonaut' with an intense abuse of alpha-PVP. Conclusions: The exploration of the NPS galaxy is a new challenge for healthcare professionals. In this study, Italian services seemed to be unprepared to face the emergency and requested rapid access to reliable information; the ReDNet project provided both technology-based and traditional resources to expand knowledge on NPS, making professionals more aware of emerging issues and helping especially clinicians working in the field (e.g. via SMAIL service and Technical Folders). Overall, it can be observed that effective information services on NPS targeted at professionals initiatives should include an online interface integrating up-to-date information, describing NPS through specific Technical Folders and disseminating scientific literature; the use of technological tools, including mobile applications, is an important strategy to support health professionals in their activity. Finally, more 'visual' guidelines, possibly in the form of a 'map' of these heterogeneous compounds, could be a useful framework to describe NPS to physicians and other professionals who are often unprepared and unconfident to face such an expanding galaxy.