The purpose of this study is to understand and describe the meaning of employees’ work experiences of professional socialization in hotel and restaurants, and further describe the professional life that is created within the industry. Previous research shows that the industry consists mainly of young workers while those over 50 are few, which indicates that both young and old workers leave the industry. The gender distribution for the whole industry is even, but a closer look shows that kitchens are male dominated while the service-oriented professions are female-dominated. This contributes to the industry facing several challenges such as high staff turnover and sexual harassments. Based on this, there is a reason to further explore their professional life. Professional life is used as an umbrella term for the theoretical concepts: career, professional socialization, professional culture, professional identity, age, and gender. The results are based on 13 interviews with reception, serving and kitchen staff between the ages of 20-45. The result shows that the professional culture includes a harsh, and sexist jargon. Through the professional socialization, the employees must adapt and accept the culture by proving their willingness to a long-term career, participate in the jargon and create mutual relationships built on trust and respect. Employees are aware of the difficulty of ageing in the industry and therefore they start planning early in their careers for how to reduce the active work as they get older. Gender and age mainly affect women who need to adapt and accept the sexist jargon that can lead to discrimination. One of the conclusions are that an important part of professional socialization is to differentiate oneself from employees who see their work as a transitional profession and accept the tough professional culture. This, together with the impact that age and gender have, is significant for their professional identity and willingness to create a long-term professional life.

AN ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION OF Frances Keller Shafer, for the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Curriculum and Instruction, presented on October 16, 2008, at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. TITLE: AN INVESTIGATION OF SELECTED FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE MIDDLE-LEVEL TEACHERS' PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CHOICES MAJOR PROFESSOR: Dr. Joyce Killian Professional development is defined as methods to provide teachers with the knowledge and skills to improve instruction and increase student achievement. However, the availability of and participation in professional development activities often falls short of meeting both the teachers' and students' needs. This study investigated selected factors that influence middle-level teachers' professional development choices. The purpose of this study was to add to the researcher's knowledge about professional development choices made by practicing middle-level educators and to add to the body of knowledge about the factors influencing professional development choices. The research question was To what extent are middle-level teachers' professional development choices associated with selected factors? The factors investigated were as follows: (1) a greater than 50% assigned time curriculum director with responsibilities for coordination of professional development, (2) meeting criteria for designation as a middle school and (3) the availability of and participation in professional development activities at the school level, the district level, and the higher education level. No significant differences at the 0.05 level were found between the selected factors: (1) the presence or absence of a greater than 50% assigned time curriculum director and (2) designation of the site as a middle school. However, the findings indicated there was a significant difference between school, district and higher education levels in participation, F(2,151)=5.94; p=0.003. Teachers' participation in higher education level professional development activities/program was lower than participation in professional development activities at the school and district level.

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This qualitative case study examined how special educators perceived their professional growth as a result of engagement in a collaborative process. Sixteen special educators participated in the research. Triangulation was attained through the use of document review, a focus group, and personal interviews. The 15 themes and patterns that emerged from data collection were: (a) increased expertise and use of technology, (b) exhibited collaborative skills and improved interpersonal relationships, (c) developed increased understanding of curriculum, (d) presented evidence of increased job satisfaction, (e) demonstrated analytical abilities, (f) illustrated enhancement in professional and creative expression, (g) understood the special education supervisor‟s role, (h) awareness of the expertise of others, (i) increased respect from school professionals, (j) increased knowledge of current research, (k) leadership skills, (l) enhanced time management and organizational skills, (m) established consistency within the special education department, (n) developed diverse thinking, and (o) developed self-evaluation skills and empowerment. I concluded that while professional skills increased, a noticeable increase in morale, job satisfaction, empowerment, and self-confidence was observed. This case study could be of interest to school administrators in planning professional development, assessing how present staff development correlates with the collaborative process, and determining if modifications should be made.

This is a narrative inquiry study that describes the experiences of five junior high school teachers who participated in an interdisciplinary, voluntary professional learning community (PLC). Using identity as an analytic lens for the participants' experiences, and content-area literacy as the context for the PLC, the study describes how teachers involved in a PLC focused on inquiry and teacher learning storied their own experiences in the PLC. The participants' experiences highlighted three main themes which were (1) experiences with past ineffective professional development, (2) inadequacy, and (3) changes in thinking. The study highlights how these themes demonstrate the development of the participants' professional and group identities in their school setting. This study also includes a literature review and expanded methods section in the appendices.Keywords:

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Este estudo transversal, não experimental do tipo survey, objetivou analisar a relação de trabalho entre os trabalhadores de enfermagem de duas instituições hospitalares da cidade de Recife, Pernambuco e as informações que eles possuem quanto aos seus direitos, responsabilidades, deveres e benefícios. Os dados foram coletados através de entrevistas realizadas com trabalhadores de um hospital público e um privado e observação não participante da pesquisadora no período de maio a setembro de 2004. Após a coleta e a análise dos dados constatou-se que: no total dos 324 sujeitos das duas instituições, a predominância é do sexo feminino (92,6%), com pessoas mais velhas na instituição pública e predomínio de sujeitos com o segundo grau completo (66%). A instituição pública apresenta maior número de enfermeiros (29,8%) e a particular maior número das outras categorias de enfermagem. Nos dois hospitais, constatou-se trabalhadores exercendo outras funções além daquelas possíveis pela sua formação profissional; em relação ao cargo a grande maioria dos trabalhadores (96,6%) assume o cargo no qual foi contratado. Em ambas as instituições, os sujeitos trabalham mais nas enfermarias (44,1%); quanto ao tempo de serviço institucional, no cargo e na função houve predomínio de trabalhadores entre 0 e 5 anos. O tipo de contrato de trabalho existente é o regime jurídico único no hospital público e no particular o contrato de trabalho é regido pela Consolidação das Leis Trabalhistas. No que se refere ao fato de identificar quais os programas de promoção à saúde do trabalhador existentes nos hospitais, os entrevistados informaram, em sua maioria (51,9%) a existência de CIPA. Quando indagados sobre seus direitos, conseguiram identificá-los em sua maioria , com percentuais entre 59,3% e 96.6%; quanto aos seus deveres, identificam-nos como tais com percentuais entre 51,9% e 75,1% e os confundem, particularmente, com as suas responsabilidades. No que se refere as suas responsabilidades, não conseguem identificá-las com adequacidade, apresentando valores entre 22,5% e 47,2%, confundindo-as com seus deveres, à exceção da responsabilidade por erro cometido. Em relação aos benefícios, em sua totalidade, os confundem, principalmente com seus direitos, alcançando valores de acertos entre 14,2% e 48,8%. Os trabalhadores não acertaram muitas das respostas, confundindo direitos, responsabilidades, deveres e benefícios, o que evidencia a sua vulnerabilidade enquanto cidadão e trabalhador. Ensinamentos sobre temáticas voltadas ao trabalho – no caso os direitos, responsabilidades, deveres e benefícios dos trabalhadores deveriam ser ministrados desde os seus cursos de formação e reforçados em programas de educação continuada existentes nas instituições que os empregam. Sugestões são feitas no sentido que as informações sobre direitos, deveres, responsabilidades e benefícios sejam socializadas entre trabalhadores, dando-lhes oportunidades do real exercício da cidadania. / This cross-sectional, non experimental survey aimed to analyze the work relation among nursing workers at two hospital institutions in Recife – PE, Brazil and the information they possess about their rights, responsibilities, duties and benefits. Data were collected through interviews with workers at one public and one private hospital, as well as non participant observation by the researcher between May and September 2004. After data collection and analysis, it was observed that women predominated (92,6%) among the 324 subjects in the two institutions, with older persons at the public institution, and a predominance of people who had not finished secondary education (66%). The public institution employed a higher number of nurses (29,8%), while the private hospital revealed a greater quantity of other nursing categories. At the two hospitals, workers performed other functions apart from what they could perform through their professional training; a large majority of the workers (96,6%) assumed the post they were hired for. At both institutions, subjects worked more at the wards (44,1%); there was a predominance of workers who had spent between 0 and 5 years on the job and in their current function. The existing employment contract was the single legal system at the public hospital while, at the private institution, employment contracts were ruled by the Consolidation of Labor Laws. With respect to identifying what occupational health promotion programs existed at the hospitals, most of the interviewees (51,9%) mentioned the existence of an Internal Accident Prevention Commission. When questioned about their rights,they managed to identify most of them, with percentage scores ranging from 59,3% to 96,6%; in terms of duties, these were identified with scores from 51,9% to 75,1%, and particularly mixed up with responsibilities. Participants did not manage to identify their responsibilities adequately, with scores ranging from 22,5% to 47,2%, and mixed them up with their duties, except for the responsibility in case of error. What their benefits is concerned, participants mainly mixed them up with their rights, with correct answers ranging from 14,2% to 48,8%. Workers gave many incorrect answers, mixing up rights, responsibilities, duties and benefits, which demonstrates their vulnerability as citizens and workers. Information about work-related issues – in this case workers’ rights, responsibilities, duties and benefits must be offered in their training courses and reinforced in permanent education programs in their employment institutions. This study suggests that information about rights, duties, responsibilities and benefits should be socialized among workers, giving them the opportunity to actually exercise their citizenship.

Este estudo transversal, não experimental do tipo survey, objetivou analisar a relação de trabalho entre os trabalhadores de enfermagem de duas instituições hospitalares da cidade de Recife, Pernambuco e as informações que eles possuem quanto aos seus direitos, responsabilidades, deveres e benefícios. Os dados foram coletados através de entrevistas realizadas com trabalhadores de um hospital público e um privado e observação não participante da pesquisadora no período de maio a setembro de 2004. Após a coleta e a análise dos dados constatou-se que: no total dos 324 sujeitos das duas instituições, a predominância é do sexo feminino (92,6%), com pessoas mais velhas na instituição pública e predomínio de sujeitos com o segundo grau completo (66%). A instituição pública apresenta maior número de enfermeiros (29,8%) e a particular maior número das outras categorias de enfermagem. Nos dois hospitais, constatou-se trabalhadores exercendo outras funções além daquelas possíveis pela sua formação profissional; em relação ao cargo a grande maioria dos trabalhadores (96,6%) assume o cargo no qual foi contratado. Em ambas as instituições, os sujeitos trabalham mais nas enfermarias (44,1%); quanto ao tempo de serviço institucional, no cargo e na função houve predomínio de trabalhadores entre 0 e 5 anos. O tipo de contrato de trabalho existente é o regime jurídico único no hospital público e no particular o contrato de trabalho é regido pela Consolidação das Leis Trabalhistas. No que se refere ao fato de identificar quais os programas de promoção à saúde do trabalhador existentes nos hospitais, os entrevistados informaram, em sua maioria (51,9%) a existência de CIPA. Quando indagados sobre seus direitos, conseguiram identificá-los em sua maioria , com percentuais entre 59,3% e 96.6%; quanto aos seus deveres, identificam-nos como tais com percentuais entre 51,9% e 75,1% e os confundem, particularmente, com as suas responsabilidades. No que se refere as suas responsabilidades, não conseguem identificá-las com adequacidade, apresentando valores entre 22,5% e 47,2%, confundindo-as com seus deveres, à exceção da responsabilidade por erro cometido. Em relação aos benefícios, em sua totalidade, os confundem, principalmente com seus direitos, alcançando valores de acertos entre 14,2% e 48,8%. Os trabalhadores não acertaram muitas das respostas, confundindo direitos, responsabilidades, deveres e benefícios, o que evidencia a sua vulnerabilidade enquanto cidadão e trabalhador. Ensinamentos sobre temáticas voltadas ao trabalho – no caso os direitos, responsabilidades, deveres e benefícios dos trabalhadores deveriam ser ministrados desde os seus cursos de formação e reforçados em programas de educação continuada existentes nas instituições que os empregam. Sugestões são feitas no sentido que as informações sobre direitos, deveres, responsabilidades e benefícios sejam socializadas entre trabalhadores, dando-lhes oportunidades do real exercício da cidadania. / This cross-sectional, non experimental survey aimed to analyze the work relation among nursing workers at two hospital institutions in Recife – PE, Brazil and the information they possess about their rights, responsibilities, duties and benefits. Data were collected through interviews with workers at one public and one private hospital, as well as non participant observation by the researcher between May and September 2004. After data collection and analysis, it was observed that women predominated (92,6%) among the 324 subjects in the two institutions, with older persons at the public institution, and a predominance of people who had not finished secondary education (66%). The public institution employed a higher number of nurses (29,8%), while the private hospital revealed a greater quantity of other nursing categories. At the two hospitals, workers performed other functions apart from what they could perform through their professional training; a large majority of the workers (96,6%) assumed the post they were hired for. At both institutions, subjects worked more at the wards (44,1%); there was a predominance of workers who had spent between 0 and 5 years on the job and in their current function. The existing employment contract was the single legal system at the public hospital while, at the private institution, employment contracts were ruled by the Consolidation of Labor Laws. With respect to identifying what occupational health promotion programs existed at the hospitals, most of the interviewees (51,9%) mentioned the existence of an Internal Accident Prevention Commission. When questioned about their rights,they managed to identify most of them, with percentage scores ranging from 59,3% to 96,6%; in terms of duties, these were identified with scores from 51,9% to 75,1%, and particularly mixed up with responsibilities. Participants did not manage to identify their responsibilities adequately, with scores ranging from 22,5% to 47,2%, and mixed them up with their duties, except for the responsibility in case of error. What their benefits is concerned, participants mainly mixed them up with their rights, with correct answers ranging from 14,2% to 48,8%. Workers gave many incorrect answers, mixing up rights, responsibilities, duties and benefits, which demonstrates their vulnerability as citizens and workers. Information about work-related issues – in this case workers’ rights, responsibilities, duties and benefits must be offered in their training courses and reinforced in permanent education programs in their employment institutions. This study suggests that information about rights, duties, responsibilities and benefits should be socialized among workers, giving them the opportunity to actually exercise their citizenship.

The field of professional learning in education has been studied and added to extensively in the last few decades. Because the importance of learning in authentic contexts through professional dialogue has become so important, high quality, school-based professional learning is vital to building capacity at the school level. Unfortunately, the literature on professional development (PD) does not provide much guidance on how to bridge theory and practice at the school level, creating a gap. With the goal of PD ultimately being to improve teacher performance and student learning, the problem with this gap is that school-level professional development is arbitrarily planned, resulting in variable outcomes. I propose the reason for this is schools lack a comprehensive framework or tool that guides the design of a quality professional learning plan. This problem was identified in Orange County Public School and this dissertation in practice aims at developing a solution that accounts for the district*s specific contextual needs. My proposed solution is the design of an integrative tool that school leaders can use to guide them through the professional development planning process. The School-based Professional Learning Design Tool incorporates the professional development standards in planning, learning, implementing, and evaluating outlined in the Florida Professional Development System Evaluation Protocol. It also guides leaders in taking an inventory of the culture and context of their school in order to plan PD that will be viable given those considerations. The components of the Tool guide teams through assessing school teacher performance and student achievement data to help identify focus groups; determining gaps in learning through root cause analysis; creating goals aligned to gaps in performance; and selecting strategies for professional learning, follow-up support, and evaluation. The development of the Tool was informed by the extant literature on professional development, organizational theory, state and national standards for professional development, and principles of design. The Tool is to be completed in four phases. Phases one and two, the focus of this paper, include the literature review, organizational assessment, design specifications, and the first iteration of the Tool. In the next phases, the goals are to solicit feedback from an expert panel review, create a complete version of the Tool, and pilot it in elementary schools. Although the development of the Tool through its final phases will refine it considerably, there are limitations that will transcend all iterations. While the Tool incorporates best practices in professional development, the lack of empirical evidence on the effectiveness of specific PD elements in the literature renders this Tool only a best guess in helping schools plan effective professional development. Another limitation is that the Tool is not prescriptive and cannot use school data to make decisions for what strategies to implement. Taking these limitations into consideration, the use of this Tool can significantly impact the quality and effectiveness of professional development in schools.