Parents have the authority to challenge school decisions regarding the identification, evaluation, placement and provision of a free appropriate public education to their child with a disability through either the hearing process or the complaint investigation process under the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act. This study explored the differences between parents who had initiated hearings and complaints and their perceptions of the processes. A document review, structured telephone interview and focus group meetings were used to gather data. The subjects were twenty-nine parents who had initiated complaints and thirty-one parents who had initiated hearings. The subjects were randomly selected from the population of all parents who had initiated hearings or complaints with the Maine Department of Education during 1996. Quantitative data were analyzed using chi-square tests, t-tests, and descriptive statistics. Qualitative data were analyzed through a sorting process to aggregate data and identify consistent themes. Findings of the study reveal that families with higher annual household income tend to use the hearing process, to withdraw or mediate their disputes and to be represented by counsel. No differences were found on parent satisfaction, marital status, or the ability of parents to participate in school activities. Parents reported a high level of anger, frustration and confusion regarding both processes. Parent and school relationships, poor communication and compliance issues were identified as causes for the initiation of a complaint or hearing. The hearing group cited expense, the legalistic nature of hearings, and stress as major problems while the complaint group cited lack of accountability and enforcement as major problems. Both groups recommended increased parent training and support and improved monitoring and enforcement by the Maine Department of Education. The results of this study support the conclusion that the hearing process is primarily available to those families with higher incomes and that both the hearing and the complaint processes tend to be associated with poor parent and school relationships. Additional research is needed to identify methods to improve parent and school relationships after the initiation of due process and to ensure that all parents have access to alternatives for the resolution of parent and school conflict. / Ph. D.

Conflict resolution strategies in special education are necessary in view of increased disability and civil rights legislation impacting schools. With increase in federal laws and regulations comes an increase in parental expectations and unclear interpretations of "what is right" and "what is legal" regarding meeting the educational needs of students with disabilities. The purpose of the study was to identify factors that escalate and de-escalate parent-school conflict in special education and to understand the special education mediation process from the perspectives of parents, school officials and mediators in Massachusetts. Data were collected through telephone interviews with 44 participants. Interviews were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. Parent participants had experienced special education mediation either during the school year 1995-1996 or 1996-1997. School officials and mediators had experienced multiple special education mediations. A grounded theory approach was used to analyze data. Eight categories of factors that escalate parent-school conflict in special education were identified: (a) Discrepant Views of a Child's Needs, (b) Knowledge, (c) Service Delivery, (d) Valuation, (e) Reciprocal Power, (f) Constraints, (g) Communication, and (h) Trust. Participants in each group revealed that the mediation process was of value even though one may not achieve the desired outcome. Strengths of the mediation process were identified in the areas of its ability to provide disclosure, empower participants, provide opportunity for communication, provide suitable outcomes, strengthen relationships and provide a pragmatic approach to problem-solving. Limitations of mediation were reported in it's ability to be misused by participants seeking opportunities for fact-finding and it's lack of ability to be enforced. Results indicated that training in conflict handling strategies is needed by parents and school officials. Results of the study supported using early intervention conflict identification and resolution strategies so that conciliatory attitudes and trust might be preserved in parent-school relationships. / Ed. D.

The sustainable development of working students in tertiary education institutions is important for student retention and institutional success. As the number of working students is on the rise, it is imperative that the needs of working students are well-recognized to ensure academic satisfaction and engagement. As these students encompass the role of both an employee and a student, inter-role conflict is experienced when pressures from the workplace disrupt academic responsibilities and influence academic outcomes. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to examine the impact of type of employment (part-time employment and full-time employment) on university outcomes, namely academic satisfaction and academic engagement of working students. The study proposed that those working students in part-time employment would on average experience less work-school conflict, more academic satisfaction and more academic engagement than those working students in full-time employment. The study implemented a secondary crosssectional descriptive design, whereby secondary data was used. The study's sample consisted of working students (n = 482). Independent samples t-tests and mediation analyses were conducted to analyse the study's hypotheses. A significant difference was found between those working students who participated in part-time and full-time employment, in terms of their work-school conflict and academic satisfaction. However, no significant difference was found for the academic engagement outcome. The analyses revealed that work-school conflict mediated the relationship between type of employment and academic satisfaction, however mediation effects were not found between type of employment and academic engagement. The findings of the study have theoretical contributions and practical implications for university intuitions and researchers. Lastly, research contributions and suggestions for future research are presented.

Working while studying is a popular trend around the world and the number of nontraditional students are increasing. As a result of working and studying simultaneously, workschool conflict tends to occur. There is still some debate as to which characteristics across the personal and work domains most significantly influence work-school conflict. Similarly, the extent to which social support moderates the experience of work-school conflict is unclear. In this study, secondary data was used to examine a model of work characteristics consisting of job demand, job control and working hours, as well as personal characteristics which include marital status, gender and number of dependents. Further, the effect of social support, comprising of family support, co-worker support and supervisor support as a moderator in this work- and personal characteristics model was also explored. The respondents of this study (N = 367) were from either a South African or American context and the characteristics in both contexts were explored. The analysis revealed that the proposed work- and personal characteristics model is not significant; and social support does not moderate the relationship. Furthermore, this research study found that there are different significant predictors of workschool conflict across the two distinct contexts.

The cost of higher education is rapidly increasing on both a global scale (Creed, French & Hood, 2015), and in the local South African context (Calitz & Fourie, 2016). This rise in costs has seen a commensurate increase in the number of university students who work, largely as a means to fund the increasing cost of their higher education (Butler, 2007; Cinamon, 2016; Owen, Kavanagh & Dollard, 2018). These working students are frequently referred to as non-traditional students in the academic literature. The psychological experiences of non-traditional students who work is a pertinent and expanding area of interest for multiple stakeholders (Owen et al., 2018). These experiences can be classified through the constructs of Work-School Conflict (WSC) and Work-School Enrichment (WSE), which refer, respectively, to the negative and positive aspects of the work-school interface (Butler, 2007). The antecedents of WSC and WSE experiences amongst nontraditional working students have to date not received any empirical attention in the South African research literature. This study aims to address this gap by contributing to the national body of knowledge in this area. The measures used were secondary self-report survey data completed by post-graduate university students who are simultaneously engaged in paid work (N=330). Multiple regression analyses indicated that time demands, job demands and social support from work explained a significant proportion of WSC; whilst job-school congruence and social support within the work context were statistically significant predictors of WSE. Moderation analyses revealed that social support at work influenced the relationship between job demands and WSC, whilst employee role saliency significantly interacted with job-school congruence to influence WSE. The results of this study are aligned to international work-school research findings, which support the additive model of job characteristics as antecedents to WSC and WSE. These results also provide deeper insight into the less explored moderation effects of work resources and demands interacting to influence WSC and WSE. Theoretical, management and educational implications of these findings are considered in relation to the existing literature.

No description available.

The study focused on the role of the School Governing Body (SGB) in the management of conflict in schools. The investigation was done in one of the secondary schools in Gauteng Province. Causes of conflict and the challenges facing the SGB, teachers, learners and parents have been discussed. Types and nature of conflict have been listed and discussed including the resolutions and management of conflict. A literature review provided a conceptual framework and covered definitions of conflict, conflict management strategies, conflict resolution, governance and qualities required for a successful SGB in governing conflict in a secondary school. An empirical investigation using a qualitative approach was conducted and data gathered by means of interviews with the SGB. Finally a synopsis of findings and recommendations was made to assist the policy makers, departmental officials, SGBs, principals, teachers and parents in proper management of conflict in secondary schools. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Education Management)

The study focused on the role of the School Governing Body (SGB) in the management of conflict in schools. The investigation was done in one of the secondary schools in Gauteng Province. Causes of conflict and the challenges facing the SGB, teachers, learners and parents have been discussed. Types and nature of conflict have been listed and discussed including the resolutions and management of conflict. A literature review provided a conceptual framework and covered definitions of conflict, conflict management strategies, conflict resolution, governance and qualities required for a successful SGB in governing conflict in a secondary school. An empirical investigation using a qualitative approach was conducted and data gathered by means of interviews with the SGB. Finally a synopsis of findings and recommendations was made to assist the policy makers, departmental officials, SGBs, principals, teachers and parents in proper management of conflict in secondary schools. / Educational Leadership and Management / M. Ed. (Education Management)

Submitted by Nadir Basilio (nadirsb@uninove.br) on 2016-06-08T20:14:55Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Alessandra Simão.pdf: 3484848 bytes, checksum: 0e630661fc23ba5a597dadf21765b9ce (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-08T20:14:55Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Alessandra Simão.pdf: 3484848 bytes, checksum: 0e630661fc23ba5a597dadf21765b9ce (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-03-28 / At the end of 2009, the State Department of Education in partnership with the Department of Public Safety, launched the Project Protection School and Community System (SPEC). To implement the project in state schools was created the function of Teacher School and Community Mediator (PMEC). In this work, we investigated the understanding of this new professional about their duties and how they unfold in school practices, with the hypothesis that before a non-specific training, for appropriate profile selection of difficulty and of course insufficient training, PMEC runs projects and activities not related to their function and that the actual duties that should play at schools not you are clear, then, each performs them according to their own reading and thus can not be given to introducing legislation or have a critical view of their role. To reach the end, there was a qualitative research descriptive, using the questionnaire as a collection tool and content analysis for data processing. The sample included randomly in the electronic questionnaire sent to the use PMECs activity at the time of the survey. Obtained return 485 PMECs, a universe of 3.210, constituting a representative sample of grade of more than 95% reliability. The answers reveal a lack of more specific training and understanding, about the concepts and processes intrinsic to its function, contrary to the authors consulted. They also reveal that, in the opinion of these professionals, they are responsible for performing any tasks given to them in order to promote the smooth running of the school, easing the weight of the tasks of the managers of school units; however, to encompass such assignments, PMECs end up getting lost in their function. The fact is that once again we see the launch of a project designed for those who do not know the daily life of schools and professionals who work in them and thus this professional is carrying out the possible actions in trying to make the project work. / No final do ano de 2009, a Secretaria de Estado da Educação, em parceria com a Secretaria de Segurança Pública, lançou o projeto Sistema de Proteção Escolar e Comunitária (SPEC). Para a implementação do projeto nas escolas estaduais foi criada a função de Professor Mediador Escolar e Comunitário (PMEC). Neste trabalho, investigou-se o entendimento desse novo profissional sobre suas atribuições e como elas se desdobram em práticas escolares, com a hipótese de que diante de uma formação não específica, dificuldade de seleção por perfil adequado e curso de formação insuficiente, o PMEC executa projetos e atividades não relacionadas à sua função e que as reais atribuições que deveria desempenhar nas unidades escolares não lhe são claras, logo, cada um as realiza segundo sua própria leitura e, assim, pode não estar atendendo ao que estabelece a legislação nem ter uma visão crítica acerca de sua função. Para atingir os fins propostos, realizou-se uma pesquisa qualitativa do tipo descritiva, utilizando-se o questionário como instrumento de coleta e a análise de conteúdo para tratamento dos dados. A amostra foi composta aleatoriamente, no uso de questionário eletrônico encaminhado aos PMECs em atividade na ocasião da pesquisa. Obteve-se retorno de 485 PMECs, de um universo de 3.210, constituindo-se uma amostra representativa, com grau de confiabilidade de mais de 95%. As respostas revelam falta de formação mais específica e entendimento, acerca dos conceitos e processos intrínsecos à sua função, em desacordo com os autores consultados. Revelam também que, no entendimento desses profissionais, eles são responsáveis por realizar quaisquer atribuições que lhes é conferida a fim de promover o bom andamento da escola, amenizando o peso das tarefas dos gestores das unidades escolares; no entanto, ao abarcar tais atribuições, os PMECs acabam ficando perdidos em sua função. Fato é que mais uma vez observamos o lançamento de um projeto pensado por quem não conhece o dia a dia das escolas e dos profissionais que nelas trabalham e, assim, esse profissional vai realizando as ações possíveis na tentativa de fazer o projeto dar certo.

The growth of a country's economy is highly dependent on the levels of skills available in that country. South Africa has a stark shortage of skilled individuals due to an inadequate and failing education system (Horwitz, 2013). As a response to this problem the South African government actively incentivises organisations to develop the skillset of their employees in order to build a strong economy, improve job creation and promote social development (Department of Higher Education and Training, 2019). It is therefore important that all stakeholders involved yield a return on this investment. It is also a global phenomenon that an increasing number of fulltime employees are also engaging in formal further studies due to the rapid changes in the labour market. For example, advancements in technology have had a major impact on traditional business models and the roles, and skills needed. These employees are referred to as non-traditional students and are the subject of this study. Research shows that trying to manage both work and school simultaneously can cause psychological strain for non-traditional students (Adebayo et al., 2008). The psychosocial safety climate (PSC) is an emerging construct which refers to the shared perceptions regarding policies, practices and procedures designed to protect the psychological health of employees (Dollard et al., 2012). This study builds on existing research in the work - school interface by investigating its application within the South African context. Participants in this research (n=127), comprised of non-traditional students (n=40) and employees who are not engaged in further studies (n=87). Correlation analysis demonstrated that PSC had a positive relationship with work school facilitation (WSF) and a negative relationship with work school conflict (WSC). It was further confirmed that job control (JC) mediated the relationship between PSC and WSF and that PSC mediated the relationship between JC and WSF. These findings show that PSC is an antecedent to the work school interface in that it promotes the positive outcomes of studying while working (work school facilitation). It further demonstrates that PSC also reduces the negative outcomes (work school conflict). This study confirmed that the working environment plays a crucial role in the work school interface and introduces PSC as a construct South African organisations should be concerned with and make a priority, based on the resources it provides employees, more especially their non-traditional students. This study's findings will add to the existing body of research and provide practical insights for enhancing the PSC application within South African organisations who have non-traditional students.