No description available.

Measuring training need and in turn revising training content to reflect that need is a process that continues to plague the training practitioner. This study examines the application of Ford and Wroten's (1984) Matching Technique to a supervisory training program. Subjects were 13 non-supervisors and 13 recently promoted supervisors that were divided equally between the control and experimental conditions. A nonequivalent control group design was employed, and the data were analyzed using ANCOVA. Self-perception training need data were collected via a need survey. Both the need data and the training program content were classified in terms of management skill dimensions. Pre and post measures were collected using an In-Basket exercise and a knowledge test. The results indicate that skill performance does increase significantly for those skills requiring additional emphasis. More research is needed on this process, as only one skill dimension required more emphasis in this study.

(G-PGCS) was designed and implemented for K-6 school counselors. G-PGCS began in the fall of 1994 and has continued to the present; however, there have been no studies on the effects of the program. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to conduct a qualitative evaluation of G-PGCS. The evaluation participants included current Roanoke County K-5 school counselors, and selected administrators. The sources of data for the evaluation were interviews, an informal observation, program documents, Semantic Differential Scales (SDS) designed for this evaluation, the Job Satisfaction Blank (JSB; Hoppock, 1935), a counselor burnout SDS (Cummings and Nall, 1983), video tapes of G-PGCS sessions and responses to an anonymous memorandum. As a result of participation in G-PGCS, the K-5 counselors interviewed reported gains in counseling skills, positive professional changes, and personal growth. JSB and burnout SDS means of the G-PGCS counselors indicated that they have a high job satisfaction and low counselor burnout levels. G-PGCS could have contributed to high JSB and low SDS burnout scores, but further study is needed in this area. Strengths of G-PGCS were increased peer support and self-awareness, learning new counseling techniques and skills, G-PGCS supervision feedback, and a greater sense of professionalism. In addition, administrative support, training, and structure were cited as strengths. The SDS also confirmed the gains and strengths of G-PGCS. Group membership and/or dynamics was cited as a weakness because some of the counselors wanted to change group membership periodically. The other two weaknesses were the lack of adequate time for clinical supervision and the need for more clinical supervision training. No weaknesses of G-PGCS were found in the statistical analysis of the SDS. With administrative support and modifications, G-PGCS can be replicated to meet the clinical supervision needs of school counselors. Further research including an experimental pre- and post- observation study is needed to find specific G-PGCS program gains. / Ph. D.

Creative supervision interventions are suggested to be supportive of mental health supervisees' professional development. Yet, empirical evidence of the utility of such interventions is limited. The purpose of this study was to explore whether a creative intervention, specifically visual art, enhances clinical supervision. Enhancement was operationalized using likert scaled questions to measure: (1) participants' level of enjoyment of the art task intervention, (2) participants' perceived level of benefit derived from the art task intervention, and (3) how often participants used art tasks in counseling their own clients. Additionally, "creativity" was correlated to the dependent variables. Creativity was operationalized using the Barron-Welsh Art Scale and the Remote Associates Test. The art task interventions were administered in the clinical supervision of master's-level counseling internship students at two Universities located in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. Supervisees engaged in visual art exercises, and subsequent discussions, during the spring 2003 semester of their internship class. Demographic information and likert-scaled responses measuring the dependent variables were reported using percentages. Dependent variables were correlated with creativity levels. Qualitative responses on the Exit Questionnaire were summarized and reported. Results suggested that participants enjoyed and benefited from supervision involving art tasks, and that a statistically significant relationship exists between creativity (as measured by the Barron-Welsh Art Scale) and enjoyment of the art tasks. While more participants overall used art in counseling their clients after participating in the study, the number of times participants used art tasks did not increase. / Ph. D.

This causal-comparative study investigated the influence of motivational orientation and professional, educational, and personal characteristics of certified radiographers on their actual and preferred participation in continuing professional education and the extent of their application on the job of the knowledge and skills acquired through participation. Participation was operationally defined as type of provider used and preferred, type of activity used and preferred, number of contact hours completed and preferred, and number of semester hours completed and preferred. Application of knowledge and skills on the job was measured by the respondents self-report of this ability. Data were gathered by a survey instrument and personal interviews. The subjects consisted of certified radiographers employed in 22 hospitals located in seven counties in the Central Florida region. The 295 subjects represented a 73.6% response rate and 36.8% of the population. Significant differences in the type of provider used and preferred, type of activity used and preferred, number of contact hours completed, and number of semester hours completed and preferred were demonstrated by motivational orientation. A significant difference in application was also demonstrated by motivational orientation. Significant differences in all categories of actual and preferred participation were demonstrated by specific demographic characteristics of the respondents. A consistent pattern of participation was demonstrated for the use of and preference for college providers and activities by educational level. The only demographic variable which demonstrated a significant difference in application was size of hospital employed.

No description available.

This study sought to examine the constructs of organizational climate and the Heath (1964) typology to assess the relationship between professional staff members' perception of organizational climate within secondary schools and their personality. School climate was assessed by the administration of the Organizational Climate Description Questionnaire - Rutgers Secondary, and personality characteristics were identified by the Heath Typology Assessment Instrument. Data were collected in two separate and distinct phases and the results were reported accordingly. The first phase consisted of an availability sampling of subjects holding professional staff positions in secondary schools in Central Florida. The second phase was a school based study of a volunteer sampling of subjects holding professional staff positions. Pearson product-moment correlation, analysis of variance, and post hoc comparision were used to analyze the data. Significant differences were determined at the .05 level. A maximum likelihood interbattery factor analysis was also performed to assess latent dimensionality. Findings indicated significant relationships among personality typologies and perception of climate components. Three interpretable factors (Barricades; Mother Hen; Square Peg) were found to support the first order perception of climate. In addition, specific personality scores were shown to be significantly related to the demographic variables. It was concluded that personality measures and perceived climate dimensions interact to form organizational climate in secondary schools.

No description available.

Published Article / Postgraduate supervision and research training are core academic activities for most higher education institutions. Worldwide, including in South Africa, there is concern about the quality of postgraduate training in higher education institutions, the length of time it takes postgraduate students to complete their postgraduate studies, and the high percentage of students who terminate their studies. Against the backdrop of these concerns, the quality of research supervision is essential for the successful completion of studies. However, ensuring the quality of the input dimension within South African postgraduate supervision is complicated – the reasons being that the process is entangled with issues of power, desire, and differences in relation to supervision practices, along with rapid higher education transformation demanding more quality and accountability, etc. Therefore it is recommended that the supervision process be monitored for improvement purposes and to address context-specific needs. This article reports on an improvement-oriented investigation into the current supervision practices at the case study university.

The supervision offered at universities today is to some degree being questioned, while the situation of doctoral students is undergoing changes. The supervision students get nowadays is very different from what was available when today’s supervisors were doctoral students. The present study relies on thirty-one in-depth interviews with experienced research supervisors from all faculties at the one university. The Swedish governing documents regarding supervision have mostly been phrased in very general terms on the assumption that certain disciplines have several traits in common. Other documents describe the requirements for supervisors more sweepingly; everybody is expected to work according to the same lines. There is no question that supervision could be anything but good and no attempt at defining the task is made. Previous studies show that supervisors are unaware of what is really expected of them. The aim of this thesis is partly to investigate whether there are any communal traits in the accounts, at individual or group level, and partly to demonstrate how research supervisors’ views on research supervision can vary. The objective is also to highlight qualitative differences in the descriptions by the supervisors as to how and why they supervise. Results show that it is not easy to articulate knowledge about ones own actions. The supervisors under study have not previously reflected too much on the question of supervising. They have neither received nor requested feedback and do not expect to get honest verdicts from their students. They profess themselves to have developed a mode of supervision on their own, without assistance or any form of training. The thesis is based on a theory of variation, tacit knowledge and reflection and that supervisors will be shaped by connections to certain Communities of practice. It draws on the silent or unarticulated knowledge of what supervision is about, how and why supervision is carried out in a specific way, at group level or individually. At group level some similarities to other investigations can be found. Traditions regarding the form of the thesis are usually compliant with faculty norms. At the individual level, however, the study presents new findings in pointing out the existence of three different styles of supervision: researcher, leader and official. These can not be traced back to any specific disciplines. The three styles differ from each other mainly in their attitude to the doctoral students and in their outlook on the question of power and responsibility. The most important conclusion is to draw attention to the significance of having an individual perspective. In order to be able to improve the art of supervision, getting interaction and feedback from doctoral students and the organisation is not sufficient. A prerequisite for development is to gain an awareness of ones own actions. In order to become conscious about ones doings it is necessary to give and take feedback about oneself, achieved through self-reflection. / <p>AKADEMISK AVHANDLING som med tillstånd av utbildningsvetenskapliga fakulteten vid Göteborgs universitet för vinnande av doktorsexamen framläggs till offentlig granskning fredagen den 20 april 2007, klockan 13.00 i sal M202 Sandgärdet, Högskolan i Borås. Fakultetsopponent: Professor Leif Lindberg, Växjö universitet</p>