Aim: The purpose of the present study was to compare the effects of an 8 week period of combined endurance and resistance training (concurrent training) with that of only endurance training on both maximum strength (1 RM) in the leg press test and performance in the 30 s Anaerobic Wingate Test (WANT) in moderately trained endurance cyclists. Method: Twenty male moderately trained cyclists were recruited for the investigation and were assigned to either an Endurance training group (E; n=10) or an Endurance Resistance training group (ER; n=10).  Subjects underwent 8 weeks (2 training sessions per week, 16 sessions in total) of concurrent training (60 min steady state cycling session followed by 6 sets 12 repetitions of leg press) or cycling only. Furthermore the subjects of the intervention completed both Pre and Post intervention testing in the 1RM leg press and the Wingate 30 s cycle test which was conducted twice (SRM cycle sprint 1 and SRM cycle sprint 2) within each testing session. Results: The results attained from the intervention were that the ER group demonstrated an increase in concentric leg strength within the one repetition maximum (1 RM) leg press test by 18.7 % from pre-test values 339 ± 42 to post test values 402 ± 59 kg. With regard to the Wingate cycle sprints there was significant improvement from pre to post test results in peak power of cycle sprint 1 from 1019 ± 110 watt to 1077 ± 153 watt 5.7 % and cycle sprint 2 from 1001 ± 131 to 1054 ± 161 watt, 5.3 % (P < 0.05) respectively. The E group showed no significant change in l RM or the Wingate cycle sprints after training. Conclusions: The main findings of the study is that an 8-week concurrent training intervention can lead to significant concentric strength gains in 1 RM leg press development and increased peak power within the Wingate 30 s cycle sprint when conducted by moderately trained cyclists.

Job aids are instruments used on the job to improve human performance by enhancing the knowledge and/or skills of performers. Conventional job aids are usually printed on paper; examples include checklists, recipes, and decision tables. Expert systems are computerized job aids which interact with novices to help solve problems normally reserved for human experts. Because expert systems emulate human intelligence, they are sometimes called intelligent job aids. The purpose of this study was to extend the body of knowledge concerning conventional and intelligent job aids. The intent was to learn what major differences and similarities exist in the design, development, and application of conventional and intelligent job aids. If meaningful differences in the application were found, an additional aim was to determine why they existed. Job aids were developed to assist technicians in diagnosing problems with Robert Bosch electronic fuel injection systems found on certain John Deere diesel engines. The job aids were validated and then field tested by 42 John Deere technicians. Subjects used both job aids to solve problems with a mock fuel system. The diagnoses were video-taped for later evaluation, and subjects proffered their opinions about the job aids through questionnaires and in interviews. For this project, the intelligent job aid contained more textual and graphical content and required significantly more time and resources to develop. In terms of accuracy and efficiency, the job aids were comparable. Most users preferred the intelligent job aid though it required more time to learn to use than the conventional job aid. The age, education, or experience of the users did not influence their opinions of the job aids. However, the order in which the job aids were used did affect opinions; subjects that used the conventional job aid prior to the intelligent job aid were more likely to prefer the intelligent job aid. Implications for job aid project selection, design, and application are provided. / Graduation date: 1991

The purpose of this study was to determine if individuals could raise their hand temperature through systematic thermal training and to assess the effects of thermal training paired with coping-imagery desensitization on counselor trainee anxiety and counselor trainee effectiveness. A unique feature of this investigation was the pairing of two systems which had seldom been studied simultaneously: thermal training paired with desensitization.The experimental groups consisted of 32 Ball State University European Master's level students in counseling (16 females, 16 males). Subjects were volunteers drawn from five sections of classes during Spring Quarter, 1978. Students were randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups: the experimental group or the no-treatment control group. The experimental training took place over a 6-week time period at Ramstein Air Base, West Germany, and at Kapaun Air Station, West Germany.A pre-study was conducted the previous Winter Quarter, 1977-1978, to solicit data from which to compile a six-item standardized hierarchy to be used for the experimental desensitization scenes. The scenes consisted of counseling-related events which counselor trainees previously indicated were anxiety producing.Two groups of criteria instruments were utilized as dependent variables: self-report measures and performance measures. The self-report anxiety measures consisted of a semantic differential and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. The end-of-treatment thermal measurement and the CarkhuffBerenson Gross Rating of Facilitative Interpersonal Functioning Scale (GRFIF) served as measures of performance.Experimental subjects were exposed to five sessions of thermal training combined with coping-imagery desensitization while the control group received no treatment. Both groups were administered the end-of-treatment thermal measurement at the end of the fifth session of treatment. During the sixth week, both groups completed the self-report anxiety measures prior to participating as a counselor and as a client in two 20-minute audio taped counseling sessions. Each subject was individually debriefed and control subjects were offered the opportunity to receive identical training. Three 3-minute segments were excerpted from each counseling tape and were rated in-the-blind by independent judges using the Carkhuff-Berenson CRFIF Scale measuring counselor effectiveness. The raters were trained in using the GRFIF Scale and following training, the four-way interjudge reliability using total sampling procedures was r = .85, p< .01.The experimental design was the posttest only control group design. Five null hypotheses stating that no statistical difference would be found between the experimental and control group in self-reported anxiety or in effective counseling skills were statistically treated using five one-way analyses of variance. A confidence level of .05 was established.Results of the statistical investigations indicated that experimental subjects showed significantly greater hand-warming skills than control subjects, F (1,31) = 36.98, p < .001. No significant differences were found between the treatment and control group means on the self-report measures of anxiety or in counselor effectiveness.The conclusion was drawn that thermal training was a viable method for assisting individuals to achieve significant increases in thermal temperature measurement. Thermal training paired with coping-imagery desensitization was not demonstrated to be an effective treatment modality for reducing counselor trainee self-report anxiety or for increasing effective counseling skills. The latter finding was inconsistent with previous research which concluded that relaxation and systematic desensitization resulted in reductions in counselor trainee self-report anxiety and in increases in counselor effectiveness.The recommendation was made for additional research investigating thermal training paired with desensitization using an electromyograph (EMG) biofeedback unit and for employment of individualized desensitization hierarchies with practicum populations.

No description available.

The development of the Internet and the technological advancements in multimedia are some of the breakthroughs the 21st century has witnessed. Innovative ways are being sought for the application of technologies such as the Internet and multimedia, for the development of effective learning methods. The potential for using the Internet in combination with multimedia for teaching and learning is great; we are only beginning to understand and use the advantages it can offer. Web-Based safety training is an innovative self-paced learning aid which provides distinctive advantages over the traditional, instructor-led classroom training. This study provides an in-depth evaluation of Web-based safety training against instructor-led classroom training. The Web-based safety training uses multimedia such as power point slides with text, images and video clips. This study is designed as an experiment to determine the relative improvement in knowledge of woodshop safety when Web-based safety training is used against instructor-led classroom training. An opinion survey is conducted to determine participant’s attitude towards the training methods.

The purpose of this study was to assess the perception held by managers of feed and farm supply stores in Texas regarding the contribution of employee training to the competitiveness of the firm, determine if managers of feed and farm supply stores perceive that employee training can improve their competitive strength, and to determine if they will invest in employee training in order to gain a competitive advantage. The objectives of this study include: describe the operating environment of feed and farm supply stores in Texas; describe feed and farm supply store managers? perception of employee training?s contribution to their firm?s competitive advantage; identify barriers to employee training in feed and farm supply stores; determine Internet availability and potential use for employee training in feed and farm supply stores; and describe the willingness of feed and farm supply store managers to engage in employee training delivered via the Internet. This study employed a descriptive and correlational research design. A selfadministered questionnaire was used to collect data from a sample frame of 305 feed and farm supply stores randomly selected from 1,487 stores in Texas. These stores operate in a demanding, competitive environment that is changing at a rapid pace. They perceive that employee training improves customer satisfaction, contributes to business growth, improves productivity, and increases profits. The skills needed by their employees are increasing and they need training in sales, communication skills, technical knowledge, time management, retail merchandising, marketing, and business management to help the business stay competitive. Barriers to training include not being able to see immediate results, cost, difficulties created when key employees are not on the job, travel distances to attend training, and a lack of training programs relevant to their needs. Over 80 percent of these stores have both computers and Internet access. Managers will allow employees to use these resources for training purposes, encourage participation in online training, and allow their employees to participate in training during business hours. It is recommended that Internet based training programs be developed in sales, communication skills, technical knowledge, time management, retail merchandising, and business management for these small agribusinesses.

No description available.

This thesis is an interpretation of the meaning of a professional development project for six high school English teachers in a small, rural jurisdiction. The project design attempts to incorporate guidelines for effective professional development, especially in regard to the way in which authority influences the experience. This study is a case study from a naturalistic inquiry perspective using thnographic techniques. Further, the methodology is educative in the sense that the study was intended to change the situation studied. The analysis attempts to articulate the voices of various authorties in this professional development activity: the voice of leadership, the voice of the collective, the voice of external influences, and the voice of the individual participant. As a professional development activity, this studyindicates that, for the participating teachers, self-directed professional development created conditions conducive to change. Although the voices of professional development authority are incomplete and contradictory, this study provides a view of the landscape of teacher change and growth that is shaped by professional development guidelines concerning function, governance, cultural milieu, leadership, and reflection. These conclusions suggest ways for researchers, administrators, teacher leaders and teachers.to enhance professional development. / 174 leaves ; 29 cm.

Historically, the majority of South African people, particularly Blacks, were denied access to free, compulsory basic education. This means that many citizens did not have access to education that would provide them with the skills necessary for quality work performance. Various arguments in this study imply that work performance is linked to the skills employees have in the work they do. The previous Bantu education system failed to produce people with the necessary skills for the economy of the country. To compensate for this situation the present South African government introduced the Skills Development Act and Skills Levies Act which intended to provide the unskilled workforce with an opportunity to be trained and acquire skills. This is an investment in people through skills development, which is aimed at the improved work performance of the country's workforce. The study aims to: • Determine the impact of skills development programmes on employees' work performance; • Determine whether the skills learned are actually applied in practice; • Assess the general performance of a company through skills development of its workforce; and ••• Determine how accessible skills development programmes are to employees in this company. The research sample comprised ten facilitators, 15 employees and one employer. The data collected from the sample attempted to answer the following research questions: => What impact will skills development programmes have on employees' work performance? => What evidence there is that skills learned are actually applied in practice? => How the company performs in general when the workforce has undergone skills development programmes? => Whether the skills development programmes are accessible to the employees of the company? The findings revealed that skills development programmes in the company under investigation were valuable and useful to employees. This is evident from the improved work performance of employees as observed by the employer, who confirmed that the employees do job more quickly with less wastage and less supervision. The employer further confirmed that his company has attracted new clients who come for the sake of the service the company renders. The researcher concludes with the following recommendations: • The company should draw up a skills development programme schedule that will fit in well with its objectives. It is emphasised that these two aspects must not clash with each other, but instead complement each other so as to meet the set goal, that is, reselling of the workforce. This should be integrated to the organisational goal. • The company should spell out the aims of the skills development programmes and must make sure that these are well understood and adhered to by everyone in the company. This will aid in designing the programme according to the company's needs. • The fact that very little evaluation of training is done indicates the probability that although expenditure on training is great very little is done to ensure to improved competence and performance. The vast majority of employers still see training and development as purely cost, not investment. In this instance, the employers should be educated on the importance of investing in people through skills development programmes in order to gain improved work performance. / Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2006.

This study focuses on the strategic employee training and development initiatives of private sector employment as a means to develop employees in gaining a competitive advantage in the market. This study takes a theoretical and descriptive stance as it draws from the work of authors in the field of human resources and strategic training and development. There is a strong focus on human relations and the transformation of human resources in South Africa that brings to light practices of human resource management. Furthermore, the concepts training, education and development are defined and discussed as cornerstones to the employee growth process. Theories, techniques and models are used as a tool in highlighting the needs analysis and designing of training programmes in the South African private sector. Business strategy and its connection to training and development are expanded upon as this topic entails a strong future-oriented approach. Pick In Pay was chosen as a case study as it is a South African company. The company's training and development policies and procedures are discussed, unstructured interviews were conducted with Jackie Suhr who is the Senior Human Resource manager, Ravi Naidoo who is the Area manager at Durban North as well as staff members from Pick In Pay. The information gathered will be discussed to evaluate the effectiveness of the company's training and development initiatives as a means to empowering, developing and positively reenforcing their employees. / Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu Natal, 2005.