The purpose of this study was to examine the effect that case-based instructional methodology had on student’s development of critical thinking skills, cognitive engagement and learning as compared to the lecture-based instructional methodology. The experimental design consisted of two grade 12 high school biology classes being taught a unit of study with two different teaching methodologies. Each class was taught half the unit with case-based instruction and the other half of the unit using lecture-based instruction. The two classes were taught opposite halves using these instructional methodologies. The Applied Critical Thinking Measure was used to determine the students’ level of development of their critical thinking skills. The measure consisted of five scenarios that required students to read, identify the objective, ask questions that would clarify their understanding, draw upon existing information or list new information needed, and draw a conclusion with supporting statements. Cognitive engagement was measured by direct observations using a criterion checklist of 14 items. The teacher-researcher and her colleague designed three artifacts to measure student learning. T-tests were used to compare the mean scores of the two classes on each of the artifacts collected for student learning. The inferential statistics showed that student learning improved during the case-based teaching section of the unit. The observations showed an increase in cognitive engagement during the case-based instructional section of the unit. There was no significant difference in the mean scores for students’ critical thinking skills in Class 1, but there was a significant difference in the mean scores for Class 2. The difference appears modest but considering the duration of the study it is a notable development. The scope of this study addresses a knowledge gap regarding the use of case-based teaching methodology in high school. The implications are meaningful in that case-based teaching has shown to have an impact on cognitive engagement and student learning in a high school biology classroom.

This study was designed to examine affective leader behaviours, and their impact on cognitive, affective and behavioural engagement. Researchers (e.g., Cropanzano & Mitchell, 2005; Moorman et al., 1998) have called for more research to be directed toward modelling and testing sets of relationships which better approximate the complexity associated with contemporary organisational experience. This research has attempted to do this by clarifying and defining the construct of engagement, and then by examining how each of the engagement dimensions are impacted by affective leader behaviours. Specifically, a model was tested that identifies leader behaviour antecedents of cognitive, affective and behavioural engagement. Data was collected from five public-sector organisations. Structural equation modelling was used to identify the relationships between the engagement dimensions and leader behaviours. The results suggested that affective leader behaviours had a substantial direct impact on cognitive engagement, which in turn influenced affective engagement, which then influenced intent to stay and extra-role performance. The results indicated a directional process for engagement, but particularly highlighted the significant impact of affective leader behaviours as an antecedent to engagement. In general terms, the findings will provide a platform from which to develop a robust measure of engagement, and will be helpful to human resource practitioners interested in understanding the directional process of engagement and the importance of affective leadership as an antecedent to engagement.

Zugl.: Düsseldorf, Univ., Diss., 2005

Zugl.: Osnabrück, Univ., Diplomarbeit, 2006

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Bowling Green State University, 2008. / Document formatted into pages; contains vii, 88 p. Includes bibliographical references.

Zugl.: Regensburg, Univ., Diss., 2007

Cette thèse a pour objet la cause des étrangers dans le Nord de la France et l’envisage comme un espace d'engagement dans lequel se rencontrent des associations et des militants qui coopèrent ou s’opposent. L’enquête a été menée dans la métropole lilloise de janvier 2009 à juin 2012, par observations, entretiens, questionnaires et analyse d'archives. La thèse étudie d’abord les associations en mettant l'accent sur leurs modes d'action et sur les relations entretenues par les militants avec l'État. Elle se consacre ensuite à l'engagement individuel et aux évolutions du militantisme de la cause des étrangers. Les dispositions à l'engagement, issues de la socialisation des individus, apparaissent comme des éléments explicatifs des trajectoires personnelles. L'étude des ressorts de l'engagement, de ses logiques et de ses justifications permet de caractériser l'espace de la cause étudiée et de définir trois profils de militants : les chrétiens de gauche, les philanthropes et les militants d'extrême-gauche. Enfin, l'étude du travail militant révèle dans quelle mesure les pratiques militantes et les relations entre les associations et l'État sont marquées par des tendances à la juridicisation, à la professionnalisation, à la salarisation et à la formalisation, évolutions qui sont constitutives d'un processus d'institutionnalisation du monde associatif et militant. La thèse rend compte ainsi de la construction de la cause des étrangers, de son espace, des pratiques militantes qui la caractérisent et des logiques de l'engagement des militants qui s'y consacrent. Ce travail se présente comme une contribution à la sociologie de l'engagement et du militantisme. / This PhD dissertation focuses on the cause of foreigners in the North of France, this cause being seen as a space of involvement where activists and associations meet, work together or confront each other. Fieldwork was conducted in Lille and its surroundings from January 2009 to June 2012. It was based on direct observations, interviews, questionnaire as well as archives analysis. First, the dissertation focuses on associations by putting the stress on their types of actions and the links and relations existing between activists and the State. Then, it deals with the individual involvement and the changes in activism in the cause of foreigners. Predispositions to involvement come from individuals’socialization and contribute to explain the path in life. The analysis of the motives and forms of involvement leads me to define the space of the cause studied and three types of activists: left-wing christians, philantropists and leftists. Finally, the analysis of the activist work reveals to what extent the activists’ practices and the relations between the associations and the State are shaped by several trends which are typical of a process of institutionalization of the non-profit and activist world: associations tend to have a more legal, professional, formal type of action and organization. The dissertation describes the making of the cause of foreigners, of its space, of activists’ practices and the logics of activists’ involvement. This work is more broadly a contribution to the sociology of involvement and activism.

No abstract available. C175/eo / Dissertation (MArch(Prof))--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Architecture / unrestricted

This study explores the role engagement in a school-based music ensemble plays in the development of social responsibility in middle school students. The study involved 9 music students, 18 non-music students, and 5 teachers at a suburban middle school in Coquitlam, B.C. Students were compared using three measures – office referral data, a Social Responsibility Quick Scale, and a moral dilemma writing activity – and were subsequently interviewed to determine their thoughts on how musical engagement in music classes might impact their development of social responsibility. Interviews with teachers focused on activities that they believe foster social responsibility as well as their perspectives on this area of child development. Students are referred to the office for misbehaviour at school, and office referral data for the entire school population revealed that students in music classes are referred significantly less often than students not engaged in music (males p = .001; females p = .005). Musically engaged students achieved higher assessed scores on the Social Responsibility Quick Scale and the moral dilemma activity, but the statistical significance of these relationships is questionable owing to the small sample size. Interviews with students and teachers suggested that public performance, music teacher mentorship, and shared in-group responsibilities contribute to fostering development of social responsibility in music students. / Education, Faculty of / Curriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department of / Graduate

Given the emerging importance of personalized medicine (PM) in primary care, now should be the ideal time for engaging with health care professionals (HCPs), both physicians and nurses, about integrating PM into practice. The question then becomes: what is the most effective way to engage with HCPs about emerging technologies that are not in routine clinical use and which are unfamiliar to many? The overall aim of this pilot study was to develop and compare two professional engagement (PE) approaches for engaging with HCPs about PM to inform their development and design of a future formal evaluation. The first PE intervention was a structured in-person focus group and the second was an online version, also incorporating an educational component, but without group interaction. The pilot study showed that while participants evaluated both interventions positively, the in-person workshop consistently scored higher; however, recruitment challenges were a major obstacle for this approach.