Doctor of Philosophy / Curriculum and Instruction Programs / Charles E. Heerman / As the world has changed over the last century, so has the world of work. Today’s knowledge workers have fewer individual repetitive tasks, more autonomy, and more need to work with and through people at every level of an organization (Overtoom, 2000). As a result of the ‘flattening’ of the organizational hierarchy, it is critical that employees at all levels are proficient in soft skills. Recent studies indicate that employers consistently rate these skills as deficient in their incoming hires. Skills such as communication, teamwork, leadership and adaptability are commonly ranked as deficient. Academic leadership education strongly emphasizes this valuable skill set often referred to as soft skills. This study examined the relationship of the soft skills gained to the amount of leadership education completed by Fort Hays State University graduates using the Teamwork Skills Questionnaire (O’Neil, Lee, Wang & Mulkey, 1999). Those who received no leadership education from the FHSU Department of Leadership Studies were compared with those who received a leadership certificate and those who received a bachelor’s degree in Organizational Leadership. The study provided insight into whether academic leadership education enhances graduate’s soft skill development and to assess the impact this has on their perception of teamwork proficiency in the workplace. Results indicate that the leadership certificate does not significantly change soft skill development in graduates’ self-reported perceptions, as compared to students with no leadership coursework. It was found that the bachelor’s degree does make limited significant changes in graduates’ soft skill proficiency as compared with graduates who received the leadership certificate. Multiple significant changes were found in graduates with bachelor’s degrees as compared with graduates who received no leadership coursework. Recommendations to be considered when conducting further research include the use of qualitative methodology, the inclusion of more universities that offer a degree in Organizational Leadership, and the measurement of other skills the leadership coursework may produce but was not reflected in this instrument.

The mining engineering world is continuously experiencing new challenges whether it is economically, technologically or socially, there will always be something new in sight. Training and Development fulfils the role of the “breeder” of competence workforce and therefore it is essential to assure constant growth and progress within the skills and development environment. Personal attribute and dedication are the drivers of our success and achievements in our careers. The capacity of our trade and occupation does not set the limits and pace of our intensification to strive for the bigger and better in future. The career background and training and development opportunities are essential aspects to be renowned with before engaging with the learning intervention. Assure you start your career in the artisan trade that you desire to be a successful example in and discover the engineering world where the spectrum is never-ending. Development opportunities exist for all, irrespective of the trade and occupation. This study illustrates that even the smaller trade‟s artisans as focused on in this study, namely the Rigger Ropesman, can achieve higher laurels if the energy and efforts are exploited in the applicable avenues. The starting blocks, must be the blocks that fit yourself as individual learner, if not, even the first steps in the career will be started in stumbling mode. This qualitative research design study discovered numerous persons who started a career without knowing what it entails. The Rigger Ropesman artisans, Engineering Foremen and Learners who were interviewed as the target group contributed to achieving the aim of the study. The aim of the study was the possible training and development opportunities for the Rigger Ropesman in the Mining and Minerals Sector. Future studies can be conducted on career guidance and training and development opportunities in other engineering trades as this study only focused on the Rigger Ropesman trade in the Mining and Minerals Sector. / MEd (Training and Development), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

The pre-hospital industry is faced with many challenges, one of which is the skills shortage of advanced life support paramedics in the country. The industry has naturally dictated competition both nationally and internationally for the recruitment of these advanced life support paramedics. Staff turnover has increased as a result of this issue which also has financial implications on the individual business of constant recruitment and turnover. The purpose of this study is to investigate problems that currently exist in the industry with regards to the advanced life support paramedic employment which will provide valuable information on retention strategies and reduce staff turnover.

Abstract The purpose of this study is to gain a deeper understanding of the teacher's approach to writing instruction and their view of fine motor development and fine motor difficulties for students in grades 1-3. By comparing a selection of teachers’ approaches to writing tuition and fine motor skills, with previous research it expects to gain a deeper understanding of the objective. In the study, qualitative semi-structured interviews and participant observation was used as a method. These interviews and observations were made with seven active Swedish teachers in grades 1-3. This gives an insight into teachers' views on fine motor skills and education, as well as how they see the adjustment of the writing instruction to students with fine motor difficulties. The results show that most of the teachers who participated in the study linked fine motor difficulties to the way students holding a pencil, as well as how they shape the letters. Most of the teachers say that they don´t practice fine motor exercises in the classroom, although the results shows that often it is done unconsciously. The first letter of the learning takes place mostly from a formal perspective. In most cases, when the first letter of the learning process is complete, the writing instruction, to some extent, starts from a functional perspective. / Sammanfattning Syftet med denna studie är att få en fördjupad förståelse för lärares förhållningssätt till skrivundervisning och deras syn på finmotorisk utveckling och finmotoriska svårigheter hos elever i årskurs 1-3. Genom att jämföra ett urval lärares förhållningssätt till skrivundervisning och finmotorik samt att jämföra detta med tidigare forskning förväntas en fördjupad förståelse för syftet att införskaffas. I studien har kvalitativa semistrukturerade intervjuer och deltagande observationer använts som metod. Dessa intervjuer samt observationer har skett med sju verksamma svensklärare i årskurs 1-3. Detta ger en inblick i lärarnas syn på finmotorik och skrivundervisning samt hur de ser på anpassning av skrivundervisning till elever med finmotoriska svårigheter. Resultatet visar att de flesta lärare som medverkat i studien kopplar finmotoriska svårigheter till hur eleverna håller i en penna och hur de formar bokstäver. Några uttalade finmotoriska övningar sker inte i klassrummet, ändå sker dessa övningar många gånger, men då omedvetet. Den första bokstavsinlärningen visar sig till största del ske utifrån ett formellt perspektiv. När den första bokstavsinlärningen är färdig så övergår skrivundervisningen, i de flesta fall, även med utgångspunkt ur ett funktionellt perspektiv.

This thesis discusses how the restructuring of the UK television industry in the 1980s and 1990s has affected learning and skills development in the sector. It is based on 71 semi-structured interviews with television freelancers and key informants in the industry, and a case study of a small regional independent company developed through semi-structured interviews and three months of participant observation. To investigate the current learning and skills development mechanisms, this thesis engages with community-based learning theories. These are discussed in relation to industry characteristics such as commissioning and independent production and labour market realities related to freelance work and educational provision. The findings reveal that the traditional on the job learning mechanisms within communities of practice are challenged under the new structural context characterised by unrestricted entry and progression and short-term projects within an uncertain employment context. Commercial pressures affect both the access to learning opportunities and the learning experience, mainly because of the lack of legitimate and gradual experiential learning possibilities, short-term involvement in the industry under pressures to perform. The thesis also discusses the realities of the work in a small regional independent production company as well as its benefits and limitations as a venue for community-based learning. This thesis concludes with several policy recommendations which address some of the main challenges to the sustainable skills development in UK television. These recommendations subscribe to the need for introducing legitimate traineeships, entry rules and detaching learning from the commercial pressures in the sector.

Bakalauro darbe analizuojami nežymiai sutrikusio intelekto vaikų socialinių įgūdžių raiškos, tokios kaip bendravimas, savęs pažinimas ir socialinės situacijos sprendimo galimybės. Tyrime dalyvavo 30 nežymiai sutrikusio intelekto vaikų nuo 14 iki 15 metų, 30 pedagogų dirbančių specialiose mokyklose ir 10 nežymiai sutrikusio intelekto vaikų tėvų. Anketinės apklausos metu tirta, kaip nežymiai sutrikusio intelekto vaikai vertina savo bendravimą su kitais žmonėmis (draugais, suaugusiaisiais, bendraklasiais ir pan.), kaip sugeba spręsti konfliktines situacijas ar sugeba reikšti savo emocijas ir jausmus. Vaikų anketinės apklausos atsakymai buvo papildyti tėvų interviu atsakymais. Tyrimu nustatyta, kad nežymiai sutrikusio intelekto vaikų socialinių įgūdžių struktūroje dominuoja verbalinis bendravimas. Didžiajai vaikų daliai gana gerai sekasi bendrauti su bendraamžiais ir palaikyti gerus santykius su jais, nors kai kuriems būdingas atrenkamasis bendravimas, drovumas. Taip pat nustatyta, kad daugelis vaikų pažįsta save ir geba parodyti ne tik savo jausmus ir emocijas, bet ir sugebėjimus. Kur kas menkiau susiformavę socialinės situacijos sprendimo įgūdžiai. Nežymiai sutrikusio intelekto vaikai nėra linkę išsipasakoti, pasakyti savo nuomonę, mintis ar paprasčiausiai paprašyti pagalbos. Pedagogų tyrimo rezultatais nustatyta, kad nežymiai sutrikusio intelekto vaikai geba pakankamai gerai tarpusavyje bendrauti ir bendradarbiauti. Gerokai menkiau susiformavę socialinės situacijos sprendimo... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Slightly mentally retarded children's social skills (communication, self-knowledge and solution of the social situation) are analysed in this work. 30 slightly mentally retarded children from 14 – 15 years old, 10 parents of these children and 30 teachers working in special schools participated in this investigation. Using the questionnaire survey there were researched how slightly mentally retarded children evaluate their interaction with other people (friends, adults, classmates, etc.), how they manage to solve conflicts or are able to express their emotions and feelings. The questionnaire surveys of the children were appended with the answers of their parents. The research assessed that verbal communication dominates among slightly mentally retarded children. Most children quite well communicate with their peers and are able to maintain good relationship with them. It is also investigated that many children know themselves and manage to show not only their feelings and emotions but also abilities. Social skills are less formed. Slightly mentally retarded children are not open, don't tell their opinion, thoughts, or even ask for help. Teachers' survey shows that slightly mentally retarded children are able to communicate and collaborate with each other. Social situation solving skills which require well-developed language and other necessary skills are less formed. The poorness of these skills shows that slightly mentally retarded children are uneble to provide all... [to full text]

This thesis reports a study of the impact of work placements on the transferable skills of engineering students. The thesis provides a review of the theoretical and empirical literature in the field of student work placements and transferable skills and provides a discussion of the measurement of impact in this field. It also describes the design of the study, methods of data collection and the data analyses used. The research project was carried out at Loughborough University from 2005 – 2008. The data was collected from 247 students and 5 DIS (Diploma in Industrial Studies) tutors from three engineering departments (Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering and the Institute of Polymer Technology and Materials Engineering (IPTME)) and 26 line managers from 19 different companies which take students on placements. The results shows that the overwhelming majority of the students valued work placements as a way of developing transferable skills and identified the transferable skills which work placements were most likely and least likely to develop. There was close agreement on these matters between students who had experienced placements and those that had not. All DIS tutors and 87% of the line managers interviewed considered that a work placement had a very strong or strong impact upon the transferable skills of the students. Triangulation of the responses by students, tutors and line managers revealed close agreement on these matters. Students, tutors and line managers had mixed opinions whether work placements would improve degree results. In fact, work placement students performed significantly better in degree examinations than non work placement students. The tutors and line managers stressed particularly that work placements increased the confidence and maturity of the students. They suggested holiday work, summer work, team based projects as a part of the University degree courses as alternative ways of helping the students who are not doing work placements to acquire and improve their transferable skills, although they did not think that these suggested alternatives will be as effective as the one year placement. They considered that the duration of the work experience period is a key factor in improving transferable skills.

The determination of the elements that lead to project success is currently a major topic among the project management community. The role of the project manager and the influence it has on the overall results of the project has become a focus point for researchers, practitioners, and academics. The attempts that have been made to identify the characteristics and competencies of effective project managers has led to the acknowledgment that there is a need for a different set of competencies than those purely technical. The human and leadership skills of a project manager play an important role in the outcome of projects; therefore, it is important for these competencies to be taught and developed as part of project management education. Thus, this study aims to contribute to the understanding of the human competencies needed by effective project managers today and the extent to which project management bodies of knowledge, as well as formal education programs encourage the development and practice of such competencies. The research was carried out using a mix-method approach. Primary data was collected through semi-structured interviews with professors teaching different subjects within project management education programs. Secondary data was obtained from a thorough review of the main project management bodies of knowledge and project management postgraduate programs offered by accredited universities in the UK. The findings of this thesis suggest that there is a clear need for the development of the human side of project management, and that although there is no definite set of competencies for effective project managers, there are some key skills essential to those in the pursuit of success. Project management associations have shown an important change in their BOKs regarding the inclusion of topics on the human aspect of the practice from one edition to another. Moreover, as universities recognize the need to promote the development of human and leadership skills there is an opportunity to narrow the gap between the human topics covered within the programs and the methods used to teach them. However, the current role of both the BOKs and education providers is still only to create awareness on the topic rather than show and explain the use and techniques for different human skills in particular situations. Among the most suitable and effective methods for developing such competencies is the encouragement of team work, soft skills trainings, coaching and self-reflection exercises. Ultimately, it is the combined effort of the project management associations, universities, researches and practitioners themselves that will enhance the development and practice of human and leadership competencies within the project manager’s role nowadays.

Autistic adolescents need direct, systematic training of social skills since major difficulties in communication, lack of empathy, and various changes during adolescence present major roadblocks to the acquisition of normal peer relationships and increasing independence. A case study approach was utilized to examine treatment effects of a social skills training program implemented with four autistic adolescent boys in a naturalistic setting. Findings based on objective measures and subjective reports indicated that each subject made gains in targeted social skills over the course of treatment. Treatment strategies such as modeling, coaching, roleplaying, one to one instruction, and in vivo procedures were found to be effective teaching techniques. Major benefits and limitations of the study were discussed.

Research has demonstrated the efficacy of attitudinal-motivational counseling in conjunction with study skills training. However, it has not been clear whether group or individual counseling was most beneficial. This research attempted to evaluate the usefulness of peer counselors in group and individual counseling sessions. Using students voluntarily enrolled in a study skills program, it was demonstrated that all students improved in study habit scores. However, only individual-peer counseling was effective in changing academic attitudes (p < . 05), as compared to group-peer counseling, no-counseling, and no-treatment conditions. Grade-point-average change scores were not differentially effected by the treatment conditions.