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2. Identifying Work Skills: International Approaches. Discussion Paper
- Author
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National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) (Australia), Siekmann, Gitta, and Fowler, Craig
- Abstract
The digital revolution and automation are accelerating changes in the labour market and in workplace skills, changes that are further affected by fluctuations in international and regional economic cycles and employment opportunity. These factors pose a universal policy challenge for all advanced economies and governments. In the workplace, people seek to acquire contemporary and relevant skills to gain employment and retain transferable skills to maintain employment. The central purpose of this paper is to investigate how other nations or regions are dealing with these issues. What approaches are they taking to understanding the mix and dynamics of the skills attained by individuals and, more broadly, the totality of skills that in aggregate constitute a highly capable and adaptable labour force, one that supports firm viability and greater national productivity. This research has examined a range of initiatives and approaches being developed or in use in selected countries, including the United States, Singapore and New Zealand, and agencies/organisations; for example, the European Commission and the Skills for the Information Age Foundation. In doing so, it showcases the good practices used to ensure that occupational-level skills information remains current and widely accessible. [For "Identifying Work Skills: International Case Summaries. Support Document," see ED579875.]
- Published
- 2017
3. Policy Developments in VET: Analysis for Selected Countries. Working Paper No. 54
- Author
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Monash University, Centre for the Economics of Education and Training, Noonan, Peter, Burke, Gerald, and White, Paul
- Abstract
This paper is concerned with the strategies being adopted for vocational education and training (VET) in Australia and the lessons that could be learned for them from policies in other countries. Six issues are considered in the paper, each relates to or more of the objectives and particular strategies in the Australia's National Strategy for Vocational Education and Training 2004-2010: (1) Workforce/adult training and retraining in the light of ageing and shifting occupational structures; (2) Equity issues for indigenous and other groups; (3) Managing demand and funding so that priorities are met; (4) Developments in qualification structures and quality assurance; (5) Enhancing provider capacity to ensure quality and responsiveness; and (6) Regional and community capacity building. The approach taken was to analyse national strategies, policies, objectives and priorities of government agencies to provide a point of comparison with Australia's National Strategy for VET. Analysis was most focused on the United Kingdom and New Zealand, and limited for Canada, due to the decentralised nature of that system. Implications for Australia are set out by strategy. (Contains 6 footnotes and 2 boxes.)
- Published
- 2004
4. Scoping Paper--Shaping a Career Development Culture: Quality Standards, Quality Practice, Quality Outcomes
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Australian Department of Education, Science and Training and McMahon, Mary
- Abstract
This project on national standards and accreditation of career practitioners is set against a background of unprecedented interest by governments nationally and internationally in the provision of career guidance services. Currently more is known about the policy and delivery of career guidance than at any other time in history. There is growing interest in the relationship between career guidance and public policy because the benefits of career guidance to individuals, society and the economy have been recognised. In this regard, strategic alliances are being formed between career guidance practitioners and policy makers in order that policy commitments relating to the provision of quality career services are enhanced. Such an alliance is evidenced in the collaboration between the Department of Education, Science and Training and the Career Industry Council of Australia on this project. This project constitutes a very necessary step in a move towards a quality industry. The purpose of this scoping paper is to: (1) identify current standards guiding career practitioners in Australia; (2) review international work on standards including examples of best practice and advise on how this work might be relevant to the development of national standards and accreditation in the Australian context; (3) be informed by outcomes of national workshops, forums, and conferences 2000-2004; (4) identify the current membership requirements of professional career associations and bodies both nationally and internationally; (5) assess how prior learning or qualifications might be recognised and developed to fit within and meet the requirements of the quality standards; and (6) identify the issues that need to be addressed in the development of national standards. To achieve this purpose, this paper is structured around four main sections--international quality standards, national quality standards, standards guiding Australian professions, and the Australian career industry. Following this a number of themes related to the development and implementation of quality standards will be elaborated. A number of issues relating to the development and implementation of quality standards and accreditation in the Australian career industry will then be raised. Appended are: (1) Glossary of terms; (2) Table of Comparative Competencies; (3) Entry-level Qualifications of Australian Career Practitioner Associations; (4) Standards of Australian Career Practitioner Associations; and (5) Comparison of Quality Standards Across Career Case Studies.
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- 2004
5. Higher Education in TAFE: An Issues Paper
- Author
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National Centre for Vocational Education Research, Moodie, Gavin, Wheelahan, Leesa, Billett, Stephen, and Kelly, Ann
- Abstract
Growth in mixed-sector institutions offering both vocational and higher education qualifications is expected to increase given recent and predicted policy changes. This issues paper focuses on the provision and management of higher education in technical and further education (TAFE) institutes. Issues raised for discussion include the governance of mixed-sector institutions as well as ensuring access and maintaining progression to higher education without sectoral division in the institution. Implications arising from the Bradley review of higher education are canvassed and the authors are inviting discussion on a range of questions related to the nature of policies and practices influencing the provision of higher education in TAFE. A section listing the TAFE institutes that have been registered to offer higher education qualifications and their accredited higher education qualifications, at February 2009 is appended. (Contains 5 tables and 3 footnotes.) [Funding for this document was provided through the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations.]
- Published
- 2009
6. Loans for Vocational Education and Training in Europe. Research Paper. Number 20
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Cedefop - European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training
- Abstract
This report reviews the use of loans for learning in 33 European countries and analyses the schemes in eight selected Member States: France, Hungary, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Finland, Sweden and the UK. The analysis shows that loan schemes vary considerably across Europe in terms of types and levels of learning covered, conditions of access, repayment and governance. Some loans aim to increase participation in learning in general, while others are designed to promote equity. The report attempts to assess the selected loans and discusses their strengths and weaknesses and determinants of performance, while considering if a given scheme operates on a large scale or targets niche groups. The evaluation results provide a basis for identifying good practice principles for designing and implementing loans. Policy recommendations are formulated based on these findings. Annexed are: (1) Methodology; (2) Key terms and definitions; (3) Information on countries/schemes selected for in-depth analysis; (4) Proposed typologies of VET loan schemes; (5) Tables and figures; (6) Tosmana truth tables; (7) Questionnaires; (8) Basic characteristics of non-European loan schemes. (Contains 37 tables, 5 figures, 20 boxes and 33 footnotes.)
- Published
- 2012
7. Identifying Work Skills: International Case Summaries. Support Document
- Author
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National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) (Australia) and Siekmann, Gitta
- Abstract
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is an intergovernmental economic organisation with 35 member countries, founded in 1961 to stimulate economic progress and world trade. The Organisation for works with countries to develop skills strategies tailored to specific needs and contexts. The Organisation prepared a global skills strategy outline over the period 2011 to 2013. Each national skills strategy country project offers a tailored approach to focus on the unique skills challenges, context and objectives of each country. Each project leverages OECD comparative data and policy analysis, fosters collaboration across ministerial portfolios and levels of government while engaging all relevant stakeholders--employers, trade unions, and civil society organisations. In its paper "Towards an OECD Skills Strategy" (OECD 2013), the OECD sets out the main issues which must be addressed by efficient and effective policies for skills formation and skills use. The majority of material in each of the 13 case summaries presented here has been lifted mostly verbatim from original sources. These sources are stated at the beginning of each case summary. [This document is an added resource for the report "Identifying Work Skills: International Approaches. Discussion Paper" which can be accessed in ERIC at ED579874.]
- Published
- 2017
8. A Case for Integration of the North American Rural Social Work Education Model for Philippine Praxis
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Kutschera, P. C., Tesoro, Elena C., Legamia, Benigno P., and Talamera-Sandico, Mary Grace
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Rural social work education and practice in North America underwent a revival in recent decades and remains a valid praxis and pedagogic model for the 21st Century. The paper posits through rigorous literature review and analysis there are numerous elements central to North American (U.S. and Canadian) and Commonwealth of Nations (U.K., Australia, etc.) rural social work that make this framework significantly germane to Filipinos. These include the necessity to function in an environment of marginal or stressed community, personnel resources and educational opportunities. Significantly, the generalist practice model comprises the core of North American rural social work; it also predominates in Philippine methodology. Both frameworks require robust client and social justice advocacy roles encouraging awareness of needs and aspirations of at risk populations. Indeed, social work researcher Thelma Lee-Mendoza reports that historically modern Philippine practice originated and is primarily organized from North American models. Rural social workers in the West, like their Philippine counterparts, are more typically generalists and innovative environmental operators. Daily they rely on profound survey and calculation of services and innovative ways to make them meaningful. The paper concludes by urging creative international and transnational research with a view towards optimizing service delivery.
- Published
- 2019
9. Evaluating Eco-Innovation of OECD Countries with Data Envelopment Analysis
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Mavi, Reza Kiani and Standing, Craig
- Abstract
Government regulations require businesses to improve their processes and products/services in a green and sustainable manner. For being environmentally friendly, businesses should invest more on eco-innovation practices. Firms eco-innovate to promote eco-efficiency and sustainability. This paper evaluates the eco-innovation performance of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries with data envelopment analysis (DEA). Data were gathered from the world bank database and global innovation index report. Findings show that for most OECD countries, energy use and ecological sustainability are more important than other inputs and outputs for enhancing eco-innovation. [For full proceedings, see ED571459.]
- Published
- 2016
10. When is it efficient to treat juvenile offenders more leniently than adult offenders?
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Pyne, Derek
- Subjects
JUVENILE delinquency ,IMPRISONMENT ,JUSTICE ,CONDUCT of life ,HUMAN capital - Abstract
This paper provides a rationale for two characteristics of juvenile justice systems. First, juvenile justice systems tend to be more lenient in terms of both incarceration rates and time incarcerated. Second, higher expenditures are made to incarcerate a juvenile offender than an adult prisoner. It does this by examining the effect juvenile incarceration has on human capital acquisition and in turn, later incentives to commit crime as adults. In the process, it also offers an explanation of the empirical finding that individuals arrested as juveniles are more likely to be arrested as adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2010
- Full Text
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11. The Gendering of Mathematics among Facebook Users in English Speaking Countries
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Forgasz, Helen, Leder, Gilah, and Tan, Hazel
- Abstract
Using an innovative recruitment tool, the social network site Facebook, survey data were gathered from samples of the Australian general public and from around the world. Views on the gendering of mathematics, science, and ICT were gathered. In this paper we report the findings from six of the 15 questions on the survey, and only from respondents in predominantly English-speaking countries. The findings reveal that the majority was not gender-stereotyped about mathematics and related careers. However, if a gendered view was held, it was overwhelming to endorse the male stereotype. Male respondents' views were more strongly gendered than were females'. [For the complete proceedings, see ED585874.]
- Published
- 2011
12. Lone parents, health, wellbeing and welfare to work: a systematic review of qualitative studies.
- Author
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Campbell, Mhairi, Thomson, Hilary, Fenton, Candida, and Gibson, Marcia
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SINGLE parents ,QUALITATIVE research ,POVERTY rate ,HIGH-income countries ,COMPARATIVE studies ,EMPLOYMENT ,HEALTH status indicators ,RESEARCH methodology ,MEDICAL cooperation ,POVERTY ,PUBLIC welfare ,RESEARCH ,RESEARCH funding ,SYSTEMATIC reviews ,EVALUATION research - Abstract
Background: Lone parents and their children experience higher than average levels of adverse health and social outcomes, much of which are explained by high rates of poverty. Many high income countries have attempted to address high poverty rates by introducing employment requirements for lone parents in receipt of welfare benefits. However, there is evidence that employment may not reduce poverty or improve the health of lone parents and their children.Methods: We conducted a systematic review of qualitative studies reporting lone parents' accounts of participation in welfare to work (WtW), to identify explanations and possible mechanisms for the impacts of WtW on health and wellbeing. Twenty one bibliographic databases were searched. Two reviewers independently screened references and assessed study quality. Studies from any high income country that met the criteria of focussing on lone parents, mandatory WtW interventions, and health or wellbeing were included. Thematic synthesis was used to investigate analytic themes between studies.Results: Screening of the 4703 identified papers and quality assessment resulted in the inclusion of 16 qualitative studies of WtW in five high income countries, USA, Canada, UK, Australia, and New Zealand, covering a variety of welfare regimes. Our synthesis found that WtW requirements often conflicted with child care responsibilities. Available employment was often poorly paid and precarious. Adverse health impacts, such as increased stress, fatigue, and depression were commonly reported, though employment and appropriate training was linked to increased self-worth for some. WtW appeared to influence health through the pathways of conflict and control, analytical themes which emerged during synthesis. WtW reduced control over the nature of employment and care of children. Access to social support allowed some lone parents to manage the conflict associated with employment, and to increase control over their circumstances, with potentially beneficial health impacts.Conclusion: WtW can result in increased conflict and reduced control, which may lead to negative impacts on mental health. Availability of social support may mediate the negative health impacts of WtW. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]- Published
- 2016
- Full Text
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13. The barriers and enablers to accessing sexual health and sexual well-being services for midlife women (aged 40–65 years) in high-income countries: A mixed-methods systematic review.
- Author
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Simmons, Kiersten, Llewellyn, Carrie, Bremner, Stephen, Gilleece, Yvonne, Norcross, Claire, and Iwuji, Collins
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HEALTH services accessibility ,HEALTH literacy ,SUPPORT groups ,ENDOWMENTS ,MEDICAL care ,DEVELOPED countries ,AFFINITY groups ,NONBINARY people ,SYSTEMATIC reviews ,MEDLINE ,THEMATIC analysis ,WOMEN'S health ,ONLINE information services ,TRANS women ,INTERPERSONAL relations ,SEXUAL health ,PSYCHOLOGY information storage & retrieval systems ,SOCIAL stigma ,INTERGENERATIONAL relations ,HEALTH care teams ,INTEGRATED health care delivery - Abstract
Midlife, beginning at 40 years and extending to 65 years, a range that encompasses the late reproductive to late menopausal stages, is a unique time in women's lives, when hormonal and physical changes are often accompanied by psychological and social evolution. Access to sexual health and sexual well-being (SHSW) services, which include the prevention and management of sexually transmitted infections, contraception and the support of sexual function, pleasure and safety, is important for the health of midlife women, their relationships and community cohesion. The objective was to use the socio-ecological model to synthesise the barriers and enablers to SHSW services for midlife women in high-income countries. A systematic review of the enablers and barriers to women (including trans-gender and non-binary people) aged 40–65 years accessing SHSW services in high-income countries was undertaken. Four databases (PubMed, PsycINFO, Web of Science and Google Scholar) were searched for peer-reviewed publications. Findings were thematically extracted and reported in a narrative synthesis. Eighty-one studies were included; a minority specifically set out to study SHSW care for midlife women. The key barriers that emerged were the intersecting disadvantage of under-served groups, poor knowledge, about SHSW, and SHSW services, among women and their healthcare professionals (HCPs), and the over-arching effect of stigma, social connections and psychological factors on access to care. Enablers included intergenerational learning, interdisciplinary and one-stop women-only services, integration of SHSW into other services, peer support programmes, representation of minoritised midlife women working in SHSW, local and free facilities and financial incentives to access services for under-served groups. Efforts are needed to enhance education about SHSW and related services among midlife women and their healthcare providers. This increased education should be leveraged to improve research, public health messaging, interventions, policy development and access to comprehensive services, especially for midlife women from underserved groups. Plain language summary: Sexual health and sexual wellbeing services for midlife women in high income countries Midlife, beginning at 40 years and extending to 65 years, a range that encompasses the late reproductive to late menopausal stages, is a unique time in women's lives. Access to Sexual Health and Sexual Wellbeing (SHSW) services, which include the prevention and management of sexually transmitted infections, contraception and the support of sexual function, pleasure and safety, is important for the health of midlife women, their relationships and community cohesion. The objective of this systematic review was to use the socio-ecological model to synthesise the barriers and enablers to SHSW services for midlife women in high income countries. Eighty-one studies were included; a minority specifically set out to study SHSW care for midlife women. The key barriers that emerged were the intersecting disadvantage of under-served groups, poor knowledge, about SHSW, and SHSW services, among women and their HealthCare Professionals (HCPs), and the over-arching effect of stigma, social connections, and psychological factors on access to care. Enablers included intergenerational learning, interdisciplinary and one-stop women-only services, integration of SHSW into other services, peer support programmes, representation of minoritised midlife women working in SHSW, local and free facilities, and financial incentives for under-served groups to access services. The appetite for education about SHSW and SHSW services among midlife women and their HCPs should be capitalised upon, and utilised to improve research, public health messaging, interventions and access to holistic services, particularly for midlife women from under-served groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
14. How Experienced SoTL Researchers Develop the Credibility of Their Work
- Author
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Billot, Jennie, Rowland, Susan, Carnell, Brent, Amundsen, Cheryl, and Evans, Tamela
- Abstract
Teaching and learning research in higher education, often referred to as the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), is still relatively novel in many academic contexts compared to the mainstay of disciplinary research. One indication of this is the challenges those who engage in SoTL report in terms of how this work is valued or considered credible amongst disciplinary colleagues and in the face of institutional policies and practices. This paper moves beyond the literature that describes these specific challenges to investigate how 23 experienced SoTL researchers from five different countries understood the notion of credibility in relationship to their SoTL research and how they went about developing credibility for their work. Semistructured interviews were facilitated and analyzed using inductive analysis. Findings indicate that notions of credibility encompassed putting SoTL research into action and building capacity and community around research findings, as well as gaining external validation through traditional indicators such as publishing. SoTL researchers reported a variety of strategies and approaches they were using, both formal and informal, to develop credibility for their work. The direct focus of this paper on "credibility" of SoTL work as perceived by experienced SoTL researchers, and how they go about developing credibility, is a distinct contribution to the discussions about the valuing of SoTL work.
- Published
- 2017
15. The impact of nurse prescribing on health care delivery for patients with diabetes: a rapid review.
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Short, Kylie, Andrew, Cathy, Wenting Yang, and Jamieson, Isabel
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NURSING audit ,NURSES ,HEALTH services accessibility ,OCCUPATIONAL roles ,HOSPITAL nursing staff ,MEDICAL care ,CINAHL database ,EVALUATION of medical care ,NURSING ,DESCRIPTIVE statistics ,SYSTEMATIC reviews ,THEMATIC analysis ,MEDLINE ,NURSE prescribing ,ADVANCED practice registered nurses ,MEDICAL databases ,PATIENT satisfaction ,DRUGS ,ONLINE information services ,DIABETES - Abstract
Introduction. The global prevalence of diabetes is a pressing public health concern. Over 400 million individuals live with the effects of the disease, predominantly in low- and middleincome countries. In Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ), over 300 000 people have diabetes, resulting in a population rate of 43.1 per 1000. Enabling nurses to prescribe diabetes medications enhances accessibility and improves health outcomes for large sections of the population. Aim. This rapid review was undertaken to investigate the influence of nurse prescribing on health care delivery for individuals with diabetes in NZ, Australia, the United Kingdom, and Canada, countries sharing comparable health care systems and multicultural backgrounds. Methods. The review protocol was published on PROSPERO. In November 2022, a search was conducted across multiple databases to locate relevant literature and resources constrained to the last decade (from January 2012 to November 2022). Utilising the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses framework, data extraction was systematically structured, while rigorous appraisal processes upheld selection quality. Results. Fifteen publications were identified as meeting predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. The review of these articles revealed four main themes: the impact of nurse prescribing on clinical outcomes, levels of patient satisfaction, implications for health care service provisions, and identification of barriers and facilitators associated with nurse prescribing. Discussion. This report identifies outcomes of nurse prescribing, concluding it provides a potential avenue for enhancing access to and alleviating the burden on health care systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
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16. Background of Individual Education Plans (IEPs) Policy in Some Countries: A Review
- Author
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Alkahtani, Mohammed Ali and Kheirallah, Sahar Abdelfattah
- Abstract
This paper seeks to provide a cogent outline of the current policies that six separate countries have on Individual Education Plans (IEPs), identifying the key features in each system. The chosen countries are Australia (Queen Island), Canada (British Columbia), New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and Saudi Arabia. The aim of the paper was to have greater insights of the globalisation of IEPs at public schools in these above countries. It looked into a set of factors closely associated with each other; such as, to enable the exploration of how IEP policy is implemented at public schools in the same countries. The findings from the literature review showed a number of gaps in the current frameworks. Therefore, this has led the researcher to work further on these frameworks for the purpose of this paper.
- Published
- 2016
17. The Challenges and Opportunities for Chinese Overseas Postgraduates in English Speaking Universities
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Liu, Xu
- Abstract
An increasing number of Chinese students pursue their higher education degree in an overseas university. This research paper sets out to raise a discussion about some of the major challenges that such Chinese postgraduates might experience when studying at universities in English speaking countries drawing from ethnographic and sociological perspectives. The paper seeks to enhance understanding of a growing phenomenon amongst student communities in Higher Education institutions in English speaking countries. The challenges faced by Chinese students can be disorientating and stressful but overcoming them can lead to opening up of a range of opportunities from which the students can benefit particularly after they have graduated from their study. As many HE institutions come to depend upon the growing number of Chinese students enrolling with them the paper touches upon an issue of cross national concern. Both authors have experience of students seeking to study in English-speaking countries. They are currently pursuing research at the Institute of Education, University College London. The present paper is drawn from a wider programme of research into student exchanges and flows.
- Published
- 2015
18. Speculative Futures on ChatGPT and Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI): A Collective Reflection from the Educational Landscape
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Bozkurt, Aras, Xiao, Junhong, Lambert, Sarah, Pazurek, Angelica, Crompton, Helen, Koseoglu, Suzan, Farrow, Robert, Bond, Melissa, Nerantzi, Chrissi, Honeychurch, Sarah, Bali, Maha, Dron, Jon, Mir, Kamran, Stewart, Bonnie, Costello, Eamon, Mason, Jon, Stracke, Christian M., Romero-Hall, Enilda, Koutropoulos, Apostolos, Toquero, Cathy Mae, Singh, Lenandlar, Tlili, Ahm, Lee, Kyungmee, Nichols, Mark, Ossiannilsson, Ebba, Brown, Mark, Irvine, Valerie, Raffaghelli, Juliana Elisa, Santos-Hermosa, Gema, Farrell, Orna, Adam, Taskeen, Thong, Ying Li, Sani-Bozkurt, Sunagul, Sharma, Ramesh C., Hrastinski, Stefan, and Jandric, Petar
- Abstract
While ChatGPT has recently become very popular, AI has a long history and philosophy. This paper intends to explore the promises and pitfalls of the Generative Pre-trained Transformer (GPT) AI and potentially future technologies by adopting a speculative methodology. Speculative future narratives with a specific focus on educational contexts are provided in an attempt to identify emerging themes and discuss their implications for education in the 21st century. Affordances of (using) AI in Education (AIEd) and possible adverse effects are identified and discussed which emerge from the narratives. It is argued that now is the best of times to define human vs AI contribution to education because AI can accomplish more and more educational activities that used to be the prerogative of human educators. Therefore, it is imperative to rethink the respective roles of technology and human educators in education with a future-oriented mindset.
- Published
- 2023
19. Resource allocation in public sector programmes: does the value of a life differ between governmental departments?
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Cubi-Molla, Patricia, Mott, David, Henderson, Nadine, Zamora, Bernarda, Grobler, Mendel, and Garau, Martina
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LOCAL government -- Societies, etc. ,EVALUATION of human services programs ,SOCIAL values ,MEDICAL care costs ,PUBLIC health ,CONCEPTUAL structures ,RESOURCE allocation ,PUBLIC sector ,QUALITY of life ,DECISION making ,RESEARCH funding ,POLICY sciences - Abstract
Background: The value of a life is regularly monetised by government departments for informing resource allocation. Guidance documents indicate how economic evaluation should be conducted, often specifying precise values for different impacts. However, we find different values of life and health are used in analyses by departments within the same government despite commonality in desired outcomes. This creates potential inconsistencies in considering trade-offs within a broader public sector spending budget. We provide evidence to better inform the political process and to raise important issues in assessing the value of public expenditure across different sectors. Methods: Our document analysis identifies thresholds, explicitly or implicitly, as observed in government-related publications in the following public sectors: health, social care, transport, and environment. We include both demand-side and supply-side thresholds, understood as societies' and governments' willingness to pay for health gains. We look at key countries that introduced formal economic evaluation processes early on and have impacted other countries' policy development: Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. We also present a framework to consider how governments allocate resources across different public services. Results: Our analysis supports that identifying and describing the Value of a Life from disparate public sector activities in a manner that facilitates comparison is theoretically meaningful. The optimal allocation of resources across sectors depends on the relative position of benefits across different attributes, weighted by the social value that society puts on them. The value of a Quality-Adjusted Life Year is generally used as a demand-side threshold by Departments of transport and environment. It exceeds those used in health, often by a large enough proportion to be a multiple thereof. Decisions made across departments are generally based on an unspecified rationing rule. Conclusions: Comparing government expenditure across different public sector departments, in terms of the value of each department outcome, is not only possible but also desirable. It is essential for an optimal resource allocation to identify the relevant social attributes and to quantify the value of these attributes for each department. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
- Full Text
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20. Turning the Digital Divide into Digital Dividends through Free Content and Open Networks: WikiEducator Learning4Content (L4C) Initiative
- Author
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Schlicht, Patricia
- Abstract
In today's world where tuition fees continue to rise rapidly and the demand for higher education increases in both the developing and developed world, it is important to find additional and alternative learning pathways that learners can afford. Traditional education as we have known it has begun to change, allowing for new parallel learning opportunities to take shape and new avenues to open up. This paper describes the world's largest online training initiative on open education that teaches wiki technology to educators in the formal education sector worldwide. WikiEducator, founded in 2006, initially operated with funding support from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation (WFHF) under the auspices of the Commonwealth of Learning (COL), an intergovernmental organization created by Commonwealth Heads of Government to encourage the development and sharing of open learning and distance education knowledge, resources, and technology. In May 2009, it became its own entity residing under Otago Polytechnic's International Centre for Open Education Resources under the auspices of the Open Education Resource Foundation (OERF) in Dunedin, New Zealand, where it continues today. WikiEducator's flagship, the Learning4Content (L4C) project, builds capacity among global educators by teaching wiki technology to newcomers and experts in the field of open education. In exchange for the free training opportunity they receive, participants are asked to create open content on WikiEducator and contribute toward WikiEducator's strategic objectives. The success of the L4C project helped WikiEducator reach its target number of equipping 2,500 educators with wiki skills to create open educational resources online two years ahead of the initially planned three years and was the reason for a large additional number of novices and experts alike joining the project. Even though many learners make use of the free learning opportunities offered through the L4C project, for those who do not have access to online content--or even computers--WikiEducator has developed a feature called "wiki-to-print," which allows users to select free and open WikiEducator content and combine it into a book that can be printed and used offline. Distribution of these print-based, compiled books provides an opportunity to those who do not or will never have access to the Internet and technology to gain access to knowledge and information. This paper will describe WikiEducator's stages of development and the outcomes it has achieved as the world's largest attempt to build wiki skills among global educators.
- Published
- 2013
21. Glocalization as an Alternative to Internationalization in Higher Education: Embedding Positive Glocal Learning Perspectives
- Author
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Patel, Fay and Lynch, Hayley
- Abstract
The notion of internationalization in higher education is understood as the recruitment of international students, marketing of academic programs and courses, and teaching English as a Second Language to student cohorts from Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Various models of internationalization (Knight, 2004, 2006; Leask, 2009; Pimpa, 2009; Welikala, 2011) have been explored and promoted in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. Often, as noted in the literature, these models emphasize the acculturation of international students into the host country culture rather than a respectful exchange of academic and cultural knowledge and ideas. The central thesis of this critical reflective discussion paper is that "glocalization" in higher education is an appropriate alternative to internationalization. Glocalization advocates a positive learning experience and encourages the enhancement of learners' "glocal" experience through a critical academic and cultural exchange of global and local socio-economic and political issues. Instructional strategies supporting glocalized learning curricula are recommended. The glocalization pedagogical framework for higher education, introduced in this paper, embraces the principles of social responsibility and justice with a firm commitment to sustainable futures for local and global societies.
- Published
- 2013
22. You Say IFRS, I Say FASB…Let's Call the Whole Thing Off
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Tickell, Geoffrey, Rahman, Monsurur, and Alexandre, Romain
- Abstract
This paper discusses the noticeable nervousness of many US-based financial statement issuers in adopting IFRS. For contextual purposes, the paper provides an overview of the FASB/IFRS convergence so far and its probable future. A detailed review of convergence in accounting standards is explained through the respective standards for "Pensions and Other Post-Employment Benefits". The paper concludes by suggesting that, while one set of global steps is a noble goal, it might not achieve the desired goal of comparability.
- Published
- 2013
23. Confidence in receiving medical care when seriously ill: a seven-country comparison of the impact of cost barriers.
- Author
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Wendt, Claus, Mischke, Monika, Pfeifer, Michaela, and Reibling, Nadine
- Subjects
INSURANCE -- History ,HEALTH insurance reimbursement ,CONFIDENCE ,CONFIDENCE intervals ,EPIDEMIOLOGY ,HEALTH services accessibility ,HEALTH status indicators ,MEDICAID ,HEALTH policy ,MEDICALLY uninsured persons ,MEDICARE ,RESEARCH funding ,STATISTICS ,DATA analysis ,EMPIRICAL research ,MULTIPLE regression analysis ,SECONDARY analysis ,SEVERITY of illness index ,DATA analysis software ,PATIENTS' attitudes ,DESCRIPTIVE statistics - Abstract
Objective This paper examines how negative experiences with the health-care system create a lack of confidence in receiving medical care in seven countries: Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Methods The empirical analysis is based on data from the Commonwealth Fund International Health Policy Survey 2007, with nationally representative samples of adults aged 18 and over. For the analysis of the experience of cost barriers and confidence in receiving medical care, we conducted pairwise comparisons of group percentages as well as country-wise multivariate logistic regression models. Results Individuals who have experienced cost barriers show a significantly lower level of confidence in receiving safe and quality medical care than those who have not. This effect is most pronounced in the United States, where people who have foregone necessary treatment because of costs are four times as likely to lack confidence as individuals without the experience of cost barriers (adjusted odds ratio 4.00). In New Zealand, Germany, and Canada, individuals with the experience of cost barriers are twice as likely to report low confidence compared with those without this experience (adjusted odds ratios of 1.95, 2.19 and 2.24, respectively). In the Netherlands and UK, cost barriers are only a marginal phenomenon. Conclusions The fact that the experience of financial barriers considerably lowers confidence indicates that financial incentives, such as private co-payments, have a negative effect on overall public support and therefore on the legitimacy of health-care systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2012
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
24. Through the Looking Glass: Adult Education through the Lens of the Australian Journal of Adult Learning over Fifty Years
- Author
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Harris, Roger and Morrison, Anne
- Abstract
In this paper we review fifty years of articles published in Australian Journal of Adult Learning in its various iterations. We examine the different roles of the journal: to illuminate the history and trends of adult education authors; to be the flagship of the adult education profession in Australia; to reflect on significant national events; and to mirror the changing knowledge base of the discipline. We analyse the authorship of the articles over fifty years, and determine patterns in contribution to the journal by gender, location, institutional affiliation and author numbers. We also examine key themes that have surfaced in the writings on adult education. The articles published in the journal are significant because they are primary sources of the day, unfettered by the perspectives, viewpoints and standards of later periods. Our paper serves as a useful looking glass through which we might be able to view more clearly the shifting research interests of the past and the challenges in the future for the adult and community learning sector. (Contains 11 figures and 6 tables.)
- Published
- 2011
25. International variation in ethics committee requirements: comparisons across five Westernised nations.
- Author
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Goodyear-Smith, Felicity, Lobb, Brenda, Davies, Graham, Nachson, Israel, and Seelau, Sheila M.
- Subjects
ETHICS committees ,RESEARCH ethics ,WESTERN countries - Abstract
Background: Ethics committees typically apply the common principles of autonomy, nonmaleficence, beneficence and justice to research proposals but with variable weighting and interpretation. This paper reports a comparison of ethical requirements in an international cross-cultural study and discusses their implications. Discussion: The study was run concurrently in New Zealand, UK, Israel, Canada and USA and involved testing hypotheses about believability of testimonies regarding alleged child sexual abuse. Ethics committee requirements to conduct this study ranged from nil in Israel to considerable amendments designed to minimise participant harm in New Zealand. Assessment of minimal risk is a complex and unreliable estimation further compounded by insufficient information on probabilities of particular individuals suffering harm. Estimating potential benefits/ risks ratio and protecting participants' autonomy similarly are not straightforward exercises. Summary: Safeguarding moral/humane principles should be balanced with promotion of ethical research which does not impede research posing minimal risk to participants. In ensuring that ethical standards are met and research has scientific merit, ethics committees have obligations to participants (to meet their rights and protect them from harm); to society (to ensure good quality research is conducted); and to researchers (to treat their proposals with just consideration and respect). To facilitate meeting all these obligations, the preferable focus should be promotion of ethical research, rather than the prevention of unethical research, which inevitably results in the impediment of researchers from doing their work. How the ethical principles should be applied and balanced requires further consideration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2002
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26. Moving Forward--Shaping a Career Development Culture: Quality Standards, Quality Practice, Quality Outcomes
- Author
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Australian Department of Education, Science and Training and McMahon, Mary
- Abstract
This paper represents the second of two papers written as part of the National Standards and Accreditation of Career Practitioners project. The first, a scoping paper titled Shaping a career development culture: Quality standards, quality practice, quality outcomes (McMahon, 2004), provided information for and guided discussion at the National Forum for Career Practitioners held in Sydney on 25-26 August 2004. The purpose of the scoping paper was to: (1) identify current standards guiding career practitioners in Australia; (2) review international work on standards including examples of best practice and advise on how this work might be relevant to the development of national standards and accreditation in the Australian context; (3) be informed by outcomes of national workshops, forums, and conferences 2000-2004; (4) identify the current membership requirements of professional career associations and bodies both nationally and internationally; (5) assess how prior learning or qualifications might be recognised and developed to fit within and meet the requirements of the quality standards; and (6) identify the issues that need to be addressed in the development of national standards. The National Forum for Career Practitioners began the consultation phase of the project. Participation in the Forum was by invitation, and invitees represented the stakeholder groups identified in the scoping paper. Represented at the Forum were groups as diverse as career practitioners, career practitioner associations, CICA (Career Industry Council of Australia), policy makers, consumers/clients, parents, training providers, business and industry, employers of career practitioners, and service providers. During the Forum, group work and discussion were based on issues identified in the scoping paper. Individual and group responses, opinions, ideas and suggestions were recorded during the Forum on activity sheets that were then collated (McCowan, 2004). It was not intended to bring closure on any items raised during the Forum, but rather to open up issues for the next phase of the consultation process to be managed by Miles Morgan Australia (McCowan). The present paper serves as a record of the Forum discussion, and as a bridge between the scoping paper, the Forum, and the consultation phase of the project. Four sets of issues were presented in the scoping paper and discussed at the Forum, specifically: (1) industry membership and associated terminology; (2) the development and implementation of the quality standards; (3) the administration, management and maintenance of the standards; and (4) the role of stakeholder groups. Each issue will now be discussed. First, a brief background to the issue as described in the scoping paper will be presented. This will be followed by an outline of the Forum process and a summary of the discussion. Finally, issues that may warrant further exploration in the consultancy process will be discussed where possible by drawing on the case studies presented in the scoping paper. Where appropriate, comments made by Forum participants will be included in quotation marks. Appended are: (1) Comparison of ethical codes; (2) Comparison of models of continuing professional development; (3) Comparison of competencies; and (4) Timeline developed by a Forum participant. (Contains 2 tables.) [For the first report, "Scoping Paper--Shaping a Career Development Culture: Quality Standards, Quality Practice, Quality Outcomes," see ED536209.]
- Published
- 2004
27. Addressing the Digital Divide.
- Author
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Cullen, Rowena
- Abstract
The phrase, "digital divide," has been applied to the gap that exists in most countries between those with ready access to the tools of information and communication technologies and the knowledge that they provide access to, and those without such access or skills. This gap may be because of socio-economic, geographical, educational, attitudinal, or generational factors, or it may be through physical disabilities. A further gap between the developed and underdeveloped world in the uptake of technology is evident within the global community and may be of even greater significance. This paper examines a number of these issues at the national level in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and New Zealand, looking for evidence of the digital divide, assessing factors that contribute to it, and evaluating strategies that can help reduce it. The relevance of these strategies to developing countries, strategies for reducing the international digital divide, and the role of libraries in reducing the digital divide at the national and global level are also explored. (Contains 14 references.) (Author/MES)
- Published
- 2001
28. What the World Chemical Community Thinks about the Concept of Physical and Chemical Change?
- Author
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Palmer, W. P.
- Abstract
The concept of physical and chemical change is far from being the clearest and most self-explanatory concept in the world. If a number of chemists are asked to define physical and chemical change, there may well appear to be a fair degree of uniformity in their answers, until a few examples are suggested. When chemists are asked to place a variety of changes into the category of physical or chemical change, then differences inevitably arise. It is not difficult to demonstrate this by viewing school textbooks and articles about the topic. In spite of this, physical and chemical change is still taught in most in most secondary school courses. The problem arises from the definition and the historical layers of meaning that have grown around the concept, almost by accretion, without teachers being aware of their significance. The purpose of this paper is to describe the answers given by experienced educators to a questionnaire, which attempted to find out what the views of science educators/chemists worldwide about physical and chemical change now are. Four appendixes present: (1) List of Respondents; (2) List of Questionnaires Returned; (3) Physical and Chemical Change: An Information Sheet; and (4) Full Questionnaire: Interview Protocol or Basis for Written Response.
- Published
- 1996
29. A review of the disruption of breastfeeding supports in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in five Western countries and applications for clinical practice.
- Author
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Turner, Sarah, McGann, Bridget, and Brockway, Meredith 'Merilee'
- Subjects
LACTATION ,ATTITUDES of mothers ,BREASTFEEDING promotion ,EXPERIENCE ,MEDICAL protocols ,BREASTFEEDING ,COVID-19 pandemic - Abstract
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly altered how breastfeeding support is provided, resulting in mixed breastfeeding outcomes and experiences for mothers. The World Health Organization has consistently supported breastfeeding from the beginning of the pandemic. However, recommendations from obstetrical and gynaecological societies within individual countries have varied in their alignment with this guidance, resulting in inconsistent recommendations. It is unknown how breastfeeding guidelines, maternal breastfeeding experiences, and breastfeeding initiation and duration compared across five Western countries. The current study is comprised of two parts, each with a different objective. Part One objective: to review pandemic-related changes in professional society guidelines on breastfeeding support in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States; and Part Two objective: to conduct a narrative review to summarize the evidence of how the pandemic has changed breastfeeding initiation, duration, and mothers' breastfeeding experiences during the pandemic in these five countries and provide recommendations for clinical lactation support. Methods: We searched for indicators that are impactful on breastfeeding outcomes: skin-to-skin contact, rooming in, direct breastfeeding and breast washing, in the five countries mentioned above and compared these to the recommendations from the World Health Organization. Next, we conducted a narrative review of the literature from these five countries to explore how the pandemic altered breastfeeding outcomes and used this information to provide suggestions for clinical practice moving forward. Results: Recommendations on the four practices above differed by country and were not always in alignment with the World Health Organization recommendations. Mother-infant separation after birth in the United States was associated with a lower prevalence of breastfeeding initiation and duration. While some mothers reported positive breastfeeding experiences during the pandemic, many mothers indicated negative experiences related to decreased social and professional support. Conclusions: The pandemic can inform practice recommendations and can be viewed as an opportunity to permanently modify existing methods to support breastfeeding families. The use of virtual care increased during the pandemic and should continue with specific considerations for prioritizing in-person care. This will help to provide more timely and accessible support for breastfeeding mothers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
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30. Podcasting for Language Learning through iTunes U: The Learner's View
- Author
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Rosell-Aguilar, Fernando
- Abstract
iTunes U has become the main worldwide provider of educational podcasts but, despite its popularity, little is known about the type of user who downloads iTunes U language resources, or how those resources are used. This paper presents the results of the first major survey (1891 responses) of users of one of the most successful iTunes U content providers in terms of downloads. It presents a profile of the iTunes U language learner, their listening habits, and their opinion of the resources they download. Comparisons are drawn between language learners and learners of other subjects. The results show that in contrast with profiles of learners in other contexts--such as virtual learning environment-delivered podcasts, identified in previous research (mostly carried out with young university students who download podcasts for instrumental reasons)--iTunes U language learners are different. Respondents in this study are mostly middle-aged and employed, and they download resources for personal interest. Users have a high opinion of the quality of the materials, and they believe the materials help them to learn. The results also show that users listen to language podcasts on mobile devices, in sharp contrast with previous research. Finally, the paper discusses implications for further research.
- Published
- 2013
31. Comparison of Student Learning Outcomes Assessment Practices Used Globally
- Author
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Carter, Shani D.
- Abstract
Student learning outcomes assessment examines whether programs cover the material stated in their learning goals, whether students are learning the material, and the impact on student retention, graduation, post-graduation outcomes, and institutional accreditation, with the aim of providing faculty with data that can be used to help programs evolve or improve. While there is a plethora of research regarding effective methods of assessment used in the United States, little has been written regarding cross-national comparisons of assessment methodologies. This paper examines the current state of assessment in several nations and regions, and draws parallels in practices across countries. A literature search using the term "outcomes assessment" yielded 228 articles, of which, only 35 described practices outside the United States. Generally, searches on the terms "outcomes assessment" and "global" tend to return studies of outcomes assessment of teaching about global issues as it is practiced in the United States, rather than results about outcomes assessment practices used in other countries.
- Published
- 2019
32. Woman and girl-centred care for those affected by female genital mutilation: a scoping review of provider tools and guidelines.
- Author
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Dawson, Angela, Assifi, Anisa, and Turkmani, Sabera
- Subjects
MEDICAL quality control ,DEVELOPED countries ,FEMALE genital mutilation ,SYSTEMATIC reviews ,PATIENT-centered care ,WOMEN ,COMMUNITY health services ,MEDICAL care ,RISK assessment ,MEDICAL protocols ,PATIENT safety - Abstract
Background: A woman and girl centred, rights-based approach to health care is critical to achieving sexual and reproductive health. However, women with female genital mutilation in high-income countries have been found to receive sub-optimal care. This study examined documents guiding clinicians in health and community service settings in English-speaking high-income countries to identify approaches to ensure quality women and girl-centred care for those with or at risk of female genital mutilation. Method: We undertook a scoping review using the integrative model of patient-centredness to identify principles, enablers, and activities to facilitate woman and girl-centred care interactions. We developed an inclusion criterion to identify documents such as guidance statements and tools and technical guidelines, procedural documents and clinical practice guidelines. We searched the databases and websites of health professional associations, ministries of health, hospitals, national, state and local government and non-government organisations working in female genital mutilation in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, The United States, New Zealand, and Australia. The Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation tool was used to appraise screened documents. Findings: One-hundred and twenty-four documents were included in this scoping review; 88 were developed in the United Kingdom, 20 in Australia, nine in the United States, three in Canada, two in New Zealand and two in Ireland. The focus of documents from the United Kingdom on multi-professional safeguarding (62), while those retrieved from Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand and the US focused on clinical practice. Twelve percent of the included documents contained references to all principles of patient-centred care, and only one document spoke to all principles, enablers and activities. Conclusion: This study demonstrates the need to improve the female genital mutilation-related guidance provided to professionals to care for and protect women and girls. Professionals need to involve women and girls with or at risk of female genital mutilation in the co-design of guidelines and tools and evaluation of them and the co-production of health care. Plain Language Summary: High-quality health care for women and girls should be provided by health workers who are respectful and caring. Health workers should also work with others as a team and help women and girls make their own decisions about their health care. This approach is called patient-centred care. Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a cultural practice associated with poor health outcomes. Women who have experienced FGM have not always received quality health care. We studied the guidance and tools to help health workers provide care to women and girls with or at risk of FGM. This study aimed to understand how health workers are supported to provide woman and girl-centred health care in these documents. We searched for these documents on the websites of health professional associations, government health departments and organisations working in FGM in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, The United States, New Zealand, and Australia. The documents were analysed using a tool that described all the important areas needed to provide patient-centred health care. Of the 124 documents, we found that only 12% contained information about all aspects of patient-centred care. Only one document had details about all the areas that are part of patient-centred care. This study shows that we need to improve the FGM-related guidance provided to health workers to care for and protect women and girls. There is a need for health workers to involve women and girls with or at risk of FGM in designing guidelines and tools and evaluating them to these documents best fit their needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
33. Generic Competency Frameworks: A Brief Historical Overview
- Author
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Young, Jolee and Chapman, Elaine
- Abstract
Significant efforts have now been made to identify the generic competencies required to succeed across different workplace contexts. The aims of this paper were to: (i) outline factors that contributed to the increased demand for generic competencies seen over the last three decades; and (ii) review the early generic competency frameworks developed in Australia, New Zealand, the US, Canada, the UK, and other European countries. It is concluded that whilst there were significant areas of commonality amongst the frameworks, regional differences were also apparent. The paper provides a historical context for more recent research into the generic competencies that should be emphasized within tertiary-level education and training curricula. (Contains 1 table.)
- Published
- 2010
34. INVESTIGATING INFLATION PERSISTENCE ACROSS MONETARY REGIMES.
- Author
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Benati, Luca
- Subjects
EURO ,PRICE inflation - Abstract
Under inflation, targeting estimates of the indexation parameter in hybrid New Keynesian Phillips curves are either equal to zero, or very low, in the United Kingdom, Canada, Sweden, and New Zealand. Analogous results hold for the Euro area under the European Monetary Union, and for Switzerland under the new monetary regime: under stable regimes with clearly defined nominal anchors, inflation appears to be purely forward-looking. These results question the notion that the intrinsic inflation persistence found in post-WWII U.S. data is structural in the sense of Lucas (Carnegie-Rochester Conference Series on Public Policy, 1 [1976], 19-46), and suggest that "hardwiring" inflation persistence in macroeconomic models is potentially misleading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2008
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
35. Using Hermeneutics as a Qualitative Research Approach in Professional Practice
- Author
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Paterson, Margo and Higgs, Joy
- Abstract
This paper is targeted primarily at doctoral students and others considering hermeneutics as a research strategy. Research using hermeneutics was carried out with occupational therapy educators and clinicians in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the UK. A total of 53 participants engaged in focus groups and individual interviews over a one-year. The paper explores hermeneutics as a credible, rigorous and creative strategy to address aspects of professional practice that similarly need to be flexible, adaptable to particular needs, and justifiable in the contexts of evidence-based as well as client-centred practice. The hermeneutic study produced A Model of Professional Practice Judgment Artistry (Paterson, 2003) which is briefly described and the connections. (Contains 2 tables, 2 figures, and 1 footnote.)
- Published
- 2005
36. The Use of Phonetically Reduced Modals in Present-Day English: A Corpus-Based Analysis
- Author
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Oktavianti, Ikmi Nur
- Abstract
This paper examines the usage frequency of phonetically reduced modals (i.e. "gonna," "wanna," "gotta") in Present-day English. It is assumed that in distinct sociolinguistic and discourse contexts, the use of reduced modals is dynamic. To collect the data, there are five corpora used in this study, "Corpus of Contemporary American English" and "Global Web-Based English" as the representatives of Present-day English, Brown and LOB corpus as the representative of earlier years of Present-day English, and "A Representative Corpus of Historical English" to provide language data from Early Modern English to Present-day English. The analysis focuses on usage frequency of phonetically reduced modals over period of time, in different regions or countries, different medium of language use, and different text categories. The frequencies were further interpreted based on sociolinguistics and text category perspective to reveal the factors triggering the dynamic of use. The results of this study show the use of reduced modals is dramatically escalating in the last decades. According to regional observation, the use of reduced modals is more frequent in the United States than in other English-speaking countries. In relation to medium of language use, reduced modals are more commonly used in spoken language than in written language. As for text category, the usage frequency of reduced modal in fiction texts is the highest compared to academic texts and news texts. Academic texts seem to avoid these linguistic units since this sort of text must obey the use of standard language in which reduced forms are less standard and more colloquial. This phonetic reduction is plausible to occur since language system and language use apply economy principle. The use of phonetically reduced modals, however, varies in different context and is influenced by colloquialization: the more colloquial the context, the more frequent the use of reduced modals. In general, language use is phonetically simplified and sociolinguistically colloquialized.
- Published
- 2018
37. Who comes when the world goes Code Blue? A novel method of exploring job advertisements for COVID‐19 in health care.
- Author
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Watts, Rory D., Bowles, Devin C., Fisher, Colleen, and Li, Ian W.
- Subjects
HEALTH care industry ,COVID-19 ,EMPLOYEE recruitment ,LABOR supply ,ADVERTISING ,MAPS ,NURSES ,RESEARCH funding ,WORLD Wide Web - Abstract
Aim: To explore the health workforce responses to COVID‐19. Design: Analysis of job advertisements. Methods: We collected advertisements for healthcare jobs which were caused by and in response to COVID‐19 between 4 March–17 April 2020 for the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. We collected information on the date of the advertisement, position advertised and location. We categorized job positions into three categories: frontline, coordination and decision support. Results: We found 952 job advertisements, 72% of which were from the United States. There was a lag period between reported COVID‐19‐confirmed cases and job advertisements by several weeks. Nurses were the most advertised position in every country. Frontline workers were substantially more demanded than coordination or decision‐support roles. Job advertisements are a novel data source which leverages a readily available information about how workforces respond to a pandemic. The initial phases of the response emphasise the importance of frontline workers, especially nurses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
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38. Part-Time Higher Education in Western Developed Countries.
- Author
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Tight, Malcolm
- Abstract
The paper looks at part-time higher educational services for students in the educational systems of Australia, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. A comparative examination of the nature and importance of part-time higher education is then presented. (DB)
- Published
- 1991
39. Using Comparative International Studies for Modeling Educational Effectiveness: A Secondary Analysis of PISA-2009 Study
- Author
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Azigwe, John Bosco
- Abstract
International surveys of student achievement are becoming increasingly popular with governments around the world, as they try to measure the performance of their country's education system. The main reason for this trend is the shared opinion that countries will need to be able to compete in the "knowledge economy" to assure the economic well-being of their citizens. This paper argues that secondary analyses of international comparative studies can help the development of the theoretical framework of educational effectiveness research. Toward this end, we present the results of a secondary analysis of PISA-2009 study which investigates the validity of the Dynamic model of Educational Effectiveness Research especially with regards the school level factors. Across country multilevel analysis of reading achievement revealed the importance of contextual factors and student level factors included in the dynamic model, especially student motivation, opportunity to learn, and school climate factors. Additionally, a comparative analysis with six countries seems to suggest that the model holds for individual countries as well especially at the student level. Based on these results, we draw implications for the design of comparative studies aiming to contribute to the development of evidence-based reform policies in education.
- Published
- 2016
40. An Investigation into Social Learning Activities by Practitioners in Open Educational Practices
- Author
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Schreurs, Bieke, Van den Beemt, Antoine, Prinsen, Fleur, Witthaus, Gabi, Conole, Gráinne, and De Laat, Maarten
- Abstract
By investigating how educational practitioners participate in activities around open educational practices (OEP), this paper aims at contributing to an understanding of open practices and how these practitioners learn to use OEP. Our research is guided by the following hypothesis: Different social configurations support a variety of social learning activities. The social configuration of OEPs is investigated by an operationalization into the dimensions (1) practice, (2) domain, (3) collective identity, and (4) organization. The results show how practitioners of six different OEPs learn, while acting and collaborating through a combination of offline and online networks. The findings of our study lead to practical implications on how to support participation in OEP, and thereby stimulate learning in (online) networks of OEP.
- Published
- 2014
41. The nutritional content of supermarket beverages: a cross-sectional analysis of New Zealand, Australia, Canada and the UK.
- Author
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Chepulis, Lynne, Mearns, Gael, Hill, Shaunie, Wu, Jason HY, Crino, Michelle, Alderton, Sarah, and Jenner, Katharine
- Subjects
BEVERAGE analysis ,TAXATION of beverages ,NUTRITIONAL value ,SUPERMARKETS ,BEVERAGES ,CHI-squared test ,COMPARATIVE studies ,TAXATION ,FOOD portions ,MULTIPLE regression analysis ,CROSS-sectional method - Abstract
Objective: To compare the nutritional content, serving size and taxation potential of supermarket beverages from four different Western countries.Design: Cross-sectional analysis. Multivariate regression analysis and χ 2 comparisons were used to detect differences between countries.Setting: Supermarkets in New Zealand (NZ), Australia, Canada and the UK.Subjects: Supermarket beverages in the following categories: fruit juices, fruit-based drinks, carbonated soda, waters and sports/energy drinks.Results: A total of 4157 products were analysed, including 749 from NZ, 1738 from Australia, 740 from Canada and 930 from the UK. NZ had the highest percentage of beverages with sugar added to them (52 %), while the UK had the lowest (39 %, P<0.001).Conclusions: There is substantial difference between countries in the mean energy, serving size and proportion of products eligible for fiscal sugar taxation. Current self-regulatory approaches used in these countries may not be effective to reduce the availability, marketing and consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and subsequent intake of free sugars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]- Published
- 2018
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
42. What Are the Alternatives to Student Loans in Higher Education Funding?
- Author
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Stokes, Anthony and Wright, Sarah
- Abstract
In a period of student loan scandals and U.S. financial market instability impacting on the cost and availability of student loans, this paper looks at alternative models of higher education funding. In this context, it also considers the level of financial support that the government should provide to higher education.
- Published
- 2010
43. Accountability and the Public Trust: Restoring the Balance. An Annotated Bibliography
- Author
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Centre for Literacy of Quebec (Canada) and Beaulieu, Paul
- Abstract
This bibliography was compiled for the 2006 Summer Institute at The Centre for Literacy-"Accountability and Public Trust: Restoring the Balance." The selections include lectures, research studies, policy papers, and government documents that describe and analyze recent concepts of accountability in the context of government funding in the non-profit sector in several countries. They look at issues of assessment and accountability in the broad field of education and more narrowly in the fields of adult literacy and adult basic education. Each section has been arranged in chronological order to reflect the evolution of ideas over the past two decades. Although far from exhaustive, the selected entries offer a set of essential readings on the topic and a point of entry for further research. The references, from Canada and a number of other countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand, show the experience of accountability in the different countries to be remarkably similar. Put together, the references and annotations also form a narrative. Research for this bibliography included thorough searches of: the National Adult Literacy Database (NALD); the National Institute for Literacy (NIFL); the Literacy Information and Communication System (LINCS) database; National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL); the Education Resources Information Center (ERIC); The Centre for Literacy resource collection; and the web sites of numerous national/international agencies with an acknowledged stake in literacy and lifelong learning. Further recommendations were contributed by participants at the Summer Institute. An Author/Editor Index and a Title Index are included.
- Published
- 2006
44. The Intracranial Distribution of Gliomas in Relation to Exposure From Mobile Phones: Analyses From the INTERPHONE Study.
- Author
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Grell, Kathrine, Frederiksen, Kirsten, Schüz, Joachim, Cardis, Elisabeth, Armstrong, Bruce, Siemiatycki, Jack, Krewski, Daniel R., McBride, Mary L., Johansen, Christoffer, Auvinen, Anssi, Hours, Martine, Blettner, Maria, Sadetzki, Siegal, Lagorio, Susanna, Naohito Yamaguchi, Woodward, Alistair, Tynes, Tore, Feychting, Maria, Fleming, Sarah J., and Swerdlow, Anthony J.
- Subjects
BRAIN tumors ,COMPARATIVE studies ,COMPUTED tomography ,EAR canal ,ELECTROMAGNETIC fields ,GLIOMAS ,INTERVIEWING ,LONGITUDINAL method ,MAGNETIC resonance imaging ,POISSON distribution ,RESEARCH funding ,SELF-evaluation ,CELL phones ,ENVIRONMENTAL exposure ,DATA analysis software ,MEDICAL coding - Abstract
When investigating the association between brain tumors and use of mobile telephones, accurate data on tumor position are essential, due to the highly localized absorption of energy in the human brain from the radio-frequency fields emitted. We used a point process model to investigate this association using information that included tumor localization data from the INTERPHONE Study (Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom). Our main analysis included 792 regular mobile phone users diagnosed with a glioma between 2000 and 2004. Similar to earlier results, we found a statistically significant association between the intracranial distribution of gliomas and the self-reported location of the phone. When we accounted for the preferred side of the head not being exclusively used for all mobile phone calls, the results were similar. The association was independent of the cumulative call time and cumulative number of calls. However, our model used reported side of mobile phone use, which is potentially influenced by recall bias. The point process method provides an alternative to previously used epidemiologic research designs when one is including localization in the investigation of brain tumors and mobile phone use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2016
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
45. Adult Basic Education: Impact of Policy on Practice. An Annotated Bibliography
- Author
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Centre for Literacy of Quebec (Canada) and Elliott, Claire
- Abstract
This bibliography was compiled for The Centre for Literacy's 2004 Summer Institute: "Adult Basic Education: Impact of Policy on Practice: International Perspectives". The references and annotations point to relevant research studies, advocacy papers, and government documents that describe and discuss the role that policy plays in shaping program-level structures and practices in the adult literacy and basic education sector in Canada, and internationally. This list is not exhaustive, but represents a core set of essential readings on the topic and offers a solid starting point for more in-depth research. Research for this bibliography involved thorough searches of: The Centre for Literacy resource collection; the Education Resources Information Center (ERIC); the National Adult Literacy Database (NALD); the National Institute for Literacy (NIFL) "LINCS" database; and numerous national and provincial government and organizational web sites. All sources of information appear in the annotated list of web sites. Search terms included: adult basic education; adult education; adult literacy; educational policy; lifelong learning; literacy policy; policy formation. The annotations are abridged or edited versions of existing author or ERIC abstracts, though where no abstract was available, one was written. The original source of all annotations is identified in square brackets.
- Published
- 2004
46. Working Knowledge: Productive Learning at Work. Proceedings [of the] International Conference (Sydney, Australia, December 10-13, 2000).
- Author
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Technology Univ., Sydney (Australia). and Symes, Colin
- Abstract
This conference proceedings contains 65 presentations and 3 colloquiums from a conference that dealt with knowledge at work and knowledge that works and with how education can be successfully integrated into work and work into education. The papers are "Reading the Contexts of Complex Incidents of Adult Education Practice" (Apte); "Models of Work Based Learning for Undergraduates" (Armsby et al.); "Just-in-Time Training as Anticipative Action and as Inferential Understanding" (Beckett); "Learning to Compete" (Beckett et al.); "Co-Participation at Work" (Billett); "Globalization, Work, and Education" (Boland); "Work as the Curriculum" (Boud, Solomon); "Working Towards a Curriculum Framework for Work-Related Learning" (Brown); "Evaluating Organizational Change" (Butler et al.);"New Knowledge and the Construction of Vocational Education and Training (VET) Practitioners" (Chappell); "Facing Realities" (Cornford); "Subcontractors in the Australian Construction Industry" (Crowley et al.); "Learning; Design; Practice; Practitioner Perspectives of Workplace Learning" (Cys); "Learning at the Point of Production" (Daly, Mjelde); "Teaching Online" (Dewar, Whittington); "Spirituality of Work" (Dirkx); "Learning to Work" (Eames); "A Working Ethic?" (Edwards); "Transforming Management Education's Working Knowledge" (Elliott); "Negotiating Knowledge in the Knowledge Economy" (Farrell); "Work Knowing on the Fly" (Fenwick); "Productive Learning at Work" (FitzSimons); "Teachers Redefining Professionalism and Professional Development" (Gambell, Hunter); "Modelling the Invisible" (Gamble); "The New Capitalism" (Gee); "Conceptions of Learning" (Hager); "Recognition of Prior Learning in Higher Education" (Harris); "Promoting Knowledge Sharing in a Training and Further Education Organization" (Hill); "Incentives and Barriers to Learning in the Workplace" (Hodkinson et al.); "Reflections on Empowerment, Workplace Language and Literacy Policy, and Professional Development in England" (Holland); "Enabling Productive Learning at Work" (Holland, Leggett); "Learning Through Working" (Hopkins, Maglen); "Supervisor and Facilitation" (Hughes); "Writing-Up People at Work" (Jackson); "Whiteness as a Social Construct That Drives Continuing Education" (Johnson-Bailey, Cervero); "Knowledge Workers and the Office Economy" (Kurth); "Teaching with Global Awareness" (Lekoko); "Accrediting and Assessing Learning at Work" (Lyons); "Working Knowledge and Work-Based Learning" (McIntyre); "Working Knowledge in Management and Medicine" (Mulcahy); "Workplace Learning from a Curriculum Perspective" (Munby et al.); "The 'Good' Teacher?" (Nicoll); "Professional Identity as Learning Processes in Life Histories" (Olesen); "Local Perspectives on Globalization and Learning" (Payne); "Implementing Work-Based Learning in Higher Education" (Reeve, Gallacher); "Working Knowledge, Economic Metaphors, and the 'Cogito-Economic' Subject" (Rhodes, Garrick); "Technical and Vocational Education in China" (Rongguang); "Preparing Undereducated and Unemployed Parents for the Workplace Through Effective Family Literacy Programs in Texas" (Seaman, Seaman); "Working Knowledge of Online Learning Amongst VET Practitioners" (Schofield et al.); "Working Knowledge for New Educational Landscapes" (Seddon); "Links Between Corporate and Academic Research" (Shannon, Sekhon); "Towards a Definition of Work Based Learning" (Shaw); "Relationships Between R (Research) & D (Development) and Decision-Making in VET" (Smith); "Context Variety Means Four Stories?" (Smid); "Reflecting upon Experiences" (Staley); "Ordering the Menu" (Symes); "Critical Literacy, Cultural Inclusiveness, and Text Selection in English for Academic Purposes Courses" (Thompson); "Communicative Practices in Web-Enhanced Collaborative Learning" (Treleaven et al.); "Role of Emotion in Situated Learning and Communities of Practice" (Turnbull); "Alternative Conception of Competence" (Velde); "Learning in/Through/with Struggle" (von Kotze); "More Things Change" (Wallace); "Deschooled Learning" (Whittington, McLean); "Quality Online Participation" (Wiesenberg, Hutton); and "Emergence of New Types of Communities of Practice" (Young, Mitchell). (YLB)
- Published
- 2000
47. Nurse practitioner prescribing: an international perspective.
- Author
-
Fong, Jacqueline, Buckley, Thomas, and Cashin, Andrew
- Subjects
DRUG laws ,PSYCHOLOGY information storage & retrieval systems ,ONLINE information services ,CINAHL database ,NURSING ,CONFIDENCE ,SYSTEMATIC reviews ,MEDICAL care ,HEALTH literacy ,NURSING practice ,SURVEYS ,DRUG prescribing ,DISEASE prevalence ,MEDLINE ,ADVANCED practice registered nurses - Published
- 2015
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
48. An International Examination of Country-Specific Determinants of Audit Fees.
- Author
-
Wingate, Michele Lecoute
- Subjects
AUDITING ,AUDITORS ,ACCOUNTING firms - Abstract
This article presents an abstracts of the research paper "An International Examination of Country-Specific Determinants of Audit Fees," by Michele Lecouteur Wingate. This research addresses the question of whether auditor fee functions differ across countries. Auditor fee functions have been represented as a theoretical relationship between the audit fee charged by the audit firm and characteristics of the audit environment. These characteristics may include client factors, audit firm factors and country-specific factors. Prior research in this area has found significant relationships between audit fees and client size and complexity and audit firm size. The form of the auditor fee function has previously been studied using data from Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, and Great Britain. Researchers assumed that the business and audit environments in these countries were similar and therefore should not be considered as a factor in explaining any variation in audit fees. This study contributes to the existing research in this area in two ways.
- Published
- 1995
49. English-Speaking Allies at War THE CASUALTY TOLL.
- Author
-
Keith, Richard K.
- Subjects
WAR casualties - Abstract
The article reports the war casualty toll of the English-speaking allies of the U.S. in the past 107 years. The paper provides tables that show how Great Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand have shared in the battlefield sacrifices of the major wars and lesser campaigns engaged in by all the five countries.
- Published
- 2008
50. Change and Continuity: A Quantitative Investigation of Trends and Characteristics of International Social Workers in England.
- Author
-
Hussein, Shereen, Stevens, Martin, Manthorpe, Jill, and Moriarty, Jo
- Subjects
CLINICAL competence ,AGE distribution ,ANALYSIS of variance ,CHI-squared test ,FOREIGN medical personnel ,RESEARCH funding ,SOCIAL workers ,QUANTITATIVE research - Abstract
The UK has long experienced a shortage of social workers and has recruited internationally to meet demand. There have been few specific data quantifying the scale of social work mobility to the UK through which such experiences can be set in context. The analysis reported in this article uses data from October 2008, relating to registered social workers working in England. As part of a wider study of migrant social care workers in England, the article reports analysis of data records of over 7,000 non-UK social workers registered to work in England and compares their characteristics to UK-qualified social workers. These analyses are supplemented by analysis of more recent application and registration data from the General Social Care Council pertaining to social workers qualified within and outside the European Union during 2008 and 2009. The findings highlight several important observations in terms of non-UK-qualified social workers' profile as well as some possible trends in migration and variations in rates of qualification verification. Over half of all international social workers in England were trained in four countries: Australia, South Africa, India and the USA. Findings are contextualised with qualitative data obtained from the wider study and policy debates. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]
- Published
- 2011
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
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