Achieving impact in ergonomic research

People are central to system functioning and this role has been dramatically extended by new information technology. This makes possible the fundamental transformation of processes across systems of systems. Can Ergonomics research play an effective role in systems integration innovation? To have real world impact on such problems the system of R and D needs to sustain strong designs that address the functionality of socio-technical systems and support the implementation of innovations, taking into account the complexity of change, the importance of values of dignity and trust, and creating a common understanding amongst all stakeholders to enable design for operations. Strong research designs are more expensive, difficult, risky and prolonged than more commonly practiced weaker designs. They require active engagement with the industrial or service provider and involve overcoming cultural and other barriers to effective implementation and change. To create a virtuous cycle of research-generated impact it is necessary for strong designs to be well supported in the research community and for real world impact to be central to performance criteria of research excellence. Unfortunately neither of these criteria appear to be fulfilled. To ameliorate this, deficiencies in the full cycle of systems integration innovation need to be addressed.     

Achieving Shared Meaning in Cross-Cultural Dialogue

Abstract

Based on a qualitative study of the Twin Cities Hmong community, this paper offers a case study of a Hmong family's response to a situation in which a woman who is a member of their family has been chronically physically abused by her husband. The case illustrates the challenges of understanding the family's reactions in light of their cultural context as well as the implications for social work practice. An excerpt of a verbatim interview between the author and a subject from the study is provided. The specifics of the cultural values, protocol for handling conflict and communication patterns that contribute to understanding what has occurred are discussed. The author then discusses the challenges for the social work practitioner of simultaneously maintaining the ethical values of honoring diversity and protection of the oppressed.     

Achieving Objectives in the Social Studies

To promote content literacy, students have to be actively involved. This article focuses on strategies that stimulate student interest by involving them with the content during pre-reading, during-reading and post-reading activities. these processes provide students with optimal opportunities for comprehension. The authors recommend the use of a variety of materials to supplement the social studies text, recoginizing, however, that the text, because of its breadth of knowledge will always play an important role.

The three instructional activities delineated reinforce the idea that social studies learning is promoted through literacy, just as language acts learning is developed through the social studies. All of the strategies include a form of graphic organizer. They are examples of ways teaches can adapt instruction to promote student interest in social studies. Social studies doesn't have to be boring!     

Achieving permanency for LGBTQ youth

This article brings together two significant efforts in the child welfare field: achieving permanence for youth in out-of-home care and meeting the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) youth. During the past several years, a national movement has taken place to assure all children and youth have a permanent family connection before leaving the child welfare system; however, LGBTQ youth are not routinely included in the permanency discussions. At the same time, efforts in addressing the needs of LGBTQ youth have increased, but permanency is rarely mentioned as a need. This article offers models of permanence and practices to facilitate permanence with LGBTQ youth and their families. It also offers a youth-driven, individualized process, using youth development principles to achieve relational, physical, and legal permanence. Reunification efforts are discussed, including services, supports, and education required for youth to return to their family of origin. For those who cannot return home, other family resources are explored. The article also discusses cultural issues as they affect permanence for LGBTQ youth, and, finally, addresses the need for ongoing support services to sustain and support permanency.     

Students as practitioners in academia proficiency and reflectivity in study practices

Abstract

In this paper, I will ask what happens when students' experiences of studying in a business school, instead of their experiences in workplaces, are taken as a starting point for course planning and organising. The course in question was called Professional Development (PD) and it was offered at the Helsinki School of Economics in 2005 (see Rsnen and Korpiaho forthcoming). In the course, we considered the process of students becoming skilled and reflective business students as an analogy to employees gaining proficiency and reflectivity in other work practices (see Gherardi et al. 1998; Brown and Duguid 1991). We approached the participation of students in study practices as if it were participation in work practices and their learning as if it were similar to that of other practitioners. The results show that students are able to construct profound and concrete reflections of their own practices.     

Achieving quality in day care for young children

SUMMARY. In a service such as day care, different beliefs about appropriate child care and family patterns make quality a relative concept. However, service providers should work towards overall aims and specific goals established on values and beliefs about day care. It is argued that the day care service needs to tackle the definition of quality, for the job satisfaction of the service providers, for the well being of the children involved and for the satisfaction and peace of mind of the parents. The day care service needs to take heed of the customers of the service—the children and the parents—and to move from a position of apology and defence to a positive evaluation of what quality can mean The article expands a presentation by one of the authors (JL) to the Values and Quality in Day Care Seminar, organised by the National Children's Bureau Under Fives Unit on 16 February 1988     

Women in the Construction Professions: Achieving Critical Mass

This article addresses the question of whether an increased number of women entering the construction professions is resulting in the build‐up of critical mass, with associated changes in the culture of the construction industry, and thus in its organization and conditions of employment. It was found, from recent research, that little such change has occurred so far. Indeed the construction industry seemed to be so self‐contained and separate from wider social changes, that it was helpful to visualize it as constituting ‘Planet Construction’ upon which live a series of male‐dominated professional tribes, each with its own culture and world view. This article discusses the factors and forces limiting change, and then identifies likely change agents. These comprise top‐down agents such as governmental regulatory bodies, and bottom‐up agents such as minority groups and community organizations. The most effective bottom‐up groups are likely to be those that have a foothold within the professional bodies such as the women‐led Equal Opportunities in Construction Taskforce, which has produced and is promoting guidelines for equal opportunities in the industry. But there is still a long way to go before major changes are likely to occur in the employment status, pay and conditions, as women in construction have hardly reached ‘first base’ in terms of being accepted within the industry. This is reflected in high job turnover among women in construction, occupational isolation, and limited promotion prospects, all factors which work against the build‐up of critical mass and culture change.     

Cultural Competency and Achieving Styles in Clinical Social Work

Abstract

This paper attempts to build a cultural competency framework by reviewing the literature and laying a conceptual foundation for professional standards in clinical social work. It also explores the implications of cultural competency by relating some important factors to clinical decisions, alliance, and outcome in the mental health field. The pathways and directions of the relationships as well as the potential factors affecting cross-cultural clinical alliance are illuminated in a general model to guide hypothesis formulation in further research. Empirical data are presented on clinical social work practice with Asian American clients in light of a key factor in shaping cultural competency, i.e., clinicians' personal achieving styles. The findings suggest that such styles are culturally bound.     

Achieving Competent Family Practice with Same-Sex Parents

Abstract

Due to the increasing recognition of same-sex marriage in different jurisdictions and growing numbers of parents raising children in the context of a same-sex relationship, it is becoming ever more important for family therapists to attain clinical competence in working with families headed by same-sex parents. This paper takes as its premise that good intentions and general acceptance of diversity are not sufficient in working with this population of families. Rather, clinical competence rests on experience working with lesbian and gay clients and knowledge of the impact of heterosexism on parenting in the context of same-sex relationships. Equally critical to competent family therapy practice is a theoretical framework that pulls together complementary concepts from different bodies of theory to analyze family structures and functions in the social context of heterosexism. To this end, this paper reviews family systems theory, structural social work, ecological systems theory and queer theory with an eye to culling complementary constructs relevant to working with same-sex parents. Specific aspects of family functioning such as maintenance of boundaries around and within families and role differentiation between parents are then explored using this theoretical framework. Finally, implications for the clinician working with families led by same-sex parents are reviewed.     

Prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders among staffs in specialized healthcare centre

This study was conducted to investigate pervasiveness of the musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) among staffs in a specialized healthcare centre. Sixty-eight staffs from three departments namely Cardiovascular Lab (CVL), Nuclear Radiology, and General Radiography were recruited in this study. A modified Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ) was distributed among study population. The result shows that the prevalence of MSD was highest in lower back (88.2%), neck (76.5%) and shoulder (60.3%) for the past 12 months followed by lower back and elbow (44.1%), and wrist (39.1%) correspondingly, for the past 7 days. Present results suggest that healthcare professionals - radiographers, patient assistants and nurses incurs MSD risks through work tasks as well as psychosocial factors. These include awkward posture during patient handling, workload, work stress and time pressure. Therefore, an ergonomics improvement on the job design and workspace are needed in order to reduce the MSD risks.     

An empirical assessment of writing and research proficiency in HBCU social work students

ABSTRACT

Lack of proficiency in writing and research among social work students has increasingly concerned social work educators and practitioners. Given the significance of written communication with clients and emphasis on evidence-based practice in the field of social work, it is critical to assess students’ competence in both writing and research. However, deficit-based approaches to assessing writing and research competence have disadvantaged students at historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). This pilot study aims to assess writing and research proficiency of HBCU master’s of social work (MSW) students through empirical analysis of their capstone papers and surveys from educators to provide implications for developing a writing and research manual for social work programs at HBCUs. Ten capstone papers were randomly selected and qualitatively analyzed; nine faculty and one field supervisor completed the survey, and their respondents were analyzed using cross-case analysis. Analyses of the capstone papers identified two themes for writing and research domains, respectively: (1) weakness in developing statements and lack of knowledge of writing style and (2) plagiarism and lack of understanding of research structure. Moreover, analyses of the surveys revealed four themes regarding assessment of writing and research skills among students struggling with basic writing mechanics, indicating that HBCU MSW students may have potential and capacity for learning, as evidenced by their ideas and critical thinking skills. These findings suggest both teaching- and research-oriented programs could employ the proposed writing and research assessment manual, as well as a writing and research lab/center for improving writing and research skills among their students.     

The effects of specialized training in alcohol information for counseling students

The alcoholism problem in the United States has reached proportions impossible to ignore. It follows that we need trained professionals in significant numbers to deal with the alcoholic population. Graduate programs, however, provide little or no course offerings in the area of specific training for dealing with alcoholics. In academia some attempts have been made to address this situation. However, budget restrictions, limited marketability of counselors with specialized training, and the superiority of the generalist training model are some of the main arguments that have compromised adequate chemical dependence training. The research literature, however, is replete with studies indicating the need for specialized training to prepare mental health professionals to work as competent alcohol counselors. The focus of this research was to examine the effect of specific training for counseling students in preparing them to work with alcoholic clients. The results of the analyses indicated that a training session specifically designed for working with alcoholic populations significantly increased the objective knowledge base of counseling students, although the single training session was not enough to significantly improve subjective judgment and response scores. This research emphasizes a need for specialized training in counseling programs for alcohol counselors. Further, it is implied that training programs should include at least one semester-long course on alcohol remediation for counseling students.