scholarly journals Academic Librarians Perceive Duration and Social Interaction as Important Elements for Professional Development

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 94-96
Author(s):  
Hilary Bussell

A Review of: Attebury, R. I. (2017). Professional development: A qualitative study of high impact characteristics affecting meaningful and transformational learning. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 43(3), 232-241. http://dx.doi.org//10.1016/j.acalib.2017.02.015 Abstract Objective – To understand the characteristics of meaningful and transformational professional development experiences of academic librarians. Design – Qualitative analysis of in-depth interviews using a hermeneutic phenomenological approach. Setting – Public and private colleges and universities in the United States of America. Subjects – 10 academic librarians. Methods – The researcher selected 10 participants using an initial survey distributed through national library electronic mail lists. Two rounds of semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted over Skype during fall 2014 and spring 2015. The first round of interviews began with background questions about participants’ careers, then moved on to questions about professional development experiences that were meaningful and/or transformational. The responses from this first round of interviews were used to develop questions for a second round of interviews with the same participants. After completing the interviews, the researcher sent follow-up emails to participants in order to gather feedback on summaries and interpretations of interviews. The transcribed interviews were used to create an initial set of codes and then imported into NVivo for analysis using a hermeneutic phenomenological approach. Main Results – All participants reported on professional development experiences that they found to be meaningful. Half of the participants discussed professional development experiences that were transformational for their perceptions and practice of librarianship. The themes of duration and interaction were identified in every participant’s discussions of meaningful or transformational professional development. Reflection, discomfort, and self-awareness were also identified as prominent themes. Conclusion – The study found that two of the most important ingredients for meaningful and transformational professional development are activities that are sustained over time and that include social interaction. The participants perceived long-term, interactive professional development activities as opportunities to identify and address gaps in their professional knowledge, which benefits themselves and their organizations. On-the-job learning, single-theme workshops or institutes, and professional committee work were particularly promising forms of meaningful professional development. The author recommends that academic librarians who are interested in meaningful or transformational professional development look for activities that are sustained and interactive, that promote reflection, and that provide opportunities to increase self-awareness of gaps in knowledge. Facilitators of professional development activities should include interactive components and ensure that participants have a chance to stay in contact after the event in order to encourage long-term interaction and reflection.

2020 ◽  
pp. 002242942098252
Author(s):  
Justin J. West

The purpose of this study was to evaluate music teacher professional development (PD) practice and policy in the United States between 1993 and 2012. Using data from the nationally representative Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS) spanning these 20 years, I examined music teacher PD participation by topic, intensity, relevance, and format; music teachers’ top PD priorities; and the reach of certain PD-supportive policies. I assessed these descriptive results against a set of broadly agreed-on criteria for “effective” PD: content specificity, relevance, voluntariness/autonomy, social interaction, and sustained duration. Findings revealed a mixed record. Commendable improvements in content-specific PD access were undercut by deficiencies in social interaction, voluntariness/autonomy, sustained duration, and relevance. School policy, as reported by teachers, was grossly inadequate, with only one of the nine PD-supportive measures appearing on SASS reaching a majority of teachers in any given survey year. Implications for policy, practice, and scholarship are presented.


2021 ◽  
Vol In Press (In Press) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fatemeh Asadollahi ◽  
Hamid Taher Neshat Doost ◽  
Mohammad Reza Abedi ◽  
Hamid Afshar Zanjani

Background: Persistent depressive disorder (PDD) is a chronic problem that is more prevalent among women than men. Various studies have revealed that these people experience many problems in their interpersonal relationships, which increase their suffering. Objectives: The present study was done to identify how people suffering from PDD experience interpersonal relationships that often seem troubled and broken. Methods: A phenomenological approach was adopted for this qualitative study. For this purpose, in-depth interviews were conducted with 21 individuals with PDD, focusing on exploring their experience and suffering in interpersonal relationships. All interviews were recorded and transcribed, and the transcripts were analyzed using Giorgi’s phenomenological descriptive method. Results: In general, five main themes and 16 sub-themes emerged. The main themes were: (1) Feeling empty of love and compassion; (2) feeling ignored; (3) ignoring others’ needs, conditions, and suffering; (4) feeling of being annoying to others; and (5) feeling confused and helpless in relationships. Conclusions: It seems that all five themes convey the message that these individuals demonstrate less skill in feeling compassion and receiving it from others. Therefore, it appears that long-term compassion-based interventions can effectively reduce the interpersonal suffering of these individuals. It should be noted that although these themes have commonalities in different cultural contexts, the culture can influence the content and intensity of these feelings.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. e0262215
Author(s):  
Anna Tupetz ◽  
Loren K. Barcenas ◽  
Ashley J. Phillips ◽  
Joao Ricardo Nickenig Vissoci ◽  
Charles J. Gerardo

Introduction Antivenom is currently considered standard treatment across the full spectrum of severity for snake envenomation in the United States. Although safe and effective antivenoms exist, their use in clinical practice is not universal. Objective This study explored physicians’ perceptions of antivenom use and experience with snake envenomation treatment in order to identify factors that influence treatment decisions and willingness to administer. Methods We conducted a qualitative study including in-depth interviews via online video conferencing with physicians practicing in emergency departments across the United States. Participants were selected based on purposive sampling methods. Data analysis followed inductive strategies, conducted by two researchers. The codebook and findings were discussed within the research team. Findings Sixteen in-depth interviews with physicians from nine states across the US were conducted. The participants’ specialties include emergency medicine (EM), pediatric EM, and toxicology. The experience of treating snakebites ranged from only didactic education to having treated over 100 cases. Emergent themes for this manuscript from the interview data included perceptions of antivenom, willingness to administer antivenom and influencing factors to antivenom usage. Overall, cost-related concerns were a major barrier to antivenom administration, especially in cases where the indications and effectiveness did not clearly outweigh the potential financial burden on the patient in non-life- or limb-threatening cases. The potential to decrease recovery time and long-term functional impairments was not commonly reported by participants as an indication for antivenom. In addition, level of exposure and perceived competence, based on prior education and clinical experience, further impacted the decision to treat. Resources such as Poison Center Call lines were well received and commonly used to guide the treatment plan. The need for better clinical guidelines and updated treatment algorithms with clinical and measurable indicators was stated to help the decision-making process, especially among those with low exposure to snake envenomation patients. Conclusions A major barrier to physician use of antivenom is a concern about cost, cost transparency and cost–benefit for the patients. Those concerns, in addition to the varying degrees of awareness of potential long-term benefits, further influence inconsistent clinical treatment practices.


2011 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 56
Author(s):  
Laura Newton Miller

Objective – To study methods that support retention of academic librarians. Design – Exploratory research using an online survey; non-random sample. Setting – Academic libraries, nearly all located within the U.S. (97.2%). Subjects – A total of 895 professional academic librarians. Methods – The researchers sent an online survey link to professional electronic mail lists and directly to heads of Association of Research Libraries (ARL) member libraries. The 23-item survey was available from February 19, 2007, through March 9, 2007, and contained questions about the professional experience of respondents, their libraries, and their universities. Subjects were asked to identify retention activities that were currently offered at their workplaces (both library-specific and university-wide) and to rate their satisfaction for each available initiative. The list contained fifteen initiatives based on the researchers’ literature review. Main Results – Almost half (46.3%) of respondents were 50 or older and 7.5% under 30 years old, leaving 46.2% between the ages of 30-50 years old (although this percentage is not explicitly stated in the paper except in a table). Nearly half of the subjects were in the first ten years of their careers. 80.2% had held between one and four professional positions in their careers, and even when length of professional experience was factored out, age had no effect on the number of positions held. Most job turnover within the past three years (3 or fewer open positions) was in public service, while other areas of the library (i.e., technical services, systems, and administration) reported zero open positions. Only 11.3% of respondents noted that their libraries have deliberate, formal retention programs in place. Despite this, there are several library- and university-based initiatives that can be considered to help with retention. The most reported available library-based retention initiative was the provision of funding to attend conferences (86.8%). Librarians also frequently reported flexible schedules, support and funding for professional development and access to leadership programs. University-based retention programs included continuing education funding, new employee orientations, faculty status, and the chance to teach credit-bearing courses. Only 22.2% of subjects reported formal mentoring programs as a retention strategy. Librarians were very or somewhat satisfied with schedule flexibility (79.6%). They were generally satisfied with other initiatives reported. In response to 22 five-point Likert scale descriptions of positive library work environments, subjects most agreed with statements that allowed librarians to have control of their professional duties, that allowed for personal or family obligations, and that supported professional development. Librarians agreed less often regarding statements about salaries, research support, and opportunities for advancement. Conclusion – Academic librarians are involved in and are benefitting from some library and university-based retention initiatives, even though retention may not be the primary strategic goal.


Religions ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 350
Author(s):  
Robbie South ◽  
Liz McDowell

Persons of all major religious groups use prayer as a spiritual discipline when dealing with sickness, and a majority of Christians report faith in healing prayer. The purpose of this research was to explore the use of prayer as complementary therapy for healing by Christian adults in the Bible Belt of the United States. A hermeneutic phenomenological approach was used in this qualitative study. This project was a secondary analysis of a larger study whose aim was to document stories of miraculous healings (n = 14). Open-ended questions focusing on participants’ use of prayer followed the initial telling of their stories. All participants used prayer as complementary to their traditional medical treatments, and emerging themes included prayers of the people, rituals and traditions associated with prayer, prayers of supplication, and experiences related to the act of praying. These findings support prior published studies regarding the prevalence of prayer and its use as complementary therapy. Participants commonly used prayer in times of illness and the effects of prayer included a sense of wellbeing, increased calmness, decreased anxiety, and positive healing experiences. Participants utilized self-prayer and prayer support from family, friends, clergy, and healthcare professionals.


2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 275-281 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pamela R. Cangelosi

AbstractDespite the extraordinary growth of accelerated second degree baccalaureate nursing programs, little research has been conducted about the experiences of faculty teaching these students. Using a hermeneutic phenomenological approach, this study explored the experiences of 14 accelerated second degree baccalaureate faculty from the eastern region of the United States. The data revealed that many faculty teaching second degree students feel unprepared and want guidance on how to teach these students, which was identified in the theme, Figuring It Out On My Own. This article describes this study and the implications of this theme for faculty recruitment and retention in accelerated second degree baccalaureate nursing programs.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joao Ricardo Nickenig Vissoci

Introduction: Antivenom is currently considered standard treatment across the full spectrum of severity for snake envenomation in the United States. Although safe and effective antivenoms exist, their use in clinical practice is not universal.Objective: This study explored physicians’ perceptions of antivenom use and experience with snake envenomation treatment in order to identify factors that influence treatment decisions and willingness to administer.Methods: We conducted a qualitative study based on a grounded theory framework including in-depth interviews via online video conferencing with physicians practicing in emergency departments across the United States. Participants were selected based on purposive sampling methods. Data analysis followed a combination of inductive and deductive strategies, conducted by two researchers. The codebook and findings were discussed within the research team. Findings: Sixteen in-depth interviews with physicians from nine states across the US were conducted. The participants’ specialties include emergency medicine (EM), pediatric EM, and toxicology. The experience of treating snakebites ranged from only didactic education to having treated over 100 cases. Emergent themes for this manuscript from the interview data included perceptions of antivenom, willingness to administer antivenom and influencing factors to antivenom usage. Overall, cost-related concerns were a major barrier to antivenom administration, especially in cases where the indications and effectiveness did not clearly outweigh the potential financial burden on the patient in non-life- or limb-threatening cases. The potential to decrease recovery time and long-term functional impairments was not commonly reported by participants as an indication for antivenom. In addition, level of exposure and perceived competence, based on prior education and clinical experience, further impacted the decision to treat. Resources such as Poison Center Call lines were well received and commonly used to guide the treatment plan. The need for better clinical guidelines and updated treatment algorithms with clinical and measurable indicators was stated to help the decision-making process, especially among those with low exposure to snake envenomation patients.Conclusions: A major barrier to physician use of antivenom is a concern about cost, cost transparency and cost–benefit for the patients. Those concerns, in addition to the varying degrees of awareness of potential long-term benefits, further influence inconsistent clinical treatment practices.


2022 ◽  
pp. 074355842110641
Author(s):  
Basia Daria Ellis ◽  
Carly Offidani-Bertrand ◽  
Maria Joy Ferrera

Building on recent studies of “racialized illegality,” this paper examines the psychosocial development of migrant “illegality” in a sample of ethnically and racially diverse immigrant young people. In-depth interviews and fieldnotes were collected in Chicago with White, Asian and Pacific Islander, and Latina/o immigrants ( N = 43; 14–33 years of age; 15 male, 28 female) who were undocumented and/or grew up in families with at least one undocumented parent, and who were asked to reflect on these experiences. Drawing upon the cycles of deportability framework, we theorize the psychosocial development of migrant “illegality” as a dynamic process driven by repeated, cyclical experiences with status-related stressors that regularly prompt acute fears as well as carry long-term psychosocial effects. Examining these cycles within our respondents’ reflections, we find discernible differences in both the types of status-related stressors and contexts of support experienced by Latina/o and non-Latina/o respondents, pointing to different cycles of deportability that vary along racial-ethnic lines. We maintain that these findings reflect the racialized context of migrant “illegality” in the United States, which targets primarily Latina/o migrants, as well as points to the need for increased supports for undocumented immigrants in non-Latina/o immigrant communities.


2009 ◽  
Vol 72 (3) ◽  
pp. 265-283 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michal Pagis

Drawing on G. H. Mead and Merleau-Ponty, this paper aims to extend our understanding of self-reflexivity beyond the notion of a discursive, abstract, and symbolic process. It offers a framework for embodied self-reflexivity, which anchors the self in the reflexive capacity of bodily sensations. The data consist of two years of ethnographic observations and in-depth interviews of vipassana meditation practitioners in Israel and the United States. The findings illustrate how bodily sensations are used as indexes to psychological states, emotions, and past experiences, while constant awareness of embodied responses is used as a tool for self-monitoring. The paper follows the interaction between discursive and embodied modes of reflexivity and the attempt to shift from one mode to the other. I suggest that currently popular practices of embodied awareness, from meditation to yoga, are based on embodied self-reflexivity and are part of the postindustrial culture of self-awareness.


Al-'Adl ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 27
Author(s):  
Muhammad Alifuddin ◽  
Suarni Suarni

This research aims to describe the role of Muhammadiyah in law enforcement and human rights in Kendari. The main problem that becomes the focus of this study is: what is the role and form of Muhammadiyah involvement in encouraging human rights law enforcement efforts for the 26th September 2019 case in Kendari, and what factors have pushed Muhammadiyah to be involved in this problem? The study of the problem is based on qualitative data obtained through in-depth interviews, observation and document study. The collected data were analyzed using a data analysis mechanism developed by Miles and Hubermen combined with Von Eckartsberg's hermeneutic phenomenological approach. This study concludes: (1). Muhammadiyah as a social element of Islam in Kendari plays a significant role in encouraging the law enforcement process for humanitarian cases that cause the loss of human life. The indicator of this significant role is the success of the Muhammadiyah Advocate Team in bringing and forwarding the related cases to the general court until the Panel of Judges sentenced the defendant to 4 (years) in prison. Second: the form of Muhammadiyah's involvement in cases of law and human rights violations in Kendari is to provide assistance to victims and witnesses and to oversee the law enforcement process down to the court level. Third: the serious efforts shown by Muhammadiyah elements in guarding the process and law enforcement on the 26 September 2019 case cannot be separated from the basic ideology of the Muhammadiyah movement, namely the preaching of amar maruf nahi munkar.


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