Three studies of how workers construct knowledge associated with vocational practice were examined within a framework classifying dispositions as interest, attitudes, and values. Findings suggest that dispositions are rooted in individual history and participation in communities of practice and that consideration of how cognitive structures…

Describes how the win-at-all-cost ethic is changing high school coaching, resulting in increased pressure on coaches and the exploitation of athletes. Coaches must find a balance between competition and character building. (LMI)

Evidence from one high school using merit pay to reward student retention was compared to that from another with traditional compensation. Difference-in-differences analysis implied that merit pay increased retention but had unintended consequences: no effect on grade point average, reduced average daily attendance, and increased percentage of…

Protocol-guided observations in 15 Israeli hospitals were used to grade nursing activities. The presence of nursing students in hospitals improved the quality of care provided by 67 nurses compared to their performance in the absence of students. (Contains 30 references.) (JOW)

In a quasi-experimental study, social skills training was offered to cooperative education students; 117 attended, 83 did not. Supervisors' performance evaluations were higher for the attendees on interpersonal effectiveness, promptness, and application; there were no differences on work knowledge, accuracy, quantity, promotion possibilities, or…

Explores how old and new training technologies are converging. Discusses the concept of integrated applications and provides a taxonomy of convergent enterprise applications for use with real-time workflow. (JOW)

Information systems professionals (n=163) completed measures of career anchors and outcomes (career/job satisfaction, job performance, perceived advancement prospects); 46% had multiple dominant anchors and these individuals did not have significantly different career outcomes than those with single dominant anchors. (Contains 26 references.) (SK)

Using data from a national nursing job analysis, performance of 189 nursing activities was computed for entry-level associate degree and bachelor's degree nursing graduates. Both performed routine activities most frequently and had similar lower frequencies for more complex or advanced skills. Differences in averages between the two groups were…

A study of 355 supervisor-supervisee pairs in Thai health centers found that female subordinates who perceived emotional, informational, and material support from supervisors received higher performance ratings. Perceived organizational support, self-efficacy, and workplace location were also associated with performance. (Contains 51 references.)…

A case study of quality circles in an appliance factory found that circle members and nonmembers obtained better working conditions by improving quality through the direct impact of their work on the company's market position. The study of the quality improvement process shows that workers seek more than psychological rewards for their…

Investigated personality characteristics of practicing rehabilitation counselors (n=56) and graduate counseling students (n=121). Identified personality styles as Modest, Patient, Sympathetic, Affiliating, Regulating, and Amicable. Found rehabilitation counselors significantly stronger in being team players, and handling job roles/functions…

Daily goals set by supervisors and feedback were used with three female application processors in a college admissions office. After 39 weeks, comparison with baseline data showed large increases in the amount of work done and decreases in overtime, use of temporaries, and absenteeism. (SK)

Describes Army's Project A attempt to model job performance in entry-level Army jobs. Describes research procedures used to develop basic array of up to 32 criterion scores for each of nine entry-level jobs and explains how this basic set of scores formed the starting point of attempt to model latent structure of performance in this population of…

Suggests that Bretz (in an earlier article) underestimated the usefulness of the college grade point average as a predictor of job success. Reviews recent findings concerning several predictors of job performance related to education. (Author/CH)

Assessed relationship between pay-for-performance perceptions and pay satisfaction among 104 hospital employees. Results indicated positive relationship between pay-for-performance perceptions and pay-raise satisfaction, pay-level satisfaction, and overall pay satisfaction even after effects of salary level, salary increases, performance ratings,…