Purpose: Methamphetamine (MA) addiction is a significant problem in rural areas of the United States. Yet, little theoretically driven formative research has been conducted on the interactions of factors influencing initiation. The study was guided by Bronfenbrenner's bioecological model. Methods: Eighty-three MA users participated in an…

A problematic trend in the nature of work in educational settings has been the declining emphasis on a professional orientation to work and a growing emphasis on more technocratic approaches. This international trend has led to increased attention on skills and competencies and lessened attention to values, beliefs, motivations, energy, and…

Purpose: To increase exercise adherence among insufficiently active adult employees. Design: A quasi-experimental separate samples pre-test-post-test group design was used to compare treatment and comparison group. Setting: The worksite. Subjects: Employees (n = 127) who did not meet current American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM)…

This article reports on research initiated by the trade union for lecturers and researchers in the UK, the University and College Union (UCU), which examined the pressures, concerns and positive aspects of being a member of research staff at one UK university. The findings are presented from the premise that university researchers are caught…

Purpose: The first aim of this study is to explore to what extent communities of practice occur in the school workplace. The second aim is to explore the relation between communities of practice and diversity in composition of teacher teams. Design/methodology/approach: Quantitative as well as qualitative data were gathered from seven teacher…

This paper presents an original approach to designing social media that support informal learning in the digital workplace. It adapts design-based research to take into account the embeddedness of interactions within digitally mediated work-based contexts. The approach is demonstrated through the design, implementation, and evaluation of software…

The practicum provides an opportunity for preservice teachers to apply knowledge and skills in actual classroom settings. Thus, it serves as a central component of virtually all teacher education programmes. This study focused the views of 16 preservice science teachers on their practicum experiences. Individual interviews were made to construct a…

The practical goal of graduate education is placement of graduates. But what does "placement" mean? Academics use the word without thinking much about it. "Placement" is a great keyword for the graduate-school enterprise. For one thing, its meaning certainly gives a purpose to graduate education. Furthermore, the word is a portal into the way of…

This article explores and illuminates the meaning of nurses' experiences with their work as a learning environment. A qualitative hermeneutic approach guided the research process and the analysis and interpretation of the transcribed interview-texts of eleven graduate nurses. Three core themes emerged from these informants' descriptions of their…

This purpose of the study is to examine perspectives of fulltime faculty at the School of Education in a major public research university on their socialization experiences to research. The institution offers several programs that socialize junior and senior faculty to many aspects of the faculty position, however, programs that are related to…

The purpose of this study was to explore some of the issues posed by the developers of the first National Nursing Assistant Survey (NNAS). One of the central issues was what factors influence job satisfaction among long-term care nursing assistants. Four areas that are more specific were investigated--initial employment decisions, initial training…

Graduate preparatory programs in student affairs usually include a graduate-assistantship experience. This experience is intended to expose students to valuable work experiences that will afford them the opportunity to apply theory to practice, as well as build professional competence. The underlying assumption is that this is primarily an…

Although quality of life (QoL) has been a highly investigated issue over the last decades, there is still little agreement on its definition, and even less information about the validity of its measurements in specific settings. Additionally, in complex institutions like a university, functional units such as academic department usually are more…

Well-designed and -equipped teacher workspaces provide the opportunity to improve student achievement at every step of their K-12 education. Shared workspace enhances communication among teachers as they evaluate student performance individually and collectively, and share insights with one another. This paper addresses the key elements found in…

While the importance of principals has long been recognized by educators and researchers, empirical studies on the effectiveness and distribution of principals have been undermined by the lack of data to study principals, their complex work, and their impact on school outcomes. In fact, "little systematic evidence exists about the…