title: Who says you can't judge a book by it's cover?

authors: Vanderschantz, Nicholas

subjects: book design

abstract: They say that first impressions are everything, so what impression do our books give us by the cover they have? Can we make a generalisation or gain a basic understanding of the content of a book from this first impression? There is much debate over the future of the book, with much of our understanding of how an electronic book should look and feel coming from generalisations about what a ‘book’ is and assumptions about the needs of those that read them. Little evidence exists regarding the physical properties or the use of a book to support these generalisations and to guide the development of future books. The printed book comes in an almost infinite number of proportions, sizes and variations, depending on the content which it must hold, or maybe depending on the whim of the designer. With hundreds of thousands of new printed books being published each year it is hard to generalise about what the ‘average’ book might be with the current paucity of research to support this. The data used in this research is sourced from a wider data collection sampled to give a broad impression of what our books “look like” and how we use them. Based on this audit of 880 books we are able to examine the age-old adage that one cannot judge a book by its cover. The design elements of type, image and colour all play a role in conveying an initial impression to the potential reader about what the volume may hold. Thus we ask, what does a book’s cover tell us about its use, its audience, and how it fits within an academic library classification system?

text: Who says you can't judge a book by it's cover? They say that first impressions are everything, so what impression do our books give us by the cover they have? Can we make a generalisation or gain a basic understanding of the content of a book from this first impression? There is much debate over the future of the book, with much of our understanding of how an electronic book should look and feel coming from generalisations about what a ‘book’ is and assumptions about the needs of those that read them. Little evidence exists regarding the physical properties or the use of a book to support these generalisations and to guide the development of future books. The printed book comes in an almost infinite number of proportions, sizes and variations, depending on the content which it must hold, or maybe depending on the whim of the designer. With hundreds of thousands of new printed books being published each year it is hard to generalise about what the ‘average’ book might be with the current paucity of research to support this. The data used in this research is sourced from a wider data collection sampled to give a broad impression of what our books “look like” and how we use them. Based on this audit of 880 books we are able to examine the age-old adage that one cannot judge a book by its cover. The design elements of type, image and colour all play a role in conveying an initial impression to the potential reader about what the volume may hold. Thus we ask, what does a book’s cover tell us about its use, its audience, and how it fits within an academic library classification system?

year: 2013

title: Job satisfaction of women teachers in Saudi private schools: Examining perceptions, challenges and teachers turnover

authors: Alsubaie, Hana

subjects: Job Satisfaction

abstract: This research is the first study thus far to investigate factors influencing the job satisfaction/dissatisfaction of women teachers in Saudi private schools, and the factors that prompt them to consider leaving or remaining in their jobs. As part of Saudi ‘Vision 2030’, the government is striving to improve the quality of its educational system. Teacher satisfaction is an integral part of these efforts as satisfied teachers are more committed, stay longer, and are better instructors. 
Using a qualitative approach, this study was underpinned by Herzberg’s two-factor theory and Maslow’s hierarchy of needs in exploring women teachers’ experiences in Saudi private schools. The results from interviewing 16 women teachers illustrated the limited applicability of Herzberg’s two-factor model and Maslow's hierarchy of needs to explicate the job satisfaction/dissatisfaction of the study participants. The applicability of Herzberg's theory was only insofar as the findings indicated that extrinsic and intrinsic factors influenced teachers’ level of job satisfaction. However, contrary to Herzberg's linking extrinsic factors specifically to dissatisfaction and intrinsic factors to satisfaction, the findings showed that factors affecting women teachers’ job satisfaction were a mix of extrinsic and intrinsic factors, with the extrinsic factors playing a more dominant role. Similarly, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs was not entirely applicable due to contextual issues which made the women’s experiences vary from Maslow's position that people seek higher-level needs after attaining lower-level needs. 
Furthermore, the study highlighted that teacher job satisfaction is very complex and goes beyond the work environment-based rational explanations. The findings showed that factors that prompted the women teachers to consider leaving or remaining in their jobs had less to do with satisfaction or dissatisfaction but more to do with social norms and the job market, which made staying at home a non-viable option. Remaining on the job, therefore, was a strategy to gain experience that would facilitate access to better public-school jobs or might result from the religious rationalisation of the teaching role. 
This investigation indicated that strategies to improve the job satisfaction of women teachers should focus beyond intrinsic factors such as opportunities for growth and participation in decisions affecting their work. Instead, strategies should include extrinsic factors such as pay and job security. In addition, the study indicated a need for more interventions by the Ministry of Education in private schools sector, such as: improving the governance of private schools, especially in terms of monitoring mechanisms; the need for private schools to revisit their conditions of service in view of the participating women’s experiences; and the need to decentralise decision-making in private schools to give teachers more responsibility and autonomy over their work. Also, employment policies in private schools should be clear and aligned with the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Labour’s requirements to improve general working conditions.

text: Job satisfaction of women teachers in Saudi private schools: Examining perceptions, challenges and teachers turnover This research is the first study thus far to investigate factors influencing the job satisfaction/dissatisfaction of women teachers in Saudi private schools, and the factors that prompt them to consider leaving or remaining in their jobs. As part of Saudi ‘Vision 2030’, the government is striving to improve the quality of its educational system. Teacher satisfaction is an integral part of these efforts as satisfied teachers are more committed, stay longer, and are better instructors. 
Using a qualitative approach, this study was underpinned by Herzberg’s two-factor theory and Maslow’s hierarchy of needs in exploring women teachers’ experiences in Saudi private schools. The results from interviewing 16 women teachers illustrated the limited applicability of Herzberg’s two-factor model and Maslow's hierarchy of needs to explicate the job satisfaction/dissatisfaction of the study participants. The applicability of Herzberg's theory was only insofar as the findings indicated that extrinsic and intrinsic factors influenced teachers’ level of job satisfaction. However, contrary to Herzberg's linking extrinsic factors specifically to dissatisfaction and intrinsic factors to satisfaction, the findings showed that factors affecting women teachers’ job satisfaction were a mix of extrinsic and intrinsic factors, with the extrinsic factors playing a more dominant role. Similarly, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs was not entirely applicable due to contextual issues which made the women’s experiences vary from Maslow's position that people seek higher-level needs after attaining lower-level needs. 
Furthermore, the study highlighted that teacher job satisfaction is very complex and goes beyond the work environment-based rational explanations. The findings showed that factors that prompted the women teachers to consider leaving or remaining in their jobs had less to do with satisfaction or dissatisfaction but more to do with social norms and the job market, which made staying at home a non-viable option. Remaining on the job, therefore, was a strategy to gain experience that would facilitate access to better public-school jobs or might result from the religious rationalisation of the teaching role. 
This investigation indicated that strategies to improve the job satisfaction of women teachers should focus beyond intrinsic factors such as opportunities for growth and participation in decisions affecting their work. Instead, strategies should include extrinsic factors such as pay and job security. In addition, the study indicated a need for more interventions by the Ministry of Education in private schools sector, such as: improving the governance of private schools, especially in terms of monitoring mechanisms; the need for private schools to revisit their conditions of service in view of the participating women’s experiences; and the need to decentralise decision-making in private schools to give teachers more responsibility and autonomy over their work. Also, employment policies in private schools should be clear and aligned with the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Labour’s requirements to improve general working conditions.

year: 2023

title: Supervising research in Māori cultural contexts: a decolonizing, relational response

authors: Berryman, Mere

abstract: We have collaborated for 25 years as indigenous Māori and non- Māori researchers undertaking research with Māori families, their schools and communities. We have endeavored to meet our responsibilities to the Māori people (indigenous inhabitants of New Zealand) and communities with whom we have researched, as well as meet the requirements and responsibilities of our academic institutions. In this paper, we reflect on the implications of these responsibilities for our work as supervisors of master’s and doctoral students (Māori and non-Māori) who seek to draw on decolonizing methodologies as they undertake research in Māori cultural contexts. We draw on the experiences and interactions we have had with four different postgraduate students whose research on improving educational outcomes for Māori students has required them to engage and participate in Māori cultural contexts.

text: Supervising research in Māori cultural contexts: a decolonizing, relational response We have collaborated for 25 years as indigenous Māori and non- Māori researchers undertaking research with Māori families, their schools and communities. We have endeavored to meet our responsibilities to the Māori people (indigenous inhabitants of New Zealand) and communities with whom we have researched, as well as meet the requirements and responsibilities of our academic institutions. In this paper, we reflect on the implications of these responsibilities for our work as supervisors of master’s and doctoral students (Māori and non-Māori) who seek to draw on decolonizing methodologies as they undertake research in Māori cultural contexts. We draw on the experiences and interactions we have had with four different postgraduate students whose research on improving educational outcomes for Māori students has required them to engage and participate in Māori cultural contexts.

year: 2017