title: Panel versus individual interviews: A meta-analytic investigation of employment interview validity

authors: Guilford, Justine Rebecca

abstract: Further analysis using a similar data set to the McDaniel, Whetzel, Schmidt and Maurer (1994) meta-analysis of employment interviews was performed in the present study, in order to investigate four possible causes for the apparent superiority of individual employment interviews. These causes included (a) criterion contamination of individual interview studies, (b) greater prevalence of psychologists performing individual interviews, (c) greater number of trained/experienced individual interviewers, and (d) greater prevalence of high proximity to target positions in individual interviews. A research question was also proposed to investigate whether all interview panel sizes were inferior to individual interviews in terms of validity. Meta-analyses using 204 job and training performance validity coefficients indicated that individual interviews were superior in validity to panel interviews, but only when the criterion was training performance. Training/experience was the only explanation for the superiority of individual interview validity, such that individual interviewers were more likely to be trained/experienced, suggesting that individual interview validity was superior as a result. The explanation that the use of psychologists in interviews may account for superior individual interview validity was only partially supported. While psychologists were more prevalent in individual interviews, individual interview validity was lower than that of panel interviews, when the criterion was job performance. Only when training was the criterion was individual interview validity higher when psychologists were interviewers. Two hypotheses were not supported. Firstly, there was no evidence of criterion contamination inflating individual interview validity. Secondly, no relationship between interviewer proximity and interview validity was found. Investigations of whether all panel sizes were inferior in terms of validity found that panel sizes of more than three members were superior in validity to individual interviews, when the criterion was job performance.

text: Panel versus individual interviews: A meta-analytic investigation of employment interview validity Further analysis using a similar data set to the McDaniel, Whetzel, Schmidt and Maurer (1994) meta-analysis of employment interviews was performed in the present study, in order to investigate four possible causes for the apparent superiority of individual employment interviews. These causes included (a) criterion contamination of individual interview studies, (b) greater prevalence of psychologists performing individual interviews, (c) greater number of trained/experienced individual interviewers, and (d) greater prevalence of high proximity to target positions in individual interviews. A research question was also proposed to investigate whether all interview panel sizes were inferior to individual interviews in terms of validity. Meta-analyses using 204 job and training performance validity coefficients indicated that individual interviews were superior in validity to panel interviews, but only when the criterion was training performance. Training/experience was the only explanation for the superiority of individual interview validity, such that individual interviewers were more likely to be trained/experienced, suggesting that individual interview validity was superior as a result. The explanation that the use of psychologists in interviews may account for superior individual interview validity was only partially supported. While psychologists were more prevalent in individual interviews, individual interview validity was lower than that of panel interviews, when the criterion was job performance. Only when training was the criterion was individual interview validity higher when psychologists were interviewers. Two hypotheses were not supported. Firstly, there was no evidence of criterion contamination inflating individual interview validity. Secondly, no relationship between interviewer proximity and interview validity was found. Investigations of whether all panel sizes were inferior in terms of validity found that panel sizes of more than three members were superior in validity to individual interviews, when the criterion was job performance.

year: 1997

title: Democracy vs. populism: the transformation of politics in Nigeria?

authors: Adeakin, Ibikunle

subjects: neo-liberal military-directed populism

abstract: Since the return of electoral democracy to Nigeria in 1999, two of the four elected presidents have been former military dictators who have stressed anti-corruption and national security policies in populist campaigns. As military dictators in previous years, they had instigated regimes that had practiced stern military discipline; as populists they have leaned toward these two policies. Reactions to civilian corruption and threats to national security have represented the primary military rationales for mil-itary intervention in the past. A popular vote in 2015 for former military dictator Gen- eral Muhammadu Buhari seems to have represented a continuing preference for popu- lism over democracy. We will examine the new populism in Nigeria, complicated as it is by questions of ethnicity, religion and military identity, with a view to explaining the like- ly outcome of the first peaceful transference of power from one political party to anoth- er in Africa’s most populous country.

text: Democracy vs. populism: the transformation of politics in Nigeria? Since the return of electoral democracy to Nigeria in 1999, two of the four elected presidents have been former military dictators who have stressed anti-corruption and national security policies in populist campaigns. As military dictators in previous years, they had instigated regimes that had practiced stern military discipline; as populists they have leaned toward these two policies. Reactions to civilian corruption and threats to national security have represented the primary military rationales for mil-itary intervention in the past. A popular vote in 2015 for former military dictator Gen- eral Muhammadu Buhari seems to have represented a continuing preference for popu- lism over democracy. We will examine the new populism in Nigeria, complicated as it is by questions of ethnicity, religion and military identity, with a view to explaining the like- ly outcome of the first peaceful transference of power from one political party to anoth- er in Africa’s most populous country.

year: 2017

title: The effectiveness of the silent way method in the teaching of Maori as a second language

authors: Mataira, Katerina

abstract: The socio-linguistic survey of Benton (1979) provides evidence to show that the continued existence of the Maori language is seriously threatened.

The national Department of Education is implementing a policy of Maori language and culture studies in schools, but the scale and depth of this commitment is restricted by limited resources and expertise. The schools alone cannot stem the threat to the Maori language.

Harnessing the resources within Maori communities would appear to be a necessary step toward language maintenance. The most useful of these resources are the native speakers of the Maori language.
A community-based training programme aimed at equipping such people for the teaching of Maori as a second language would provide a much needed facility for both community and school.

The only teacher training programme presently available to native speakers of the language is a one year course offered through Teachers Colleges. Since only a select few can avail themselves of this opportunity, there is a need for an alternative training programme which will cater for greater numbers and release more teachers into the community.

A community-based, on the job, periodic training programme with minimal disruptions to family life and work commitments, would probably be preferred to a long-term, institutionalised, away-from-home programme. Initially, the training programme might need to be quite specific, i.e. native speakers might be initiated into the use of a particular language teaching method and programme which has been planned, tested and found to be suitable.

Given a highly specific programme, trainees might be able to start·teaching after an initial short course of a week. Thereafter, training sessions could be paced and spaced so that teachers could continue to grow in strength and expertise as their experience increased.

The quest for a suitable method has been the focus of my studies for four years. It has brought me to investigate both the conventional and unconventional approaches to foreign language teaching, along with their linguistic, psychological and pedagogical bases. Of these a method which strikes me as having considerable potential as a teaching tool in the hands of native speakers, is Gattegno's Silent Way approach.

The experiment described in this thesis is part of the total investigation. It is an attempt to evaluate the effectiveness of the Silent Way as a teaching/learning instrument for second language acquisition. The teaching strategies of the Silent Way are measured against the opposing strategies of an eclectic approach.

Two Form I classes of randomly assigned pupils were used for the experiment. The Maori language was taught to Class S.W. using the Silent Way method, and to Class E. using an Eclectic method.

A total of 30 hours was used for the experiment, 20 hours for the language component and 10 hours for a culture component. Tests were administered to measure the achievement of subjects in the language areas of listening, speaking, writing and reading.

Significant differences between the groups were noted on all measures except on the measure for fluency. The children taught through the Silent Way method made significantly greater gains than the children taught through the Eclectic method.

text: The effectiveness of the silent way method in the teaching of Maori as a second language The socio-linguistic survey of Benton (1979) provides evidence to show that the continued existence of the Maori language is seriously threatened.

The national Department of Education is implementing a policy of Maori language and culture studies in schools, but the scale and depth of this commitment is restricted by limited resources and expertise. The schools alone cannot stem the threat to the Maori language.

Harnessing the resources within Maori communities would appear to be a necessary step toward language maintenance. The most useful of these resources are the native speakers of the Maori language.
A community-based training programme aimed at equipping such people for the teaching of Maori as a second language would provide a much needed facility for both community and school.

The only teacher training programme presently available to native speakers of the language is a one year course offered through Teachers Colleges. Since only a select few can avail themselves of this opportunity, there is a need for an alternative training programme which will cater for greater numbers and release more teachers into the community.

A community-based, on the job, periodic training programme with minimal disruptions to family life and work commitments, would probably be preferred to a long-term, institutionalised, away-from-home programme. Initially, the training programme might need to be quite specific, i.e. native speakers might be initiated into the use of a particular language teaching method and programme which has been planned, tested and found to be suitable.

Given a highly specific programme, trainees might be able to start·teaching after an initial short course of a week. Thereafter, training sessions could be paced and spaced so that teachers could continue to grow in strength and expertise as their experience increased.

The quest for a suitable method has been the focus of my studies for four years. It has brought me to investigate both the conventional and unconventional approaches to foreign language teaching, along with their linguistic, psychological and pedagogical bases. Of these a method which strikes me as having considerable potential as a teaching tool in the hands of native speakers, is Gattegno's Silent Way approach.

The experiment described in this thesis is part of the total investigation. It is an attempt to evaluate the effectiveness of the Silent Way as a teaching/learning instrument for second language acquisition. The teaching strategies of the Silent Way are measured against the opposing strategies of an eclectic approach.

Two Form I classes of randomly assigned pupils were used for the experiment. The Maori language was taught to Class S.W. using the Silent Way method, and to Class E. using an Eclectic method.

A total of 30 hours was used for the experiment, 20 hours for the language component and 10 hours for a culture component. Tests were administered to measure the achievement of subjects in the language areas of listening, speaking, writing and reading.

Significant differences between the groups were noted on all measures except on the measure for fluency. The children taught through the Silent Way method made significantly greater gains than the children taught through the Eclectic method.

year: 1980