title: Students' transitions into initial teacher education: Understanding barriers and enablers through an ecological lens

authors: Amundsen, Diana Leigh

abstract: This paper presents a small-scale qualitative investigation which explored early first-year transition experiences of pre-service teacher students. The study took place in one university in Aotearoa New Zealand, involving 24 students and three co-researchers from a Faculty of Education. Perceptions of students’ transition experiences were gathered through an essay task six weeks into the first semester; data were analysed using Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) ecological theory to identify barriers and enablers related to students’ transition experiences in various contexts. Diverse transitions accounts of ‘becoming a pre-service teacher student’ were analysed as being complex and intertwined with historical, social, cultural and political elements. These findings have implications for providers and educators of pre-service teacher programmes. Purposeful application of Bronfenbrenner’s theory to identify, name and understand how various transition barriers and enablers impact wellbeing and resilience could open up a more visible, shared and understood transition experience.

text: Students' transitions into initial teacher education: Understanding barriers and enablers through an ecological lens This paper presents a small-scale qualitative investigation which explored early first-year transition experiences of pre-service teacher students. The study took place in one university in Aotearoa New Zealand, involving 24 students and three co-researchers from a Faculty of Education. Perceptions of students’ transition experiences were gathered through an essay task six weeks into the first semester; data were analysed using Bronfenbrenner’s (1979) ecological theory to identify barriers and enablers related to students’ transition experiences in various contexts. Diverse transitions accounts of ‘becoming a pre-service teacher student’ were analysed as being complex and intertwined with historical, social, cultural and political elements. These findings have implications for providers and educators of pre-service teacher programmes. Purposeful application of Bronfenbrenner’s theory to identify, name and understand how various transition barriers and enablers impact wellbeing and resilience could open up a more visible, shared and understood transition experience.

year: 2021

title: Lessons from literature: How to manage staff turnover in hotels?

authors: Mohsin, Asad

subjects: staff turnover

abstract: The aim of this study is to review research and discusses the phenomenon of staff turnover generally, its impact and how it has been managed in the hotel industry specifically? As stated by Step Business Builders (2010) “... once businesses determined the future of the workforce, now the workforce determines the future of the business”. It might be beyond the scope of this study to capture all the literature on staff turnover hence the focus is on that in last 25 years, how the research has helped to understand this phenomenon? And what lessons the hotel industry could learn to manage this process? To make an effective analysis some information is drawn from the literature prior to 1990 with a multidisciplinary approach.  In order to effectively meet the objectives of the study, a critical analysis is undertaken with regard to turnover culture in hospitality industry, factors and issues that impact staff turnover globally with specificity of the situation in New Zealand.  The study notes that staff turnover is not just a management issue from a micro-environment perspective of a company, but it is also affected by macro-environmental factors outside the organization such as economic conditions.  For example in New Zealand’s domestic market and in the international market, since 2007 the staff turnover rates have slightly dropped due to the economic recession.  Employees are not feeling confident in ‘actively’ seeking a better job. Current study attempts to understand the turnover issues from both the industry and the personnel perspective and makes suggestions for future practice and research.

text: Lessons from literature: How to manage staff turnover in hotels? The aim of this study is to review research and discusses the phenomenon of staff turnover generally, its impact and how it has been managed in the hotel industry specifically? As stated by Step Business Builders (2010) “... once businesses determined the future of the workforce, now the workforce determines the future of the business”. It might be beyond the scope of this study to capture all the literature on staff turnover hence the focus is on that in last 25 years, how the research has helped to understand this phenomenon? And what lessons the hotel industry could learn to manage this process? To make an effective analysis some information is drawn from the literature prior to 1990 with a multidisciplinary approach.  In order to effectively meet the objectives of the study, a critical analysis is undertaken with regard to turnover culture in hospitality industry, factors and issues that impact staff turnover globally with specificity of the situation in New Zealand.  The study notes that staff turnover is not just a management issue from a micro-environment perspective of a company, but it is also affected by macro-environmental factors outside the organization such as economic conditions.  For example in New Zealand’s domestic market and in the international market, since 2007 the staff turnover rates have slightly dropped due to the economic recession.  Employees are not feeling confident in ‘actively’ seeking a better job. Current study attempts to understand the turnover issues from both the industry and the personnel perspective and makes suggestions for future practice and research.

year: 2013

title: Iwi, institutes, societies & community led initiatives

authors: Whaanga, Hēmi

abstract: With the rapid evolution, innovation and incredible growth of ICT, the avenues to exchange, access, manage, create, disseminate, display and research Indigenous data and Mātauranga Māori have increased at astounding rates. This generation, often referred to as ‘digital natives', ‘homo zappiëns’, ‘Net generation’, ‘millennials’, ‘i-generation’ (see, for example Akçayır, Dündar, & Akçayır, 2016; Kirschner & De Bruyckere, 2017; Prensky, 2001; Yong & Gates, 2014), have been raised, immersed and exposed to a myriad of digital technologies, video games, computers, digital music players and cellular phones during their brief lifetimes. Technologies have dramatically transformed how each generation access, communicate, share knowledge, distribute and view information. Social networks like Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Reddit, Pinterest, Tumblr and social networking apps such as Messenger, WhatsApp, WeChat, QQ Chat, QZone, Viber, LINE, and Snapchat, with billons of active users per month, are as familiar to this generation as was the radio, television and landline telephones to the Baby Boomers who grew up with pre-cellphone mobile technology.

text: Iwi, institutes, societies & community led initiatives With the rapid evolution, innovation and incredible growth of ICT, the avenues to exchange, access, manage, create, disseminate, display and research Indigenous data and Mātauranga Māori have increased at astounding rates. This generation, often referred to as ‘digital natives', ‘homo zappiëns’, ‘Net generation’, ‘millennials’, ‘i-generation’ (see, for example Akçayır, Dündar, & Akçayır, 2016; Kirschner & De Bruyckere, 2017; Prensky, 2001; Yong & Gates, 2014), have been raised, immersed and exposed to a myriad of digital technologies, video games, computers, digital music players and cellular phones during their brief lifetimes. Technologies have dramatically transformed how each generation access, communicate, share knowledge, distribute and view information. Social networks like Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Reddit, Pinterest, Tumblr and social networking apps such as Messenger, WhatsApp, WeChat, QQ Chat, QZone, Viber, LINE, and Snapchat, with billons of active users per month, are as familiar to this generation as was the radio, television and landline telephones to the Baby Boomers who grew up with pre-cellphone mobile technology.

year: 2017