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Differential Expectations Of Student Performance On Occupational Skill Assessment Among Industry Practitioners: A Pennsylvania Example, Paul M. Munyofu

Online Journal for Workforce Education and Development

Assessments in occupational competency were developed and administered by the National Occupational Competency Testing Institute (NOCTI). The written components of these tests were criterion-referenced benchmarked by industry representatives and career and technical education instructors using the Nedelsky method, utilizing from 12 to 15 participants for each Job Ready test. The purpose of this study was to determine if there were any statistically significant differences in predicted cut scores between career and technical education instructors and their respective industry representatives. An analysis of the results indicated that the estimated p-value item difficulty as determined by industry representatives was higher than that …

Webster's Dictionary Definition Of Creativity, Joyce R. Robinson

Online Journal for Workforce Education and Development

Creativity is considered important for our society to maintain its current economic status. Creativity is the key to achieving a better standard of living; this makes creativity an important element in a student's education. One factor that limits the capability to respond to educational needs is the lack of agreement about what the term creativity means. One source used to determine the correct meaning of a word is the dictionary. A longitudinal review of the definitions of creativity was conducted in dictionaries dating back to the 1950's. Nineteen dictionaries dating from 1953 to 2008 were reviewed. Although terms are updated …

Employer Perceptions Of Graduates Of The United States Land Grant University System's Workforce Preparation, Antoine J. Alston, Wilfred Cromartie, Chastity Warren English, Dexter Wakefield

Online Journal for Workforce Education and Development

The purpose of this study was to analyze the perceptions of employers of land-grant college graduates regarding their preparation for entry-level positions in the agricultural sector in relation to specific competencies. Overall it was found that land grant university graduates were prepared in the areas of interpersonal, communication, problem-solving, technology, decision-making, and management skills, in addition to technical competence. In order to ensure that Land-Grant college graduates reach higher levels of preparation in the aforementioned areas, it was recommended in general that curriculum revisions be made.

Identification Of Selected Factors That Impact The Preparation Of Cte Teachers, Howard R. D. Gordon

Online Journal for Workforce Education and Development

Career and technical education (CTE) has remained a dynamic entity in the world of education since its inception. The changes in the 1990s have made significant advancements in the image and validity of career and technical education programs. These programs have become an important factor of economy and social growth worldwide. The success of students begins with how they are educated and the quality and training of their teachers. Improving teacher quality will be important if CTE is expected to alter its mission. The availability, experience, priorities, and selected practices of teachers can be expected to affect quality of instruction. …

Measuring The Effects Of Interpersonal Training For The Workforce, Mario Martinez, Cecilia Maldonado, Derek Lester

Online Journal for Workforce Education and Development

This study assesses the cumulative effect of a training curriculum focused on teamwork, which was delivered to technical employees in a multinational organization. Employees were given a 10-item survey prior to the training and four months after the survey. Several aspects of the literature were incorporated into the design of the curriculum and analysis of the results: content was tailored toward the employees’ environment, management was asked to promote the training to contribute to a positive climate, and assessment was deferred by four months to maximize the chance that employees might implement the lessons from the training into practice. The …

Establishing A System To Evaluate Assessments Of Student Occupational Skill Attainment, Paul M. Munyofu

Online Journal for Workforce Education and Development

The state of Pennsylvania has been engaged in training students and assessing their Occupational Skills attainment for many decades (Kapes, 2001). Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) established a system of recognizing high achievement through a Skill Certificate Program which utilized 14 national and local tests. Initially the Commonwealth established a Pass/Fail decision process for one such test outlined in a report entitled: An Evaluation of Pennsylvania Occupational Competency Written Exams Administered During 1975-78 (Kapes and Funk, 1978). However there was no system in place for evaluating and approving tests. The project in this document outlines the process for establishing and …

Met Expectations Hypothesis: The Use Of Direct Measures To Develop Participant Surveys, Claretha H. Banks

Online Journal for Workforce Education and Development

This study uses met expectations hypothesis, a form of expectancy theory, to develop survey instruments to identify and compare the goals, expectations, and perceived outcomes developers held for the Faculty Development Institute (FDI). Theories including self-perception, and personal recall were also reviewed with regards to how individuals make decisions. The developers had similar expectations for the outcomes during and/or immediately following the initial FDI workshop, but differed in their expectations of the long-term outcomes. The survey instrument can be used within Workforce Development to enhance research efforts with regards to designing and developing evaluation instruments for training programs to successfully …

The Historical Development Of Program Evaluation: Exploring Past And Present, R. Lance Hogan

Online Journal for Workforce Education and Development

The purpose of this article is to present the historical development and significant contributions leading to the current status of the program evaluation field. Program evaluation has been defined as “judging the worth or merit of something or the product of the process” (Scriven, 1991, p. 139). Guskey (2000) updated this definition stating that evaluation is a systematic process used to determine the merit or worth of a specific program, curriculum, or strategy in a specific context. The author describes seven significant time periods in the development of program evaluation and identifies five evaluation approaches currently used by practitioners. This …

Teaching Political Savvy As A Workforce Skill, V. Marie Vicher

Online Journal for Workforce Education and Development

The theoretical framework for this article is based on Charismatic Leadership Theory. This article reflects recent research (including the popular business press) in the area of political skills. Political skill is defined as political astuteness and social intelligence in the workplace; political savvy assumes the existence and inevitability of “office politics”. Based on this research the case is made for educating our future workforce in political savvy. A basic model for curriculum development is included specifically for teaching political savvy in a classroom.

A Framework For Managing Training Programs To Enhance Organizational Operation Performance, Vichet Sum

Online Journal for Workforce Education and Development

As training is a powerful means and plays an important role in improving organizational performance and competitiveness, training management deserves more emphasis. Managing training means to plan, implement, and monitor/evaluate training program to support (organization’s strategy, goals and objectives) and enhance organizational performance and competitiveness. Therefore, the objective of this study is to propose a framework for managing training to enhance organizational operation performance. Extensive discussions with subject experts who are professors of Human Resource Development and Adult Education as well as members of the American Society for Training and Development-Eastern Idaho Chapter, and personal experiences were used for developing …

A Model For Career Planning In Healthcare: Investing In A Career Development Program Will Retain Workers For Growth, Robert C. Wilkes, Sharon J. Bartley

Online Journal for Workforce Education and Development

Organizations face projected shortages in their workforces due to retirement compounded by the realized forecasted gap of skilled workers available to fill positions. The additional strain of tremendous growth in the healthcare industry adds to the workforce shortage to create vacancies that threaten survival for many hospitals. To prepare for this turbulent future, we suggest that hospitals create career development programs to retain key workers, build their existing workforce to meet future needs, and remain competitive. Healthcare organizations taking these proactive steps to promote career development will prepare their workforce for future growth, increase their ability to achieve organizational goals, …

From The Editor, Alvin R. Putnam

Online Journal for Workforce Education and Development

No abstract provided.

Small Group Test Of The Personal Response System (Prs) In A Behavioral Science Graduate Research Methods Course, Beth Winfrey Freeburg, Karima Hana

Online Journal for Workforce Education and Development

Personal response system (PRS) is an infrared frequency “clicker” system which promotes active, engaged learning in the classroom while collecting individual student responses to questions and statements electronically. The purpose of this study was to describe the use of the Personal Response System in a behavioral sciences graduate research methods course. The study explored how the use of PRS as game-based learning increases students’ engagement. Qualitative and quantitative data are collected. The following elements are analyzed: engagement in research topics, participation, perceptions, opinions, and grades of 29 participants. The results are reported and discussed in the context of student engagement.

The Effects Of Psychosocial Factors On Career And Workforce Development For Students With Learning Disabilities, Stephanie L. Lusk, Dominick Fazarro

Online Journal for Workforce Education and Development

Individuals with learning disabilities are at a disadvantage when it comes to career and workforce development. Certain factors such as socioeconomic factors, parent’s educational level and occupations, as well as grade point average and previous work/volunteer experience affect factors that are imperative to the successful transition from school to work such as decision making, problem solving and career exploration. This segment of the population holds much potential for the advancement of our workforce and economy; however, they seem to be an untapped resource even though certain laws and incentives have been put into place to increase the hiring of these …

Does Generation Status Matter? An Examination Of Latino College Completers, Cecilia Maldonado

Online Journal for Workforce Education and Development

Attendance and graduation rates of Latinos in institutions of higher education in the United States are improving. Educational attainment is critical to upward mobility in the labor market (Kao & Thompson, 2003; Erlach, 2000; Morales, 2000). College completion rates and earning a degree are significant predictors of earning potential and occupational choice (Morales, 2000). The Latino population is growing faster than any other group and has the highest (35.5%) proportion of people younger than age 18 (NCLR, 2001; U.S. Census Bureau, 2000; Schmidt, 2003). This paper reports the results of a descriptive and inferential study, which examined Latino college completers …

They Should Have Thought About The Consequences: The Crisis Of Cognitivism And A Second Chance For Behavior Analysis, Geir Overskeid

The Psychological Record

Cognitivism has dominated mainstream psychology for decades, but lately its position has been weakened. It has been criticized not only by behavior analysts but also by social and evolutionary psychologists, neuroscientists, and authors who are or used to be cognitivists themselves. At the same time, psychologists and neuroscientists in several fields are now rediscovering the necessity of understanding behavior in light of its functional relations. Hence a need for relevant knowledge is felt. Cognitive psychology has little to offer in this regard. Behavior analysis, on the other hand, possesses a wealth of relevant facts and theory. Though chances seem slight …

Servant Leadership: A Review Of Literature, Clay Brewer

Online Journal for Workforce Education and Development

The philosophical foundation of servant leadership existed thousands of years ago. Servant leadership is a unique style of leadership ideology which flows against the grain of self-interest human behavior. America’s financial collapse has created need for leaders to unite with followers and defy the trade and industry meltdown. Servant leadership values reflect and heal the organizational needs necessary in pioneering the road to recovery from the economic recession. In this paper, servant leadership is characterized by listening, empathy, healing, awareness, persuasion, conceptualizing, foresight, stewardship, commitment to growth, and community building (Spears, 2004). The application of servant leadership principles creates increased …

Instructional Needs Of Part-Time Community College Instructors, Michael Morthland

Online Journal for Workforce Education and Development

The recent economic down-turn and the loss of employment across the country has resulted in increased enrollment at the post-secondary level as displaced workers earnestly attempt to acquire new skills in order to obtain employment. Community Colleges are one such place displaced workers are seeking to improve their skills as evidenced by increased enrollments across the country. Legislation has also been proposed to increase their funding as a result of this enrollment.

Part-time instructors account for nearly 67% of the faculty at the community college level (Christensen, 2008) but the literature indicates this faculty often lacks the necessary curriculum development, …

Revisiting The Occupational Work Ethic Inventory: A Classical Item Analysis, Paul E. Brauchle, Md. Shafiqul Azam

Online Journal for Workforce Education and Development

Self-rated work attitudes of employees (N=492) from six randomly selected manufacturing companies were obtained using the Occupational Work Ethic Inventory (OWEI) (Petty, 1995b). Many respondents failed to answer the item with the descriptor apathetic or marked the highest level of response on a 1-7 Likert-type scale. The suitability of this item was investigated using a comparison of average inter-item correlations, comparison of item-scale correlations, and an internal consistency analysis. The item with the descriptor apathetic failed to demonstrate evidence to support its inclusion in the instrument. It was concluded that this item should be dropped from the scale and replaced …

An Examination Of The Self-Efficacy Theory Effect On The Recruitment And Training Of The 21st Century Worker, Becky S. Robinson

Online Journal for Workforce Education and Development

The 21st century American worker faces challenges unprecedented in his or her lifetime. The newly expanded global marketplace creates opportunities for employers to produce and sell products and services to more individuals and countries than ever before. However, the pressure of the new global economy places the burden on American employers to transform processes to be highly efficient and productive to remain competitive. Many American employers actively seek to recruit and train skilled employees worldwide who can meet their corporate need for profitability.

The American job seeker faces shifting local labor market industries, changing job titles and job descriptions, and …

Trainer Burnout: Causes And Cures, C. Keith Waugh

Online Journal for Workforce Education and Development

Burnout among trainers is a pervasive problem that has received little attention. What is causing it? What can trainers do about it? This article discusses the lack of organizational support for training as a major source of stress leading to trainer burnout, ways to prevent trainer burnout, and ways to alleviate its debilitating effects.

Building Math Confidence In Classroom Learning Using Microsoft Excel, Yun Shi

Online Journal for Workforce Education and Development

Math anxiety is experienced by students across disciplines and is believed to have reduced students’ career options, particularly in science and technology. Many factors contribute to this malady. Instructors, with their responsibilities and resources, should strive to exert a positive impact on their students in building math confidence in classroom teaching. The purpose of this study focused on whether positive reinforcement enhanced students’ ability to deal with math and math-related problem solving skills. Using Microsoft Excel as a tool, students were encouraged to build their math confidence by working on application exercises designed to be meaningful and practical. Implications of …

What Is Your Learning Style Preference? A Look At Industrial Technology And Agriculture Students, Dominick Fazarro, Edmond Buckner

Online Journal for Workforce Education and Development

This study examined the learning style preferences of sophomore, junior, and senior African American college students majoring in Agriculture, and Industrial Technology at a historically black university. The Productivity Environmental Preference Survey (PEPS) which was used to examine the learning style preferences. ANOVA was used to ascertain what learning styles preferences were and to determine if there were any differences between the learning preferences in the chosen major in the study. The alpha level was set at .05. The findings revealed for the majors: 1) Industrial Technology majors, preferred light, auditory, time of day, and mobility. 2) Agriculture majors preferred …

Toward An Interdisciplinary Science Of Culture, Linda J. Hayes, Mitch J. Fryling

The Psychological Record

Cultural events are of interest to scientists working in many scientific domains. Given this, an interdisciplinary science of culture may provide a more thorough understanding of cultural phenomena. However, interdisciplinary sciences depend upon the validity and vitality of the participating disciplines. This article reviews the nature of scientific enterprises and problematic conceptualizations of interdisciplinary science from an interbehavioral perspective. Metasystemic and systemic foundations for an interdisciplinary science of culture are proposed.

Sketch Of J. R. Kantor’S Psychological Interbehavioral Field Theory, Dennis J. Delprato, Noel W. Smith

The Psychological Record

We provide a sketch of J. R. Kantor’s (1959, 1971) psychological interbehavioral field (IBF) theory by identifying 9 essential points and briefly discussing each. The main emphasis of this sketch is on the foundation of Kantor’s thinking, the IBF. Suggestions for further study are provided.

The Empathy Imbalance Hypothesis Of Autism: A Theoretical Approach To Cognitive And Emotional Empathy In Autistic Development, Adam Smith

The Psychological Record

There has been a widely held belief that people with autism spectrum disorders lack empathy. This article examines the empathy imbalance hypothesis (EIH) of autism. According to this account, people with autism have a deficit of cognitive empathy but a surfeit of emotional empathy. The behavioral characteristics of autism might be generated by this imbalance and a susceptibility to empathic overarousal. The EIH builds on the theory of mind account and provides an alternative to the extreme-male-brain theory of autism. Empathy surfeit is a recurrent theme in autistic narratives, and empirical evidence for the EIH is growing. A modification of …

Theory Of Mind: An Overview And Behavioral Perspective, Henry D. Schlinger, Jr.

The Psychological Record

Theory of mind (ToM) refers to the ability of an individual to make inferences about what others may be thinking or feeling and to predict what they may do in a given situation based on those inferences. Discussions of ToM focus almost exclusively on inferred cognitive structures and processes and shed little light on the actual behaviors involved. In this article, I (a) selectively overview the literature on ToM, (b) suggest that the behavioral relations referred to by ToM scholars can be described and explained parsimoniously within the theoretical framework of behavior analysis, (c) argue that the verbal behaviors that …

The Daily Egyptian, August 11, 2010, Daily Egyptian Staff

August 2010

No abstract provided.

Networking Networkers: An Initial Exploration Of The Patterns Of Collaboration Among The Members Of A New Community In Political Science, Ramiro Berardo

Working Papers

No abstract provided.

The Daily Egyptian, August 05. 2010, Daily Egyptian Staff

August 2010

No abstract provided.