Universitetet i Agder: UiA Journal System
Not a member yet
368 research outputs found
Sort by
What Does it Take to Make a Workplace Just and Green? Systemic Human Factors Approach
No full textHalting environmental degradation requires workplaces to undergo a profound shift towards ecologically sustainable work that challenges customary growthoriented thinking and holds justice and the well-being of workers as a core value. Structures and practices of workplaces provide a critical link through which this transition could be achieved. However, there is a lack of clear and systemic definition and an easily applicable model to guide workplaces to become both just and green. In this paper, we aim to define the key characteristics of a just green workplace by using human factors/ergonomics (HF/E) as the underlying theoretical approach. Humans are positioned as the core component across all system levels. Thus, we posit that the HF/E approach can serve as a fundamental building block for just green workplaces. It helps shift the focus of the currently prevailing technology-, administration- and (de)growth-oriented green transition towards one that is more human-centric, contextually aware, as well as competence- and developmentally oriented. We apply a HF/E Tool to two case examples from different sectors to demonstrate the systemic, underlying factors of just green work at the individual, work, group, and organisational levels. Based on the findings, we present criteria and recommendations for a just green workplace. In addition, the value and development needs of the HF/E approach in fostering sustainability are discussed.
Keywords: just green transition; human factors; systemic thinking; change; environment;sustainability; organisational developmen
“A small piece of my heart remained”: In-service foreign language teachers’ perspectives on short-term mobility in continuous professional development
No full textBased on the need for qualified French, German and Spanish teachers in Norway, a continuous professional development (CPD) programme for in-service teachers was developed by six universities in Norway, France, Germany and Spain. The hybrid course design includes weekly online sessions, one physical seminar in Norway and short-term mobility involving one week abroad per semester. This article discusses how the professional development of 25 teachers, in terms of intercultural competence (IC), language learning and subject didactic knowledge (SDK), is influenced by short-term mobility. Interviews with the participants were subject to content analysis and discussed through the lens of intercultural theory and literature on CPD education. The findings indicate that hybrid course design is vital for the participants’ professional development. Short-term mobility is particularly salient to the teachers’ motivation and their development of IC, language learning and SDK. Meeting the same instructors online and on site increases the participants’ sense of security and fosters a community of practice. The study has implications for the organisation of CPD programmes and addresses the gap in knowledge regarding the role of short-term mobility in CPD programmes for in-service foreign language teachers in Norway and internationally
A design framework for ecosystems that facilitate continuous employee skill development: A theoretical integration of interorganisational skills learning communities, modern sociotechnical systems, and network theory
No full textIn today’s dynamic business landscape, the continuous development of employee skills is an important driver for innovation and performance in the workplace. However, employee skillsets are often inadequate, posing a challenge for organisational innovativeness and performance. Although concepts and instruments at the organisational level are helpful, organisations need additional methods to facilitate continuous skill development. Interorganisational skills learning communities (ISLCs) have recently emerged in Europe to address this need, presenting a promising approach to enhance employee skill development. Nevertheless, designers and employees face significant challenges in ensuring long-term skill development through ISLCs. Treating ISLCs as dynamic interorganisational ecosystems that must adapt to changing contexts is essential, but learning community literature currently lacks specification on how adaptive and effective ISLCs can be designed.
In the present paper, we present a novel and comprehensive ISLC design framework underpinned by modern-sociotechnical systems theory (MSTS), network theory, and state-of-the-art literature on skills learning communities. Accordingly, an adaptable and effective ISLC can be achieved through (1) distinction of different design levels, (2) distinction between design of a learning structure and governance structure, (3) pursuit of a specific design sequence, (4) clusters of micro learning communities (LCs), and (5) an iterative, interactive and multi-level design of feedback loops. The resulting design framework breaks new ground for interorganisational learning community theory-building and offers a novel direction for researchers, HRD practitioners and policy makers to address HRD problems in today’s changing business environment. More research should be conducted on the validation of this conceptual design framework.
Keywords: interorganisational skills learning communities (ISLC), ecosystems, modernsociotechnicalsystems (MSTS), network theory, workplace innovation, continuous skill development, Industry 5.0
Green Skill and Justice
No full textThis paper is written from within a series of concurrent discourses and dialogues over the last 50 years, when I have been a researcher, research manager, writer and editor. This meant starting from a UK perspective of Skill and Justice, with the work of John Bellers, then moving to Scandinavia, and ending with a European synthesis and international systematisation, where we can regard our ongoing differences as a crucial resource for sustainable development.
Keywords: Action Research, Collaboration, Development Coalition, Dialogue, Differences,Justice, Skill, Systematisation, Transitio
Identifying the potential for green jobs and associated skills needs: Methodological concepts applied to the South African coal mining industry.
No full textThe idea of green growth holds much promise but also much uncertainty. It is hard to predict what new jobs might emerge, what new skills will be needed, and just how to achieve a transition that is socially inclusive and economically feasible, while shifting entire systems towards greater environmental sustainability. How should organisations respond, so as to benefit from and contribute to green growth? Based on research to identify environmental skills needed in the South African mining industry, and other sectors, this paper proposes a number of methodological innovations. One is to expand the standard value chain analysis, by using a critical realist methodology that also looks for absences: value that should be there but is currently destroyed or untapped. An example is the restoration of mined land, a form of regenerative economy with the potential to reduce value destruction and create new social, economic and ecological value. Identifying such leverage points can show up the possibility of new or reconfigured jobs in the transitions to more sustainable development, in this case a transition away from coal. Another innovation involves the identification of the associated skills requirements. More than technical skills are needed, but just what do so-called ‘soft skills’ entail, and how can they be developed? The paper concludes with tools to apply at organisational level for green skills needs analysis, using a framework of technical, relational and transformational competencies, in support of the quest for green growth in senescent or at-risk value chains.
Keywords: sustainable development, value chain analysis, leverage points, mine restoration,relational and transformational competencie
Capturing Remote Online Teaching Practices within Swedish as a Second Language Context through the Lens of TPACK
No full textThis article investigates the adoption of remote teaching practices within Swedish as a second language courses in adult education, with a focus on teachers´ experiences during and after emergency transition to remote teaching. With the aim of understanding how teachers adopt and adapt remote teaching practices, semi-structured interviews with six in-service teachers from governmental adult education schools in Sweden were carried out. Interviews were deductively analysedbased on the knowledge components in the TPACK framework (Mishra & Koehler, 2006) to provide a comprehensive understanding of how teachers use their technological, pedagogical and content knowledge to facilitate a remote learning environment for language skill development. Findings reveal the complexities of remote teaching adoption in second language context. Yet, personalised teaching practice, adaptive feedback practices, and digital platforms for assessment and course content design, appear to be valuable to enhance remote teaching sessions. Additionally, contextual factors that shape teachers' remote teaching practice were identified highlighting the interplay between context levels. The findings broadly contribute to the wider conversations in technology-based teaching practices and inform enhancing remote teaching practice for second language teaching
Strengthening L3-German in Norway: The role of the study-week abroad for in-service teachers’ professional development programmes
No full textWhile the benefits of student FL-teachers’ study abroad programmes are generally well researched, the evidence on the development of in-service (language) teachers during (short term) study abroad programmes is more limited, especially for languages other than English (Gleeson & Tait, 2012, p. 1145). This is partly due to the fact that student exchanges have a much longer tradition than international teacher exchanges or CPD programmes (continuing professional development programmes), and that programmes such as COMENIUS and ERASMUS+ School have a different organisational structure (cf. Hascher & Weyringer, 2010). In our paper, we investigate to what extent our special Study Week concept was successful.
In order to explore the changes in (1) motivation, (2) awareness building and (3) knowledge in the participants, diary data, notes from focus discussions and tutors’ reports were analysed using qualitative content analysis. The data provide information about a network of factors that control motivation and awareness building, thus strengthening the dimension of creating a stimulating learning environment and enabling the growth of a community of learners. We show how a Training-cum-Exposure (TcE) design of the study week’s programme enables this successful development in a daily grid of training, exposure, reflection and social feedback phases
Obituary : Professor Richard Ennals
No full textWe are deeply saddened by news of the death of Professor Richard Ennals, a distinguished social scientist and activist. Richard's contributions to the fields of workplace innovation, action research, and education have left an indelible mark on those who encountered his work, and especially on those who knew him
Fremmedsprogsangst i tyskundervisningen. En kvantitativ og kvalitativ undersøgelse af taleangst fra STX-gymnasieelevers perspektiv
No full textArtiklen tager udgangspunkt i mit speciale fra Københavns Universitet, institut for Engelsk, Germansk og Romansk, der blev afsluttet d. 31.05.2024 under vejledning af Petra Daryai-Hansen og Annika Milena Schimpff. Specialets resultater vil også blive formidlet i WissensWert (Rask, 2025). Ved interesse for at læse hele specialet kan man henvende sig til mig via den oplyste mail. Artiklen undersøger hvorfor og hvordan, STX-gymnasieelever med tysk fortsættersprog B oplever fremmedsprogsangst i undervisningen. Fremmedsprogsangst inddeles i testangst, social angst og taleangst, hvor nærværende artikel fokuserer på sidstnævnte. Årsager til taleangst afgrænses til at omhandle personelle- og interpersonelle bekymringer samt overbevisninger om fremmedsprogstilegnelse. Herudover undersøges hvordan angsten kommer til udtryk med udgangspunkt i en model, der blev udviklet i specialet, samt i hvilke talesituationer eleverne oplever et højere niveau af frygt. Datagrundlanget består af elevbesvarelser fra en spørgeskemaundersøgelse samt semistrukturerede interviews. Analysen peger på et overtal af elever, der er enige i flere udsagn, som tager udgangspunkt i taleangst. Den største bekymring blandt elevernes svar er relateret til klassekammeraternes og lærerens bedømmelse, som operationaliseres gennem karakterer. Elevernes bekymringer udgør en betydelig hæmmende barriere for deres mundtlige deltagelse og læring i tyskundervisningen, som understreger emnets relevans. 
A Pilot Study on the Effects of a Task Analysis Training Program on Self-Efficacy and Work Engagement in Disability Welfare Facility Staff
No full textThis study examined the effects of a task analysis training program on Organizational-Based Self-Esteem (OBSE) and Work Engagement (WE) among staff at disability welfare facilities. The training program consisted of two interactive sessions, workplace implementation phases, and a follow-up evaluation. Participants selected a workplace task for improvement, documented current workflows, and identified areas for enhancement. The first session introduced task analysis techniques, incorporating practical exercises and peer feedback. Participants then implemented their proposed improvements and reconvened for the second session to refine their strategies. A five-week implementation phase followed, during which participants documented the impact of their changes. Work engagement, OBSE, personal attributes, and workplace resources were assessed using validated scales, and statistical analyses were conducted using IBM SPSS Statistics 27. The results indicated that task analysis training enhanced self-efficacy and significantly increased OBSE; however, its effect on work engagement remained inconclusive. These findings underscore the importance of structured training programs in addressing both the practical and emotional challenges faced by staff, ultimately contributing to their well-being and improving the quality of care provided to service users