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Employee Competencies of Taiwanese International Trade: Perceptions of Practitioners and Educators
No full textDrastic changes related to globalization and the special relationship with China have brought new challenges to Taiwanese international trade. These new challenges have led to the need for a new set of knowledge, skills, attitudes, and abilities. To address this need, this study developed a profile of international trade competencies, including generic and professional ones to improve the quality of the international trade workforce by narrowing the gap between the competency needs of the industry and the competency supply provided by university education, particularly focusing on technological vocational education. To identify this gap, this quantitative study investigated and compared the perceptions of 420 Taiwanese international trade employers, 402 employees, and 157 technological-vocational university educators. Researcher-developed survey instruments were compiled based on Taiwanese literature in the business field and the International Business Competencies in Taiwan instrument (Wang, 2000) as well as were reviewed by 12 Taiwanese international trade experts. By employing the comparison analyses, including independent-samples /-tests, one-way ANOVAs, as well as one-way and factorial MANOVAs, the results revealed different perceptions between participant groups. Generally, employers perceived generic competencies more highly than did educators. Of the generic competency factors, both employer and educator groups valued Personal Qualities the most. Of the professional competency factors, employers rated International Finance and Marketing as the most important, while educators placed greater emphasis on Importing/Exporting Practices. A survey of employees indicated that, on average, they were not satisfied with university education in developing either generic or professional international trade competencies. This finding affirmed that the gap between employment and education was so serious as to be worthy of attention. Furthermore, the results of canonical correlation analyses revealed certain complementary relationships between generic and professional competencies in both employer and employee surveys. This exploratory discussion may provide educators and job trainers with a better picture in designing their curriculum and teaching activities. Based on the findings of the study, a competency-based industry-government-academia partnership is suggested to find potential solutions to current problems in Taiwanese technological-vocational education and to develop the international trade competencies further. Additional research is needed to explore which items should be added to help complete the profile of international trade competencies
The Focolare Educational Model at the Sophia Higher Learning Institute for Cultural Studies
No full textThis mixed methods study explored in depth the Focolare Educational Model at Sophia Higher Learning Institute for Cultural Studies, identifying its origins, analyzing its curriculum, describing its spiritual practices and teaching strategies, and assessing the effectiveness of its outcomes. In this research, the qualitative and quantitative aspects were addressed simultaneously. For the qualitative part of the research a case study design was used. This consisted of collecting documentary evidence and interviewing on site 10 professors of the Sophia Higher Learning Institute. At the same time the researcher administered a questionnaire among the 250 students that participated in the Sophia Higher Learning Institute. Qualitative findings and quantitative results were first cross validated and integrated with each other and then compared with the literature review. The Focolare Educational Model at Sophia Institute was proven to have a variety of unique characteristics in its origins, curriculum content, teaching and learning environment, and outcomes
SOCIAL JUSTICE AND HEALTH CARE IN NIGERIA WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE MBAISE AREA
No full textNigeria is a country that lacks sufficient medical facilities to meet the needs of the population. Most people rely on folk medicine and dibias when they are ill. There are many reasons for this, including the expense, scarcity of medical facilities, fear of modern medicine, and acceptance of traditional beliefs and practices. In response to the needs of the people of my village I was able to help start a children’s hospital which has now been expanded to serve the health care needs of all the people
Teaching and Learning Through Play: A Case Study of Taiwanese Kindergarten Teachers\u27 Perceptions and Implementation of Play in a School Setting
No full textThis case study focused on the identification of some teachers\u27 diverse perceptions and use of play in a school setting.
Play is a spontaneous and natural ability that children have, regardless of their cultural differences. It is a complex term, which is understood differently in different cultural contexts. In Taiwan, play is listed as one of six content areas in the 1987 National Kindergarten Curriculum Standards document because it is considered as a separate subject rather than as a means for achieving academic goals. At the same time, the Standards document emphasizes that children learn through play and encourages teachers to use play as a tool for children\u27s learning. This situation which seems contradictory, aroused this researcher\u27s curiosity and motivated her to find out about the perceptions of some Taiwanese kindergarten teachers regarding play in the curriculum. This case study focused on the identification of some teachers\u27 diverse perceptions and use of play in a school setting. Seven experienced teachers and four student-teachers from a exemplary public school participated in the study. Multiple data collecting methods that included informal conversations, semi-structured interviews, observations, and document reviews were utilized. The data organization and analyses, using a constant comparative method, indicated that while agreeing upon the value of play in childhood development and learning, this group of teachers, working in the same school system, demonstrated diverse perceptions of the meaning and function of play in learning. Using the thematic/project teaching approach was found to have given the teachers more flexibility in integrating play into the school\u27s curriculum. It can be concluded that a successful model emerged from the teachers\u27 sharing of ideas during the study. Their intrinsic characteristics and the extrinsic organizational context coalesced to form a Learning Organization that has affected their educational goal of successfully integrating play into their daily teaching. The teachers\u27 strong convictions about the value of play in education and its utilization in their daily teaching activities through meaningful integration have turned their experiences into a successful model of teaching and learning through playing
Study of the Success of Taiwanese Expatriate Managers on Overseas Assignments: A Grounded Theory Approach
Get PDFThe purpose of the study was to explore critical influences on expatriate performance during overseas assignments.
Multinational corporations (MNCs), in order to compete in today\u27s global economy, need to have trained professionals who can succeed as expatriates. However, what demands do such professionals face? The purpose of the study was to explore critical influences on expatriate performance during overseas assignments. Thirteen former Taiwanese expatriate managers from 5 Taiwan-based MNCs participated in the study. Data were gathered from in-depth interviews about the participants\u27 experiences during their overseas assignments. Through open, axial, and selective coding procedures associated with micro- and comparative analyses of a grounded theory research approach, a conceptual model explaining the nature of the success of expatriate managers on their out-of-home-country assignments was developed. Five major explanatory categories that were constructed from 11 propositions included competency, resistance to challenges, motivation, personality characteristics, and benefits for the professional and his organization. These results indicated that the identified competencies and characteristics complemented one another because they were all highly interrelated
CATHOLIC SOCIAL TEACHING AND HEALTH CARE FOR ALL
No full textOver 47 million Americans find themselves without health insurance in the richest and most Christian nation in the world. Catholic Social Teaching views this situation as an unjust violation of a basic human right to medical care, arguing that all persons have the right to those goods and services necessary for the proper development of life. In making this claim, Catholic Social Teaching advances three biblical principles: (1) that all persons are sacred and social, (2) that God hears the cries of the poor, and (3) that believers are directed to make a preferential option for the poor. In addition, Catholic Social thought argues that the right to health care finds support in the philosophical principles of subsidiarity, distributive justice, and the universal purpose of created goods
A CRITICAL DISCONNECT: IN PAIN MANAGEMENT IN THE UNITED STATES
No full textDisparity in health care, and in particular care for pain related to disease, is a concern for many health professionals as well as those in the general population. Disparities in pain management for vulnerable societal groups, specifically the members of racial and ethnic groups, the poor and the elderly, are violations of the principles of social justice. This paper presents evidence of disparities in management of pain and cancer pain in vulnerable groups, explores the issues, and recommends health professional, individu alignal and system level actions to address disparity in this important area of health care
Student Engagement During the Transition From Single-Sex to Coeducation at the University Level: An Experience From Taiwan
No full textIn this study, issues related to the transition from a single-sex to a coeducational university, student engagement, and learning outcomes at Tainan University of Technology (TUT) in Taiwan were examined. The researcher also explored factors perceived by the students and teachers as those that influence student engagement and learning outcomes during the transition period. Using an explanatory mixed methods research design, the researcher collected quantitative and qualitative data sequentially. Quantitative data were collected through surveys and from students\u27 academic scores. A Chinese version of the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) questionnaire was distributed to a convenience sample of 560 students. 537 of them were returned, resulting in a response rate of 96%. From random samples, students\u27 academic scores in English (N=l,198) and Computer and Information Application (N= 1,023), as well as semester average scores (N=l,719) were obtained from the authorities of TUT. The qualitative data were collected from interviews with 6 teachers and 6 students. Pearson correlation and Spearman\u27s rho were utilized to examine the correlations among variables. Independent-samples t-test, Mann-Whitney U test, and one-way ANOVA with post hoc test were used to investigate the differences between variables
Language and Number Values: The Influence of the Explicitness of Number Names on Children\u27s Understanding of Place Value
No full textIn recent years, the idea of language influencing the cognitive development of an understanding of place value has received increasing attention. This study explored the influence of using explicit number names on prekindergarten and kindergarten students’ ability to rote count, read two-digit numerals, model two-digit numbers, and identify the place value of individual digits in two-digit numerals. Pre- and post-assessments were administered through individual student interviews. Chi-square tests for independence showed two significant relations, the relationship found between the control and treatment group membership on the post-assessment of modeling two-digit numbers and the relationship between place value identifications and group membership. The improvement of the treatment group overall exceeded the improvement of the control group
Leisure Participation, Leisure Motivation, and Life Satisfaction for Elders in Public Senior Resident Homes in Taiwan
No full textThe purpose of this study was to investigate the leisure participation, leisure motivation, and life satisfaction for elders over 65 years of age who lived in public senior resident homes in Taipei and Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Demographic data such as locations, institutions, financial arrangement, gender, age, educational level, marital status, and health condition were investigated as well. The survey instruments included the Leisure Participation Involvement (LPI), Leisure Motivation Scale (LMS), Life Satisfaction Index (LSI-Z), and demographic survey. The LPI was utilized to measure the frequency of participation in 6 different leisure activities: outdoor activities, sports, indoor activities and hobbies, cultural activities and entertainment, social and family activities, and service and volunteer activities. The LMS was used to measure 4 different motivations in leisure: intellectual motivation, social motivation, competence mastery, and stimulus avoidance. The LSI-Z measured the elders\u27 level of satisfaction in life. Finally, a demographic survey provided personal and institutional information. The data collection was conducted at 3 public senior resident homes in Taipei and Kaohsiung. A total number of 416 surveys were collected and 411 were usable. The data was analyzed by using SPSS Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS version 13) computer program for Window XP. The results indicated that leisure participation, leisure motivation, and life satisfaction were correlated with each other. The senior residents who participated in service and volunteer activities were more likely to feel satisfied in life. The senior residents who were motivated by learning, discovering, and exploring also experienced higher level of life satisfaction. In addition, there were differences in leisure participation, leisure motivation, and life satisfaction among demographic groups. The senior residents who were self-paid, attained higher education, married, or possessed good health performed better in leisure participation, leisure motivation, and life satisfaction. It was concluded that the elements of leisure, lifelong learning, volunteerism, support from families, and partnership played important roles in elders\u27 life. For the government, the policy and decision makers should include leisure into senior care institutions so the elders can reach successful aging by experiencing satisfaction in life. On the other hand, the elders should have an understanding of leisure so they can maintain good physical and psychological health in their later life