Michelle Carmel Barker

Academic achievement and social adaptation among international students: A comparison groups study of the peer-pairing program

Abstract This study investigates the possible relationship of academic achievement, drop-out rates, and aspects of social adjustment among international students who have participated in a peer-pairing program compared to matched samples who did not. The study was conducted over a four-year period in two countries in order to increase level of confidence in the findings. The results reveal that overall achievement rates are higher and drop-out rates lower for those who participated in this matching program of first-year students with host national students.

Academic Adjustment and Learning Processes: a comparison of international and local students in first‐year university

This article examines the academic adjustment and learning processes of international and local first‐year students. Twenty first‐year local and international students participated in a semi‐structured interview study upon the completion of their first year in a Faculty of Commerce and Management. Students reported positive and negative critical incidents which helped or hindered their learning during the first year. In addition, students described their feelings, thoughts and behaviours in relation to these incidents. Critical incidents were coded, themes identified, and comparisons made across local and international student groups. The impact of particular teaching processes are considered, and implications for teaching and learning in the first year are discussed.

Workplace Bullying, Mobbing and General Harassment: A Review

Research into workplace bullying has continued to grow and mature since emerging from Scandinavian investigations into school bullying in the late 1970s. Research communities now exist well beyond Scandinavia, including Europe, the UK, Australia, Asia and the USA. While the terms ‘harassment’ and ‘mobbing’ are often used to describe bullying behaviour, ‘workplace bullying’ tends to be the most consistently used term throughout the research community. In the past two decades especially, researchers have made considerable advances in developing conceptual clarity, frameworks and theoretical explanations that help explain and address this very complex, but often oversimplified and misunderstood, phenomenon. Indeed, as a phenomenon, workplace bullying is now better understood with reasonably consistent research findings in relation to its prevalence; its negative effects on targets, bystanders and organizational effectiveness; and some of its likely antecedents. However, as highlighted in this review, many challenges remain, particularly in relation to its theoretical foundations and efficacy of prevention and management strategies. Drawing on Affective Events Theory, this review advances understanding through the development of a new conceptual model and analysis of its interrelated components, which explain the dynamic and complex nature of workplace bullying and emphasize current and future debates. Gaps in the literature and future research directions are discussed, including the vexing problem of developing an agreed definition of workplace bullying among the research community, the emergence of cyberbullying, the importance of bystanders in addressing the phenomenon and the use of both formal and informal approaches to prevention and intervention.

Understanding work, learning and the remaking of cultural practices

This paper focuses on dualities in both the process and outcomes of participation in work. Firstly, the process of participation in work activities and interactions draws on contributions of both individuals and the social world in ways that are variably interdependent, that is, relational. The affordances of workplaces shape the array of experiences individuals are able to access and, they in turn, elect how they engage, construe and construct what is afforded them. Both the social and individual contributions are exercisable with different degrees of intensity, focus and intentionality, thereby making the process of participation in work a relational one. Secondly, and consistent with these processes, the outcomes of workplace participation also comprise dualities. These are individuals’ learning or change, on one hand, and the remaking and transformation of cultural practice that comprises work, on the other. In illuminating and elaborating these concepts, this paper draws upon the initial findings of an inquiry that is mapping the working lives of groups of three workers in each of four workplaces. The aim is to understand how these relational interdependences shape the participation, learning and remaking of work practices in these workplaces. Further, the paper identifies the exercise of both affordances and engagement for each participant within their workplaces. The findings emphasise the distinctive bases by which the groups of workers engage with their work and construct meaning and remake practice as a result of that engagement.

Strategies of Accommodation: Development of a Coding System for Conversational Interaction

This study describes a coding system developed to operationalize the sociolinguistic strategies proposed by communication accommodation theory (CAT) in an academic context. Fifty interactions between two students (of Australian or Chinese ethnic background) or a student and faculty member were videotaped. A turn-and episode-based coding system was developed, focusing on verbal and nonverbal behavior. The development of this system is described in detail, before results are presented. Results indicated that status was the main influence on choice of strategies, particularly the extent and type of discourse management and interpersonal control. Participants’ sex and ethnicity also played a role: Male participants made more use of interpretability (largely questions), whereas female participants used discourse management to develop a shared perspective. The results make clear that there is no automatic correspondence between behaviors and the strategies they constitute, and they point to the appropriateness of conceptualizing behavior and strategies separately in CAT.

Measuring Student Quality Variables and the Implications for Management Practices in Higher Education Institutions: an Australian and international student perspective

The issue of quality is now a significant theme in higher education management. This paper examines the issue of quality as determined by Australian and international students. A scale comprising 26 quality variables was developed, verified and tested on a cohort of 351 students. Four factors were found and used to test a series of hypotheses and research questions. Results indicated a hierarchy amongst the factors and that academic instruction was the most critical aspect. There were significant differences between international and Australian students’ perceptions. It was also found that quality perceptions were stable over the years of study. The implications for university management are discussed.

Theoretical approaches to the study of bullying at work

This article provides a brief overview and commentary on theoretical approaches discussed in the articles by Einarsen, Liefooghe and Olafsson, and Rayner in the theoretical section of this special issue. In highlighting the difficulty in defining bullying, this article suggests that definitional boundaries ought to be all encompassing and open for discussion as a way of further developing the debate about workplace bullying. A discussion of methodological approaches, including those used by the authors in the theoretical section then follows. The article suggests that a collaborative approach between employers and researchers would help further address the problem of workplace bullying.

Measuring the Extent of Impact from Occupational Violence and Bullying on Traumatised Workers

Across the industrialised world, there is evidence that both the incidence and the severity of occupational violence and bullying are increasingly being reported over time. While there have been few substantive scientific studies in Australia, all the available evidence shows a similar increasing level of risk. It has long been assumed that those who suffer a physical assault during the course of violent events are more likely to be emotionally traumatised by the experience than are those who are merely threatened or bullied at work. However, there are no substantive data published to date. In this paper the authors aim to elucidate and quantify the extent of emotional injury/stress suffered as a result of different forms of occupational violence, based on empirical data collected during face-to-face interviewing of 800 Australian workers employed in the tertiary education, health and long-haul transport industry sectors. The authors conclude that the impact from more covert forms of occupational violence (such as bullying) can, in many instances, at least equal the emotional trauma following assaults on-the-job.

Australian and New Zealand university students' participation in international exchange programs

International education exchange is a growing phenomenon. In 2000, there were an estimated 1.8 million students studying in countries other than their own. Subsequently, there has been an increase in research relating to student exchange programs, although much of this work remains unpublished and has focused on the issues surrounding American and European students. Therefore, this article investigates Australian and New Zealand university international exchange programs and considers the personal characteristics of students that may influence such rates. Overall, the findings of this study show that despite greater government focus on internationalization and student exchange opportunities, very few Australian and New Zealand students participate in student exchange programs. There is a need for future research to consider the issues surrounding student participation, including personality and social factors influencing the decision-making process and the impact of the exchange experience.

Measuring communication impact for university advertising materials

A total of 20 per cent of Australian universities are ranked in the top 500 exporters and since 1987 international student growth in Australia has exceeded 60 per cent each year. Few investigations have been directed to measuring the effectiveness of international advertising and promotional material. This article examines this aspect with a focus on content analysis of the international student study guides. The investigation used a qualitative research approach comprising a blend of the convergent interview technique and Delphi method. The outcomes were that there was a significant disparity between student perceived needs and those communicated by the universities printed material. Although the methodology was created to investigate the effectiveness of promotional publications in higher education, the methodology can be applied to other industries where there is a high interface between written advertising material and the recipient.