Effective Working Relationships Research Articles

The adoption and implementation of local government planning policy to manage hot food takeaways near schools in England: A qualitative process evaluation

IntroductionAccess to hot food takeaways, particularly near schools, is of growing concern for policymakers seeking to reduce childhood obesity globally. In England, United Kingdom (UK), local government jurisdictions are implementing planning policies to reduce access by restricting or denying planning permission for new takeaway outlets near schools. We used a qualitative approach to explore local government officers’ perspectives on the barriers to and facilitators of the adoption, implementation, and perceived effectiveness of these policies. MethodsIn 2021–2022, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 29 local planning (‘planners’) and public health government officers from 15 different local authorities across England who adopted a policy to restrict new takeaways. Data were analysed thematically. ResultsParticipants explained that they mostly thought the policies facilitated the refusal of applications for new takeaways near schools. However, participants speculated that businesses identified alternative opportunities to operate including functioning as ‘restaurants’ or within other locations. Effective working relationships between planners and public health officers were important for adoption and implementation, although planning and public health agendas did not always align and there were tensions between economic development and health improvement goals. The policy was adapted to suit local needs and priorities; in some cases, the policy was not used in areas where economic growth was prioritised. Clarity in policy wording and establishing a formal process for implementing policies including a designated individual responsible for checking and reviewing takeaway applications helped ensure consistency and confidence in policy implementation. ConclusionAlthough sometimes challenging, the policies were commonly described as feasible to implement. However, they may not completely prevent new takeaways opening, particularly where takeaways are relied upon to enhance local economies or where takeaway businesses find alternative ways to operate. Nevertheless, the policies can serve to shift the balance of power that currently favours commercial interests over public health priorities.

“Feeling our way around in the dark” AAC team collaboration in the context of service change: Special education teachers’ perceptions

Team collaboration is an essential component of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) services that directly impacts outcomes for students in special schools. Given the central role of the Special Education Teacher (SET) in the AAC team, there is a need to explore and understand SETs’ perceptions to support effective team collaboration. This study explored the perceptions of SETs on team working and collaboration in AAC service delivery in Ireland during a period of significant systemic change. A qualitative interview approach was utilised to explore the perceptions of five SETs working with students who use AAC in special education settings in Ireland. The dataset was analysed through the process of reflexive thematic analysis and identified four themes. Participants valued team collaboration but perceived it as inconsistent or non-existent in current practice. The impact of recent service changes on collaboration was highlighted, with all participants recognising a need for enhanced collaboration. Facilitators to collaboration identified included child centredness, shared goals, role clarity, sharing of knowledge and resources, and effective working relationships.

Connecting government officials and behavioral scientists to promote evidence-based decision-making: An interview with Bill de Blasio

Supporting evidence-based management and policy decisions by government officials is a key objective for behavioral scientists. Yet researchers often face formidable barriers to developing effective working relationships with government officials. In an interview, former New York City mayor Bill de Blasio argues that researchers can overcome these challenges by making a commitment to building long-term relationships and, critically, trust with government officials. Doing so requires persistence, especially because efforts to connect with officials often fail—at least at the outset. Researchers also can develop skills for communicating more effectively with officials, who are neither specialists in policy domains nor experts in research methods. He suggests highlighting core messages from complex data and beginning communication of those messages with straightforward solutions to problems; only after those proposals are under consideration should issues related to their complexities be raised. Last, de Blasio suggests that the best way for researchers to develop trusting relationships with government officials, as well as a deeper appreciation of the challenges they face, may be to devote time to government service in posts that embed them in decision-makers’ daily work. He illustrates his points with lessons from the successful adoption and implementation of policies and programs in New York City, including those that aimed to provide free prekindergarten education (Pre-K for All), respond to the COVID pandemic, reduce traffic accidents and fatalities (Vision Zero), and prevent overdose deaths through the use of supervised drug-consumption sites.

A Meta-Ethnographic Review of Paid Staff and Volunteers Working together in Palliative Care.

Volunteers in palliative care settings are an essential part of care provision for patients and those important to them. Effective collaboration between volunteers and paid staff has been regarded as an important element of successful working, however, at times failures in coordination, information sharing and tensions within teams have been highlighted. To explore the views expressed by volunteers and paid staff about their experiences of working together in palliative care settings. A systematic exploration of qualitative research using a meta-ethnographic approach. PsycINFO, CINAHL, Medline Complete, and AMED databases were searched from inception to December 2021 for the concepts "volunteers" and "palliative care." Repeated in-depth reading and appraisal of papers identified metaphors and concepts, providing new interpretations. Included papers (n=14) enabled the construction of five storylines: 1) "we are the cake, and they are the cream": understanding the volunteer role-separate, but part of a whole. 2) "…we don't know what's wrong with people but sometimes we need to know": access to information and importance of trust. 3) "everybody looks out for each other": access to paid staff and their support. 4) "...we don't meddle in the medical": boundaries. 5) "it's the small things that the staff does for me that makes me feel good about my work": sense of value and significance. For effective working relationships between paid staff and volunteers, proactive engagement, recognition of each other's role and contribution, mutual sharing of information, and intentional interaction between both groups is needed.

Challenges and enablers faced by HIV/AIDS supporting organizations during COVID-19

The dynamics of multi-sectoral collaborations between HIV/AIDS-supporting non-governmental organizations and public health institutions can significantly affect how programs are implemented, especially during emergencies like the once-in-100-year COVID-19 pandemic. These collaboration dynamics were explored in a South African context in the Western Cape province during COVID-19. Interviews and a focus group discussion were conducted with participants (n=6) from two small-scale HIV/AIDS-supporting NGOs and one public health institution. Challenges of multi-sectoral collaboration identified included inadequate engagement opportunities, limited opportunities to contribute during engagements, and being forced to innovate to survive. Enablers of multi-sectoral collaboration, such as communication, leadership, coordination of responsibilities, and trust and transparency, were found to be crucial for effective and strong working relationships during times of unparalleled disaster. New insights are offered on how enablers of collaboration that apply during normal circumstances should be thought of during times of crisis, and how these can be adapted and augmented to help HIV/AIDS collaborative partnerships survive future potentially disastrous situations like climate change.

Clinical Learning Environment of the "Nursing of Childbearing Family" Course from the Students' Perspectives: An Observational Prospective Study

Introduction: The clinical environment, which includes "simulation labs, educators, teaching hospital, and clinical staff," serves as an active pedagogical strategy that helps students translate their knowledge into technical skills and foster critical thinking. However, this strategy needs a periodic evaluation from students' perspectives to be updated with technological advancements. Objective: This study aims to evaluate the clinical learning environment of the "Nursing the Childbearing Family" course from the students' perspectives. Materials and Methods: A study with an observational prospective design was conducted at simulation labs of the Childbearing Family c.ourse, School of Nursing, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. A convenient sample of 62 students (84.93% participation rate) willingly took part in this investigation. A structured questionnaire comprising 54 questions (50 multiple-choice and 4 open-ended questions) was used to students' perspectives and clinical learning environment. Descriptive (frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (the Pearson test and paired t test) were used to describe and compare the mean scores of the student's performances before and after receiving the simulation training labs. Results: A total of 62 BSc nursing students (with a 100% response rate) enrolled in the Childbearing and Family Nursing course during the academic year took part in this study. The participants' mean ± age was 20.75 ± 0.97 years. Most of the study standards indicators of comparing students' perspectives before and after clinical training reflected a statistically significant difference (P<0.05). Notably, a significant relationship was observed between the students' views regarding the clinical site and clinical instructors (r= -0.641, P=0.001). Conclusion: Most students held positive perspectives toward the four standards of students' clinical site, students' view of their clinical instructor, effective working relationships between the university and the clinical site, and students' perspectives of the simulation labs before and after the clinical training were positively significant. However, some views underscored the need for more coverage on some topics, such as obstetric emergencies, breech position, and amniotic fluid embolism. Therefore, the current study confirmed that assessing the clinical environment instilled more confidence in participants to go beyond the course procedures and seek more complex scenarios.

A qualitative study exploring nurses' experiences of supporting South Asian people with dementia and their family carers.

To explore nurses' experiences of providing support to South Asian (SA) people with dementia and their family carers and to identify barriers and enablers of good transcultural care. A qualitative, phenomenological design was used. Fifteen registered community and in-patient nurses were recruited via one NHS Mental Health Foundation Trust. Nurses were from diverse backgrounds (Black, Ghanaian, Irish, Mauritian and White), 13 females and 2 males, and had been qualified from between 2 and 49 years. One-to-one semi-structured interviews were conducted between July and October 2019. A thematic analysis identified three themes. 'Communication challenges' highlighted the impact of language barriers and the consequences of misunderstandings due to a dissonance in cultural values between nurses and interpreters. 'The bi-directional impact of culture' identified the two-way dynamics of transcultural work, the process of countering mutual stigma, and revealed an original perspective on how 'cultural desire' grows through practice experiences rather than being a prior motivation for learning. 'Learning experiences' showed that most learning was informal, experiential and prolonged, with nurses feeling they had unmet learning needs. Nurses have minimal training opportunities and are under-supported in their transcultural work, potentially perpetuating the disadvantages that SA people with dementia and their families face in relation to healthcare. Enhanced cultural understanding of self and others and application of specific communication strategies could support nurses, together with interpreters, to build rapport and effective working relationships with each other and service users. Transcultural nursing is a key competency, but nurses experience difficulties with providing care which is recognized as effective by SA family carers. The development of more acceptable and effective services requires improved mutual cultural understanding between nurses, interpreters and families, underpinned by joint brief training interventions, leading to more effective professional communication, better care outcomes and improved satisfaction with services.

Looking from the Outside In: Considerations for External Assessment

Grant projects. Program review. Accreditation. All of these may involve the use of external reviewers to provide consultation and objective evaluation. Working with external visitors, or serving in this capacity, can be a complicated process to navigate. While external review strategies have clear advantages, they also present distinct challenges to the external reviewers and those internal to the project. Staff in departments undergoing review may experience anxiety and wonder how to maximize chances for success. Using Bolman and Deal's (2017) four-frame model of perspectives on organizations, the authors offer considerations for student affairs professionals engaging in the external review process for both external reviewers and internal parties. These considerations include encouraging individuals to be thoughtful about campus culture, logistics, access to information, effective working relationships, and explicit clarification of the nature and purpose of the task(s). Ultimately, these considerations focus on ways to make the external review process positive and effective.

Characterization of industry relationships in oncology.

Collaborative relationships between academic oncology and industry (pharmaceutical, biotechnology, "omic," and medical device companies) are essential for therapeutic development in oncology; however, limited research on engagement in and perceptions of these relationships has been done. Survey questions were developed to evaluate relationships between academic oncology and industry. An electronic survey was delivered to 1000 randomly selected members of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, a professional organization for oncologists, eliciting respondents' views around oncology-industry collaborations. The responses were analyzed according to prespecified plans. There were 225 survey respondents. Most were from the United States (70.0%), worked at an academic institution (60.1%), worked in medical oncology (81.2%), and had an active relationship with industry (85.8%). One quarter (26.7%) of respondents reported difficulty establishing a relationship with industry collaborators, and most respondents (75%) did not report having had mentorship in developing these relationships. The majority (85.3%) of respondents considered these collaborations important to their careers. Respondents generally thought that scientific integrity was preserved (92%), and most respondents (95%) had little concern over the quality of the collaborative product. Many (60%) shared concerns over potential conflict of interest if an individual with a compensated relationship promoted an industry product for clinical care/research, yet most respondents (67%) stated these relationships did not shape their interactions with patients. This study provides novel data characterizing the nature of collaborative relationships between clinicians, researchers, and industry in oncology. Although respondents considered these collaborations an important part of clinical and academic oncology, formal education or mentorship around these relationships was rare. Conflicting findings around conflict of interest highlight the importance of more dedicated research in this area. Business enterprises in health care play a central role in cancer research and care, driving the development of new medical testing, drugs, and devices. Effective working relationships among clinicians, researchers, and these industry partners can promote innovative research and enhance patient care. Study of these collaborations has been limited to date. Through distribution of a questionnaire to cancer clinicians and researchers, we found that most participants consider these relationships valuable, though they find establishing such relationships challenging partly because of gaps in educational programs in this area. Our findings also highlight the need for further policy around the potential bias these relationships can introduce.

Abstract 5533: Providing culturally responsible health care to Pacific Islander communities: The creation of a cultural competency training for healthcare professionals

Abstract Cultural competency is the ability to respectfully engage, understand, and communicate through conscientious interaction, enabling effective work and meaningful relationships in cross-cultural situations. Cultural competency recognizes the importance for organizations of participants’ diverse social and cultural values, beliefs, and behaviors, and has gained attention because it can bridge health perspectives, understanding, and respect between health professionals and patients. There remains a need for cultural competency in healthcare as disparities persist across the U.S. in racial and ethnic minority groups who experience worse health outcomes and lower healthcare quality than the general public. Therefore, a cultural competency training curriculum was created using various resources to improve interactions between Pacific Islander patients and healthcare professionals. This training helps to reduce racial/ethnic disparities in healthcare by encouraging mutual understanding and improving patient satisfaction, adherence to medical instructions, and overall health outcomes by highlighting patient-centered care as a result of utilizing components of cultural competency. To improve patient experiences in Hawai’i, healthcare professionals need the tools to better interact with patients from different cultures, such as Pacific Islanders. This training provides healthcare professionals with culturally-based content for improving cultural competence techniques for interacting with Pacific Island patients. This training was pilot tested with key stakeholders from community organizations and Cancer Center faculty/staff. Local health clinics, providers, and practices will have the opportunity to participate in this training through a Zoom-based electronic training format and be provided with three continuing medical education credits. The initial delivery of the training was intended for in-person sessions; however, a virtual format was adapted due to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent social distancing regulations. Healthcare providers are provided pre-training resources, a pre- and post-test, and a course evaluation to determine the validity of training objectives. To date, two Federally Qualified Health Centers have been provided the training, n=60, as well as one Cancer Health Equity Partnerships’ Scientific Workshop, n=40. For attendees, the analysis of correct responses from the pretest to post-test showed a significant improvement on 6 of the 12 questions. Respondents also agreed that the training resources aligned with the course objectives. Improved patient interactions from this training can help support better patient outcomes, adherence to medical advice regarding cancer screenings, and many other aspects of improving health equity for Pacific Islanders. Citation Format: Mark Lee Willingham Jr., Kevin Cassel, Angela Sy, Munirih Taafaki, Tressa P. Diaz, Angelina G. Mummert. Providing culturally responsible health care to Pacific Islander communities: The creation of a cultural competency training for healthcare professionals. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 5533.

Living, Caring, Learning – The treatment centre as family for a woman with severe haemophilia

Abstract A nurse at Israel’s National Hemophilia Center for over 35 years, Dalia reflects on lifelong relationships with patients and the ‘family approach’ to care in the context of her experience of caring for a woman with severe haemophilia A. Having cared for the patient since she was a young child, Dalia describes the difficulties she has faced and the importance of ongoing conversations about her life in shaping her care, including risks around pregnancy and having a child. The patient went on to have a son by caesarean section, covered by factor VIII and tranexamic acid; her son was diagnosed with severe haemophilia A at birth and Dalia now sees them both in clinic. The patient also contributes her view on the importance of the close therapeutic relationships she has with Dalia. While acknowledging the importance of setting boundaries, Dalia reflects on the role of the haemophilia centre as an extension of the patient’s family and the nurse as a ‘mother’ figure. She feels the centre’s family approach is reflected not only in the care team’s knowledge of their patients but also through close and effective working relationships between staff, built on experience sharing, discussion and mutual support. Dalia believes it is this combination that has made her centre so successful in its involvement in clinical trials.

Improving working relationships with families in German early childhood interventions home visitors: a quasi-experimental training study

BackgroundHome visitation services within German Early Childhood Interventions (ECI) for families with a child aged 0–3 are mainly provided by frontline pediatric nurses and family midwifes. Home visitors are often challenged by difficult interactions with families. Mentalizing, the ability to understand mental states of oneself and others, is a key skill for building effective working relationships, which in turn positively affect intervention outcomes. The aim of this study was to investigate if a mentalizing skills training offered to home visitors active in German ECI contributes to continued professional development. We investigated, whether the training positively affected the quality of the working relationships with families as well as home visitors’ empathy, self-efficacy, and mentalizing.MethodsTo test the effects of a single day mentalizing skills training on the working relationship in N = 73 ECI home visitors, we used a quasi-experimental design with repeated measures (T0, T1, T2, T3) across seven weeks in order to assess immediate change from baseline (T0) after the training (T2) and stability of changes at follow up (T3). A literature-based intervention was implemented before the training to estimate possible repeated measurement and expectational effects (T1). Primary outcome was the quality of the working relationship experienced by the home visitors. Secondary outcome criteria were empathy, work-related self-efficacy, self-reported and observer-rated mentalizing.ResultsSignificant positive change in the working relationship quality was observed at T2 and at T3. Results on the secondary outcomes were less consistent, with data indicating improvement in empathy and increase on some but not all components of mentalizing.ConclusionsThis study provides preliminary evidence that brief mentalizing skills trainings may be an effective method for continuous professional qualification in frontline ECI home visitors who afterwards, experience better working relationships with families. Thus, training participation may positively impact efficacy and implementation of home visitations in ECI.

Donor–NGO partnerships in South Africa: A qualitative case study of five NGOs in Gauteng

Background: Donor–nongovernmental organisation (NGO) partnerships may enable earlier infusion of implementation science principles into developing evidence-based interventions. Yet, donors and NGOs often report difficulty leveraging resources, personnel and expertise to create beneficial outcomes for all. Drawing from a PhD thesis, the authors report how the asymmetrical nature of the relationships manifests in practice in the work of NGOs. The study focused on human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV and AIDS) NGOs in Gauteng province in South Africa.Objectives: This study examines whether the asymmetrical relationships can be termed partnerships and highlights the potential for such a discourse to reinforce existing relationship inequalities.Method: Qualitative data were collected through in-depth individual interviews with key informants from five purposively selected HIV and AIDS NGOs. A total of 28 interviews were analysed deductively using thematic analysis. The Dóchas Partnership Assessment and Development Process framework guided this analysis. The NGOs under study have implemented various HIV and AIDS programmes and policies in their workspace.Results: The findings have revealed that ‘partnership’ is a false representation of the actual relationships between donors and NGOs.Conclusion: The study concluded that although the notion of partnerships accurately describes the intention of ‘donors’ and ‘NGOs’ to collaborate in ways that ensure improved services and outcomes, the unintended consequences of how partnerships are managed and run inhibit that common agenda. The article concludes with suggestions to build and sustain effective working relationships between partners.Contribution: Assessing how donor-NGO partnerships are operationalised can assist in determining the extent to which their relationship is operating and point to areas where partnerships practice can be further developed.

The Required Competencies of Bachelor- and Master-Educated Nurses in Facilitating the Development of an Effective Workplace Culture in Nursing Homes: An Integrative Review.

Background: Nursing home care is undergoing significant changes. This requires innovative teams operating in an effective workplace culture characterized by person-centeredness and offering evidence-based care. A pivotal role for bachelor- and master-educated nurses (BNs/MNs) is foreseen to facilitate such cultures; however, there is currently no comprehensive overview of what competencies this requires. Objectives: To identify what competencies are required from BNs/MNs in facilitating the development of an effective workplace culture in nursing homes. Methods and design: We conducted an integrative review (IR) using Whittemore and Knafl’s method. We searched the PubMed, CINAHL, and PsycINFO databases for studies published between January 2010 and December 2021 in English. Two independent reviewers determined whether studies met inclusion: bachelor- or master-educated nurse; nursing home; professional competencies; and mixed methods or qualitative and qualitative studies. We applied the CASP appraisal tool and analyzed the data by applying content analysis. Results: Sixteen articles were included. Five themes were identified representing required competencies for BNs/MNs facilitating: (1) learning cultures in nursing practice; (2) effective work relationships within teams; (3) leadership capability within teams; (4) implementation of guidelines, standards, and protocols; (5) a work environment acknowledging grief and loss of residents within teams. Conclusions: It shows that the BN/MN applies five competencies associated with a facilitator role to promote the development of an effective workplace culture to achieve a safe, high-level quality of care, satisfaction, and well-being. An overarching leadership as a change champion will support teams to achieve a quality that should guide the transformation in nursing care.

Unpicking social work practice skills: Warmth and respect in practice

Warmth and respect are considered essential skills for relationship building in social work. However, these skills are often treated as common sense, and how to be respectful and warm, particularly in challenging situations, remains unclear. Practice guidance is commonly given as a list of generic behaviours or vague directions. Furthermore, it is not clear how being respectful or warm leads to effective relationships. In this article, we applied conversation analysis to examine transcripts of video recordings of 12 sessions of ‘Moving Forward: Making Changes’, the national groupwork programme addressing sexual offending in Scotland, to outline and specify the interactional practices that constitute instances of respect and warmth in social work practice. We found practitioners demonstrated warmth and respect by recognising and acknowledging clients’ accounts and identities in the interaction through subtle discursive practices. These practices include using hedging words and phrases (e.g. sort of, maybe), framing challenges as questions or suggestions rather than declarations, and using therapeutic phrasing (i.e. ‘I’m curious about’, I’m wondering’). As such, we propose the actions of demonstrating respect and warmth are achieved in interaction through the ways practitioners delicately manage issues of epistemic authority, that is, a person’s primary rights to knowledge about themselves, and face, that is, self-presentation. Drawing on the concepts of epistemic authority and face furthers our theoretical and practical understanding of the practice skills of respect and warmth, and their role in building effective working relationships.

Trust repair in the aftermath of conflict occurrence in construction subcontracting: an intergroup contact perspective

Although trust repair after conflict occurrence is significant for effective work and sustainable relationships in construction subcontracting and contact is inevitable, researchers have yet to examine the relationship between contact quality and trust repair after conflict occurrence. This study investigates the effect of contact quality on Party A’s trust repair after conflict occurrence and the mediating mechanisms of that effect. The authors conducted a questionnaire survey to collect data for hypotheses testing, receiving 310 valid questionnaires from general contractors and subcontractors engaged in construction projects. The results reveal the positive effect of contact quality on Party A’s trust repair after conflict occurrence and the mediating roles of Party A’s feeling of threat and Party B’s self-disclosure in that effect. This study contributes to the trust research and intergroup contact theory. It also offers suggestions for construction subcontracting practitioners to facilitate trust repair after conflict occurrence.

Communication skills utilized by physicians in the pediatric outpatient setting

BackgroundEffective communication has been shown to increase patient satisfaction. The objective of this study was to describe communication strategies employed by physicians, and determine if physician communication strategies affect caregiver perception of quality or satisfaction with physician communication in a pediatric ambulatory setting.MethodsThis observational study was conducted at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and consisted of video recordings of visits that were reviewed by research assistants for physician utilized communication strategies. Caregivers completed surveys on their preferred physician communication qualities, perception of communication quality, and satisfaction with communication. Correlation was performed between types of communication strategy and caregiver satisfaction with communication or perceived quality of communication. T-tests were run to see if there was a significant difference in patient perceived communication and satisfaction scores based on the communication strategies utilized during visits.ResultsThere were five universally used communication strategies across the 84 clinic visits recorded, including: eye contact, good posture, speaking concisely, providing thorough explanations, and providing summary of next steps. The average number of communication strategies used was 15.95 (σ = 1.50) with physicians using at least 16 of the 18 communication strategies in 62% of the clinic visits. There was no correlation between the number of communication strategies physicians utilized and either the caregiver perception of communication quality score (CPCQ) or communication satisfaction (CS) score. Caregivers who preferred an authoritative approach but perceived a collaborative approach reported lower average CPCQ and CS scores compared to caregivers who had their communication expectations met.DiscussionThere are numerous tools designed to help the physician facilitate an effective working relationship with the patient. In our study, the universally used verbal communication strategies are generally recognized as components of an effective communication repertoire. Another part of effective communication is meeting communication expectations with the CS scores suggesting that caregivers felt their communication needs were being met. Dedicating clinical time to understanding this need may help improve the overall clinical experience.ConclusionPhysicians utilize many of the suggested communication strategies to help facilitate an effective clinical encounter. Further studies on caregiver communication requirements and meeting caregiver communication expectations are needed.

Structure, Activities and Teacher Development in the Philippine Science Teachers’ Community of Practice

Effective Science instruction necessitates sustained professional learning, such as through Community of Practice (CoP). Reports about COP in the Philippines indicate varying processes. These are limited to school-based or regional implementation indicating a lack of common CoP understanding. This paper thus intends to describe the structures, activities, and teacher development of CoPs of secondary Science teachers. The study utilized a descriptive embedded multiple-case study design on four exemplary schools nominated by the DepEd Regional offices from the National Capital Region (NCR), Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao using qualitative data sources. Cross-Case analyses of the interview and focus group discussions revealed that successful implementation of Science CoP requires vital elements of community structure that include visible and active leadership, committed membership, and opportunities for interaction through various forms of collaborative activities. Science teachers’ involvement in the CoP leads them to collaborate effectively and professionally, become optimistic and adaptable person, and innovative and goal-oriented facilitators of Science learning. In addition, members of the CoP have effectively fostered camaraderie and built effective working relationships making them more confident, flexible, and motivated individuals, thus aiding their social and personal development.

Fostering Psychosocial Characteristics Within an English Soccer Academy

The possession of certain psychosocial characteristics can offer performance advantages in a range of domains. However, integrating a program to support the development of psychosocial characteristics is a lengthy process and involves context-specific knowledge and effective working relationships with stakeholders. The aim of this article is to present a real-life example of the design, delivery, and implementation of a theoretically informed psychosocial development program for players within an academy soccer setting to include player workshops, coach delivery, and ways to influence the environment. This multifaceted approach included formal and informal meetings, observations, coach education, and social media groups. Initial reflections suggested workshops are an effective method to “teach” some of the aspects within the program. Integrating coaches throughout design and implementation is recommended. Key stakeholders should consider investing time in education for coaches to develop strategies to foster psychosocial development in their players. Limitations and future recommendations are discussed.

The quest for professional self-understanding: Sense making and the interpersonal nature of applied sport psychology practice

Several authors within the sport psychology literature have acknowledged an interpersonal dimension of applied practice, with several publications highlighting the significance of developing and maintaining effective working relationships with a range of key stakeholders (i.e., athletes, managers, coaches, sports physicians, parents). Through the use of a longitudinal series of semi-structured interviews across an eighteen month period, this article explores the experiences of four trainee practitioners and two qualified sport psychologists, and their perceptions of working with multiple stakeholders, examining how such encounters serve to shape and inform their professional self-understanding in a contextual manner. Key themes constructed through Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis accounted for finding one’s place, picking your battles and being seen to do a “good” job. Upon acknowledgement of self-perception and recognition from others as being fundamental factors in shaping a practitioner’s professional self-understanding, the present article encourages early career practitioners, and the professional bodies who train them, to increase their engagement with other fields and professions, with a view to better preparing sport psychologists for the everyday interpersonal demands of successful applied practice. Lay summary: This article explores trainee and qualified practitioners’ experiences and reflections of working with multiple stakeholders to better prepare sport psychologists for everyday interpersonal demands of successful applied practice. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE The current article Furthermore highlights the inherently micropolitical nature of applied sport psychology contexts, illuminating the significant influence that interpersonal relationships with key contextual stakeholders can have upon a practitioner’s professional self-understanding. The current article serves to support practitioners’ efforts in seeking to better manage their interpersonal relationships with key stakeholders, enhancing their ability to “survive and thrive” as applied practitioners. The novel theoretical lens adopted within this study, provides a basis to help scaffold developmental activities relating to professional self-understanding, micropolitical activity, and contextual understanding.