Human Relations Training Research Articles

Influence of Managerial Technical Competences on Performance of Teachers in Public Primary Schools

This study investigated the influence of managerial competencies and performance of teachers in upper primary in selected public schools in Mayuge District. The study used a descriptive cross-sectional survey design to examine the relationship between managerial competences and teacher performance. A sample of 92 respondents was categorized as school managers, head teachers, teachers, and management committee members. The study used simple random techniques and purposive sampling techniques. The study analyzed quantitative data collected using structured, closed-ended items in questionnaires and coded using a five-point Linkert response scale. Raw data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and Pearson product moment correlation to determine the influence of managerial competences on the performance of teachers. The study found out that managers' managerial competencies play a role in influencing the performance of teachers in public primary schools. Level of education, professional qualification of head teachers, and managerial human relations competencies all influence performance. The study concluded that poor managerial technical competences affect the performance of teachers in a negatively in form of less preparation of schemes of work and lesson planning, not following the timetable, and many others. The study recommended that there is need to encourage professional growth and training in both managerial technical competences and human relations competences in order to improve the performance of teachers in the schools. The study further recommended that for Managerial competences and performance of teachers to be effective in upper primary schools, head teachers should continue to motivate their teachers to improve on their performance, the school should hire external expertise that can facilitate professional development experiences and external expertise.

The Evolution of Experiential Learning Theory: Tracing Lines of Research in the JEE

This essay introduces a collection of past articles from the Journal of Experiential Education ( JEE) focused on the concept of experiential learning. It outlines the historical trajectory of the concept beginning with human relations training practices beginning in 1946, as it came to be understood as a naturally occurring psychological process and a grounding for pedagogical reforms. The eight articles included in the issue reflect the way JEE authors have contended with problems arising from the concept’s departure from its origins in practice. We suggest that experiential learning’s evolution into a general theory was accomplished by decoupling it from its roots in a particular social practice and ideology, and then focusing on the concept’s technical problems. It is now important for researchers to revisit assumptions underpinning current theory and practice, situate research on experiential learning in wider practical and scholarly traditions, and develop new vocabularies concerning the relationship between experience and learning in educational programs.

Developing Supporting Groups: a manual for facilitators and participants.

Howard Kirschenbaum and Barbara Glaser are co-directors of the National Humanistic Educational Centre in Saratoga Springs, New York. These co-directors have gained extensive experience in leading seminars and conducting workshops on humanistic education and parent education amongst other things. The book is published by University Associates Publishers and Consultants, who engage in international publishing and consulting in the areas of human relations training, research and education.

Emotional Intelligence in Applicant Selection for Care-Related Academic Programs

Two studies describe the development of the Audiovisual Test of Emotional Intelligence (AVEI), aimed at candidate selection in educational settings. Study I depicts the construction of the test and the preliminary examination of its psychometric properties in a sample of 92 college students. Item analysis allowed the modification of problem items, resulting in acceptable reliability (intraclass correlation = .67) and moderate to good discrimination indices. Study II examined criterion-related validity of the AVEI based on a sample of 102 nursing students in a large university in northern Israel. The results suggest that the AVEI correlated with students’ performance in field practice and in human relations training courses better than with any other relevant variable (e.g., GMA, GPA). Associations remained in the .45 to .60 range, even after controlling for factors such as academic ability, GPA, and gender. These results suggest that the AVEI may be a valid instrument in student selection for care-related programs.

Breaking the ice with a gutted rooster: reflections on a messy day one

Based on an experience in an MBA Human Resource Management classroom, this paper traces the process of my reflection on an icebreaker discussion of “best” and “worst” student jobs. I indicate how I developed second thoughts about the way in which I handled the discussion, concerned that making light of messy jobs might encourage the class of future managers to do the same. The journey includes the input of a fellow colleague who helped spur me to articulate more clearly – for myself and for my students – that which I am willing to profess as a management professor. In noting how I came up short in relation to my human relations training and my own personal values, I hope the paper prompts discussion of private and public reflection, helping sharpen the connections between espoused and expressed values in the classroom and beyond.

The Psychosocial Factor: A Neglected Aspect of Team Performance?

Recent efforts to enhance team performance have been grounded in analysis of team cognition, shared mental models, communication, and teamwork skills. However, alternative lines of work in social psychology and organizational development have addressed “psychosocial” factors, e.g., team cohesion, human relations training and transformational leadership. The goal of this panel is to explore the relevance of these factors for improving team performance. Panelists will describe research advances from laboratory and operational environments (military, space, and medicine), including tools for assessing team cohesion, psychosocial training strategies, analytical methods for examining changes in team performance, and limits to psychosocial approaches.

A competency analysis of law enforcement training and its linkage to recreation as intervention in youth crime prevention

The increase in the occurrence of juvenile crime has become a major concern for most communities throughout the United States. As a result, law enforcement efforts have been intensified, thus bringing the policing authority closer to the daily existence of all youth. The focus of this study was how police are trained in the area of human relations. It was the purpose of the study to investigate whether community relations aspects of police training are addressing community recreation issues as they relate to youth crime prevention. A total of 525 police academy training administrators were selected via a stratified random sampling process. A validated questionnaire, the results of a Delphi, was administered to elicit the importance placed on twenty-two competencies in the community relations area of police training. A total of 232 (44.2 percent response) respondents were used in the data analysis. It was revealed that highest priority is given to those elements of human relations training directly related to law enforcement. Police administrators noted the lack of sufficient priority placed on this area of training. There appeared to be little consensus as to the role of human relations training for anything beyond direct law enforcement. It was concluded that the leisure service organization and the police department should address the way that the linkage can be effective in addressing recreation as intervention. Further study as to the future of collaborative relationships between these two functions is suggested.

The effects of human relations training on reported teacher stress, pupil control ideology and locus of control.

This study presents the reported outcomes of a two-year, part-time Masters' programme in human relations using an experiential learning methodology based mainly on humanistic psychological theory. The following hypotheses were examined. That as a result of the two-year programme: the experience of reported stress would be reduced; reported attitudes to student classroom control would shift from custodial to humanistic; there would be an increase in reports from participants of a sense of control over their lives; changes of behaviour in work, social settings and at home related to these three variables would be reported. Involved in the study were 42 experienced teachers. These included 32 women and 10 men, with an average age of 35, who worked in a wide range of educational institutions. Their learning style preferences were also considered as independent variables. A control group of 42 was established with similar demographic characteristics. Prior to the course, the experimental group and the control group were given the Maslach Burnout Inventory and the Pupil Control Ideology Form. In the early stages of the course, the experimental group completed the Kolb Learning Style Inventory and an informal measure of locus of control which was repeated at the end of the first year of the course. A sample of 32 from the experimental group were given semi-structured interviews relating to changes in their professional and personal lives. The results indicated that, following the training, there was a reduction in reported stress, indications of a more humanistic orientation towards pupil control and an increase in a sense of an internal locus of control. The quantitative data were confirmed by qualitative data generated from semi-structured interviews, which involved substantial reports of applications of the training in their professional and personal lives. These results provide support for including experiential human relations training as part of both the in-service and initial teacher training programmes.

Training as Interactive Conflict Resolution: Characteristics and Challenges

AbstractThe face of international conflict continues to shift toward a predominance of internal conflicts between or among contending communal groups within divided societies. New conceptual tools and expanded methods of conflict resolution are required to address this destructive phenomenon. The problem-solving workshop, which can serve useful prenegotiaton functions, is now joined with a variety of innovative interventions in dialogue, reconciliation and conflict resolution training. A broad definition of interactive conflict resolution goes beyond problem-solving workshops to include all forms of facilitated, face-to-face activities in communication, training, education or consultation that promote collaborative conflict analysis and peacebuilding among influential members of groups in protracted conflict. The history and rationale of training in conflict resolution is to be found largely in the development and expression of human relations training and more recently in the growth of training in negotiation and mediation skills. Conflict resolution training in divided societies can be seen as having a unique intergroup focus, and as embodying both generic and focused objectives, the former relating to enhanced capacities of participants to manage conflict effectively, and the latter involving increased understanding of the other group and the creation of mutual ideas for peacebuilding. Thus, training as interactive conflict resolution often involves generic activities to impart concepts and skills as well as focused experiences to induce intergroup understanding and cooperation. While directed toward laudable goals, this powerful form of training raises some important pragmatic and ethical issues that need to be managed carefully.

What should we do with school bullies?

For many counsellors and teachers who are concerned about the so-called bully/victim problem in schools, what to do with the school bully is the central issue. One might wish otherwise. It is sometimes argued that if more time and effort were spent in preventing bullying through the development of appropriate policies in schools and the encouragement of prosocial behaviour, the problem would simply not arise. Yet it must be admitted that even with the most enlightened school discipline policies and the most thoughtfully conceived human relations training programs, schools continue to report cases of bullying and harassment with which they must deal.

YMCA training of industrialists in human relations

The involvement of the YMCA in fostering the idea of human relations training for industrialists was a natural outgrowth of its history and mission. It found itself in the position to bring together the social gospel ideas and the industrialists who were seeking ways to implement these ideas into their businesses by virtue of its existing interest in the welfare of the industrial worker and its own training needs. The YMCA took advantage of its unique situation to establish a forum which could provide training in human relations practices and purposes through its “Human Relations in Industry Summer Conferences.”.

Cultural sensitivity rediscovered: Developing training strategies for police officers

Abstract The most important issue in law enforcement for the 1990s is the rediscovery of human relations in police work. In many ways, the mood of the nineties is reminiscent of the urgency of the 1960s with regard to instilling in the police officer a greater sensitivity to diverse cultures and lifestyles. Two decades of focus on technology, professionalism, and war‐like strategies in law enforcement has left a void in policing in the area of human relations. This article reviews the history of police‐minority relations and compares the development of cultural sensitivity training in a southern state and in a large midwestern city in order to outline the critical issues involved in human relations training for police. Finally, it provides a practical guide for constructing lesson plans and instructing such seminars.

Perceived levels of farming skills and problems of small‐scale commercial farmers in Ciskei

The aim of the study was to determine the potential for improved agricultural production among small‐scale commercial farmers at irrigation schemes in Ciskei, not by removing physical constraints but rather by enhancing human resource capabilities. A combination of individual and group interviews was used to examine perceptions of farmers about their farming skills and farming problems. It is apparent from this study that more emphasis needs to be placed on literacy training in the black farming community. Extension officers should also receive substantially more human relations training. There should also be more female extension workers to cater for the needs of female farmers.

The Reflected Appraisal Process in Small-Group Interaction

The symbolic interactionist model of self-concept, also known as the reflected appraisal process, was adopted as the theoretical framework to investigate the effects of social interaction processes on the self-appraisals of adult participants in a small group. Interpersonal behavior ratings of actual other, reflected, and self-appraisals were collected in a two-wave panel design from 99 adults participating in human relations training groups. Covariance structure models were used to estimate the causal paths of the reflected appraisal process. Evidence supporting the conventional model of reflected appraisal was mixed. Actual appraisals had moderate effects on reflected appraisals, and had no effects on self-appraisals when reflected appraisals were controlled

Effects of a Municipal Training Program on Employee Behavior and Attitude

Millions of dollars a year are spent on the training of employees in the public sector, yet effective and empirically sound evaluation procedures are not found in the literature and are not being practiced in the field. This study used a “true” experimental design (pretest/posttest and control group), to evaluate the attitudinal and behavior changes of randomly selected municipal employees after a two-day human relations training seminar. Posttests for attitudinal change were done immediately after the training sessions. Posttests for behavior changes were done six months after the training sessions were completed. In addition to the testing of employees, supervisors were also asked to participate in a pretest/posttest evaluation of their subordinates' job behavior. The results of the “t” tests performed on the group means (X) indicated no statistically significant attitudinal or behavioral changes on the part of the experiment group. However, significant discussion as to why this occurred follows the results.

Some Theoretical Implications of Female and Male Interaction in Unstructured Small Groups

The contrasting assumptions and findings of three theoretical orientations frequently used to explain mixed-sex small group interaction are reviewed. Data from human relations training groups were analyzed to test sex-role differentiation theory hypotheses against alternative explanations grounded in role-status expectation and contextual role adaptation theories. Results did not support sex-role differentiation or adaptation orientations. Women were interactively dominant and more proactive and reactive to same-sex group members; men vacillated between attending to opposite-sex members or attempting global impact. Role-status expectation theory was advanced as the most appropriate explanatory framework for these results.

Media Strategies for Multicultural Education: Using Technology to Teach Compassion

Abstract The state of Wisconsin requires that all pre‐service teachers participate in Human Relations training which is defined in terms of cognitive information about such issues as racism, sexism, handicapism and classism, and affective activities to provide students with opportunities to assess their own attitudes. The Human Relations course at the University of Wisconsin‐La Crosse has developed specific strategies which use media to help students understand course concepts and empathize with victims of discrimination. Since students taking the course are overwhelmingly white and middle class and have had minimal experience with minorities, the issues discussed in this class often seem unreal to them. This article describes four strategies which use media to address this dilemma effectively and to facilitate the overall goal of the course ‐ teaching teachers to have more compassion so that they can share this with their students.

Women, Therapy and Dependency

A microsociological longitudinal study of 120 middle class Melbourne women who were having psychotherapy or counselling was conducted over a five year period. The relative effectiveness of four dominant kinds of psychotherapy was assessed, together with outcomes for types of individuals. The therapies were medical chemotherapy (with psychotherapeutic drugs prescribed by general practitioners), social casework counselling, human relations training and church pastoral counselling. Personal accounts of the women revealed their main concerns were to change their personal identities, and the economic, psychological and emotional aspects of dependency on significant others. After five years, only a small proportion of the total showed positive changes as represented by movement towards independence and autonomy. More than twice as many experienced a serious deterioration of circumstances and increased dependency on others, on therapists and drugs. None of the psychotherapies had much positive outcome. However the clients who felt most helped by the therapies became professional therapists themselves — a finding which suggests the perpetuation of ineffectual systems.

Les usagers et la maladministration

The General Public and Misadministration. Relations between civil servants and the general public should be improved by reorganization, improved reception services, human relations training for civil servants who interface with the public and reduced processing time for user inquiries and applications ; and not by manpower cuts. Users’ groups are valuable buffers between the civil service and the public. However, few are aware of their existence and their resources are limited. Official support is needed.

A Study of Human Relations Training Groups

Five human relations training groups were studied using a theoretical model developed by Andrews (1978, p. 86) to assess group leaders' styles and to predict outcomes. Participants'gains were assessed from changes in self-esteem (self-ideal discrepancy reduction) and social sensitivity (self-other discrepancy reduction) over the course of the group. Participants also responded to a questionnaire about the most significant learning that occurred for them during the group. The results showed two distinct types of group experience: One involved leaders who used more interpersonal interventions. Members gave each other more feedback and showed more gains on the sensitivity measures and less on the self-esteem measure. They also reported more "critical incidents "having to do with increased awareness of how others viewed them and tended to be more critical of the experience. The other type involved leaders with a more interpersonal style, with members giving each other little feedback. Here, members showed more gains on the self-esteem measure and none on the social sensitivity measures.