Time Management Problems Research Articles

Difficulties encountered at the beginning of professional life: results of a 2003 pilot survey among undergraduate students in Paris Rene Descartes University (France)

In addition to dental hospital clinical activity, dental students at Paris Rene Descartes University have the opportunity in their final year of study to practise clinically in a dental office, as associates. This paper outlines a pilot, experimental study designed to assess student reaction to this Vocational Clinical Activity (VCA) in order to identify relevant weaknesses of the undergraduate programme. Using questionnaires, data were collected for each of the following clinical or management skills: clinical difficulty, therapeutic decision-making, patient/practitioner relationship, time management, administrative matters and technical problems. Students were asked to rank each item in order of difficulty (1, high level to 6, low level). A high response rate was observed (90%) among the 50 undergraduate VCA students. The results pointed out three main difficulties encountered by undergraduate students during the VCA: time management (90% of the students), administrative matters (85% of the students) and clinical decision-making (80% of the students). These preliminary results need further investigation. However, they give us the incentive to carry on with this type of assessment and to extend it to young, qualified colleagues' perceptions and to other French Universities.

Eclipse and CVS for group projects

Group projects can be difficult for the instructor to evaluate; students, also, complain about time management and member participation problems. However, working in groups can be valuable for learning course material as well as developing skills vital in the workplace. This paper explores how the open source version control system, CVS, can be used to help students work together with less dependence on synchronous meetings; instructors can also use the system to monitor group member contributions.

Internet function and Internet addictive behavior

Abstract Ju [Research on personal characteristics, the behavior of using Internet and Internet addiction for Taiwanese college study. Master thesis. Taiwan, 2000] found the Internet function was related to the severity of Internet addiction, and this study explored the relationship between the Internet function and the Internet addictive behavior. Seventy-six college students were included in this study and had completed the Internet use function questionnaire (social function, informational function, leisure function and the virtual emotional function) and the Chinese Internet Addiction Scale (compulsive use, withdrawal, tolerance, time management problem and interpersonal and health problems). The study revealed not only the relationship between the social function and the index of the Internet dependence (compulsive use, withdrawal, tolerance and the problems in the interpersonal relationship and health), but also the correlation between the information function and the index of the Internet abuse (the problems in the interpersonal relationship and health). We found the social function played the core role in the Internet addictive behavior and the mechanism needs further discussion.

Families Ask: Manipulatives in the Middle School

Students of all ages need to do math to understand math. Manipulatives provide a way for students to do mathematics in a concrete manner, and they learn some mathematics concepts better when explored with manipulatives. Middle school teachers sometimes fail to see the purpose of manipulatives, citing reasons such as time constraints and management problems, and generally feel that they are not important. Training students in the appropriate use of manipulatives alleviates many management problems and results in the effective use of time. Learning new concepts in the middle grades is just as complex a task as learning new concepts at grades K–3.

Internet addiction of adolescents in Taiwan: an interview study.

This study presented a follow-up investigation of a series of studies about Taiwanese adolescents' Internet addiction. Through analyzing a series of questionnaires, 10 Taiwanese adolescents with Internet addiction were selected for in-depth interviews. Adolescents' interview data revealed the following: First, almost all of the interviewed adolescents exhibited most of the symptoms of Internet addiction as identified by previous studies, including compulsive use and withdrawal, tolerance, and related problems of school, health, family, finance, and time management. Moreover, almost all of the interviewed adolescents stated that messages on the Internet became the primary source of their information and knowledge. Many of them were addicted to the messages and activity on the Internet, but not by the Internet as a medium per se. Also, the world of the Internet seemed to become a place to relieve adolescents' depression. Most of the interviewed adolescents self-declared that they were Internet addicts, but none of them could clearly state what to do with such an addiction. Psychologists and educators should pay more attention to this and then propose possible solutions for adolescents.

A stitch in time saves nine: Behavioural decision-making explanations for time management problems

Time management problems such as choosing urgent instead of important tasks are prevalent but so far they lack a theoretical explanation. The authors argue that time management implies a choice about the use of time. Therefore rational choice theory as a normative theory of choice is relevant to time management, and so is behavioural decision-making research focusing on biases and heuristics that make people deviate from the prediction of rational choice theory. The authors show how these biases and heuristics lead to non-efficient time management. In particular, steep and hyperbolic time discounting is explained and its implications for time management as well as for time management training are presented. Several propositions about the importance of individual and situational variables are also put forward.

Language barrier, funding, communication and time management problems found in the Medical Journal of Indonesia, 1995 - 2001

The objective of this study is to assess the problems encountered in the management of Medical Journal of Indonesia and whether any progress has been achieved during the past 7 years. A retrospective descriptive study was done in the MJI. Available data used as parameters were: number of articles submitted and author's home institution, number of articles submitted and rejected, cause/criteria of rejection, qualification of reviewers and editors, duration of manuscript processing, and whether pre-scheduled time is met in the Med J Indones. For this purpose, all manuscripts from January 1995- January 2001 were evaluated. In addition, recent problems encountered were noted. Problems encountered were limited supply of manuscript that might be due to language barrier, decrease in circulation due to limited budget, communication problems due to seniority, and increase in average processing time that might be due to restriction in the time allocated for MJI Number of articles submitted by authors originating from national versus foreign institutions in 1995-1997 was 101 versus 16, and in 1998 - 2000 were 124 versus 84. Articles rejected were ±26.4 % (1999-2001) and the most frequent causes of rejection were insignificancy of substance and improper data analysis. As for the qualification of editors there was an increase in the number of PhDs and professors. Average processing time is approximately 1.5 times the scheduled time. It seems that the 4 main problems encountered were (1) Language barrier, (2) Funding, (3) Communication problems and (4) Time management; and though not impressive, there are definitely positive changes in the number of manuscipts submitted, qualification of editors and peer reviewers. Average processing time is about the same, and the prescheduled time of editing is yet to be met. (Med J Indones 2001; 10: 252-8) Keywords: language barrier, funding, communication problems, time management

Issues in methodological research: perspectives from researchers and commissioners.

(1) Methodological research has few well-defined tools and processes analogous to those available for reviews and data collection in substantive health technology assessment. (2) This project was set up to obtain researchers' and others' views on the innovative projects on research methodology under the NHS Health Technology Assessment Programme and the usefulness of the research. (3) The study was intended to span both epistemological and management issues. (4) The following issues were explored: (a) the degree to which researchers would feel constrained by the "Cochrane" approach to systematic reviews when undertaking reviews of a methodological nature; (b) whether methodological projects may require exceptional design and management arrangements, in view of their novelty, subjectivity and complexity; (c) whether researchers would seek out other methods, in addition to undertaking reviews of argument, as a means of extending their understanding of methodological issues (there may be three categories of research methods in methodology: reviews of methodological argument, studies that use the literature as a source of data, and research that collects new primary data); (d) whether the Methodology Programme overall can be considered a "success". (1) Telephone interviews were carried out on researchers (one senior and one junior per project), resulting in 35 interviews from 19 of the 20 target projects. (2) A qualitative postal survey was sent to 12 people who had played a key role in the development of the Methodology Programme; replies were received from six of them. (3) Analysis was undertaken of the hit rates for 29 projects on the NCCHTA website by the end of February and the end of May 1999, comparing those concerned with methodology (n = 10) and those concerned with other issues (n = 19). UNDERTAKING METHODOLOGICAL RESEARCH: VIEWS OF RESEARCHERS: This section summarises the views of 35 researchers who were interviewed by telephone. UNDERTAKING METHODOLOGICAL RESEARCH: VIEWS OF RESEARCHERS: (THE NATURE OF METHODOLOGICAL REVIEWS): (1) There was a reluctance among researchers to use the term "systematic review" in the methodological context. (2) Practical problems in undertaking methodological reviews were found at every stage of the research process. (a) In the initial search stage, preplanned strategies were difficult to maintain, owing to the need to respond to the problems of too few or too many references. (b) At the analysis stage, most studies were not formally weighted, but there was implicit weighting in researchers' views of their merits or relevance. (c) It was often only at the synthesis stage that researchers could see clearly what their study was able to do; iteration was frequently necessary at this point. (d) It was difficult to form simple conclusions and recommendations beyond summaries of what was known in the field. (e) Dissemination activities were most often directed to other health service researchers, with some attention to NHS policy makers and research commissioners. UNDERTAKING METHODOLOGICAL RESEARCH: VIEWS OF RESEARCHERS (THE NEED FOR FLEXIBILITY): (1) Few researchers had amended their topic or methods once their research was under way, although some had made minor changes to their original plan, generally to refine the topic to fit the time or data available. (2) Changing a topic was seen as inappropriate unless checked with funders, but changes in research methods were viewed as reasonable because questions might be refined in the light of information gained or early thinking. UNDERTAKING METHODOLOGICAL RESEARCH: VIEWS OF RESEARCHERS (THE QUESTION OF BIAS): (1) Few researchers considered that this kind of research could be undertaken or presented in a wholly unbiased way because of the need to assess the research studied. (2) Objectivity was nonetheless seen as something that researchers should strive towards. Efforts to do so included presenting data clearly, separating findings from discussion, covering all points of view, setting out their own assumptions and values, and testing their ideas on others known to have differing views. (3) The formal peer-review process was not seen to have made a difference here, primarily because of the stage at which referees become involved. UNDERTAKING METHODOLOGICAL RESEARCH: VIEWS OF RESEARCHERS (PROJECT MANAGEMENT--TIMING AND TIME MANAGEMENT): (1) A majority of projects were completed within 3 months of their due date. Those studies completed roughly on time were considered to have efficient junior researchers and good project management, including clear deadlines for different stages of the research. (2) Some studies had severe problems of time management. Too much time tended to be spent on collecting and reading the literature and the writing stage was not always well planned. Referees' comments were also slow in coming. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED)

The Delights and Dilemmas of the Musically Talented Teenager

The profiles of musically talented teenagers include the self-taught jazz or pop musicians who easily compose and perform in professional-like settings, as well as the deftly trained classical performers who have experienced numerous competitions and study with a master teacher. Effective identification and programming for these musically talented students presents a healthy challenge to gifted education. The gifted field's renewed focus on artistic talent development will require an examination of differentiated curricular choices that can uniquely serve the needs of musically talented students. This article presents an overview of the different phases of musical talent development, focusing on the intermediate to advanced phases which usually coincide with secondary school. Aspects of talent development that occur beyond the school walls need to be understood and considered in developing differentiated curriculum for these students. This includes the essential role of parent, private teacher, and practice in the development of musical talent. Dilemmas facing the musical teenager may include competition-oriented instruction that does not allow interpretive exploration; the problem of time management for both advanced musical study and academic achievement; and the difficulty of finding challenging experiences to nurture their talent within the school curriculum. Recommended ways to differentiate curriculum include: student designed independent study contracts connecting the school with community resources such as private music teachers; interdisciplinary options linking music with academics or other arts; and musical coursework that extends beyond performance.

Women Lawyers and Their Working Arrangements: Time Crunch, Stress and Career Paths

AbstractLife in industrial societies is governed by different kinds of “time”: mathematical or monochronic time predominates in the workplace but sociocultural or polychronic time prevails at home, particularly where young children are present. Many women report high levels of “time crunch” as they move between these two spheres and these effects are heightened for women in the professions. In this study, I test four hypotheses: women lawyers have higher time crunch levels than women in the general population. Time crunch is heightened among women who take primary responsibility for the care of young children and those who work in large law firms. As women grow older and shed some of the demands of child care, their time crunch levels drop. This study incorporates both quantitative and qualitative approaches: a regression analysis of “time crunch stress” is used to test the major hypotheses and excerpts from unstructured interviews deal with time management problems in the lives of these women. Findings from the regression analysis reveal heightened time crunch stress for the women in this study, particularly if they assume major responsibility for child care. Neither firm size nor age has a statistically significant effect on time crunch stress. Women lawyers are caught between two kinds of time and, over the long term, their careers assume shapes that differ from those of their male counterparts. These divergent career patterns suggest that current career theories are in need of reassessment and revision.

Correlates of academic procrastination: discomfort, task aversiveness, and task capability.

The relationships among five aspects of academic procrastination--behavioral delay, personal upset about the delay, task aversiveness, task capability, and the desire to reduce behavioral delay--were investigated in 10th-grade Israeli students (N = 195). Upset about delay was weakly related to delay itself, and--unlike delay--was strongly related to perceived capability to perform academic tasks and to the desire to change delaying behavior. Students delayed more on academic tasks labeled unpleasant than pleasant, were neutral in between, and were correspondingly more upset about the former than the latter. They more frequently acknowledged reasons for academic procrastination that were less threatening to their self-image (e.g., problems in time management) than reasons that were more threatening (e.g., lack of ability). Interest in reducing delay is related more to self-perceived ability to handle tasks than to time spent procrastinating or reasons given for procrastinating.

374 PRACTICUM INSTRUCTION AND STUDENT LEARNING

Experiential learning is an integral component of successful career preparation for the horticulture industry. The limited-enrollment practicum course through Sparty's Flowers has been taught for 7 years, and accounts largely for the overall success of the retail floriculture program. Structure is built into the course by assigning weekly individual learning objectives and assignments. Students, in turn, develop their own action plans, upon which evaluation is based. Interactive group meetings replace formal lectures for more effective instructional delivery. Knowledge retention is enhanced as lessons are experienced, not only heard and read. Technical hands-on experiences of design, display, advertising, recordkeeping, sales, and merchandising sharpen abilities. Professional skills, such as time management, interpersonal communication, leadership, and creative problem solving are also developed and fostered by all members of the class. Practicum instruction, as an example of effective collaborative learning, allows a creative and realistic approach to teaching horticulture.

Negotiating temporal orders

This paper focuses on time management as a cooperative task. Based on an analysis of the cultural complexity of scheduling surgical operations in a large clinic, possibilities of using information technology are explored. A computer system can be used to facilitate and change the negotiation of resource deployment in complex organizations by a) providing an integrated view of time management problems and decision-making within a complex organization, and b) by improving coordination. The paper discusses some design options for such a system which combines negotiation support with an auromatic sheduling device and critically examines the rationale for an organization to accept and implement such a system.

CHARACTERISTICS OF STUDENTS ON ACADEMIC PROBATION

Self‐perceptions of both general and specific factors affecting achievement were collected from 67 students on academic probation. Half the students were assigned to a treatment group which received academic support from staff members trained as advisors. Self‐perceptions revealed students faced with significant time management problems and few study skills with which to compensate. Intervention through interaction with advisors revealed problems for which solutions might be facilitated through referrals and specific college programs, that one semester was not a sufficient length of time to effect measurable change in academic status, and that better strategies need to be developed to encourage student participation in such intervention programs.

Time Management in the Classroom:

Many special services providers want to assist classroom teachers in using instructional time more wisely. Unfortunately, prior to this publication, few aids were available to assist in this effort. The purpose of this paper is to inform special services providers about time management so that they can assist classroom teachers and other special service personnel to increase student success. In the course of this discussion, I will explore: (a) means of diagnosing teachers with time-management problems, (b) procedures that build their time-use skills, and (c) methods of teaching students to use their time more effectively.

Time management in health care social work.

Health care social workers face significant problems in controlling and managing time. Among the causes are increased demands for service, economy measures in health care, and the concurrent responsibility which social workers often have for both ongoing case management and crisis coverage. Individuals and social work departments can increase productivity through streamlining case management, increasing use of available resources, and generating new resources. With planning and preparation, many emergencies can be moved into the expected work flow. The social work profession needs to address time management problems and expectations in a more realistic and systematic way.

HIGH SCHOOL CLINIC--HELPFUL HINTS #2: How do you deal with time management problems?

HIGH SCHOOL CLINIC--HELPFUL HINTS #2: How do you deal with time management problems?

Successful Time-Management Techniques for Small Businesses

This article provides the small business owner and operator with useful techniques to better manage time. Effective management of time is important for all businesses, but to the small business person who wears many hats, it is crucial to the success of his/her organization. This article summarizes the major time-management problems facing small businesses and offers some strategies for successful time management.

An Optimal Algorithm for Sales Representative Time Management

This paper addresses the time management problem confronted by sales representatives. The sales representative planning his itinerary must decide the best way to ration time among the accounts comprising his territory. The time management problem is formulated as an integer program whereby each admissible call frequency for each account is represented by a zero-one decision variable. A branch-and-bound integer programming algorithm for this problem is presented. The algorithm is unique in that two integer programming formulations of the problem are used simultaneously in the search procedure and an approximation-cum-relaxation is evaluated at each branch in the search. Computational testing of the algorithm shows that it can solve many realistic time management problems optimally in fractions of a second.

Management of International Whaling and North Pacific Fur Seals: Implications for Fisheries Management

After many early vicissitudes, since 1911, the North Pacific fur seal stocks have been managed in the light of the best current information. During this time management problems have gradually changed from those of restoring depleted herds to those of finding the best exploitation strategy for herds at or near their maximum productivity (particularly in the case of the Pribilof and Robben herds). This has been achieved by agreement among the four nations who formerly captured fur seals either on land or at sea. The agreement includes a quota distribution of the kill.Many stocks of the larger baleen whales have been decimated in various parts of the world, some during the last century but others since 1930 — particularly those of the antarctic. Although biological information was adequate to recognize this overexploitation and even to follow it quantitatively, the International Whaling Commission was powerless to halt the decline because its terms required unanimity of decisions and precluded assigning national quotas. Also, quotas were set for a combined take rather than by species. In 1972 these weaknesses were resolved, but not before blue and humpback whales were commercially extinct in the antarctic and fin whale stocks were far below the level of maximum yield. A recent forward-looking step by the Commission has been that of setting a conservative annual quota for the previously unused minke whales of the antarctic, this to be revised in the light of its reaction to exploitation.Sperm whales have been only a secondary target for whalers during most of this century, while the polygamous habit and greater size of the male sperm whale have made their conservation easier than for the baleen species. However, the level of maximum sustained yield is now being approached and the strategy for attaining it is currently a lively topic of controversy and research.Different parts of this history of seal and whale management can be applied in fishery management, either as guides for action or as horrible examples of the results of inaction. The principal difference is that fish stocks typically have a much larger replacement rate, hence can support larger rates of exploitation than the mammals can. However, this in no way decreases the need for rational management.