Self-perceived Role Research Articles

Tasks, interaction and role perception of management accountants: evidence from Germany

The role of management accountants (MAs) has been discussed for more than a decade. Scholars as well as practitioners advocate a new role for MAs: the business partner who is involved in managerial decisions and strategic tasks. This is contrasted with the “bean counter” doing more repetitive and operational tasks. Different tasks and accountant–manager interactions are important indicators of MAs’ roles. An empirical assessment of them would allow us to understand what roles MAs fulfill and which contingency factors impact roles. Contrasting results on tasks and interaction with self-perceived roles of MAs helps to understand the extent of self-serving perception. The sample consists of 183 German MAs. Data were analyzed using multivariate multilevel modeling and ordinal regression. On a descriptive level, the results indicate an extension of tasks from operational into strategic areas. That supports the notion of role extension and so-called hybrid MAs. The main contingency factors affecting roles are the position of MAs, the hierarchical level of the MA function, group affiliation and capital market orientation. The second result is that role perception of respondents is independent of what they do and how intensively they interact with managers. It follows from the study that assuming clear-cut roles and transition to one role is too simplistic. A great variety of tasks and interactions of MAs exists. Future studies should take this complexity fully into account. Additionally, self-rating and self-perceived roles do not seem to be coherent with responses of MAs on what they do and how intensively they interact with managers, which is explained by self-serving bias.

Militarization in Canada: myth-breaking and image-making through recruitment campaigns

ABSTRACTDespite widely held attachments by Canadians to a national identity and self-perceived role as international peacekeepers, in 2006 the Department of Defence introduced a recruitment campaign intended to “toughen” the image of the Canadian Armed Forces and showcase a more “realistic” perspective of military service. The 2006-2008 “Fight campaign” advertisements symbolized efforts by political and military elites to re-brand the image of the Canadian Forces, but in a unique way that preserved popularly held beliefs about the role and purpose of the military. Advertisement themes of rescue and helpfulness evoked culturally popular imagery, a strategy used by political elites to legitimize increased combat focus of the Canadian military. This article examines how the re-branding of the Canadian Armed Forces as an increasingly combat-capable institution signal a shift towards militarization of policy in Canada and posits that this shift has had effects on both foreign policy priorities and the ways that national identity is imagined.

The emerging role of the urban-based aboriginal peer support worker: A Western Australian study

PurposeTo explore the self-perceived role of the Aboriginal peer support worker working with families with young children. This study was a component of a larger participatory action research study undertaken in a Western Australian metropolitan setting to develop and evaluate the suitability, feasibility and effectiveness of an Aboriginal peer-led home visiting program. MethodsFocus group interviews were carried out with peer support workers using unstructured and semi-structured interviews within Action Learning Sets. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. ResultsThe overarching theme on the self-perceived role of the Aboriginal peer support worker was Giving Parent Support, with subsidiary themes relating to development and ongoing sustainability of the support. DiscussionThe peer support workers viewed their role as providing parent support through enabling strategies which developed client acceptance and trust, delivered culturally relevant support, advocated for families, developed therapeutic engagement and communication strategies, and created safe home visiting practices. They recognised the importance of linking families with community support such as community child health nurses which was important for improving long term physical and psychosocial health outcomes for children. ConclusionAboriginal Peer Support Workers identified their emerging integral role in the development of this unique culturally acceptable home visitingsupport for Aboriginal parents. Innovative approaches towards client engagement demonstrated their value in developing creative ways of working in partnership with families, community support services and child health nurses across a range of challenging psychosocial environments.

Second language learners’ self-perceived roles and participation in face-to-face english writing consultations

Learner talk, a neglected area of study in the literature of language advising for second language (L2) learners, deserves more attention. With reference to multiple qualitative sources of data obtained from interviews and tutor-learner recorded conversations, this paper delineates learners' behaviors, strategies and contribution to language learning in tutor-dominant writing consultations. More importantly, it reveals the relationships between self-perception and learning behaviors via learning strategies. Nine native and non-native English-speaking writing tutors and 23 L2 learners from different disciplines participated in the study. Three types of L2 learners and 11 learning strategies were identified and analyzed based on the self-reported data and transcribed conversations. Analysis showed that the identified strategies signify the learners' behaviors and varied degrees of readiness to engage actively in learning by obtaining language input from tutors through some self-initiated acts, demonstrating selfawareness of their problems and establishing rapport with tutors to accomplish the learning task. Implications for teaching and future research are discussed.

"I Have to Push Him with a Wheelbarrow to the Clinic": Community Health Workers' Roles, Needs, and Strategies to Improve HIV Care in Rural South Africa.

With a 19.2% HIV prevalence, South Africa has the largest HIV/AIDS epidemic worldwide. Despite a recent scale-up of public sector HIV resources, including community-based programs to expand HIV care, suboptimal rates of antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation and adherence persist. As community stakeholders with basic healthcare training, community health workers (CHWs) are uniquely positioned to provide healthcare and insight into potential strategies to improve HIV treatment outcomes. The study goal was to qualitatively explore the self-perceived role of the CHW, unmet CHW needs, and strategies to improve HIV care in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Focus groups were conducted in May-August 2014, with 21 CHWs working in Msinga subdistrict. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and translated from Zulu into English. A hybrid deductive and inductive analytical method borrowed from grounded theory was applied to identify emergent themes. CHWs felt they substantially contributed to HIV care provision but were inadequately supported by the healthcare system. CHWs' recommendations included: (1) sufficiently equipping CHWs to provide education, counseling, social support, routine antiretroviral medication, and basic emergency care, (2) modifying clinical practice to provide less stigmatizing, more patient-centered care, (3) collaborating with traditional healers and church leaders to reduce competition with ART and provide more holistic care, and (4) offsetting socioeconomic barriers to HIV care. In conclusion, CHWs can serve as resources when designing and implementing interventions to improve HIV care. As HIV/AIDS policy and practice evolves in South Africa, it will be important to recognize and formally expand CHWs' roles supporting the healthcare system.

The Role Perception of Female Secondary School Administrators in Ekiti State

This study examined the self perceived role of female administrators of secondary schools in Ekiti State, Nigeria. Such perception is based on performing specific tasks, and is compared to the role of female administrators as perceived by the teachers under them and the board members of the Teaching Service Commission. A purposive sampling technique was used to select thirty (30) female principals/administrators, 670 teachers under them and five Board members. A 40 item questionnaire, arranged in a summated rating Likert Whitney U-test was employed to test the significance difference between the self-perceived role of female administrators and their role as perceived by both the teachers and Board member. Findings showed that self-perceived role of the female secondary school administrators is significantly different from her role as perceived by the teachers under them in (1) Staff Development (2) Instructional Supervision and (3) Finance and Budgeting Whereas both the female administrators and their superordinates (Board members) perceived the role of the female administrators in the following order of importance. 1. Staff development 2. Finance and Budgeting 3. Community Relations 4. Instructional Supervision 5. Student welfare Services It was recommended that both male and female school administrators need some orientation courses on professional matters regularly.

Medical School Librarians Need More Training to Support their Involvement in Evidence Based Medicine Curricula

Objective – To describe the self-perceived role of librarians in developing evidence based medicine (EBM) curricula and identify their current and desired level of training to support these activities.
 
 Design – Multi-institutional qualitative study.
 
 Setting – Nine medical schools in Canada and the United States of America.
 
 Subjects – Nine librarians identified by medical school faculty as central to the provision of EBM training for medical students at their institution.
 
 
 Methods – The researchers designed a semi-structured interview schedule based on a review of the literature and their own experiences as librarians teaching EBM. The topics covered were; librarians’ perceptions of their roles in relation to the curriculum, the training required to enable them to undertake these roles, and their professional development needs. The interviews were conducted by telephone and then audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. The authors present five main themes; curricular design, curricular deployment, curricular assessment, educational training, and professional development. Profiles were developed for each participant based on the latter two themes and from this information common characteristics were identified.
 
 Main Results – The participants described the importance of collaboration with faculty and student bodies when designing a curriculum. Information literacy instruction and specifically literature searching and forming a research question were taught by all of the participants to facilitate curricular deployment. Some of the librarians were involved or partly involved in curricular assessment activities such as formulating exam questions or providing feedback on assignments. Educational training of participants varied from informal observation to formal workshops offered by higher education institutions. All librarians indicated a willingness to partake in professional development focused on teaching and EBM.
 
 The subjects’ perceptions of their roles are supported by Dorsch and Perry’s themes of the librarian’s role in curricular design, deployment, and assessment. The educational training received by participants included formal training and experiential and self-directed learning activities. 
 
 Finally, the librarians identified their professional development needs going forward. The majority of participants indicated that they would like to attend workshops run by universities or the Medical Library Association. Others wanted to invite and host guest speakers at their own institutions. Librarians identified financial restraints and geographic location as barriers to attending professional development events. 
 
 Conclusion – Librarians can be actively involved in the delivery of EBM instruction in medical schools. However, they require additional educational opportunities to enable them to develop in this role. Online training could be a viable option for self-directed learning to overcome financial and geographic constraints.

Roles of nurses and parents caring for hospitalised children.

This article reviews the literature on nurses' and parents' self-perceived roles when caring for hospitalised children, focusing on research conducted since the Department of Health published the National Service Framework for Children: Standard for Hospital Services in 2003. Three main themes emerge from the review: nurses' perceptions, parents' perceptions, and negotiation. Clarification of what nurses and parents consider to be their respective roles when caring for hospitalised children is a prerequisite for negotiation of those roles. The family's background, life experiences and circumstances influence the effectiveness of negotiation between nurses and parents. The article explores potential barriers to negotiation, including poor communication and failure to provide information. Limitations of the research and the implications for practice are considered.

“That’s Just the Tip of It Because It Goes Deeper Than That”: A Qualitative Exploration Into the Role of Mental Illness in Offending Onset and Subsequent Offending Behavior

There continues to be considerable debate regarding the most effective ways to reduce the number of mentally ill offenders in the adult criminal justice system. What is often missing from this national discussion is an examination of the factors associated with their initial involvement in illegal activities. This qualitative study assesses the self-perceived role that psychiatric symptoms had in the onset and continued offending of a sample of 28 parolees with mental illness. The findings showed that psychiatric symptoms rarely played a direct role in the onset and continued offending in this sample. Furthermore, the majority of the sample started offending prior to the age of 18, highlighting the need to devote more resources toward delivering evidence-based interventions to youth at risk of becoming involved in a criminal lifestyle as one strategy for reducing the number of mentally ill who become involved in the adult criminal justice system.

Science bloggers' self-perceived communication roles

This study addresses an open question about science bloggers' self-perceived roles as science communicators. Previous research has investigated the roles science journalists see themselves engaging in, but such research has failed to capture the experiences of science bloggers as a broad and diverse group that is yet often very different in their practices from professional journalists. In this study, a survey of over 600 science bloggers reveals that on the broadest level, science bloggers see themselves engaging most often as explainers of science and public intellectuals. Perceived communication role depends predominantly on occupation, science communication training, blog affiliation and gender.

Looking after the teachers: exploring the emotional labour experienced by teachers of looked after children

Whilst outcomes for looked after children (LAC) have been extensively discussed, less attention has been paid to the experiences of teachers of this group of children. It is accepted that Emotional Labour (EL) is commonplace in the teaching profession but no research has investigated how, and to what extent, teachers experience emotional labour during interactions with LAC. Fourteen Key Stage Two teachers of LAC participated in the current study by completing semi-structured interviews. Results indicate that participants experience emotional labour during interactions with LAC and that this may be mediated, to a degree, by factors including role constructions, perceptions of support and self-perceived role facilitators such as perception of a professional duty. The potential benefit of educational psychologists understanding better, and supporting, the impact of emotional labour on teachers of LAC is subsequently discussed.

The contractor's role in the sustainable construction industry

With the advent of sustainable building ordinances in the USA and internationally, contractors are increasingly required to deliver sustainable projects; however, they have traditionally not been considered partners in developing the sustainability goals and objectives for projects. Moreover, as alternative project delivery methods become more popular, contractors have an opportunity and – in an increasing number of cases – a requirement, to take a larger role in sustainability efforts across the building life cycle. Understanding the contractor's self-perceived role, in addition to their incentives for participation, in the sustainable construction industry is imperative to providing insight into their future role within the industry. This paper presents data from and analysis of a survey of US-based general contractors. The survey asked general contractors for their opinions and viewpoints regarding sustainable construction; respondents provided feedback about corporate profitability, growth forecast and specific obstacles to sustainable building. The authors present a potential path from the current state of sustainable construction industry in the USA to a projected future state (both characterised by the survey responses). Finally, factors that will affect the transition to the future state of the sustainable construction industry are discussed.

Evaluation of the Home-based Rehabilitation Program Based on CBR Model Through In-depth Interviews With Visiting Physical Therapists

Purpose: This study was conducted in order to explore home visiting therapists` self-perceived role, problems, and supplement points of the home-based rehabilitation (HR) program based on the community-based rehabilitation (CBR) model. Methods: Four home visiting physical therapists, who conducted the HR program, participated in this study. After completion of the HR program, in-depth interviews were conducted using a semi-structured questionnaire for participants to explore their self-perceived role, problems, and supplement points of the HR program. Results: Participants regarded the role of the HR program as for “the linkage between recipient & society”, “maintenance & improvement of recipients` physical function”, and “education of recipient about the way of self rehabilitation”. The problems and supplement points were derived from all phases of the HR program, including “human & material resources”, “training program for human resources for HR service”, “selection of recipient of HR service”, “contents of the intervention for HR service”, and “duration of HR service”. Conclusion: These findings indicate that participants well recognized the intention of the HR program based on the CBR model, and suggest that high-quality human resources with rich expertise and experiences, a training program for HR service led by experts, and se lection of recipients led by experts are necessary for an effective HR program. In addition, strategies and capacities specified to HR ser vice should be identified, and applied to the training program for human resources for HR service. The results of this study could provide useful information when the government decides on the next guideline for home visiting health service.

Dentists' self-perceived role in offering tobacco cessation services: results from a nationally representative survey, United States, 2010-2011.

IntroductionDental visits represent an opportunity to identify and help patients quit smoking, yet dental settings remain an untapped venue for treatment of tobacco dependence. The purpose of this analysis was to assess factors that may influence patterns of tobacco-use–related practice among a national sample of dental providers.MethodsWe surveyed a representative sample of general dentists practicing in the United States (N = 1,802). Multivariable analysis was used to assess correlates of adherence to tobacco use treatment guidelines and to analyze factors that influence providers’ willingness to offer tobacco cessation assistance if reimbursed for this service.ResultsMore than 90% of dental providers reported that they routinely ask patients about tobacco use, 76% counsel patients, and 45% routinely offer cessation assistance, defined as referring patients for cessation counseling, providing a cessation prescription, or both. Results from multivariable analysis indicated that cessation assistance was associated with having a practice with 1 or more hygienists, having a chart system that includes a tobacco use question, having received training on treating tobacco dependence, and having positive attitudes toward treating tobacco use. Providers who did not offer assistance but who reported that they would change their practice patterns if sufficiently reimbursed were more likely to be in a group practice, treat patients insured through Medicaid, and have positive attitudes toward treating tobacco dependence.ConclusionFindings indicate the potential benefit of increasing training opportunities and promoting system changes to increase involvement of dental providers in conducting tobacco use treatment. Reimbursement models should be tested to assess the effect on dental provider practice patterns.

Employability of higher education graduates in Europe

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to introduce the special issue on “Employability of higher education graduates in europe” from the perspective of global changes. Design/methodology/approach – The empirically based papers of the special issue address six main areas related to the transition of graduates from education to the labour market: employment and employability, job (mis)match, development of particular areas of competency, new certificates of higher education, along with the disciplinarity and status of the self-perceived role of academics in supporting graduates’ careers. Findings – This issue provides empirical findings relevant to various stakeholders of higher education systems which are essential for strategic development in the area. Originality/value – The selection of papers proposes an interdisciplinary scientific approach in the areas of bridging (higher) education with the labour market.

Public library fieldwork supervisors: A survey of activities, assessment, and attitudes

Little research directly targets supervisors of fieldwork students in public libraries. This article identifies their feelings and behaviors using Lev Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development theory as a background for design and discussion of results. Fieldwork activities, supervisor assessments, and self-perceived roles are discussed. The study began with an online survey (77 respondents solicited by email) and continued with follow-up questions (25 respondents). Results indicate fieldwork supervisors see themselves as mentors, serving as the ‘more capable peer’ according to Vygotsky, and they guide students from supervised to unsupervised work. Suggestions for further research are given.

Multi-State Survey of Support Brokers in Cash and Counseling Programs

The purpose of this study is to learn how support brokers (program counselors) carry out and are prepared for their roles in participant-directed programs. More specifically, this study looks at support brokers’ self-perceived roles, training, educational backgrounds, and how well they feel they are prepared for their jobs with Cash and Counseling programs. This study involves two phases of data collection. First, a 20-item survey was sent electronically to support brokers in three states ( n = 138) in 2011. Descriptive statistics and t tests were used for the analysis. The second phase involves follow-up telephone interviews ( n = 15) with a convenience sample who agreed to participate. Results showed an inconsistency in role definitions and types of training between and within individual states. Moreover, educational backgrounds had a significant influence on the level of support brokers’ perceived preparedness for given tasks. Finally, this study identifies areas that support brokers believe will help improve their performance.

Descripción del rol autopercibido del psicólogo y sus implicancias en los procesos de formación en pregrado

The social valoration of Psychologist is inconstant and depends largely on the quality of the education process. Psychologist’s teachers must consider and reflect on the role and self-perceived difficulties in the professional practice of psychologists practicing .The purpose of this research was to describe the self-perceived role of the Psychologist: chores, difficulties and required competencies in their various professional endeavors. To achieve this, we conducted semi-structured interviews to twenty Psychologists who work in different professional areas. We applied content analyses at a descriptive level. The main findings are that the self-perceived role is: i) diffused and confused or else flexible and broad; ii) their mission is to promote the well-being of people; iii) it varies depending on the context of the action. Limitations are observed in their relationship with the environment and with other people, plus the need to strengthen the development of generic skills such as oral and inter-personal communication and specific skills such as understanding theory, scientific research and assessment.

Show and tell: How supervisors facilitate leader development among transitioning leaders.

We argue that studying leaders experiencing a job transition offers a unique opportunity to explore initial changes in leaders' development in their cognition and action. Here, we examine 2 early indicators of leaders' development-their acquisition of knowledge regarding their new role (a cognitive outcome) and the time they allocate toward leading others (a behavioral outcome)-and how supervisors can facilitate these forms of development among transitioning leaders. With a sample of 110 first-line leaders who we tracked over approximately 10 months at 4 different points in time, we tested the efficacy of supervisors' support in the form of modeling effective leadership behavior (i.e., "show") and the provision of job information (i.e., "tell"). Results from random coefficient modeling revealed that the interactive effect of supervisors' "show" and "tell" accelerates the rate of transitioning leaders' self-perceived role knowledge acquisition over time. This upward trajectory is even more pronounced for transitioning leaders who have not been exposed to an exceptional leader during their careers. Further, with a lagged design, we found that leaders who report greater role knowledge allocate more time toward leading others, thus indicating initial changes in these leaders' behavior. We discuss these findings in light of their theoretical and practical importance to the field of leader development.

The BRICS and Global Governance Reform: Can the BRICS provide leadership?

This article is about the attitudes of the BRICS as a group, as well as those of each BRICS country towards their potential roles and responsibilities for global governance. I argue that the policy responses from the BRICS members could be better understood based on their self-perceived (though evolving) role in the global order. The article starts with a brief overview of how global governance has developed and why the BRICS are advocating for its reform. Next, I try to provide an insight into the attitudes of each BRICS country towards global governance, based on their geopolitical role, history, and self-perception. Finally, I attempt to explain two main strategies of the BRICS countries in this regard, namely changes in voting rights, and appointments to multilateral institutions.