Work Supervisors Research Articles

The pitfalls of work placement learning: perceptions of mechanical engineering students from a South African university

ABSTRACT This article reports on a qualitative multi-case study exploring the challenges mechanical engineering students experience during work placement. The study collected data from 34 purposively selected mechanical engineering students. It found that constraining learning environments, ineffective industry mentors, low quality work affordances and negative student characteristics can compromise students’ work placement learning outcomes. It suggests that the coupling of ineffective mentors and constraining learning environments tends to be associated with low quality work affordances. Industry mentors were considered ineffective if they could not perform the dual role of work supervisors and teachers. It further suggests that some student attributes can also compromise work placement learning outcomes. It found that students who are not proactive or assertive often experience low quality work affordances. To remedy these shortcomings, universities should provide pre-placement training for students and industry mentors in the form of a seminar for industry mentors and simulated work placement for students.

Formation of information and communicative competence of students in educator-supervisor’s work

Abstract. We consider the role of a supervisor in a higher educational institution. The delay in the maturation of young people observed in recent decades makes this work relevant especially in the first years of higher education. The work of the supervisor in the student group on the formation of information and communication competence should include the study of the emotional and cognitive sphere of students, the peculiarities of their interpersonal relationships and monitoring of the psychological state of the collective and individual. An important part of the supervisor's work is the choice of approaches to the formation of a student team, which often unites representatives of different nationalities and different cultural traditions. The key direction is the diagnosis of the psychological atmosphere in the student team. Examples of diagnostic tests that are simple and accessible for use in the practice of an educator-supervisor are given. The methods that can be used in the supervisor’s educational work are analyzed. Special attention is paid to the need for close cooperation with specialists of specialized departments of pedagogy and psychology, providing substantial professional advice in solving these problems. The work of the educator-supervisor, aimed at the formation of information and communication competence of students, contributes to the process of adaptation to new living conditions, which ultimately leads to an improvement in the quality of education and further successful implementation in professional activities.

Exploring the Use of Power of Social Work Supervisors in Chinese Culture

When Chinese social workers face ethical dilemmas, responsibilities, and obligations conflict, how to make ethical decisions. The aims of this study include demonstrating the ethical dilemma that social workers and resource master confront when they collaborate in Chinese culture. It uses Reamer's ethical decision-making model to explore the ethical decision-making process of Chinese social workers and discuss social workers' ethical choices about whistle-blowing and human relationships. This paper applies the case of social work services for the disabled in Taiwan to analyze and research. The conclusions of this paper are the ethical value judgment and decision-making of social workers; the process of whistle-blowing, and the moral courage and practice of social workers. It is hoped that the discussion in this paper will provide a reference for the ethical decision-making of social workers in the Chinese mainland.

Akmenynės bažnyčia: šaltinių ir ikonografijos tyrimai

Akmenynė, now a village in the Šalčininkai district, was known at first just as a privately-owned land, and later as an estate called Kamionka, a Polish name deriving from the name of the river Kamena. Based on iconographic materials and other relevant documents kept in the Wroblewski Library of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences, the present article aims to discuss the architecture of the wooden church built in 1928–1929 and its interior equipment, as well as a wooden manor that had existed in the 17th century – the early 19th century and a wooden church that had stood on its estate. In the mid-17th century, the Akmenynė estate consisted of a wooden house and farm buildings. In the 18th century, the walls of the main room of the representational house were upholstered with fabric and paper and decorated with paintings. In the second half of the 17th century, there had already been built the wooden church equipped with liturgical vessels and other attributes. It had two paintings depicting the Holy Virgin Mary and St. Bishop Stanislaus, with three more pictures, those of the Virgin Mary, Our Lord Jesus, and St. Antony of Padua. One of the authors (or the only author) of the Project of the present Church of St. Terese of the Holy Infant Jesus could have been the manager and work supervisor of the construction on this church, Anton Filipowicz-Dubowik. Most of its equipment and inventory was made and acquired in the end of the third decade and in the fourth decade of the 20th century. The painting of St. Terese of the Holy Infant Jesus is different in composition from other pictures, which were painted based on the first portrait images of the saint. Such items as the holy water font created by the stonecutter J. Szemetowicz based on a drawing by an unknown artist and the sacristy cabinet acquired by the efforts of the painter Piotr Żyngiel testify to the collaboration between the parish priest of the Akmenynė church and painters who studied at the Faculty of Art of the Vilnius Stephen Batory University. Most of the liturgical vessels were produced by Michael Newiadomski’s Vilnius workshop of liturgical supplies, and one of the reliquaries, by the Charewicz factory of liturgical vessels. It may be assumed that an unknown author who created the linocut The Stations of the Cross, as well as craftsmen of a few Vilnius workshops who produced liturgical vessels and other supplies could have used projects and drawings of Gracian Achrem-Achremowicz. Keywords: Akmenynė church on the manor estate in the 17th – early 19th century; Church of St. Terese of the Holy Infant Jesus in the early 20th century; architecture; inventory; creators.

Development and validation of a measure of supervisory best practices in gerontological social work

Agency-based supervision is essential to skilled practice and staff retention, directly impacting the quality of services. The Supervisory Leaders in Aging (SLA) program was designed to strengthen supervision of the aging services workforce. SLA was implemented in four states and trained 134 social work supervisors. The purpose of this study was to develop a novel, comprehensive, and practice-informed measure of supervisory best-practices in gerontological social services. The primary outcome for the SLA program was the Practice Inventory for Supervision in Aging Services (PISAS), which evaluated the frequency of recent use of best practices as identified by the project team and vetted by instructors and an interdisciplinary advisory board. Reliability and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to examine its psychometric properties. Findings demonstrated the scale had good internal consistency reliability (ɑ = 0.88). Confirmatory factor analyses indicated a three-factor solution, 1) Gerontological Social Work Skills, 2) Program Development Skills, and 3) Supervision and Leadership Skills, accounting for 72% of the variability in the 27 items. Gerontological Social Work Skills captured best practices regarding mental health in late life, heightening awareness of elder abuse, and working with families. Program Development Skills captured assessment, measuring outcomes, and translating evidence into practice. Supervision and Leadership Skills captured individual supervision, group supervision and leadership in interdisciplinary practice. Results indicated that PISAS is a reliable and valid measure of use of best practices in gerontological social work supervision. Further implications and limitations of this measure in assessing outcomes of gerontological education and training programs are discussed.

Peran Audit Internal dalam mencegah fraud di tengah wabah covid-19 (Study Empiris RSUD Dr. Soetomo Surabaya)

This study describes the role of internal auditors in preventing fraud against budget execution in the midst of the covid-19 pandemic. This study aims to obtain empirical evidence regarding the role of the internal supervisory unit as an internal audit in hospitals in preventing fraud in the midst of the covid-19 outbreak (A Study at Dr. Soetomo Hospital Surabaya)". This study uses a qualitative method with a case study approach. at the Internal Supervisory Unit of RSUD Dr. Soetomo Surabaya through data analysis techniques, interviews and documentation. The role of internal audit in hospitals (SPI) was analyzed descriptively with data reduction, narrative presentation, and drawing conclusions on the fraud detection capability inherent in the internal auditor function of the SPI RSUD Dr. Soetomo. This study concluded that the SPI RSUD Dr. Soetomo has carried out the role of fraud prevention by carrying out its duties and functions as stated in the annual supervisory work program including routine supervision, special supervision related to the BTT, Functional and CSR budgets, follow-up monitoring, audit assistance by external auditors and sponsorship licensing control. Internal Auditor of SPI RSUD Dr. Soetomo must improve his competence so that he can detect fraud optimally in monitoring the effectiveness and efficiency of BLU activities, reliability and integrity of financial information and BLUD performance, security of BLUD assets, so as to detect fraud early.
 Keywords: audit internal, pencegahan fraud, Pandemi covid-19, SPI.

ISLAMIC BANK ASSET GROWTH: PREDICTIVE ASSESSMENT TOWARD DOMINANT VARIABLES AFFECTING

This study departs from asset growth in Islamic banks which has decreased in the last four years even though assets have increased every year. This research is structured to be the basis for making policies to increase the growth of assets of Islamic banks. The research design used is quantitative with the help of smart PLS ver.3.3. The number of samples is 94 people from a population of 123 employees of Islamic Banks Serang and Cilegon Branch Offices with supervisory positions and above. The sample selection in this study uses probability sampling, so that all branch offices of Islamic banks in Cilegon and Serang as well as all supervisory work units have the same opportunity to be selected as samples. The results indicate that the ones that have the biggest influence in increasing the growth of Islamic bank assets are the financing to deposit ratio and non-performing financing. This can be seen from the path coefficient value resulting from this study between financing to deposit ratio on asset growth has a coefficient value of 2.818 and non-performing financing on asset growth has a coefficient value of 3.767. Thus, both financing to deposit ratio and non-performing financing influence increasing the growth of assets of Islamic banks. The results of this study emphasize to bankers to maintain the quality of financing to remain smooth and avoid non-performing financing.

Structural Racism and Psychiatric Practice: A Call for Sustained Change.

Structural racism has received renewed focus over the past year, fueled by the convergence of major political and social events. Psychiatry as a field has been forced to confront a legacy of systemic inequities. Here, we use examples from our clinical and supervisory work to highlight the urgent need to integrate techniques addressing racial identity and racism into psychiatric practice and teaching. This urgency is underlined by extensive evidence of psychiatry's long-standing systemic inequities. We argue that our field suffers not from a lack of available techniques, but rather a lack of sustained commitment to understand and integrate those techniques into our work; indeed, there are multiple published examples of strategies to address racism and racial identity in psychiatric clinical practice. We conclude with recommendations geared toward more firmly institutionalizing a focus on racism and racial identity in psychiatry, and suggest applications of existing techniques to our initial clinical examples.

Where I am and who I am with: Contextual dynamics of personality in the prediction of work performance

AbstractContextually dynamic expressions of personality traits were examined in this study to understand their effects on work performance criteria. A concept of contextualized trait resources was developed to explain the dynamic deployment of traits across specific social contexts to deal with the demands that people face (e.g., work demands). A sample of 111 managers provided multiple contextualized ratings of the Big Five reflecting key social domains, and operationalized as role‐identities and metaperceptions, and also participated in a 1‐day assessment center (AC). Analyses showed that metaperceptions of the Big Five from the perspective of a work supervisor, and to a lesser extent metaperceptions averaged across contexts, predicted performance criteria at the AC after controlling for the effects of general ratings of the same traits. It was concluded that both the social domain, and specific interpersonal context of trait expressions are potentially informative in understanding the effects of contextually dynamic representations of personality. Implications for recruitment and selection are discussed.

Young Carers in Australia: Understanding Experiences of Caring and Support-Seeking Behaviour

ABSTRACT Although young carers experience several challenges associated with their roles, little is known about the current effects of those challenges on their education, work, and social life. Their support-seeking behaviour is also under-researched. Based on findings from 25 interviews and a focus group discussion, this qualitative study presents insights into the effects of providing informal care on the lives of young carers and their support-seeking behaviour. Participants reported several physical, mental, and social effects of caring that have either positive or negative implications for their lives. Whereas providing care influenced early maturity, self-efficacy, and formation of stronger bonds with care recipients, it also limited participants’ ability to find work, focus on their education, and socialise with peers. Utilisation of formal community-based and professional support services was low among the participants. Stigma associated with the label “carer”; lack of youth-friendly service settings; lack of self-identification of carer status; and a lack of cultural, age, and specific support services for different stages of caring constrained the use of support services among participants. In contrast, positive attitudes of service providers encouraged the use of support services. These findings highlight an urgent need for more professional support for young carers. IMPLICATIONS Failure to provide sufficient professional support to young carers can aggravate the negative consequences associated with their caring roles. Social workers and other professionals can strengthen their collaboration with educators, work supervisors, and other support agencies to address the challenges of providing care at a young age. Given that caring roles often influence early maturity and self-efficacy for young carers, social workers and other professionals can consider using strength-based approaches in addressing challenges associated with providing care, including those related to support-seeking behaviour.

TEACHING RESEARCH METHODOLOGY (TRM) AND SUPERVISING RESEARCH WORK (SRW): CONCEPTIONS, DIFFICULTIES, AND PRACTICES OF LEBANESE UNIVERSITY INSTRUCTORS

Research methodology is an essential subject in higher education, however, it is challenging to instructors because of the complexity of the course material. This study aims to highlight the conceptions, difficulties and practices of the Lebanese University research methodology instructors and research work supervisors. For this purpose, research experts constructed and validated a questionnaire. 81 instructors and / or supervisors voluntarily participated. Results showed diversification in conceptions of participants with respect to some common essential concepts within the framework of research methodology, this reflects the complexity of the content and can hinder teaching research methodology (TRM) as well as supervising research work (SRW). Moreover, the participants indicated that they face many difficulties during SRW. The majority of the instructors elaborate their own resources for teaching methodology, they implement student-centered teaching methods and variety of assessment methods allowing students to explore and practice methodology concepts. In addition, they update their knowledge and practices on their own by attending conferences, performing research, discussing with colleagues, and by reflecting on their practices. Thus, our findings imply the need to precise the competencies required for TRM and SRW, and to encourage instructors and supervisors to reflect on their practices and share their experiences.

Examining the Supervision Work Alliance Scale: A Rasch Model Approach

Background:The supervisory working alliance has a role in facilitating guidance and counseling supervisors in providing understanding of how the service works. Measuring the level of supervision work alliance is one way that can be done to find out whether a supervisor has a good supervisory work alliance or not.Objective:The research aims to describe the quality of the Supervision Work Alliance Scale (SWAS) instrument.Materials and Methods:The study employed a cross-sectional method with a quantitative research design. Participants in this study were counseling teachers implementing the internship program with 17 males and 55 females. This type of parameter needs to be identified by the category coefficient of the RASCH scoring function model for polycotomic responses.Results:The results show that as many as 34 items proved to be compatible with SWAS instruments. The cronbach alpha of the instrument was 0.91 which means that the all items were in the high category of reliability. The misfit items were only 5,88, so all of the items in SWAS were well understood by the participants.Conclusion:The development of SWAS instrument is valid and reliable, so it can be used to measure the variable of the supervisory work alliance

Applying Neo-Republican Theory to Welfare to Work Practices: Rules and Arbitrary Power in Mandatory Work Programmes in the Netherlands

Drawing on the neo-republican theory of non-domination and a qualitative case study conducted in three Dutch municipalities, this article explores the extent to which external rules are able to prevent arbitrary power in relationships between welfare officers and work supervisors, on the one hand, and welfare recipients participating in mandatory work programmes, on the other hand. It concludes that external rules were insufficiently implemented in the three municipalities in question. In addition, it found that rules cease to be capable of constraining arbitrary power where institutional contexts themselves are unpredictable and insecure. Under these conditions, welfare recipients may seek to avoid risks and act in accordance with the preferences (or their expectation of the preferences) of the welfare officer or work supervisor by playing the role of the ‘good recipient’ instead of relying on available rules of a protective nature or rules that enable them to have a say in their participation in mandatory work programmes.

The reality of applying electronic supervision in public schools during the Corona pandemic period from the point of view of educational supervisors in the Northern Region of Jordan: واقع تطبيق الإشراف الإلكتروني في المدارس الحكومية خلال فترة جائحة كورونا من وجهة نظر المشرفين التربويين في إقليم الشمال بالأردن

The study aimed to identify the reality of the application of electronic supervision in public schools during the period of the Corona pandemic from the point of view of educational supervisors in the Northern Region in Jordan, depending on the changing gender and years of experience supervisory and specialization. The research adopted the descriptive analytical approach. The researcher took from (the questionnaire) a main tool to take the opinions of the members of the sample of the study consisting of 50 supervisors. The results of the research showed the reality of the application of electronic supervision in public schools during the period of the Corona pandemic from the point of view of educational supervisors in the Northern Region in Jordan at the level of the whole tool obtained a total level (3.98 out of 5) with a rating (high). At the field level: the area (barriers to the use of electronic supervision) received the highest average (4.21) rating (very high). This is followed by the field (the importance of educational supervision) where the average (3.98), the field (the application of electronic supervision in supervisory work) where the level of response was (3.91), and finally the field (the concept of electronic supervision) where the level of response was (3.80) , all are rated (high). It also showed that there were no statistically significant differences at the level of (α≤0.05) the reality of the application of electronic supervision in public schools during the corona pandemic period from the point of view of educational supervisors in the Northern Region in Jordan due to the change of gender and years of experience supervisory and specialization in all dimensions and the overall degree where the level of significance of the values (T) was greater than (0.05). The researcher recommended the adoption of integrated education in Jordanian schools, even after the Corona pandemic, to meet exceptional circumstances. The educational supervisor should develop his supervisory practices to conform to the circumstances of the Corona pandemic and to the requirements of e- learning. Finally, the teacher is supported by educational media that he or she can rely on when designing his e- lessons.

Hungarian Social Caregivers’ Challenges in Providing Home Care to Older Adults with Cancer

ABSTRACT In Hungary, as in most other countries, faces an aging population. Chronic illnesses, including cancer, among older adults often require assistance from family and formal caregivers. This study’s objective was to understand Hungarian social (formal) caregivers’ challenges providing care in the home for older adults diagnosed with cancer. A focus group design explored the experiences of 28 Hungarian social caregivers and 6 social work supervisors who work for county agencies responsible for formal caregiving services to older adults. The data reveal that the older adults often developed dependence on these caregivers for physical (personal), health-related, and “emotional” care. Caregivers also related difficult interactions with health providers and observation of ethical problems (autonomy, truth-telling, and justice). The complex nature of providing social care for Hungarian older adults with serious illness calls for policies that set increased requirements of educational competence and training.

Experience of students in cooperative education – A case study of Singapore’s work-study degree programme

The increase in the number of adults returning to complete their university education as ‘non-traditional students’ brings more attention to the challenges of a standard degree format. This paper examines the experiences of seven non-traditional students undergoing a cooperative education programme in Singapore, where students would alternate spending a few days in a week at a university while working full-time for the remaining days, in relation to the challenges and opportunities of the programme. Using qualitative thematic analysis, we discovered four themes greatly affected by the programme design – motivations for enrolling, transferability of knowledge, work–study balance and coping mechanisms. Overall, some obstacles hindering adults from continuing education were addressed by this cooperative education programme. The strong integration of work and study roles ensured that adults did not need to leave their job before starting university, reducing time and money-related pressures while increasing their commitment level to education. Additionally, rigid institutional practices were mitigated by the flexibility given by teaching faculty and work supervisors. We suggested several improvements to better suit the rising number of adults wanting to attain a degree. With the research results and recommendations proposed herein, this paper is useful to various universities willing to adopt cooperative education.

Impact of Workplace Stress on Employee Performance in Healthcare Sector of Gandaki Province, Nepal

The study aims to investigate the impact of workplace stress on employee performance in healthcare sector of Gandaki Province. Using the sampling frame of 1162 employees of seven public hospitals in Gandaki Province, 167 respondents were randomly selected. Data has been collected using a well-structured questionnaire. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation and regression analysis. The study revealed that status of employee performance is moderate in hospitals of Gandaki province, this actively demonstrates that employees are providing good quality service and are able to accomplish the task they are assigned. The findings of multiple regression portray that, pay and reward, supervisor support, role ambiguity and work life balance significantly influence in service quality and job accomplishment. However, workload was found to have weakly negative impact on employee performance.

Field Placement Termination During COVID 19: Lessons on Forced Termination, Parallel Process, and Shared Trauma

ABSTRACT COVID-19 has created a less-than-ideal environment for social work education and practice, especially for student interns trying their best to navigate the ups and downs of the forced termination process. Supporting students in meeting this challenge during an era marked by shifting routines, revised learning plans, altered work environments, and increased collective stress is a daunting task for social work supervisors, agencies, faculty, and university administrators. This article offers a literature review on the following concepts: forced termination, parallel process, and shared trauma. These concepts are then used as analytic tools for understanding the potential effects of COVID-19 on the experiences of student interns navigating the forced termination process. A student case example is presented and analyzed, as is the faculty liaison’s response. Insights and considerations for managing forced termination during the pandemic are offered.

ANALYSIS OF CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF ACCIDENTS AT OIL AND GAS PRODUCTION FACILITIES FOR 2003-2019

Background The oil and gas industry of the Russian Federation is one of the strategic spheres of the economy, on the sustainable development and functioning of which the welfare of the country as a whole depends. In turn, the harmonious development of oil and gas production is impossible without ensuring trouble-free and safe operation of facilities. The solution to the problem of ensuring industrial safety begins with the collection of reliable initial data on the state of facilities, accidents, injuries, their prerequisites and consequences. Without in-depth analysis, identification of patterns, reliance on scientific knowledge, it is impossible to offer high-quality solutions to improve safety. Aims and Objectives The purpose of the article is to analyze statistical data on accidents at oil and gas production facilities in the Russian Federation and study patterns. Research Objectives: formation of an array of data on accidents and identification of the presence or absence of dependencies between various factors and accidents; determination of the presence of a causal relationship between the results of the work of the production control service of enterprises, Rostekhnadzor and the causes of accidents. Methods To achieve the aim and solve the set tasks, research methods were used: generalization, classification, search for patterns. Methods of mathematical analysis were used to process and evaluate statistical data. Results The general positive dynamics of reduction of accidents and fatal injuries was revealed. The presence of links between accidents and incidents, fatal injuries, damage, the level of oil production, the number of oil and gas producing organizations, administrative fines of Rostekhnadzor, measures proposed by the production control services has been established. The main groups of causes of accidents identified by Rostekhnadzor and production control services for violations have been identified. A connection has been established between them. Conclusions To reduce accidents and fatal injuries, it is necessary to manage violations at the level of production control of enterprises and Rostekhnadzor, not allowing to move into the area of incidents and accidents. In this case the results obtained should be applied with certain assumptions, due to the small amount of data in the samples. Full analysis requires the availability of publicly available expanded information on accidents, their causes, consequences and results of Rostechnadzor's control and supervisory work, as well as time to update statistics.

Workplace Violence against Staff Nurses at Governmental Hospitals: A Comparative Study

Workplace Violence towards nursing staff has negative effects on their safety and quality of patient care delivered. Aim: This study aimed to examine the phenomena of workplace violence against staff nurses at Shebin Elkom city in Egypt and Arar city in Saudi Arabia. Methods: Descriptive comparative study was employed in conducting this study. Sample: a convenience sample of 438 staff nurses (236 from Shebin Elkom city and 202 from Arar city) was participated in this study. Setting: The study was carried out at three governmental hospitals at Shebin Elkom city, Egypt, and three hospitals at Arar city, Northern Border Region, Saudi Arabia that were chosen randomly. Tool A modified version of the workplace violence in the health sector questionnaire developed by International Labor Organization, International Council of Nurses, World Health Organization and Public Service International (2003) was used. Results: Exposure to workplace violence was more likely in Egyptian nurses at Shebin Elkom city than Saudi nurses at Arar city. (83.47% vs. 65.35%; P<0.001). The sources of violence were patients, patient’s relatives/visitors, and co-workers among Egyptian nurses at Shebin Elkom city, while work supervisors were more likely among Saudi nurses at Arar city. The causes of practicing workplace violence as reported more by Egyptian nurses at Shebin Elkom city were weak hospital security, shortage of nurses, and an increased workload while coming to work late and delay in investigations of incidents were the most reported by Saudi nurses at Arar city. The response to violence was more likely by telling the person to stop, pretend it never happened, tried to defend oneself, telling a colleague, or telling friends/family in Egyptian nurses compared to Saudi nurses. Similarly, two third of Egyptian nurses reported taking no action compared to 45.54% of Saudi nurses. Egyptian nurses at Shebin Elkom city reported violent acts more. Conclusion: Workplace violence against nurses is an issue that has to be addressed in both Egyptian nurses at Shebin Elkom and Saudi nurses at Arar city. Nurses at Shebin Elkom city, Egypt, were more likely exposed to violence than those at Arar city, Saudi Arabia. Recommendation: There is an urgent need for developing strict policies and procedures concerning workplace violence incidence to protect health care workers against violence.