Pressure to improve competitiveness and increase economic efficiencies across higher education in Australia has impacted on academics' workplace roles, health, well-being and level of stress. This study examines the impact of change on academics at an Australian university, including strategies used to cope with the increasing diversity of workplace roles. The study explores the stress and coping relationship, th e measurement of coping, and the selection and effectiveness of coping strategies. This research study is located within an interpretivist theoretical framework that draws upon the traditions of symbolic interactionism to bring meaning to the data. The st udy utilises predominantly qualitative research methods, including in-depth interviews with sixty-nine academics, for the collection of data, analysis and discussion of results.Academics utilise a multiplicity of responses to cope with ongoing change in the workplace. While numerous coping strategies were used, the study highlights the importance of the nature of the relationship between those actions, personal goals, and the extent to which academics were willing to modify their personal goals and strategies in order to better cope with workplace demands.It was found that personal beliefs and values are important contributing factors in academics' level of acceptance and approach to coping with change. Due to the complexity of change, coping s hould be studied within the context 1300 http: //dx.doi.org/10.15405/ejsbs.113 Carolyn Broadbent/ EJSBS in which it occurs and preferably over a significant period of time. Qualitative methodologies ably capture the dynamic nature of the coping process.
Recent government reviews of higher education in Australia have highlighted the need for comprehensive reform across the tertiary education and training sector. Teacher education has traditionally been offered in isolation from schools. Innovative partnerships between universities, schools, employing bodies, and other educational institutions are now encouraged. This study evaluates the impact and effectiveness of one university-school partnership between an Australian university and a large secondary college in Canberra, Australia. The partnership, titled the Down South initiative, embeds secondary teacher education within a College learning environment to bring together academics, secondary college students and teachers, and pre-service teachers for learning and research. The paper provides evidence of the effectiveness of the partnership in strengthening pre-service teachers' professional identity, knowledge and practice and by contributing to mutually reciprocal outcomes for all.
This research study describes the occurrence of bullying of preservice teachers within a university environment, the emotional impact of such behaviour and the challenges for universities in countering the behaviour. The study investigates preservice teachers' knowledge of bullying; bullying behaviours towards others; and those directed at them; the emotional impact of bullying; and utilisation of sources of support. Predominantly quantitative methodologies are used for the collection of data, with some qualitative methods used, such as open-ended questions, to further bring meaning to the data. A modified questionnaire originally developed by the School of Psychology was distributed to ninety-five pre-service teachers from one campus of a multi-campus university in Australia. Results from the study indicate that 91 of the 95 students (96%) did experience some form of bullying behaviours in their lives; by the second year of university, 45% of this bullying was experienced at university. Bullying behaviours directed towards others were investigated, including, making jokes about others (29%), direct teasing of another (28%), and rude remarks directed against another (27%). Friends (55%), family (28%) and other university students (24%) were the main reported bullies towards the students, with teaching personnel (2%) not rated highly.
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