Ogden's (1932) analysis of opposition is used as the basis for an exploration of the ways in which respondents might use rating scales in repertory grids. The conceptual approach to the problem is described and the conclusion is drawn that the mathematical and semantic aspects of rating scales may not always be aligned. Empirical evidence is presented from a preliminary study which suggests that bipolarity is a more complex issue than might be suspected from a superficial consideration.
This article outlines a number of general approaches to organisational effectiveness, and three approaches to effectiveness in the more specific field of higher education.The literature survey is used to derive a broad framework suggestive of the main causal relationships likely to exist between various areas of institutional achievement, and this framework is used as a background to discussion of empirical evidence.Empirical findings in the field of institutional achievement are sparse and poorly interconnected. The article summarises findings from product portfolio matrix studies and Cameron's work on effectiveness, discusses some aspects of institutional management, and outlines some differences between British and American universities regarding the acquisition of funds.The article concludes with comments on some methodological aspects of assessing institutional achievement.
In recent years personal construct theory has become increasingly used to underpin research into teachers' thinking, and a number of researchers have opted to give methodological prominence to the repertory grid.This paper points to the limitations of the theory in respect of research outside the domain of psychotherapy and to some of the problems associated with repertory grid studies. It is argued that repertory grids are inherently positivistic and are thus in philosophical tension with the theory on which they are based, a tension that is not removed by researching in a 'conversation paradigm'.The importance of events in personal construct theory is discussed, and it is suggested that an emphasis on events requires the researcher to adopt an approach that is informed by phenomenology and the philosophy of history.Finally, a return is made to the level of research practice, and a methodological approach is outlined which is-to a greater extent than the repertory grid-consistent with the main thrust of personal construct theory. Stress is given to the importance of the quality of the relationships between constructs, since these have implications for connections between construing and action-an issue which is of crucial importance is the study of teachers' thinking.
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