Biblioteca Digital

peer-reviewed; A variety of anti-plagiarism software applications have appeared in recent years, but the pedagogical and institutional practices underpinning their use remains largely unexplored. It is essential to increase the amount of evidence-based literature that investigates the use of anti-plagiarism software in higher education. In the light of this, this chapter explores the integration of anti-plagiarism software in an Irish university since early 2006 and the progress made to date. We use data gathered from our own context to show how instructors are using this software to date, what trends emerge and what can be deduced about the adoption of the system to guide future research questions. Best practices are suggested for educators in order to help them to use anti-plagiarism software in proactive, positive, and pedagogically sound ways.

peer-reviewed; This chapter integrates existing literature and developments on electronic mentoring to build a constructive view of this modality of mentoring as a qualitatively different concept from its traditional face-to-face version. The concept of e-mentoring is introduced by looking first into the evasive notion of mentoring. Next, some salient e-mentoring experiences are identified. The chapter goes on to note the differences between electronic and face-to-face mentoring, and how the relationship between mentor and mentee is modified by technology in unique and definitive ways. Readers are also presented with a collection of best practices on design, implementation, and evaluation of e-mentoring programs. Finally, some practice and research trends are proposed. In conclusion, the author draws an elemental distinction between both modalities of mentoring, which defines e-mentoring as more than the defective alternative to face-to-face contact.

peer-reviewed; On-line environments have been incorporated in the Distance learning programmes of the International Equine Institute (IEI) in order to address concerns about streamlining assessment turn-around, distance student attendance at tutorials, providing more detailed and quicker assignment feedback, student peer interaction, student to tutor1 interaction and, of course, student support. The overriding concern was to provide a more flexible, active learning environment to develop and enhance learning opportunities while, concurrently, integrating more closely the learning activities of the student with the University of Limerick (UL) community. The impetus, therefore, was to make studies convenient and attractive to the location of the distance student, while maintaining educational quality through the provision of pedagogical innovations and at the same time providing a social and interactive environment to support the distance student. In so doing, the IEI uses the collaborative learning environment (CLE) Sakai (www.Sakaiproject.org) to support the distance student and also utilises Adobe Connect Pro™ to deliver on-line synchronous desktop-to-desktop tutorials. This chapter outlines aspects drawn from our experiences with the on-line support and delivery of distance learning programmes. Throughout...

non-peer-reviewed; LINK TO DIALOGUES: http://e-learning.coventry.ac.uk/ojs/index.php/joaw/article/view/110; On 29 June 2011, 280 delegates interested in the teaching, tutoring, research, administration and development of academic writing in higher education in Europe descended upon the University of Limerick to discuss the role of the student experience in shaping academic writing development in higher education. The EATAW 2011 conference invited all those interested in academic writing development in higher education to contribute to the discussion on enhancing the quality of the student experience through writing. Enhancing the student experience is central to the vision and mission of most higher education institutions in Europe and beyond. How students experience academic writing impacts upon their identities and on their participation in academic and disciplinary environments. Writing programmes and initiatives that actively engage students in the writing conventions and practices of their academic communities can enhance the quality of the student learning experience.

peer-reviewed; Despite some of the critiques of the conventions of academic writing that have been outlined above, it is also clear that nurturing good writing skills among students enhances their ability to think in complex and coherent ways (Bean, 2001). Writing is not only valued in academia; good writing skil ls are important for the enhancement of our students' professional lives. Despite its centrality in academia and professional life, it is often left up to the students themselves to become good at writing. While there have been notable changes in the UK and Ireland in providing dedicated support for student writing, many higher education contexts rely on students being acculturated or somehow induced into academic writing simply by being immersed into university life (Lea and Street, 1998).

peer-reviewed; In 2007, when the authors of this chapter were being selected to get Ireland’s first writing centre up and running, concerns about postgraduate writing for publication coincided with national and institutional drives to up-skill the population for participation in a knowledge economy. A feature of our context is that our institution began its life as a National Institute of Higher Education and maintains strong ties with local industry to this day. Student retention and transferable skills development were Higher Education Authority concerns that largely determined some goals for our target groups. Those groups included mature students, international students and students coming in through the Access programme as a consequence of low, or the absence of, Leaving Certification exam scores (http://www. examinations.ie/). The national discourse about writing at third level in Ireland up to that time was largely limited to talk about writing development for professional academic advancement.

peer-reviewed; Despite a lineage stretching back as far as the 1940s, it is only in recent years that Young Adult (YA) fiction has begun to shed its reputation as a niche category largely deemed unworthy of study. The current boom in popularity of YA fiction has instigated this change. One of the most significant strands of this boom is the proliferation of Young Adult dystopian novels, which began to appear in significant numbers in the early 21st century and which provide the focus for this study. Specifically, this thesis examines the issue of the body and its role in the exertion and resistance of disciplinary power in contemporary YA dystopias. The theoretical model, drawn from Michel Foucault’s Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison (1975), bolsters the study of power and the body in five contemporary YA dystopian trilogies: Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games trilogy, Scott Westerfeld’s Uglies series, Lauren Oliver’s Delirium trilogy, Veronica Roth’s Divergent series and Ally Condie’s Matched trilogy. A focus on texts featuring female protagonists accounts for the secondary focus on feminist theory. Combining these approaches, this thesis features close readings facilitated also by Young Adult literary criticism...

peer-reviewed; This cross-sectional inter-cohort study explores the dominant motivational factors and career orientations among conventional (CE) and self-initiated (SE) expatriates. Quantitative data was obtained from a sample of 344 SEs and 74 CEs working in the banking sector in Saudi Arabia. Firstly, a principal components analysis (PCA) was conducted to validate a pull-push model of motivations governing the decision to expatriate and a career anchors model. Secondly, six motivational hypotheses and eight career hypotheses derived from a review of the extant literature were tested by means of logistic regression using a forward stepwise procedure. The results of the contextual validation provided support for a five factor pull-push construct and for a nine-career-anchor construct model in contrast with the original eight-anchor model. The findings from the logistic regression analysis reveal that age, marital status and position level made significant contributions to the motivational factors model. The push-motives factor was the strongest predictor in this study to distinguish between CEs and SEs regardless of the effect of the control variables that were included in the model. The results also showed that none of the pull motivational factors produced significant results in predicting either cohort. With respect to career orientations...

peer-reviewed; This thesis provides an in-depth comparative analysis of the factors influencing local autonomy over human resource management (HRM) and industrial relations (IR) in foreign-owned multinational companies (MNCs) located in Ireland and Spain. It employs data from two large scale parallel surveys and a total sample of 452 foreign-owned MNC subsidiaries across both host locations. It examines the extent and use of international HRM structures by these MNCs in their efforts to integrate practices across subsidiaries and it assesses the relative impact of subsidiary characteristics relating to the sector of operations, the age, the size, the mode of entry and the trajectory of new investments. The results point to the significant role of international HRM structures in the MNCs under investigation whereby the higher incidence of such structures results in the subsidiary enjoying less local autonomy over HRM practices. In addition, while IR practices are found to be autonomous of these international structures, their impact on the suite of the HRM practices measured in the analysis varies. Subsidiary characteristics prove significant. Specifically, both the mode of entry and the undertaking of new investments in the host country hold significant explanatory power in accounting for variations in the level of local autonomy over HRM and IR experienced by the subsidiaries under study. The results are discussed in the context of the broader literature and the implications of the lines of enquiry pursued are set down.

peer-reviewed; Talent development (TD) in high performance sport is a complex process of interacting genetic and experiential factors (Farrow, Baker, & MacMahon, 2013). In current practice, there appears to be a considerable gap between what research informs us we need for successful TD and what is applied in a real world setting (Martindale et al., 2007). Consequently, if athletes fail to acquire essential psychological characteristics or learn proficient fundamental movement skills then they may never maximise their potential and dropout from sport prematurely. The reasons underlying this apparent loss in translation between research and applied sports science may be due to a lack of understanding of the TD processes and inexperienced coaches operating at an under-age level when the fundamentals of sports performance should be acquired. National Governing Bodies (NGBs) may also be guilty of attempting to use a generic ‘one-size fits all’ approach to TD before acknowledging and addressing the underlying competencies of their system. This research project aims to help resolve these issues by critically examining a sample talent development systems (TDS) of aspiring high performance athletes and identify the key support factors and challenges that are instrumental for success. These findings were used to offer support for existing research and provide novel methods for coaches and those responsible for TD to operate more effective systems and translate potential into successful performance. The true value of this thesis is its strong interaction with coaches...

peer-reviewed; Well-being and mental health of psychologists and their clients can be strongly linked to the psychologists’ experience of work. We know from general theories of occupational health psychology that certain work factors will have a greater impact on well-being than others. Work engagement is positively related with occupational health, while burnout and workaholic tendencies relate negatively. An individual’s resources can buffer against these negative effects. Specifically, the environmental resource of social support can impede the impact and instance of workaholism and has a positive influence on burnout. Social support is often encouraged by sport psychologists in protecting an athlete’s well-being. Drawing on theory and research from work and organizational, health and social psychology we explore the lived experiences of burnout and work engagement among applied sport psychologists, investigating their perceptions of how these experiences impact their well-being. Thirty participants from five countries were asked, using semi-structured interviews, to recall specific incidents when feelings of work engagement and burnout occurred. We examined the influence of social support and its impact on these incidents. Thematic analysis revealed that burnout is frequently experienced despite high levels of work engagement. Sources of social support differ between groups of high burnout versus low burnout...

peer-reviewed; Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) have long been considered a gold standard for intervention design and the most rigorous method for understanding causal mechanisms. However, their implementation in work and organisational health psychology (WOHP) can be challenging. We review the use of RCTs in WOHP interventions and demonstrate that their adoption has been relatively scarce in comparison to areas such as health psychology and medical sciences. For WOHP researchers to be able to compare the effectiveness of their work-specific health interventions with other interventions in health and medicine, it is important that the design methodology, rigor, and reporting are comparable. Thus, there is a need for a clearer road map and guidance for WOHP researchers, to encourage greater use of RCTs in WOHP intervention research. In the paper, we provide an overview of RCTs, and review past research that has utilised an RCT design when evaluating WOHP interventions. We develop an adapted RCT checklist for use in WOHP settings, which takes specific organisational issues into account. Thus, our paper provides for future researchers a clearer road map for the design and reporting of WOHP RCT studies.

peer-reviewed; This thesis interrogates uncertainty in transitional politics in South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. It questions why some countries transition to democracy and some stagnate or revert to authoritarianism. To address the dual nature of political contingency and structural formations in transitional politics, it adopts a conceptual framework based on economic complexity, to ascertain the relationship between economic structures and the results of regime transition. This study engages with the extensive literature linking economic development and democracy throughout the world, to see if it can be applied to the recent and on-going transitional events across Africa. It identified trade union confederations as economically important actors whose political contingency was directly affected by the sectoral composition of each country’s economy. In other world regions, trade unions have been of import in determining transitional outcomes, and this thesis interrogated whether the same was true in three African countries. The concept of economic complexity was developed to offer a conceptual framework through which to understand transitional politics. It was argued that the more complex the economy, the more likely democracy was to emerge following transition because there would be more factors in play in the political-economic arena that could erode a regime’s relative power and thus bestow power onto other actors who could utilize it for regime change. In terms of indicators...

peer-reviewed; This thesis studies the consideration requirement for verbally-made contract variations in Irish construction contracts, and proposes how this specific circumstance can be best served by the law of contract. Construction is a complex and uncertain industry; and an effective construction industry is important and necessary for Ireland: it is a key driver of a functioning, developed economy, and it requires a sustainable level of activity to maintain infrastructure and develop new assets, consistent with what is expected of a developed nation. Yet it often involves projects of financial and technical vastness; and operates in an environment of risk, contractual risk allocation and residual uncertainty. The law of contract is essentially applied in the same way by the courts, regardless of whether the transaction is one of a major or minor nature. This contract paradigm is a straightforward and rigid system, which is designed for simple contracts involving equally-met parties, conducting non-complex transactions. Construction is an industry which operates within this contract paradigm, even though construction contracts are rarely as straightforward as those envisaged by the contract paradigm. When agreeing a construction contract...

peer-reviewed; The central argument of this thesis is that social class remains a persistent system of inequality in education, health, life chances and opportunities. Therefore class matters. But why is it that so little attention has been paid to class in the psychological literature? Three papers are presented here which draw together theoretical advances in psychological understandings of group processes and sociological understandings of the complexity of class. As western labour markets become increasingly credentialised the overarching aim is to reveal the hidden nature of privilege and disadvantage in the education context. The first theoretical paper considers what it is that social psychology, a discipline so self-evidently interested in social context can offer to understanding class given its salience as a social category of consequence. Drawing on social identity approach the analysis considers the characteristics of class that make it difficult to conceptualise, measure and challenge. Paying particular attention to the political dimensions of class, contemporary theoretical developments and methodologies within psychology are used to highlight how class is rendered implicit rather than explicit in everyday life. The second empirical paper suggests banal meritocratic and individualist ideologies construct class group boundaries as permeable...

peer-reviewed; The central argument put forward in this thesis is that, in the context of acquired brain injury (ABI) social identity matters. The first article is a theoretical paper which reviews an emerging literature that is trying to draw together social psychology and neuropsychology in the study of ABI. This article argues that the social identity approach is an appropriate vehicle for such integration and introduces the concept of identity sub-types based on belonging and based on participation in activities. Social support is recognized as an important factor in rehabilitation following ABI. The second paper is an empirical study which employs the concepts of affiliative and self as doer identities to explore reciprocal relationships between social identity, social support, and emotional status following ABI. Results support a hypothesised model indicating that affiliative identities have a significant indirect relationship with emotional status via social support and self as doer identification. Evidence supports an ‘upward spiral’ between social identity and social support such that affiliative identity makes social support possible and social support drives self as doer identities. The third paper examines relationships between cause of ABI...

peer-reviewed; The purpose of the ‘Mother of all Sport’ programme is to investigate the effect of a physical activity programme on women in disadvantaged communities and evaluate whether this type of programme can encourage women to participate in physical activity in their local community. This research project subsequently examines women's perception of sport and physical activity and explores whether a community approach to sport and physical activity can change women's views and acceptance of physical activity. It is important to note that the terms sport and physical activity are used interchangeably throughout the course of this paper. Introduction: The ‘Mother of all Sport’ programme is a physical activity programme developed by the researcher in conjunction with Limerick Sports Partnership. It was established to encourage more women to get involved in sport and physical activity. The programme primarily targeted mothers over the age of 18years from disadvantaged populations but as the purpose of the programme was to encourage more women to get involved in physical activity being a mother was not a prerequisite and therefore all interested women over 18years were invited to take part. The researcher randomly chose three sports for the programme and purposely picked team sports so groups would have to work together during training and when competing against other teams Background: While literature suggests that there is a need to increase physical activity among women in disadvantaged areas (Kavanagh...

peer-reviewed; The effectiveness of 0.1% fat milk (M) at restoring fluid balance after exercise and heat induced hypohydration was compared to a commercially available carbohydrate-electrolyte (CE) sports drink and water (W) using a metered rate of fluid ingestion. After losing 2.1 (0.2) % body mass, participants (n = 7) consumed a drink volume equivalent to 150% of their body mass loss, over a period of 2.5-3 hours. A metered rate of fluid ingestion was chosen as it is widely acknowledged that rapid ingestion (< 60 min) of a large volume of fluid (>1000ml) can over-stimulate diuresis. Blood and urine samples were collected before and for 5 hours after exercise-induced loss of body mass. Mean plasma osmolality was higher in the M trial 289 (3) mOsmol/kg compared to W 286 (3) mOsmol/kg and CE 287 (3) mOsmol/kg, during this 5 hour period (p = 0.021). Indicative of a reduced diuretic response, urine volume was lower and urine osmolality higher in the M trial compared with CE and W. Total urine volume during the M trial was 774 (92) mL compared to CE 1314 (434) mL and W 1429 (345) mL (p = 0.023). A net positive fluid balance from 2h to 5h was achieved in the M trial, whereas the CE and W trials returned to net negative balance by the end of the 5h rehydration period. Final net fluid balance in the M trial was 117 (122) mL compared to CE -381 (460) mL and W trials -539 (390) mL (p = 0.049). This represents a final relative net fluid balance of 5.9 (5.9) % in the M trial compared with CE -22.7 (23.3) % (p = 0.048) and W - 30.9 (22.7) % (p = 0.012).

peer-reviewed; The introduction of a Regulatory body in Ireland with responsibility for ensuring high standards of education and professionalism for ambulance, and other pre-hospital, practitioners was a welcomed initiative in 2001 due to a need for improvement in care delivered to patients before arrival at hospital. This Regulatory body, the Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council (PHECC), was established under Statutory Instrument with an initial priority being to develop three levels of pre-hospital practitioner: Emergency Medical Technician (EMT); Paramedic; Advanced Paramedic (AP). The introduction of these three levels meant that only such registered practitioners could practice in the pre-hospital environment. However for practitioners to renew their registration, they had only to meet simple and minimal criteria with no requirement to demonstrate any level of competence. The Council’s 2011-2014 Strategic plan identified the need to introduce a system of continuous professional development/competence as a priority. The purpose of the studies in this thesis was to engage with the three levels of practitioner in Ireland and to seek their views and opinions so as to identify factors that would inform the implementation of a continuous professional competence (CPC) framework for all pre-hospital practitioners. The expectation in when initiating this work was that the results would assist in the introduction of a framework for one group of registrants in particular...

peer-reviewed; In Ireland, psychological morbidity has been reported in 21-27% of young people and recent data has indicated that the youth suicide rate in Ireland is now the second highest (of 26 countries) in the European Union, for 0-19 year olds. Early intervention in youth mental health is increasingly viewed as easier, cheaper and more effective than traditional approaches to care. GPs, as the health care professional most often consulted by young people, have a central role in early detection of youth mental health and substance use problems. However, there is a dearth of evidence regarding the experiences and attitudes of young people and health care workers towards screening and treatment for mental and substance use disorders in primary care in Ireland. The overarching aim of this thesis was to examine the role of primary care (with a particular focus on the role of the GP) in providing early intervention and treatment for mental health and substance use problems in young people. It was a mixed methods study that involved qualitative interviews with health care workers (n=37) and young people (n=20) from primary care, secondary care and community agencies in two of Ireland’s most socio-economically disadvantaged areas...