Part-time work attitude

Judith Bennett is currently senior lecturer in the Department of Educational Studies at the University of York, UK, and Chair of the Research Committee of the Association for Science Education. Having obtained her first degree in Chemistry-with-Education, she taught chemistry and physics for a number of years, during which period she studied part time for an MA and PhD in Science Education. She then worked as Senior Editor of Science The Sailers Approach before moving to her current post. Her initial research focus on gender issues has developed into an interest in context-based approaches to the teaching of science and their effects on pupils, particularly their attitudes to science. 

This rather denigrating attitude of the Government towards scientists led Smith into regular battles to convince his superiors of the growing importance of the civil scientist and of remunerating the inspecting staff with a salary commensurate with their responsibilities. It was also important to attract people with the best qualifications and the necessary experience. After much correspondence the Board of Trade eventually authorised the appointment of the Inspector at a salary of 700 and the Sub -Inspectors at 400 - Smith s post was on a part-time basis to allow him time for the continuation of his consultancy work. 

The reason that most of us fail to get the type of motivation we desire is that we try to change people s values, which are set in early life, or change their attitudes, which are an integral part of their personalities. Both values and attitudes are not measurable or easily observable and are accepted or rejected based on our own set of values and attitudes. The best that we can hope to accomplish is to change an individual s behavior, which is observable and measurable. Over time, the workers attitudes may change or their values may be altered by your motivational attempt, but that is not as important as obtaining safe and healthy work behavior. It is imperative that we motivate workers to exhibit a behavior that wiU keep them safe and healthy in the performance of their jobs. 

However time is not the only aspect that hinders system developers to adopt new methods, preceding attitudes and values might also play an important part of the adoption. Hence the developers must appreciate the methods and see them as useful and appropriate for their work [6]. If the system developers are negative the methods will not be used. 

That last opinion seems to have been held mutually. In a 1956 memo Pauling reminds Yost that at an earlier meeting that year, concerning Yost s reported refusal to work with or even talk to a prospective graduate student, I assume that this statement made by the man is true, because I know that you refused to talk with me, when I came to your oflftce, that you put your hands over your ears during part of the time that I was in the oflftce, and that you did not answer any of the questions that I asked you [51]. (As bizarre as that behavior sounds, the fact that Yost kept this memo for posterity may be equally indicative of his attitude )... 

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