Identity Negotiation of Female Esl Learners: Communities of Practice Perspective

This qualitative study employs Communities of Practice (Lave& Wenger, 1991) framework to map out how female learner identity is built and negotiated within Post-colonial Pakistan. The study traces out the ongoing identity struggles of young Pakistani female ESL learners at The Institute of English Language and Literature (IELL), University of Sindh, Jamshoro, Pakistan, from a broadly poststructuralist perspective. Data analysis and interpretation were guided by CoP framework which views learner as essentially part and parcel of the learning environment within which learning takes places. The data revealed a complex picture of Female English Language Learner Identity (FELLI), as diverse subject positions emerged while the participants developed a sense of alignment with different CoP and displaying acts of resistance to counter discrimination. Higher education appeared as a site of identity negotiation and transition into new CoP for the participants. The participants demonstrated signs of social, linguistic and academic participation in as participating members of academic CoP.

Investigating the Impact of Training on Employee Performance: A Study of Non-Government Organizations at Hyderabad Division

The main aim of this study is to investigate the impact of training on employees’ performance. The case study selected for this study is NGOs that are located in Hyderabad division/region. There are five independent variables in study and one dependent variable. The independent variables analyzed for the study are training based on needs analysis (TBNA), training with organizational commitment (TOC), training contents (TC), training delivery approaches (TDA) and training evaluation (TE) while the dependent variable is employee performance (EP). The design selected for this study is mixed method where both quantitative and qualitative information is utilized to extract the results for achieving the aim of study. The data collection method employed is primary and secondary data collection where primary data has been collected from 388 respondents through survey questionnaire while semi-structured interviews were conducted from a few employees working in NGOs. The data analysis techniques applied in this study include factor analysis, multiple regression analysis, correlation analysis, descriptive statistics, tolerance analysis and independent sample t-test. Multiple Regression results from the study showed that there is a significant relationship between all the variables of study except one. Furthermore, it was shown that the mean of male and female working in NGOs in Hyderabad is insignificantly different while for single individuals and married individuals working in NGOs at Hyderabad is significantly different. Results from tolerance test showed that multicollinearity does not exist between the variables showing that there is no correlation among the independent variables. Moreover, there is a significant impact of training with organizational commitment (TOC), training contents (TC), training delivery approaches (TDA) and training evaluation (TE) on employee performance (EP) while training based on needs analysis (TBNA) has an insignificant impact on employee performance (EP). It is recommended to the managers of the NGOs at Hyderabad Division to deal with the short-term learning needs of the employees for enhancing the skills of the workers. This will enable the employees to rapidly learn according to the job description needs which is necessary for the volunteers working at the NGOs. For this purpose, the organizations are required to rethink on the development needs of the employees along with their learning needs to train them simultaneously according to their requirements. In this essence, the training can be customized according to the needs and wants of the employees working at the organization. Finally, it has been found in this study that training based on needs analysis (TBNA) is insignificantly associated with employees’ performance and keeping into view, the importance of ‘needs analysis’ in formulating effective training program and its impact on employees’ performance, the researcher cannot reject the importance of TBNA. Therefore, it is suggested for the future researchers that they should conduct research study in which the relationship of TBNA is exclusively examined through the use of different clusters of respondent employees working in NGOs at different regions of Pakistan.