Integrating Digital Transformation and AI in Civil Engineering: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Disaster Management and Sustainable Urban Development

The role of ICT self-efficacy for students' ICT use and their achievement in a computer and information literacy test

The problem motivating this research is the rapid introduction of educational technologies and the strong push to use new technologies in technical and vocational training in China coupled with varied responses and uneven adoption of new tools on the part of practitioners. This study investigated the factors that influence technical and vocational college teachers' adoption and appreciation of information and communication technology (ICT) in China using the technology adoption and gratification (TAG) model. At total of 535 teachers from public technical and vocational colleges were surveyed using a purposive sampling procedure. The survey data were analyzed through structural equation modeling. Findings suggest that the use of ICT had three primary determinants: teaching purpose, research purpose and academic purpose. Technical and vocational college teachers' technology adoption and gratification was directly and indirectly predicted by their computer self‐efficacy, intention to use, perceived ease of use and usefulness of ICT. Most importantly, the TAG model accounted for 77% of the variance in teachers' gratification using those predictive variables. This research successfully applied the TAG model and it further fosters recommendations for future investigations. This study contributes to theoretical, methodical and practical understandings of the use of ICT in technical and vocational education, which has been much less explored than in K‐12 education and university settings. Practitioner Notes What is already known about this topic Information and Communication Technology (ICT) helps explain teacher acceptance. Investigations have revealed that many gaps exist in identifying ICT facilities, access, skills and usage in technical and vocational education. Studies have suggested that ICT development requires significant training on the part of teachers and creates new demands for students. What this article adds This research exhibited that vocational and technical college teachers’ use of ICT had three primary determinants: teaching purpose, research purpose and academic purpose. Chinese technical and vocational college teachers’ adoption and gratification in new technologies were directly and indirectly predicted by their computer self‐efficacy, intention to use, perceived ease of use and usefulness of ICT. The findings of this study recommend that the quality of teaching, learning and research in vocational and technical education could be enhanced through the application of emerging ICT. Implications for practice and/or policy The larger goal is to use the results as a basis for future studies in the relatively unexplored area of ICT use and adoption in teaching and training in developing countries. By conducting cross‐cultural studies, researchers could be able to comprehend the overall scenarios of ICT in vocational and technical education as proposed. This study contributes to theoretical, methodical and practical understandings of the use of ICT in technical and vocational education, which has been much less explored than in K‐12 education and university settings. Teachers' skills to use ICT should be enhanced through ongoing training programs offered by the authorities of technical education.

Examining ICT attitudes, use and support in blended learning settings for students’ reading performance: Approaches of artificial intelligence and multilevel model

Protocol for a Systematic Review: Provision of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) for Improving Academic Achievement and School Engagement in Students Aged 4‐18

Digital transformation (or digitalization) is the process of continuous further development of digital technologies (such as smart devices, cloud services, and Big Data) that have a lasting impact on our economy and society. In this manner, digitalization is a huge driver for permanent change, even in the field of Sustainable Urban Development. In the wake of digitalization, expectations are changing, placing pressure at the societal level on the design and development of smart environments for everything that means Sustainable Urban Development. In this sense, the solution is the integration of Artificial Intelligence into Sustainable Urban Development, because technology can simplify people’s lives. The aim of this paper is to ascertain which Sustainable Urban Development dimensions are taken into account when integrating Artificial Intelligence and what results can be achieved. These questions formed the basic framework for this research article. In order to make the current state of Artificial Intelligence in Sustainable Urban Development as a snapshot visible, a systematic review of the current literature between 2012 and 2022 was conducted. The data were collected and analyzed using PRISMA. Based on the studies identified, we found a significant growth in studies, starting in 2018, and that Artificial Intelligence applications refer to the Sustainable Urban Development dimensions of environmental protection, economic development, social justice and equity, culture, and governance. The used Artificial Intelligence techniques in Sustainable Urban Development cover a broad field of Artificial Intelligence, such as Artificial Intelligence in general, Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Artificial Neuronal Networks, Operations Research, Predictive Analytics, and Data Mining. However, with the integration of Artificial Intelligence in Sustainable Urban Development, challenges are marked out. These include responsible municipal policies, awareness of data quality, privacy and data security, the formation of partnerships among stakeholders (e.g., local citizens, civil society, industry, and various levels of government), and transparency and traceability in the implementation and rollout of Artificial Intelligence. A first step was taken towards providing an overview of the possible applications of Artificial Intelligence in Sustainable Urban Development. It was clearly shown that Artificial Intelligence is also gaining ground in this sector.

Although researchers agree that the information and communication technology affects the quality of learning, they don’t share the same ideas when it comes to determining whether the quality of learning depends on and is influenced more by the traditional role of the teacher, the role of information and communication technology (ICT), or the combined influence of both. Then to what degree does the quality of learning reflect the role of teachers, ICT, or both of them? This study examines the teaching and learning process in schools in the Gjirokastra county. Its aim is to analyze two issues: 1) What is the level of teaching process in schools of these districts, and 2) If the observed level of teaching process is a result of the role of teachers, of the use of ICT, or of their combined influence. The analysis is conducted and tested using two models: The first model gives priority to the traditional role of the teacher, whereas the second model gives priority to the use of ICT. By using the parameters of the two models this study has arrived at three findings: 1) The quality of teaching process is of an average level; 2) The teacher-centered model is used more than the model that gives priority to ICT; 3) The level of teaching process in schools that give priority to the role of teachers is higher than in schools that possess ICT infrastructure and teaching materials. This study tries to argue that the variation in the quality of teaching process and the influence of teachers and ICT is accounted for by the use of ICT. However positively it may affect the quality of teaching process, the use of ICT remains limited in its influence if not combined with the teacher factor. Knowledge and skills of teachers in using ICT influence the role and impact ICT itself has on the teaching process. The teaching process is more qualitative when it is a result not only of the traditional role of teachers, but also of the effective use and integration of ICT. DOI: 10.5901/jesr.2014.v4n1p239

PurposeGlobally, information and communication technology (ICT) is regarded as a reliable tool that facilitates economic development and propels sustainable development. However, little empirical work exists on the specific effects of ICT access and usage on economic and sustainable development. This paper aims to investigate the nexus between ICTs, economic and sustainable development at the global level.Design/methodology/approachThis paper presents ICT for Development (ICT4D) value chain empirical evidence on the linkages between ICTs, economic development and sustainable development goals (SDGs). The research model based on the capability approach is validated by using archival data from 130 global countries and partial least squares–structural equation modelling.FindingsThe findings reveal that ICT access and usage significantly influence a country’s attainment of the SDGs. Whilst ICT access plays a crucial role in promoting economic development, ICT usage does not. Also, findings show that economic development significantly mediated the nexus between ICT access and SDGs but not between ICT usage and SDGs. This calls for countries to ensure that access to ICTs is accompanied by a low cost of usage to achieve the full benefits of economic and sustainable development.Originality/valueUsing the ICT4D value chain, this paper empirically shows how ICT readiness and availability in the form of ICT access and ICT uptake (individual ICT use) promote economic development and SDGs (impact). Furthermore, with many studies conducted on SDGs at the country level, this study provides a broader understanding of the roles of ICT access and use on SDGs at the global level. This allows for easy generalisability and reproducibility of results.

Agriculture is the backbone of the Sri Lankan economy and it constantly experiences with advances in technology. Because of the rapid development of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the world, each organization or person has to concern their products and services more towards modernized and ICT related manner. This research contribute to understand the adoption & use of ICT, identify the constraints associated with ICT use and propose recommendations with managerial implications towards the improvement of present ICT system in agriculture sector of Sri Lanka. Tea producers and poultry farmers in Kurunegala District were served for the survey. A scoring system was used to develop continuous dependent variables which were used in regression models to identify the variables most significantly influencing ICT use. Least significant difference technique was used to identify comparisons of constraints in ICT adoption and use. There were 60.6% of the participants who used ICT related equipments or facilities for their business and 76.1% of the participants having ICT uptake problems, where telecommunication and internet reported higher impact on agriculture sector. The participants stressed the cost of technology, lack of training, trust level in the ICT system, lack of ICT proficiency and lack of technological infrastructure are thresholds for ICT adoption and use. Managers can use these results to promote ICT adoption that can lead to more efficient communication and increased demand for the firm's products and services. The usage of different ICT applications was comparatively high in tea sector and in general the usage of mobile communication was common among all participants. This survey results provide insights which suggest corrective steps to expedite ICT adoption and prioritize the necessary research. Index Terms: ICT adoption; constraints; tea; poultry; ICT DOI: 10.4038/jfa.v1i2.1799 Journal of Food and Agriculture Vol.1(2) 2008 pp.54-63

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to critique and extend contemporary scholarship on information and communication technologies (ICTs). This paper argues that the focus on the selection and use of a single communication medium limits the understanding of current ICT use in organizations. A combinatorial perspective is needed to capture the complexities of multiple ICTs use for achieving communication goals and completing tasks.Design/methodology/approachThis paper addresses the trending phenomenon of combinatorial use of ICTs by offering a critical review of the theoretical studies and empirical research in scholarly books and journals and deriving novel theoretical research questions that set the stage for future studies.FindingsThis paper identifies how combinatorial ICT use as a perspective that uniquely elucidates ICT use in organizations, clarifies key terms used in previous research and proposes theoretical and operational recommendations for researchers and corporate practitioners who are interested in studying the combinatorial use of ICTs.Originality/valueThis paper highlights that understanding the combinatorial use ICTs in complex work environments could have significant implications for productivity and efficiency of individuals and corporations. This paper serves as a catalyst for on-going research conversations regarding combinatorial ICT use, while assisting organizational communication researchers and practitioners in describing, theorizing and advancing ICT implementation, use and outcomes.

This study is a survey research on Acceptance Analysis of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for Extension Workers in Agricultural Extension Activities. The research objective was to determine the effect of variable Perceived Ease of Use of ICTs on Perceived Usefulness use of ICT, the influence of Perceived Ease of Use of ICTs on Intensity Behaviour Using ICT, influence perception Usefulness use of ICT to the intensity of Behaviour Using ICT, and the influence of Intensities Behaviour Using ICT to the use of ICT in Currents. This type of research is explanatory research by using the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), and involve agricultural extension workers as respondents. Data were collected using questionnaires and then analysed by quantitative descriptive and hypothesis testing and regression analysis. The results of the study are (1) the results of descriptive analysis of the four variables are variables Perceived Ease of Use of ICT, variable Perceived Usefulness use of ICT, variable intensity Behaviour use of ICT, and variable use of ICT In Currents has an average category High, (2) Test Results Hypothesis analysis simple linear regression, namely: (a) for the variable Perceived Ease of Use ICTs to variable Perceived Usefulness use of ICT, and variable Perceived Ease of Use ICTs to variable intensity of the use of ICT has a significant influence (b) While the variable Perceived Usefulness Using ICT to variable intensity Behaviour of Use ICT, and the variable intensity of Behaviour Using ICT to variable use of ICT in Currents not significant. The implication of this research is very necessary in their outreach activities using ICTs to improve the success of the field of education, and what is important is the use of ICT must be effective and efficient. Keywords: Information and Communication Technology, Technology Acceptance Model

To assess the integration of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in teaching and learning, a new construct for ICT competence was developed by the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) in 2022. The framework for ICT assessment involves four major dimensions; access to ICT, use of ICT, students’ ICT competencies, and subject-related ICT use. In this paper, we analysed this ICT assessment in terms of validity construction of test scores with data from PISA 2018 and investigated ICT competence in relation to the variables of mathematics, science, and reading literacy. The analyses were based on public data from PISA 2018 for Turkey (N = 6890). After removal of univariate and multivariate outliers from the Turkish sample, factor analysis, correlation analysis, and structural equation modelling were performed on 5438 data items. In the study, we confirmed the four-dimensional structure of ICT competence for the Turkish sample. In this study, the construct validity of the PISA 2018 application ICT test was verified using the Turkish sample. The ESCS variable was included as a control variable in the analyses due to its significant impact on the relevant variables. The analysis showed that the mathematical literacy scores of the PISA 2018 Turkish students were positively low affected by the availability of ICT, negatively low affected by the entertainment of ICT, and positively low affected by the interest and perceived competence in ICT, use of ICT for educational purposes at school and outside school, and the use of ICT related to the subject. Considering the ICT variables that affected the PISA 2018 students’ science literacy scores; the entertainment of ICT and the interest and perceived competence in ICT significantly low affected the students’ use of ICT on the subject. On the other hand, the availability of ICT negative significantly low affect their science literacy scores. While the entertainment of ICT negatively low affected the science literacy scores, interest and perceived competence in ICT and use of ICT for educational purposes at school and outside school positively low affected the students’ use of ICT on the subject. Finally, when we look at the ICT variables that low affected the students’ reading literacy scores; and use of ICT for educational purposes at school and outside school and the interest and perceived competence in ICT significantly positive low affected the use of ICT on the subject. On the other hand, the availability of ICT negative significantly low affect reading literacy scores. While the entertainment of ICT negatively low affected reading literacy scores; interest and perceived competence in ICT positively low affected the use of ICT on the subject.

This paper presents a study on the perceptions of primary school teachers regarding their knowledge, usefulness, and use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in education. Likewise, the relationship between sex, age, working time and the educational center in which it is found with the perceptions about ICT is obtained. To answer these questions, a battery of 14 categorical closed questions is designed, divided into four blocks: socio-demographic information; knowledge of ICT; usefulness of ICT; and use of ICT. In the context of measuring the knowledge, usefulness and use of ICT in education, the novelty of this work relies on the design of an indicator for each of the ICT-related blocks following the methodology of Human Development Indicators created by the United Nations Development Program. In this research, 119 teachers from Spanish primary schools were chosen as the study sample to answer the questions’ battery. The results show a direct relationship between knowledge, usefulness, and use, although not significant. Although teachers are aware of the usefulness of ICT, and the Covid-19 pandemic has increased the use of technological tools for planning teaching in blended or distance learning lessons, this does not mean teachers have a greater knowledge of ICT. In addition, the findings indicate a greater knowledge by teachers in public schools, which contrasts with the finding that teachers in grant-assisted schools make the most use of ICT and find it the most useful. Finally, it is also suggested that the study's methodology and approach could be applied to other contexts or countries.

The rapid adoption of computer networks, such as the Internet and the World Wide Web (WWW), within various segments of society has spurred an increased interest in using such technologies to enhance the performance of organizations in both the public and private sectors. While private sector organizations now commonly employ electronic commerce, or e-commerce, strategies to either augment existing business activities or cultivate new groups of customers, organizations at all levels of government have also begun to pay renewed attention to the prospects of using new forms of information and communication technology (ICT) in order to improve the production and delivery of services. As with many technologies, the increased use of ICT by government was in response not only to the increased use of ICT by government stakeholders, such as citizens or businesses, but also in response to a growing call for governmental reform during the 1990s. As public organizations at the federal, state, and even local level began to initiate organizational reforms that sought to bring private sector norms to government, they often sought to employ ICT as means to increase efficiencies and organizational coordination (Gore, 1998; Osborne & Gaebler, 1993). Such attempts to reform the operations of public organizations were a key factor in promoting an increased interest in use of new forms of ICT (Fountain, 2001). This growing focus on the broader use of ICT by public organizations came to be known as digital government. The term, digital government, grew to mean the development, adoption, and use of ICT within a public organization’s internal information systems, as well as the use of ICT to enhance an organization’s interaction with external stakeholders such as private-sector vendors, interest groups, or individual citizens. Some scholars more specifically characterize this broader use of ICT by public organizations according to its intended purpose. Electronic government, or e-government, has often been used to describe the use of ICT by public organizations to provide programmatic information or services to citizens and other stakeholders (Watson & Mundy, 2001). For example, providing an online method through which citizens could conduct financial transactions, such as tax or license payments, would be a typical e-government activity. Other uses of ICT include the promotion of various types of political activity and are often described as electronic politics, or e-politics. These types of ICT-based activities are often characterized as those that may influence citizens’ knowledge of, or participation in, the political processes. For instance, the ability of an elected body of government, such as a state legislature, to put information about proposed legislation online for public comment or to actually allow citizens to contact members of the legislature directly would be a simple example of e-politics. However, ICT is not a panacea for every organizational challenge. ICT can introduce additional challenges to the organization. For example, the increased attention on employing ICT to achieve agency goals has also brought to the forefront the potential difficulty in successfully developing large-scale ICT systems within U.S. government agencies. For example, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) recent announcement that it may have to scrap its project to develop a Virtual Case File system that was estimated to cost $170 million (Freiden, 2005). The adoption of new ICT is often marked by setbacks or failures to meet expected project goals, and this characteristic is certainly not limited to public organizations. However, adherence to public sector norms of openness and transparency often means that when significant problems do occur, they happen within view of the public. More significantly, such examples highlight the difficulty of managing the development and adoption of large-scale ICT systems within the public sector. However conceptualized or defined, the development, adoption, and use of ICT by public organizations is a phenomena oriented around the use of technology with the intended purpose of initiating change in an organization’s technical and social structure. Since the development and adoption of new ICT, or new ways of employing existing ICT, are necessarily concerned with employing new technologies or social practices to accomplish an organizational goal, they meet the basic definition of technological innovations (Rogers, 1995; Tornatsky & Fleischer, 1990). If public organizations are to improve their ability to adopt and implement new ICT, they should better understand the lessons and issues highlighted by a broader literature concerning technological innovation.

This study explored the implementation of the information and communication technology (ICT) into teaching and learning processes in three educational domains (STEM, language education, and other humanities and social sciences). Specificaly, the aim of the current study was to explore the effects of teachers' attitudes towards ICT use in classroom, self-efficacy in the ICT use, and perceived school-level barriers on teachers' ICT use as well as possible domain specific differences in the assessed variables. The data were collected as a part of a larger study conducted within the first phase of the “e-Schools” pilot project (CARNet). An online survey methodology was employed involving a sample of nearly all teachers in 13 middle (N=256) and 7 high schools (N=275). The results revealed that perceived self-efficacy in ICT use proved to be the best predictor of the use of ICT based activities regardless of the domain. Perceived benefits of ICT use significantly predicted the use of ICT in STEM and humanities and social sciences, while school-level barriers negatively predicted ICT use in STEM and in language education. Comparison of educational domains showed that STEM teachers saw more benefits of ICT use in teaching than teachers in humanities and social sciences. STEM teachers perceived themselves as more competent in ICT use compared to other two groups. They also reported that they use ICT more often in lesson preparation and in classroom activities. However, teachers’ perception of possible risks and barriers of ICT use in education did not differ in three educational domains.

Research suggests that work-related use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) after hours involves both harms and benefits for employee well-being. Yet, these findings are mainly based on examining the extent of ICT use as the focal construct of interest. Based on cognitive appraisal theories of stress, we argue that research needs to include individuals’ evaluation of their work-related ICT use after hours as well as the conditions shaping this appraisal to explain double-edged effects of ICT use on well-being. Thus, we investigate (1) how situational and personal factors influence whether work-related ICT use after hours is evaluated as positive or negative, and (2) how these factors and ICT use appraisal relate to employee well-being and recovery, beyond the extent of ICT use. We collected data in a daily diary study over five consecutive days. Multilevel path analyses with data from 51 employees and 151 daily observations indicated that goal progress and autonomous motivation for ICT use were positively related to positive ICT use appraisal. Besides, goal progress predicted less and overload predicted more negative ICT use appraisal. In turn, ICT use appraisal was associated with employees’ affective states and psychological detachment in the evening, beyond the extent of ICT use. Additionally, we found several indirect effects of goal progress and overload on employee well-being and recovery via ICT use appraisal. Our findings emphasize the need to investigate ICT usage experiences to explain the double-edged consequences of work-related ICT use after hours on employee well-being.