Academic Attitudes Research Articles

E-Learning in Era of COVID-19 Pandemic: Impact of Flexible Working Arrangements on Work Pressure, Work–Life Conflict and Academics’ Satisfaction

The aim of this study is to better understand the effect of flexible working arrangements (FWAs) on three academics’ outcomes, which are work pressure, work–life conflict and satisfaction during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. A quantitative approach using probability-sampling technique was performed to collect the data. A total of 132 responses were considered in this study. The sample includes academics from Middle East and North Africa region. This research used the method of partial least squares to test the research hypotheses. The findings showed that there are significant effects between flexible working-time arrangements, work pressure, work–life conflict with academics’ satisfaction. Yet, both work pressure and work–life conflict do not have moderator roles on the relationship between FWAs and academics’ satisfaction. The research results could be applied by university human resources’ managers seeking to introduce flexible schedules in the workplace in the context of uncertainty. The study makes a novel contribution to the effect of flexible schedules on the attitude of academics during a health crisis (COVID-19).

Learning in lockdown: exploring the impact of COVID-19 on interprofessional education

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the learning experiences of students undertaking health and social care programmes across the globe. In the UK, the Nursing and Midwifery Council introduced emergency standards for undergraduate programmes in 2020, making significant short-term changes to programme delivery. However, the mandate for all students to undertake interprofessional education remained. Interprofessional education is key to preparing students on health and social care programmes, as it enables students to work as effective members of multi-agency/multi-professional teams on qualification. It is an important element of training, as it has a direct impact on quality of care and service user experience.This series of articles will explore the experiences of ‘lockdown learning’ from the perspective of academics, students and service users from a global perspective in relation to the delivery of interprofessional education during the pandemic, which necessitated a wholesale move from face-to-face, blended and online learning to include emergency remote teaching. The series was written by members of the Centre for the Advancement of Interprofessional Education Research Subgroup (Interprofessional Education Experiences) and aims to identify barriers and facilitators to successful shared learning and provide suggestions for how lessons learned can be taken forward to further enhance this important element of pre-registration education. The perceptions and attitudes of academics and students on such comprehensive changes are a unique and rich data source to explore and inform future provision.

Examining adolescent daughters' and their parents’ academic-gender stereotypes: Predicting academic attitudes, ability, and STEM intentions

IntroductionWomen continue to be underrepresented in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and research suggests that academic-gender stereotypes can be a contributing factor. In the present research, we examined whether adolescent daughters' and their parents' gender stereotypes about math and liberal arts would predict the academic orientation of daughters at a critical time of career related decision-making. Methods: Participants included girls in late adolescence (N = 185, Mage = 17) and at least one parent (N = 230, Mage = 49), resulting in 147 mother-daughter dyads and 83 father-daughter dyads. Implicit academic-gender stereotypes were measured using an Implicit Association Test (IAT) and explicit stereotypes, academic attitudes, academic ability, and daughters' intentions to pursue a degree in STEM were measured using self-reports. Results: Neither mothers' nor fathers' implicit or explicit academic-gender stereotypes predicted adolescent daughters' implicit stereotypes; however, fathers' explicit stereotypes predicted daughters' explicit stereotypes. In addition, daughters' academic orientation, a latent variable composed of adolescent girls' academic attitudes, academic ability, and intentions to pursue a degree in STEM, was predicted by daughters' own implicit and explicit stereotypes. This was the case for relative orientation toward math versus liberal arts, as well as math (but not liberal arts) orientation. Conclusions: These findings suggest the importance of challenging academic-gender stereotypes during adolescence and suggest that at this stage in development, mothers' and fathers' academic stereotypes might have limited relation to daughters’ own implicit associations with academic domains.

The impact of skills and training on local development

The impact of skills and training on local development

Attitudes of academics and students towards English-medium instruction in Engineering Studies

ABSTRACT While new cohorts of students, with an increasing awareness of the importance of foreign languages, especially English, are arriving at the universities, English-medium instruction (EMI) is one of the main instruments to internationalise universities. However, research on attitudes of teachers and students towards EMI programmes is scarce in higher education, especially in the area of Engineering. In this article, we study the instructors’ and students’ attitudes, motivation, and expectations towards the implementation of English-taught programmes at an Engineering Higher Education institution. The participants in this study were teachers and students at the School of Agricultural Engineering of the Technical University of Madrid (UPM), Spain. Our results shed some light on different aspects of students’ and instructors’ considerations towards EMI at tertiary education. They might also help to promote institutional policies as well as to face up challenges of the implementation of EMI university programmes in Engineering.

The relation between home numeracy practices and a variety of math skills in elementary school children.

A growing number of studies suggest that the frequency of numeracy experiences that parents provide at home may relate to children's mathematical development. However, the relation between home numeracy practices and children's numerical skills is complex and might depend upon both the type and difficulty of activities, as well as the type of math skills. Studies have also argued that this relation may be driven by factors that are not systematically controlled for in the literature, including socio-economic status (SES), parental math skills and children's IQ. Finally, as most prior studies have focused on preschoolers, it remains unclear to what extent there remains a relation between the home numeracy environment and math skills when children are in elementary school. In the present study, we tested an extensive range of math skills in 66 8-year-olds, including non-symbolic quantity processing, symbolic number understanding, transcoding, counting, and mental arithmetic. We also asked parents to complete a questionnaire about their SES, academic expectations, academic attitudes, and the numeracy practices that they provide at home. Finally, we measured their arithmetic fluency as a proxy for parental math skills. Over and above differences in socio-economic status, parental arithmetic fluency, child's IQ, and time spent with the child, we found a positive relation between the frequency of formal numeracy practices that were at or above grade level and two separate measures of mental arithmetic. We further found that the frequency of these advanced formal numeracy practices was related to parents' academic expectations. Therefore, our study shows that home numeracy experiences predict arithmetic skills in elementary school children, but only when those activities are formal and sufficiently challenging for children.

Influences on students’ interest in a legal career, satisfaction with law school, & psychological distress: trends in New Zealand

ABSTRACT This paper investigates cross-sectional and longitudinal trends in data collected from a self-selected cohort of law students enrolled at three New Zealand universities. From the beginning of their first year of study to the end of their third year, students were invited to complete questionnaires that documented a range of expectations, perceptions, and attitudes. Analysis was carried out to better understand students’ interest in a legal career, satisfaction with law school, and psychological distress across their first three years at law school. Using descriptive and inferential statistics, we found that students’ academic self-efficacy (i.e. perceived ability to be successful in law courses) and attitudes towards assessment emerged as noteworthy contributors to the law school experience. Students who persevered across three years of law school remained stable in their career interests and satisfaction with law school. However, two out of three students appeared at risk for mental health difficulties and we document an increase in psychological distress from the beginning of law school to the end of second year. Discussion focuses on how law schools might respond to these findings.

The influence of curriculum and school climate on the academic attitude of tahfiz students in Malaysia

<span>This study aimed to examine the influence of curriculum and school climate on the academic attitude of </span><em><span>tahfiz</span></em><span> (memorizing Al-Quran) students in Sabah, Malaysia. A total of 81 students (age 10-12) from three private </span><em><span>tahfiz</span></em><span> primary schools around Kota Kinabalu were involved in this study. This quantitative study used cross-sectional survey method by distributing questionnaires to the respondents. The questionnaire was developed by the researchers to suit the unique environment of the </span><em><span>tahfiz</span></em><span> schools and has gone through the process of validity and reliability. Descriptive analysis showed that student attitude variable showed a high level of mean score (above 3.80), while for school climate variable, the finding was at moderate level (Mean=3.56, SD=0.530). As for curriculum variable, most students learnt the same main subjects as studied in government-aided primary schools, with addition to Quranic subject. However, no one learnt Computer Education subject. Multiple regression analysis showed that only the school climate variable significantly influenced the academic attitude of </span><em><span>tahfiz</span></em><span> students (R2=0.251, Beta=0.503, p<0.001). This study will be able to provide useful information and benefit for the improvement of </span><em><span>tahfiz</span></em><span> institutions in Malaysia.</span>

Food safety knowledge, hygiene practices, and eating attitudes of academics and university students during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in Turkey.

The purpose of this study is to assess the effect of the coronavirus (COVID‐19) pandemic on food safety knowledge, hygiene practices, and eating attitudes of academics and university students in Turkey. A cross‐sectional survey invitation was emailed to the participants from various academic ranks and departments at chosen universities from different region of country. Academics were requested to forward the invitation email to enrolled students to their classes. Responds were accepted in the period of 45 days in April and May 2020 during this pandemic. The relationships between socio‐demographic factors (gender, marital status, parental status, faculty/student status, academic rank, and age) and food safety knowledge, hygiene practices, and eating attitudes of respondents were determined. Academics (n = 240) and university students (n = 479) responded to food safety knowledge statements with similar percentages during the coronavirus pandemic. Improved hygiene practices were observed for both groups to avoid disease during the coronavirus pandemic. Both groups had eating attitudes toward consumption at home due to the coronavirus pandemic. Gender was the most prominent factor associated with 9 out of 10 hygiene practices before and during the coronavirus pandemic (p < .05). No, single, and multiple socio‐demographic factors were in association with food safety knowledge or eating attitudes of respondents. This study indicates that reactions of both academics and university students are similar during the coronavirus pandemic for food safety‐associated knowledge, practices, and attitudes.

Academic staff promotion system and its influence on the quality of vocational and technical education - College of Technological Studies, as a case Kuwait

The need to enhance local capability is one of most Kuwaiti government priorities that is embodied in the overall governmental plan. In fact, the Kuwaiti government has exerted efforts to forge the College of Technological Studies, CTS, in order to equipped students with the knowledge, skills and attitudes that are required by essential sector in the country’s economy (e.g., Oil and Electricity and Water). However, the success of the College of Technological Studies in achieving its objectives would rely on the competencies of the CTS management and academic staff in meeting industrial requirements. The shaping and enhancing of student’s ability in managing, maintaining, and adapting the imported technology in industries would rely on the level of academic staff knowledge, skills, experience, and attitude in meeting industrial requirements. The efficiency of the promotion system for academic staff would indeed contribute significantly to shaping the standard of the CTS graduates. The need to absorb and evaluate the current status of the CTS academic staff promotion system must be one of highly management priority in order to achieve the CTS overall objectives. The aim of this paper is to identify and examine the efficiency of the academic staff promotion system. Several issues would be investigated and examined. Among which: the criteria’s applied in selected and approving academic journals, the criteria’s required for promoting academic staff, work ethics and its relation to the academic staff promotion system, and the obstacles that might face the CTS management in applying the academic staff promotion system. The paper would conclude that unless the management of the CTS realised and appreciate the significant role of the academic staff promotion system, industries would continue to rely on expatriate for years ahead.

If You Don’t Know Where You’re Going, You Might End Up Where You’re Headed! Teachers’ Visions Transforming Praxis Through Agency

ABSTRACT Frustrated by the ineffectiveness of externally mandated reforms to positively influence the academic performances and attitudes of their students who came from families with limited economic resources (>98%), two fourth-grade teachers used their teaching visions to redesign daily instructional activities. Consistent with their visions and a quest for more- effective reform strategies, they promoted agency by soliciting students’ input and feedback regarding the nature and format of their studies. Guided by situated learning theory, which underscores the potential for students who have been marginalized for whatever reason, to adopt positive learning trajectories when allowed to demonstrate agency, they collaborated with university researchers using design-based research methods, to provide opportunities for students to become engaged, remake identities, and improve learning. As students adjusted to new expectations, they increased engagement in daily studies, reflected on emerging life goals, portrayed positive learning identities, and demonstrated improvement onformal and informal assessments. Discussion focuses on how teachers might promote robust literacy reforms by teaching-beyond-the-test, using their visions to promote students’ agency.

항공관광전공 대학생의 영어학습에 적용한 플립러닝 수업모형 개발의 효과

The objective of this study was to develop and investigate the effects of flipped learning class model on aviation tourism-majored college students. For this study, the flipped learning class model was developed and twenty-one tourism-majored college students who were 15 women and 6 men in their second grade chosen as the participants. They were asked to study learning material in advance and participate in the classroom activities including group work and presentation for 15 weeks, except mid term and final term period. The data collected consisted of pre and post TOEIC reading practice test results with 100 questionnaires, academic attitude questionnaires and students’ learning logs. The results of this study have been obtained as follows; First, there was academic improvements in 21 students’ reading comprehension ability after 15 weeks. Second, there were significant changes in academic attitude such as confidence and learning motivation as shown in questionnaire responses. In particular, flipped learning class model contributed to boosting the students’ self-confidence. Further studies are needed to look into the effects of flipped learning class model based on the students’s need analysis.

Editorial

Editorial

Sosyal Bilgilerde Argümantasyon Tabanlı Öğrenme Sürecinin Öğrenci Başarı ve Tutumlarına Etkisi

Bu araştırmanın amacı, sosyal bilgiler eğitiminde ‘Bilim, Teknoloji ve Toplum Ünitesi’nin öğrenilmesinde argümantasyon tabanlı öğrenme sürecinin etkilerini incelemektir. Araştırma öntest-sontest kontrol gruplu yarı-deneysel desene uygun olarak tasarlanmıştır. Araştırmada nicel yöntemin yanında nitel görüşme yöntemi de kullanılmıştır. Araştırmanın evrenini Antalya ili kepez ilçesinde bulunan Ersoy Ortaokulu’nda öğrenim gören 7. sınıf öğrencileri oluşturmaktadır. Araştırmanın örneklemini ise deney (31) ve kontrol (31) grubunda olmak üzere toplam 62 öğrenci oluşturmaktadır. Uygulama kapsamında yedinci sınıf sosyal bilgiler dersi ünitelerinden “Bilim, Tekonoloji ve Toplum” ünitesi, deney grubuna araştırmacı tarafından hazırlanan Argümantasyon Tabanlı Öğretim Yöntemi yoluyla, kontrol grubuna ise öğretim programına uygun şekilde anlatılmıştır. Uygulama sonucunda elde edilen veriler SPSS 23.00 üzerinde betimsel istatistik, Mann Withney U-testi ve Wilcoxon İşaretli Sıralar Testi teknikleri yoluyla analiz edilerek yorumlanmıştır. Araştırma verilerinin analizi sonucunda Sosyal Bilgiler dersinde Argümantasyon Tabanlı Öğretim Yöntemi kullanımının öğrencilerin başarısı ve tutumları üzerinde anlamlı düzeyde bir etkisinin olduğu sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. Araştırmada ortaya çıkan sonuçlar, ilgili literatürün sonuçları ile karşılaştırılmıştır.

The Effects of Flipped Learning Academic Attitude on the Academic Achivement and Continuos Participation of College Students Majoring in Beauty

This study aimed to investigate the influence of flipped learning on academic achievements and continuous participation among students majoring in cosmetology. In addition, it attempted to examine if a mixed teaching method (online approach + offline approach) has a positive effect on students in preparation for the post-COVID-19 era. For this, a questionnaire survey was performed among students majoring in cosmetology who previously experienced flipped learning. A total of 603 responses were used for the final analysis, and the results found the following: According to demographic analysis, ‘women’, ‘20s’ and ‘college student’ were the highest in terms of gender, age, and educational background, respectively. Concerning the influence of flipped learning on academic achievements, ‘learning motivation’, ‘learning attitude’, and ‘confidence’ had a statistically significant effect on ‘learners.’ The above results confirm that flipped learning is already valuable as a teaching approach and can enhance academic achievement and continuous participation. Also, it is anticipated with new learning methods such as video, it would be more advantageous than conventional offline learning in enhancing the students’ attention and interest.

The effects of a mobile pre-learning system with surface learning approach on academic achievement and mobile learning attitude

The effects of a mobile pre-learning system with surface learning approach on academic achievement and mobile learning attitude

Academic attitude and subjective norms effects on international doctoral students’ academic performance self-perceptions: A moderated-mediation analysis of the influences of knowledge- seeking intentions and supervisor support

This study aimed to examine the relationship between international students’ academic attitude and subjective norms on the one hand, and academic self-perception on the other hand in the context of student’s perception of their knowledge- seeking intention and supervisor support. We gathered survey data from 415 international doctoral students from six top-tier universities in China (male = 61.4%; female= 38.6%; age range = 26 to 46 and above). The students were from the following regions: Asia 45.5%, Africa 40%, Europe 9.4 %, and America 5.1%. These students’ majors were engineering and technology (39.8 %), business, management, and economics (33.7%), and social sciences (26.5 %). Moderated-mediated analysis indicated higher knowledge-seeking intention to mediate the relationship between students’ academic attitude and subjective norms, and their academic performance self-perceptions. Higher self-rated supervisor support scores moderated the influences of academic attitude and subjective norms on the students’ academic performance self-perceptions. Student development and support programs should seek to support international students’ knowledge- seeking behaviours and supervisor access, enhancing their success with doctoral studies.

Qumran, Early Judaism, and New Testament Interpretation

Qumran, Early Judaism, and New Testament Interpretation

Comparison on Genders, Ethnics, and Academic Ranks among Faculty Members on Academic Leadership and Work-Related Attitudes

Comparison on Genders, Ethnics, and Academic Ranks among Faculty Members on Academic Leadership and Work-Related Attitudes

Relations of College Students’ Values to their Academic Attitudes and Achievement

Relations of College Students’ Values to their Academic Attitudes and Achievement