Bonus Point Research Articles

Enhancing the Evaluation System of Training Hospitals for Neurosurgical Residency Training and Education in South Korea : Striving for Balanced Participation and Differentiation.

The Korean Neurosurgical Society, with its 62 years of history, has witnessed substantial growth in the field of neurosurgery, producing over 3,400 neurosurgeons, establishing 12 divisions and 9 regional branches, and advancing in clinical management, diagnostic methods and academic research. Despite these developments, the regulations governing neurosurgical training and evaluation methods for training hospitals have remained largely unchanged, necessitating comprehensive revisions in response to evolving medical environments. To provide balanced participation opportunities for neurosurgery residents, the Korean Neurosurgical Society formed the Training Status Investigation Standard Change Task Force (TF Team) under the Training Education Committee. This paper presents the TF Team's findings and proposals for revising training status investigation standards and evaluation criteria. Through the processes including a lot of team meetings, workshops, education programs, official communications with 12 division societies, benchmarking from other societies and analysis of encrypted data from the past 5 years for neurosurgical training hospitals, the TF Team created a revised training status investigation proposal, supplemented main surgery criteria. And we applied this revised proposal to the training status investigation data collected from training hospitals in 2022 for simulation. We reduced the score for main surgeries to 10 points, introduced core competency surgery standards, allocating 5 points each for brain core competency surgery and spine and peripheral core competency surgery, for a total of 10 points. We also adjusted the major surgery score to 13 points, expanding the total surgery index score to 33 points. We introduced additional definitions for main surgeries in the areas of spine, pediatrics, and functional surgery. The equipment score was reduced from 17 points to 9 points. We specified minimum requirements for resident allocation eligibility, and if a hospital meets all of these criteria, they become eligible to apply for resident allocation. We introduced a new bonus point system for hospitals performing mechanical thrombectomy or stenting and peripheral nerve. The proposed revisions aim to improve the training and education of neurosurgical residents and overall neurosurgical care in Korea by creating a balanced and differentiated evaluation system for training hospitals. Further monitoring, communication, and adjustments are crucial for successful implementation.

The effects of gamified daily awards on digital vocabulary flashcard learning: A case study

Gamification in second language acquisition research is a popular topic but there are few empirical comparative studies in the literature. This quasi-experimental mixed-approach study enrolled volunteer Japanese university EFL learners to enable a comparison between two digital vocabulary flashcard learning software conditions carefully designed by the author; (1) the gamified group’s software had daily awards (i.e., consecutive day awards, medals related to daily participation, and a bonus point counter in an effort to encourage spaced spaced learning principles and discourage cramming) and (0) the non-gamified group’s did not. The daily awards had a significant effect in encouraging the gamified group to spread out their study efforts throughout the 12-week study period more effectively than the control group as they completed a lower median number of tasks per active study day (non-gamified: 104.76, gamified: 82.11; p= .021, r(75)= -.264) but studied on more days to complete a similar total number of vocabulary tasks (non-gamified: 2313.00, gamified: 2228.50; p= .601). Moreover, the gamified group significantly outperformed the non-gamified group in terms of vocabulary knowledge score gains between the pretest and posttest; p= .03, r(50)= .300. These results show the numerous and significant positive pedagogical impacts of gamified daily awards.

A Quantum Approach to News Verification from the Perspective of a News Aggregator

In the dynamic landscape of digital information, the rise of misinformation and fake news presents a pressing challenge. This paper takes a completely new approach to verifying news, inspired by how quantum actors can reach agreement even when they are spatially spread out. We propose a radically new—to the best of our knowledge—algorithm that uses quantum “entanglement” (think of it as a special connection) to help news aggregators “sniff out” bad actors, whether they are other news sources or even fact-checkers trying to spread misinformation. This algorithm does not rely on quantum signatures; it merely uses basic quantum technology which we already have, in particular, special pairs of particles called “EPR pairs” that are much easier to create than other options. More elaborate entangled states are like juggling too many balls—they are difficult to make and slow things down, especially when many players are involved. So, we adhere to Bell states, the simplest form of entanglement, which are easy to generate no matter how many players are involved. This means that our algorithm is faster to set up, works for any number of participants, and is more practical for real-world use. Additionally, as a “bonus point”, it finishes in a fixed number of steps, regardless of how many players are involved, making it even more scalable. This new approach may lead to a powerful and efficient way to fight misinformation in the digital age, using the weird and wonderful world of quantum mechanics.

Kathleen Diffley and Coleman Hutchison (eds). The Cambridge Companion to the Literature of the American Civil War and Reconstruction

In his essay near the end of this volume, Cody Marrs tackles the elephant in the room. Interest in the Civil War, he reminds us, has traditionally come across as a white male affair, the domain of the ‘buff’, who knows things about regiments. Study of the period has suffered. It can feel like something wrapped up and done, only to be talked about as a kind of competitive trivia. How many troops were on the Union Right Flank at Gettysburg? Who commanded the Iron Brigade? What, for a bonus point, is a parrot gun? The editors of The Cambridge Companion to the Literature of the American Civil War and Reconstruction deftly shut the lid on this from the very start. It is not often that an academic book can make a viable case for its existence before page one, but here is one that might have done it. In the prefatory material we are offered a chronology. It begins predictably enough with the US-Mexican War and the pattern of political strife and compromise which paved the way to Sumter. After that, there is the Civil War and the start and sharp end of Reconstruction. But then the timeline continues. It moves through the grim heyday of the Ku Klux Klan in the late nineteenth century, to the Civil Rights Movement, and ends, unflinchingly, in the 2020s. The final two events are the police murder of George Floyd and the successful referendum to change the Mississippi flag from its prior design, which featured the Confederate Battle device. To suggest that the former is a result, a ghost, or a lingering symptom of the Civil War and Reconstruction is not a new idea, but to have it placed at the front of a book like a Cambridge Companion is a very welcome first. Diffley and Hutchison have managed to turn their chronology—often a dry item, skippable by the more expert—into an argument, and a challenge, which the collection sustains: that this is a thoroughly contemporary response to a still contemporary war.

A gamified instant perspective comparison system to facilitate online discussion effectiveness

AbstractOnline discussion is one of the frequently used learning activities in an e‐learning process. Learners can exchange opinions and thoughts with their peers through online discussion, stimulate their different viewpoints on the discussion topics, and enhance the learning effectiveness of e‐learning. However, most learners mainly take an effort on posting discussion content but easily ignore reading and understanding the contents of peers' discussions, thus reducing the discussion effectiveness. The purpose of this study is to develop an Instant Perspective Comparison System with a Gamified Incentive Mechanism (IPCS‐GIM) to promote learners' discussion awareness and motivation, thereby effectively enhancing their discussion participation, motivation, and effectiveness. A true‐experimental design was conducted in this research to examine the research questions. A total of 38 university students in Taiwan were randomly assigned to the experimental group using the IPCS‐GIM to assist online discussion and the control group using an instant perspective comparison system without a gamified incentive mechanism (IPCS‐NGIM) to assist online discussion to examine their difference in discussion effectiveness, participation, and motivation on a social‐scientific issue (SSI). The analytical results show that compared to the IPCS‐NGIM, the IPCS‐GIM could not only significantly enhance learners' discussion effectiveness in overall discussion effectiveness, complexity, and multiple perspectives, but also significantly enhance learners' discussion participation and motivation. Practitioner notesWhat is already known about this topic An asynchronous online discussion that can allow learners to exchange opinions and thoughts with their peers, stimulate different viewpoints and enhance learning effectiveness is one of the frequently used learning activities in an e‐learning process. However, most learners mainly take an effort on posting discussion content but easily ignore reading and understanding the contents of peers' discussions, thus reducing the discussion effectiveness. An asynchronous online discussion may result in less enthusiastic discussions, learners may feel isolated due to the lack of immediate peer feedback, or they may not know what to contribute to a discussion topic. The lack of visual cues and immediate feedback is also one of the main factors affecting asynchronous online discussion effectiveness. In recent years, many studies have paid attention to promoting the discussion process and effectiveness by visualizing asynchronous online discussion content and interaction. What this paper adds This study uses gamified incentive mechanisms including a bonus point, title name, and leaderboard to develop a novel Instant Perspective Comparison System with a Gamified Incentive Mechanism (IPCS‐GIM) to promote learners' discussion effectiveness, participation, and motivation on social‐scientific issues (SSI) discussions. The result shows that compared to the Instant Perspective Comparison System without a Gamified Incentive Mechanism (IPCS‐NGIM), the IPCS‐GIM could not only significantly enhance learners' discussion effectiveness in overall discussion effectiveness, complexity, and multiple perspectives, but also significantly enhance learners' discussion participation and motivation. Implications for practice and/or policy Current research on the application of gamification design to asynchronous online discussions mainly focuses on enhancing learners' participation, engagement, and motivation, but there is a lack of research on the use of gamified incentive mechanisms to promote learners' reading of other peers' posts to achieve better quality discussions and enhance discussion effectiveness. This study fills the research gap. This study confirms that the proposed novel IPCS‐GIM can promote learners' discussion on reading other peers' posts, participation, and motivation to what extent due to its gamified incentive mechanisms, visualized discussion cues, and immediate feedback, thereby effectively enhancing learners' discussion effectiveness. This study broadens the horizon of the design of asynchronous online‐assisted discussion tools.

The value measurement of emerging therapeutics in renal cell carcinoma: ASCO value framework and ESMO-MCBS

PurposeRapid development of novel therapeutics in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) has led to financial burden for patients and society. Value including clinical benefit, toxicity affecting quality of life and cost-effectiveness are a concern, prompting the need for tools to facilitate value assessment of therapeutics. This study reviews the value assessment tools, and evaluates the value of emerging therapeutics in RCC.Materials and methodsTwo medical oncologists used American Society of Clinical Oncology value framework (ASCO VF) v2.0 and European Society for Medical Oncology-magnitude of clinical benefit scale (ESMO-MCBS) v1.1 to phase 3 trials evaluating first-line therapy in patients with metastatic RCC. Follow-up (FU) reports and extended survival data were included. Equivocal aspects and limitations of the tools were discussed.ResultsSix trials (COMPARZ, CheckMate 214, JAVELIN renal 101, Keynote 426, CLEAR, and CheckMate 9ER) were assessed. The control arm was standard-of-care sunitinib in all trials. ASCO VF’s net health benefit, calculated as clinical benefit, toxicity and other bonus point was 11 in pazopanib, 41.9 in nivolumab plus ipilimumab, 22.4 in axitinib plus avelumab, 48.7 in axitinib plus pembrolizumab, 35.2 in lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab, and 50.8 in cabozantinib plus nivolumab. A higher score means a greater treatment benefit. ESMO-MCBS gave grade 5 to nivolumab plus ipilimumab, 4 to pazopanib, lenvatinib plus pembrolizumab and cabozantinib plus nivolumab, 3 to axitinib plus avelumab or pembrolizumab. Both tools had unclear aspects to be applied to clinical practice, and should be more clearly defined, such as endpoint for determining survival benefits or how to standardize quality of life and toxicity.ConclusionsASCO VF and ESMO-MCBS were applied to evaluate the newly emerging drugs in RCC and assessed their value. In-depth discussion by experts in various fields is required for appropriate clinical application in a real-world setting.

Effort of rugby teams according to the bonus point system: a theoretical and empirical analysis

Using a simple game-theoretical model of contests, we compare the effort exerted by rugby teams under three different point systems used in tournaments around the world. We consider a point system that awards four points to the winning team, no points to the losing team, and two points to each team in a case of a draw. The other two point systems award bonus points depending on the final score. They both award a bonus point for losing by only one try. One of these two systems gives an extra point to the team that scores four or more tries while the other gives it for scoring three more tries than the other team. We develop two models. One is a static one, intended to compare the joint efforts equilibria as to find which point system maximizes the effort exerted by the teams. The other is a dynamical model, providing a framework for the analysis of equilibrium payoffs and find the one in which teams exert more joint effort. In both models, the point system that maximizes the amount of effort in rugby is the one that awards a bonus point for scoring three more tries than the opponent. To evaluate the real-world validity of this claim we run empirical analyses using data from matches under the three point systems being evaluated. The empirical results confirm our theoretical conclusions.

T222. IMPAIRED COST-BENEFIT COMPUTATION IN SOCIAL CONTEXT IN PATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA

BackgroundSocial withdrawal is one of core negative symptoms in schizophrenia, which dampens their social outcomes and prognosis. However, the underlying behavioral mechanisms of this symptom are poorly understood. In the present study, we aimed to explore the capacity of cost-benefit computation under social context in schizophrenia patients.MethodsWe recruited twenty-six patients, who met the criteria for diagnosis of schizophrenia, and thirty-one healthy controls matched for their age and gender ratio. All the participants were administrated to Effortful Job Interview Task, which is a novel behavioral paradigm where participants were asked to make an effort to get job offers. Before their taking effort, they were required to decide whether they would like to get involved in a less challenging job interview with no bonus point or a more challenging one with varied bonus points (i.e., 5, 15, 25 points, higher points indicate higher chance of getting a job offer).ResultsIn healthy controls, there was a main effect of prize on the choice percentage of challenging job interview (F (2, 90) = 68.577, p <0.001), with higher percentage of picking challenging interview under large (25) and medium (15) bonus points than low bonus point (5). Schizophrenia patients, however, exhibited lower percentage of challenging interview choices under medium (p =.015) and large (p <.01) bonus points than healthy controls, as reflected by a significant Group x Prize interaction effect (F (2, 110) = 6.478, p <0.01). In addition, we observe significant negative correlations between percentage of challenging interview choices under large bonus and amotivation sub-score on the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (r = -0.49, p = 0.01). Interestingly, patients with schizophrenia displayed spared experience of pleasantness when they received a job offer as compared with healthy controls (p = .09). But, they showed blunted aversive experience towards the outcomes of failure as compared to healthy controls (p < .01).DiscussionThese findings suggest that impaired social cost-benefit computation may play a central role in the symptoms of social withdrawal in schizophrenia, which may facilitate the clinical intervention of negative symptoms.

Finding appropriate settings for fairness and engagement in a newly designed game through self-playing AI program: A case study using Japanese crossword game 'MyoGo Renju’

This paper explores an innovative way to find the comfortable settings of a newly designed game under development using a computer program. A Japanese crossword game ‘MyoGo Renju’ has been chosen as a benchmark for this research, whereas some important aspects such as fairness and engagement are evaluated to find the most optimum settings for the player. The game ‘MyoGo Renju’ can be played by Japanese language learners with competitive purposes as well as educational purposes. An artificial intelligence program of the ‘MyoGo Renju’ has been developed and various parameters had been evaluated such as board size, word length, bonus point rule, block system, weighted score system, and round mode. The experiment is performed using self-playing Myogo AI where some interesting results have been demonstrated where the 5 × 5 board with the minimum word length of 3-g, 3 number of blocks, and 15 Hiragana characters chosen in a single round is expected to provide the best-expected fairness and engagement to the overall game experiences. The limitations and future works of the research are also discussed.

FORMATION OF THE SYSTEM OF MARKET LAND RESOURCES MANAGEMENT

The article deals with issues of land use, and in the broad sense of land resources, which requires purposeful management. The principles of land use formation are set out, which should be the basis for the formation of a land management system in the context of the transformation of land relations and the creation of a market system of land use. The factors that have an impact on the regional land management system are shown. It is noted that the collection, registration and updating of land information is associated with significant costs, the availability of proper land cadastre systems and land registration have advantages, some of which can not be given a realistic assessment in monetary terms. In the structure of the land fund of the region there are significant areas that occupy soils with unsatisfactory properties.The study found that changes in the land fund of the country identified by the draft National Program for Land Use and Protection presuppose the need to improve the structure of land and the implementation of a complex of measures for the protection of land, reproduction of soil fertility. In particular, reducing the level of agricultural development of the territory and reducing the plow through the removal of degraded, low productive and technogenically contaminated lands from intensive agricultural use and their transfer to natural lands.It is determined that the Vinnytsia region has the largest share of Ukrainian chernozem, but erosion danger is assessed as a strong and catastrophic water and wind erosion, the most serious factor in reducing the productivity of land and degradation of agro-landscapes, threatening the very existence of the soil. The work points out the bonus point of agricultural land in the Vinnytsia region, the nomenclature of soils of the region and the structure of the land fund of the region where the large areas occupy soils with unsatisfactory properties are given.

An Analysis of APP for Bonus Point Activity Service Based on Conjoint Model

Information data application has given rise to significant changes in many industries, and convenience stores have also started to use APP software for the buns point activity in replacement of the original bonus point operation mode. The issue of how to attract more consumers to use APP for the bonus point activity is a very important research theme for managers of convenience stores. This paper first describes the development background and current situation of the bonus point activity. Next, the various factors and their attributes affecting consumers’ behavioral intention to choose to use APP for bonus point service are discussed by adopting conjoint analysis. Finally, management implications are proposed based on the research findings as references for convenience stores.

Writing Prompts Help Improve Expression of Conceptual Understanding in Chemistry.

To improve the writing performance of secondary school students in chemistry assessments, a set of activities was developed. First, through document analysis of written tests, five categories of frequent mistakes in answers were identified: poor punctuation (capital letters, periods), missing key answer components (omitting concepts necessary to answer the question), incomplete reasoning (logical steps are missing), unclear use of antecedents (meanings of pronouns such as “it” are difficult to discern), and poor connectives (words like “because” are lacking or used incorrectly). After this, five strategies were formulated: focus on punctuation, repeat key question components, show complete reasoning, minimize use of references, and check use of connectives. Second, a two-part intervention study was conducted. In Part A, a written prompt (arrow symbol with the word “LANGUAGE”) placed in front of context-based questions was implemented to find out if that could help students avoid making any of those mistakes. Following promising effects on the performance of 99 students, the intervention was extended with a Part B to find out if, in addition to the prompt, bonus points (for each prompt question one bonus point was awarded if the answer was formulated correctly in terms of language use) and language support (prompt card listing the five strategies, and supportive assignments) could be of extra help to students. The findings suggest that the writing performance of students can be improved by increasing students’ awareness through a simple written prompt, providing language support, and awarding bonus points for properly formulated answers to chemistry test questions.

Bonus Point System for Refuse Classification and Sustainable Development: A Study in China

The rapid growth of household waste not only endangers the environment and people’s health, but also limits social and economic development. The effective sorting and recycling of garbage can control this problem. Adopting a semi-quantitative case study method, our researchers investigated the effect of a bonus point system for refuse classification that improves the accuracy of refuse classification and the residents’ environment awareness. In the system, residents will receive some gifts after sorting the garbage correctly. We also investigated the attitudes of residents and companies towards this novel system. Our researchers employed various methods to analyze garbage-sorting data, questionnaires completed by residents, and interview records. The results show that use of a bonus point system affects the management of domestic waste by improving the accuracy and enhancing the awareness of garbage sorting. Overall, residents support the system and benefit from it, which increases participation and consciousness of environmental protection. However, continuous publicity and coordination of various policies are required to promote the wide-range implementation and sustainable development of this system.

Gamification of Professional Development for First Year Engineering Students

Approximately 1.23 billion people play video games. Gamification is the study of what motivates gamers to invest thousands of hours into these games, and more importantly attempts to derive principles of gamification that can be applied to motivate people to participate in non-video game tasks with equal zeal. Education is one area where gamification is being explored.One gamification principle is to give participants a clear indication of their progress. In video games this is often depicted as ‘points’. The typical grade system could be interpreted as a type of point system, but one without much flexibility. Implementation of a bonus point system as an overlay to the standard grade system may allow for more flexibility.In this study this gamification principle was used to motivate students in a first year design course to participate in optional professional development activities and to foster an active online peer feedback and instruction community. With relatively minor modifications and repackaging of an existing evaluation methods students were motivated to give optional oral presentations, attend optional skill development workshops, and to contribute extensively to an online learning community.This implementation of gamification was found to have a net positive effect on student participation in Professional Development activities. Where it succeeded and where it failed will be explored.

Secondary Behavioural Incentives: Bonus Points and Rugby Professionals

We examine the impact of secondary incentives by evaluating agent behaviour in a professional sport that rewards multiple outcomes. Our analysis focuses on the Super Rugby competition, which awards four points for a win and bonus points for scoring four or more tries and/or losing by seven or fewer points. Using binary response models, we find that significantly more tries are scored by teams late in matches when they can earn the try bonus point with one more try, but only when the match result itself is already likely decided. This result offers important evidence on multitasking by professionals.

Impact of a point system program in increasing fruit and vegetable consumption among university employees (1021.12)

The purpose of this pilot study was to determine the effectiveness of “Colorful choices,™” a competitive, incentive‐based program aimed at improving fruit and vegetable consumption over a 4‐week period of time. Employees at a mid‐western university self‐enrolled in teams from their academic unit. Scoring was based on the team’s point average. Points were allocated as follows: vegetable servings = 2 points, fruit servings = 1 point and “Top Choice” selections (i.e., produce that may offer extra health benefits) = 1 bonus point. Point values were halved if a half‐serving was consumed. Electronic logging forms, team spreadsheets for leaders, and weekly e‐mails with recipes and tips were circulated to all team members. Although 170 participants enrolled in 18 teams, only 63% (n=107) completed the program; 10% (n=17) enrolled but never began, 10% (n=17) each dropped out after weeks 1 and 2, and 7% (n=11) after week 3. Repeated measures ANOVA revealed a significant increase in fruit and vegetable intake between the first week and the remaining three weeks, respectively (63±4 vs.77±5, 77±5, 78±5, p=0.001). Minor gender differences were noted (F= 89, M=18); females scored higher at the end of week‐1, however, males consistently scored higher for the remainder of the program (NS). The aggregate consumption was 9,919.5 servings of vegetable (equivalent to nearly 4,000 heads of lettuce) and 8,090.5 servings of fruit (equivalent to 2,700 pounds of apples) for a total consumption of 18,010 servings of produce. Based on participant feedback, 92% (n=22) found the weekly e‐mails beneficial and 83% (n=20) made use of the recipes and tips provided. Overall, 88% (n=21) indicated that the program helped to motivate their intake of fruits and vegetables, with 96% (n=23) opting to have the program offered again. In conclusion, a simple point system coupled with motivational weekly e‐mails in a competitive environment may favorably influence fruit and vegetable consumption among university employees.Grant Funding Source: Working Well, Health Enhancement Program, Ball State University

Optimal Bonus Points in the Australian Football League*

This paper considers a bonus point system for the Australian Football League (AFL). We utilise league points as a measure of team strength in a prediction model and choose the allocation of points to maximise prediction accuracy. For AFL data extending over seasons 1997–2008, we determine a bonus point system that is better at revealing strong teams than the current allocation of league points. For each match, our preferred league‐scoring system awards six points. If Team A wins by more than twenty‐six points, they get all six points. If Team A wins by less than twenty‐seven points, Team A gets four points and Team B gets two points. If the teams draw, they each get three points.

Giving bonus points based on oral exams

A pedagogical experiment of giving bonus points based on oral exams in an introductory physics course is described. The orals covered the questions on a written exam that had just been graded and returned to the class. Although the performance of most students on the oral exams was fair at best, the value of bonus point orals would appear to be considerable, even though it may not be applicable to large classes and have other important disadvantages.

Compensation for Unfavorable Characteristics of Irregular Individual Shift Rotas

Some employees of TV companies, such as those who produce remote TV programs, have to cope with very irregular rotas and many short‐term schedule deviations. Many of these employees complain about the negative effects of such on their wellbeing and private life. Therefore, a working group of employers, council representatives, and researchers developed a so‐called bonus system. Based on the criteria of the BESIAK system, the following list of criteria for the ergonomic assessment of irregular shift systems was developed: proportion of night hours worked between 22∶00 and 01∶00 h and between 06∶00 and 07∶00 h, proportion of night hours worked between 01∶00 and 06∶00 h, number of successive night shifts, number of successive working days, number of shifts longer than 9 h, proportion of phase advances, off hours on weekends, work hours between 17∶00 and 23∶00 h from Monday to Friday, number of working days with leisure time at remote places, and sudden deviations from the planned shift rota. Each individual rota was evaluated in retrospect. If pre‐defined thresholds of criteria were surpassed, bonus points were added to the worker's account. In general, more bonus points add up to more free time. Only in particular cases was monetary compensation possible for some criteria. The bonus point system, which was implemented in the year 2002 for about 850 employees of the TV company, has the advantages of more transparency concerning the unfavorable characteristics of working‐time arrangements, incentive for superiors to design “good” rosters that avoid the bonus point thresholds (to reduce costs), positive short‐term effects on the employee social life, and expected positive long‐term effects on the employee health. In general, the most promising approach to cope with the problems of shift workers in irregular and flexible shift systems seems to be to increase their influence on the arrangement of working times. If this is not possible, bonus point systems may help to achieve greater transparency and fairness in the distribution of unfavorable working‐time arrangements within a team, and even reduce the unnecessary unfavorable aspects of shift systems.

Enhancing Self-Efficacy and Learning Performance

The effect of a communication designed to enhance the self-efficacy beliefs of introductory psychology students was examined. The author assigned students (N = 123) into above average, average, and below average performance categories. All students were invited to send the author an e-mail to receive a bonus point. Of the students who responded (n = 76), half were sent an e-mail message designed to enhance their efficacy beliefs, while the other half received a neutral note. As predicted, self-efficacy beliefs were significantly related to exam scores and significantly affected by the efficacy-enhancing communication.