Collective Efficacy Research Articles

Strategic enhancement of Zakat collection and distribution in philanthropic institutions: integration of SERVQUAL, Kano, and QFD

Zakat philanthropic institutions have a pivotal role in fund collection and distribution, yet they haven't realized their full potential primarily due to diminished public trust. Addressing this challenge requires strategies to elevate service quality. This study introduces an integrated method combining SERVQUAL, Kano, and Quality Function Deployment (QFD) to optimize Zakat service quality. Out of twenty-one service attributes evaluated, fourteen were identified as pivotal for strategic enhancement, spanning areas like information management, human resources, and product diversification. Utilizing the QFD framework, these attributes were transformed into actionable quality improvement measures. The suggestions for quality improvement measures include refining website functionalities, ensuring consistent and engaging information dissemination, comprehensive employee training, introducing e-wallet options, and expanding student loan provisions. By integrating SERVQUAL, Kano, and QFD, this research offers a holistic assessment approach, emphasizing only those service aspects that truly resonate with donor satisfaction. The findings and recommendations present immediate actionable insights for institutions aiming to augment zakat collection and distribution efficacy.

Perceived discrimination, political efficacy, and political participation in American Indian adults

IntroductionPsychological factors linked to political participation are largely understudied in American Indians. Prior work notes relatively low levels of participation compared to other racial and ethnic groups and suggests that identification with being American Indian is linked to overall levels of civic engagement in part through perceptions of group discrimination.MethodsIn the current work, in a sample of 727 American Indian adults, we created two groups: Group 1 (N = 398) reported perceived discrimination related to race, and Group 2 (N = 329) reported perceived discrimination not related to race or ethnicity. We investigated the relationships between individual experiences of everyday discrimination related to race, levels of political efficacy, and political participation (Group 1), and individual experiences of everyday discrimination not related to race or ethnicity, political efficacy, and political participation (Group 2).ResultsWe found that greater experiences of everyday discrimination related to race was associated with higher levels of political participation through increased levels of internal and collective efficacy. In contrast, greater experiences of everyday discrimination related to race was associated with higher levels of political participation through lower external political efficacy. For Group 2, we found that greater experiences of everyday discrimination not related to race or ethnicity was not directly associated with political participation, but mediation analyses revealed a relationship with lower levels of political participation through decreased internal and collective efficacy. The indirect effect through external political efficacy was not significant.DiscussionGiven low levels of American Indian political participation, political efficacy could be a target for interventions aiming to increase participation in the political system.

Determinants of Volunteers’ Perceptions of Crime and Disorder: Do Perceptions Reflect Reality?

Perceptions of crime and disorder are conducive to the quality of life in a neighborhood and closely related to social stability and residents’ psychological health. If residents’ perceptions overestimate the reality of neighborhood crime and disorder, it can generate a significant amount of personal fear and stress. To identify factors associated with public perceptions of crime and disorder, the current study investigated a sample of 394 volunteers who participated in a community policing program in Houston, Texas. Results from the structural equation modeling analysis indicated that volunteers’ crime and disorder perceptions were not influenced by the reported crime in their neighborhoods. The findings showed that the significant predictors were associated with collective efficacy in the neighborhood and their attitudes toward the police. Moreover, perceptions of crime had different predictors from perceptions of disorder. Implication for future research was discussed in the end.

Community coherence, collective efficacy and civic engagement in student and youth councils: The mediating effect of community resilience

AbstractThis study examines relationships between community coherence and collective efficiency, and civic engagement, and the role of community resilience within such relationships, as seen in youth council frameworks. The participants included a group of 223 members of youth councils in Israel and a group of 568 non‐members, aged 14–18. The quantitative research tool comprised the Civic Engagement questionnaire; Conjoint Community Resiliency Assessment Measure; Sence of Community Coherence Questionnaire; and Collective Efficacy Questionnaire. Positive relationships were found between community coherence and collective efficiency, and civic engagement for both groups, yet community resilience was only a mediating factor in this relationship for the non‐member group.

Investigating links between teacher leadership, collective efficacy and teacher commitment in Egyptian schools: a mediated-effects analysis

PurposeResearch investigating the impact of school leadership on teachers’ emotions and practices has mostly focused on the leadership behaviors of school principals, thus ignoring the potential leadership qualities of other school members, especially teachers. The current study aimed to bridge this gap by providing further insight into the link between teacher leadership and teacher outcomes in Egyptian schools. Specifically, the study examined the mediating role of collective teacher efficacy in the relationship between teacher leadership and teacher commitment.Design/methodology/approachThe study employed structural equation modeling and bootstrapping to analyze survey data collected from 497 teachers in primary and middle schools in Damietta city, Egypt.FindingsThe results supported our proposition that teachers’ leadership practices have more indirect than direct effects on teacher commitment through collective teacher efficacy. That is, teacher leadership practices positively affect teachers’ efficacy beliefs, which, in turn, increase their sense of commitment to school.Originality/valueThe study adds a new aspect to the literature by investigating the potential role of teacher leadership in promoting positive teacher attitudes that can have a positive impact on student learning. This is significant given the growing emphasis that educational systems place on enhancing school effectiveness. Specifically, understanding the factors that contribute to teacher commitment can inform strategies for retaining effective teachers and improving the overall quality of the teaching workforce. Additionally, since most of the empirical research on teacher leadership has been produced in Western contexts, it is important to enrich the field with studies conducted in other societies, especially in the Arab region.

Effects of robot-based multiple low-stakes assessments on students’ oral presentation performance, collective efficacy, and learning attitude

Effects of robot-based multiple low-stakes assessments on students’ oral presentation performance, collective efficacy, and learning attitude

Promoting electricity conservation through behavior change: A study protocol for a web-based multiple-arm parallel randomized controlled trial.

As a part of the framework of the EU-funded Energy efficiency through Behavior CHANge Transition (ENCHANT) project, the present paper intends to provide a "Research Protocol" of a web-based trial to: (i) assess the effectiveness of behavioral intervention strategies--either single or in combination--on electricity saving, and (ii) unravel the psychological factors contributing to intervention effectiveness in households across Europe. Six distinct interventions (i.e., information provision, collective vs. individual message framing, social norms, consumption feedback, competitive elements, and commitment strategies) targeting electricity saving in households from six European countries (i.e., Austria, Germany, Italy, Norway, Romania, and Türkiye) are evaluated, with an initial expected samples of about 1500 households per country randomly assigned to 12 intervention groups and two control groups, and data is collected through an ad-hoc online platform. The primary outcome is the weekly electricity consumption normalized to the last seven days before measurement per person per household. Secondary outcomes are the peak consumption during the last day before measurement and the self-reported implementation of electricity saving behaviors (e.g., deicing the refrigerator). The underlying psychological factors expected to mediate and/or moderate the intervention effects on these outcomes are intentions to save electricity, perceived difficulty of saving energy, attitudes to electricity saving, electricity saving habit strength, social norms to save electricity, personal norms, collective efficacy, emotional reaction to electricity consumption, and national identity. The intervention effectiveness will be evaluated by comparing psychological factors and consumption variables before and after the intervention, leading to a 14 (groups including 2 control groups) × 6 (time) mixed factorial design, with one factor between (group) and one factor within subjects (time)-6 measurements of the psychological factors and 6 readings of the electricity meters, which gives then 5 weeks of electricity consumption. Data collection for the present RCT started in January 2023, and by October 2023 data collection will conclude. Upon establishing feasibility and effectiveness, the outcomes of this study will assist policymakers, municipalities, NGOs, and other communal entities in identifying impactful interventions tailored to their unique circumstances and available resources. Researchers will benefit from a flexible, structured tool that allows the design, implementation and monitoring of complex interventions protocols. Crucially, the intervention participants will benefit from electricity saving strategies, fostering immediate effectiveness of the interventions in real-life contexts. This trial was preregistered in the Open Science Framework: https://osf.io/9vtn4.

The effects of shared leadership and collective efficacy on team performance and learning: The mediating role of team action processes

Shared leadership should have many benefits for teams. This study addresses the call to better understand its effects by extending research suggesting that collective efficacy mediates the effects of shared leadership on team performance. Specifically, we explore the extent to which team action processes explain how and why the collective efficacy that emerges as a result of shared leadership impacts team outcomes. We also add team learning outcomes to the team effectiveness outcomes that are ultimately affected by shared leadership because the failure to systematically explore learning outcomes ignores the reality that today’s work teams are often asked to share leadership to better move from task to task, span unfamiliar boundaries, and continuously learn. Using a sample of 85 teams that worked on a decision-making task in a laboratory setting, we found that teams performed better and learned faster to the extent that they shared leadership. Specifically, shared leadership increased teams’ collective efficacy beliefs, which, in turn, increased teams’ engagement in action processes and resulted in higher performance and less time required to learn. Supplemental tests demonstrated that the effects we found could not be explained by other teamwork processes (i.e., transition and interpersonal processes). We conclude by discussing the need to broaden the search for the consequences of shared leadership, the implications of our findings for theorizing and testing midlevel perspectives on teamwork processes, and by offering additional recommendations for future work on team learning.

Head teacher leadership behavior, class collective efficacy and school adjustment of junior high school students: A 2-2-1 multilevel mediation analysis

Based on Bass' leadership theory and Bandura's social cognitive theory, we tested the direct relationship between head teacher transformational leadership behavior, head teacher transactional leadership behavior, and junior high school students’ school adjustment as well as explored the role of class collective efficacy in mediating this relationship. Surveying 5,083 junior high school students in 168 classes and controlling for grade, head teacher gender, and class size, the hypothesized relationships were tested through a 2-2-1 mediation model using multilevel structural equation modeling. The results indicated that there was not only a direct relationship between head teacher transformational leadership behavior and school adjustment ( b = .326, 95% confidence interval [CI] [.218, .434]), but also an indirect relationship through class collective efficacy (.047, 95% CI [.007, .087]), although the direct link was stronger. Moreover, there was only an indirect relationship between head teacher transactional leadership behavior and school adjustment through class collective efficacy (.051, 95% CI [.007, .096]), and the link between head teacher transformational leadership behavior and school adjustment was stronger than the link between head teacher transactional leadership behavior and school adjustment (diff = .351, 95% CI [.126, .577]). This study extended Bass' leadership theory to a class organization, and the relationship between head teacher leadership behavior and school adjustment was explored at the class level in a junior high school.

Creating an Immersive Virtual Reality Game Space for Multiuser, Synchronous Co-Located Collaboration: Design Considerations and Influencing Factors

The last decade has witnessed the rapid development of immersive virtual reality (IVR) and its application in various contexts. However, its application in supporting real-time virtual collaboration has been quite rare due to technical barriers and the lack of validated design principles. To address this research gap, this study designed and developed an IVR space to enable multiuser synchronous co-located collaboration to complete a fantasy game. An evaluation study (N = 95) was conducted to explore its useful design considerations and the influencing factors for collaboration experience in the game. The IVR space was enabled by the simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM)-based inside-out tracking technique and was informed by four essential design considerations for promoting effective collaboration in IVR, namely, the role script, learning task, collaboration mechanism, and communication design. The study results revealed that students in general were satisfied with their collaboration experience in IVR, with social presence and collaboration competency as significant predictors of collective efficacy and social experience. Based on both quantitative and qualitative results, this study proposes four validated principles for designing effective IVR spaces to support synchronous co-located collaboration.

LAND-USE FILTERING FOR NONSTATIONARY SPATIAL PREDICTION OF COLLECTIVE EFFICACY IN AN URBAN ENVIRONMENT.

Collective efficacy-the capacity of communities to exert social control toward the realization of their shared goals-is a foundational concept in the urban sociology and neighborhood effects literature. Traditionally, empirical studies of collective efficacy use large sample surveys to estimate collective efficacy of different neighborhoods within an urban setting. Such studies have demonstrated an association between collective efficacy and local variation in community violence, educational achievement, and health. Unlike traditional collective efficacy measurement strategies, the Adolescent Health and Development in Context (AHDC) Study implemented a new approach, obtaining spatially-referenced, place-based ratings of collective efficacy from a representative sample of individuals residing in Columbus, OH. In this paper we introduce a novel nonstationary spatial model for interpolation of the AHDC collective efficacy ratings across the study area, which leverages administrative data on land use. Our constructive model specification strategy involves dimension expansion of a latent spatial process and the use of a filter defined by the land-use partition of the study region to connect the latent multivariate spatial process to the observed ordinal ratings of collective efficacy. Careful consideration is given to the issues of parameter identifiability, computational efficiency of an MCMC algorithm for model fitting, and fine-scale spatial prediction of collective efficacy.

Pandemic at the Gates: The Improvement of Social Capital and Collective Efficacy in Neighbourhoods of the Greater Jakarta Metropolitan Area

This study seeks to interpret the presence of social capital and collective efficacy among residents of neighbourhoods in the Greater Metropolitan Jakarta Area (GJMA) due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A quantitative study was undertaken by surveying 922 GJMA residents on the basis of their perception of the improvement of five components of social capital. During this period, neighbourhood residents improved their social capital and practised collective efficacy in several concrete forms to meet their common goals and procure the required goods. Although this study finds the shared values and norms, social network size, mutual aid and trust, civic engagement and participation in activities improved during the pandemic, the level of monthly income and marital and tenurial status implicated the quality of social ties and capital.

Explaining the personal cognitive factors affecting physical activity and nutritional behaviors in the middle-aged at risk of coronary artery disease: A directed qualitative content analysis.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the most common cardiovascular disease worldwide. Nutrition and physical activity are recognized as the major lifestyle-related behaviors to reduce the risk of noncommunicable diseases. It is essential to explain personal cognitive factors to identify potential ways to increase physical activity and improve nutritional behavior. Therefore, the present study aimed to explain the personal cognitive factors affecting physical activity and nutritional behavior in the middle-aged population at risk of a CAD. The present qualitative study was conducted with a directed content analysis approach. A purposive sampling was used with maximum variety of sex, age, education, marital status, job, and risk factors of CAD. The data were collected through semistructured interviews with 20 middle-aged participants at the risk of CAD visiting comprehensive health centers in Bandar Abbas city. The interviews continued until data saturation. The present findings led to the identification of 4 main categories (i.e., self-efficacy, collective efficacy, outcome expectations, knowledge) and 10 subcategories. It seems that to increase the self-efficacy, attention should be paid to individuals' past experiences, self-efficacy of action and maintenance and successful middle-aged peers. Measures should be taken to improve and strengthen it. Peer support, networking, forming online groups (in social networks), and a comprehensive use of social media can help increase collective efficacy. Expectations of positive and negative outcomes and the public knowledge can also be modified through accurate and appropriate information provided in different campaigns for awareness-raising.

The Multilevel Factor Structure of Social Cohesion, Mutual Efficacy, and Informal Social Control: A Case for Practice-Informed Research.

Collective efficacy is the process by which social cohesion is activated as informal social control. Mutual efficacy, the perceived capability of the community, mediates the relationship between the two constructs. Interventions based on collective efficacy have a positive impact on individuals but are limited in their ability to affect the broader community. A possible explanation for this finding is that community-level theories operate differently at the individual and neighborhood levels. The present study contributes to the literature by testing the multilevel factor structure of social cohesion, mutual efficacy, and informal social control. Findings suggest that multiple-factor structures demonstrate adequate model fit. However, the three-factor model is most consistent with social work theory and practice. Social workers can foster constructive dialogue to build social cohesion, authentically engage residents to build mutual efficacy, and train residents in skills necessary to institute informal social control.

How does team learning from failure facilitate new product performance? The double-edged moderating effect of collective efficacy

AbstractLearning from failure can foster innovation, but how a new product development (NPD) team’s learning from failure affects new product performance requires more insights. In particular, the question remains on how collective efficacy, which discerns team members’ belief to achieve desired goals, affects team learning from failure towards improving new product performance. Using social cognitive theory complemented by sensemaking and attribution theories, we examine the effects of NPD teams’ (experiential and vicarious) learning from failure on new product performance and the moderating effects of collective efficacy on these relationships. With survey data collected from 398 responses within 152 NPD teams in Chinese high-tech small and medium-sized enterprises, we find that both experiential and vicarious learning from failure enhance new product performance in terms of speed to market and product innovativeness. Further, as collective efficacy increases, the positive effect of experiential learning from failure on speed to market is strengthened. However, the positive effect of vicarious learning from failure on product innovativeness is weakened. Our results suggest that NPD teams can benefit from experiential and vicarious learning from failure to improve new product performance but must pay attention to the double-edged effect of collective efficacy.

대학생 TBL·PBL 학습 과정에서 팀 내 과업 갈등이 집단효능감에 미치는 영향 연구

Objectives This study utilized a multilevel approach to investigate the influence of task and relationship conflicts among college team members on collective efficacy during university TBL and PBL classes.
 Methods Over a span of 10 weeks, a total of 176 students were organized into 25 teams participating in a uni-versity calculus mathematics course, which was conducted using TBL and PBL methodologies. At the conclusion of the course, a survey was administered. The study employed a cross-level interaction analysis with random slope models.
 Results The study revealed a significant cross-level moderation effect in the relationship between individual-level task conflict and collective efficacy moderated by team-level relationship conflict. In teams characterized by high relationship conflict, there was a positive correlation between team members' task conflict and collective efficacy. Conversely, in teams with low relationship conflict, team members' task conflict had little impact on collective efficacy. Relationship conflict negatively and significantly affected collective efficacy at both individual and team levels.
 Conclusions This study empirically demonstrated that the influence of team members' task conflict on collective efficacy varies depending on the level of team relationship conflict. This underscores the importance of effective communication during periods of relationship conflict in teams. The study discusses implications for TBL and PBL for both scholars and practitioners.

Optimizing Recharge Area Delineation for Small- to Medium-Sized Groundwater Systems through Coupling Methods and Numerical Modeling: A Case Study of Linfen City, China

In previous investigations, the demarcation of capture zones within a specific research area predominantly relied on a singular method, leading to pronounced limitations and uncertainties. To address this challenge, an extensive field survey was conducted, focusing on the systematic classification of water sources in the Linfen City region. Building upon this classification, an intricate fusion of a hydrogeological analysis and formulaic methodology was employed. This integrated approach, coupled with independent numerical simulation methods, was applied to delineate recharge areas for both alluvial fan pore water in piedmont regions and exposed karst water in small- to medium-sized water sources. Simultaneously, precise spatial interpolation was carried out on water quality monitoring data from supply wells within the water source area for the year 2020. This meticulous analysis facilitated the determination of the spatial distribution characteristics of hydrochemical elements. To assess the water quality within the capture zone, the class III groundwater quality standards of China were employed as a pivotal tool for validating the results of the delineation of water source recharge areas. In the final analysis, a comparative study between the integrated coupling method and numerical simulation outcomes revealed the successful delineation of the boundaries for the water supply areas of Tumen and Caojiapo in Linfen City, covering areas of 5.5 km2 and 22.29 km2, respectively. Simultaneously, the combination of the three methods accurately outlined the boundary of the Hexi water supply area, encompassing an area of 2.5224 km2. These results vividly illustrate that the amalgamation of various methodologies proves more beneficial for the precise delineation of capture zones, particularly in diverse types and scales of groundwater sources. The synergy exhibited by these three methods underscores their collective efficacy, providing a more comprehensive and intuitive delineation of the recharge areas for small- to medium-sized water sources. Consequently, these findings significantly enhance the practical application value of the study and hold promise in making substantial contributions to local groundwater security and management initiatives.

Primary school teachers' perceived organizational support and job satisfaction: The mediating role of collective efficacy

We examined how perceived organizational support and collective efficacy affect the job satisfaction of primary school teachers in China, and explored whether collective efficacy mediates the relationship between perceived organizational support and job satisfaction. We gathered data from 245 teachers using the Job Diagnostic Survey, the Organizational Support Measurement Scale, and the Collective Teacher Efficacy Scale. Our results confirmed there were positive correlations between job satisfaction and perceived organizational support, and between job satisfaction and teachers' collective efficacy, supporting our initial hypotheses. Notably, perceived organizational support directly influenced teachers' job satisfaction and also indirectly influenced their job satisfaction through collective efficacy, highlighting the potential for future research to explore strategies that enhance both organizational support and collective efficacy, ultimately ensuring teachers find satisfaction in their job.

Does Procedural Justice Moderate the Effect of Collective Efficacy on Police Legitimacy?

Does Procedural Justice Moderate the Effect of Collective Efficacy on Police Legitimacy?

Working on the Root System of Social Connections in a Community

This manuscript explores the transformative potential of neighbourhoods as pivotal units of societal change, employing the metaphor of a forest’s root system to highlight the intricate web of social connections foundational to vibrant communities. Advocating for an asset-based, relational strategy, it underscores the importance of nurturing community connections to foster belonging, mutual support, and collective efficacy. Through the lens of Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) and the case of the Voorstad neighbourhood in Deventer, Netherlands, it demonstrates how grassroots initiatives can create sustainable, inclusive communities. By urging policymakers and practitioners to prioritize relationships as the cornerstone for addressing complex social challenges, this work suggests a nuanced approach for building more connected, resilient, and democratic societies.