Developmental Opportunities Research Articles

Pushed or Pulled? Becoming Gig Workers in Sri Lanka

The gig economy is expanding with more workers joining digital labour platforms globally. Gig work has become popular in Sri Lanka as well, especially during the recent past. Since the gig economy is still a relatively new concept in Sri Lanka, the area is understudied. Hence, the objective of this research is to examine what motivates Sri Lankans to become digital workers. We use push-pull theory as the theoretical lens of the study. Based on qualitative research methodology under the interpretive research paradigm, 22 digital workers from various backgrounds were interviewed in person to identify their motives and experiences with web- based digital labour platforms. This study found four important reasons for Sri Lankans to choose digital work, 1) pursuit of passion 2) pursuit of money (earning in foreign currency, gaining financial independence and an additional source of income), 3) pursuit of agency and 4) pursuit of developmental opportunities. While the motivation for participants to join gig work was mainly identified as pull motivation, in some instances it was identified that the participants were also pushed to join gig work.

The Love Problem of a Student-Revisited: A Psycho-Ethical Map for Cases of Anima Projection.

In its typical form, an "anima projection" is a psychic experience in which a heterosexual man is caught up by an intense, almost magical attraction for a woman. What sets these numinous experiences apart from a common "crush" is a pattern of specific phenomenological characteristics. Anima projections are particularly common in late adolescence and early adulthood, when they can cause a deep sense of disorientation. Little education exists for young men on how to deal with these experiences and to actualize the developmental opportunity that underlies them. In this paper, I frame anima projections as an ethical problem and outline a psycho-ethical "map" that is intended for use by disoriented young men, or by any practitioner who may be tasked with helping them navigate this challenge along the path of individuation. The map considers four solutions to the love problem: the "concretistic-literal", the "fearful-avoidant", the "rational-depressive", and the "transitional-developmental" solution, and indicates the latter as the one that is conducive to optimal psychic development. Although developed with a focus on young men, the map may apply to other relations based on projection, regardless of age, sex, gender, or sexual orientation.

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Possibilities for Developing Independence in Adolescents During the Training Process Summary The article determines that subject teachers and class teachers must be familiar with the pedagogical and psychological conditions for the development of independence in order to effectively form independence in adolescents, achieve their cognitive independence, educational independence and intellectual independence. Teaching subjects has wide educational and developmental opportunities. Only subject teachers, by revealing these opportunities, organizing and managing the activities of adolescents, can achieve independence in students. The knowledge and information acquired during the training process should be expanded and enriched in various forms of extracurricular activities. After prepared and carried out extracurricular activities, an analysis should be carried out and their results evaluated. Key words: training process, teenager, independent activity, oral and written literature, creative independence

The Prospects and Challenges of Artificial Intelligence Technology in Archival Management

The evolution of information technology prompts inquiry into AI's role in archival management, emphasizing future trajectories, technological advancements, and challenges. AI promises intelligent, automated, and personalized archive management, enhancing efficiency and service quality. Potential innovations include learning-based categorization and natural language summarization, offering advanced user services. Challenges like data privacy and human-machine interaction balance also offer developmental opportunities. This discourse stresses collaborative efforts to sustainably integrate AI in archival management, fostering digitalization and intelligence transformation.

Supporters with Vantage Position: The Role of Youth Work in the Online Lifeworld from the Perspective of Adolescents and Youth Work’s Partners

The online environment, where the boundaries between the domains of home, school, work, and leisure are blurred, poses new challenges for youth work practice. Due to limited research on this subject matter, the theoretical underpinnings of the online youth work practice are constrained. The fulfilment of youth work’s aims online, the position it can take in the online context, and its relation to its partners in the online lifeworld need a theoretical base. This paper seeks to analyse the role of youth work in the online lifeworld according to adolescents and youth work’s partners. The research was conducted in the Netherlands in collaboration with 14 youth work organisations. A qualitative research design was used: group conversations with young people and semi-structured interviews with youth work’s partners (i.e., parents, schools, informal networks, neighbourhood support teams, police, and municipal officials). The findings indicate that youth work in the online lifeworld, according to the respondents, is part of the general youth work practice, with a primary role of addressing the developmental needs of young people and creating new developmental opportunities. This role is expected to be fulfilled by engaging and connecting with young people in the online lifeworld and providing them instrumental, informational, socioemotional, and cognitive support. To do so, according to the partners, youth workers can make use of their vantage position in the online relationship with adolescents in order to access online information relevant for support and prudent prevention aimed at adolescents’ development. This vantage position may potentially encourage a collaboration between young people and partners, and between the online and offline youth work practice.

Leadership development in the Hong Kong Civil Service: Accessing social resources through guanxi networks

AbstractDrawing on guanxi and conservation of resources theory we explore how close personal ties between middle managers who participated in leadership development, constitutes an important social resource in an East Asian public sector context. We contribute to studies exploring the importance of informal leadership development opportunities and techniques, specifically utilised to overcome public sector structural barriers. We gathered qualitative data from 44 middle managers who had completed formal leadership development within the Hong Kong Civil Service. Our data revealed that high quality Superior‐to‐Subordinate Guanxi helped study participants to gain access to important development resources including further developmental opportunities, stretch assignments, developmental support and feedback. High quality Peer‐to‐Peer Guanxi helped them to gain access to peer tacit knowledge, participation in collaborative development projects and positive peer developmental feedback. Our findings inform future leadership development design and are relevant to East Asian public sector context's where guanxi ties are significant.

A Model Minority? Asian-White Differences in Federal Careers

The stereotype of Asians as a model minority suggests that they either do not experience discrimination or overcome it through higher education, hard work, and respect for authority. We test that stereotype for Asian Americans in the federal service using both Census data and surveys of federal employees. We examine (1) whether Asians attain the same pay levels and managerial authority as whites; (2) whether differences in education, experience, citizenship, and English ability explain differences in pay and authority; (3) whether those differences vary across Asian sub-groups; and (4) whether Asians are as satisfied with their jobs and the treatment they receive. We find moderate Asian-white pay differences, which varied substantially across national origin groups. Asian-white differences in access to managerial authority, however, are substantial across all national origin groups. Asians’ higher educational attainment and weaker English abilities contributed to differences in pay and authority, but unexplained disparities remained, potentially due to discrimination and/or unmeasured factors. Surprisingly, Asians expressed a stronger belief that the federal service allocates rewards fairly and were more satisfied than whites with their own developmental and advancement opportunities despite those pay and leadership disparities. They were, however, somewhat less satisfied with pay, co-workers, and supervisors.

Role of non-cognitive variables in learner performance among disadvantaged learners

We acknowledge the existing educational inequalities that South Africa faces as a result of differences in developmental and equal educational opportunities. The aim with this study was to investigate the role of non-cognitive learning performance variables that affect the learning performance and success of secondary-school learners. Data were collected from a sample of 395 Grade 9 learners. The proposed learning performance structural model was empirically evaluated by using various instruments and was analysed by means of structural equation modelling. The results indicate statistically significant positive relationships between learning performance and cognitive engagement, learning performance and grit, cognitive engagement and conscientiousness, grit and learning motivation, grit and cognitive engagement, learning motivation and parental quality, learning motivation and tenacity, learning motivation and cognitive engagement, and conscientiousness and resilience. Both tenacity and parental quality acted as moderators of the relationship between environmental unfavourableness and cognitive engagement. The selection of variables was more effective in explaining variance in cognitive engagement than in learning performance. The results of the study could be used to facilitate cognitive engagement as a pivotal variable in learning success among secondary-school learners.

The Recreational and Developmental Environment’s Role in Restoring Adolescent Potential

Recreation, leisure, and sports play an important role in adolescent communities. Their benefits include improving individual health and well-being, facilitating developmental opportunities, and interpersonal relationships. People of all ages, abilities and skill levels individually or small groups, teams, whole communities can be involved in recreation, leisure and sporting activities. The recreation, leisure and sporting activities vary considerably depending on the local context and reflect social systems and cultural values. Rest is vital for any age. Especially essential during the personality formation period in adolescence. Socialization opportunities through recreation are necessary to support social-emotional maturity in healthy adulthood. Useful entertainment skills, like any life skill, requires a well-planned training and support program.

From fields to factory – women and plantation-wood processing in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic

ABSTRACT Industrial timber plantations and their processing have been promoted by the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) government to generate rural employment and reduce economic reliance on the agriculture sector. Using a comparative case-study approach at two wood-processing factories, this paper seeks to understand the existing roles of women in wood processing and how they compare with men in terms of employment, compensation and developmental opportunities, as well as the broader socio-economic factors that enable their employment. Findings show that women were well-represented in the workforce in both cases because management valued purported gendered attributes such as patience [ot-thon] and attention to detail [la-iat]. Demand for employment by rural women of all ages reflects the broader forces of agrarian transition in Lao PDR, including the desire for regular off-farm income to meet the expectations of a contemporary lifestyle. Gender balance in the factory workplace was found to be enhanced by mechanisation, which increased the roles under which women may be employed, and by access to certified markets by companies, which required adherence to international labour standards, including conditions such as maternity leave and carer’s leave. The prominent role of women in wood processing in Lao PDR contrasts with that in Australia because extended families can provide unpaid childcare and other domestic support to working families that ameliorates inflexible work practices, which exist in both countries.

Opportunities and Pathways for the Development of International Maritime Logistics Supply Chains Under the Belt and Road Initiative

In the implementation process of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), there has been a consistent augmentation in the openness of international maritime routes, concomitant with the fortification of logistical infrastructure. This dynamic has bestowed noteworthy prospects for the evolution and progression of international maritime logistics supply chains. It is imperative for pertinent sectors to capitalize on these developmental opportunities and to investigate pioneering reform pathways. This paper elucidates the strategic significance of the BRI, scrutinizes the developmental opportunities it confers upon international maritime logistics supply chains, and concomitantly proffers precise developmental pathways.

Intentional leveraging of psychologist competencies: A case for expanding administrative leadership training opportunities in the Veterans Health Administration.

This article seeks to broaden the discussion of instituting training in administrative leadership at the doctoral internship and postdoctoral levels and offer guidance for programs interested in developing their own rotations. Following a brief review of literature pertinent to psychologist leadership development, this article describes the development of key competencies of leadership rotations aligned with the psychology profession-wide competencies within the Veterans Health Administration. In addition, the article disseminates a "tool kit" developed specifically to help add structure and support for the development of administrative leadership rotations at Veterans Health Administration (e.g., developmental opportunities, literature review, resources, etc.). Implementation of administrative leadership training are described in two community service settings, one at a Veterans Integrated Service Network and one at a VA Medical Center. The benefits of administrative leadership rotations to trainees, the organization, and the field of psychology are described. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Gorzów Wielkopolski As an Attractive Location for an Innovative River Port Equipped With a Sustainable Energy Security System

The role of inland navigation in the global logistics system is gaining significance. This process is stimulated by policies implemented by major economies and international organizations such as the European Union. The objective is to achieve sustainability in transportation by exploring alternatives to conventional infrastructure. These initiatives also extend to tourism and recreation associated with inland navigation. This article presents the results of an analysis related to the location of a tourist river port, considering optimized benefits and developmental opportunities. An interesting location meeting these criteria, as well as possessing scenic, cultural, ecological, and environmental values, is Gorzów Wielkopolski. In the second part of the article, the authors propose a concept for a sustainable energy system that meets the requirements of port operations and customer demands in an era of rapidly advancing technology and increased emphasis on environmental protection.

Sustaining Talent: Reducing Employee Turnover at Tax Authority through Value Proposition and Social Identity

Objective: This study aims to investigate the factors influencing employee shortage in the public sector, specifically centering on employee's intentions to either remain in or leave the institution. It also aims to examine the impact of perceived benefits received by the employees, their fitness within the organization's social group, and their attachment to the institution on their decision. Design/Methods/Approach: This study was carried out on tax authority’s staffs through an online survey sent to potential participants and 388 eligible respondents. The data collected was analyzed using Covariance Based Structural Equation Modeling (CB-SEM). Findings: The findings reveal that employee value proposition and social identity negatively and significantly affect turnover intention. Both of them also positively and significantly affect employee engagement. Moreover, employee engagement only mediates the relationship between social identity and turnover intention. Originality/Value: The novelty of this study lies in the simultaneous utilization of employee value proposition and social identity, both influencing turnover intention. Previous studies primarily used social identity as a moderating variable, without combining these two variables, alongside employee engagement as a mediation variable. This study is particularly novel as it analyzes turnover intention among employees in a government institution, whereas prior studies have predominantly focused on the private sector. Practical/Policy implication: Managers should align their Employee Value Proposition (EVP) with employee expectations. They must provide developmental opportunities and supportive work environments, foster a strong social identity, and prioritize initiatives that enhance employee engagement, like meaningful work and recognition. These measures can effectively reduce turnover intentions.

The Role of Employees' Personality Characteristics in Job Performance and Satisfaction during Digitization Years

This paper summarizes the association between employees' personality traits and their job performance and satisfaction levels. Comprehending this correlation is crucial for organizations aiming to maximize employee well-being and productivity. The impact of personality traits on workplace dynamics has been widely acknowledged for a considerable period. Extensive research has been conducted on the Five-Factor Model (FFM) of personality, which comprises conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, openness to experience, and emotional stability (neuroticism) concerning job performance and satisfaction. The primary objective of this systematic review was to examine the correlation between personality traits and job performance and satisfaction. Most existing literature predominantly revolves around the Big Five personality theory, which encompasses five key dimensions: agreeableness, extraversion, neuroticism, conscientiousness, and openness to experience. A total of twenty-two articles were subjected to analysis, out of which fifteen articles met the inclusion criteria. These criteria encompassed the requirement for articles to be written in English, to be directly relevant to the topic under investigation, to utilize workers as the study sample, and to have been published in reputable scientific journals. The findings indicated a robust correlation between personality traits and job performance and job satisfaction, with the former exerting a substantial influence on work outcomes. More specifically, according to the Big 5 factor model, neuroticism has been found to impact job performance and satisfaction significantly negatively. Conversely, it is noteworthy that traits such as extroversion and conscientiousness exclusively positively influence work-related factors. In summary, employees' personality traits have a notable impact on their job performance and level of satisfaction. Organizations can derive advantages by acknowledging these dynamics when engaging in recruitment, role design, and provision of developmental opportunities. The significance of personality should be taken into account in conjunction with other contextual and individual factors in order to achieve a comprehensive comprehension of employee well-being and performance.

The Application of Artificial Intelligence and Big Data in the Food Industry.

Over the past few decades, the food industry has undergone revolutionary changes due to the impacts of globalization, technological advancements, and ever-evolving consumer demands. Artificial intelligence (AI) and big data have become pivotal in strengthening food safety, production, and marketing. With the continuous evolution of AI technology and big data analytics, the food industry is poised to embrace further changes and developmental opportunities. An increasing number of food enterprises will leverage AI and big data to enhance product quality, meet consumer needs, and propel the industry toward a more intelligent and sustainable future. This review delves into the applications of AI and big data in the food sector, examining their impacts on production, quality, safety, risk management, and consumer insights. Furthermore, the advent of Industry 4.0 applied to the food industry has brought to the fore technologies such as smart agriculture, robotic farming, drones, 3D printing, and digital twins; the food industry also faces challenges in smart production and sustainable development going forward. This review articulates the current state of AI and big data applications in the food industry, analyses the challenges encountered, and discusses viable solutions. Lastly, it outlines the future development trends in the food industry.

Network crafting, goal attainment, and work-to-family facilitation among hotel employees: the mediating roles of positive affect and information exchange.

The hospitality industry is experiencing new developmental opportunities after the coronavirus pandemic, such as the expansion of digital presence, the introduction of wellness offerings to cater to health-conscious guests, and a growing focus on local and sustainable tourism. However, despite these positive changes, we still lack knowledge on how hospitality workers can proactively adjust their work conditions to excel in their professional domain while also flourishing in their family domain. Thus, the current study proposed and examined how network crafting behaviors can have positive effects on hotel employees' work goal attainment and work-to-family facilitation. Based on the affectivity theories and the social cognitive theory, we examined the mediating roles of positive affect and information exchange on the relationship between network crafting behaviors and work goal attainment and work-to-family facilitation. We collected data from three 5-star hotels in Jinan, China. We sent out the surveys in three waves to avoid the common method bias. We obtained 199 valid responses in total in three waves and entered them into the data analysis. Structural equation modeling was conducted to examine our hypotheses. We found that network crafting was positively related to hotel employees' work goal attainment and work-to-family facilitation. We also confirmed the mediating roles of positive affect and information exchange in this relationship. We revealed a dual process of network crafting - that is, a positive affective process and an information exchange process. We contribute to the social network and networking literature by highlighting an optimization-oriented networking strategy, rather than one simply maximizing networks. We enrich the work-family enrichment literature by suggesting an effective behavioral strategy that can transmit the resources and gains from one domain to the other domain.

Understanding Racially Minoritized Girls’ Perceptions of Their STEM Identities, Abilities, and Sense of Belonging in a Summer Camp

Informal science education researchers have become increasingly interested in how out-of-school spaces that offer STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) programs inform learners’ STEM achievement, interests, and affective outcomes. Studies have found that these spaces can offer critical learning and developmental opportunities for underrepresented racially minoritized (URM) students (Black, Latinx, low socioeconomic status) in STEM subjects. Shifting away from the leaky STEM pipeline analogy, researchers have posited contemporary understandings to explain why the minoritization of URM girls persists. Informal learning environments such as STEM summer camps are being studied to assess how URM girls experience and interact with STEM in novel ways. These environments can inform the research field about how URM girls’ perceptions of their STEM identities, abilities, efficacy, and belonging in STEM develop as they engage in those spaces. This mixed-method study used a multiple-case-study approach to examine how aspects of URM middle school girls’ STEM identities positively changed after participating in a one-week, sleep-away, single-gender STEM summer camp held at a university in the Southwestern U.S. Drawing on intersectionality and STEM identity, we used ecological systems theory to design our research study, examining how URM middle school girls narrate their STEM identities in this informal learning environment. Using quantitative analyses and deductive coding methods, we explored how elements of girls’ STEM identities were shaped during and after their participation in the STEM summer camp. Findings from our study highlight (1) quantitative changes in girl participants’ STEM identities, sense of belonging in STEM, and perceived STEM ability belief, (2) qualitative results supporting our quantitative findings, and (3) how the intersectionality of participants’ race and gender played a role in their STEM identities. This study points to the potential of STEM informal learning camps as a way of developing and fostering URM girls’ STEM identities.

Adolescent homework management strategies and perceptions of parental involvement

Throughout adolescence, the school, family and peer group can play an influential role in a young person’s psychological development and adjustment to school. This study focuses on the importance of the family during the adolescent period as it applies to developmental opportunities and the self-regulation necessary for the acquisition of psychological autonomy and new skills. How do adolescents perceive parental involvement? Does this parental support meet their need for autonomy and help adolescents acquire the necessary academic skills? This study examines the way in which French adolescents perceive the topic of homework and the interest their families show in it. Research is based on the parental involvement models of Epstein (2001) and Hoover-Dempsey and Sandler (1995), which focused on parental practices of monitoring schoolwork. These practices reflected the overall roles, involvement, and support of parents in their adolescent’s education. On a voluntary basis, 504 adolescents aged 12−15 responded to a questionnaire, with questions adapted from the ‘Child perceptions of parent’s structuring and activities related to homework’ (Cooper et al., 1998). The results of this study show that the perceived involvement and efficacy of parents have an effect on adolescents’ self-regulation strategies. This parental interest, then, is implicitly passed on to the adolescent by way of parental homework assistance.

Comparative Analysis of Performance Management Systems in the Softare Industry: A Study across Public and Private Sectors

While steering organizational objectives, the performance management system involves overseeing employees, commencing with the allocation of duties and responsibilities. Nowadays, employees strive to swiftly advance their careers, prompting organizations to offer developmental opportunities to attract and retain talent. In the software industry, organizational success hinges on the efficient and effective contributions of employees, a balance upheld by an adept performance management system. Serving as a crucial tool, this system ensures organizational triumph by cultivating employees to meet both individual and collective goals. The current study seeks to discern variations in the performance management systems of public and private sector software organizations.