Empirical Study Research Articles

Implementation of Coaching Leadership Style by Principals to Enhance Learner Success

In this empirical study, the researchers argue that immediate attention is required to ensure that principals successfully implement Coaching Leadership Style (CLS) to enhance the sustainability of learning experience learner success. The problem underpinning this study is that the principals face difficulties in implementing CLS. The study is based on in Instructional Coaching Leadership Theory. The major assumption of this theory is that Instructional Coaching Leadership Theory is viewed as a method of providing sustained and personalized support to the principals and emphasizes the fundamental role of active learning, reflection, and feedback in the learning process. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the challenges facing principals in successfully implementing CSL and how principals can mitigate these challenges. This study used qualitative methodology to gather data from three secondary and two primary school principals in Bloemfontein through structured interviews. The findings of the study revealed that principals lamented the lack of training to implement CLS. In the discussion with the participants, the researchers concluded that necessary steps should be taken to empower the principals on CLS. Recommendations for further research and implications for principalship and training programs are provided. This empirical study contributes to the body of knowledge by exploring how can principals practice CLS to achieve the objectives of the study of successfully implementing CLS to enhance learner success and of devising means of mitigating challenges experienced by the principals. Keywords: Implementation, Coaching Leadership Style, Instructional Coaching Leadership Theory, learner success.

The biogeochemical model Biome-BGCMuSo v6.2 provides plausible and accurate simulations of the carbon cycle in central European beech forests

Abstract. Process-based ecosystem models are increasingly important for predicting forest dynamics under future environmental conditions, which may encompass non-analogous climate coupled with unprecedented disturbance regimes. However, challenges persist due to the extensive number of model parameters, scarce calibration data, and trade-offs between the local precision and the applicability of the model over a wide range of environmental conditions. In this paper, we describe a protocol that allows a modeller to collect transferable ecosystem properties based on ecosystem characteristic criteria and to compile the parameters that need to be described in the field. We applied the procedure to develop a new parameterisation for European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) for the Biome-BGCMuSo model, the most advanced member of the Biome-BGC family. For model calibration and testing, we utilised multiyear forest carbon data from 87 plots distributed across five European countries. The initial values of 48 new ecophysiological parameters were defined based on a literature review. The final values of six calibrated parameters were optimised for single sites as well as for multiple sites using generalised likelihood uncertainty estimation (GLUE) and model output conditioning that ensured plausible simulations based on user-defined ranges of carbon stock output variables (carbon stock in aboveground wood biomass, soil, and litter) and finding the intersections of site-specific plausible parameter hyperspaces. To support the model use, we tested the model performance by simulating aboveground tree wood, soil, and litter carbon across a large geographical gradient of central Europe and evaluated the trade-offs between parameters tailored to single plots and parameters estimated using multiple sites. Our findings indicated that parameter sets derived from single sites provided an improved local accuracy of simulations of aboveground wood, soil, and litter carbon stocks by 35 %, 55 %, and 11 % in comparison to the a priori parameter set. However, their broader applicability was very limited. A multi-site optimised parameter set, on the other hand, performed satisfactorily across the entire geographical domain studied here, including on sites not involved in the parameter estimation, but the errors were, on average, 26 %, 35 % and 9 % greater for the aboveground wood, soil, and litter carbon stocks than those obtained with the site-specific parameter sets. Importantly, model simulations demonstrated plausible responses across large-scale environmental gradients, featuring a clear production optimum of beech that aligns with empirical studies. These findings suggest that the model is capable of accurately simulating the dynamics of European beech across its range and can be used for more comprehensive experimentations.

Identifying bilingual reference profiles: a cluster-analysis approach to reference production among Greek–Italian bilingual children

Abstract Empirical studies on bilingual children’s reference production have often focussed on comparisons with monolingual peers. In this study, we introduce the concept of ‘reference profiles’: Speakers may exhibit similar or different behaviours in reference production, independently of whether they belong to a specific group (e.g., monolinguals or bilinguals) or whether their production adheres to some norm. Thirty-seven Greek–Italian bilingual children (Mage = 9;4, range 7;10–11;6) performed narrative retelling tasks in both of their languages, as well as vocabulary tasks and various cognitive tasks. The results show that the children had a good mastery of reference (i.e., appropriately using null pronouns, full pronouns or full nouns) in both of their languages. Using cluster analyses, we identified two distinct reference profiles. Further investigation showed that these profiles differed in both their sustained attention and in the use of overspecified referring expressions in contexts where reference to the same referent was maintained. These results are interpreted in light of current cognitive theories of (bilingual) reference processing and emphasise the potential of reference profiles for the study of other domains beyond bilingual reference production.

Association between dietary fiber intake and chronic kidney disease in adults with and without hypertension in the United States: a cross-sectional study of NHANES 2009–2020

While previous research has highlighted the potential advantages of increasing dietary fiber intake (DFI) for managing hypertension and chronic kidney disease (CKD), there is a gap in large-scale empirical studies examining the relationship between DFI and CKD among hypertensive and nonhypertensive cohorts independently. This study involved 22,871 participants sourced from the NHANES database spanning 2009 to 2020, who were divided into hypertensive (n = 9,861) and nonhypertensive (n = 13,010) groups. The analysis revealed a significant inverse correlation between DFI and CKD prevalence across the sample after adjusting for various covariates (OR = 0.98, 95% CI: 0.97–0.99, p = 0.001). Within the subset of hypertensive individuals, this inverse association mirrors the findings of the overall sample, indicating that a higher DFI was associated with a reduced occurrence of CKD (OR = 0.97, 95% CI: 0.96–0.99, p < 0.001). However, this correlation was not detected in the nonhypertensive group (OR = 0.99, 95% CI: 0.98–1.01, p = 0.285). The RCS analysis further confirmed a pronounced nonlinear inverse relationship between DFI and CKD prevalence in both the entire cohort and the hypertensive group but not in the nonhypertensive group. Further scrutiny of the hypertensive group revealed that individuals with a higher DFI had 33% lower odds of CKD progression for the moderate risk level and 36% lower odds for the high to very high risk level. Subgroup analyses confirmed the consistency of these relationships across various demographics. In summary, this investigation revealed a significant inverse relationship between DFI and CKD prevalence in US adults with hypertension, a relationship not observed in nonhypertensive individuals.

Environmental greenwashing in Japan: the roles of corporate governance and assurance

PurposeGreenwashing is defined as the overstatement of companies’ environmental disclosures relative to their performance. This paper aims to develop a greenwashing measure, examines its relationship with environmental performance and investigates the mitigating effects of Japanese firm-level corporate governance characteristics (corporate structure, board leadership, foreign share ownership, ratio of independent directors and ratio of directors’ variable compensation) and third-party assurance of environmental information on the extent of greenwashing.Design/methodology/approachThis paper analyzes a sample of 420 firm-year observations from the period between 2018 and 2019 from Japanese listed companies that responded to the CDP Climate Change survey via probit/logit and multivariate panel data regression models.FindingsThis paper finds that the probability of engaging in greenwashing is negatively associated with environmental performance, which supports the reliability of the study’s greenwashing measure. Japanese firm-level corporate governance characteristics are ineffective at mitigating greenwashing. This paper also finds that assurance carries a significant risk of being exploited by companies involved in greenwashing to increase the degree of their overstatement.Practical implicationsThe findings have significant implications for investors, who should increase scrutiny and skepticism of environmental disclosures, particularly from companies with poor environmental track records. Japanese companies should consider strengthening their corporate governance to ensure the effective oversight of environmental disclosure and performance. Regulators and standard setters should implement stricter guidelines for and oversight of environmental information assurance.Originality/valueNo empirical study has examined the effectiveness of Japanese corporate governance characteristics and environmental disclosure assurance on the mitigation of greenwashing.

A Systematic Literature Review on Augmented Reality in Game-Based Learning for English as a Second Language

This systematic review explores the integration of Augmented Reality (AR) within game-based learning for English as a Second Language (ESL). Based on empirical studies spanning 2020 to 2024 sourced from Web of Science (WoS), Scopus, ERIC, and Google Scholar. The review assesses AR's impact on ESL education. The findings highlight AR's potential to enhance language attainment through mobile applications, fostering learner satisfaction, engagement, and motivation. Additionally, the fusion of game-based learning and AR diversifies learning experiences across subjects, promoting collaboration and communication skills. However, challenges such as technical hurdles, the learning curve for teachers and students, financial constraints, and potential distractions from learning content persist. Despite these obstacles, AR presents promising opportunities for improving ESL learning outcomes. Moreover, it contributes to understanding AR's role in ESL education and underscores the need for further research to address implementation barriers and maximise its educational potential.

Does regional branding promote or inhibit dual innovation? An empirical study based on 298 agriculture-related enterprises in China

ABSTRACT This paper explores the impact of regional branding on the dual innovation of agriculture-related enterprises (AREs). Based on data from 298 Chinese AREs, the study constructs a mediated moderation model. The results indicate that, first, the regional branding of AREs enhances their political legitimacy and market legitimacy, which in turn promote their exploratory and exploitative innovation. Second, government support positively moderates the effect of regional branding on AREs’ exploitative innovation. Third, government support increases the impact of regional branding on the exploratory innovation of AREs with a low industry status relative to AREs with a high industry status. This paper expands the application of institutional theory and provides suggestions on corporate decision-making on regional branding and dual innovation.

International spillovers of unconventional monetary policy: A meta-analysis

AbstractThe impacts of the unconventional monetary policy measures adopted by central banks after the 2007 financial crisis have been the focus of an increasing number of empirical studies. While some studies have focused on the impacts on the domestic economy, others have examined the international spillover effects of the policies adopted by the major central banks. The latter studies have, however, reported heterogeneous results. In this paper, we develop a meta-analysis of the empirical literature that examines the spillover effects of unconventional monetary policy on international capital flows. We find that, while the global average effect is not statistically different from zero, there are specific effects that vary significantly according to the development level of the destination country, the nature of the capital flow, the Central Bank that adopts the UMP, and the type and year of implementation of the UMP measure.

Liquidity and credit risks during the COVID-19 pandemic: evidence from a dual banking system

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between liquidity risk and credit risk of Islamic and conventional banks in a predominantly Muslim country (Indonesia) adopting a dual banking system. Design/methodology/approach To investigate liquidity-credit risk nexus, this study used a sample of 72 Islamic and conventional banks in Indonesia for a period between 2019 Q4 and 2022 Q1. This paper used a generalized method of moments (GMM) and generalized least square (GLS) estimators. Findings This study found that there is a nonlinear (inverted U-shaped) relationship between liquidity risk and credit risk in dual banking system. Liquidity risk was found to increase credit risk if it is below the optimal threshold, and above this optimal threshold, liquidity risk begins to decrease credit risk, both before and during the pandemic. In addition, the impact of liquidity risk on credit risk is higher in Islamic banks compared to conventional banks. Originality/value This paper reinvestigates the puzzle between credit risk and liquidity risk by taking a sample of a dual banking system country and by considering the period of the COVID-19 pandemic. To the authors’ knowledge, this approach has not been addressed in prior empirical studies.

Retraction notice: Integrating hyperreal literature with CALL in English language curriculum for engineering studies in India: an empirical study of the impact on students’ learning

Retraction notice: Integrating hyperreal literature with CALL in English language curriculum for engineering studies in India: an empirical study of the impact on students’ learning

One size does not fit all: deciphering the interdependence between barriers hindering SMEs’ involvement in public sector procurement

PurposeDespite their significant economic impact, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) remain underrepresented in public procurement. While previous research has identified the barriers facing SMEs in public procurement markets, a knowledge gap still exists on how these barriers influence one another in a specific context.Design/methodology/approachThis study developed a hierarchical structural model that reveals the contextual interrelationships between 14 notable barriers to SME involvement in public procurement, based on evidence from the publicly funded healthcare sector in the UK. The data were analyzed using interpretive structural modeling (ISM) and matrix impact of cross-multiplication applied to categorization (MICMAC).FindingsThe results systematically classify barriers based on their hierarchical relationships, offering a robust theoretical foundation for understanding their nature and interconnections.Practical implicationsThe findings can help scholars, government administrators and politicians in government-funded healthcare systems determine the most influential barriers to SME involvement and their causes, enabling them to build viable remedies.Originality/valueThis is the first empirical study to examine the relationship between the barriers to SMEs' public health procurement, using evidence from the public health procurement context.

A new procedure to find the optimum deconvolution kernel to deblur satellite images

ABSTRACT The digital number of a given pixel in a satellite image does not only measure the radiance originating from the area of the Earth’s surface represented by this pixel, but also measures radiance originating from surrounding areas represented by adjacent pixels. This adjacency effect, also known as image blurring, is a fundamental limitation of satellite images, and introduces errors in all image processing techniques that quantify the properties of the Earth’s surface on a per-pixel basis. Image deblurring via deconvolution, is a traditional technique to reduce the adjacency effect, which has proven effective in a variety of remote sensing applications. For example, it has provided an almost fourfold reduction of the adjacency error, when using support vector machine classifiers to estimate land cover proportion at a subpixel level. The remote sensing literature usually assumes that satellite images should be deconvolved with a kernel defined by the sensor’s Point Spread Function PSF(x, y), overlooking the results of three seminal empirical studies which systematically demonstrated that the optimum deconvolution kernel is a shrunk PSF of the form PSF(x/β, y/β), where β < 1 is the optimum shrink factor. The current empirical procedure to find the optimum shrink factor is laborious and restrictive since it requires suitable satellite images of much higher resolution, such that their Ground Sampling Distance (GSD) is equal to the GSD of the sensor of interest divided by an integer number much greater than one. A new theoretical procedure that uses synthetic edge images to find the optimum shrink factor is proposed and applied to the same cases considered by the current empirical procedure, showing that the same results are obtained. The new procedure is much simpler to apply and more accurate and versatile, opening a variety of research paths on satellite image deblurring.

A students’ behaviors in information security: Extension of Protection Motivation Theory (PMT)

ABSTRACT This study investigates information security behaviors among university students, focusing on the interplay of psychological and social factors influencing their behavioral intentions and actions. By integrating the Theory of Planned Behavior, Protection Motivation Theory, and General Deterrence Theory, the research offers a comprehensive understanding of factors such as self-efficacy, perceived risk vulnerability, response cost, and response efficacy. Utilizing structural equation modeling (SEM) and Necessary Condition Analysis (NCA), the study assesses the impact of these factors on students’ information security practices. Measurement items were developed based on recent empirical studies, ensuring relevance to the contemporary digital environment. The findings reveal significant associations between these factors and students’ security behaviors, providing insights into effective strategies for promoting information security awareness and practices. This research contributes to the academic discourse on digital security behaviors and offers practical implications for enhancing information security measures within university settings.

Sonja Lyubomirsky: Pioneer in the Empirical Study of Happiness and Well-Being Interventions

Sonja Lyubomirsky: Pioneer in the Empirical Study of Happiness and Well-Being Interventions

The Impact of Generative Artificial Intelligence Technologies on Chinese Librarians' information Behavior and Ethical Discussion: An Empirical Study Based on a Small Sample

This study used a combination of questionnaires and interviews to survey 68 librarians in mainland China. The questionnaire was divided into three parts: (1) providing descriptive statistics of the interviewed librarians; (2) exploring the impact of generative technologies on librarians' information behaviour from work scenarios; (3) investigating librarians' concerns about ethics and strategies for coping with ethical challenges. The results show that generative AI technologies had a greater impact on information seeking, information encountering, and information using behaviours, and an insignificant impact on information sharing behaviours. In addition, the results of the study reflect that 67.65% of librarians showed a very high level of concern about privacy and security; 66.18% of them believed that the content generated by the tools needed further validation. The study also provided six recommendations from the perspective of libraries and librarians to address ethical challenges such as the spread of disinformation and bias.

Down the banking hole: Investigating the case of Slovenian banks

The aim of this paper is to analyse who was responsible for the deterioration of the Slovenian banking sector to such an extent that it was almost destroyed by the 2008 financial crisis, necessitating the consideration of an international bailout. A literature review focused specifically on reports from law enforcement agencies and commissions that investigated banking practices, complemented by a qualitative empirical study. In order to gain insight into the reasons why this situation unfolded, ten structured interviews were conducted. The interviewees included experts with experience in the fields of prevention, detection, investigation and prosecution of economic crime, bad credit management, central banking, parliamentary committee management, forensic investigations, investigative journalism, and experts with academic knowledge in law and economics. Five different investigations explored the behaviour of banking sector actors before, during, and after the 2008 financial crisis. These investigations revealed behaviours ranging from negligence to criminal acts. The interviews indicated that the perpetrators were individuals of high social status with significant influence, explaining why people are often not willing to testify against them. On the detection and prosecution front, the main challenges were fears among criminal investigators, prosecutors, judges, and others of retaliation from superiors, job loss, and being publicly lambasted in the media.

To know or not to know? Curiosity and the value of prospective information in animals.

Humans and other animals often seek instrumental information to strategically improve their decisions in the present. Our curiosity also leads us to acquire non-instrumental information that is not immediately useful but can be encoded in memory and stored for use in the future by means of episodic recall. Despite its adaptive benefits and central role in human cognition, questions remain about the cognitive mechanisms and evolutionary origins that underpin curiosity. Here, we comparatively review recent empirical studies that some authors have suggested reflects curiosity in nonhuman animals. We focus on findings from laboratory tasks in which individuals can choose to gain advanced information about uncertain future outcomes, even though the information cannot be used to increase future rewards and is often costly. We explore the prevalence of preferences in these tasks across animals, discuss the theoretical advances that they have promoted, and outline some limitations in contemporary research. We also discuss several features of human curiosity that can guide future empirical research aimed at characterising and understanding curiosity in animals. Though the prevalence of curiosity in animals is actively debated, we surmise that investigating behavioural candidates for curiosity-motivated behaviour in a broader range of species and contexts, should help promote theoretical advances in our understanding of cognitive principles and evolutionary pressures that support curiosity-driven behaviour.

Hypotheses on Food and Peace: Five Ways to Use Social Gastronomy for Peacebuilding

Social gastronomy—using food initiatives for social good—is a promising tool for peacebuilders in contexts of inter-group conflict. Building on a broad-based review of both scholarly literature and popular sources, as well as qualitative interviews with food scholars and people who work in social gastronomy efforts in the US, France, Israel and Palestine, I argue not only that food matters as a cultural space for peacebuilding - including in nation building and ethnic identity—but also how, proposing five pathways through which social gastronomy may shift groups toward inclusion and belonging. These theories of change, paired with a discussion of limitations and challenges, lay the groundwork for future empirical study.

Capacity and crisis: examining the state-level policy response to COVID-19 in Tamil Nadu, India.

The capacity of government agencies to develop effective policy responses to external shocks is an important area of focus for health policy processes, as illustrated by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, few empirical studies exploring sub-national capacity of governments and the influence of institutional, organizational and political factors in shaping the policy response to complex emergencies have been conducted. The purpose of this study is to examine the governance capacity to develop and implement a policy response to a major health emergency-COVID-19-in Tamil Nadu, India, and to understand the factors shaping governance capacity during the first and second waves (2020-2021). Tamil Nadu offers a useful case for exploring governance capacity due to its longstanding public health institutions and previous experiences with disaster and outbreak response. We utilized three sources of data: (1) a review of key policy documents (n = 164); (2) a review of English-language media articles in the Indian press (n = 336); and (3) in-depth interviews with senior decision-makers, technical experts and other stakeholders (n = 10). We present four key findings from this analysis. First, Tamil Nadu's institutional framework enabled state-level governance capacity during an emergency of massive complexity, allowing for flexibility and nimbleness to adapt to evolving dynamics of centralization and decentralization over the course of the pandemic. Second, the ability to integrate public health expertise was circumscribed at important phases. Third, while coordination with external experts was utilized extensively, engagement with civil society groups was perceived as limited. Fourth, the electoral cycle was perceived by some to have constrained governance capacity at a critical point in the pandemic. By analysing the dynamics of state-level capacity in Tamil Nadu during a complex emergency, this study provides important learnings for other contexts globally regarding the drivers shaping capacity to develop and implement policy responses to crises.

The impact of auditor attributes and firm size on financial reporting timeliness of listed firms

This empirical study examines the impact of auditor attributes and firm size on financial reporting timeliness among listed firms in Nigeria. The study employs an ex-post facto type of research, with a quantitative design covering a ten-year period (2013–2022). The sample size comprises sixty-six (66) non-financial firms listed on the Nigerian Exchange Group (NGX). Based on data extracted from the audited annual reports of the sampled sixty-six firms, the robust regression model results reveal that joint audits contributed considerably to shorter financial reporting lags, underscoring the value of collaborative audit efforts in streamlining the audit process. Audit fees maintained a positive significant effect on the reporting lag of listed Nigerian firms. However, audit switch, client firm size, audit opinion, and audit firm size all maintained insignificant effects on the financial reporting timeliness of the Nigerian listed firms investigated. Therefore, the study recommends that listed firms should rather opt for affordable joint audits due to their efficiency in streamlining the audit process. Equally, the study recommends that listed firms should maintain long-term relationships with auditors to leverage increased familiarity, yet remain cautious of likely complacency and breach of auditing ethical guidelines that can arise from prolonged engagements.