Professional Engagement Research Articles

Exploring the Impact of Predictive Analytics on Accounting and Auditing Expertise: A Regression Analysis of LinkedIn Survey Data

Considering the recent development of big data and its application in various business and management endeavors, there is a growing need for businesses and management of organizations to engage large amounts of data to make real-time decisions, improve financial reporting techniques, and optimize risk management systems in order to ensure increased effectiveness and efficiency in managing the financial resources of the organization. Also, to enhance auditing proficiency and detect fraudulent activities, auditing professionals are constantly engaged in routine tasks while conducting their professional engagements. This paper investigates the impacts of predictive analytics on accounting and auditing proficiency, focusing on financial reporting, fraud detection, risk management, and real-time decision-making. Predictive analytics is a data-driven approach that utilizes historical data and advanced modeling techniques to forecast future events and trends. Thus, this study aims to determine if integrating predictive analytics in accounting and auditing enhances heightened accuracy and reliability within these critical functions. The paper collected primary data through survey questionnaires from 366 accounting and auditing professionals with over ten years of experience. The data collected proved reliable as subjected to a Cronbach alpha reliability test. Linear regression was employed to test the hypothesis. The study found a positive significant relationship between predictive analytics and financial reporting accuracy, fraud detection, real-time decision-making, and risk management. The study recommends that organizations should embrace and invest in predictive analytics technologies in order to enhance their financial performance, while accounting and auditing professionals should commit to continuous learning and skills development in machine learning in order to heighten their proficiency in building proficient predictive analytics models that effectively assess risks, detect fraudulent actions, increase financial reporting accuracy, and supports real-time decision making.

Allan William Cripps: a mucosal immunologist and mentor from beginning to end.

Allan Cripps was internationally recognized in the field of mucosal immunology, in particular the relationship between respiratory diseases and mucosal immunization strategies. Allan's career spanned scientific and applied research, commercialization, health education, and evolved into leadership roles in public-health and academic administration. Allan published over 400 papers and mentored over 40 research higher degree candidates. Allan was renowned for his mentorship, that did not end with the awarding of a PhD or Master's degree, but continued across a lifetime of professional engagement. Allan's key contributions to immunology included characterizing the ontogeny of the human mucosal immune system, understanding the impact of respiratory infections and otitis media in children, developing diagnostic technologies and mucosal vaccine strategies, and identifying the roles of the common mucosal immune system in human health. In this biography for the 100th anniversary of the Journal, we follow his journey of discovery and contributions to immunological research.

The value of BAME health professional networks in tackling vaccine hesitancy

Abstract This presentation discusses the findings from a Black, Asian and ethnic minority (BAME) Health Professional Leadership Engagement Session hosted by England's CMO between national health and care system leaders and the leadership of BAME health and care professional networks in England. The aim was to use an asset based approach, engage with the health professional networks both as citizens and as trusted sources of their communities, to acknowledge their contributions, to actively listen to concerns and issues, and develop sustainable solutions to address Covid vaccine hesitancy and improve uptake in the BAME communities in England. Three questions were posed to selected professional representatives of BAME networks: 1. What are the underlying factors/ key concerns responsible for reduced uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine within your communities? 2. What examples of good practice regarding increasing uptake of COVID-19 vaccine would you like to highlight? 3. What can we, as leaders, collectively do to help address underlying factors/ key concerns? Key insights included: a need to understand how the disproportionate impact of Covid on BAME communities is underpinned by different levels of acculturation and a variety of experiences; how conspiracy theories such as vaccine causing infertility can target important cultural expectations such as child bearing; the collective impact of years of historical injustices and health inequalities compounding what we see manifested as COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy.Some examples of good practice cited were around collective leadership, focusing on the younger BAME generations, role of social media, the role of the BAME health professional networks, leveraging the power of existing relationships and through representation in decision making and engagement. A set of recommendations were shared with health system leaders.

Environmental health injustice and culturally appropriate opportunities in remote Australia

First Nations people in remote Australia hold important historical and local knowledge on how to respond effectively to environmental changes and extreme environmental conditions. However, there has been comparatively little attention paid to the use of First Nations people's environmental knowledge to devise environmental health responses or the effects of various environmental factors on remote residents’ health and well-being. The report explores environmental health injustice among First Nations people living in remote Australia caused by inadequate engagement of remote community members and remote health professionals in environmental health decision-making, a lack of continuous environmental monitoring in remote locations and reliance on health outcome data sets that do not reflect the actual environmental health effects on remote residents. Such environmental health injustice affects people's right to have information on the constituents of the environment they interact with daily and contributes to the lost opportunity to capitalize on local cultural knowledge to create successful environmental health responses for remote residents of Australia.

Determinants of peer review engagement and quality in scientific journals: insights for academic research and the sustainability of the peer-review system

ABSTRACT Research productivity is a common topic in the literature, but peer reviewing for journals has received less attention, although it is a key activity of academic research. We help to fill this knowledge gap by assessing the determinants of peer review engagement and quality in scientific journals. We do so by analysing the combined information from a survey of academics working in different parts of the world and various fields of science, along with their publication and peer review information gathered from Scopus and Publons/Web of Science. We find that age, gender, and some dimensions of academics’ strategic research agendas are important predictors of peer review engagement. We also find that academic inbreeding along the educational path has a negative association with the quality of peer-review activities. However, we find no statistically significant results concerning academic inbreeding related to the professional trajectory and peer review engagement and quality. Equally importantly, our results suggest that although the activities of publishing and peer reviewing are closely associated, peer review tends to be ancillary to publishing, rather than the other way around. Furthermore, the greater the perceived availability of resources, including research funding throughout an academic’s career, the greater the focus is on publishing and the less the focus is on peer reviewing. These findings are discussed in relation to the current valuation of publication versus peer reviewing in terms of scientific and academic career recognition.

The influence of virtual professional learning networks on pre–service teachers’ professional learning and growth

This qualitative study focuses on pre–service teachers’ engagement in virtual professional learning networks and perceptions of how their virtual professional learning network participation influences their professional learning and growth. Online survey and group interview data were collected from the participants (n=41) and analysed thematically. The analysis showed evidence that pre–service teachers were successful in engaging in virtual professional learning networks in diverse ways via utilising multiple social media spaces and establishing various online connections. In addition, findings revealed that participants’ virtual professional learning network engagement supported their professional learning and growth in multiple ways. Respondents stated acquiring new pedagogical and digital knowledge and skills, and forming both their current and future teacher identities. They also appeared to reflect upon and transform their perceptions and beliefs about teaching and learning as a result of their virtual professional learning network participation. Moreover, their virtual professional learning networks were identified as increasing their sense of security via offering them a more comforting, secured and supportive social space.

Determining the Roles of School Management Teams in Fostering Entrepreneurship among Learners

This study explored the roles of School Management Teams (SMTs) in fostering entrepreneurship education among learners. Entrepreneurship is recognised as a vital driver of economic growth, innovation, and job creation, making it increasingly necessary to cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset and skill set in learners. SMTs, comprising school administrators, teachers, parents and community representatives, are pivotal in shaping and developing the entrepreneurial potential of students. However, little research has focused specifically on the roles of SMTs in this domain. The study applied a Systematic Literature Review, where 2518 papers were reviewed from academic databases and other research sources, including SAGE, Wiley, Elsevier, and Inderscience, to find pertinent studies published in peer-reviewed journals, conference proceedings, and reports. Two main themes emerged from the analysis: (1) Current roles of SMTs in fostering entrepreneurship among learners, including curriculum development, resource allocation, teacher professional development, community engagement, learner support and guidance, evaluation and assessment, and policy development; and (2) Advising roles of SMTs to foster entrepreneurship in learners, encompassing individual student guidance, group mentoring, career counselling, connecting students with resources, monitoring progress, and celebrating success. Recommendations include strengthening collaboration and networking, providing continuous professional development for SMT members, integrating entrepreneurship education into the curriculum, establishing school support structures, implementing effective evaluation and assessment mechanisms, and engaging in policy advocacy. By implementing these recommendations, SMTs could enhance their roles in fostering entrepreneurship among learners, creating a supportive and conducive ecosystem that nurtures and develops entrepreneurial attitudes and competencies.

Understanding professional skills in engineering education: A phenomenographic study of faculty conceptions

AbstractBackgroundGlobalization and socially complex problems will greatly affect the way engineers work in the future. Therefore, efforts to transform engineering education must focus on professional skills and engagement of faculty as key change agents.Purpose/HypothesesFor engineering programs to address the needs of society, graduates must have the skills to tackle future challenges. Transformation will only be successful if faculty fully engage in all curriculum design aspects; however, little is known about how faculty view professional skills. This understanding is critical if we wish to support and encourage their participation in the transformation effort. This novel study reveals the qualitatively different ways faculty conceptualize professional skills.Design/MethodPhenomenography was selected as the most appropriate method to showcase the variations in faculty conceptions. The study selected 19 interview participants from 273 responses to an online survey.ResultsFaculty revealed their conceptions of professional skills in six ways: communication skills, technical skills, enabling skills, a combination of skills, interpersonal behaviors, and acting professionally.ConclusionsFindings revealed a tension between technical and nontechnical skills. The study highlights that engineering education must focus on behaviors and interactions between people rather than technical skills alone. Further, there was a gendered difference in conceptions between women and men with women more likely to consider professional skills to be inclusive of behavioral aspects. The findings can help create future strategies for engineering education and can be used as a reflective tool for engineering faculty in efforts to transform engineering education.

Teacher Motivation Nuances: A Latent Profile Analysis of Personal Utility Value, Civic Mindedness, and Future Professional Development

This study examined motivators of preservice teachers (PSTs) for pursuing a teaching career. We used latent profile analysis to identify four profiles of PSTs based on their scores on personal utility value, civic mindedness, and intentions for future professional engagement. Using logistic regression, we identified motivational differences among PST content areas and latent profiles. We found that early childhood education students had higher motivation scores than students from other certification areas across different profiles. We discussed recommendations related to these findings for teacher education programs, especially for identity development and nurturing the civic motivations of PSTs who aspire to use their teaching to improve their communities.

Reducing the risk of prenatal alcohol exposure and FASD through social services: promising results from the FAR SEAS pilot project.

Within FAR SEAS, a multi-component evidence-based community intervention was implemented and evaluated in Mazovia (Poland), with the aim of preventing alcohol-exposed pregnancies, and therefore preventing FASD. Multi-disciplinary professionals from different services (social, addiction, and psychology), recruited women of child-bearing age (pregnant and not pregnant) in local communities, screened them for alcohol risk, and allocated participants (n = 441) to groups for low- (70%), moderate- (23%), or high-risk (7%) of alcohol exposed pregnancy, to provide interventions tailored to their needs. The non-parametric sign test, testing differences between pairs of observations before and after intervention was used to evaluate the outcomes. Follow-up data (collected from 93% of participants) indicated positive changes in the key outcome variables: risky alcohol consumption dropped by 81%, contraception use increased by 15% and visiting a gynecologist increased by 39%; as well as in associated psychosocial risk factors (decrease in cigarette and drug use, domestic violence and depressive symptoms). No changes were noted in frequency of other service use (medical, psychological, or social). The most prominent changes were observed in the moderate-risk group. Changing risky behaviors (alcohol consumption and sex without contraception) to prevent alcohol exposed pregnancies is feasible at the local level, even without engagement of medical professionals. Key challenges, related to engaging professionals and local authorities, must be addressed; and procedures should be adapted to local contexts and needs.

The Congenital Cardiology Cloud - optimizing long-term care by connecting ambulatory and hospital medical attendance via telemedicine.

Patients with complex congenital heart disease frequently undergo a life-long ambulatory therapy with the need for repeated hospital interventions. To optimize this manifold interplay, we designed and implemented a tele-medical service, the Congenital Cardiology Cloud (CCC). This study aims to analyse the requirements for its implementation through the comprehensive assessment of design, installation and impact on patient´s care. CCC's development comprised the analysis of historically raised admission and discharge management and the definition of technical and organizational requirements. Elaboration of procedural flow charts, description of data formats and technical processes as well as distribution of patient structure formed part of this process. Analysis of existing workflows uncovered a need for the rebuilding of admission and discharge process and decision making for further treatment. The CCC reduces conference-meetings in general and repetitive meetings up to less than a third. Real-time dispatch of discharge documents guarantees an instantaneous access to patient-related data. Comparative analyses show a more complex patient group to be involved in tele-medical services. The CCC enables the sharing of complex clinical information by overcoming sectoral barriers and improves mutual patient advice. Implementation of a tele-medical network requires willingness, perseverance and professional engagement. Future application analysis and possible introduction of refinancing concepts will show its long-term feasibility.

Does school power distance matter for the effectiveness of professional learning communities in China? A multilevel moderated mediation analysis

Drawing upon social cognitive theory, we theorize teacher self-efficacy as a motivational explanation for the relationship between professional learning communities (PLCs) and teacher work engagement, and further posit school power distance as a boundary condition for this mechanism. With a sample of 3417 teachers in 61 schools in China, we tested the multilevel moderated mediation model, and the results showed an indirect effect of PLCs on teacher work engagement via teacher self-efficacy. Moreover, the effectiveness of PLCs was fortified in schools with low power distance. The theoretical and practical implications for PLCs research are finally discussed.

Investigating university students’ digital citizenship development through the lens of digital literacy practice: A Translingual and transemiotizing perspective

This qualitative study has investigated how a group of bilingual university students in Hong Kong understand digital citizenship and construct it through digital literacy practices in social media. Drawing on interview data and examples of digital activity shared by the students, we adopt the theories of digital literacies and translanguaging and transsemiotizing to reveal how they construct digital citizenship through an complex interplay between several factors, most prominently (1) a variety of digitally mediated social, cultural and educational practices the students engage in, (2) their agency of deploying diverse linguistic and semiotic recourses to achieve varied communicative effects in different settings and (3) their personal pursuits of intellectual and professional development and social engagement in a digitalized and globalized society. We then discuss how the findings can enrich our understanding of digital citizenship and its relationship with digital literacies in a multilingual and multicultural context such as Hong Kong. The implications for digital citizenship education are also discussed.

Journey towards a dental career: the career decision-making journey and perceived obstacles to studying dentistry identified by London's secondary school pupils and teachers.

Objective To explore the career decision-making journey towards dentistry and identify possible challenges and supports in this process as perceived by academically able, science-minded, London school pupils and their careers teachers.Methods A mixed-methods study was conducted using a purposive sample of London schools. Focus groups (n = 13) with 91 pupils aged 14-18 years and a survey of career teachers (n = 12) were conducted at a range of school-types. A topic guide, informed by the literature and previous research, guided discussions. Ethical approval was obtained from King's College London Research Ethics Committee (BDM/10/11-17 and 14/15-40). School, teacher, parental and pupil written informed consent were obtained. Data were transcribed and analysed thematically using framework methodology.Results Four distinct phases of the career decision-making journey were identified: 1) initiation of aspiration, with wider influences promoting medicine as a primary aspirational career option; 2) exposure to dentistry as a career, leading to recognition of dentistry as an alternative; 3) exploration of the career; and 4) the application process. Dentistry received little early consideration in this process. Greater representation of dental professionals within the school, access to work experience, and support in the student application process were identified as possible supports.Conclusions The findings suggest a four-phase journey towards a dental career, which may be enhanced by engagement of dental professionals at each stage. This may be particularly helpful in widening participation from under-represented groups.

Reporting England's progress towards the ambitions in the UK action plan for antimicrobial resistance: the English surveillance programme for antimicrobial utilisation and resistance (ESPAUR).

The plans for a new antimicrobial utilization and resistance national surveillance programme, alongside the development of quality measures and methods to monitor unintended outcomes of antimicrobial stewardship and both public and professional behaviour interventions were published in 2013. Since then, England has published an annual surveillance report including outlining progress against the ambitions of the UK national action plans on antimicrobial resistance (2013 to 2018 and 2019 to 2024). A decade later we provide a brief update on progress so far, with a focus on key highlights from the latest report published in November 2022. We also provide our recommendations for areas of focus as we move into the next decade. From an initial focus on antibiotic consumption and resistance, the report now includes surveillance data for antifungals, antivirals (including novel agents, such as those targeting SARS-CoV-2) and antimalarials. Evaluation of key stewardship interventions including professional and public engagement initiatives are also reported, as well as progress against NHS England's (NHSE's) improvement measures.

Influence of experience, tenure, and organisational preparedness on nurses' readiness in responding to disasters: An exploration during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has placed unprecedented challenges on the nursing practice, particularly in Poland. Nurses, as crucial healthcare service providers, have faced organisational disruptions, altered working conditions, and heightened professional anxieties. We undertook a comprehensive survey across all medical centres in Lublin, Poland in 2020 to understand nurses' attitudes towards their roles and working conditions during the pandemic. This involved 470 nurses completing a questionnaire which focused on four pivotal areas: readiness to be on call in a disaster situation (even when not formally asked); willingness to work overtime in a disaster without additional compensation, preparedness to undertake health risks by caring for individuals with infectious diseases or exposure to hazardous substances, and willingness to be transferred to other departments during a disaster. We found that excessive workload, fear of infection, and feelings of helplessness significantly influenced nurses' readiness to work overtime, particularly when unpaid. We also presented the ethical dilemmas that nurses encountered during the pandemic and how these dilemmas affected their decision-making processes. We further explored the impact of variables such as nurses' professional experience, tenure, and level of organisational preparedness on their readiness to respond to crisis situations. Gaining an understanding of nurses' perspectives is key for formulating strategies to bolster their professional engagements and resilience during crises. Addressing these issues can help build a more robust and well-prepared healthcare system that can effectively navigate future crises.

Burnout and Professional Engagement during the COVID-19 Pandemic among Nursing Students without Clinical Experience: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Burnout affects many healthcare professionals, especially nurses, causing serious health problems and disrupting the work environment. Academic burnout may also be experienced, leading students to feel unable to cope with their education. As a result, they may lose interest and even consider abandoning their studies. Hence, burnout syndrome can affect both the mental health and the professional future of those affected. To evaluate academic burnout in nursing students who had no clinical experience before starting their practical training, a cross-sectional study involving 212 third-year nursing students at the University of Granada was conducted. Data were collected using the Granada Burnout Questionnaire, the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale, the NEO Five-Factor Inventory, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and the Fear of CoronaVirus-19 Scale. High levels of burnout were present in 37.8% of the students. Moreover, 21.5% and 8.7% had borderline cases of anxiety or depression, respectively. Another 30.8% and 9.2%, respectively, were considered likely to present these conditions. According to the predictive models of burnout dimensions obtained, neuroticism is a predictor of all three burnout dimensions. Furthermore, anxiety, depression, extraversion, responsibility and engagement are predictors of some dimensions of the syndrome. Many nursing students present high levels of burnout, which is related to certain personality variables and to the presence of anxiety and/or depression. The level of professional engagement is inversely associated with the impact of burnout. The participants in this study have normalised their return to the pre-pandemic study routine (in-person classes), and fear of COVID-19 was not a significant predictor of any dimension of burnout.

The Role of Professional Learning Communities for Teacher Innovation: A Comparative Study in Beijing and Hong Kong

This research explores how professional learning communities influence teacher innovation and how contextual factors differ in their impact. Teacher innovation, which refers to the implementation of innovative ideas raised by teachers, has become increasingly popular over the last decades. Teachers as innovators can significantly enhance the likelihood of improving schools' educational practices due to their professional judgment and knowledge engagement. Teachers' ongoing learning is crucial for successful innovation, and professional learning communities have been widely accepted as an effective way for schools and educational institutions to sustain professional learning with the collective purpose of enhancing students' performance. The theoretical framework guiding this research is the social capital theory. Through semi-structured interviews with 94 teachers and school leaders, this study reveals that professional learning communities foster teacher innovation through four key dimensions: 1) mutual trust and respect as a foundation; 2) shared practice and knowledge as a source of inspiration; 3) peer collaboration to provide feasibility; and 4) shared responsibility to provide guarantee. When comparing Beijing and Hong Kong, it is observed that promoting teacher innovation through professional learning communities is easier in Hong Kong due to the relatively diverse admission pathways and low power distance. However, the low in-group collectivism in Hong Kong may limit teacher innovation due to weak peer collaboration. This research offers valuable guidance for teachers and school leaders on how to promote teacher innovation effectively during professional learning communities.

Implementing a perioperative care of older people undergoing surgery (POPS) service: findings from a multi-site qualitative implementation study.

The Perioperative care for Older People undergoing Surgery (POPS) service model is increasingly being implemented across care providers in the English and Welsh National Health Services. The study aimed to produce evidence regarding clinical leaders' activities to implement POPS across different service contexts and to produce generalisable recommendations for future implementation. A qualitative interview study was undertaken across six National Health Services hospitals with established POPS services. Interview participants were recruited on the basis of their direct involvement in the implementation and leadership of the service. Data collection involved semi-structured interviews with 26 people carried out between November 2022 and May 2023. The implementation of POPS is often hampered by a lack of managerial and financial support, and apprehension amongst surgeons and anaesthetist about new ways of working. POPS leaders address these through five interconnected activities, each targeted at a combination of implementation factors. (i) Securing management and financial support. (ii) Professional engagement. (iii) Evidence building as a resource for demonstrating the clinical and operational benefits of POPS. (iv) Communication and engagement activities to promote and legitimise POPS to stakeholder groups. (v) Designated and distributed leadership to promote and coordinate implementation activities and to spread the service to new pathways. Through a combination of activities POPS can be effectively implemented across different organisational contexts. Some aspects of these activities can be guided by shared resources and learning across sites, but others require adaption to local contextual barriers and drivers.

Assessing Technology Innovation of Mobile Health Apps for Medical Care Providers

In recent years, mobile health applications (mHealth apps) have created a new social context in the clinical diagnosis process based on technology innovation. To improve understanding of digital transformation in healthcare and determinants for its implementation, this article examines the available mHealth apps addressed to medical practitioners and explores these apps features’ trustworthiness, quality, and popularity. Based on the normalization process theory, we explain the process from the introduction of mHealth innovation in the clinical practice to the intention of professional engagement. We conduct content analysis of the apps’ descriptions, functions, and user reviews; measured available app features and performance metrics; and applied statistical analysis to understand features intercorrelations and users’ preferences. We observe moderate levels of reliability and quality in the existing mHealth apps, revealing margins for potential improvement. The mHealth app star rating, quality score, and downloads are all highly intercorrelated. The apps with more features score higher in quality, especially those with credible sources, feedback opportunities, and “how to use” instructions. App development from credible sources can increase their trustworthiness. Further, technological advances in these apps can greatly benefit health professionals’ everyday practice and, thus, healthcare for society. This article contributes to the information systems research by using social theories to reveal the importance of app features to the adoption of professional health applications and underline the sets of policies/practices that should apply in the app development process to strengthen clinical efficiency and effectiveness.