Engagement Theory Research Articles

Oh, the Places They’ll Go: A Geographic Analysis of Gubernatorial Campaigns

Geography has long played a significant role in American electoral politics. Candidates engage in “retail politics” by visiting fairs, festivals, schools, churches, and businesses, to meet and greet potential voters. However, systematically understanding where candidates are actually going has plagued prior work due to small sample sizes and lack of data availability. Presidential elections have been used with success in previous scholarship, but there are few viable candidates to compare within a single cycle. Utilizing competitive gubernatorial elections, this work attempts to address these deficiencies by utilizing social media posts to track multiple candidates in real-time across the 2018 campaign cycle at the state level. The paper tests competing theories of candidate engagement regarding travel decisions: do candidates (1) focus their attention on their partisan base or (2) try to attract independent or “swing” voters? Following an original and intensive data collection effort, we identified location-specific information for over 4700 campaign stops made by major-party candidates across seventeen states. Our results lend support to candidates spending time with their respective bases of partisan support, with Republicans going to rural areas with non-college educated individuals while Democrats travel to urban counties with a more diverse electorate.

Stakeholder engagement in managing systemic risk management

AbstractThis paper employs the interpretative lens provided by stakeholder theory to garner novel insights for research and managerial practices within the framework of high‐reliable organizations (HROs). It proposes an interpretative matrix for analyzing and explaining how stakeholders’ behaviors and interactions can transition from a “strategic” to a “responsibility” approach in the context of risk management. The paper adopts a qualitative methodology based on a case study of the Italian Civil Protection—an HRO—during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Through the analysis of institutional sources and reports, we apply two theoretical frameworks to examine how the organization's engagement strategy changed in response to an unexpected event. This case serves to illuminate the main implications and practical applications of shared conceptual reflections. The principal implications are traced in terms of theory, practice, and policy, focusing on the joint examination of organizational reliability and stakeholder engagement theory, the potential utility of the proposed case study, and the feasible policy actions. The main limitations of this study lie in the purely qualitative methodology employed, the nature of the organization analyzed, and the territorial scope of the study. Future works will address an empirical investigation of the theoretical relations uncovered herein, as well as the expansion of the spectrum of analysis (e.g., private organizations) and a cross‐country widening of the level of analysis.

Engaging with avatar in virtual regenerative tourism

ABSTRACT This study explores the role of avatar tour guides in influencing travelers’ environmental awareness and support for local communities within virtual regenerative tourism. Through three experimental studies, the findings reveal that avatars, strategically designed to vary in gender (female versus male), attire (naturalistic versus commercial), and communication styles (naturalistic versus commercial), play a pivotal role in cultivating rapport with tourists. This enhanced rapport not only amplifies engagement but also fosters a deeper environmental consciousness and support for local communities. The study integrates Communication Accommodation Theory and Theory of Engagement into tourism research, offering actionable insights for optimizing virtual regenerative tourism.

Effect of Beneficiary Participation on Project Performance: A Case of an HIV Peer Education Project in Gicumbi District, Rwanda

The HIV/AIDS pandemic remains a significant global health challenge, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, where the prevalence rates are among the highest in the world. This study investigated the impact of beneficiary participation on the performance of an HIV peer education program implemented by the Rwanda Network of People Living with HIV (RRP+) in Gicumbi District from 2017 to 2020. Researchers examined three specific areas: project planning, implementation, and monitoring. Stakeholder and Engagement Theory alongside Participation Theory were reviewed. The study adopted a descriptive research design with qualitative and quantitative approaches. The total study population for this research was be 3,938 that included Recipients of Care (RoC) and stakeholders directly involved in the HIV peer education project implemented by the Rwanda Network of People Living with HIV (RRP+) in Gicumbi District, Rwanda, from 2017 to 2020. A mixed sampling approach was employed to select participants for this research. This approach involves a combination of probability and non-probability sampling methods. Therefore, the sample size calculated using the Yamane formula was 387 Recipients of Care (RoC) and stakeholders. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the data. Findings indicated significant beneficiary involvement in strategic planning and annual plans, with mean scores of 3.78 and 3.50, respectively, on a 1-4 scale. Moderate familiarity with the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) (average 3.22) was observed. Statistical analysis confirmed a significant positive impact on Project Performance (p < 0.05). Beneficiaries reported satisfactory healthcare and psychosocial support (mean score 0.99) and moderate satisfaction with supportive supervision (mean score 1.62). Capacity-building (average 1.02) showed room for improvement, yet still had a significant positive influence on Project Performance (p < 0.05). Limited involvement in monitoring (mean score 1.04) was observed, with high satisfaction in feedback meetings (mean score 4.15). Feedback acceptability (average 3.42) indicated moderate acceptability, also positively impacting Project Performance (p < 0.05). The positive unstandardized coefficient (B) of 0.398 indicate that increased healthcare and psychosocial support are associated with higher project performance. The positive unstandardized coefficient (B) of 0.026 suggest that supportive supervision has a relatively positive relationship with project performance. The positive unstandardized coefficient (B) of 0.293 highlight the importance of training beneficiaries during project implementation. The study recommended foster greater beneficiary involvement in project planning by conducting regular consultations, workshops, and feedback sessions. Review and refine the supportive supervision approach to address the varying levels of satisfaction among beneficiaries. Maintain regular and productive feedback meetings to capture beneficiary input and concerns. Enhance feedback collection and analysis processes to ensure feedback is incorporated into project activities effectively. Form a strengthened system of monitoring and evaluation in order to consistently evaluate performance of project as well as adapt to evolving requirements of the beneficiary. Additionally, formulate models of sustainability to ascertain that favorable and positive impacts of the project are preserved after its overall completion.

Job Satisfaction’s Impact on Employee Performance: The Mediating Role of Employee Engagement

This study aims to examine the impact of job satisfaction (JS) on employee performance (EP) and examine the role of employee engagement (EE) in their relationship. This study was undertaken based on settled theories of job satisfaction (JS), employee performance (EP), and employee engagement (EE). It maintains that the employee's perceived JS can boost EP and that EE serves as a mediator in this relationship. Using a deductive approach and a quantitative research design, the study investigated the correlation between JS and EP in PKU Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta Hospital. Data from 131 respondents were analyzed utilizing AMOS with the help of SEM software. The data analysis uncovered that employee job satisfaction (JS) positively impacted performance (EP) in PKU Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta Hospital. In addition, employee engagement (EE) acted as a mediator between JS and EP. Job satisfaction felt by employees and creating employee engagement could boost EP in PKU Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta Hospital. The study highlights that providing job satisfaction to employees has broad benefits, including greater employee engagement, enhanced employee work, and a positive contribution to the development of PKU Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta Hospital. Practically, this research highlights the importance of creating employee job satisfaction. Employee satisfaction is something that organizations must pay attention to because it affects employee engagement and employee performance. Employees will be more active in carrying out their assigned tasks if they feel satisfied. Employees who feel connected (engaged) with the company will have an awareness of the organization so that employees will provide their best abilities and skills for the success of the organization. The theoretical implications of testing the correlation between job satisfaction and employee engagement on employee performance can enrich existing behavioral theories in organizations.

The Impact of Art College Students’ Innovation Learning Ability Under STEAM Education

STEAM education, as an education model to train future comprehensive talents, not only challenges the traditional education, but also puts forward on the new requirements for students’ learning ability. As it empowers people to create and solve issues in their daily lives, the integration of Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) education has a significant influence on generating creative students. Problem-solving ability, innovation ability, cooperation ability and autonomous learning ability are the popular student’s learning ability to discussed emphatically by educators. Among these abilities, innovation ability is the most topical, and it is more in line with the development of society. Under the theory of Self-efficacy, Learning Engagement, and Creative Performance, this study aims to investigate the impacted elements of the art college students’ innovation learning ability under STEAM education system; and to analyze the art college students’ perspectives of innovation learning ability under STEAM education system at a university in China. It adopts interview method with 6 samples at Shenyang Normal University in Liaoning Province, China. Through the systematic study of STEAM education concept, the findings indicated that creative self-efficacy, learning engagement and creative performance are the related elements with innovation learning ability. The more cognitive, emotional, and behavioral inputs students get and the more demanding efforts they put into creative activities, the greater the influence on students’ creative performance. In addition, the art college students’ perspectives of innovation learning ability under STEAM education system are positive.

Between social cognition and material engagement: the cooperative body hypothesis

AbstractIn recent years, social cognition approaches to human evolution and Material Engagement Theory have offered new theoretical resources to advance our understanding of the prehistoric hominin mind. To date, however, these two approaches have developed largely in isolation from one another. I argue that there is a gap between social- and material-centred approaches, and that this is precisely the sociomateriality of the appearance of ancestral hominin bodies, which evolved under selective pressure to develop increasingly complex, cooperative sociality. To get this sociomaterial body in focus, I develop an esthesiological framework, appropriated from Merleau-Ponty (2003), for interpreting the expressive body in an evolutionary and comparative context. The guiding hypothesis of esthesiology is that before being rationality (social or material), “humanity is another corporeity” (Merleau-Ponty, 2003, p. 208). Esthesiology studies the appearance of the body and its sense organs as an intertwining locus of a sensing power (the ability to see, to touch, etc.) and a sensible character (the visible, touchable body). It is this dual-aspect character of the body that facilitates the most basic affective and sensorimotor modes of sociality. Examining these features from a comparative perspective, we find that the human body is distinctively suited to prosocial communication and cooperation: a more cooperative eye, an exposed and communicative skin. I thus propose a cooperative body hypothesis, by analogy with the cooperative eye hypothesis (Tomasello et al., 2007). Esthesiology provides a framework for integrating and interpreting a wide range of otherwise disconnected facts concerning human and nonhuman animal bodies, forms of life, cognition, and evolution, thereby bridging the gap between social cognition and material engagement perspectives. In doing so, however, it not only solves problems and proposes new directions of investigation, but also demands theoretical revisions from each.

The Components of Multilevel Engagement Theory

This article presents the components (i.e., assumptions, concepts, and propositions) of the Multilevel Engagement Theory. Raza provided specific examples to describe the components of the theory and discussed these components in relation to the existing literature. The components of Multilevel Engagement Theory are also discussed in relation to three contemporary theories (i.e., family systems theory, feminist theory, and social exchange theory) to demonstrate similarities and differences between the Multilevel Engagement Theory and the other theories used in mainstream research. The author provided examples from his graduate level course assignments to further explain the componets of Multilevel Engagement Theory and demonstrate the use and application of this theory. The Multilevel Engagement Theory considers culture and diversity as the central aspects to the understanding of family relationships and functioning and provides researchers with a comprehensive conceptual framework to conduct research on contemporary families, understand multilevel phenomena, and explain complex real-life situations.

How face mask wearing affects the sense of self: breathing as a case of disrupted bodily self-consciousness

ABSTRACT This pioneer study focuses on the feedback effect that the face mask has on its wearer’s sense of Self (i.e. bodily Self-consciousness) caused by its multisensorial components and affordances which are taken into account from a first-person perspective approach. On the grounds of enactivism and Material Engagement Theory, we run qualitative semi-structured interviews recruiting 48 participants: 24 people had no experience using lower face coverings before COVID-19 pandemic (February 2020) and 24 people were hospital workers with such prior experience. Results show that face mask wearing dramatically updates bodily Self-consciousness retroacting on breathing experience, with differences between the two groups. This is consistent with evidence showing that breathing is “transparent” unless bodily, environmental, and/or emotional changes arouse a situated awareness of it. We conclude that the face mask performs a retroactive effect, which we explained as due to a “material performative agency” that significantly modifies the standard balance between the transparency and the opacity of our bodily Self-consciousness.

Facebook usage by students in higher education

In this paper I measure first year student Facebook usage as part of a broader PhD study into the influence of social media usage on the success of students in higher education. A total of 906 students were asked to complete 3 surveys on Facebook usage with their peers, for two consecutive years (2011-2012 and 2012-2013). The different purposes for Facebook usage, in addition to whether or not students used (self-created) Facebook-groups, were measured and the relationship between the use of pages compared to the purpose of Facebook usage. This resulted in significant correlations between the purpose of Facebook usage and the use of different pages, as well as correlations between the purpose and use of different pages. This study hereby explores the variation in student Facebook usage and provides valuable insight into the potential value of Facebook for students in an educational setting, without the interference of teachers. It is also the next logical step in revising existing integration and engagement theories that predict student success in higher education in contemporary society.

Employee Engagement With Corporate-Based Health and Wellness Programs: A Multiple Regression Analysis

Organizations for decades have offered a myriad of health benefit options designed to engage employees in their own personal health. These programs have been aimed at supporting a healthier workforce in hopes that, a healthy workforce would also equate to a more productive and engaged workforce. As a result, organizations have developed a myriad of choices that employees can choose from to enhance their personal health (i.e., wellness programs, assistance counseling, health risk assessments, etc.). From a workplace perspective, research in the Human Resource Development (HRD) field, as well as related disciplines, have started to explore connections between work and health. Despite emerging research on work and the working experience, organizationally focused health and wellness offerings have been historically absent from most models of work in HRD. The purpose of this research was to examine how work and the working experience influenced employee decision points around personal levels of health engagement. Using two multiple regression models with data from 206 participants working at a Fortune 500 global logistics company, we explored the linkage between work, health, and employee agency in participating in corporate wellness programs. Through our work, we contribute to traditional engagement theory as well as an emerging framework in HRD— Work Determinants of Health (WDOH)—and provide practical suggestions for how leaders could prioritize employee wellness and health engagement within their organization.

Judgments of Learning Reactively Improve Memory by Enhancing Learning Engagement and Inducing Elaborative Processing: Evidence from an EEG Study.

Making judgments of learning (JOLs) can reactively alter memory itself, a phenomenon termed the reactivity effect. The current study recorded electroencephalography (EEG) signals during the encoding phase of a word list learning task to explore the neurocognitive features associated with JOL reactivity. The behavioral results show that making JOLs reactively enhances recognition performance. The EEG results reveal that, compared with not making JOLs, making JOLs increases P200 and LPC amplitudes and decreases alpha and beta power. Additionally, the signals of event-related potentials (ERPs) and event-related desynchronizations (ERDs) partially mediate the reactivity effect. These findings support the enhanced learning engagement theory and the elaborative processing explanation to account for the JOL reactivity effect.

The Influence of Social Media Marketing on Brand Equity: Evidence from the Fast-Food Industry in Brazil

Purpose: The aim of the study was to investigate the impact of digital marketing adoption on firm performance: a case study of small and medium enterprises in India. Methodology: This study adopted a desk methodology. A desk study research design is commonly known as secondary data collection. This is basically collecting data from existing resources preferably because of its low cost advantage as compared to a field research. Our current study looked into already published studies and reports as the data was easily accessed through online journals and libraries. Findings: The study investigates how social media marketing impacts brand equity in Brazil's fast-food industry. It finds a positive link between effective social media strategies and key brand equity measures like awareness, perceived quality, and loyalty. Brands with robust social media presence tend to enjoy greater visibility and are seen as offering higher quality. Furthermore, these efforts cultivate stronger consumer connections, potentially offering a competitive advantage. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: Social identity theory, consumer engagement theory & gratifications theory may be used to anchor future studies on the impact of digital marketing adoption on firm performance: a case study of small and medium enterprises in India. Fast-food brands should prioritize measurement and evaluation of social media marketing efforts to assess their impact on brand equity. Government agencies and regulatory bodies in Brazil should collaborate with industry stakeholders to develop guidelines and best practices for social media marketing in the fast-food industry.

How Cultural Differences Affect the Adoption and Effectiveness of Green Marketing Strategies in Germany

Purpose: The aim of the study was to investigate how cultural differences affect the adoption and effectiveness of green marketing strategies in Germany. Methodology: This study adopted a desk methodology. A desk study research design is commonly known as secondary data collection. This is basically collecting data from existing resources preferably because of its low cost advantage as compared to a field research. Our current study looked into already published studies and reports as the data was easily accessed through online journals and libraries. Findings: Cultural differences significantly impact green marketing in Germany. Germans prioritize authenticity, quality, and performance, alongside environmental consciousness. Trust is crucial, with consumers valuing transparency and credibility in marketing. While price sensitivity remains, competitive pricing enhances success. Tailoring strategies to align with German values is essential for effective engagement and promoting sustainability. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: Social identity theory, consumer engagement theory & gratifications theory may be used to anchor future studies on how cultural differences affect the adoption and effectiveness of green marketing strategies in Germany. Fast-food brands should prioritize measurement and evaluation of social media marketing efforts to assess their impact on brand equity. Government agencies and regulatory bodies in Brazil should collaborate with industry stakeholders to develop guidelines and best practices for social media marketing in the fast-food industry.

Brick by brick: illuminating the cognitive landscape of the past through sensory archaeology

ABSTRACT This contribution explores the use of sensory archaeology and neuroarchitecture in the study of the earthen built environment. First, the paper discusses multi-sensory experiences focusing on earth as a building material. Second, I look at the archaeological remains of building materials to consider the sensory perception of earthen architecture manufacturers in the Eastern Mediterranean during the Bronze Age. In this latter endeavour I draw on Material Engagement Theory (MET), archaeological earthen remains, and ethnoarchaeological data to investigate the sensory aspects of working with earthen building materials. The main goal is to understand interactions between brain, mind, and culture by studying how people contributed to the manufacturing and construction of earthen architecture. While archaeology is quite visual, I argue that material culture, specifically the production of earthen architecture, shaped a multi-layered sensory experience that included all senses, rather than just visual stimulation.

Pedagogical memes: a creative and effective tool for teaching STEM subjects

The rise of memes has transformed the way people communicate and share information online, presenting a unique opportunity to leverage technology in the service of education. We explore the potential of memes as an educational tool for supporting STEM education and increasing student engagement. We aim to provide a theoretical framework for using pedagogical memes in education and showcase examples of educational activities and assignments using memes. Further, we discuss the use of memes as an instructional tool in education and propose a multimodal meme-based education framework. We specify the pedagogical memes using a metamodel based on the ‘Relate-Create-Donate’ framework and Engagement Theory, combining collaborative learning and multiliteracies with the taxonomic levels of engagement. We provide the learning scenarios which include the use of pedagogical memes in a classroom for teaching STEM subjects. To support the proposed models, we present a case study of a mathematics teacher using memes to teach calculus and a qualitative evaluation of the effectiveness of using memes in the classroom. We evaluated the potential of pedagogical memes using the six conditions outlined in the Conditions of Excellence, and Revised Bloom's Taxonomy, and discussed limitations of using memes in education.

An investigation of the asymmetric relationships between service quality attributes and customer engagement: a three-factor theory approach

ABSTRACT The antecedents of customer engagement have been extensively examined in marketing and management literature since it is vital for the firm performance. Researchers have long assumed that relationship between these variables is linear. However, some asymmetric connections may be undiscovered. Drawing inspiration from the three-factor theory of customer satisfaction, this study investigates the possibility of asymmetric relationships between service quality attributes and customer engagement. The results revealed that service quality attributes can be categorized as the basic, excitement, and performance factors based on their varying impacts on customer engagement. Therefore, the findings reflected that the three-factor theory of customer satisfaction can be applied to customer engagement context. This research is a pioneering work in the customer engagement literature as it provided a new perspective to academics by showing that the three-factor theory of customer engagement can be used to gain more detailed and actionable insight to enhance customer engagement.

Human innovation and the creative agency of the world in the age of generative AI

With the advent of Large Language Models, such as ChatGPT, and, more generally, generative AI/cognitive technologies, global knowledge production faces a critical systemic challenge. It results from continuously feeding back non- or poorly-creative copies of itself into the global knowledge base; in the worst case, this could not only lead to a stagnation of creative, reliable, and valid knowledge generation, but also have an impact on our material (and subsequently our social) world and how it will be shaped by these rather uninspired automatized knowledge dynamics. More than ever, there appears to be an imperative to bring the creative human agent back into the loop. Arguments from the perspectives of 4E- and Material Engagement Theory approaches to cognition, human-technology relations as well as possibility studies will be used to show that being embodied, sense-making, and enacting the world by proactively and materially interacting with it are key ingredients for any kind of knowledge and meaning production. It will be shown that taking seriously the creative agency of the world, an engaged epistemology, as well as making use of future potentials/possibilities complemented and augmented by cognitive technologies are all essential for re-introducing profound novelty and creativity.

Study on Factors Influencing University Students' Awareness of Intangible Cultural Heritage Transmission

In the context of contemporary globalization, the preservation and safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage has assumed heightened significance. Serving as a pivotal cultural asset, intangible cultural heritage plays an essential role in upholding cultural diversity and fostering societal progress. This study combines micro and macro-level management practices, student engagement theory, and cultural-historical activity theory to conduct quantitative research on 500 art and design students from 16 universities in Shaanxi Province, China. The primary research findings reveal a positive correlation between students' sense of responsibility and cultural heritage awareness, indicating deepening responsibility with heightened awareness. However, general knowledge and student-teacher interactions, though positively correlated, lack statistical significance. The study underscores the crucial role of institutional support and pragmatic education in enhancing students' intangible cultural heritage transmission awareness. Practical, hands-on learning experiences and strong institutional backing drive a deeper understanding and appreciation of cultural heritage among students. These insights have implications for educational policy and curriculum design, emphasizing the need for a multi-faceted approach to intangible cultural heritage education that incorporates both theoretical knowledge and practical experiences, and underscores the importance of institutional support in this endeavor.

Effects of dialogic reading elements on children's language development

BackgroundDialogic reading (DR) is an effective shared reading technique based on the prompts–evaluate–expand–repeat (PEER) sequence, which fosters children's language development. This study examines the effects of its elements by comparing shared reading with prompts with minimal feedback (PMF) and PEER.MethodsThis study included 364 typically developing Chinese kindergarteners and used a randomised control trial design. The children and their parents were divided into three groups, namely, the PMF, PEER and control groups. The children were pre‐ and post‐tested on their language skills and reading interest measures before and after the intervention.ResultsResults showed that after a 12‐week intervention, the children in the PMF group outperformed those in the control group in terms of receptive vocabulary, character reading and listening comprehension. Meanwhile, the children in the PEER group outperformed those in the PMF and control groups not only in terms of the above measures but also in their expressive vocabulary and reading interest.ConclusionsThese results highlight the contribution of parents' questions and the additional benefits of their systematically corrective feedback on kindergarten children's language and reading interest development. This study supports the literature on cognitive engagement theory related to young children's individual language and reading interest development through interactive parent–child DR activities.