Competitive Experience Research Articles

How Teaching Competitions Support the Development of Teaching Self-Efficacy: A Study of Award-Winning English as a Foreign Language Teachers

The research focuses on award-winning EFL (English as a foreign language) teachers’ teaching competition experiences. Each of the 11 EFL teachers interviewed in the study had won at least two prizes in teaching competitions. The main objective of this research is to explore their recollections of participating in teaching competitions and the impact that their experiences had on them. The findings indicate the important role of teaching competitions in the development of EFL teachers’ teaching self-efficacy and factors that are responsible for increase in teaching self-efficacy. The interview data were analyzed using thematic analysis, resulting in the identification of four key themes: knowledge, practice and reflection, feedback, and interpersonal support. These themes are discussed in the context of Bandura’s self-efficacy theory, highlighting how teaching self-efficacy is developed through the interplay of various factors, including experiences, knowledge, and contextual factors. The study provides valuable insights into the literature on the development of teaching self-efficacy, and specific recommendations for developing effective teaching competition activities.

Motivation and Impact of Ctrip's M&A of Qunar: Evidence from SWOT Analysis

This article is based on the acquisition of Qunar, China's second largest online travel platform, by Ctrip, China's largest online travel platform, in 2015. The SWOT analysis method was used to analyze the main motivations of Ctrip before the merger and the competitive situation after the acquisition. It mainly judges the internal and external impact of Ctrip's acquisition of Qunar to determine whether Ctrip's acquisition is a good decision. The analysis found that the acquisition brought more benefits than risks to Ctrip, both internally and externally, so it can be considered that Ctrip made a very wise decision. This article mainly explains the purpose and strategic significance of Ctrip's M&A decision, and analyzes the impact of Ctrip's M&A on itself and the entire industry from a macro perspective. It not only analyzed the causes and consequences of the entire M&A event, but also analyzed the entire strategic decision of Ctrip from multiple angles. This acquisition is an important case in the competition in the same industry, and provides the management of other enterprises with important experience in governance, decision-making and competition, which is of great reference significance.

The effect of smoking on respiratory functions in athletes

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of smoking on respiratory functions in athletes. A total of 12 American football players with an age, height and body mass means of 22.50±1.62 years, 182.83±5.85 cm., 88.91±18.99 kg. voluntarily participated in the study. The participants were competitive players with at least five years of continuous training and competition experience. Respiratory functions of the athletes were measured with a Minispir hand-held spirometer. Forced Vital Capacity (FVC), Peak Expiratory Flow (PEF), Maximal Voluntary Ventilation (MVV) values were measured. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS 26 package program. Because the distribution of the data was not normal, the Mann Whitney-U test and Spearman correlation test, a nonparametric test, were used to compare the data between the smoker and non-smoker groups. The significance level was accepted as p<0.05. Although numerically positive effects were found on the respiratory function of non-smokers compared to smokers, there was no statistically significant difference or correlation relationship between the data constituting these effects. As a result, it was found that the respiratory function of American football players who smoked cigarettes was lower than that of non-smokers. In line with these results, it can be stated that smoking has a negative effect on respiratory functions.

An evaluation of biomotor characterstics according to biological maturation level in 11-12 age soccer players

The aim of this study was to evaluate the biomotor characteristics of 11–12-year-old soccer players according to their biological maturation level. The participants in the study were divided into 3 groups according to their peak height (PHV) values which determine their biological maturation levels. The mean age, height and body mass of the participants were 11.22±0.42 years, 163.56±9.30 cm, 54.37±10.05 kg for the PHV1 group, 11.46±0.55 years, 152.45±5.22 cm, 41.32±4.84 kg for the PHV2 group, 11.10±0.31 years, 148.60±4.42 cm, 39.21±4.59 kg for the PHV3 group. The participants were competitive athletes with at least 2 years of continuous training and competition experience. The maturation level of the participants, was determined by Mirwald equation. Biomotor characteristics of the participants were determined by hand grip strength and back leg strength, standing long jump, flexibility, yo-yo intermittent recovery tests. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS 26 package program. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used for comparison between groups and Tukey HSD test was used for Post Hoc comparisons of significant relationships. As a result of the evaluation made according to the biological maturation levels of the participants, numerically positive effects on biomotor characteristics were found as the biological maturation level increased. A statistically significant difference between the data constituting the positive effects was observed only in the hand grip strength data. According to the Tukey multiple comparison analysis, it was determined that this significant difference occurred as the biological maturation level increased. As a result of the data obtained as a result of our research, it was concluded that the biomotor characteristics of 11-12 age group soccer players developed positively according to the level of biological maturation. In line with these results, it can be stated that biological maturation has a positive effect on biomotor characteristics.

Effect of 12-week endurance training on biochemical parameters in elite football players: A comprehensive analysis

Endurance training plays a pivotal role in football performance, shaping players’ cardiovascular fitness and metabolic adjustments. The purpose of this study is to investigate the different changes in biochemical parameters after exposure to 12 weeks of circuit training based on endurance in football. A total of fifteen elite football players, with an average age of 16.87 ± 1.13 years, an average weight of 61.87 ± 5.94 kg, and an average height of 172.82 ± 5.18 cm, participated in the study. On average, they had been training for 5.0 ± 1.0 years and had intermediate experience in national-level competitions for 4.0 ± 1.0 years. Following the initial data collection, the participants engaged in a twelve-week endurance training programme, involving one hour of daily training for four days a week. Pre-experimental designs were used in the data collection process. Further, for the analysis and extraction of data, descriptive statistics and t-tests were employed. The significance level was set at P < 0.05. Significant changes were found from baseline to post-treatment in each player’s biochemical parameters. A significant increase in HDL, haemoglobin, creatine, and RBC and a significant decrease in LDL and VLDL were observed. The findings of this study underscore the potential benefits of endurance training for elite football players, as reflected in positive alterations in various biochemical parameters. However, for more comprehensive conclusions and a deeper understanding of the broader implications. Future research is recommended with larger sample sizes, control groups, and more detailed performance outcome measurements. This research contributes to our knowledge of the physiological responses of elite football players to endurance training and the potential advantages, it offers in optimising their performance and overall health.

Virtual Allies: Why Allyship is Critical to Diversification of Virtual Reality Gaming?

More attention is being brought to the identity challenges minority gamers face. However, as the gaming industry moves into virtual spaces and virtual reality (VR) gaming continues to grow in popularity, it is important to understand how identity and the virtual metaverse combine. Using a carnal autoethnography of a competitive woman VR gamer's lived experiences with sexism and misogyny over 6 months, this study explores how many women experience VR games as outsiders in a male-dominated space. Through the application of ambivalent sexism theory, this study shows virtual platform affordances can both help and harm minority gamers in their quest to be accepted in gaming communities. This study is among the first to examine gendered experience of VR gaming, especially from an autoethnographic frame, contributing to existing literature in women and gaming. This work calls on players, developers, educators, and research to emphasize allyship and media literacy to encourage more diverse virtual spaces.

Analysis on Election Models: Examining the Indonesian Case

Objective: The upcoming concurrent general election in 2024 in Indonesia is one of very interesting issues of democracy to research. One of which is the idea of a model of electoral governance. This is surely a challenge for future democracy development, both currently underway in Indonesia and in the context of democratic dynamics in other countries. Therefore, to get a model of concurrent elections in Indonesia, a literature review is needed to analyze articles and documents posted on Scopus and Google Scholar which are available globally. This can help researchers particularly in Indonesia to evolve the theory of electoral governance. Method: This literature research aims to find gaps in election governance research that has been carried out and to describe the agenda of concurrent elections in Indonesia. This study found 120 documents from the Scopus database and 100 documents from Google Scholar that were most relevant with the election model keywords. Result: The research found that there are still a small number of Indonesian researchers who have published documents on this theme by which they become references globally. Conclusion: The relevant research themes can become theme issues, namely political accountability, political competition experience, electoral management design, organizing elections, voter management, and democratic election systems. The findings of this literature review research can be a reference for researchers who want to determine the novelty of relevant research in the future.

Exploring the Effects of Progression Mechanics in Competitive and Collaborative Gamified Learning

This study investigates how competitive, collaborative, and progressive game-based and gamification learning mechanics influence children's motivation, engagement, and learning outcomes. The research was conducted with primary school children in an e-learning context delivered by the University of Central Lancashire’s (UCLan) eLearning platform – Learnvoy - and specifically explored how the sense of progression, competition, and collaboration in a gamified environment influenced learners' academic performance. This study involved groups of primary school learners in a quasi-experiment. The control group engaged in a traditional eLearning setup where they were asked to watch a few plain monologue tutorial videos and answer related questions. Two experimental groups participated in a gamified eLearning environment that used the same tutorial videos, but in which their answers powered up in-game characters: in one case creating a competitive experience and in the other a collaborative experience. After viewing each tutorial video, each learner answered the same questions as the control group, but here their rate of correctness powered up, or hindered frogs, from reaching a princess in a game based on the story of The Princess and the Frog. In this way, competitive, collaborative, and progressive elements were introduced in the game, where learners with higher accuracy in the question and answering activities had a better chance of winning, thus fostering an environment of motivation and achievement. The results indicate that both experimental groups exhibited improved motivation, engagement, and accuracy compared to the control group; there was no significant difference between the two gamified conditions. These results are interesting to schoolteachers and eLearning creators seeking to integrate innovative and effective learning strategies into their educational curriculums. The findings underscore the potential of competitive and collaborative game mechanics, particularly progression elements, in enhancing learners' learning experiences and outcomes. In conclusion, this research highlights the educational value of competitive, collaborative, and progressive digital game-based learning mechanics, suggesting that the sense of progression, competition and collaboration conveyed by such games can play a role in fostering learners' academic success.

Kinematic Analysis of the Drag Push Technique on Ball Speed in Indoor Hockey

This research was aimed to analyze the drag push technique using a 3D kinematic analysis approach. Biomechanical parameters have a significant effect on the drag push technique so that they can be specific recommendations for training the drag push technique. The method used in this research was quantitative descriptive method. The samples participating in this study were professional hockey players from the Indonesian National men's team (n: 12; age: 21.3 ± 2.5 years; weight: 71.7 ± 5.2 kg; height: 170 ± 2, 4 cm; BMI: 21.2 ± 1.7; competition experience: 4 ± 2.2 years). The instrument used in this research was a High-Speed Camera (Fastecimaging; San Diego, USA) with a shutter speed of 120Hz to record the athlete movements when performing the drag push technique. Radar Speed Gun (Bushnell; Kansas, USA) was used to detect ball speed resulting from the drag push technique. Motion Analysis Software (Frame-DIAS; Fukuoka, Japan) was used to analyze motion kinematics in three dimensions. The collected data were analyzed statistically using descriptive statistics and stepwise linear regression. The results revealed that drag distance and stance width were the dominant variables for optimizing push-in performance of Indonesian Indoor Hockey athletes. This study suggests that maximizing the distance of the foot to the ball at the start of the push-in is important to maximize the distance of the pull and using a combination of simultaneous and sequential segment rotations is beneficial to optimize the ball speed and the drag speed.

Elite skiers'experiences of heat- and moisture-exchanging devices and training and competition in the cold: A qualitative survey.

Winter endurance athletes have a high prevalence of exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) and asthma, probably due to repeated and prolonged inhalation of cold and dry air. Heat- and moisture-exchanging devices (HME) warm and humidify inhaled air and prevent EIB. The aimof this study was to share cross-country skiers and biathletes'experiences of training and competition in low temperatures, views on temperature limits, usage of HME, and consequences of cold exposure on their health. Eleven Swedish World Championship or Olympic medalists in cross-country skiing and biathlon were interviewed and transcripts were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Participants described how cold temperatures predominantly affected the airways, face, and extremities. During training, extreme cold was managed by choosing warmer clothing, modification of planned sessions, use of HME, delaying training, or changing location. In competition, participants described limited possibility for such choices and would prefer adjustment of existing rules (i.e., more conservative temperature limits), especially since they understood elite skiing in low temperatures to present an occupational hazard to their health. Participants had at times used HMEs during training in cold environments but described mixed motives for their use-that HMEs warm and humidify cold inhaled air but introduce additional resistance to breathing and can cause problems due to mucus and ice build-up. Skiers also perceived that they had become more sensitive to cold during the latter part of their careers. The present study gives a unique insight into the "cold" reality of being an elite athlete in skiing and biathlon. Cold exposure results in negative health consequences that are preventable, which means that rules must be followed, and organizers should acknowledge responsibility in protecting athletes from occupational hazards. Development of evidence-based guidelines for protection of athletes'respiratory health should be a focus for future translational research.

Competition Anxiety in Combat Sports and the Importance of Mental Toughness.

Combat sports require participants to engage in potentially dangerous forms of contact-based competition. Pressure to succeed, coupled with the risk of severe injury can induce significant levels of anxiety, which if uncontrolled, can negatively impact performance and possibly promote unsporting conduct. The present study examined competitive anxiety levels of combat sports athletes and determined whether self-reported scores were associated with mental toughness and Sportspersonship attitudes. A cross-sectional survey design was used whereby participants (N = 194) completed a battery of questionnaires measuring competitive combat sport experiences, demographic details, Sportspersonship traits (compliance towards rules, respect for opponents, and game perspective), and competition anxiety (somatic, cognitive, and self-confidence; reported retrospectively). Results suggest that mentally tough athletes experience lower levels of cognitive and somatic anxiety, and higher self-confidence, prior to competitions. Findings also found that athletes endorsing more altruistic and respectful attitudes in sport (Sportspersonship) reported higher levels of competition anxiety. The findings demonstrate that mental toughness is allied to positive attributes and could potentially be operationalized to improve both the retention and performance of combat sports athletes. Thus, the authors advocate the use of mental toughness coaching interventions within combat sports.

Athletes' basic psychological needs and emotions: the role of cognitive reappraisal.

In sport, where high achievements are at stake, athletes often feel pressure and emotions that hinder their performance. Emotion regulation becomes essential for athletes to handle stress, achieve optimal performance, and enhance their overall well-being. To advance both research and practical applications, it is crucial to examine the antecedents of emotion regulation and the impact on emotions and other feelings associated with performance. Specifically, the purpose of this cross-sectional study was to examine the role of athletes' emotion regulation strategies (i.e., cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression) in the relationship between basic psychological needs satisfaction, emotions, and psychobiosocial experiences. The sample consisted of 424 competitive athletes (246 men and 178 women) involved in individual sports (n = 164; e.g., fencing, gymnastics, martial arts, swimming, and tennis) or team sports (n = 260; e.g., basketball, rugby, soccer, and volleyball), aged 16-36 years (M = 23.08, SD = 7.65). Their competitive experience ranged from 1 to 21 years (M = 9.71, SD = 6.34) at regional (71%), national (18%), or international (11%) level, and they practiced their sport on average 3.74 times a week (SD = 1.73). Participants completed measures of basic needs satisfaction (i.e., competence, autonomy, and relatedness), emotion regulation style, emotions, and psychobiosocial experiences. Structural equation modeling results showed that competence need satisfaction was positively associated with pleasant emotions and psychobiosocial experiences that are perceived as functional for performance, and negatively associated with a maladaptive emotion regulation style (i.e., expressive suppression) and unpleasant emotions. Relatedness need satisfaction was positively related to an adaptive emotion regulation style (i.e., cognitive reappraisal), pleasant emotions, and psychobiosocial experiences, and negatively related to expressive suppression and unpleasant emotions. Finally, mediation analysis showed positive indirect effects from autonomy and relatedness satisfaction to pleasant emotions and psychobiosocial experiences via cognitive reappraisal. Findings suggest that the satisfaction of athletes' basic psychological needs of autonomy and relatedness is related to the experience of pleasant emotions and functional psychobiosocial states when they adopt an adaptive emotion regulation style.

Competition Experience of the Coach and Team Performance in the Kenyan National Soccer and Volleyball Leagues

Purpose: The objective of the study was to establish whether past competition experiences of the coach predicted team performance in the Kenyan national soccer and volleyball leagues.
 Methodology: The study adopted Cross-Sectional survey design. The population of the study was 53 head coaches handling teams in the Kenyan national soccer and volleyball leagues. Census sampling was used to pick the 53 coaches for the study. Data collection instrument was a self-administered questionnaire for the coaches. The coaches’ questionnaire was divided into sections which captured demographics and academic background. The study used Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS Version 22) for data analysis. Chi-Square and Fisher’s Exact test was used to show whether competition experience had an effect on the team’s performance. Data was presented using tables
 Findings: For soccer, Chi square and Fisher’s Exact Test results showed that coaches past competition experience had a significant effect on team performance (χ2 =30.292≤ p 0.05 9df). The fisher’s exact test had a p value of 0.003 which was also less than 0.05 confirming that there was a significant relationship between soccer coaches’ past competition experience and team performance. For volleyball, Chi square and Fisher’s Exact Test results showed that volleyball coaches past competition experience had a significant effect on team performance (χ2 =23.910≤ p 0.05 9df). The fisher’s exact test had a p value of 0.008 which was also less than 0.05 confirming that there was a significant relationship between volleyball coaches’ past competition experience and team performance.
 Recommendations: Policy makers such as team managers, owners and other stake holders in sports to consider more experienced coaches. They should consider coaches who have long period of coaching experience as well as coaches with a long period of competition experience. This is because coaching knowledge comes from observations and experiences of other coaches. Team managers, owners and other stake holders in sports should also consider coaches with past playing experience from recognized local clubs. This will enhance team performance.

Straight Jump Landing Position of Trampoline Gymnasts with Stable Occlusal Balance Reflects Standing Postural Control Function

The aim of this study was to clarify the relationship between the landing position during consecutive straight jumps and standing posture stability of trampoline gymnasts with stable occlusal balance. Participants were 10 healthy men (BMI: 18.5–25.0) and 10 trampoline gymnasts (competition experience: ≥12 years), all of whom had stable occlusal balance. To assess postural control function, the displacements in the forward–backward (COP-FB) and the left–right directions (COP-LR) of the center of foot pressure were recorded under eyes-open and eyes-closed conditions. For the trampoline gymnasts, landing positions during 10 consecutive straight jumps were recorded. The horizontal displacements from the center of the bed in the forward–backward (H-FB) and the left–right directions (H-LR) directions were recorded. Differences in COP displacement between participant groups and between visual conditions were analyzed, along with the correlations between COP displacement and landing position. COP-FB in the eyes-open condition was significantly smaller in trampoline gymnasts than in healthy men (p < 0.05). Significant strong positive correlations were observed between COP-FB and H-FB, and between COP-LR and H-LR (p < 0.05). The postural control function of trampoline gymnasts was superior to that of healthy men in the eyes-open condition. The landing position during straight jumps of trampoline gymnasts with stable occlusal balance reflects standing postural control function.

CrossFit®: 'Unknowable' or Predictable?-A Systematic Review on Predictors of CrossFit® Performance.

The functional fitness training program CrossFit® is experiencing fast-growing and widespread popularity with day-to-day varying 'Workouts of the Day' (WOD). Even among tactical athletes, the training program is widely applied. Nevertheless, there is a lack of data on which parameters influence CrossFit® performance. For this reason, the purpose of this study is to conduct a systematic review of the existing literature to identify and summarize predictors of CrossFit® performance and performance enhancement. In accordance with the PRISMA guidelines, a systematic search of the following databases was conducted in April 2022: PubMed, SPORTDiscus, Scopus, and Web of Science. Using the keyword 'CrossFit', 1264 entries are found, and 21 articles are included based on the eligibility criteria. In summary, the studies show conflicting results, and no specific key parameter was found that predicts CrossFit® performance regardless of the type of WOD. In detail, the findings indicate that physiological parameters (in particular, body composition) and high-level competitive experience have a more consistent influence than specific performance variables. Nevertheless, in one-third of the studies, high total body strength (i.e., CrossFit® Total performance) and trunk strength (i.e., back squat performance) correlate with higher workout scores. For the first time, this review presents a summary of performance determinants in CrossFit®. From this, a guiding principle for training strategies may be derived, suggesting that a focus on body composition, body strength, and competition experience may be recommended for CrossFit® performance prediction and performance enhancement.

Inter-Unit Executive Redeployment in Multiunit Firms: Evidence from Korean Business Groups

Building on the literature on resource reconfiguration theory, we formulate a new theoretical framework that explains how executive redeployment within a diversified firm transfers different types of human capital embodied in executives to different units facing specific business challenges. In the empirical context of Korean business groups, we find that executives with unit-specific human capital, like turnaround experience, competitive experience, and international expansion experience, are redeployed to units with corresponding business challenges like financial difficulties, intensifying competition, and early-stage international expansion, respectively. We also show that executives with unit-generic human capital, like corporate management practices and interunit coordination experiences, are redeployed to younger units seeking to establish corporate-level policies and practices. Additional analyses also show that the value of firm-specific human capital in driving the redeployment of executives is contingent on their functional orientation and seniority.Funding: S.-J. Chang appreciates financial support from the Lim Kim San Chair Professorship from National University of Singapore and Techno SK Chair Professorship from KAIST. Y.-C. Kim is also grateful for financial support from the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Korea and the National Research Foundation of Korea [NRF-2022S1A5A2A01044597].Supplemental Material: The e-companion is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.20.14525 .

Inter-Unit Executive Redeployment in Multiunit Firms: Evidence from Korean Business Groups

Building on the literature on resource reconfiguration theory, we formulate a new theoretical framework that explains how executive redeployment within a diversified firm transfers different types of human capital embodied in executives to different units facing specific business challenges. In the empirical context of Korean business groups, we find that executives with unit-specific human capital, like turnaround experience, competitive experience, and international expansion experience, are redeployed to units with corresponding business challenges like financial difficulties, intensifying competition, and early-stage international expansion, respectively. We also show that executives with unit-generic human capital, like corporate management practices and interunit coordination experiences, are redeployed to younger units seeking to establish corporate-level policies and practices. Additional analyses also show that the value of firm-specific human capital in driving the redeployment of executives is contingent on their functional orientation and seniority. Funding: S.-J. Chang appreciates financial support from the Lim Kim San Chair Professorship from National University of Singapore and Techno SK Chair Professorship from KAIST. Y.-C. Kim is also grateful for financial support from the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Korea and the National Research Foundation of Korea [NRF-2022S1A5A2A01044597]. Supplemental Material: The e-companion is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2020.14525 .

Reform and Practice of Talent Training of Architectural Interior Design Professionals in Higher Vocational Skills Competition: Taking Chongqing Energy Vocational College as an Example

For higher vocational colleges, skills competition is an important indicator of professional personnel training quality. In this paper, the architectural interior design professional skills competition in Chongqing Energy Vocational College is taken as an example, the many years of teaching and competition experience are taken into account, the problems existing in the cultivation of architectural interior design professionals in higher vocational colleges are analyzed, and corresponding solutions are proposed.

ASEAN+3 과학실험 탐구대회에 참가한 중학교 영재 학생의 과학 관련 경험과 과학에 대한 인식 변화 분석

The purpose of this study was to investigate the experiences of six science gifted students in Korea who participated in ASEAN +3 Junior Science Odyssey through an in-dept interview. Through this, we tried to find an educational implications for the global science experiment and inquiry contest, which can change the perception of science and provide positive experiences about science for gifted students. As a result of this study, before participating ASEAN+3 Junior Science Odyssey, gifted students who had no experience in international exchange or science-related competitions, had a typical image of scientists, and had no experience conducting experiments autonomously at school. Through the experimental activities held in JSO, they realized the joy of the experiment to reveal knowledge and principles, and showed changes in their perception about science, such as changing image of scientists and showing confidence and interest in their careers in science and engineering. However, it was found that experience in terms of science-related self-concepts, such as self-efficacy and self-esteem was somewhat insufficient. Based on the result of this study, we proposed the appearance of the global science experiment and inquiry contest to change gifted students’ positive experiences related to science and their perception of science.

A global-local hybrid strategy with adaptive space reduction search method for structural health monitoring

The difficulty in computational convergence poses challenges of application for traditional heuristic optimization algorithms to solve the optimization-based structural identification problem, especially for the large-scale and complex structural systems where considerable number of unknown parameters and degrees of freedom involved. Unlike the classic identification methods, in this paper, a novel hybrid strategy, coarsely exploring the relatively large search limits with the improved Jaya algorithm and adaptive search space reduction method in the global stage, and then fine-tuning the identified best solution with local optimization methods to the optimum in the local stage, is proposed and evaluated. The improved Jaya algorithm includes three improvements compared to its original version, fuzzy clustering competitive learning, experience learning and Cauchy mutation mechanisms. Gradient based Levenberg-Marquardt method, sequential quadratic programming method and non-gradient based Nelder-Mead simplex method are inserted as local mathematical optimizers to further enhance identification accuracy and efficiency. The superiority of proposed improved Jaya algorithm is validated in optimizing classical and CEC05 benchmark functions by comparing with several state-of-the-art algorithms. Furthermore, the effectiveness of proposed global-local hybrid method is verified by a numerical example of truss structure and an experimental test of the steel grid benchmark structure with incomplete set of noise-polluted measurements. The statistical results show that the improved Jaya algorithm and adaptive search space reduction method combined with sequential quadratic programming can achieve better performance in structural damage identification than other methods.