Major University Research Articles

Exploring the Reform of Piano Course Teaching based on AGIL Model

University music performance majors are strongly encouraged to take a piano fundamentals course as one of their necessary foundational topics. For college music achievement majors, it is very crucial to develop and raise students' piano playing proficiency and expertise. For the analysis and creation of complex systems, the AGIL model serves as a theoretical framework. This model may be used to create a complete methodology for piano instruction that emphasizes the growth of the student's flexibility, goal achievement, skill integration, and pause in action. Learning to play the piano may test these connections in the brain that control movement in students and people with poor motor abilities, and it can even improve coordination. Thus, we suggested the AGIL model for the reform of piano course teaching to further encourage the creative growth of piano instruction for music majors in colleges and universities in a diverse environment. The dataset used was made up of Chinese piano students. The performance measures used to assess suggested efficacy include ideal teaching, student performance, note-reading skill, teamwork ability, and student support rate. The evaluation's results indicate that the AGIL approach has provided 98.5% which seems to be useful for improving students' piano skills.

Through the eyes of non-vegans: using photovoice to explore the stigmatisation of vegans

PurposeThis study aims to examine how veganism is “seen” by young adult non-vegan consumers and how prevailing attitudes reinforce or challenge stigmas around veganism.Design/methodology/approachPhotovoice methodology was used to explore young non-vegan consumers’ attitudes and beliefs towards veganism. Data was collected from students studying advertising at a major university in Australia, who produced images and narratives reflective of their own attitudes towards veganism. Polytextual thematic analysis of the resulting visual data was then undertaken to reveal the dominant themes underpinning participants’ attitudes. Participant narratives were then reviewed to confirm whether the ascribed meaning aligned with participants’ intended meaning.FindingsParticipant images were reflective of first, how they saw their world and their place within it, which showed the interplay and interconnectedness between humans, animals and nature, and second, how they saw vegans within this world, with both positive and negative attitudes expressed. Interestingly, vegans were simultaneously admired and condemned. By situating these attitudes along a spectrum of moral evaluation, bounded by stigmatisation and moral legitimacy, participants saw vegans as being either Radicals, Pretenders, Virtuous or Pragmatists. For veganism to become more widely accepted by non-vegans, there is an important role to be played by each vegan type.Originality/valueThis study offers a more nuanced understanding of how and why dissociative groups, such as vegans, become stigmatised, which has implications for messaging and marketing practices around veganism and associated products/services. Future research could use a similar methodology to understand why other minority groups in society are stereotyped and stigmatised, which has broader social implications.

Perception of uncontrollable mortality risk is associated with food insecurity and reduced economic effort among resource-insecure college students during COVID-19.

In the framework of the uncontrollable mortality risk hypothesis, resource scarcity intersects with mortality risk, shaping resource allocation strategies with enduring impacts on human health and wellbeing. Despite rising economic and food insecurity among US college students, little is known about how these insecurities relate to mortality risk, or how scarcity and mortality risk interact to shape college students' resource allocation strategies. We examine perceptions of resource scarcity and mortality risk and their associations with food insecurity and resource allocation strategies among economically insecure college students during COVID-19 lockdowns. Participants were recruited through an economic crisis response center at a major public university in the United States. A total of 118 participants completed an online Qualtrics survey assessing sociodemographic characteristics, perceptions of mortality risk and resource availability, food security, economic effort, and time perspective; a subset (n = 51) also participated in a telephone interview assessing psychological distress. In general, participants reported more environmental adversity and economic effort during COVID-19 lockdowns compared to before. Students experiencing higher levels of uncontrollable (and not controllable) mortality risk report lower levels of economic effort, and the association was strongest among students perceiving the fewest resources. We also found significant associations between uncontrollable mortality risk and food insecurity. Our results highlight uncontrollable mortality risk's influence on human well-being. Public health efforts should target the experiences and root structural causes of uncontrollable mortality risk, which among economically insecure college students increasingly involves food insecurity.

Internal Marketing, Faculty Engagement, and Innovative Behavior: An Empirical Study in Higher Education

The current research study investigated the significance of internal marketing (IM) to enhance faculty innovative behavior (FIB) and faculty engagement (FE) in higher education (HE). Furthermore, the mediation of FE in the association between IM and FIB has been investigated. Three hundred teachers from three major public sector universities in union territory (Jammu and Kashmir) in India have been contacted to gather responses. The study contributes in numerous ways to the literature—dimensions of IM have a significant and positive impact on FIB in the HE sector. FE significantly mediated the effect of IM and its dimensions on FIB. This study also enlarged the scope of social exchange theory by using it from faculty perspectives in HE. Furthermore, the study has made an attempt to modify the scale to measure constructs for making them suitable in the HE sectors. Research findings offer numerous suggestions for administrators in HE institutions.

Persuading others in different communication media: appeals to logic, authority and emotion

PurposeScholars of persuasion have long made a distinction between appeals to logic, emotion and authority- logos, ethos and pathos- but ideas developed to account for live face-to-face conversation processes must also be tested in new media. We aimed to test the effectiveness of these three strategies in one-to-one chats through different communication media.Design/methodology/approachWith a 3 × 3 × 2 between-subject factorial design, we tested these three strategies in one-to-one chats (female–female or male–male pairs) through three communication media: face-to-face, Skype video or Skype text. The persuasion scenario was adapted from prior studies in which students were presented with the idea of requiring a comprehensive exam as part of their degree. The participants were all undergraduate students of a major university in USA.FindingsOur results showed trivial differences between female–female and male–male conditions. The logos appeal worked best overall in persuading the participants to change their reported attitudes. Additionally, the explanations provided by the participants for their own opinions were most like the persuasion scripts in the logos condition compared to the other two appeal conditions. Separately, participants indicated some disapproval of the pathos appeal in the text-based chat condition, although this did not seem to make a difference in terms of actual attitude change.Research limitations/implicationsOne major limitation of our study is that our subjects are college students and therefore are not representative of Internet users in general. Future research should test these three types of persuasion strategies on people of diverse backgrounds. For example, while logos seems to be most effective strategy in persuading college students (at least in our study), pathos or ethos may be more effective when one attempts to persuade people of different backgrounds.Practical implicationsAlthough it is enough for a statistical test, our sample size is still relatively small due to constraints on time, personnel and funding. We also recognize that it is challenging both conceptually and empirically to compare the effectiveness of three persuasion strategies separately.Social implicationsOur findings suggest it is helpful to use fact-checking tools to combat disinformation in cases where users may not have sufficient domain knowledge or may not realize the need to identify or examine the given information. Additionally, it may require more effort to negate the impact of the disinformation spread than correcting the information, as some users may not only believe false information but also may start to reason in ways similar to those presented in the disinformation messages.Originality/valuePast studies on online persuasion have limitedly examined whether and how communication media and persuasion strategies interact in one-to-one persuasion sessions. Our experiment makes an attempt to close this gap by examining the persuasion process and outcome in three different communication media and with three different persuasion strategies.

Examining changes in adolescents' high school math and science motivational beliefs and their relations to parental STEM support and STEM major choice at the intersectionality of gender and college generation status.

Drawing on the situated expectancy-value, dimensional comparison theories, and the intersectionality approach, this article examined the changes in adolescents' math and science motivational beliefs, the parental and college correlates of those beliefs, and the differences at the intersection of gender and college generation status (i.e., female and male first- and continuing-generation college students). Findings based on the nationally representative high-school longitudinal study data (N = 12,070; Mage = 14 years; 54% female students; 28% first-generation college students; and 14% Latinx, 9% Black, 10% Asian, and 57% White) suggest that although adolescents' math and science ability self-concepts declined during high school, their science interest remained stable, and their math and science utility values increased. Adolescents' motivational beliefs in ninth grade and the changes from ninth to 11th grade positively predicted whether they declared a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) college major. Parents' ninth-grade STEM support was more consistently associated with adolescents' concurrent beliefs compared to the changes in their beliefs. Finally, we found that female first-generation college students, who were more likely to be Latinx and Black students, tended to have lower math and science motivational beliefs, received less parental STEM support, and were less likely to choose a STEM major than their peers. The findings of this study indicate adolescents' math and science motivational development in high school matters for their college majors and that certain understudied groups, including female first-generation college students, may experience acute marginalization in STEM and warrant further attention. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Research on the Reform of Talent Cultivation Mode of Financial Accounting Majors in LN College Based on New Business: From the Perspective of Industry-Education Integration

In the era of the digital economy, new demands are being placed on financial accounting talent. To cultivate multifaceted talents suitable for the new business education framework, it need to enhance the quality of financial accounting education through industry-education integration. This paper takes LN College as the research object, and adopts literature analysis method, survey research method and case study method to analyze the current situation of training talents of accounting profession in LN College. The findings reveal several issues: outdated talent cultivation goals, an incomplete application-oriented curriculum system, and an inadequate practical teaching systems and so on. Addressing these issues, the paper proposes realigning the talent cultivation goals, optimizing the application-oriented curriculum system, and constructing a comprehensive practical teaching system. These strategies aim to nurture multifaceted financial accounting talents. Furthermore, this study provides references for other majors and colleges.

Testing Integrative Models of the Change Behavior in the Intention to Adopt Cryptocurrency

This study explores the adoption of cryptocurrency, specifically Bitcoin, in the Philippines. The authors argue that current behavioral prediction models, such as TRA, TPB, and TAM, do not adequately account for the affective constructs of decision-making when high monetary stakes are involved. To address this gap, the authors propose an integrative model that accounts for financial decision-making processes, risk constructs, and population-specific behavioral strategies. The study used a quantitative-based research design and involved 684 university students from one of the major state universities in the Philippines. The findings show that perceived usefulness, attitude toward cryptocurrency, self-efficacy, and descriptive norms significantly influenced the intention to adopt cryptocurrency. Overall, the study confirms the direct influence of instrumental attitude, knowledge of cryptocurrency, descriptive norm, risk tolerance, ease and difficulty, and control on an individual’s intention to use cryptocurrency. The study contributes to exploring a less studied Philippine consumer base and provides empirical findings and insights into Bitcoin adoption in developing Asian economies. JEL Classification: G15. G17, G41, P33, G32.

Validating and Shortening the Achievement Emotions Questionnaire (AEQ) for Measuring Positive Emotions in Foreign Language Learning and Classroom Settings

Motivated by the ‘emotional turn’ in applied linguistics and the recent introduction of positive psychology in L2 studies, the present study aimed to validate and shorten the Achievement Emotions Questionnaire (AEQ) for measuring positive emotions in foreign language learning and classroom settings. To this end, data were collected from 442 Iranian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students from several major state universities using the adapted sub-scales of positive classroom- and learning-related emotions of the AEQ. To prepare the short version, five items with the highest factor loadings in each of the six sub-scales were retained, which resulted in a total of 30 items. A six-factor model of this short version called Foreign Language Positive Emotions Questionnaire (FL-PEQ) was corroborated, which indicated that this measure could adequately differentiate between enjoyment, hope, and pride in foreign language ‘learning’ and ‘classroom’. Additionally, internal validity, convergent validity, and discriminant validity of the FL-PEQ were confirmed.

DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW INSTRUCTIONAL MODEL FOR ENHANCING STUDENTS’ WILLINGNESS TO COMMUNICATE AND PERFORMANCE IN COLLEGES, CHINA

The learner’s willingness to communicate is one of the essential elements in learning and implementing foreign languages effectively. The researchers are eager to develop a new intercultural instruction model to enhance non-English major college students’ intercultural communicative willingness in English classrooms in China. A mixed methodology approach that combined qualitative analysis and quantitative analysis was utilized to analyze data from a questionnaire, the new intercultural teaching model, in-depth interviews, and productive tasks such as speaking tasks and writing tasks. There were 98 Chinese students participating in this research in the academic year 2019–2020. The results revealed that after the development and implementation of the new intercultural teaching model, the students showed progress in their willingness to communicate, their satisfaction with the results of the in-depth interviews, and their high performance in those productive tasks. On this basis, this research presents how to develop and implement an instructional model effectively to enhance the students’ intercultural communicative willingness and productive performance.

Investigation and Analysis of Online Piano Improvisational Accompaniment Education: A Case Study of Universities in Guangzhou, Foshan, and Zhaoqing

The ability to provide impromptu piano accompaniment is a crucial skill that music teachers in primary and secondary schools must possess. Enhancing the accompaniment skills of music majors in colleges and universities is a focal point of the “new normal” compulsory courses. Drawing on data analysis and research from a questionnaire survey on impromptu accompaniment in some universities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, this paper demonstrates that multidimensional, multi-channel, and diversified curriculum reform is essential for improving teaching effectiveness and achieving educational objectives. The paper also proposes suggestions and ideas for curriculum reform and the construction of an online impromptu accompaniment course learning platform for reference.

Research on The Cultivation of Professional Talents in Preschool Education at Higher Vocational Colleges under The Integration of Production and Education

As society increasingly prioritizes the education industry, there is a pressing need for the constant reformation of the talent training mode of preschool education majors in higher vocational colleges. Among them, the integration of production and education, as a new education model, emphasizes the importance of school-enterprise cooperation and applies it to the teaching of preschool education in higher vocational colleges. This had a certain promoting effect on the improvement of the student’s comprehensive ability and quality. Specifically, the integration of production and education implies that the teaching work should be closely linked with the actual work situations so that students have more opportunities to participate in practical learning. Therefore, under the background of the integration of production and education, the cultivation of talents in preschool education at higher vocational colleges needs to pay attention to post-practice experiences. Cooperation with enterprises should be strengthened to promote the student’s understanding of knowledge and improve their practical ability. This paper analyzed the development of a talent training model of preschool education in higher vocational colleges under the background of the integration of production and education, hoping to provide some reference for peers.

Narrowing the Gap

This paper investigates whether entrepreneurship training subsequently impacts artists’ labor market outcomes. Collecting data from major universities, we find that only 9.7% have arts entrepreneurship certificates; just 11.4% have any required arts entrepreneurship classes. Analyzing data from the American Community Survey (ACS) and controlling for demographic factors, fine arts graduates are 1.3% less likely to be employed and earn 8.7% lower annual earnings. However, individuals with both arts and entrepreneurial business training earn more and offset the earnings disadvantage by roughly a half. These results underscore the importance of integrating art entrepreneurship education with the sustainability of the arts sector.

The embodied nature of physical theater: artistic expression, emotions, interactions

ABSTRACT The nature of physical theater can facilitate understanding of the complex characteristics of embodied movement . Given also the scarcity of empirical studies in the area , the purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological, and temporal study was to thoroughly examine the embodied nature of physical theater (e.g. unity of body and mind) within different aspects of movement, such as performativity, communication with others, and emotional expression. Seven undergraduate students (M age = 20.43 ± 1.28 years old) enrolled in a semester-long physical theater class at a major Southeastern US university. Based on the qualitative, phenomenological analysis, three physical theater themes emerged regarding improved embodied sensations over the class period: a) embodied artistic expression (e.g. body-mind unison; sense of flow; physical theater as a form of exercise), b) embodied emotions (e.g. body and mind in emotion, expressing emotions freely), and c) embodied interactions (e.g. body, mind, and emotion in communication; more attentive to body language; communicating with the audience). In the field of Performing Arts, viewing movement holistically as an end in itself can bring about senses of fulfillment, body awareness, improved consciousness, and increased value of physical culture (value of creative movement), and well-being.

Examining the Structural Relationships Between Pre-Service Science Teachers’ Intention to Teach and Perceptions of the Nature of Science and Attitudes

Abstract The current study aimed to examine the structural relationships between pre-service science teachers’ intention to teach and perceptions of the nature of science (NOS) and attitudes toward teaching science. The sample consisted of 206 pre-service science teachers from a major university in the United Arab Emirates who have bachelor’s degrees in science. Quantitative research methodology was used to study the structural relationships among pre-service science teachers’ intention to teach, perceptions of the NOS, and attitudes. Structural equation modeling using the Lavaan package was used to test these structural relationships. The results show that the relationships between the indigenous constructs (NOS) and the mediator constructs (DAS) can predict pre-service science teachers’ intention to teach science (p < 0.05).

Shifting Horizons: The Impact of Global Events on the Intention to Migrate of the Next Generation Romanian Nurses.

This article investigates the determinants of the intention to migrate of nursing students at a major medical university in Romania and relates them to major international developments, specifically the Brexit referendum and the COVID-19 pandemic. An online survey about the intention to migrate was made available to nursing students at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Iuliu Hațieganu", Cluj-Napoca, Romania, in 2016 (before Brexit) and again in 2016 (after Brexit), 2017, 2018, and 2021 and 2022 (during the pandemic). A total of 549 students responded (response rate: 84.6%). Before the Brexit referendum, 62.6% of the respondents had a plan to seek employment abroad, whereas after the Brexit referendum, only 34.7% indicated that they had such a plan after graduation. Before the pandemic, 43.6% of the students expressed an intention to work abroad, while during the pandemic, only 19.8% had such plans. This study documented the effect of significant international developments-such as the Brexit referendum and the COVID-19 pandemic-on decreasing the intention to migrate. As expected, the change in preference for the UK as a destination country changed dramatically. Additionally, the study provides both theoretical and empirical insights into the types of and the consistency of preparation for migration of nursing students.

Application-Oriented Talents Training for Music Majors in Colleges and Universities Based on Internet Remote Technology

This paper mainly studies the cultivation of applied talents of music majors in colleges and universities based on internet remote technology. By analyzing the definition and development of internet remote technology and discussing the present situation and challenges of cultivating applied talents of music majors in colleges and universities, this paper puts forward a scheme of applying internet remote technology to cultivating applied talents of music majors in colleges and universities. In practice, this paper designs and constructs the distance teaching mode, optimizes the curriculum and teaching mode, and makes case analysis and evaluation. The results show that internet remote technology has obvious advantages in cultivating applied talents of music majors in colleges and universities, which can improve students' learning and learning satisfaction. Finally, this paper discusses the application prospect of internet remote technology in the cultivation of applied talents of music majors in colleges and universities and puts forward prospects and suggestions.

Longitudinal Exploration of Strategies Advancing Continuing Professional Pharmacy Education in a Major University: an in- Depth Study on Impact

Background: In the dynamic healthcare landscape, pharmacists contend with the challenge of staying current with evolving knowledge. Continuing Pharmacy Education (CPE) programs, play a pivotal role in addressing this need. This study focuses on a six-year evaluation of CPE programs at a College of Pharmacy, aiming to assess the impact of a multifaceted approach on various educational outcomes. Materials and Methods: The University College of Pharmacy Office of Continuing Professional Education implemented a multifaceted approach from 2017 to 2022. Changes included hiring a full-time coordinator, offering on-site and online programs, establishing partnerships, identifying knowledge gap through surveying participants, and enhancing digital presence beyond others. Data from this period were compared with the preceding six years (2010 2016). Evaluation metrics covered attendee the number and diversity, program growth, and professional impact. Results: The study showcased significant improvements in various aspects of CPE programs. Pharmacist attendees increased by 816.67%, with a notable rise in non-pharmacy participants. Geographical distribution saw a surge in out-of-state and international participants. Program content witnesseda shift towardsinfectious diseases and pain management. The number of CPE programsand awarded hours experienced a fivefold increase, reflecting a commitment to a diverse curriculum. Participant feedback consistently indicated high satisfaction with knowledge enhancement, applicability, and program usefulness. Conclusion: Over the six-year period,the evaluation revealedsubstantial advancements in our CPE programs. Increased pharmacist attendance, diversified participant engagement, and expandedgeographical reach underscored the program's success.The exponential growth in program offerings reflected a commitment to diverse and extensive education. Positive participant feedback, indicating sustained impact on drug therapy management, patient safety, and public health outcomes, affirmedthe enduring effectiveness of the CPE programs. While acknowledging study limitations, this comprehensive analysis highlights the success and ongoing efforts to enhance CPE programs at major university. Future research should address these constraints for a more nuanced understanding of CPE program impact.

Who earns the iron rice bowl? Major marketability and state sector jobs among college-educated workers in urban China

In China, state sector employees enjoy a persistent organizational premium, but surprisingly few studies have examined which college-educated workers tend to work in the state sector. In this study, we focus on one key dimension in horizontal stratification in higher education—field of study—to examine patterns of state sector employment among college-educated workers in China according to the occupational specificity and profit orientation of their college majors. Using data from three nationally representative surveys in urban China, we find that college graduates majoring in less occupationally specific and less profitable fields (i.e. those with lower marketability) are more likely to work in the state sector, and this pattern is more pronounced during the later period of marketization reform. Moreover, family resources in the form of a father working in the state sector can weaken the field-to-sector association, and we observe greater intergenerational mobility into state sector employment among college graduates majoring in fields with lower marketability. These findings highlight the field-to-sector relationship as a unique mechanism of China's horizontal stratification in higher education and school-to-work transition. They also underscore the significance of considering organizational contexts when examining the educational stratification in labor market outcomes.

Degrees of Return: Estimating Internal Rates of Return for College Majors Using Quantile Regression

Using data collected from more than 5.8 million high school and college graduates ages 18 to 65 years who participated in the American Community Survey between 2009 and 2021, the authors estimate the internal rates of return (IRRs) for individuals with college degrees in 10 broad majors compared with high school graduates. The analysis shows significant differences in the age-earnings trajectories and IRRs across college majors. Furthermore, quantile regression analyses show that IRR is generally higher at the high end of the earnings distribution compared with the low end. Finally, the authors observed a slight decrease in IRR during the study period, which is consistent with the flattening and even decline in college wage premiums following the 2008 Great Recession.